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A New Direction for Hackers plus more on this Tech Talk with Craig Peterson Podcast

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

Release Date: 10/02/2020

Preserving Innocence: A Parent's Guide to Protecting Children from Social Media Hazards show art Preserving Innocence: A Parent's Guide to Protecting Children from Social Media Hazards

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

In today's digital age, our children face unprecedented risks on social media platforms. As parents, it's crucial to understand these threats and take proactive measures to ensure their safety. In a recent article, I delved into this pressing issue, highlighting key points that every parent should keep in mind. Join me as I discuss the alarming ease with which children can be exposed to inappropriate content and dangerous individuals online. We'll talk about vigilance, monitoring, and teaching our kids how to be safe online. Don't miss out on the essential tips and tools I've shared in the...

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The Truth Unveiled: Debunking the Top 10 Myths about Digital Data Security show art The Truth Unveiled: Debunking the Top 10 Myths about Digital Data Security

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

In this eye-opening podcast episode, we dive into the world of online safety and debunk the top myths that surround it. Join us as we separate fact from fiction and provide practical tips to enhance digital security. Key Points Discussed: The Role of Antivirus Software: Separating Fact from Fiction Discover why antivirus software isn't always necessary, as we delve into the capabilities of Windows Defender and its ability to provide adequate protection. Moving Beyond Caution: Preventing Hacking and Breaches Understand why being cautious alone isn't enough to prevent hacking and learn...

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Defend Your Digital Kingdom: The Most Powerful PC Protection Tools show art Defend Your Digital Kingdom: The Most Powerful PC Protection Tools

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

Are you tired of browsing through endless options for anti-virus software? We've got you covered! In this episode, we're diving into the world of PC protection and revealing our top recommendations to keep your system safe from malware and viruses. Our first choice, and top pick, is Windows Defender. Not only does it offer exceptional protection against threats, but it comes at an unbeatable price—free! Enable it effortlessly and enjoy the peace of mind you get from knowing your system is safeguarded. Plus, lifetime updates and support are included at no additional cost. It's a win-win! If...

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Social Engineering Attacks: Don't Let Cybercriminals Trick You into Revealing Sensitive Information show art Social Engineering Attacks: Don't Let Cybercriminals Trick You into Revealing Sensitive Information

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

Are you aware of the invisible threat of social engineering that can compromise your personal and professional security? Cybercriminals are using cunning manipulations to exploit human vulnerabilities and gain access to sensitive information. But don't worry; there are practical ways to protect yourself from these attacks. We have published a must-read article that provides invaluable insights and guidance on how to avoid social engineering attacks. From phishing scams to physical impersonation, the article delves into the inner workings of these attacks and offers concrete strategies to...

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The Hand That Protects: How Privacy-Focused Search Engines Are Revolutionizing the Way We Surf the Web show art The Hand That Protects: How Privacy-Focused Search Engines Are Revolutionizing the Way We Surf the Web

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

Do you ever feel like someone is watching you as you browse the internet? With so much personal data at stake, it's no wonder that online privacy has become a hot-button issue. Luckily, there's a new player in town: privacy-focused search engines. These search engines are prioritizing user privacy and security by shaking up the online landscape. No longer will your personal information be sold to the highest bidder or your browsing history used against you. With privacy-focused search engines, you can rest easy knowing that your online activities are shielded from prying eyes. But how do they...

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How Software Makes Everything Vulnerable: Where to Start Protecting Your Network show art How Software Makes Everything Vulnerable: Where to Start Protecting Your Network

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

In this episode, we will discuss zero-day vulnerabilities and how they can affect everyone. A zero-day vulnerability is an exploit that has been discovered but not yet fixed by a software vendor. It's essentially a security hole in software that hasn't been patched yet. These vulnerabilities can range from minor to critical, depending on how long the vendor can patch them. These are so dangerous because hackers can take advantage of them before they're patched. They can use these vulnerabilities to infect your computer with malware or ransomware, steal your data, or even take control of your...

