Network Security

This week our featured article is on What Hackers Don't Want You To Know About The Tamper Data Firefox Add-on.  We'll explore the mysterious Tamper Data Add-on frequently used by hackers to "bend" the rules of an application they are trying to compromise.

This tool can also be used by application developers to help them strengthen their applications against client-side data manipulation attacks. Check out the article linked above and let us know if you use this add-on to police the code you write and whether or not it has caught some bugs in your code before they were exploited by hackers.

Have you ever had your smartphone snatched by a thief? It's happening more and more in subways and street corners everywhere. Sometimes you get so absorbed in what you're doing on your phone that you ignore your surroundings and fail to see the guy in the hoodie who is about to yank your phone from your hand.

Wouldn't it be great if we could prevent this kind of crime? In this week's featured article: How to Booby Trap Your Smartphone we'll learn how you can try and put a stop to the smartphone snatch-and-grab. Check it out and feel free to share your ideas for non-lethal smartphone booby trapping in the comments section below.

Wouldn't it be great if you could make the data on your iPhone self-destruct should it fall into the wrong hands? While you can't make it physically explode like in the Mission Impossible movies, you can achieve the end result of having your data wiped out so the bad guys can't get it.

In this week's featured article: The Data on This iPhone Will Self-destruct in 10 Seconds, we'll look at two methods for remotely wiping your iPhone's data. Check it out and let us know in the comments section below if you've ever had to use this feature.

If you still have a landline in your home, then you likely also have a cordless phone connected to it because, let's face it, no one likes tripping over phone cords.

Have you ever wondered if it's possible for someone to eavesdrop on your cordless phone conversations? Accidental eavesdropping due to crossed connections was a fairly common occurrence back in the analog cordless phone era, but what about the newer digital cordless phones on the market?

In this week's featured article, we attempt to answer the question: How secure is your cordless phone? The answer might surprise you.

Social engineering attacks perpetrated by hackers such as Kevin Mitnik often succeed because many people have trouble detecting deception. Can someone be taught to spot a lie?

In this week's featured article, we attempt to answer the question above by reviewing Dr. Paul Ekman's Micro-expression Training Course. The course, named METT Advanced, costs $69 and focuses on teaching how to detect what people are truly feeling by reading their micro-expressions. Check out my review of Dr. Ekman's course in the link above to see if his stuff is for real or just pop-psychology mumbo jumbo.

Have you taken Dr. Ekman's micro-expressions course? If so, let us know what you thought of it in the comments section below.

For some reason, a lot of folks believe that Apple Macs are naturally immune to viruses and malware. Many people don't even bother to install anti-virus software on their Macs because they don't feel like the threat level is high enough to warrant it.

Enter the Mac Flashback Attack. Experts say that it has infected over 600,000 Macs worldwide. What does Flashback do to your Mac? How can you detect and remove it? How did it spread so fast? We'll answer these questions and more in our featured article: Is Your Mac Safe From the Flashback Attack?

Check out the article and let us know if your Mac is one of the reported 600K that became infected.

This week we review the McGruff SafeGuard Browser for iPad. This browser features the ability to add some much needed parental controls to your child's internet browsing on the iPad.

Check out our full review to find out all about the McGruff SafeGuard Browser for iPad.

Did you just receive a bill for $250 dollars worth of in-app purchases form the iTunes App Store? If so, you might want to read our article on The Dangers of Kids and In-App Purchases.

If you haven't setup in-app purchase restriction on you or your child's iPod, iPad, or iPhone, then now is the time to do it before you end up the victim of your child's in-app shopping spree. Zombie brains aren't cheap you know.

Check out the article above and let us know in the comments section below if you received a big fat bill for unauthorized in-app purchases made by your child. Was anyone able to get the charges removed? If so, let us know how.

Have you ever heard of the CISSP certification? The Certified Information Systems Security Professional is considered the 'Gold Standard' when it comes to personal certifications in the field of information security.

What does it get you if you achieve it? Well, a lot of employers are specifically looking for people who possess this certification. Check Monster or CareerBuilder for the keyword CISSP and you'll see what I mean. This week our featured article is on How to Prepare for the CISSP Exam. Check it out if you think you might want to pursue this certification.

Do you already have a CISSP? Let us know in the comments section below if you think it has helped you in your career.

Have you recently received a call from someone and your Caller ID read "MICROSOFT SUPPORT" ? There is a huge international scam called the Ammyy Scam going around that millions of innocent people are falling for and allowing scammers access to their computers and their credit card information.

The scammers use Caller ID Spoofing to make their victims believe that Microsoft is calling them. The scammers say it is a "courtesy call" to help victims remove malware on their PC that they say has been detected.

This week, our featured article is on Caller ID Spoofing. If you want to learn more about the Ammy Scam you can check out our Beware of the Ammyy Scam article for more details.