How many remember the TV show Chuck from the late 2000s and early 2010s? It was about a consumer servicing man who was an undercover agent. But computer repair company Geek Squad allegedly has undercover agents, too. Geek Squad: Are you spying on us?
So here is the story. Tech news website Techdirt?tweeted on this subject. Consequently, they say the FBI paid Geek Squad technicians. Their mission: to investigate crime on their customers. Techdirt isn’t the only one talking about Geek Squad. Tech journalist Zack Whittaker also claimed their Geek Squad technicians got FBI rewards for spy activity. It’s not much though. At best, the reward is $500. That sounds like a cheap amount for an informant, doesn’t it?
But wait…there’s more. Hence, these undercover techs caught some real criminals. In California, an Orange County doctor brought his computer in. The Geek Squad tech found child pornography on it. But this tech was an FBI informant. He reported the doctor. In November 2014, the law indicted the doctor on two counts of child pornography. So there is some good here. But are they crossing legal boundaries? Furthermore, just how cozy is this private tech company with the FBI?
Well, according to Whittaker’s tweets, very cozy. The relationship goes back to 2007. From what I’m reading, being informants is about the only thing Geek Squad has going for them. Don’t take my word for it. In our computer service shop, we served some of their dissatisfied customers. But I digress. I’m glad they caught the doctor. But that’s just one case out of thousands. I’m sure there are thousands of innocent people that are getting spied on. These people did nothing to deserve this treatment. I believe this is a violation of our Fourth Amendment. You see, there has to be probable cause to search and seize somebody. Simply bringing a messed up computer in a shop is hardly probable cause for anything! Once again, too many people are having their privacy trifled by the government and corporate America. Are they going too far?
It’s just a few shopping days until Christmas. And we in computer repair and IT service are just as excited as you are. But so are hackers and online scam artist. So don’t make their Christmas a merry one. Here’s how to avoid those phishing schemes.
First of all, let’s go over what to look out for, such as shipping labels. Because of online shopping, they will deliver lots of gifts. I know it’s tempting to open up that email to check on that package! Don’t do it! This is one of the phishing schemes that will hook you in. Instead, hold onto that tracking number. Then, go directly to the website you bought your gift from and check on delivery status. Also, beware of fake order confirmations. Keep track of everything you order, even if it’s a candy cane. Check for charity phishing schemes, too. Before you donate and give bank info, do your research! Make sure they’re a real and worthy cause.
You can do other things to avoid phishing schemes. Avoid emails that sound too good to be true, especially if they come from places like Nigeria, Russia, or China. Don’t be afraid to use your spam and trash folders.? It’s best not to use search engines to find deals. Always use the correct domain name while online shopping, or even browsing. And beware of emails asking for information. Chances are they’re not looking for goodwill towards all men.
Yes, phishing schemes are at an all-time high. They use things like charities, good deals, and even online Christmas cards to hook you. When somebody takes the bait, they don’t let go easily. We in IT support see it very often. But there are ways to protect yourself. We want your Christmas to be a safe and happy one. The people who run phishing schemes could care less, just as long as they get your information and your money. What else can we do to avoid phishing schemes?
Remember last summer, when everyone thought Russia?hacked the Democratic National Committee? But apparently, there’s more to the story! Much more. Attention: Russia hacked Republican National Committee!
So, this comes from US intelligence officials. And they are highly confident of this. Furthermore, intelligence officials believe Russia hacked the Democrat National Committee as well. They allegedly did it by hacking their computer systems. But wait, there’s more. Agents believe Russia leaked hacked documents to Wikileaks. That’s how Wikileaks?were able to report on so much dirt, especially on the Democrats. Then why didn’t these documents attack the Republicans? For months, they said they were never hacked. But now, we learn different. As one can expect, officials have no comment.
President-elect Trump’s transition people addressed the Russian hacking issue. Basically, they said it’s time to move on. Another government official said Russia’s hacking on the Republicans wasn’t as successful. But it did happen. We’ll never know how many files they got. Did Russia do this to help Trump win? We’ll probably never know that either. But the CIA and NSA stated that certain Russian officials conducted the cyber attacks. I have a feeling President Obama will want to find out all he can about this before January 20.
So what does this have to do with the IT field? Quite a bit. This is just another reminder the IT industry effects everything we do these days. This includes politics. It took some great IT minds, from overseas, to hack into not one, but two US political parties. Did they sway the election? We’ll probably never know that. Maybe it did. Maybe not. But it shows you how powerful IT can be. Not only that, this story reminds me how global IT is. Note the hackers didn’t come from the US. They came from Russia. What lessons are there for 2020?
