About a month ago, I talked about phish scammers targeting Google emails. But recently, police officers across the country warn us of another scheme. They give us this alert: Phish scammers target cell phones.
So this is how they do it. The phish scammers call cell phones. Then, they ask the person, “Can you hear me?” The person says ‘yes’. Then the scammers record the ‘yes’. Furthermore, they use that unintentional ‘yes’ to authorize charges you really didn’t agree to. In this day and age, you need more than a recorded yes to make purchases. That should be the case, at least. But they can use the world ‘yes’ to get fake permission on charges.
But keep in mind some of these phish scammers already have credit and debit card numbers. In fact, there’s no telling what info they might have. So they can use a combination of a fake yes and stolen info to get goods on your dollar. That’s the danger police fear. In fact, that’s the danger computer repair experts and security experts fear. So what do we do about it?
Don’t answer any ‘unknown telephone calls’. Just let it go to voicemail. And if they don’t leave you a voicemail, you know how suspicious the call was. In fact, don’t answer any call unless you know the number. In the 1980s, there was little way to know who is calling. But nowadays, just about everyone has caller ID, no matter how old your cell phone is. Put it to good use. Check your bank statements and other documents…often! And if you do find something wrong, contact your financial institution and/or law enforcement immediately! Here in our Boston computer service shop, we tell customers this face to face. And of course, if they get pushy for that yes, then it’s okay to hang up. What tips do you have to keep the good guys safe?
Technology can be efficient and life saving. It can also be scary. ?Ever get a message and your phone just freezes? So there’s a message that’s doing just that. It contains a combination of three emojis. It’s the smartphone freezing emoji: consumer alert!
Consequently, this bug is especially bad for Apple phones. I’m talking about those with iOS 10 systems or higher. In fact, there are no cases of this thing hitting iOS systems lower than 10. ?One needs a text message. Furthermore, that message contains a white flag, zero, and rainbow emoji. When someone sends this combo in a message, it freezes, even crashes, the recipient’s smartphone.
But wait, there’s another reason for this crash. Apple is trying make a rainbow flag emoji. But it isn’t working. In fact, all this does is freezes the smartphone. Let’s say someone really wants to send the smartphone freezing emoji. They would use the notes app to do so. The freeze lasts only a few minutes. It wouldn’t black out, but the iPhone just would do nothing for several minutes. But it’s not just Apple phones. This smartphone freezing emoji bug hits Android devices, too. It’s just not as often.
We can thank You Tube channels Everything Apple Pro?for breaking this warning. Apple is usually good with fixing this thing. But some people will keep doing this again and again just to spite. If they do, then you might consider removing them from your smartphone altogether. And of course, our computer repair experts are good at anything smartphone. This includes everything from zapping phone bugs to screen replacements. I’m glad Apple has an easy fix for this. But what they should do is fix their flag situation. If they want rainbow flag emojis, then they need to do a better job. What if these freezes get more severe? Are these nuisances worth it, for an emoji?
These phishers and hackers are getting smarter and smarter. But this one takes the cake. There is a phishing scheme that even tech-savvy email users are falling for. It’s the GMail Phishing Scheme: consumer beware!
So this is how it works. The phisher sends an email to your account. Also, the email could come from a previous victim. Furthermore, you probably know the previous victim. Then, you get an image to click on. If you click on, they’ll have you sign in your account. They compromise your Gmail account when you sign into this phony account. Then, they’ll have full control of your email, and the info that comes with them.
But there are ways to protect yourself from this GMail Phishing Scheme. Watch your location bar! The phishers use ‘data URI’. If you see a lot of text at the web addresses’ beginning, then that’s a bad sign. That is what opens the fake tab, so that you type in and give the hackers your name and password. There should be NO extra text! But if they did get you already, change your username and password immediately! The stronger the password, the better. Check login activity on your Gmail account. Make sure you’re the one who is conducting the activity. Cyber security experts say double authentication is a good idea.
We here at Computer Geeks commit ourselves not only to fighting hack attacks, but preventing them. One way to prevent attacks is to inform you of what the hackers are up to. In computer repair, we’ve seen it all. And in our Boston computer service shop, we’ve fixed it all. Yes, that includes laptops fixed. But how can we fix these things if you don’t know about them? It’s good to arm yourself with information to combat such attacks. This is how to stop things like the GMail phishing scheme from happening in the first place. Knowledge is power. Don’t you agree?
We in IT support, or computer repair, or those who get laptops fixed, or anyone else in the tech industry, has this nightmare. It’s the nightmare in which an angry customer comes back and wrecks stuff up. So for one Florida smartphone store, this is reality. Tech crime: customer destroys store.
