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Articles by Robert Siciliano

Browse every published article connected to Robert Siciliano, with exact attribution and full-archive search.

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650 articles by Robert Siciliano · showing 50

Browse every published article connected to Robert Siciliano, or search within this exact expert archive.

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Use an ePrivacy Filter to prevent Visual Hacking

In an average year I'll tally 75,000 airline miles. In an average week while waiting for the plane to board or while in flight I'll see multiple laptop screens flipped open with an over the shoulder view of emails being sent and received, PowerPoint presentations being tweaked, proposals being written and various client and employee records being crawled through. The fact is, I'm a good guy with no bad intentions, but I can't help seeing what I see, it's distracting. The screens are bright and propped right in my face.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,090 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Celebrate World Password Day in 2016 With These Tips

Each year, researchers in security take the time to rate some of the worst passwords found on the Internet. While popular pop culture events have caused waves with the list of the worst passwords of 2015 - think "solo," "starwars," and "princess" - the worst passwords of last year were still the usual suspects, "password," "123456," and "qwerty."

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

950 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

What is a Remote Administration Tool (RAT)?

Ever felt like your computer was possessed? Or that you aren't the only one using your tablet? I think I smell a rat. Literally, a RAT.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,156 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Mobile Employees Are a Security Risk

Not too long ago, the office computer filled an entire room. Now, it fills the palms of one-third of employees—those workers who use only the mobile device for their jobs. Security, however, lags behind in keeping up with this growing trend. This is the BYOD generation: bring your own device (to work).

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,113 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

The Security Costs of being too Social

One of the arguments against being very virtually social is that nobody is SO important that everyone wants to know, for instance, that this person is going to be at the local sports bar watching the Super Bowl (or almost nobody; sad to say, some celebrities have half the world following them).

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

969 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Protect your Home post Holidays

After Santa has gone back to the North Pole to take a long rest, don't think for a second that burglars too will be resting in January. True, the holidays are a prime time for many burglaries, knowing that unde eath that gargantua Christmas tree in the picture window is surely a pile of expensive gifts. But people give burglars easy entry to their houses year-round.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,005 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

What happens when a Bank Account is hacked?

Who'd ever think that 50 years ago, your money was safer in your bank account than it is today in this "modern" age: remote theft. If you bank with a large or small bank, your account may be at risk by hacking rings. However, most of the time, but not always, if your account is drained by a cyber thief, the bank will cover it for you.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

998 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

What is Catphishing?

What is catphishing? It certainly isn't Garfield lazily sitting in a canoe holding a fishing rod. Catphishing is when a fraudster fabricates an identity and tricks someone via cyber communication into a phony emotional or romantic relationship—usually for financial gain to the scammer—because eventually he'll hit the victim up for money.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,140 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Deadbolt, gotta gotta have It

Deadbolts aren't hyped up; they really are superior to regular knob locks. Though we keep shaking our head in amazement whenever yet another news story comes out about a burglar or rapist who waltzed through an unlocked door and committed mayhem, it remains a hard fact that many criminals gain entry via physical force.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,066 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Beware of scary WiFi Virus

It's called Chameleon—a computer virus—but maybe it should be called Franke Virus. You wouldn't believe what it can do: literally move through the air, as in airbo e—like a biological pathogen. And like some Franken-creation, it came from a laboratory, cultivated at the University of Liverpool's School of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering and Electronics.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,107 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

What is a Rootkit?

A rootkit is a kind of software that conceals malware from standard detection methods. A good analogy for a rootkit would be a burglar breaking into your house. The burglar is dressed all in black, so that his form blends into the darkness. He tiptoes around to hide his sounds so he's more likely to go undetected as he steals your belongings.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,082 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

What is Pharming?

I was surfing on YouTube the other day and found this hilarious video mash-up of Taylor Swift's song "Shake It Off" and an 80s aerobics video. For a lot of kids today, mash-ups are all the rage—whether it's combining two videos, two songs, or two words.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,500 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

The Futuristic secure and Smart automated Home is here

A burglary occurs every 15 seconds. The chance of your home being broken into is higher than you'd think. The good news is that today's alarm systems are "not your father's alarm."

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,091 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

This is what Spy Software looks like

If you've ever watched virtually any spy flick or James Bond movie you're familiar with "bugs" - those little dime-sized metallic things that the bad guys would secretly stick under someone's desk to record any conversation in the room—picked up by a receiver in their car. Or, the phone was "tapped" - the device was inside the receiver.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,033 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Security is Everyone’s responsibility

In the movies, the good guys always get the bad guys. In cyber reality, no such thing exists. A survey of 5,000 IT security professionals turns up the following:

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,623 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

What is private Information and what is not?

