loader from loading.io

MacOS Malware and the Importance of Keeping Systems and Apps up to date plus more on this Tech Talk with Craig Peterson Podcast

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

Release Date: 10/09/2020

Digital Armor: Safeguarding Your Online Presence with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari show art Digital Armor: Safeguarding Your Online Presence with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

Securing your online activities in today’s digital world is a top priority, and the trio of web browsers—Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari—stand as formidable guardians against cyber threats. Let's embark on a journey into the intricacies of these browsers' advanced protection features to fortify your online experience. Chrome's Shielding Arsenal Google Chrome takes the lead with robust security measures. From safeguarding against phishing attempts to fortifying defenses against ransomware attacks, Chrome stands tall as a digital fortress. Explore its advanced protection features to...

info_outline
Unmasking Gift Card Scams: A Growing Online Threat Exposed! show art Unmasking Gift Card Scams: A Growing Online Threat Exposed!

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

Unmasking Gift Card Scams: A Growing Online Threat Exposed! Gift card scams are prowling the digital landscape, targeting unsuspecting online shoppers like never before. In this article, we'll dive deep into the murky waters of online scams involving gift cards, Amazon, credit cards, and more. Buckle up, because the world of online shopping is not as secure as it seems. Signs You're Being Scammed These online tricksters have mastered the art of deception: Too-good-to-be-true offers Urgent demands for payment via gift cards Threatening legal action if you don't pay up - yikes! (It isn’t the...

info_outline
Click Like a Pro: Insider Tips for Safe Online Shopping show art Click Like a Pro: Insider Tips for Safe Online Shopping

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

Hey savvy shoppers, gather 'round for a tale as vital as your grandma's pie recipe! Ever felt the sting of an online shopping scam? Fear not, I've got the lowdown on dodging those traps. Let's kick things off with a cautionary yarn and dive into the nitty-gritty. Spotting a Phony Website: Detective hat on! Check URLs for weird symbols and misspellings. A padlock symbol next to the URL is a good sign. Evaluating Sellers on eBay and Etsy: eBay and Etsy, our online treasure troves! Check seller ratings, reviews, and authentic photos. Don't fall for smoke and mirrors. Buying Big Ticket Items:...

info_outline
Hack-Proof Your Business: The Latest Tools You Can't Afford to Miss show art Hack-Proof Your Business: The Latest Tools You Can't Afford to Miss

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

In the dynamic landscape of cyber threats, there are two unsung heroes changing the game for small businesses worldwide. Enter Cisco's OpenDNS and Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, wielding a powerful weapon – a free-tier DNS filtering product! 🛡️ Picture this as having a vigilant bouncer stationed at the entrance of your digital fortress 🏰, meticulously scrutinizing the guest list to ensure no sneaky hackers make it through the gates. 💻🔥 Artificial Intelligence Unleashed: Defending Your Digital Realm Dive into the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI), where OpenDNS and Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1...

info_outline
Security Starts at Home: Your Complete Cybersecurity and Privacy Checklist show art Security Starts at Home: Your Complete Cybersecurity and Privacy Checklist

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

In the fast-paced world of digital threats, safeguarding your home and small business is as crucial as changing the batteries in your smoke detectors. I've compiled a comprehensive Cybersecurity and Privacy Checklist, featuring 10 indispensable tips to fortify your digital haven. Dive into the details on my website [insert link]. 1. Shielding with Two-Factor Authentication: Enhance your defense by adding an extra layer of security. Explore the power of two-factor authentication and how it can thwart unauthorized access. 2. Fortify with Data Backup: Discover why backing up your data is not just...

info_outline
The Silent Transformation: Military Tech Revolution Unveiled show art The Silent Transformation: Military Tech Revolution Unveiled

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

In the ever-evolving landscape of warfare, the silent revolution of military technology has been steadily reshaping the way conflicts are fought. From electric vehicle charging stations to the notorious Barracuda breach and the enduring threat of phishing, the military is harnessing an array of cutting-edge tools. Here, we delve deeper into this unseen tech revolution, bringing you insights from the frontlines in Ukraine and Gaza. Tesla's Role in the Unseen Military Tech Revolution Electric vehicle charging stations may not be the first thing that comes to mind in military operations, but...

info_outline
Take Control of Your Privacy: Windows Switches Unveiled show art Take Control of Your Privacy: Windows Switches Unveiled

