 I'm not a fan of banner ads, browser pop-ups nor of what's come to be called behavioural advertising. I find that such online marketing largely falls into two categories. The kind that has nothing to do with what I'm interested in, and the kind that is surprisingly well targeted to my personal interests. Since the former is irritating and the latter is downright creepy, I'm not likely to click on any online ads anytime soon. That said, I'm certainly not against commercial promotion and far be it from me to pass judgment on one of the most profitable ways to spend - and make - money online ($25B in 2010 and an estimated $31B in 2011). I'm even sympathetic to the argument that online advertising keeps the Internet humming along quasi-free as the services we practically depend on in turn depend on advertising dollars to help them resist the temptation to charge us. However, when this online marketing comes with security surprises and compromises user privacy, I am forced to give it a thumbs down. So what's the best way to block Internet ads? 01/08/2012 15:50:20
  TELUS and The Rotman School of Management - whose motto is "a new way to think" - decided that asking a few hundred IT professionals about IT security at their firms and reporting the straight numbers would be the way to go. Fair enough, but why they decided to turn it into a comical affair with the allure of a self-serving initiative is curious at best. Never mind that. It gave me a great opportunity to start your new year off on an amusing note, and for that, we can all be thankful. Enjoy the article. It goes best with eggnog. Happy new year! 12/31/2011 14:21:22
 Everything I'm reading these days indicates that hacking and malware infections are going to increase in 2012. I don't need to provide references here because everything you're reading does too. Yet all the software you need to secure computers, both corporate and personal, is available for free. There's everything from scanning and blocking to diagnosing and disinfecting the computing devices you depend on. So how come we're poised for continued growth in data theft and general cyber-mischief?In short, you're the weakest link. If it weren't for you, your computer would have a much higher chance of leading an infection-free existence, gracefully growing old and slowly descending into obsolescence. Instead, you may hear yourself thinking out loud: "it was fast at the beginning, but now it's so slow I'm thinking of getting a new one". This platform-independent mantra is no doubt very depressing for laptops and smartphones to overhear and even the shiny new tablets, smug in their reliance on a firmware-based operating system, aren't too far behind. 12/27/2011 04:45:01
 Another nest of vipers has been uncovered this past week. Over 100 people involved in sharing ‘extreme’ rape videos of babies and children have been arrested with up to 200 more suspected in an operation spanning 22 European countries. The scale of the crime is staggering. One individual was found to possess over 120 thousand gigabytes (120 terabytes) or 36000 hours of horrific video footage. Over 2400 storage devices were confiscated in Denmark alone. The vermin caught by Europol (the joint police organization for the European Union) in the other 21 countries ranged from Internet stalkers to facilitators in elaborate schemes to lure, prepare and eventually abuse young children. They joined the 184 child rapists arrested earlier this year (this time from 30 countries) in an operation that also rescued at least 230 abused children. 670 more suspects were identified out of a 70,000 pedophile network of mindblowing proportions. 12/19/2011 02:15:52
 If you have not already received a call from a ‘Microsoft Windows Center’ representative insisting on helping you get rid of ‘lots of hacking file in your computer’, chances are that you will, and soon. This unfolds according to a pattern in use for the past few years and begins with a long distance ring from any number of fake Caller IDs. It’s almost always an informational message from a somewhat assertive caller indicating that your computer is spewing malware and it needs to stop. Helpfully, they offer to work with you to clean it up, and if you’re lucky enough for the "supervisor" to be available, that individual will take you through the steps of liberating you of some cash in exchange for the support call, or remotely accessing your computer for further "diagnosis". Either way, don’t feel too special as this kind of phone scam accounts for up to 80% of all reported fraud according to the organization previously known as PhoneBusters. 12/05/2011 01:15:00
 According to popular expert opinion, there are seven areas in today’s mobile devices where vulnerabilities can create security or privacy breaches. Nowhere is this more true than in the paragon of mobile digital success: the iPhone. Nothing short of a juggernaut, new versions of the quasi-ubiquitous device have all but evaded attempts at hacking it by consistently introducing innovative new features and by leveraging a clever strategy of built-in obsolescence. It follows then that each of these areas corresponds to specific security controls, tactically building a ‘defense in depth’ approach to securing the iPhone for personal use. 11/09/2011 00:24:59
 With the introduction of LinkedIn’s new Settings Page this year, the company also took the opportunity to make some changes to its Privacy Policy. Since the expansive document’s 29 pages would put even the most troubled insomniac into a deep slumber, the company conveniently provided a summary which hints at different ways it seeks to monetize its service and in part emulate Facebook’s much maligned model. Instead of stringing together 7415 words however, the latter prefers to describe its privacy-related practices through a series of nested pages that branch off an initial six sections. You get the idea. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. But enough of that. I plan to send you on your way with something you can actually use. 11/03/2011 23:09:39
 Talk to anyone in the world of business about their biggest hacking fears and you’re bound to hear that “embarrassment” ranks right up there near the top. Everyone knows that to do a proper job of alienating clients and embarrassing your organization you need to not just be good at, but excel at three things in particular.
In this post, I don't just discuss those three things, but give real life examples you can follow and achieve similar results, albeit with some effort, because long time customers do tend to be loyal and people have a relatively high, inherent barrier of trust that must be ... overcome. That said, once one gets the hang of it, as spectacularly demonstrated in this post, one can negatively impact thousands, millions, even tens of millions of once loyal followers! Consider this your free, exclusive, three-step guide. 10/30/2011 06:12:55
 04/28/2011 19:27:49
 How does it feel to win the Twitter Phishing Lottery you ask? Pretty good, I must say. I'm one of "the very few 10 Lucky Winners"! I knew it was going to be good when I saw the Subject line that screamed: TWITTER CLAIM ALERT. How could I resist? I clicked. I just had to. 04/12/2011 19:04:03
 There has clearly been no shortage of spectacular breaches, and at least some of the perpetrators aren’t altogether shy about their exploits. The brazen attacks are reminiscent of the ‘90s hackers, but with a definite profit motive similar to the new cybercriminals of the ‘00s. It’s an interesting mix and a sign that things are changing. But for now, a lot of big name companies are licking their wounds and they have mostly themselves to blame. 04/05/2011 18:47:15
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