Feeling Vulnerable: What are Computer Security Vulnerabilities and How Could They be Putting Your Company at Risk?

You wouldn’t intentionally leave your wallet on the hood of your car in the mall parking lot. In the same respect, you wouldn’t let a child walk home from school in the dark along a busy street. The reason you wouldn’t do these things is because your wallet and your children are important to you and leaving them unattended would make them vulnerable to theft and harm. According to … Read More »

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Researchers Discover a Vulnerability in SSL Encryption

Two researchers, Julian Rizzo and Thai Duong, recently accounted the discovery of a new attack that allows them to exploit a vulnerability in TLS 1.0/SSL 3.0, the successor to the secure sockets layer technology. This is particularly noteworthy, because of how frequently these security measures are used to protect data we share online. Secure Sockets Layer: A Brief History Many of you have probably at least heard of Secure … Read More »

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Famous Hackers: Anonymous

Remember when “anonymous” was simply a placeholder for an unnamed author in your English literature class? How about when “anonymous” was just someone who was being interviewed and wished for their name not to be used in print? Today, the word “anonymous” isn’t reserved for the unnamed. Just Google the word and you’ll find an entirely different meaning. The days of “anonymous” being someone who has chosen to stay … Read More »

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Don’t Mess Around with the Feds: Dumb Hackers Target NBC’s Twitter Account

“You don’t tug on Superman’s cape You don’t spit into the wind You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger And you don’t mess around with” the Feds - Jim Croce (slight change by Alan) We were all young, and perhaps even stupid, at some point in our lives. Those of us lucky enough to make it to adulthood, do so in spite of the odds against … Read More »

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Evolution of the Term “Hacker”

After nine months of noteworthy data breaches, from the Shady Rat Attack to the Sony PlayStation Network breach—the term “hacking” is more likely to call to mind script kiddies and self-proclaimed hactivist groups, like Anonymous, than tech-savvy geeks like Steve Jobs. However, although today “hacking” is almost synonymous with cyber crime, this wasn’t always the case. Define “Hacker” According Merriam-Webster, “hack” has a number of definitions, including 1.  “to … Read More »

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Cyber Criminal Traced to a McDonald’s in Smyrna, Georgia

In a major break in the war against cyber crime, Jason Cornish, 37, was arrested after being traced back to his headquarters at a McDonald’s in Smyrna, Georgia. Wait, we need to do a reboot on this one. People still eat inside at McDonald’s? Isn’t that something like getting People Magazine delivered to your home? We all know it’s okay to use the McDonald’s drive-through and read People Magazine … Read More »

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Facebook Threats: Three Ways Hackers are Hijacking Your Social Media Experience

With over 750 million users, there are currently more people signed up to use the social network than living in the United States. While Facebook can create “it’s a small world after all” feeling, having that many people in one place, makes Facebook an ideal target for spammers and other crooks looking to utilize the social networking platform for their own personal gains. From malware to hijacked accounts, Facebook … Read More »

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Hollywood Leaks: Hacking Hollywood’s Elite

Up until a few days ago, the most improbable marriage of technology and celebrity pimping that I had ever experienced was Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak’s 2009 debut on Dancing with the Stars. I sat mesmerized by the 58-year old Woz’s attempt to dance with the 31-year old professional dancer, Karina Smirnoff. Woz suffered through a fractured foot, a pulled hamstring and a combined score of 10 (out of 30) … Read More »