The initial reaction when you suspect your computer or network has been compromised is to panic. However, if your network has been breached, what you do next can make the difference between the incident being a minor inconvenience and being a devastating disaster that brings legal trouble and huge fines, and halts your ability to do business.

Horror stories of people getting scammed out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars aren’t in short supply. As we scroll through the news app from the comfort of our couch, reading these accounts of how a stupid so-and-so opened an obviously suspicious attachment and a hacker drained their bank account, it’s easy to say things like “I’d never fall for that!” But would you?

The sobering truth is that, under the right conditions and with the right threat, anyone can fall victim to a financially devastating scam.

Introduction

Did you know that cybercriminals can impersonate real people’s voices…and then clone them, so you think you’re listening to somebody else?

Voice cloning is absolutely real…and uses artificial intelligence to recreate a target’s voice by replicating audio files of the real person.

Introduction

Imagine you have a secret message you want to send to your friend, but don’t want anyone else to read it. If they have the “key” to reading it, then only the intended recipient can decipher what you mean.

Encryption is like that secret code you and your friend create to lock the message, making it look like gibberish to anyone else who finds it.

Introduction

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell the app within six months.

So why are people alleging that it’s soon going to be completely defunct? If Chinese owner refuses to sell, that would effectively cause a ban.

Introduction

Do your devices run on 5G?

Do you know what 5G even is?

5G indicates the fifth generation of mobile networks. In other words, it’s the wireless technology that your smartphone uses to run and is touted as 200 times faster than the previous generation, 4G. Turn off your phone’s WiFi to find out what generation you’re running on.

Imagine a threat actor determined to target YOUR data and finances. It would take a LOT of time, effort and money to build ransomware code all on their own, let alone to build a whole email campaign convincing you to fall for their tricks…Now imagine they could simply buy ransomware off the Dark Web, completely ready-made to launch against you?

Unfortunately, that’s a very real scenario.

Introduction

Do you use AI? Do you understand what it is…or how it works…or anything about it beyond the buzz?

Even if you don’t seek out artificial intelligence engines, there are more than 4.2B WiFi-connected devices that use AI for their “virtual assistants.

Introduction

Are you familiar with the ancestry and biotechnology service, 23andMe? More than 14M people around the world use their website!

In December 2023, 23andMe confirmed a data breach that affected 6.9 million users. Hackers accessed data including names, birth years, relationship labels, DNA shared percentages, ancestry reports, and self-reported locations.

Introduction

How often has a friend, coworker or family member introduced you to something for the first time…only for it to show up on your Instagram and Facebook feeds next time you log in?

It’s a popular theory that smart phones are covertly listening in on our conversations to target ads and personalize our online experiences.