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Exposing the Dark Side of Windows Updates: What You Need to Know Now!  🔍💻🚨 show art Exposing the Dark Side of Windows Updates: What You Need to Know Now! 🔍💻🚨

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

In today's fast-paced, technology-driven world, it is crucial for computer users to stay informed about the latest updates and security measures for their systems. For Windows users, automatic updates are a common method of ensuring their devices remain up-to-date and protected against various threats. While these updates are essential for maintaining a secure and smoothly operating system, they can also introduce unexpected problems, such as data loss, system instability, and other unwelcome changes. This podcast aims to shed light on the hidden dangers of automatic Windows updates and...

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Patch to the Future: The Ultimate Guide to Firewall and IoT Device Security show art Patch to the Future: The Ultimate Guide to Firewall and IoT Device Security

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

Which patches are critical? When do they really need to be applied? That’s where our new PatchAware™ features come in. We’re monitoring the thousands of patches that are issued every week, and will tell you which patches are the most critical to install right now. This week’s tip, 9 years after it was discovered, is the “Heartbleed” bug. It is still one of the most significant threats to online security. It gives the bad guys access to sensitive information from affected systems.  This article highlights the importance of upgrading software and keeping it up-to-date with...

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Learn how to protect yourself online - featuring tips on haveibeenpwned, AI demos and 2FA/MFA authentication. show art Learn how to protect yourself online - featuring tips on haveibeenpwned, AI demos and 2FA/MFA authentication.

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

First up, I have some sobering news. Almost all of our personal information has likely been stolen at one point or another. This could include our names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and even passwords. Cybercriminals are constantly searching for vulnerabilities in systems where this information is stored, and unfortunately, they often find them. However, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves. One tool that can help is called "haveibeenpwned." It's a website where you can check if your email address has been compromised in any data breaches. If it has been compromised,...

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The Truth About ChatGPT and A.I. - Discover the Secrets of Internet Anonymity and Protect Your Privacy show art The Truth About ChatGPT and A.I. - Discover the Secrets of Internet Anonymity and Protect Your Privacy

Craig Peterson - America's Leading Technology News Commentator

Welcome to this week's episode of The AI Revolution! In this episode, join us as we explore the world of Artificial Intelligence and its potential to revolutionize business and life. We'll discuss how to use AI for free, what it can do well, and when and where you should never use it. We'll also talk about how to generate emails, blog posts, and content for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube live! Tune in now to learn more about how AI is transforming the world. Discover the Secrets of Internet Anonymity and Protect Your Privacy The best way to protect yourself from...

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Welcome!

Craig discusses problems that businesses can face when using VPNs and why you should be looking to a Zero-trust network if you are running a business today.

For more tech tips, news, and updates, visit - CraigPeterson.com

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Automated Machine-Generated Transcript:

Craig Peterson: [00:00:00] What is going on with malware? There've been some major changes just over the last few months. That's what we're going to talk about right now. What do you need to watch out for? What should you be doing in your business as well as your home?

Hey, you're listening to Craig Peterson.

 We know that they're here. I have been a lot of attacks over the years. That's what we're trying to stop. Isn't it with our businesses, with our home users? That's why we buy antivirus software or why we have a firewall at the edge. Maybe we even upgraded your firewall. You got rid of that piece of junk that was provided by your internet service providers. Most of them are frankly, pieces of junk, maybe you're lucky and have a great internet service provider that is giving you really what you need. I have yet, by the way, to see any of those internet service providers out there, that are really giving you what you need.

So there is a lot to consider here when we're talking about preventing and preventing malware. What we have found is that malware attacks declined this year in the second quarter, but here's what's happening. Right? They are getting through more.

Historically, we had things that have hit us that have been various types of malware. I remember when I first got nailed back in 91. I had a Unix server that I was running, as you probably know, I've been using Unix since the early eighties, 81, 82.

I was using Unix, and I had my own Unix machines because I was helping to develop the protocols that later on became the internet about a decade or more later.

The Unix world was on rather an open world. Was everybody on the internet was pretty friendly. Most people were involved in research, either government research or businesses doing research online, a lot of smart people and we actually had some fun back in the days', puns, and everything.

