QUICK: What was your LinkedIn password in 2012? OK, now think of every password you have set at every service you use and make sure that LinkedIn password isn’t re-used anywhere. If ever you needed a reminder not to re-use passwords, here it is. We knew that LinkedIn got hacked in 2012, but [Keep reading]
What’s the harm if someone gets your zip code wrong in a database? Well, that question ended up at the center of a Supreme Court ruling today — and a popular Twitter hashtag, #zipcodeharms. I’ll get to that in a minute. But first, is it a good or a bad thing when [Keep reading]
How can a bank – or any organization — become less secure in its attempts to become more secure? Let me tell you how. Security must do two things: Protect and enable. If your security doesn’t enable people to do what they have to do, they will inevitably circumvent it, [Keep reading]
Text-message senders, beware: U.S. courts are moving ever closer to blaming the sender of a text for car accidents that occur when the recipient is driving and texting back. We all know better than to drive and use our phones at the same time. Saying this though, sometimes it is [Keep reading]
Sometimes, people get tired of hearing the same old advice — but they need to hear it again, anyway. Eat healthier. Exercise more. Spend less. And DON’T CLICK ON ATTACHMENTS IN EMAILS YOU DON’T EXPECT. I know, I know, you would never do that. But you’ll be stunned to find [Keep reading]
A few years ago, my long-time, elderly, live-alone neighbor was taken away in an ambulance. I wasn’t home and heard about it second-hand. At first, I had no idea how serious it was or even where he was taken, but I was really concerned. So I started calling local [Keep reading]
Everyone in the tech/security world knew this was coming, we just hoped we were wrong. Hackers are now holding hospitals hostage around the country. During the past several weeks, smaller hospitals have been subject to ransomware attacks by hackers and virus writers. Ransomware attacks have been around for a long [Keep reading]
We know that Americans are concerned about their cars being hacked. We also know that some consumers believe criminals are “hacking” into their parked cars and committing “snatch and grab” crimes using devices that simulate newfangled keyless entry systems. It’s quite scary to see the lengths people would go through. [Keep reading]
Credit cards are getting smarter — finally. Last year, Discover launched its nifty “Freeze It” feature, which acts like a temporary on/off switch for account holders who think-they-have-but-maybe-haven’t lost their card. Now, Visa is announcing a whole set of similar app-activated “switches” that give consumers even more granular fraud-fighting and [Keep reading]
What’s your favorite way to quickly settle a debt you owe with a friend, family member or roommate? If you said cash or “catch you next time,” you’re old — maybe even over 30. Otherwise, you probably said “Venmo.” This mobile e-cash tool for young people wunderkind brings with it [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan