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Browse every published article connected to Robert Siciliano, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
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Browse every published article connected to Robert Siciliano, or search within this exact expert archive.
The Boy Scouts of American is no stranger to controversy, and now new information is shedding light on how many leaders were actually involved in a sex abuse scandal.
If all a gunman, who opened fire and randomly killed nine people, wanted was 15 minutes of fame, he could have achieved this running naked into the field at a major league baseball game. At least one criminologist believes that the driving force behind mass shootings is a desire for celebrity status. According to Adam Lankford, a criminologist at the University of Alabama, they want to be famous.
Can you believe what you see in a video? Most people say 'yes,' but the truth is, you no longer can. We all know that photos can be altered, but videos? Thanks to artificial intelligence, these, too, are being altered at a very quick rate.
Even if you have the best security on your computer network, you might have noticed that you still seem to get hacked…or worse. Ask Equifax. Why is this happening? It's probably because a member of your staff has made it easy for cyber criminals to get inside. It's really important that you find out who this person is, and keep in mind…it might be more than just one. And it may not even involve security technology.
It only took a minute for 12-year old Erik Robinson to die while playing a macabre game called the "Choking Game." His mother desperately tried to save her son when she found him with a Boy Scout rope around his neck, but it was too late. Erik was brain dead due to lack of oxygen, and mom had to make the choice to remove her son from life support.
This story is entirely messed up. A man was recently convicted of three murders in Califo ia, and he is suspected of being involved in several more. He claims that he has been involved in killing 90 people across the county over almost 40 years.
Conference invitation scams are those that involve a scammer sending invitations out to events with the intention of scamming the invitees. These might be real events or fake events, and the scammers target people including business professionals, lecturers, CEOs, researchers, philanthropists, and more. The goal here is to steal the identities of these people, and eventually get money by taking advantage of their victims.
"Tom" can also be "Alicia." Nevertheless, it happens often enough to come up every so often in a crime documentary aired on the Investigation Discovery channel. The premise is as follows:
Do you have a secret self-defense weapon on hand that you don't even know about? Here's a few: Canes. Might seem obvious…but… Your first instinct would probably be to swing the cane like a baseball bat. However, this isn't the best way. An attacker can easily grab it, dodge it, or deflect it. Instead, take a class to learn how to correctly yield your cane.
Humans have evolved a new body part: the cell phone. One day it will be part of anatomical illustrations of the body in health and medical books probably an appendage on your head. I'm not a Dr. so don't quote me. For now, we have to figure out a way to keep this appendage juiced up without being lured into a data-sucking battery-charge station.
When is the last time you thought about the safety and security of your home? How about thinking about it right now? Do you do the following? If not, start, today:
So maybe Christmas now means the very predictable gift card swap, but hey, who can't use a gift card? But beware, there are a ton of scams. This includes physical, not just digital, gift cards. Regardless of who gave you the card, you should always practice security measures. Below are two common ways that fraudsters operate. Transform Gift Card to Cash Twice.
Have you ever wondered if you could access your old email accounts? You might want to look for some old files, or maybe need information about an old contact. Whatever the reason, there is good and bad news when it comes to accessing old email accounts.
In 1996, a 12-year-old Washington state girl was raped and murdered. However, it wasn't until June 2018, that an arrest was made in the case. How did this happen? DNA technology.
Criminals have a reliance on tricking victims to get access to account information, like passwords. This is known as social engineering, and is also called a "confidence crime." These come in many forms: Do Not Take the Bait of These Phishermen
Approximately 885 million digital documents have been exposed from mortgage deals that date back to 2003. First American Financial Corp is a provider of title insurance, as well as other services for the mortgage and real estate industries, and it allowed millions of records to be exposed according to one report.
This entire post is brutal and for some, hard to read. But if there is a woman or girl in your life might benefit from being freaked out, read it and forward and share it.
Riviera Beach, a city in Florida, has agreed to pay a $600,000 ransom to hackers who attacked its network.
It seems like 2017 broke records for all the wrong reasons…one of them being the worst year for data breaches in history.
The police in Port St. Lucie Florida have claimed that scammers are now posting homes as available for rent or purchase. You rent/purchase the home by putting a deposit down on the house, but you're never given any keys.
You have probably heard the story before. Teenage girl takes some scantily clad photos and sends them to her latest boyfriend. "What could go wrong?," she thinks. Well, a lot could go wrong, and an article on Vice.com really lays that out.
Are you aware that many people probably have access to your personal info? If you have ever gotten an apartment, have insurance, or applied for a job, someone has done a background check on you, and you might be shocked by what's in there, including your debts, income, loan payments, and more. On top of this, there are also companies collecting information on you including:
Hackers are out there, and they have their eyes on YOU! So, you are the first line of defense against them. Do you know how to make your smart phone or computer more difficult for hackers to access? Here's five tips to help: Password Information
You probably have a few use ames, or you might have just one that you use for every site. Either way, your user names can be used not just to identify you online, but it can also be used to track you and find out information about you. How do people track you based on your user name? They do the following: They Start with a Google Search
A teenager in Alaska, Denali Brehmer, killed her best friend after a man she met on the internet offered her $9 million to commit the murder. Brehmer, who is 18-years old, killed her 19-year old friend, Cynthia Hoffman, by shooting her in the back of the head at the urging of Darin Schilmiller, 21.
