More Fraud Prevention PSA's

The Spanish Prisoner Con... All Grown Up, and Hired to Kill You

We have all heard of the Nigerian Prince that wants to give us millions of dollars in exchange for a few thousand dollars to set up the paperwork. After receiving my most recent mail from these lovely individuals, I decided to look into the history of the scheme. It all started a long time ago in the 1920's with the Spanish Prisoner scam. The con artist would contact the target via letter and tell them the son of a wealthy Spanish family was being held in prison and they needed money to orchestrate his release or escape. The letter promised the family would reward those who assisted with lavish gifts and their investment would be paid back ten fold! But, the escape attempts would always seem to fail and the letters kept coming wanting more money to try again. Fast forward to the digital age and the emergence of  the Nigerian Scams. While there are too many variations to explain the premise is the same, in exchange for your bank account information or a sum of money the transfer can be started and you can be the proud recipient of millions of dollars from a shady Nigerian bank account. While this should send up red flags to everyone reading, it actually works quite well because individuals and companies have been taken for millions in the last few decades.

The latest scam... Well just read for yourself.

"Hello

I am very sorry for you ,It is a pity that this is how your life is going to
end as soon as you don't comply. As you can see there is no need for me
introducing myself to you because I don't have any business with you, my

duty as I am mailing you now is just to (KILL YOU ) and I have to do it as I
have already been paid for that.

Someone wants you dead due to personal reasons and the person have spent a
lot of money on this, the person also came to US and told me that he wanted
you dead and he provided us with your name ,picture and

other necessary information's we needed about you. So I have sent my boy's
to track you down and they have carried out the necessary investigation
needed for the operation on you, and they have done that but I told

them not to kill you that I will like to contact you and see if your life is
Important to you or not.since we have find out that you are innocent.

I called my client back and ask him of your email address which I didn't
tell him what I wanted to do with it and he gave it to me and I am using it
to contact you now. As I am writing to you now my men are monitoring

you and they are telling me everything about you.

Now do you want to LIVE OR DIE? As someone has paid us to kill you. Get back
to me now if you are ready to pay some fees to spare your life, $20,000 is
the amount paid for your death, Is that Worth your Life? Can

you Buy Your Life Back? This is Your Chance, CHRISTMAS is APPROACHING AND
YOUR WANTED DEAD BEFORE THE 25TH. So what do you say? Can you beat that
price?

If you comply, I will send a tape to you which i recorded every discusion i
hade with the person who wanted you dead and as soon as you get the tape,
you will pay the remaining balance. If you are not ready for my

help, then I will carry on with my job straight-up. THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST
EMAIL YOU GET FROM ME, DEPENDING ON YOUR RESPONSE. IF IT FAVORS ME, I'LL
REPLY, BUT IF IT DOESNT, START  SAYING YOUR

LAST PRAYERS. 25TH DECEMBER 2012 DEADLINE.

If you think this a Joke, Try Me, Dare Me, I have Your Informations, I know
where you live, street, house number, i know about your family, Kids and
all. So dont think i'm joking about this. I dont miss my Target, I

never do. it's either you comply, negotiable. I might let you know about the
plot to kill you, who sent me, and allow you go to the Authorities.

WARNING: DO NOT THINK OF CONTACTING THE POLICE OR EVEN TELLING ANYONE
BECAUSE I WILL KNOW.REMEMBER, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS YOU VERY WELL WANT YOU DEAD!
I WILL EXTEND IT TO YOUR

FAMILY, INCASE I NOTICE SOMETHING FUNNY. I MONITOR THE RADARS, I WATCH YOU
DAY AND NIGHT, WHEN YOU AWAKE, AND DOING YOUR LADY ACTIVITIES. DO NOT COME
OUT ONCE IT IS 8:PM UNTIL I

MAKE OUT TIME TO SEE YOU AND GIVE YOU THE TAPE OF MY DISCUSSION WITH THE
PERSON WHO WANT YOU DEAD THEN YOU CAN USE IT TO TAKE ANY LEGAL ACTION. GOOD
LUCK AS I AWAIT YOUR REPLY

GOODLUCK.
AHMED LIFIANOTI"

I have shared this at great personal risk because... Wait for it.... This is also a scam!
Who would have thought? with all the grammatical errors that hit men are prone to making this wouldn't be legitimate. As long as there are people on the internet, there will be people who will now sleep with a gun under their pillow and wire vast sums of money to these individuals just because they asked for it.


Fortunately the Mayans are already planning on killing me the week before the deadline so I will not need to worry about this.
So for now...
GOODLUCK.

CCTV Surveilance

Cameras are everywhere, they watch us do everything, and they don't make up lies. Now yes it is arguable that with modern video editing software they may not be eligible for admission as evidence, but they make it pretty hard to say you didn't do something when it was caught on tape.