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

In an era where online threats lurk around every corner, controlling your privacy becomes paramount, whether you're a tech-savvy business magnate or an everyday Internet user. Three words can make all the difference: Control Your Privacy. And where better to start than by exploring the little-known but incredibly potent switches concealed within your Windows system? Join the ranks of the online safety-first-squad and say a resounding YES to harnessing the hidden switches that will turn your digital life from a potential vulnerability into an impregnable fortress. Your online journey is about...

info_outline
Unlocking the Power of AI: How Your Beliefs Shape Responses show art Unlocking the Power of AI: How Your Beliefs Shape Responses

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

In an age dominated by technological advancements, the influence of AI has become increasingly pervasive. But have you ever considered that your beliefs about AI might be influencing the way it responds to you? Recent research conducted by Pat Pataranutaporn at the M.I.T. Media Lab sheds light on the intriguing connection between user bias and AI responses, revealing what has been coined the "AI placebo effect." This groundbreaking study emphasizes the profound impact of user belief on AI interactions, and it's not just limited to ChatGPT and Claude 2; it extends to various aspects of our...

info_outline
Stealth Mode On: Empower Your Cyber Game with Hidden Windows Switches show art Stealth Mode On: Empower Your Cyber Game with Hidden Windows Switches

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

With today's digital landscape, safeguarding your online privacy is a non-negotiable priority, regardless of whether you're a tech-savvy business magnate or an everyday Joe. To ensure your digital life remains your own, let's delve into the intriguing world of hidden Windows switches that can revolutionize your online security. Are you ready to master your cyber cloak-and-dagger game? Keep reading as we take a closer look at the hidden features that Windows has to offer. Is Self-Driving Faster: The race for autonomous vehicles has captured our imagination, promising faster commutes and...

info_outline
SMBs, Cyber Threats, and Survival Tactics: A Must-Read Guide show art SMBs, Cyber Threats, and Survival Tactics: A Must-Read Guide

Craig Peterson - Secure Your Business, Your Privacy, and Save Your Sanity

Step into the world of small businesses, the true underdogs, and the relentless cyber threats they face daily. In the digital age, protecting these economic powerhouses is anything but straightforward! Behind the scenes, malicious attacks and stealthy data breaches lurk, poised to strike. But fret not, champions of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)! To safeguard your empire, you must fortify your network infrastructure, secure point-of-sale systems, and shield your CRM systems. Your most trusted allies in this battle are rock-solid passwords and timely updates. Don't overlook the...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Craig discusses the oversharing attitudes of Millennials and Generation Z, and the importance of paying attention to our networks, how it can lead to malware in businesses, and what can be done to stop it.

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

---

Right To Repair Or A Fight For Survival?

Ring’s latest security camera is a drone that flies around inside your house

Malware Attacks Declined But Became More Evasive in Q2

Elon Musk reveals plans to slash electric battery costs, build $25,000 Tesla

Paying ransomware demands could land you in hot water with the feds

Windows 10 machines running on ARM will be able to emulate x64 apps soon

'It Won't Happen to Me': Employee Apathy Prevails Despite Greater Cybersecurity Awareness

Rise in Remote MacOS Workers Driving Cybersecurity 'Rethink'

A Guide to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework

---

Automated Machine-Generated Transcript:

By the way, to follow up on that last segment. So Millennials and Generation Z are terrible with security. They keep reusing passwords. They accept connections with strangers. Most of the time. If that's not believable, I don't know what it is. They've grown up in this world of share everything with everyone. What does it matter? Don't worry about it. Yeah. I guess that's the way it goes. Right? Kids these days. Which generation hasn't said that in the past?

You're listening to Craig Peterson. Thanks for joining me today.

We were just talking about millennials, generation Z, and the whole, it won't happen to me, employee apathy, and we've got to stop that.

Even within ourselves, right? We're all employees in some way or another. What does that mean? It means we've got to pay attention. We've' got to pay a lot of attention, and that isn't just true in the windows world.

Remember, we've got to pay attention to our network. It would be best if you were upgrading the firmware on your switches, definitely upgrading the software and firmware in your firewalls and your routers, et cetera. Keep that all up to date.

Even as a home user, you've got a switch or more than one. You've got a router. You've got a firewall in many cases, that your ISP internet service provider provides equipment. If you've got a Comcast line or a FairPoint, whatever, it might be coming into your home, they're providing you with some of that equipment, and you know what their top priority is not your security. I know. Shocker.

