Happy Sunday everyone,
I sincerely hope you guys are all keeping safe ’n sound online…
First & foremost I wanted you guys to know that I am soon creating a new Udemy course explaining in laymen terms everything you need to know about Artificial Intelligence (AI), Deepfakes, Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, as well as upcoming AI agents/assistants etc. You will learn, in an engaging, entertaining & memorable way, how to navigate & work with all of these new exciting/daunting tech – and most importantly how to stay safe!
So stay tuned 🙂
OK now there have been lots of things going on in the world of cyber security, so lets jump on in:
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A bombshell of sorts (makes complete sense really) that due to a huge recent wave of cyberattacks against US Telecom companies (suspected to originate from hackers tied to the Chinese government), the FBI & CIA have jointly highlighted the significance of using only encrypted messaging and calls between iPhone & Android users, and to avoid SMS texting especially with sensitive data.
The key takeaways are:
– Cross-platform messaging is not secure: While messaging between iOS <> iOS, or Android <> Android is fully encrypted end-to-end (E2E), cross-platform messages between iPhone <> Android devices are still not E2E.
– Encrypted messaging apps are strongly recommended: Apps like Signal, WhatsApp, and even Facebook Messenger offer full E2E and should be used over SMS when messaging between Android <> iOS devices.
– When messaging within the Apple or Android ecosystem: If possible, stick to using iMessage for iOS or Google Messages for Android to ensure private messages are not intercepted by hackers.
In short: Be mindful of what mobile messaging apps you use – make sure they use E2E by default.
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Gmail’s new shielded email feature will let you create aliases when signing up for online services and better combat spam. & email privacy. The idea is to create unique, single-use email addresses that forward the messages to the associated primary account, thereby preventing the need for providing the real email address when filling out forms or registering for new services online. By the way, Apple introduced a similar feature called Hide My Email that allows iCloud+ subscribers to generate random burner email addresses. It can also be used to set up new ones in Safari, Mail, and Apple Pay wherever email addresses are required.
https://thehackernews.com/2024/11/shielded-email-googles-latest-tool-for.html
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A fantastic article written by the venerable Roger Grimes, breaking down the various tech support scams out there that try and get you via poisoned Google search results. His conclusion is to always be aware that search engine results and people offering tech support help may be fraudsters. Always go to the legitimate vendor’s website for help and to research phone numbers. If you make a mistake and end up on the wrong website or call the wrong phone number, it can be very difficult to spot the criminal fraud until it is too late. Definitely a must read:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/beware-fake-tech-support-scams-roger-grimes-08gbe/
And another article by Roger Grimes explaining how to get out of fake tech support scam screens that pop up on your desktop:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-get-out-fake-tech-support-scam-screens-roger-grimes-lzcye/
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If any of you are on LinkedIn looking for a few job, definitely check out this article. It explains how scammers are successfully preying on vulnerable job seekers, by messaging them directly, – pretending to be recruiters promising them lucrative work – when in fact all they intend to do is steal your money & credentials. Shameless::
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/10/linkedin-bots-and-spear-phishers-target-job-seekers
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If the AI train isn’t moving fast enough already, and deepfakes aren’t already enough of a problem for us all, now we have AI agents using ChatGPT to automate their phone call scams. Basically AI instructing AI to trick you. It’s a crazy time to be alive!
https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/24/openai_realtime_api_phone_scam/
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Very cool: Apple’s new Password Manager on the latest Sequoia operating system will allow websites and apps to upgrade existing accounts to passkeys automatically. Enabled by default, the feature will speed up the adoption of passkeys, which are 10x more secure than a traditional login & password! Remember that Passkeys log you in with Face ID or Touch ID rather than a password, and because on-device authentication is required, passkeys put a stop to online attacks like phishing. There’s no password to steal or authentication code that can be intercepted.
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/10/ios-18-automatic-passkey-update/
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We get it. You hoped the day would never come when you learned someone used your personal information to open new credit accounts in your name. But it did. So now what? Act fast. It can help reduce the damage identity theft can cause. Here’s how to get started with simple instructions by the FTC:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/09/how-recover-identity-theft
Also another great article by the FTC explaining that anytime someone tells you to buy a gift card to pay a fine or bill, it’s 100% a scam. No real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them. They explain how to spot these scams out & what to do about them::
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/10/only-scammers-tell-you-buy-gift-card-pay-them
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Google is warning that due to some Internet protocol upgrades, the Chrome uBlock Origin extension may be disabled soon. This is a real shame as uBlock Origin is a fantastic privacy extension. But fret not, Privacy Badger and Ghostery still work on Chrome are are world class. Plus you can always use Firefox as well, which is a brilliant privacy-based browser
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Google will soon be releasing some very smart / advanced features aimed at making it less easy for thieves to access your data. They are called Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Lock. The flashiest of the new features is Theft Detection Lock, which uses AI to lock your screen when it detects “common motion associated with theft,” like someone snatching your phone out of your hand. Meanwhile, Offline Device Lock locks a device’s screen when it’s offline for a while, and Remote Lock lets users lock their phone using only their phone number when they can’t log into Find My Device with their password. Make sure you set these up when they become available on your Android device!:
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/5/24262810/google-theft-detection-lock-rolling-out-android?
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#ClickGameOver