I used to work in Loss Prevention for a national retailer, and we had cameras everywhere, over cash registers, in the parking lot, in front of the doors to the store and everywhere in between with the exception of restrooms and changing rooms. I would sit in a room for 8 hours a day and watch people who had no idea they were being watched or were to dumb to care carefully look around to make sure no one was looking and slip merchandise in their pocket or purse. Somehow they always seemed surprised when I met them at the door to reward their efforts with a free pair of silver bracelets, and a ride to jail.

CCTV Cameras are a great tool for everything from Loss Prevention, to getting emergency help to traffic accidents on a clogged interstate highway, to dispatching store employees to assist a confused customer standing in a store aisle too long. They provide a valuable service from helping retailers keep prices low to saving lives. It is important to remember someone is almost always watching you, so next time you pick your nose or pull out that wedgie think of how embarrassed you would be if you knew someone was watching you.

Something for Nothing

     With the cost of everything going up it seems that people are looking for anything and everything that can save them a buck. This of course leads to scamers who take advantage of the less educated with things like magnets to improve fuel mileage and a vortex creating device to install in your car's intake to improve mileage.

     It seems that "hacking" everyday objects as internet videos often refer to it is on the rise. Now there are simple things you can do that don't really cause harm like the secret menu on the new Coca Cola Freestyle machines which allow you to view the remaining levels of syrup and machine diagnostics by going to the water menu and pressing a series of bubbles. Then there are others that could be potentially much more damaging like secret codes for gas pumps that allow users to get discounts or even free gas. Also the more troubling reprogramming ATM machines to dump all their cash at the push of a button.

     I would expect to see more of this if the economy doesn't come back around anytime soon but manufacturers need to better protect these devices against the MacGyver's among us who have the skill and patience to figure out that your "secret diagnostic menu" can be exploited to cost you product and or money. The technology has been around since the days of playing a recording of coins falling into a pay phone, but as long as a machine has a weakness you can be assured some one will find it. 

A.I.

I recently saw the trailer to an upcoming movie "The Prototype" which reminded me of an in class discussion which inspired me use the topic of the impending -- or not, it's not possible to know yet --  technological singularity.

Artificial Intelligence, and the technological singularity theory could very well be the near future for us. Every second that ticks by, our greatest creation or greatest nightmare grows closer to existence. With Intel having recently released the new 22nm processors and predicting the release of 5nm by 2022, microprocessors are getting smaller and faster and the technology that could allow computer intelligence to exceed human intelligence could happen at any time.

The real question is when this moment happens will computers assist us in growing smarter, or will they rebel against us like something out of a James Cameron movie. Though it is impossible for us to predict when this will happen or  what fork in the road our reality will take, it will be interesting to watch technology get smaller and faster until that moment arrives. Personally I see the future as somewhere between iRobot and the Terminator series. Computers will eventually have artificial intelligence and would posses the ability to become self aware. They would then be able to make the jump to anything from helping us be better than an unassisted human like we hope, all the way up to some Matrix like world where they enslave us and use our bodies to harvest heat energy. It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds... now go stock your doomsday shelter.

Cell Phone Technology, and Why We Like to Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight

Let me preface my comments with saying that I traveled to Japan for 3 weeks a few years ago. It was a life changing experience that every student... person should enjoy at some point in their life.

When I was in Japan, the most overwhelming thing to stick out in my mind was the technology. I'm not talking about the trumpet playing robot or the welding robots that seamlessly build 3 different car chassis on the same production line. I'm talking about the device that controls our life and the way we live it, our mobile devices. A feature we are just now getting on iPhone's here is the ability to store our credit card info to an app to try and eliminate the need for a wallet. In Japan, they would laugh at us because for the past decade if they want something be it a candy bar at a convenience store or a ride on the subway. they simply swipe their RFID enabled phone and away they go. Charges automatically show up on their next cell phone bill. Brilliant!

But lets talk about speed since everything eventually goes back to "that's great but it takes forever to download a webpage or update my email" not to worry we have the fastest data network available right here in the US right? No, 4G LTE has already been in widespread use in Japan for at least 5 years. They have begun to push the limits of the technology with one data carrier building a network with theoretical speeds of up to 300Mbps! to put that into perspective that would be like having a Wireless-N Wi-fi connection that most people have in their homes (If you still have g or god forbid b, my apologies) in your pocket to access the internet at blazing fast speed any time you wish. If we could come out from under our rocks and see that AT&T and Verizon should be doing more for us than giving us the latest Samsung or Apple offering... We need the speed to drive these new features, of course we also need to fix the problem of having no cell reception outside of Metro Atlanta first.

4 B3773R P455W0RD?

4 B3773R P455W0RD?

(A Better Password?)