I read an article this kinda disturbed me. They asked the question; Warning: Is antivirus software worth having anymore? But this debate didn’t start yesterday. In fact, the debate is several years old.
They invented the first antivirus software in 1987. Also, the same development team came up with a virus authorizing kit. Ah, the irony. While the antivirus technology gets better over the years, so does the hackers’. There’s another complaint: antivirus software’s basic approach remains the same. This remains true after nearly 30 years. First, it studies data. Then, it catches a malicious file. Afterwards, that antivirus puts down the file. Then, the antivirus puts the data on a ‘blacklist’. This prevents future attacks.
For many years, this worked. But in the last several years, some things happened. The first was stronger malware. Such viruses can take over a system before the antivirus can even catch it. Furthermore, the malware authors got smarter. They even use fake antivirus programs to counteract the real thing. That’s how they evade these programs. Much of this malware is in kit form. When it comes in gangs, that makes it more dangerous. Then there is ransomware. That’s when they hold a computer hostage until the ransomware author gets what they want.
Yes, these are problems. But this is no reason to just say the antivirus is dead. This is no excuse not to get antivirus protection, either. It’s better to have some protection than none at all. Despite the grim report, antivirus can and often does works. It saved more systems than I can count. Just ask some of our technicians and our customers. So get antivirus protection! As far as the problems are concerned, what we need to do is build better antivirus software. The bad guys have techies working hard on their side. We need to work even harder. What can we do to make antivirus protection even stronger?
This is a consumer alert. Malware compromises Google/Android accounts! They call the malware ‘Gooligan’. But Gooligan breached around a million Google accounts. Also, the attacks started in August 2016.
As a result, the malware infects these systems. Then, they steal from systems. Systems include Google Docs, Gmail, Google Photos, Google Play, and a handful of others. This is especially relevant because so many people have Google accounts. Furthermore, so many have Android devices. I have one. And so many use these systems. The hackers make money by putting apps on infected phones. The malware takes over after a user unknowingly downloads a Gooligan infected app on a 3rd party app store. Then the malware app takes hold. It sends data to the malware’s server. Consequently, hackers get control of your device.
This mobile attack concerns many cyber security experts. Many say hackers are targeting mobile devices now. Hence, the fact that hackers hit one million Droids concern them. It should concern us too. But for American Android users, there is some good news. Of all the Google systems infected, over half of them come from Asia, about 57%. Another 15% come from Africa, and another 9% come from Europe. The remaining 19% of infected systems come from the Americas. They didn’t specify any nation; they just broke it down by continents.
So I guess we could say statistically, American Droid users might have dodged a bullet. They hacked a million phones. So according to these stats, about 190,000 hacked systems were in North or South America. What I’m trying to say is: this malware attack could have been much worse. I know; I covered?them. But let’s learn a lesson here. Get anti-virus and anti-malware protection for your smartphone! Get it now! It’s just as important as anti-virus on your desktop. Come to think of it, with all we do on our cellphones today, maybe even more so. Don’t think are protection these hackers are going to stop with a million phones. They’ll go on and on. What are you doing to keep your smartphone safe?
So, you get on a plane. During taxi, takeoff and landing, they tell you to turn off your phone, or put them in airplane mode. That’s because they want nothing to block them from the electricity they need for a safe flight. So frankly, you don’t want to block their electricity, either. Now, tech companies and Feds fight distracted driving.
The US Federal Government urges smartphone companies to block apps while behind the wheel. This will keep the driver’s attention where it belongs: on the road! This proposal comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Distracted driving is almost as bad as driving drunk or high driving. And with more apps and features to tempt us, distracted driving won’t go away anytime soon.
This concerns N.H.T.S.A. Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Too many people are dying and being injured on our roadways,” he said. He wants smartphone makers to build software that limits phone functions while the driver is driving. The proposal took place just earlier this week. So we don’t really know how tech companies will do this. We don’t even know if smartphone makers will even comply. But something needs to happen. For example, car accident deaths increased nearly 11% in 2016. This year saw the biggest number of traffic deaths in 50 years.
I see this with my own eyes. One time, while walking the streets of Boston, I had to pull a friend back. This was while the walk sign was in our favor. But the driver had no way of knowing that; he was texting while driving. Just a couple of weeks ago, another driver narrowly avoided an accident. That’s because the other driver was texting directions while driving. I hope automated voice services like Suri help turn this disturbing trend around. But it all starts with you. Don’t text and drive! Keep your eyes on the road! Is that text, or that Pokemon Go game worth your life and your health?
