Cyber Security: Five New Year's resolutions for your computer

Your computer might be showing its age, be it slow boot-up times, sluggish performance, annoying freeze-ups and pop-up windows caused by malware ("malicious software"). This is especially frustrating for those who rely on their computer for work. Instead of buying a new computer, however, perhaps you can squeeze more life out of your aging PC or Mac. Click here to read about five New Year's resolutions for your computer.

Cyber Security: Hackers deface Malaysia Airlines website, upload rap song

The Malaysia Airlines website has been commandeered by hackers who referenced Islamic State and claimed to be from the "Lizard Squad", a group known for previous denial-of-service attacks. Read more here.

Cyber Security: Computer security experts warn of cell phone hack attacks

Text messages from your phone company could mean a security problem for you. Those texts are apparently so easy to mimic that crooks could send you alerts that look like the real thing. Click on those links and the hacker could grab your login information, or fool you into divulging your credit card details. Read the article here.

Cyber Security: Hackers could infiltrate NSW traffic and sewage systems, Auditor-General Grant Hehir warns

Hackers could infiltrate Sydney's traffic light network and cause accidents or road chaos, an official investigation has found, raising serious doubts over the preparedness of the state's vital infrastructure to ward off cyber attacks. Click here to read the article.

Cyber Security: A Thief Named 'Mastermind' Hacked 20 Million Accounts On A Russian Dating Website

As if online dating wasn't sketchy enough, now you have to worry about hackers. About 20 million accounts on a Russia-based dating website called Topface were hacked, according to a report by Bloomberg. About 40% of the data came from European users. The thief who operated under the alias "Mastermind" then offered the accounts for sale on a website used by cyber criminals, which was detected by the fraud-detection software-maker, Easy Solutions Inc. Read more here.

Cyber Security: ICS-CERT Vulnerability Summary for Week of January 19

Click the link below to view the summary of cyber security vulnerabilities for the week of January 19 as collected and reported by ICS-CERT.

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/bulletins/SB15-026

Cyber Security: ‘Malvertising’ the latest threat to computer security

The recent barrage of stories about computer security attacks are enough to make you unplug your computer and go back to reading books and writing letters. Well, it turns out there’s another one consumers need to have on their radar. It’s called “malvertising,” and USA TODAY reports that it’s malicious software — what we call malware — hidden in online ads. Often, the advertiser doesn’t even know it’s there, much less you. But malvertising works differently than plain old malware. Click here to read more.