Data Privacy Day was Wednesday, January 28, and these days the concept of "privacy" can be ambiguous, generic or confusing. What you might think of as private actually isn't. The definition of personal identifying information, by the U.S. privacy law and information security, is that of data that can be used to contact, identify or locate an individual, or identify him in context.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,070 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

5 Ways to prevent Airline WiFi from Hackers

When getting on a flight many business professionals connect online. It's common these days to see a number of people on an airplane busy at their laptops—business-looking people dressed in suits, eyes pasted to spreadsheets, charts, graphs and other grinding tasks. How many know that their company's data can be snatched out of thin air, literally?

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,286 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

13 Cheap Simple and Smart ways to secure your Home

You don't have to be wealthy to have a superbly protected home. You just need to have some common sense.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,206 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Winter Vacation Home Security

Planning a trip? Thinking of having your snail mail and newspaper delivery placed on a vacation hold so that thieves casing your neighborhood won't see a pile-up of these items?

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,213 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Mobile Apps Failing Security Tests

It's been said that there are over a million different apps for the smartphone. Well, however many may exist, know that not all of them are passing security tests with flying colors.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,096 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like the Holiday Shopping Season

The holiday season is in full force. Not only is it time to bring out the tinsel while jamming out to holiday music, it's also time to buckle down on your holiday shopping. Have you made your holiday shopping list yet? Luckily, in the U.S., the biggest shopping days of the year are coming up meaning lots of shopping deals at stores on and offline to help you complete your holiday shopping list.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,336 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Study Shows 67% of Employees Expose Sensitive Data Outside the Workplace

IDC, an IT analyst firm, estimates that the mobile worker population could reach 1.3 billion by 2015, meaning, they access workplace data outside the workplace. This is risky because it exposes data to hackers.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,227 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

10 Ways to protect Yourself while traveling

Some thieves specialize in hanging around tourist spots to spot the tourists and make them victims of hands-on crime such as purse snatching or a mugging. But don't wait till you're aimlessly wandering the piazza with your face buried in a huge map to take precautions against less violent forms of crime.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,161 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Finally: a Proactive Layer for your Home Security System

Any complete security system requires proactive and reactive components. Until now, no one had ever focused on the proactive side. BeON has arrived to update this product category, and they have done it in a simple and elegant way that gives you security without the stress while you're away…and also yields safety while you're at home.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,564 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

How to Spot a Splog

I really enjoy reading blogs. And since you are here, reading my blog post, I'm guessing you do too. Blogs are a great way of gaining information and learning about different perspectives on a wide variety of topics. Unfortunately, spammers have tainted this medium with splogs.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,160 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Learning to trust your Intuition

The old TV show "Star Trek" has and episode where Spock is telling Kirk of a human flaw called intuition. Spock was all about analysis and logic, while Kirk often relied upon intuition to solve problems. Intuition is a complex human sense that isn't entirely understood or even believed to be real by some. Some call it mothers intuition or women's intuition. But I believe everyone has it even though some don't know how to properly cultivate it for their benefit.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,006 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Why Hotels Check your ID

I know someone who tried to make a hotel reservation over the phone. She goes by the name "Kelcie," but her birth name is Frances. She hates her birth name. When making the reservation she used the name Kelcie, which is what's on her credit card and checks, but her driver's license says Frances.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,178 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Are you Mentally Prepared for a Predator

A bear in the wild that wants to protect its young from another predator isn't worried about manners. This is how people should feel when in circumstances that don't feel right. The bear has a gut instinct not to let its young near a predator.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

997 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Russian Hackers getting rich from your Identity

Where's the $$$ at? Selling credit card data. Have you heard of the Russian hacking ring that raked in two and a half billion dollars? Check it out:

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,070 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

College bound kids: protect your identity

The good old days were when today's college kids' parents lugged their typewriters into their dorm room, and they communicated to people via the phone on their room's wall. Their biggest worry was someone stealing their popco maker. Nowadays, college kids need to beware of remote invasions by thieves.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,351 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

10 tips to Secure Passwords

Ever wonder just how hackers bust into systems and cause destruction? One reason is because people are still using weak passwords. While your pet's name and wedding anniversary dates are easy to remember and sentimental to use, this approach makes a hacker's job all too easy. Here are 10 things you should know about passwords.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,255 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Victim overcomes Identity Theft with Art

Does your wallet contain enough information about you for someone to steal your identity and commit crimes under your name? That’s what happened to Jessamyn Lovell when Erin Hart stole her wallet in 2011. Hart shoplifted, checked into hotels and rented cars in Lovell’s name. Of all the nerve.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

924 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Beware of Home Security Scams

Will the home security scams ever stop? The latest scam has fraudsters going door to door, posing as sales reps for "Trio Alarm." They first make sure that the houses they visit already have a security system (e.g., security decals on windows), then tell the occupant that the company for that security system has gone belly up. (Yeah, right, ADT has gone belly up!)