Their top priority is something else. I don't know, but it sure isn't security. What I advise most people to do is basically remove their equipment or have them turn off what's called network address translation. Turn off the firewall and put your own firewall in place. I was on the phone with a lady that had been listening to me for years, and I was helping her out. In fact, we were doing a little security audit because she ran a small business there in her home. I think she was an accountant if I remember right. She had her computer hooked up directly to the internet. She misunderstood what I was saying. I want to make this clear what I'm saying here. People should still have a firewall. It would be best if you still had a router, but you're almost always better off getting a semi-professional piece of hardware. If you will, the prosumer side, something like the Cisco GO hardware, put that in place instead of having the equipment that your ISP is giving you.

 We've got to keep all of this stuff up to date. Many of us think that Macs are invulnerable, Apple Macintoshes, or Apple iOS devices, like our iPhones and iPads. In many ways, they are. They have not been hit as hard as the Windows devices out there.

One of the main reasons is they're not as popular. That's what so many people that use Windows say you don't get hit because you're just not as popular. There is some truth to that. However, the main reason is that they are designed from the beginning with security in mind; unlike Windows, security was an absolute afterthought for the whole thing.

Don't tell me that it's because of age. Okay. I can hear it right now. People say, well, Mac is much, much newer than Microsoft Windows. Microsoft didn't have to deal with all of this way back when. How I respond to that is, yeah. Microsoft didn't have to deal with it way back when it wasn't connected to a network and your viruses coming in via floppy desk. Right? They really were. In fact, the first one came in by researchers. Apple's operating system is much, much older than windows and goes back to the late 1960s, early 1970s. So you can't give me that it is just that they didn't care.

They didn't care to consider security at all, which is still one of my soapbox subjects if you will. Security matters. When we are talking about your Macs, you still have to consider security on a Mac. It's a little different on a Mac. You're probably want to turn on some things.

The windows come with the firewall turned on; however, it has all of its services wide open. They're all available for anybody to attach to. That's why we have our windows hardening course that goes through, what do you turn off? How do you turn it off? What should you have in the windows firewall?

Now the Mac side, all of these services turned off by default, which is way more secure. If they're not there to attack, they're not going to be compromised. Right.  They can't even be attacked in the first place. So I like that strategy, but you might want to turn on your firewall on your Mac anyways.

There are some elegant little features and functions in it. But the amount of malware that's attacking Apple Macintoshes, nowadays, is twice as much as it used to be.

We've got these work from home people. We've got IT professionals within the companies, just scrambling to make it so that these people working from home can keep working from home. It's likely a permanent thing. It's going to be happening for a long time. But these incidents of malware on the Mac is pretty limited in reality.

The malware on a Mac is unlikely to be any ransomware or software that particularly steals things like your Excel files or your Word docs on a Mac, and I should say it is much more likely to be outerwear. It's much more likely to be. Adware or some other unwanted programs, and that's what's rising pretty fast on Macs.

Mac-based companies are being concerned here about cybersecurity issues. They are paying more attention to them. They're windows based counterparts have had to deal with a lot of this stuff for a long time because they were targets. So we've got to divide the Mac really into two pieces, just like any other computer. You've got the operating system with its control over things like the network, et cetera. Then you have the programs or applications. That is running on that device. So you want to keep both of them secure. The applications running on your device, Apple's done a much, much better job of sandboxing them. Making them so that they're less dangerous. The latest release, in fact, Catalina had a lot of security stuff built into that. Microsoft and Windows 10 added a lot more security. So that's all really, really good.

Now, if you have to maintain a network of Macs, we like IBM software. They have some great software for managing Macs, but if you want something inexpensive and very usable to configure Macs and control the software on them. Have a look at JAMF, J A M F. They just had their user's conference this last weekend. They were talking about how the landscape has changed over on the Mac side.

All right. We've got one more segment left today, and I'm going to talk about these cybersecurity frameworks. What should you be using?

If you are a business or a home user, what are those checkboxes that you absolutely have to have to use?

You're listening to Craig Peterson.

Stick around.

---

More stories and tech updates at:

www.craigpeterson.com

Don't miss an episode from Craig. Subscribe and give us a rating:

www.craigpeterson.com/itunes

Follow me on Twitter for the latest in tech at:

www.twitter.com/craigpeterson

For questions, call or text:

855-385-5553