Current Security Issues

Best PC Security Suites

Published February 1, 2012

Many all-in-one defenders can block bad guys, tackle Trojans, and drop-kick drive-by downloads. Find out which is the best in this comprehensive review by PCWorld. More...

Android apps infect 5 million phones with something bad

Published January 31, 2012

Symantec has identified multiple publishers on the Android Market that are being used to push out a bot-like threat that can receive commands to carry out certain actions, as well as steal information from the device. More...

The Stupid Things You Do Online (and How to Fix Them)

Published January 30, 2012

Think you are a cyber guru? We bet you're guilty of at least some of these. More...

Here's a recently popular approach to getting your money: Timeshare scams

Published January 26, 2012

Timeshare owners across the country are being scammed out of millions of dollars by unscrupulous companies that promise to sell or rent the unsuspecting victims’ timeshares. More...

Seattle residents hit with "traffic ticket" phishing scams

Published January 25, 2012

You may remember a few months ago that we warned you about scam traffic ticket notices that try to install malware onto your computer. Well, they're back! (Actually, they never really went away.) More...

Best Practices for the Recovery of Maliciously Erased Files

Published January 23, 2012

Have you ever been the victim of maliciously-erased files? The FBI and DHS give you some tips on making sure it doesn't happen again. More...

Fake Camera+ app hits the iPhone App Store

Published January 23, 2012

Be careful what applications you install on your computing devices - even if they come from Apple's iPhone/iPad App Store. More...

SOPA, PIPA, Online Piracy Lead Week's Security News

Published January 22, 2012

Online piracy dominated security headlines this week as Congress prepared to debate SOPA and PIPA and the Anonymous group caused mayhem on the Internet. Despite weeks of intense lobbying by technology companies and consumer advocates, the controversial anti-piracy bills seemed on track to pass in Congress. More...

Dammit Ramnit! Worm slurps 45,000 Facebook passwords

Published January 5, 2012

Ramnit, a bank account-raiding worm has started spreading on Facebook, stealing login credentials as it creeps across the site, security researchers have revealed. More...

HP patches printer firmware flaw, but leaves customers guessing

Published January 5, 2012

There's a serious security vulnerability on some HP LaserJet printers. The good news is that it's been patched. The bad news is that you don't know if your printer needs the fix - because HP hasn't told you. More...

Windows 8 will refresh your PC without losing your data. Yay!

Published January 4, 2012

At last - an option to reload windows without losing all your data and settings! Soon to be released with Windows 8 beta. More...

Stratfor Global Falls Victim to Anonymous

Published December 26, 2011

Reports indicate that ANONYMOUS has once again struck and has managed to get a large amount of personal data (reportedly including credit card numbers) from Stratfor's client data file...much of which was stored IN PLAIN TEXT. More...

Holiday Phishing and Online Cyber Scams

Published December 11, 2011

This is the time for shopping - online and off. Bad guys know it, and they're after your money more than ever. DHS provides some good tips for recognizing and avoiding online fraud. More...

How Crooks Can Find You: Geotagging

Published December 10, 2011

Did you know that many smartphones and some digital cameras with GPS capabilities encode your pictures with the latitude and longtitude of the picture’s location? While it has great use if you forget where you took those vacation pictures, it also can be a boon to thieves or sex offenders wanting to take advantage. More...

System would monitor feds for signs they're 'breaking bad'

Published December 10, 2011

In an acronym-ridden press release, the feds explain how their new system could scan up to 250 million messages and e-mails a day in search of anomalies that could help identify insider threats. More...

Feds launch cloud security standards program

Published December 9, 2011

Federal agencies will soon have a government-wide security standard for assessing, authorizing and monitoring cloud products and services: FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program). More...

Behind the Carrier IQ rootkit controversy

Published December 2, 2011

Critics say Carrier IQ software surreptitiously gathers personal data from phones; vendor and carriers say only service-related data is tracked More...

SOPA, pols run into Internet buzz saw

Published November 16, 2011

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) raises a ruckus as the Internet wakes up to realize that this nutty copyright bill could actually pass. (Note: this is an opinion piece.) More...

