MOBILE THREAT IN TOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

A mobile threat in top tourist attractions is causing concern as millions of tourists are putting their personal data at risk when connecting to public Wi-Fi, according to a study by Skycure – a mobile threat defence company.

When visiting a popular tourist attraction, the last thing you’ll likely think about is a mobile threat in top tourist attractions, and the risk you take when connecting to a public Wi-Fi hotspot. Whilst you’re busy walking around a theme park, perhaps having your photo taken with an adult dressed up in a scary fun costume, you’ll no doubt be eager to get the photos up on Instagram, or off to friends and family as soon as possible, and that free Wi-Fi zone over by the café seems like the perfect place to stop for a quick drink while you upload your files. However, research conducted by Skycurehas found malicious attackers are setting up ‘fake’ Wi-Fi hotspots in the world’s top tourist attractions, so when an unsuspecting user connects to it, the hackers can steal all their personal data.

For example, let’s say that a Wi-Fi hotspot on Las Vegas strip is called ‘Las Vegas Strip’ – a malicious attacker could set one up called ‘Las Vegas Free’ which, at first glance, has a strong signal and looks legit, so some people might connect to it without giving it a moment’s thought. An attacker could then decrypt their secure connections via a man-in-the-middle attack and steal their personal information, including the usernames and passwords to their online bank account, social media and online shopping accounts and/or credit card numbers.

Skycures’ research, conducted from June 2014 to June 2015, found an alarming number of tourists are leaving the door wide open to cyber criminals who set up ‘fake’ Wi-Fi hotspots in order to steal personal data. The research also found that

while iOS devices/users connect to many more Wi-Fi network access points, Android devices/users connect to more malicious ones, and Skycure have a few theories on why that might be the case:

1.User Behavior: Android users could be more tech-savvy and their comfort level to connect to “never-seen-before” networks therefore a bit higher than iOS users.

2. Data Plans: Android users tend to choose from a greater range of carrier plans that are more economical but may have smaller data limits. Not wanting to incur fees for going over their data plans, Android users may be more likely to voluntarily connect to “Free” Wi-Fi hotspots.

Mobile threat in top tourist attractions – the 15 tourist spots vulnerable to malicious attack according Skycures’ research are:

• Times Square, New York City, NY
• Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
• Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallee, France
• Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
• Ocean Park, Hong Kong
• Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, NV
• Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood, CA
• Union Station, Washington DC
• Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA
• Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA
• Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
• St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
• Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand
• Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Orlando, FL
• Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA

Do you connect to ‘Free’ public Wi-Fi?

When you need to connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot with ‘Free’ in the router title, do you think about if the network you are connecting to is legitimate? Do you think about a possible mobile threat in top tourist attractions you visit?

Skycure found that “8 per cent of reported threats originated from a Wi-Fi hotspot with ‘Free’ in its title.”

We’re drawn to freebies, we love a bargain, but if normally something is too good to be true, it usually is. We freely give away our personal information in exchange for all sorts of goods and services, including Facebook, chocolate and cheaper life insurance premiums. When offered ‘Free’ Wi-Fi, we naively put our trust into that service, and while a number of legitimate businesses do provide free Wi-Fi, we should be on alert to malicious attackers that have set up ‘phishing’ Wi-Fi networks in order to steal our personal data, which they could use to steal your identity.

Cyber criminals can hack your smartphone within seconds, and steal your personal information, including valuable confidential data such as:

• Your social security number
• Your national insurance number
• Your online banking username and passwords
• Usernames and passwords to your social media accounts

How to protect your information from a mobile threat in top tourist attractions

• Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) -such as Hide My Ass! Pro VPN
• Update your device with the latest operating system software
• If your smartphone continues to crash and slows down, disconnect from the public Wi-Fi network immediately

Whether you’re visiting Notre Dame Cathedral or Dismaland (Banksy’s latest installation in Weston-Super-Mare, UK) remember that hackers are out there, hoping to trick you into connecting to their ‘fake’ Wi-Fi hotspot!

Don’t let cyber criminals ruin your vacation – use HMA! Pro VPN on your Android or on your iPhone or iPad and stay connected, stay secure.

Check out our great Wi-Fi safety tips to learn more!

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SENIORS – LEARN HOW TO SURF THE NET SAFELY AND AVOID ONLINE SCAMS

In this article we explain how seniors can surf the net safely and avoid online scams. These tips for seniors will help them to safeguard their personal information and protect their data from getting into the hands of hackers, thieves and online fraudsters.

