Ransomware up 600%, a holiday to remember, and we're coming to you LIVE tomorrow night at 7 pm EST.

Hi there,

Anyone that knows me or has seen me speak will tell you I'm passionate about spreading the message of "Cybersecurity for Life."  

So, I can't wait to be back on campus with my alma mater Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University tomorrow night at 7 pm for a live-steaming event "Online Risk and Cybersecurity." 

You can tune-in by registering here:

Ransomware Up 600% - in Q3-2017 alone.

And, according to the FBI - wait until you see 2018.

The FBI reported mind-blowing stats coming out of Q-3 this year, including damages closing in on the $5 billion mark. They expect 2018 to be worse.  Ransomware is the evolution of extortion and if you need a refresher, see "Ransomware - The Four Things You Must Know."

But, for now, it's the coming holiday season that's our concern.

We have an experienced real-world gauge on cybercrime and hacking. Invariably, our business spikes in activity with new customers every December and January.  Online shopping, distractions, we're busy with life - and hackers know our guard can be down.  

This year?  Hackers have your Equifax data too.

They are busy as elves - collecting, curating, and engineering all the information stolen from Yahoo, the IRS, Blue Shield, the luxury hotels, et al.  Combine this with stolen Equifax data from 143 million consumers, and we expect this year's plundering season to be off the charts.

Your best defense? Getting off the grid of fraud, loss, and abuse with Private Email and Device Protection for your Windows, Apple, and Android devices. 

Speaking of Equifax:

Encrypting data? Not sure, says Equifax CEO. 

Really? 

Senators grilled execs from Yahoo, Verizon, and Equifax last Wednesday about their attitudes toward protecting consumers from cybercrime. Answers were cringe-worthy.  The CEOs were at their best when they defaulted to blaming Russia.

It again is painfully evident we can't count on corporate or government America to protect us - which is why we advocate doing it for yourself.

Encryption is (almost) the silver-bullet in cybersecurity.  We've been helping people get comfortable using encryption software in their daily lives since 2015. Banking, shopping, browsing - using a VPN encrypts it all, and your information is invisible to the outside.

We uniquely make the best VPN on the planet available to anyone - for only $39 bucks a year.  Its automatic, and always "ON."

Get a VPN for yourself before the holiday high-season for cybercrime begins, here, and position yourself to benefit from the magic of encryption for the rest of your life. 

Understanding Blockchain

"Game-changer" - it's an over-used term.  But not when it applies to blockchain technology.  See our curated "News You Can Use" below for the best 2-minute blockchain explanation video we've seen so far. 

To understand blockchain is to understand cryptocurrencies.  Pretty much. 

Mac Attacks Surging

Last year we started to see new customers with hacked Macs.  Last week our partners at F-Secure reported this:

"The first three quarters of 2017 have seen over 70% increase in malware targeting Macs compared to 2016.

The volume of threats is growing extremely fast, and attackers are shifting their efforts towards the poorer defenses of Macs."  F-Secure Labs 

But, Macs are safer than Windows, aren't they? 

In our opinion, Macs are still safer than Windows machines - except when the user feels insulated from the risk and lets her guard down. 

Macs once held a much smaller user-base than Windows. That's changed, and hackers are finding wealthy people especially like their Macs. They hub their lives around them, and are rich with the information they seek. 

Now, Macs are choice targets for cybercriminals.

We've recently enhanced Device Protection for Macs with AI, and you can see how it works, here.

New Product - Fixed-Network Security

Fixed-Network Security = complete security for your home or business. 

Plug it in, set it up in minutes, and everything connected to your WiFi and cable network is protected.  It's an IT security department of your own and after testing it for a few weeks, we think it is a game-changer.  Oops, seems you can't get away from the term in technology these days. 

We will have more on the service soon, but in the meantime try this free network security test, here.

The process takes less than a minute, but it will do a complete and comprehensive test on the security, or lack thereof, of your network.  

The URL is -  totaldigitalsecurity.shieldtest.com   

Check it out and let me know if you want more information.

Thanks for reading,

Brad Deflin

Some Coming Events 

Palm Beach County Employee Assistance Program

"Cyber Security for Life"

We are back for our 6th in a series of employee training at Palm Beach County's Governmental Center in West Palm Beach - Tuesday the 14th starting at noon.  More, here.

Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce

"Cyber Security for Survival and Success in the New Digital Age."

Brad Deflin will present at the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce Monthly Speaker Series, Feb.13th, 2018 at The Breakers Hotel, Palm Beach FL. Click for more.

Thinking about a cybersecurity themed event, or training and education for your troops, contact us here for more information:

Curated News and Information You Can Use