How to Remove Malware From Your Windows PC

Published November 16, 2011

Here are some simple, step-by-step instructions for cleaning malicious software from your computer...and it will run faster, too! More...

FBI disrupts search hijack gang after $14 million fraud

Published November 10, 2011

The FBI has closed the net on an Estonian gang accused of being behind an extraordinary four-year multinational malware campaign said to have netted $14 million after infecting hundreds of thousands of PCs and Macs. More...

FCC Offers Broadband to Low-Income Families

Published November 10, 2011

According to a research study, one-third of Americans haven't adopted broadband at home. The FCC intends to correct that. More...

Congress, White House ready to throw down over net neutrality

Published November 9, 2011

White House says, "We need to save the Internet from those evil corporations." Congress replies, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." More...

Intell report says China, Russia stealing US secrets

Published November 7, 2011

After years of saying, "We can't prove who's behind the attacks--(coughChinacough)," the U.S. clears its throat. More...

Mac OS X Trojan steals data, uses your GPU to mine Bitcoins

Published November 2, 2011

Targeting Mac OS X systems, newly-discovered DevilRobber steals personal information and uses your computer to generate Bitcoins, a digital currency that can be exchanged online by users. More...

Kill a Zombie Day - join Sophos in the fight on Halloween!

Published October 31, 2011

What are you personally doing in the worldwide fight against zombies? Sophos has designated October 31st, also known as Halloween, to be "International Kill-A-Zombie Day." More...

Social Engineering 101

Published October 26, 2011

A "professional" social engineer talks about the many tricks he uses to obtain confidential information. More...

Recent scams: traffic tickets, online auto sales, mystery shoppers, and modeling

Published October 18, 2011

The FBI gives us a glimpse into the latest tends seen by the Internet Crime Complaint Center More...

FDLE Press Release: October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Published October 13, 2011

Secure Florida and FDLE remind everyone to educate themselves about Internet safety and review tips for keeping children safe online More...

Florida Recognizes October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Published October 6, 2011

In recognition of NCSAM, the Agency for Enterprise Information Technology is hosting the Florida Government Technology Conference October 18-19. More...

Free Training - Critical Infrastructure Protection & Awareness

Published September 14, 2011

FDLE presents FREE awareness training on October 10-14 in Tallahassee for security managers and private sector businesses on terrorist threats to critical infrastructure More...

Phishing Alerts - Fake Traffic Tickets & False Credit Union Messages

Published August 30, 2011

Florida's Chief Information Security Officer warns us about the latest social engineering techniques used to "phish" our personal information. More...

McAfee releases its Second Quarter Threats Report; mobile malware on the rise!

Published August 24, 2011

McAfee calls this quarter "a period of chaos, changes, and new challenges," due in large part to the rise of hacktivism and mobile computing threats. More...

Beware of 9/11 phishing attacks

Published August 23, 2011

Phishing campaigns are likely to happen in the near future with "9/11" in the subject line, attachments, or content of the email. More...

Pseudonyms: Friend or Foe?

Published August 22, 2011

Google+ demands that we use our "real" names, that it makes for a better experience. But is it for our benefit or theirs? More...

Microsoft releases 13 patches fixing 22 vulnerabilities

Published August 10, 2011

Be sure to update your Windows operating system with these security patches, two of which are deemed critical. More...

Apple patches 36 bugs in Snow Leopard, preps OS for Lion upgrade

Published June 24, 2011

Apple on Thursday released the final feature update for Snow Leopard as it prepared users' Macs for the upcoming Lion upgrade set to ship next month. More...

10 things you should know about Mozilla's Firefox 5

Published June 23, 2011

With plusses (security) and minuses (speed), the new Firefox 5 may feature some changes that you'd like to try out. More...

AVG unveils global Community Powered Threat Report - Q2-2011

Published June 22, 2011

"Trusted" malware is on the rise, and Mac users are the latest targets. More...

CIA web site hacked...for the lulz

Published June 16, 2011

The CIA admits that their public website was down yesterday for just over two hours; the group LulzSec has claimed credit via their Twitter feed. More...

