"2016 - The Year of Extortion", getting the kids started, and thriving in the Information Age.
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"2016 - The Year of Extortion", getting the kids started, and thriving in the Information Age.

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The Cyber Advisor

Hi there,

The first quarter of 2016 holds cyber risk primarily in tax-refund scams and ransomware attacks.

I'm out on a limb forecasting ransomware will affect ten's of millions in the U.S. alone before the easy money is washed out.

Ransomware, which we have coined as the evolution of extortion, holds your computer and information hostage with the hackers demanding a ransom paid for its return.

Evidently, cyber criminals are wasting no time bringing my forecast to fruition.

“Ransomware attacks are skyrocketing. They’re going up about 100 percent per month. Ransomware is the new criminal business model.”

Stu Sjouwerman, founder and CEO of IT security firm KnowBe4

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Folks, please take heed. The profit motive here is enormous and any criminal worth his salt and with a grain of ambition is going to get in the game for the easy scores that are assured for the next couple of years.

We recommend and sell F-Secure_best_4_years.pngF-Secure's 24/7 Device Protection Service, which has been rated the #1 defense for 4 years straight.

You can't buy it from the App or Play Store. It's not a retail product and as far as I know, TDS is the only one making it available to individuals and families. It works exceptionally well, is fully automatic, and is updated 24/7 in real-time and within 60 seconds of a new threat. For more, click here.

I invite you to contact me directly if I can help you get started with the service. A simple software download and less than $75 a year will mitigate well over 90% of your risk of being victimized.

Never forget - Cybercrime scales - The risk is growing at 100% monthly rates and compounding itself to a tsunami-sized wave that precedes the coming mega-cycle of cybercrime.

With the hostile environment in the world today, it's a no-brainer.

Airport_smartphone_device_woman.jpg PS - get it for the kids too, especially if they travel abroad.

You may as well get them started on their way toward understanding the fundamentals of cyber-defense. After all, we are still just in the early innings of life in the Information Age.

How we see it -  the Internet brings the world's information and knowledge to our fingertips, and there is tremendous opportunity to thrive while living in the Information Age. We shouldn't let fear and risk be all that stands in the way.

Thanks for reading,

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Checking in at a hotel? Hackers may be, too. Criminals seeking credit-card and other personal data are targeting hotels; what to watch out for. - The Wall Street Journal. http://www.wsj.com/article_email/checking-in-at-a-hotel-hackers-may-be-too

And on that note:

Massive Hyatt Breach - If you stayed, ate or played at a Hyatt hotel between Aug. 13 and Dec. 8, 2015, there's a good chance your credit or debit card data was stolen by unknown cyber thieves who infiltrated many of the hotel chain's payment systems. - Krebs on Security. http://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/01/hyatt-card-breach-hit-250-hotels-in-50-nations/

Macs are Not Immune from Ransomware - Cross-platform viruses and malware are something of a rarity, but now there's a first-in-its-class JavaScript-based ransomware that can infect Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Cyber Crime as a Service - Criminal cartels  are providing the best attack software available to anyone with a bitcoin account and access to the Tor network, for 10% of the take. Now, anyone anywhere can get in on the game to score big with ransomware attacks. - CSO - Top Security News. http://www.csoonline.com/article/3004594/cyber-attacks-espionage/new-ransomware


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Protecting from the tax-refund scam.
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