We weren't that worried about security, unlike today, where security really is a top of mind thing for so many people. We weren't worried about who's going to do this to me or that to me.

I had a Unix server that I was using, actually at a few of them that I was using for my business. Now, one of those servers was running emails, a program called Sendmail. That's still around today. It was the email package that was ruling the internet back at the time.  I got nailed with something called a worm. It was the Morris Worm. In fact, it got onto my computer through no act of my own.

I didn't click on anything. It got onto my computer because it came through the internet. That was back in the days when we really didn't have much in the line of firewalls so it just talked to my mail server. One of these days we'll have to tell some stories about how we really trusted everybody back then.

You could query to see if an email address was good. You could get onto the machine and say, Hey guy, I noticed that you had this problem so I went in and fixed it for you, and here's what I did. Much, much different world back then.

But that's how malware used to spread. It was something, it was just kind of automated. It went out and they just checked everybody's machine to checked firewalls, to see what they were to see if they were open.

We've been doing that for a very long time, haven't, we? We have been nailed with it. That's what the viruses were and are still. Where it gets onto your computer.

Maybe you installed some software that you shouldn't have, and that software now takes over part of your computer. It affects other files. It might be something that's part of a Word macro or an Excel macro. And it now spreads through your sharing of that file and other people opening it.

Worms are like what I got nailed with, just start crawling around through the internet. So they run some software on your machine and that looks for other machines and today things have changed again. 

They are changing pretty frequently out there. What we have seen so far here in 2020 is a decrease in malware detections. Now, just because there's been a decrease in malware detections, I don't want you to think that the threat has diminished because it hasn't. But the signature-based antivirus system is real problems.

Now, what's a signature-based antivirus system. That's any antivirus software, like your McAfee's like your Norton's, the Symantec stuff, any antivirus software, that is working like your body's immune system.

What happens with your body's immune system? You get a virus and you're your body says, okay, what's going on here? It starts to multiply. Eventually, the body figures it out. It develops antibodies for it. So the next time it sees that particular virus, you're likely to be pretty much immune from it. Your body's going to say, Whoa, that's a virus and it goes in and kills it pretty darn quickly.

That's the whole idea behind trying to stop the WuHan virus that is spreading out there. How do we stop it while we stop it, by just developing antibodies? Right? That's herd immunity. We could also develop antibodies by an antivirus shot that is designed to stop that virus from spreading and prevents you from coming down with COVID-19 symptoms.

In the computer world, it's much the same as most of the software signature-based antivirus software is exactly the same as the way your body's immune system has been working. In many, many ways.

Here's what happens. Someone gets infected with a virus and they reported to Symantec or Norton, or maybe the software reported itself. Usually, it's a third party that reports that and they look at it and they say, okay, so what does this virus look like? There is in this program the developers' names embedded or the name of the hacker group is embedded in it. So we are going to now say any piece of software that it has this hacker group's name in it, we're going to ban. Right?  It recognizes it. So when the file comes onto your computer your computer looks at it. It looks at the signatures. These are called signatures. To say, okay, how does it match? Or it doesn't match at all and it might be through a string that's somewhere embedded in there. So it might be through a name. It might be through a number of other things. That's signature-based.

The malware, that was not detectable by signature-based antivirus systems jumped 12%. In the second quarter of 2020. That is amazing. Amazing, absolutely amazing. Seven in 10 attacks that organizations encountered in the second quarter this year. In fact, involved malware designed to circumvent anti-virus signatures.

Most cyber-attacks last year and this is probably going to be true in 2020 as well as we get into the fourth quarter. But most cyberattacks in 2019 came about without malware. That means that there were hackers behind this.

We're going to talk about that. What's going on some of the data also from CrowdStrike and what they have found CrowdStrike is an anti-malware anti-hacker company. They've got a lot of great people working for them as well. What they have found.

It's like the bad old days of hacking and they're back on us right now.

So make sure you stick around. Cause we're going to get into that when we get back. And of course, we got a whole lot more, including a major windows bug that's now under exploit and how does this all fit together?

You are listening to Craig Peterson.

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