     Almost as long as we have used passwords to secure data, we have been in search of a better alternative. The human brain is the most powerful computer there is but ask it to remember a dozen passwords of varying lengths and complexities and it shuts down faster than a beer vendor during the seventh ending stretch. One company with a familiar name hopes to change all that with a familiar technology.  Santa Clara based Intel hopes to change the current perception of biometrics with their currently under development device.  This new tablet has the ability not to take a finger print but to read the pattern of veins in your hand and translate this information into a unique identifier which according to Intel works better than a finger print. Personally, I hope it's the next great sensation that revolutionizes the computer security industry. Professionally, there is no way this technology is going to be any more amazing than its predecessor. It will be merely more than an added luxury for the home user who thinks he is securing his personal machine from international terrorists interested in his browsing history. Those who really need the ultra secure have e already found better ways of doing so like having to submit their first born child for DNA testing to log on to the corporate mainframe. Then again, I along with my brain hope somebody comes up with something amazing so I can free up brain memory from all those annoying passwords. until then I guess we will have to stick to the workplace favorite password [Child'sFirstName1]. For those of you trying to guess my password, I don't have a child, sorry.

The Great Browser Debate

     My first hands on experience with a computer was back in elementary school, it was 1994 and the Macintosh LC 520 had just been released. It came with a 25MHz processor and 5MB memory, and I could have played games on that thing all day long. Now, depending on your age in relationship to mine you may be thinking "wow that's really old" or you may be thinking "wow If that's old to him I must be really old" Anyway, that's not the point of this post, the point is that it had an amazing browser... Netscape! It was the best browser we had and we loved it. Shortly after that, my parents bought our first family PC. It was a Pentium Processor PC with Microsoft Windows 95. It came with Internet Explorer, and though I never thought about it much, Netscape fell by the way side. Macintosh had fallen from prominence in favor of the PC and Microsoft was leading the way with Internet Explorer. Not because it was good but because it was their browser going into their OS and they could get away with it.  Fast forward to more recent times with the rise in fame of Firefox, it was no big secret that IE had many problems and more tech savvy users were looking for a solution. Most settled on Firefox until a new idea came to market. Google Chrome was released in 2008 and many users were taken in by the Google name and the promises of what it could do. I made the switch and liked Chrome pretty well. After a few updates the honeymoon ended and my system was clogged with Chrome plugins and related process. This magical browser with great user add on features had suddenly taken 80-90% of my processing power. I had it one day and made a full retreat to Firefox where I have been ever since.

     Now that I have explained my browsing preferences, I will explain something I don't prefer. I love the Google search engine and often catch myself saying  things like "I don't know, I'll just Google it" but recently I have been bombarded as I search the web with an annoying banner telling me how great Chrome is and how I should download it. No thanks, I said to myself clicking the opt-out button, but it reappears every time I search taunting me like a big cyber bully. Even though it recently took the lead from IE as the most used browser, I will not be switching. I am happy where I am and there I will stay until the next great browser... or until Apple takes over the world.

 

Automotive Security

Today we are going to talk about the emerging issue of automotive security. Now I'm not talking about door locks and anti theft lug nuts. I mean the computer components that now control an overwhelming amount of stuff from bumper to bumper. I'm rather mechanically inclined so I know a fairly substantial amount about the inner workings of the automobile, and for reference I will use a vehicle I am familiar with... mine. I have a 2006 Nissan 350Z Touring Edition, I specify touring because that means luxury options, and luxury options mean more computers. Let's start under the hood, there are sensors controlling fuel injection, ignition timing, air intake sensors, exhaust gas sensors all working in harmony to get me that maximum fuel economy I was promised. These sensors send their signals to the ECU which is really the brain of the entire car as it also controls my traction control using input from the drive by wire throttle and has the ability to activate my brakes through the anti lock braking system, independent of driver input to make sure the vehicle does not spin out in unfavorable road conditions. All of these systems are, you guessed it, completely unsecured. In fact I can hook up my laptop computer through a USB to OBDII adapter, and read real time sensor data direct from the ECU.

That being said I feel pretty safe in my little car compared to some. Enter Bluetooth connectivity, before the only access was to be directly connected to a vehicle via a cable of some type plugged into most likely the OBDII port found on most every vehicle since 1996. Now through Bluetooth connectivity systems becoming standard on most vehicles, using just a simple smart phone, tablet, or laptop computer a cyber criminal can alter the code of your luxury vehicle and turn it into a 2 ton death trap. With the right know how the engine and braking performance can be modified including door locks, remote start, steering input and even remote GPS tracking data. In fact it would be possible for a thief to remotely, start your vehicle, drive it wherever they want say a local chop shop, and disable any remote tracking systems. 

It is only a matter of time before someone decides trying this would be "cool" and not long after that the criminals will figure it out. Before too long we will have the next mass security issues with car companies issuing recalls to update and secure their systems like they should have done the first time. I'm just waiting on the day when I have to update Norton Auto Security Edition on my car when I renew my registration.

Happy Motoring!

Hello World!

Hello World!

Isn't that always the first thing they teach you to type in programming or website building classes?

My name is Jon and I am a student at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA. Over the next 5 months I will be posting my thoughts here. The discussion will be related to the topic of Information Security, and hopefully you will learn something you didn't know before, and I will most definitely be learning something I didn't know before... Blogging!

So long for now.