When it comes to point-of-sale, there are a few vulnerabilities that you probably didn’t even know were there. In 2012, the retail industry made up 45 percent of data breach investigations, making it the highest percentage in retail history. E-Commerce sites were the most common target, accounting for 48 percent of all investigations and spanning 29 different countries. Of these attacked businesses, it took 64 percent of them more than 90 days to detect an intrusion. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to hacking. Sixty-three percent of 2010 cyber attacks were at companies with…

There are a few risks that come with social media. Few of them are very serious, but it is always a good idea to be cognizant of them to be on the safe side. Social media profiles are not often hacked unless they are popular or influential ones. If your social media profile is becoming popular and you are becoming influential on social media, then you may wish to consider increasing your security on there.   Run a social media virus/malware scan There are now a few anti-virus and anti-malware programs that offer to run scans on the things posted on your Facebook wall. Norton (for example) offers…

When you combine the common old school methods of grifting with the technological advancements of hacking and social research, you have social engineering. In essence, it’s the art of taking advantage of people’s hopes, dreams, secrets, and all of the information that’s available on their computers, their social media profiles, and even when they’re simply typing stuff on their computer at coffee shops and turning it all into a profile that the con men can attack. It’s human hacking. It’s brilliant and dangerous. The tools of the trade: ads, emails, phishing, shoulder surfing. The people:…

Do you know what the most common length of a password is? Or how long it takes a hacker to crack one of your most valuable codes? There are a lot of people who have fallen victim to cyber-crime, but there are many ways to prevent it from happening. Understanding the facts on why passwords are so important and how you can protect yourself from a hacker can all be found in the infographic below. Stay Safe! Have you been a victim of cyber-crime? This infographic from Socialable comes to us via MN Ford and explores “Profiling Password Protection”. Click to enlarge. Hat Tips: Greensboro Kia…

Sony’s PSN service is slowly coming back to life, much to the enjoyment of those who have been without online access from those with PS3s for several weeks. It will take some time for everything to be back to normal, but until then, Sony is giving away a slew of free PSN items and two free games to PSP and PS3 users to make up for their disaster. Those in North America will have access to the following games PS3 games as part of their “Customer Appreciation Program”: LittleBigPlanet Wipeout HD + Fury inFAMOUS Dead Nation Super Stardust HD North American PSP owners will also have access to two PSP titles…

Sony was threatened, credit card numbers were stolen, gamers were frustrated, and Sony still doesn’t have a clue about what is going on. And yet the train wreck — also known as Sony’s PSN service — continues to take its toll on gamers. So, if anyone out there was hopeful for a return of multiplayer madness on your PS3 anytime soon, well, sorry, but you might have to wait a bit longer. Shigenori Yoshida, a Tokyo-based spokesman for Sony, stated that Sony does not know when it will resume PSN services. Of course, gamers are probably already used to being in the dark with their PS3s, as the downtime has…

Sony has been beaten up pretty badly lately, but this is kicking ‘em while they’re down: hackers have compromised Sony Online Entertainment, which provide access to several online MMOs. Not only that, but hackers could have potentially stolen credit card data from those accounts as well. Sony is still investigating. Sony was quicker to respond to this news than it was with the PSN security breach. It sent out an email informing customers of the news: Our ongoing investigation of illegal intrusions into Sony Online Entertainment systems has discovered that hackers may have obtained personal…

Kevin Mitnick became notorious for his use of social engineering – the act of manipulating people into divulging information, rather than breaking in or using technical cracking techniques used to commit identity theft, steal credit card information and so on. To clarify the myth and the reality surrounding Kevin Mitnick, our friends at Credit Score sent us the following timeline of both alleged and confirmed criminal acts. …