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Social media seems to be all about spreading the love. If you like something, you show it by clicking the 'like' button, no questions asked. For most people, it stops there – but not for Facebook.
Everything you do online gets noticed by someone, and even the most minor of digital movements can have repercussions you aren't aware of. A perfect example of this is the "like" feature of Facebook. It seems harmless enough, but a recent study demonstrated that there are unseen depths to it that you might not know about. Every "like" is a new piece of data that can be strung together with the rest of your online information, creating a picture of you that is scarily accurate.
Posted in Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: online reputation management, social media exposure, Social Media Privacy
Viruses are the biological weapons of the internet: once someone gets infected, it's only a matter of time before the contagion starts to spread. Even a social media giant like Facebook isn't immune to the kinds of digital "superbugs" that cause data security breaches.
You would think that corporate titans – with their advanced defenses – would be most immune to the effects of malware, but the reality is that the bigger the service provider, the more vulnerable it can be to hackers and cybercriminals. Recently, we saw Twitter get hit with a massive hack that targeted the data of a quarter-million people. Now, Facebook has been victimized by a vicious strain of software.
Last Friday, Facebook security posted a statement on its blog detailing what it called a "sophisticated attack" on its system that occurred in January.
Posted in Cyber Data Security, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: data security breaches, data security consultant, social media exposure
Your social media privacy, if ignored, could can leave your digital reputation on life support.
Everyone from CEOs and company founders to part-time employees leave their own digital footprints on social media platforms, and how they comport themselves doesn’t always stay as private as it might seem. That’s why it’s important to think carefully about exactly what information you’re putting out there. Even a popular site like OkCupid.com, which prides itself on its smart, statistic-driven design, temporarily made its users’ information public through a security glitch last month.
The glitch was in the company’s “Crazy Blind Date” app, which normally only reveals its members’ first names, locations, sexual preferences and a scrambled photo. Although it lasted less than a day and there were reportedly no instances of data being stolen, users found their information at risk and out of their control.
Posted in Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: digital reputation, Online Reputation, Social Media Privacy, ways to avoid identity theft
How sure are you that your company’s computers aren’t being used against you for purposes of fraud and identity theft?
Recently, Bloomberg.com reported a case in which Microsoft and the antivirus company Symantec joined forces to take down a massive botnet group. Known as Bamital, this ill-intentioned family of bugs is believed to originate from somewhere in Eastern Europe, and operated by distributing malicious software to unsuspecting computers. Once the targets had been infected, the hackers on the other end could take control of Web browsers and drive them wherever they wanted, re-routing searches and addresses to dubious websites that could infect them further.
According to the article, at least a quarter of a million computers were hit in this most recent attack. Globally, Bamital’s victims are reckoned to number in the millions.
Posted in Fraud Detection & Prevention, Identity Theft Prevention, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: Cyber Security, fraud awareness training, Fraud Prevention, online privacy, types of identity theft
It took getting bit in public, but the President has finally taken a firm stance on online privacy protection with a brand new initiative.
Only weeks ago cyber hackers attacked the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and a bevy of massive corporate behemoths. Taking over their systems was a bit like taking candy from a candy factory (China manufacturers much of the security infrastructure that’s used to keep the bad guys out – so there are lots of back doors when they want to dip into the cookie jar).
In the past, certain pieces of proposed anti-piracy legislation like SOPA and CISPA have come under fire for being too restrictive and allowing private entities too much access to personal data. President Obama has expressed disapproval for those acts in the past, and in his State of the Union address Tuesday, he finally announced a cyber security executive order aimed at securing America’s infrastructure. Thank the gods of security that he is finally taking charge.
Posted in Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: data security breach, digital identity theft, online privacy protection
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV4RrF0Gc1g?rel=0]
Watch the entire Browser Spies Online Privacy series. To view the entire series, wait until the end of each video and click on the Next Video button in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. As you watch each short video in your browser, make the necessary changes based on each simple video tip on protecting your online identity and privacy.
Browser privacy expert John Sileo and Fox & Friends have teamed up to educate consumers on how your surfing habits are being intercepted, collected and sold as you browse the Web. These tips give you more control over your Internet Privacy in short, easy to implement tips. Privacy exposure, browser tracking and constant data surveillance are a reality of the digital economy. It’s important to defend your data privacy before it’s too late.
Posted in Burning Questions (Video), Online Privacy, Video Tips by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: "Online Privacy Expert", Browser Privacy, Expert, Internet Tracking, John Sileo, online privacy, Online Surveillance, Online Tracking, Privacy Tracking, Web Tracking
How secure do you think your email really is? Would you be surprised to learn that your inbox is scanned regularly, and not just by you?
Microsoft recently launched its humorously titled “Don’t Get Scroogled by Gmail” media campaign. The company commissioned a study that showed that 70 percent of consumers are unaware that free email service providers, such as Google, routinely scan their emails for information that allows them to deliver targeted advertisements.
Furthermore, 88 percent of respondents said they were opposed to this practice once they became aware of it. Now yes, Microsoft has an ulterior motive here. They’re not so much dedicated to your privacy as they are looking to convince users to switch from Gmail to Outlook. Let’s also not forget that Microsoft has long offered its own free email service, the all-but-forgotten Hotmail.
Google quickly responded to the media campaign taking swipes at Gmail with a statement of its own.
Posted in Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: data security, internet privacy, online privacy
Okay. All former presidents of the United States whose family members had their email accounts hacked recently, step forward.
That’s right. It was reported late last week that relatives and close friends of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, the 41st and 43rd commanders-in-chief, respectively, have fallen victim to a cyber attack. Pictures and private correspondence between families members were stolen and posted online for all to see, including apparent self-portraits painted of George W. while bathing and a letter about planning funeral arrangements for his father (who is still alive). Tell me how much you’d like it if your “artwork” showed up online for the world to see.
“Ah, but it was the former President of the United States that was targeted, not a lowly voter like me,” you say. And in that statement lies the greatest risk of all – complacency. “I’m too small to target,” or “I don’t have enough money or power to target.”. You are wrong, and your attitude will come back to haunt you.
Posted in Digital Reputation & Trust, Online Privacy by Identity Theft Speaker John Sileo.
Tags: online privacy internet privacy