Microsoft Fixes 24 Bugs in June Patch Tuesday

Published June 15, 2011

Microsoft fixed 24 bugs in this month's patch release, with 9 rated as "critical." More...

How Many Spam Mails Does It Take to Sell $100 of Viagra?

Published May 28, 2011

As annoying as spam is, did you ever wonder how spammers ever manage to make any money? This is the article for you. More...

Florida's CISO cautions about cyberbullying

Published May 27, 2011

Cyber Bullying: What You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe More...

Obama Cybersecurity Package Praised, Criticized

Published May 26, 2011

Senators like most of the package, but they question specific provisions. More...

Google patches critical Chrome bugs

Published May 26, 2011

On Tuesday, Google released its second security patch this month for vulnerabilities in the Chrome browser. More...

Apple's Jobs, Facebook's Zuckerberg, Google's Schmidt set to talk tech with Obama

Published May 25, 2011

President Obama reportedly will meet with Apple's CEO, Facebook's CEO, and Google's Executive Chairman among others in “technology and innovation” summit in San Francisco tomorrow night. More...

The State of California Versus the Internet

Published May 23, 2011

Balancing privacy issues with the nature of the digital age: is California taking the right approach? More...

Mac users: Three Ways to Secure Your Mac at Work

Published May 22, 2011

If you've invested in Macs for your organization, there are some common-sense steps to make sure your users are as secure as possible. More...

Facebook to use Microsoft tech to find child porn

Published May 21, 2011

Facebook will use technology co-invented by Microsoft to scan all images uploaded to the site to help find and block images of child pornography. More...

Google trying to fix Android's open Wi-Fi vulnerability

Published May 19, 2011

Google says they will roll out a fix in the next few days for the recently-exposed vulnerability in Android phones that allows hackers to get a user's contact and calendar data over open Wi-Fi networks. More...

I accepted a fake Facebook friend request, should I be afraid?

Published May 11, 2011

Should you be afraid if an imposter duplicates a friend's Facebook account and connects with you on the social network? The short answer is, "possibly." More...

Survey: 7.5 million Facebook users below minimum age

Published May 10, 2011

Consumer Reports found that "of the 20 million minors who actively use Facebook," more than 8 million are younger than 13. Facebook's terms of service require that users be at least 13. More...

Scam of the Day: If it's in the news, scammers are using it

Published May 2, 2011

As news of Osama Bin Laden's death spread around the world like wildfire this morning, Internet scammers wasted no time in exploiting the situation. More...

Sony issues warning after PlayStation Network attack

Published April 27, 2011

Six days after a security breach of its PlayStation Network, Sony said Tuesday that the incursion was much worse than expected and hackers had obtained personal information on 70 million subscribers. More...

Lock down your Wi-Fi or the FBI might come knocking

Published April 26, 2011

You might think it's no big deal to share your wireless network with your neighbor. But what happens to you if that neighbor is breaking the law over YOUR network? More...

Top-secret US lab infiltrated by spear phishers – AGAIN

Published April 19, 2011

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the most sensitive science labs in the US, has shut down all Internet access after attackers exploited a vulnerability in Internet Explorer to steal data from some of its servers. This security breach at the lab is at least the second since 2007. More...

Customers' Emails Exposed In Epsilon Security Breach

Published April 4, 2011

Texas-based Episilon, a provider of email marketing services, has suffered a major data breach, which threatens customers of Best Buy, Capital One, and many others with spam, phishing scams, and other security risks. More...

Microsoft & Feds take down major spam network

Published March 21, 2011

Microsoft and federal agents seize computers and hard drives used to run one of the largest spam networks in the world. More...

RSA warns SecurID customers after company is hacked

Published March 18, 2011

EMC's RSA Security division was the victim of a sophisticated cyber attack, similar to the type that got Google and 100 other companies in 2009. More...

Google patches Chrome vulnerability discovered at Pwn2Own

Published March 17, 2011

Google has patched a flaw in its Chrome browser that was exploited to hack the BlackBerry Torch smartphone at Pwn2Own. More...