For many seniors the luxury of growing up in a technically driven environment with computers and access to the net was non-existent (I recall my primary school owning ONE BBC micro computer circa 1980 for the entire school – the computer wheeled into each classroom with scores of excited, squealing pupils in awe of the amazing technology!) For many seniors technology can be intimidating, and with increased numbers of cyber criminals and hackers targeting the elderly more frequently, it is of utmost importance for them to be able to secure and protect their laptop or PC.

We take a look at how seniors can learn how to surf the net safely and avoid online scams – these tips are great for all internet users!

Seniors – learn how to surf the net safely and avoid online scams

1. 1. If you’ve received an email notifying that you’ve won a prize – cash or perhaps a car – the chances are you probably haven’t (especially if you haven’t even entered any competitions recently)! It’s more likely that this exciting email is a phishing scam requesting you to either click on a link within the email or hand over your personal information. Clicking on a link could take you to a spoof website (a copy of your bank login screen, or UPS package delivery service asking you to confirm your credit card details, for example) or it could link to a malicious website that will try to download malware on to your computer by asking you to either install some software in order to ‘qualify for the prize’, or attempt to install the malware silently, using exploits in your browser or Adobe Flash.

Other email scams to look out for are emails which ask you for your banking information so you can claim millions of dollars which have been left to you by some dubious relative you’ve never heard of. Allegedly, you are the last known next of kin – but it’s very likely a scam!

Scammers are upping their game so if you receive an email that looks odd, from friends or family members or your bank asking you to provide them with your personal information such as your passwords and usernames, don’t ever hand these details over. If you’re worried, or have the slightest concern about an email then simply delete it and forget all about it. Just like a phone call – if it’s important, your bank or family member will find another way to contact you.

2. When you’re out and about and perhaps decide to take a coffee in your local cafe and use their public Wi-Fi – think before you connect. Did you know that it takes seconds for a hacker or thief to access your personal details? Public Wi-Fi hotspots do not give any encryption security but you can use a VPN to protect your device and all the information on it. Check out our great tips to stay safe while using public Wi-Fi!

3. If you receive a notification on your computer or phone asking you to update your software – it’s a good idea to update it so it has the latest security patches. It’s also a good idea to install firewalls, and antivirus software. Keep your operating system (Internet explorer, Safari) up-to-date for maximum security benefits. But beware, if you get a phone call from a company overseas asking you to follow their instructions while they update your PC for you, simply hang up – they’re trying to install malicious software on your computer!

4. When you visit any website, you will see at the beginning of the URL either “http” or “https.” The difference here is the all important “S” which means secure, and any website your visit with “https” is secure, which means that part of your session is encrypted. If you click a link from an email that takes you to your banking website, take care to look for the “https” connection (the address bar usually turns a nice, safe green colour too)! If the “S” is not there, it could be a phishing scam designed to steal your login information. If in doubt, always go directly to your bank website from a trusted bookmark, or a Google search – not from a link in an email.

Check out my previous article for other internet safety tips for senior citizens.

If you would like to know more about HMA! Pro VPN, please feel free to drop us an email and one of our support donkeys will be more than happy to help you.

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GOOGLE ANDROID APP STORE RETURNS TO CHINA – CENSORED VERSION!

Will Google Play Store return to China anytime soon? According to The Information, talks between Google and Chinese government officials are underway with the hope of launching a Google Android app store in China this autumn.

However, if Google does re-enter the Chinese market it won’t be Google Play Store as we know it. It will be a Chinese government-approved version – one that appeases Chinese officials – a censored Google Android app store.

While the Android operating system is hugely popular in China, very few devices have Google Play Store installed but, of course, if things go according to plan a censored Google Android app store would generate massive revenue for Google, providing them with a large slice of the billion dollar pie, which Apple already enjoys.

According to anonymous sources speaking to The Information, Google has been working on a Google Android app store for over a year, ensuring that its apps are approved by the Chinese government. The censored Google Android app store would come pre-installed on new smartphones that will operate on Google’s licensed version of Android.

Google cut operational ties with mainland China in 2010 following censorship of its search results and cyberattacks against Gmail users. Google moved some of its operations to Hong Kong to evade China’s strict laws on internet censorship. The Information reports that a return for a Google Android app store in China would only be approved if Google agrees to block any apps that break China’s strict censorship regime, and according to the report, Google is willing to comply; “The moves will re-establish Google as an Internet services provider in mainland China that stores user data locally and complies with government censorship requirements.”