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,154 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

The Guide to Securing Your New Tech Toys

Ho ho ho! It seems that this year, Santa's sleigh was filled with technology—laptops, smartphones, gaming consoles, etc. Playing with and learning about your new tech toy is fun, but remember to secure your device. It would be a total bummer if your new toy was suddenly compromised by a virus or hacked into. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to protect your new device.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,256 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

What is ATM Skimming?

Ever hear of a crime called skimming? It may not be as dramatic a crime as assault or Ponzi schemes, but it can cause significant problems to you as your savings account can be wiped out in a flash.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,129 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Tips to Home Security Lighting

"Don't be afraid of the dark" is a reassurance that burglars never need; they need to hear, "Be afraid of the lights." A house that's often dark sends a flare to burglars that nobody's home, or, at least, that nobody will see the burglar doing what he does best.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,089 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

How to build up or rebuild your Credit

After taking all the necessary steps to Fixing a Credit Report after being hacked, it is then tome to rebuild your credit. Bad credit is bad credit no matter how it happens. No matter how responsible you are with your money, you won't get a loan if there's no evidence of this. The evidence comes from having credit. You need to show lenders you can be trusted.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

958 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

10 ways to Secure your Home for Guests and Parties

The holiday season means an upsurge in home-based parties, and some parties can seem extremely innocent, like a Christmas tree decorating party. These events can get out of hand, even if you know all your guests. But sometimes your guests bring guests that are shady. It's awful to even acknowledge this, but even people you know can steal. I can tell you firsthand, there are people who have come to my home that I personally would have never invited. And when something goes missing, it's an absolutely horrible feeling.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,272 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Background Checks aren't as easy as you'd think

With seemingly more and more people being harassed, stalked and getting their identities stolen, the rate of background check requests (e.g., a small business owner hiring a private investigator) has increased quite a bit.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,088 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Fear of Fraud trumps Terrorism

Okay, what's more likely? Getting bombed … or some punk racking up charges on your credit card? The yearly Crime Poll says that two-thirds of the respondents were edgy about data breaches involving their credit cards, as well as their computer and smartphones getting hacked—far more so than being robbed or taken hostage.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,066 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

This is what Passport Security looks like

Sixty different materials go into the printing of a U.S. passport. That little booklet of a thing contains up to 30 pieces of security—and you can't see most of them. And good luck trying to get details on these security features.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

978 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Your Uber Driver May be a Criminal

Do you Uber? If you do, you probably feel pretty safe getting into the car of a stranger. However, you might not be as safe as you think.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

950 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Covid-19 Remote Desktop Has Significant Risks

Are you newly working from home? Or are you an old pro? Either way, it is likely you are using some form of remote desktop protocol. Those of us who have been working home as our primary means of earning a living, know these tools very well and are accustomed to eliminating the various distractions in our home environment in order to get the job done. There are some precautions to be aware of.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

992 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

12 Ways To Contain the hack stop the bleeding & eliminating the threat

Hey YOU, SMB, yeah I'm talking to you. There are a number of things that you can do to not only protect your personal information, but also the information you have in your business:

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

963 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

A Guide to How Hackers Hack

You have surely heard of hackers, but do you really know how they work? Hackers are well known for being bad guys, though there are certainly good hackers out there too. Here's a brief guide to help you understand how a hacker can hack: Directions for Hacking are Easy to Come By

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

984 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

SIM Swapping: What You Need to Know

Have you heard of SIM swapping? It's a new trick that hackers are using to get money and mess up your life. What is SIM Swapping?

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,251 views5/5 (1)

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Raising a Boy to Be a Man, not a Sex Predator

If you looked at a photo of a baby boy, could you ever predict that he would grow up to become a sexual predator? Probably not. However, a study shows that men who commit sexual crimes are more likely to have something called an "anxious attachment" to their mothers due to feeling rejected as children when wanting attention. As adults, this makes those men unable to create a healthy attachment to women.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

983 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Reinforce Your Door with the Door Devil

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a totally burglar-proof home, but there is also no burglar who can get into any home. By taking a few steps and using some specific security measures, you can make your home ALMOST burglar-proof.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

798 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Anyone Can Scam You, Even Your Folks

You might feel pretty safe with your parents, but more and more stories are coming out about scammer parents—especially when it comes to getting into college.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

753 views

By Robert SicilianoRecently published1 topic

Your Real Estate Agent May Have a Gun

If you are thinking of buying a house, and you start going to open houses, you might be surprised to learn an interesting fact: the real estate agent might be carrying a gun. Some of you reading this might have jumped to this article looking for a fight, because in M'erka guns are a controversial subject and why shouldn't your real estate agent have a gun?

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

811 views

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