March Patch Tuesday leaves IE unpatched for Pwn2Own hackers

Published March 6, 2011

Microsoft will not be patching Internet Explorer before the upcoming Pwn2Own hacking contest next week. More...

Apple to patch Safari before Pwn2Own, say researchers

Published March 5, 2011

Apple will join Google and Mozilla in patching its browser before the Pwn2Own hacking contest kicks off next week, security researchers hinted yesterday. More...

Android malware attacks show perils of Google openness

Published March 4, 2011

This week's discovery of malware that hijacked thousands of Android phones shows the pitfalls of allowing apps written by virtually anyone. More...

Antivirus2008: yet another scam

Published March 4, 2011

Antivirus2008 it is nothing more than another scam attacking computers daily via the Internet. Read removal instructions here. More...

Apple plugs 57 major security holes in iTunes

Published March 3, 2011

Apple has shipped iTunes 10.2 as a highly-critical patch to cover a whopping 57 security vulnerabilities, some serious enough to allow hackers to take complete control of a vulnerable machine. More...

Dr. Seuss apps are here and there and everywhere!

Published March 2, 2011

On his birthday, Dr. Seuss books top the iPad App Store. More...

Microsoft issues 12 security patches this month; 3 critical

Published February 9, 2011

This month, Microsoft gives us 12 security bulletins that fix vulnerabilities affecting the Microsoft Windows operating system, Microsoft Office, and Internet Explorer. More...

Fixes for two Windows flaws coming from Microsoft

Published January 7, 2011

Microsoft's first group of updates for 2011 should be relatively insignificant. More...

All Your Personal Info Are Belong To Us

Published January 3, 2011

Spokeo.com, a website that pulls tons of info about you from all over the Web, may just shock you with everything it knows about you. More...

Neighborhood Disaster Tabletop Exercises

Published December 30, 2010

A team of national, regional and state organizations invites Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and Neighborhood Watch programs along with Neighborhood Associations to participate in one of the scheduled disaster tabletop exercises being facilitated via the internet. More...

Your photos may be giving away personal information

Published December 16, 2010

GPS-equipped smartphones and digital cameras may have geotagging enabled, which can compromise your privacy. More...

Ten Online Shopping Traps

Published November 18, 2010

Shopping online comes with many advantages, but it does carry some risks. Now is a good time for a quick reminder of some online shopping traps. More...

Microsoft Patches for November

Published November 15, 2010

Of the 11 flaws addressed in three separate updates, only one was pegged as "critical," Microsoft's top ranking in its four-step scoring system. The remaining 10 were all marked "important," the second-highest rating. More...

How to protect against Firesheep attacks

Published October 27, 2010

Security experts today suggested ways users can protect themselves against Firesheep, the new Firefox browser add-on that lets amateurs hijack users' access to Facebook, Twitter and other popular services. More...

Even more reason to be careful with public open wifi

Published October 27, 2010

A new Firefox add-on allows anyone to scan a Wi-Fi network and hijack others' access to Facebook, Twitter and a host of other services. More...

Mozilla warns of unpatched Firefox flaw used in attacks

Published October 27, 2010

Mozilla developers are scrambling to fix a new Firefox browser bug being used by criminals to install malicious software on victims' computers. More...

Facebook in Privacy Breach

Published October 18, 2010

Many of the most popular applications on Facebook have been transmitting identifying information—in effect, providing access to people's names and, in some cases, their friends' names—to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies. More...

Facebook rolls out new security tools

Published October 14, 2010

Facebook users will be able to log off the site from their cell phone and get a temporary password to use on public computers under new security changes. More...

New email scam going around

Published October 12, 2010

A new email scam is finding its way to users’ inboxes. If you receive the email below, or a similar email, please delete it and definitely do not click on the link! More...

Microsoft's major security updates for October

Published October 12, 2010

This month's is the highest number of bulletins Microsoft has ever released in one month, as well as the most vulnerabilities that are being fixed. More...

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Published October 8, 2010

October 2010 marks the seventh annual National Cybersecurty Awareness Month sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. More...