If and when Google returns to China there is the possibility that they will push for more of their services to re-enter the Chinese market, such as its search and Gmail services. Having previously stood up against China’s strict censorship rules, are Google now sell-outs by making plans to return to China, bowing to their strict censorship regime? Or is time to sweep those ‘earlier’ issues under the rug and join Apple who already sells its iPhone and iPads and app store in China?

What do you think about a censored Google Android app store returning to China? Let us know your thoughts on the topic, by leaving your comment right here on our blog.

If you’re affected by China’s strict censorship laws, you could use a VPN to not only protect your online identity from snooping eyes, but to access your favourite sites and services which are often blocked by the Chinese government.

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FARCING – A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA IDENTITY THEFT SCAM

If you use Facebook, Twitter or one of many other social media platforms you could be victim of a new identity theft threat known as “farcing.”

Cyber criminals are using farcing as a means to access the personal information of social media users in a bid to steal their identity. Farcing is one of the many threats out there as well as “Phishing”, “SMiShing” – a scam which uses phone text messages to entice customers who unknowingly download malware or a virus onto their mobile device and “Vishing” – a telephone scam in which thieves coax users to hand over their personal information.

Farcing – new online scam stealing the identity of social media users

So what is farcing? In a nutshell, an attacker will create a fake social media account in a bid to get you to accept a friend request. Once you’re friends, all of the information you share will be available to the fake account holder. Once they have this information, finding out where you live, where you work, your birthday and all sorts of other related information is just a mouse click away. From there, it’s relatively simple to start guessing the passwords to your online accounts, based on the name of a pet you’ve tagged in a photo, a favourite place you’ve mentioned, or family names. The attacker can then use your email account to send spam, post fake adverts for sunglasses all over your social media accounts on your behalf, or perhaps far more serious, login to your online shopping and bank accounts, or even steal your identity!

A recent study on farcing was published by Arun Vishwanath an associate professor at the University of Buffalo, who said “these scams are on the rise and will continue to increase with the popularity of social media, exponentially increasing the number of farcing victims worldwide.”

Vishwanath carried out an experiment of his own by setting up 4 different fake Facebook profiles each one different to the other. Out of 150 Facebook users he sent friend requests to, one in five accepted, while 13% provided Vishwanath with further information about themselves.

Remember, the farcing cyber criminal is more calculating, more devious and smarter than your average scammer as they target users purporting to either be a friend, a friend of a friend, or stating that you have one or several friends in common. We are more likely to accept a friend request from someone we have mutual friends in common with, and that is exactly what cyber criminals are banking on, quite literally.

So, the next time you receive a Facebook friend request, ask yourself if you really know them? Even if you have friends in common, are they genuine? How do you know that? Remember that cyber criminals are cunning folk, they set up profiles to look genuine, using fake images of someone looking ‘normal’ so as not to raise suspicion. Once you accept their friend request – that ‘friend’ could start mining your personal information in a bid to steal your identity. And once they have your friendship, they can also see your friends list (if you have this setting open), and they can also see comments made by your friends on your wall and send them a friend request.

Cyber criminals are honing in on our social media weaknesses, targeting our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media accounts and if you leave your Facebook privacy settings open to the public – then they can find out even more!  

Don’t be a victim of farcing – follow these tips to protect your identity on social media

With billions of us actively and frequently using social media, we make it incredibly easy for cyber criminals to zero in on us and steal our identity. Fortunately, there are ways we can limit our online social media presence, making it harder for cyber criminals to steal our identity.

• The more personal information you share, the more chance that you could be a victim of farcing – don’t make it easy for cyber criminals! Only share your personal information on social media with people you know – check out Facebook privacy watcher that will help you to know exactly who can see your posts

• There are many of us who have hundreds or even thousands of Facebook friends – accepting anyone who sends us a friend request. If you don’t know them personally, don’t accept their friend request

• Keep your personal information private. Limit the amount of personal information you share such as your birthdate and your email address

• Use a different password for each of your online accounts – that also includes your online bank account!

I think most of us have been trigger ‘friend request’ happy and accepted people we don’t really know – is it time to do a social media purge and rid your account of all the “unknowns?”

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