An unsurprising study was recently released that found even when a portable USB drive is erased, not all of the documents and images are always removed. That, of course, is frightening. Here's how the research was done:
You have a mobile phone, you might think it's pretty safe, but what you might not realize is that these devices can have spyware on them. Keep in mind, many of the "signs" listed below are everyday normal phone behaviors. But combined, might mean spyware. Here are some of the signs: Unusual Background Noise
One of the biggest threats that taxpayers are facing these days is an aggressive scam where criminals call victims and pretend to be IRS agents. The goal? To steal money. All year but especially during tax filing season, the IRS will see a big surge in the number of scam calls, which tell victims that they will be arrested, deported, or have their driver's license revoked if they don't pay a fake tax bill.
I recently had the opportunity to joi Tron Jordheim on his podcast hosted on stitcher.com. We talked about digital security and how to watch out for yourself in our digital landscape. I was able to share advice on privacy, information security and why it is so important to take control of your own security, and ultimately your life. Thanks again to Tron, stitcher.com and the sponsors of this "Troncast!"
Gone are the days when hackers would only target retailers. These days, the bad guys an target businesses in any industry, especially those that aren't quite up on cyber security.
Women should never take a ride from a stranger because it's dangerous - unless she's paying the driver??? Wrong, of course. Uber and Lyft drivers provide paid rides to strangers as requested via the Uber and Lyft apps.
Yes that title is awful and yes you should be offended. Real estate agents often find themselves in dangerous situations. And for 20 years, I've been screaming this, doing something about it, and it keeps happening. And the real estate agents and industries response? Thots and prayers. Thots and prayers. Thots and prayers. Thots and prayers. How's that workin' for ya?
If only. But that'll never be. Brandi Hicks, 17, and her high school friend, Liz Reiser, exited a video store at 9:30 pm, where they were approached by Matthew Vaca, a creepy acting stranger.
Javelin Strategy & Research recently released its Identity Fraud Study, and it revealed that the number of identity theft victims rose by 8% in 2017 when compared to 2016. That's almost 17 million people, which is a record high. Despite more information and industry efforts to make people aware of these practices, $16.8 billion was stolen due to ID theft in 2016.
If you are working for an IT security company, I have a message for you: the term "identity theft protection" is way overused and even abused as a marketing term. We know that this term is used to sell services and products, but does it really protect a user from being the victim of identity theft? No.
Ever peruse Craigslist for a new home? Nothing against Craigslist for doing that, but that's where Coty Houston and David Yost happened to find a very alluring four-bed home for sale; looked perfect for their five young kids.
Imagine you learn your husband (or wife) of 25 years is really a different person. That's what happened to Mary Hickman—25 years after she married a man who had identified himself all those years back as Terry Jude Symansky. The Florida couple had a son and lead an uneventful life, with Symansky working different jobs and even acquiring a pilot's license.
Whether you're driving long distance to make a career move, visit family/friends, or just sightsee multiple states, you may be wondering what kind of helpful applications for your phone are out there.
Here's a bit of a shock for you: about half of all adult Americans have a photograph stored in the FBI facial recognition database. What's even more shocking, it is that these photos are being stored without the consent of the individuals. Approximately 80 percent of the photos the FBI has are of non-criminals, and might take the form of passport or driver's license photos. Furthermore, there is a 15 percent rate of inaccuracy when matching photos to individuals, and black people are more likely to be misidentified than white people.
Have you ever thought about how a data breach could affect you personally? What about your business? Either way, it can be devastating. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect your personal or business data, and it's easier than you think. Don't assume that protecting yourself is impossible just because big corporations get hit with data breaches all of the time. There are things you can do to get protected.
If you haven't yet heard, Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States, has been hacked. What does this mean for you? It means that your Social Security number, and possibly even your driver's license information, could be in the hands of hackers. Some are already calling this the worst breach of data in history. How Did This Happen?
I see a ton of articles that say identity theft protection is not something you really need. These articles have titles like "ID Theft Protection Does Not Work," or "The Poor Man's Guide to ID Theft Protection." Though some of these articles have a bit of merit, they totally miss the point.
Hackers bank heavily on tricking people into doing things that they shouldn't: social engineering. A favorite social engineering ploy is the phishing e-mail. How a hacker circumvents two-factor authentication:
Don't let the idea of reinforcing your house's doors intimidate you. Here is step by step instruction on installing new stronger locks. Your House's Door Parts Inventory
Did you know that often, burglars gain entry by simply kicking open locked doors? You just would not believe how easy this is. This is why it's crucial to beef up the strength of your house's doors. And this can be done several ways. Deadbolt Strike Plate
If you are like most of us, you probably don't think much about the security of your basement. However, you might want to start doing that. Why? Because burglars love to get into homes by crawling into the basement. They know that most people don't put a lot of security there, so it gives them easy access. Here are some tips to ensure your basement is locked up tight:
Sooner or later, you'll need to leave your child home—unsupervised, alone—for an extended period. And even though you may have smart devices to keep a constant check on your child, this doesn't mean you can instantly teleport home in the event your smart security system relays a realtime video of a kitchen fire.
Leave personal details off your Facebook page. Does the whole world—or even your private circle, many of whom you haven't seen in person for years, or even at all—have to know you're laid up from hernia surgery (i.e., vulnerable, defenseless)?
If you are like most people, you probably haven't done a lot of thinking about what you would do in a situation involving physical assault. Why would you? I mean, it's unpleasant and scary. Further, depending on your physical makeup, you may think you'd probably lose anyway. However, you don't have to have an MMA fighter's body to defend yourself.