Hi there,

Last week was a thrill a minute in the business of cyber security. 

First, ransomware is getting some national headlines. We have been warning and protecting our customers against ransomware, "The Evolution of Extortion", since 2013, and our top prediction for 2016 is still its going mainstream as the street crime of the future.

Los Angeles Hospital Pays Hackers $17,000 After Attack

Add "Hollywood", "hospital", and "hacker" to the same story and the ransomware problem finally gets some national headlines. (PS - Hospital execs paid the ransom - as we predict most victims will due to no viable alternative.)

The bigger story, in fact, is that there are many thousands of new ransomware victims every week, and after this story on Wednesday: "It's Here. New Ransomware Hidden In Infected Word Files", the trend just made another serious uptick.

Read more about ransomware:  "The 4 Things You Must Know About Ransomware." 

It doesn't have to be this way - but without protection you are defensless and risk not only losing your information, but the use of your computer or Android as well (iPhones are still safe, for now.)

Two of The Four Fundamentals of Cyber Security work in conjunction to protect you from ransomware: Device Security and Private Email. 

As many of our customers know, we use the best device security protection in the business, and it works extremely well for protecting your computers, laptops, and Android devices.

For private email, we use Rackspace's enterprise-class system that incorporates 4 levels of protection before an email ever arrives to your inbox. Our customers use the platform to create family digital domains, a multi-generation home-base off the grid of abuse on "free" services like Gmail, et al. 

We even have an offshore, Swiss domained service that is considered one the most secure email services on the planet.

Read more: "Privatizing Email for Individuals and Families."

 Start here for Device Security.

 Start here for Private Email.

An example of how bad things are in cyber security?

Shodan, a specialized search engine, launched a section that lets anyone easily browse unprotected webcams.

Really. 

Click here for the story.

It's very tempting to get into the debate between Apple's stance on the right to privacy, and law enforcement's need to be equipped to handle information-age crime and terror. What matters to our mission at Total Digital Security is what we do about it as individuals, heads-of-household, and professionals - all fully engaged with technology and the internet. 

But, we couldn't help to notice how Tim Cook's letter from Apple to its customers brought an elevated sense of appreciation for the matter - including to many that never gave it a thought before. If you haven't read the letter yet, click the link above - it's worth your time and you can be assured the issue will be at the forefront of politics, law enforcement, and all of society for that matter, for many years to come.

Individuals, families, and professionals cannot risk being unaware and unprotected as they live in a world surrounded by personal technology. "Awareness", "outreach" - all good, but nothing like individuals actually using protective technology as part of their daily habits to bring it home and make a difference that lasts. 

Thanks for reading,

Cyber threats in real time - these attack maps illustrate the cyber attack activity around the world at the moment.

Case Study - A Day in the Life of a Family protected by Total Digital Security.

How to use The Four Fundamentals to create an eco-system of cybersecurity, click here.

From the NYTimes Personal Technology section - "Free Tools to Keep Those Creepy Online Ads From Watching You".

‘Your phone is an incredibly intricate surveillance device.’ - Security guru Bruce Schneier.