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Category Archives: Cybersecurity

Time to Delete? The Most Invasive Apps List Includes Some of Your Favorites

PC Mag: “The apps on your phone know way too much about you. I’ll tell you which apps collect the most data and offer suggestions for locking down your private information. Everyone wants your data. And why not? There’s a lot of money in selling or sharing the information apps collect about you. App companies leech data from your devices in exchange for whatever free service they’re offering, and sometimes, collection happens without your consent. The best way to know what you’re getting into before downloading an app is to look at the company’s privacy policy. Check out my privacy policy reading guide to help you parse all that jargon. You can usually find a link to the privacy policy on the app’s landing page in the app store or at the bottom of a company’s website. The next best way to learn about an app’s data collection beforehand is to read each company’s privacy reports in the app stores. Some apps may surprise you. For example, why would a calendar app need access to the health data on your phone? Why would a calculator require your list of contacts? It’s a good idea to ask yourself these questions before downloading any new apps. If the answer doesn’t seem obvious, don’t download the app. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the most invasive apps that may be on your phone right now…”

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 1, 2025

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 1, 2025 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the… Continue Reading

Using Tails When Your World Doesn’t Feel Safe Anymore

Privacy Guides: “There is a growing number of people who no longer feel safe in their own home or country. Whatever the reason, many people might not feel safe to browse certain topics online. With all the information getting collected for each internet search, it is difficult to access sometime vital information without leaving a… Continue Reading

Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over Federal Disbursement Services

Federal Disbursement Services (FDS): The Federal Disbursement Services provides payment services for more than 250+ federal agencies. Your federal income tax refunds; Social Security benefits; Supplemental Security income; Railroad Retirement Board benefits; veteran’s pay, pension, and education benefits all come from the Federal Disbursement Services. Payments to federal workers, vendors, and grantees also come from… Continue Reading

How to remove yourself from the internet

BleepingComputer – Want to prevent people from harvesting your personal information? Keep reading to learn how to remove your data from people search sites. “Protecting your digital footprint is crucial if you want to prevent phishing, scams, and other unwanted side effects caused by online data harvesting. Every day, people around the globe suffer from… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 26, 2025

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 26, 2025 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex… Continue Reading

Developer Creates Infinite Maze That Traps AI Training Bots

404 Media – “A pseudonymous coder has created and released an open source “tar pit” to indefinitely trap AI training web crawlers in an infinitely, randomly-generating series of pages to waste their time and computing power. The program, called Nepenthes after the genus of carnivorous pitcher plants which trap and consume their prey, can be… Continue Reading

PowerSchool hacker claims they stole data of 62 million students

Bleeping Computer: “The hacker who breached education tech giant PowerSchool claimed in an extortion demand that they stole the personal data of 62.4 million students and 9.5 million teachers. PowerSchool is a cloud-based software solutions provider for K-12 schools and districts that provides tools for enrollment, communication, attendance, staff management, learning systems, analytics, and finance.… Continue Reading

AI Mistakes Are Very Different from Human Mistakes

Schneier on Security: “Humans make mistakes all the time. All of us do, every day, in tasks both new and routine. Some of our mistakes are minor and some are catastrophic. Mistakes can break trust with our friends, lose the confidence of our bosses, and sometimes be the difference between life and death. Over the… Continue Reading

4 Cybersecurity Misconceptions to Leave Behind in 2025

The New Stack: “Most people know that cyberthreats lurk around every corner. Be it an opportunistic lone criminal or a hacker with the power of a nation-state behind them, it can feel like the world and its dog want to access your private data. Beyond this, though, how well do people grasp the threat? According… Continue Reading

The Powerful AI Tool That Cops (or Stalkers) Can Use to Geolocate Photos in Seconds

404 Media: “A powerful AI tool can predict with high accuracy the location of photos based on features inside the image itself—such as vegetation, architecture, and the distance between buildings—in seconds, with the company now marketing the tool to law enforcement officers and government agencies. Called GeoSpy, made by a firm called Graylark Technologies out… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 18, 2025

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 18, 2025 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on… Continue Reading