Sony’s servers have been all over the news recently due to their lack of security, as millions of their PlayStation Network customers’ information was stolen by a group of hackers. Soon after being hacked, Sony attempted to restore its reputation and the PlayStation Network came back online again. However, Sony has failed yet again to protect its customers, as a supposedly different group of hackers has successfully intruded Sony’s network for a second time. Read on for more details on what’s been compromised, as well as some more details on the hackers themselves.

Read the rest of this entry »

So here’s an interesting tidbit that didn’t get too much fan fare when it was announced recently: Facebook has decided against more protection for your privacy. Yes, you read it right. In line with many of Facebook’s past decisions, they’ve decided your personal privacy is less important than their being able to monetize apps. The gist is that from the start, devs had access to a token that allowed them access to your profile in order to let apps do things like post on your wall. The problem being that they could share that token with basically anyone they wanted. (No, they weren’t allowed to, but does everyone follow the rules when there is the potential for financial reward for not following them? Exactly.)

For a while, it seemed that Facebook was going to disallow this by using a more secure system, but they’ve now decided against the all-out change, and instead are going to “grandfather in” apps that were built on the less secure system, trusting developers to make the right decision. Read on for more details about how insecure this practice really is, as well as some easy ways to protect yourself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mac’s don’t get viruses. Right? Wrong. Not only do Mac’s get the occasional Mac virus (because yes, they do exist.) but you probably don’t even realize that there is a 33% chance your Mac is carrying around Windows viruses as well. This means that while you may not be affected by them, they’re at least taking up some valuable space on your hard drive, and you may be unknowingly sharing those same viruses with your Windows using friends. So how do you protect your Mac? Its a big investment, and you certainly don’t want it wrecked by a virus you could have easily avoided. There’s an easy way, and the best part? It’s free. But not everything that’s free is a good value, so read on to see if Sophos can help protect you! Read the rest of this entry »

Calling all ITK Mac users!  Keep your wits about you!  While its no secret that new viruses crop up every single day, and that they’re all over the internet, its not every day that there’s a big time critical alert that Mac users need to be aware of.

SecureMac, a security blog devoted to locking down the Mac, has issued a critical alert for all Mac users.  They’ve discovered a trojan horse, or a virus that allows someone from the outside to seize control of your computer without your knowledge, that is spreading through social networking sites and email.  If you get a message in which the subject line reads “Is this you in this video?” DO NOT CLICK THE LINK.  It’s not you in the video, I promise.

The virus basically sets your computer up to not need passwords for anything, allowing the outside user exploiting the security flaw to have complete access to anything on your Mac.  Additionally, it runs at startup in the background, and does so silently, so you’d never even know it was there.  It will also have your Mac participating in other attacks, as well as sending your private data back to their server.  This will slow your computer down.  If you feel like your Mac’s been sluggish, or just want to double check that you don’t have the virus, click here to download SecureMac’s removal tool.  You can run it with one click and if you have the virus, it will be gone in no time.

In closing, don’t forget to be safe on the web.  Only surf to websites that you know and trust.  Watch what you download, and the links you click, as these actions are where you can get in to trouble.  Lastly, use OS X’s security features and maybe even some extra software.  Mac’s come with a built in firewall, why not use it? Also, please pass this article on to your Mac using friends to stop this virus before it gets too bad!

In light of this and other viruses, I’m going to give you all a rundown on some ways to help keep your Mac secure, so check back soon.  Are you worried about the number of viruses for Mac’s growing as Mac’s become more popular?  Also, if you scan your system and find that you do have the virus (we didn’t,) let us know!

See you in the comments!

Source – SecureMac

Passwords are designed to help keep our personal information safe, but hackers often play games where they attempt to guess passwords and access our accounts. How can you prevent them from gaining access to your account? Create an extremely long password consisting of random numbers and letters, easy right? Wrong! With this method you will either forget it or be forced to write it down, both of which are not recommended. As an alternative method people use easily remembered words, such as a last name, address, or even the word “password.” Although you won’t forget the password, you will make a hacker’s job exceedingly easy.

In order to generate a solid password, we must find the perfect balance between memory and complexity. This will enable us to remember our password forever, while eliminating the risk of hackers. The only problem is that this is much easier said than done. There are, however, different sources to help us with passwords called password managers. Among these managers are, RoboForm, LastPass, and LastPass mobile, which is available for iPhones, Blackberrys, Androids, and other smart phones. With a password manager, you are given the ability to keep track of all of your passwords at once without the risk of forgetting any.

A man named Bill Cheswick, an AT&T researcher, has proposed a new way to create your password as well. Bill Cheswick’s method says that you should choose a random location from Google Maps, and then use the 10-digit latitude and longitude together as your password. The password would be a 20-digit one, and nearly impossible to crack from a hackers standpoint. However, the 20-digit password would be nearly impossible to remember as well. Therefore, as of right now, your best bet is to buy yourself a password manager.

Source – Computer Security