So here is how it happens. In Palm Springs, Florida,we have 26-year-old?Shinobia Montoria Wright. Witnesses say she drove on the strip mall’s sidewalk. Then, she drove through the T-Moble store’s glass window. She also stepped on the gas to make it further inside. Furthermore, despite the medal wall, Wright’s SUV van made it quite deep in the store.
But there’s still more to Wright’s tech crime. T-Mobile employees tried to get Wright under control. But when they did, she got out to the car and attacked them. Thankfully, it wasn’t with a gun or knife, but with a squeegee! This is the first time I ever heard of someone using a squeegee as a weapon! Another fortunate thing is that T-Moblie employees avoided serious injury. In fact, the worst hurt was Wright herself. She’ll undergo emergency surgery because she cut up her arm so bad in this tech crime. She’s also facing criminal charges like battery and burglary. She’ll probably have a $30,000 bill coming to her doorstep. That’s what the damage costed.
Personally, I think Wright should get assault with intent to commit serious injury. This is no minor matter. Someone really could have been seriously hurt, if not worse. But this brings up workplace safety. In our Boston computer servicing shop, we come across disgruntal customers sometimes. Thank heavens none escalate to violence like this did. But anybody can snap at anytime. And it doesn’t even have to be between customer and employee. No wonder why so many in the tech world constantly watch their back. I don’t write this to spread fear, but what can we do to keep tech employees safe?
We at Computer Geeks wish everyone a safe and happy Dr. Martin Luther King Day holiday. Let’s honor his dream by loving and respecting each other.
Cloudfare is a content delivery network. CREDO is a cellphone company. But what do these two have in common, other then 21st century technology? They also quite a relationship with the FBI. In fact, Cloudfare and CREDO are still gagged by the FBI.
Well, the gag is partial. Last week, Cloudfare admitted the FBI demanded customer data from them. Why do we know this? Because the FBI lifted a gag order…somewhat. You see, there are some things Cloudfare can’t talk about because part of the gag order still remains. Furthermore, CREDO challenges national security letters. Let me explain. Over the years, they believe the FBI sent 60 national security letters a day. These letters told the companies to share customer data without the customers’ knowledge.
But Cloudfare and CREDO are fighting back in court. Cloudfare’s Kenneth Carter said they were in a lawsuit. This lawsuit is a fight to determine if NSL’s (national security letters) are unconstitutional. But Cloudfare has an ally. That ally is CREDO. Cloudfare and CREDO argue these letters let the FBI stop Americans from using free speech. They also believe they have a good case, too. Company reps say the gag order alone are great examples of why they should ban NSL’s.
But Cloudfare and CREDO aren’t the only ones tech companies fighting government surveillance. For several years now, people in IT support, and computer repair, and managed IT services, and many others in the tech industry spoke out. Plus, we’re just five days from changing US Presidents. So far, the President-Elect hasn’t been exactly sympathetic when it comes to tech privacy. Maybe that will change. I hope so. I can only hope the meeting with Silicon Valley leaders went well, and they brought up this very subject. But as time goes on, I think voices like Cloudfare and CREDO will only get louder and louder. We can only hope, right? Do you think Cloudfare and CREDO will win this fight?
One of the most pressing issues facing the IT service and computer repair industries is hacking. It can happen to anybody, and I mean anybody. But what about when hackers get hacked? Yes, that can happen also. When hackers get hacked: Doesn’t feel so good?
Here’s the story. So there is this tech media group they call Motherboard. They got nearly 1TB worth of data from Cellebrite. But who is Cellebrite? They’re an Israeli tech company. Furthermore, here’s the irony. They take data from cell phones. This is what they built Cellbrite to do. They took the data from Cellebrite’s website. But wait…there’s more.
They took Cellebrite’s customer databases, usernames, and passwords. They also got the part of the site that accesses new software. Cellebrite uses a laptop style device they call?Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED). So what this does is take data from phones. It does this without the phone users’ knowledge. Also, they can take text messages, emails, and phone numbers. Do you understand how private and intimate these items are to the smartphone user? Cellebrite told customers to change their passwords ASAP. Furthermore, they assure customers they’re working with authorities to fix the problem. But guess who some of Cellbrite’s biggest customers are?
If you guessed governments, you guess right. Then if you guessed the US federal and state governments, you’re right again. But that’s not all. According to data Motherboard hacked, foreign governments use Cellbrite. ?These governments include Russia, Turkey, and UAE. These three countries don’t have the best reputations for freedom or privacy rights. Government surveillance is still a hot button issue. In our Boston computer servicing shop, we talk about it all the time. And the general feeling is…people are sick of it. It is at the point people don’t know who to trust. And now a hacking company that enables this suffers the same fate. Personally, I think this is karma. In fact, I try not to laugh at Cellbrite as I write this. When hackers get hacked…it doesn’t feel so good, does it?
