Written by Hugo Pethebridge on February 1, 2011.
If you have a home security system, you know the pain associated with false alarms. I have set this thing off at least a 100 times and then I have to run like a gazelle to the keypad to shut it off then wait for alarm central to call me so I can give them a PIN.
Many, if not all of us are guilty of setting off our alarms accidentally. Sometimes we open a door or window that sets it off, other times we mess up the secret code. The result of this mishap is usually a very loud siren and the attention of your neighbors. If you don’t call to cancel in time, then it results in law enforcement showing up.
In many counties, towns, cities and states there are laws and ordinances that impose a fine for false alarms.
1. Have your service provider set up your home alarm system to call your mobile phone first, then your home phone second. If you don’t answer the phone, then, they will call the police.
2. Pro
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Written by Hugo Pethebridge on January 27, 2011.
So I have the new ADT Pulse system. It’s pretty amazing. I’ve had a “plain old” system for the past 15 years, which has been upgraded 3 times. The standard home alarm system covers monitoring, doors, windows, motion and glass.
This system has all that plus wireless cameras inside, remote controlled thermostats, remote controlled/timed light controls, flood sensors in the mechanical room and laundry, full web access to the cameras, an iPad looking touchpad that controls it, an iPhone app to control/monitor its cameras/stat it from anywhere, and a web dashboard that lets you control every single aspect of each control to inform you of activity or to set up a “reaction” to an incident.
This home alarm system is very simple and easy to program and once you dive into the system it give you a tremendous amount of “awareness” of the goings on in and around your home and it does it automatically.
I haven’t spent a lot of time on the programming just yet, but just by default the basic settings will alert you via text and email whenever anything happens. You also have the
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Written by Benjamin Woods on January 27, 2011.
A California lawmaker has introduced a bill that would update the state’s current data breach notification law, SB-1386. The new bill would include additional requirements for organizations that lose sensitive data. This is the third time the bill has been proposed.
The proposal, introduced Thursday by Democratic state Senator Joe Simitian would require breach notification letters contain specifics of the incident. This would include the type of personal information exposed, a description of what happened, and advice on steps to take to protect oneself from identity theft. The new law would also require organizations suffering a breach affecting 500 or more people to submit a copy of the alert letter to the state attorney general’s office.
The proposed bill has gone to former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger twice now, but both times was vetoed.
Simitian said in a news release that he hopes the new administration, led by Governor Jerry Brown, “will give this issue a fresh look.”
“This new measure makes modest but helpful changes for consumers,” Simitian said. “By requiring n
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Written by Benjamin Woods on January 22, 2011.
A group of hackers calling themselves Goatse Security claimed they had exploited a security flaw in AT&T’s 3G network and had gained access to personal information belonging to thousands of iPad users. On Tuesday, Daniel Spitler and Andrew Auernheimer were arrested in connection with this June incident.
While the original number of compromised accounts was thought to have been 114,000, new figures reveal that personal data was obtained from 120,000 iPad 3G users. According to Reuters, both Spitler and Auernheimer were “charged with one count of fraud and one count of conspiracy to access a computer without authorization.”
The hackers had managed to snoop out accounts from the major service branches of the military, NASA, the FCC, DARPA, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Institute of Health.
Written by Hugo Pethebridge on January 21, 2011.
Now more than ever, criminal hackers are hacking into databases that contain Social Security numbers and using the numbers to open new financial accounts. Criminals use stolen Social Security numbers to obtain mobile phones, credit cards, and even bank loans. Some victims whose Social Security numbers fell into the hands of identity thieves have even had their mortgages refinanced and their equity stripped.
WTEN.com reports an arrest has been made of an individual alleged to have illegally downloaded personal information, including Social Security numbers of about 15,000 people.
Police arrested a man “for stealing the collection of Social Security numbers from computers belonging to contractors working for the Office of Disability and Temporary Assistance, which is the New York state agency that decides some initial disability claims for Social Security.”
As in most cases of data theft, the Office of Disability and Temporary Assistance will notify and provide credit monitoring services to affected individuals.
According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse’s Chronology of Data Breaches, more than 500 million sensitive records have been breached in the past five years. The Chrono Full Post…
Written by Hugo Pethebridge on January 18, 2011.
Here are some practical tips from McAfee to ensure optimal Internet safety and security in 2011:
Be aware that threats aimed at mobile phones are growing – Use software that backs up smart devices and use strong discretion when storing, saving or editing personal information on your smartphone or device. Don’t keep all of your personal passwords on your device, and avoid using it to store financial information like credit card and bank account numbers.
Keep in mind that gaming and entertainment devices are now Internet-connected – Many people don’t realize that their new gaming console may represent another port of entry for cybercrooks into their household. Some Internet TV applications can expose personal information, so be sure to install anti-virus software, two-way firewalls, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, and safe search capabilities, just as you would on a PC. Block f
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Written by Benjamin Woods on January 16, 2011.
A data breach at the Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) has exposed the personal and financial records of members of the U.S. military and their families, putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of identity theft.
The Pentagon Federal Credit Union database, which includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers, was accessed by a malware-infested PC.
PenFed serves about 100,000 members in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The Pentagon Federal Credit Union offers mortgages, credit cards and loans to its customers, and has $15 billion in assets.
The full extent of the data breach is not yet known. T
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