Category: Cyber Security

  • The Threat You Might Not Have Heard of – Stalkerware.

    The Threat You Might Not Have Heard of – Stalkerware.

    We’ve all heard of ransomware and malware at this point, but there’s one that may be flying under the radar. I’m talking about stalkerware.

    Stalkerware is a type of software or application designed to monitor or secretly record you on your devices. The phrase was coined because it was often used by spouses or other intimate partners who want to secretly spy on their partners.

    While in some cases it may be deliberately installed, there are variations of this now that are more insidious. Applications that can detect your GPS location even in the background, as well as applications aimed at parents looking to track their children’s devices that collect more data than they’re supposed to are two notable examples.

    In either variation they’re definitely a violation of the user’s privacy. The Google Play Store (for Android phones) and Apple App Store (for iOS phones) both prohibit applications aimed at tracking your loved ones use without their knowledge or consent, but so many things are added daily it’s inevitable some will slip through.

    On the other end, applications you install on purpose that collect data they shouldn’t is also a major problem. The data they’re collecting is often sold to third parties who then use it to market to you on websites you frequent.

    Most of us are aware the free websites and applications we use on the internet are not really “free”. The cost is being inundated with sales ads, but ads specifically targeted to you by data you didn’t know was being extracted by your computer or phone is a violation none of us would willingly sign up for.

    We’re left questioning how much privacy we can really expect on the internet, and what is needed to protect that privacy. Much more is required of our governments and legislatures to ensure that the private details of our lives aren’t sold to the highest bidder.

    One high profile example going on right now is over the popular phone application TikTok. TikTok was recently banned in India due to privacy concerns, which the company vehemently denies.

    It’s our recommendation that you vet the software, websites and applications you download or visit thoroughly, as well as uninstalling any not currently in use. While this won’t completely mitigate the risk of stalkerware, it may help minimize the damage.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these tech articles from the last week.

    This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

    Looking for IT Services in Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Ceres, Atwater, Merced, Visalia or Lodi? We cover all these areas and more!

  • DDoS Attack or Not? Yesterday’s Outage Left Many Systems Down for Hours

    DDoS Attack or Not? Yesterday’s Outage Left Many Systems Down for Hours

    Yesterday, an outage stemming from T-Mobile left many major systems down. Affected websites included T-Mobile itself, Instagram, Comcast, Sprint and Chase Bank. Was it a massive DDoS attack or just a server misconfiguration as they’re claiming?

    First, it’s probably a good idea to explain what a DDoS attack or Distributed Denial-of-Service attack is and what it aims to do.

    A DDoS attack is a cyber attack where the perpetrator or group of perpetrators seeks to make a server or network unavailable by attacking its connection to the internet. They typically do this by flooding the affected systems with traffic, overloading them and causing them to go down.

    These attacks can happen to a single computer, an office, or even on a global scale. The website https://digitalattackmap.com/ attempts to track these DDoS attacks on a global level, however it’s somewhat controversial among cyber security experts as they question the veracity of it’s data.

    Many time these outages are made apparent by the website https://downdetector.com/ which accurately tracked the cascading wave of websites that went down in yesterdays event.

    Down Detector is a reliable source for tracking whether the connection issues you’re having are stemming from your network or the website or service you’re trying to access is truly down.

    So, was yesterday’s event a DDoS attack or just an error? The public will probably never know. However as cyber crime continues to ramp up – purported to be a $6 trillion dollar industry by 2021 – it’s a good idea to have the best protections in place so you and your business don’t fall victim.

    A DDoS attack aimed at your systems may expose other vulnerabilities, and the downtime alone can be costly. If your IT team isn’t adequately prepared to defend against this or any of the other varieties of cyber attacks plaguing the technology market, it might be time for a new team.

    This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

    Looking for IT Services in Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Ceres, Atwater, Merced, Visalia or Lodi? We cover all these areas and more!