Dozens charged in NY in global computer virus scam

Published October 1, 2010

Hackers in eastern Europe who used computer viruses to steal usernames and passwords teamed up with foreign students who opened bank accounts in the U.S. to snatch at least $3 million from American bank accounts, authorities said Thursday in announcing charges against more than 80 people. More...

Microsoft issues emergency patch for Windows Web bug

Published September 28, 2010

Microsoft has delivered an emergency patch for a Windows Web server flaw that is being actively exploited by hackers. More...

Microsoft sounds alert on massive Web bug

Published September 24, 2010

Microsoft has warned users that a critical bug in ASP.Net could be exploited by attackers to hijack encrypted Web sessions and pilfer usernames and passwords from Web sites. More...

Credit card breaches affect businesses financially and professionally

Published September 20, 2010

Dave Wendland learned the hard way that, when all is said and done, the security of his business rests entirely on his own shoulders. The Tallahassee restaurant owner assumed his point-of-sale (POS) system was secure and customers' data was safe, but hackers were able to get past the system's firewall and remotely access the terminal to steal customer information. More...

Microsoft patches 11 vulnerabilities for September

Published September 14, 2010

Microsoft released nine security bulletins that address 11 individual vulnerabilities. More...

New Adobe PDF Vulnerability

Published September 9, 2010

Adobe has disclosed that there's a new vulnerability affecting its PDF Reader/Acrobat software. More...

Popular Windows programs vulnerable to attack

Published August 27, 2010

Some of the world's most popular Windows programs are vulnerable to attacks that exploit a major bug in the way they load critical code libraries. More...

Microsoft's Patches for August - A Record High

Published August 12, 2010

Microsoft delivered a record 15 security updates to patch a large number of vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, and Silverlight. More...

Microsoft ships rush patch

Published August 3, 2010

On Monday, Microsoft issued an emergency patch for a critical bug that attackers have been exploiting for several weeks. More...

Watch Out–Facebook “OMG” Scam Thrives

Published July 22, 2010

The “OMG” (short for Oh, My God!) scam takes advantage of Facebook’s “like” feature to spread. More...

Cash For Keys Scam

Published July 22, 2010

Kimberly Miller of The Palm Beach Post highlights recent rash of scammers using 'cash for keys' ads to prey on unsuspecting renters. More...

Florida Division of Corporations Scam

Published July 15, 2010

Two entities target Florida businesses by appearing to conduct official business. More...

Microsoft releases 4 updates to fix 5 vulnerabilities

Published July 14, 2010

Microsoft's "Patch Tuesday" for July was rather compact. There were four security updates that included fixes for five vulnerabilities. Of the four updates, three were rated "critical," Microsoft's highest threat ranking. More...

Stranded friend scam continues to swindle consumers out of thousands of dollars

Published July 2, 2010

The FBI and its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report that a not-so-new scam continues to trick consumers into handing over large sums of money to hackers. More...

How to stay safe while surfing a public hotspot

Published July 2, 2010

With Starbucks now offering free wi-fi to its customers, it's probably a good idea to refresh our memory on some of the best practices for using an unsecured, public wi-fi network. More...

Criminals Exploit New Windows XP Zero-Day Attack

Published July 1, 2010

A recently discovered Windows XP flaw results in more than 10,000 malware, trojan, and virus attacks. More...

Mozilla patches 9 Firefox bugs, adds plug-in crash protection

Published June 23, 2010

Mozilla has patched 9 Firefox vulnerabilities and has included crash protection for faulty plug-ins. More...

Microsoft Issues 10 Security Updates

Published June 8, 2010

Microsoft rolls out ten security updates this month; three critical and seven important. More...

Botnets Target Websites With 'Posers'

Published June 3, 2010

Kelly Jackson Higgins of DarkReading explains that botnets are becoming better at fooling websites by appearing human to create fake accounts on legitimate websites. More...

Facebook Rolls Out Simplified Privacy Controls

Published May 26, 2010

Today Facebook began a roll out of new simplified privacy controls. More...