Residents of Washington state’s Olympic Penninsula were given a scare Thursday night when an alarming message flashed across their TV screens in a bold, huge font: “RADIOLOGICAL HAZARD WARNING.” Local authorities — in this case, Jefferson County 9-1-1 services — quickly took to Facebook to identify the message as a [Keep reading]
The sharing economy has spawned some crazy ideas, but leaving the keys to your car IN your car and telling the world where it is might be among the most peculiar. That’s precisely how car sharing apps like Getaround, the AirBnB of rental cars, work. And while there are security [Keep reading]
One of the most ominous mysteries surrounding the massive Equifax hack in 2017 — that the stolen data does not appear to have been used for any crimes — has apparently been solved. The U.S. Justice Department said on Monday that the Chinese government was behind the notorious hack, indicting [Keep reading]
Little things mean a lot. Just ask Visa and Mastercard, which has created a reliable billion-dollar worldwide industry by charging a few extra pennies with every transaction. So as you read this story about my anger over a rogue $2.50 fee, please keep that in mind. I don’t care about [Keep reading]
I’d love to retire the concept of Gotcha Capitalism. Unfortunately, it’s going nowhere. Companies continue to use fine print, manipulation, and information advantage to screw and cheat consumers out of nickels and dimes — at a scale that nets them billions of dollars and wrecks our market economy. I recently [Keep reading]
It’s the end of January — if that means your dry January ends today, I toast you for making it! But usually, the change to February makes you realize you have abandoned all the good intentions you had on New Year’s Day. January is usually a harsh reminder of how [Keep reading]
When the Center for Facial Restoration announced it had been hit by ransomware recently, the hack attack might have sounded like just another expensive cyber incident for a small business. But the hack of the rhinoplasty practice near Miami included another, darker threat. The criminals added another potential revenue stream [Keep reading]
Earlier this week, Bernie Sanders told The New York Times that he had no apps on his smartphone, citing a semi-anonymous but militant cybersecurity staffer named “Melissa” who keeps him safe. There’s fresh evidence this week that we should all listen to Melissa. Two separate studies have found that seemingly [Keep reading]
It’s a bit early to declare there’s a new trend in ransomware attacks, but the devastating hack of Travelex currency exchange systems includes a twist that should concern many large corporations — hackers claim they have combined a crippling data encryption incident with an embarrassing data breach to severely up [Keep reading]
Traveling with your dog in winter is tricky. Many “dog-friendly” places limit pets to outside patios, and so cold weather can severely limit your options. Fortunately, there’s Louisville, Kentucky. Add that to a list of places where you can find plenty of pup-friendly accommodations and activities — even indoors. Rusty [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan