mobile | CSID

2016: Mobile, IoT Threats on the Horizon

By Adam Tyler| 2015-12-21T12:58:41-06:00 December 21st, 2015|Industry News|

Cybersecurity Trends Last week we recapped the big happenings of 2015 for CSID. This week, we’re switching gears to look ahead to 2016 and the trends we expect to dominate in the year to come.

All eyes on mobile
The rise of mobile payments (and recent participation from major players like Apple, Android and financial institutions like Chase), has made mobile a more attractive target than ever for cyber criminals. We expect that fragmentation, especially within the Android ecosystem, will exacerbate the problem, as different manufacturers are running multiple versions with no agreed-upon update system. This is an increasing problem particularly in the developing world where consumers are using older devices that are no longer supported by the manufacturer and as a result, no longer receive the critical patches and updates to address security flaws.

Additionally, as we look to the future, mobile attacks will be simpler than ever to implement. Just one example of this that we saw in 2015: the iOS text crash, where victims were infected just by opening a multimedia message (MMS). In 2016, we’ll see a rise in these simply orchestrated, yet impactful attacks on mobile devices.

Macs no longer immune to attack
While once seemingly impossible to penetrate, Macs will become the victim of increased focus from cyber criminals as they continue to gain popularity.

A recent report from Bit9 and Carbon Black states that 2015 was the most “prolific year for Mac malware in history.” Specifically, the report suggests that the OSX malware during this past year was a staggering five times more prevalent than the past five years combined.

It’s clear that Mac OSX is now a platform that we need to be concerned about. We’re no longer living in days where we can opt out of OSX updates and not worry about the materials we download. We’ll need to exercise increased caution across all of our devices in 2016.

The dark web as marketplace of ideas will exacerbate attack reach and impact
More than ever, we’ll see cyber criminals using the dark web to share tips and tricks amongst each other, making advanced threats and attacks more accessible to general users. With this, we’ll also see a rise in younger, less experienced, and non-traditional cyber criminals orchestrating attacks. The National Crime Agency recently reported that the average age of a cyber criminal has dropped to just 17 years old.

Malvertising and drive-by downloads will increasingly deceive users
We’ll see a rise in malvertising on legitimate, credible sites – like Forbes, BBC, and other top tier sites – that are sourced by external adware networks.

Malvertising, which takes the shape of seemingly innocuous ads on the internet, will infect users’ devices if clicked. What’s more, drive-by-downloads, which require a user to just visit a website to infect their device, will grow in popularity and be spread through MMS.

Internet of Things players will need to prioritize security
We’re seeing the Internet of Things (IoT) continue to gain momentum as more and more connected devices are brought to market. In 2016, developers will need to make security a priority. Even seemingly benign devices (like your connected refrigerator or thermostat) can serve as a pathway into your most sensitive information.

Vulnerabilities in in-car entertainment systems earlier this year demonstrated how hackers could, somewhat easily, take control of the car’s steering, brakes, and other vital features. In 2016, we’ll see an increasing focus on the security of the IoT, which may cause a shift in priorities at the product development level.

Keep an eye out for these trends in our “click-to-reveal” series on Twitter and stay up to date with the latest CSID news by following us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Location Based Marketing: Ethics and Privacy Concerns

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-08-21T09:15:56-05:00 August 21st, 2014|Uncategorized|

WiFi Snooping They can see where you go, how often, how long you stay there and what time you typically leave. No, we’re not talking about cyber criminals. We’re talking about retailers.

In 2014, location based marketing has become an increasingly popular marketing tool for businesses to evaluate consumers’ habits and preferences. Trackers collect pings from your cell phone and are able to tell businesses a wealth of information about you including the times you shop, where you shop, how long you stay in a store and how often you frequent a store. Businesses then take this information and decide how to best sell their product to you.

“It’s one of the technologies that almost every retailer is using, testing, or looking to use in 2014,” said Jules Polonetsky, executive director of the Future of Privacy Forum, in the Financial Post.

This new method of tracking has many concerned about personal privacy. In a recent survey by Punchtab, more than 50 percent of participants did not want to be tracked by retailers at all. About 27 percent were open to it, under certain circumstances. Of the 50 percent of consumers who preferred not to be tracked, most cited “privacy” as the number one reason why. Those who were open to tracking by retailers were willing to exchange some of their data for coupons or special offers, among other reasons.

What’s most concerning about location based marketing from a privacy perspective is that many consumers are unaware they are being tracked. This method of marketing is legal and businesses often slip the disclosure that they are tracking you into lengthy terms of service contracts that are unlikely to be read.

According to Marketing Week, there are a number of apps you can use to block mobile tracking, including Xprivacy, Ghostery and AVG PrivacyFix. Not only do these applications protect your mobile device via blocking, they also control permissions for data use.

To hear more about this topic, you can vote to see CSID’s CIO Adam Tyler at SXSW 2015, where he will take a deep dive into mobile tracking and what consumers should do to protect themselves and what businesses need to do to protect their shoppers. Check out his panel, Wi-Fi Privacy: When Sniffing Becomes Snooping, and vote!

Let us know what you think about location based marketing by connecting with us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

News Recap: Mobile Security at Black Hat Conference

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-08-05T09:48:17-05:00 August 1st, 2014|Uncategorized|

Mobile Security_080114 Mobile security will be a major focus during next week’s Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas. During the conference, Mathew Sonik, a 20-year-old security consultant at Accuvant, Inc., along with several others, will be presenting their mobile hacking techniques.

According to Danny Yadron of The Wall Street Journal shared, Solnik and his associates “can take over a smartphone from 30 feet away without alerting the user or the phone company. Then, he can turn the phone into a live microphone, browse its contacts or read its text messages.” Why would a hacker want to do this?

“Smartphones are constantly connected to the Internet, infrequently updated and are challenging to secure,” Solnik explains. “They’re rich targets, recording pictures, names of associates and conversations.”

While all mobile devices have security threats, Android devices tend to be at higher risk for attacks from cyber criminals. In fact, this week, Tereza Pultarova of Engineering and Technology Times reported a particular cyber threat facing Google’s Android mobile devices pulling from a survey of behavior of smartphone users. According to Pultarova, “Sensitive financial and personal information of Android smartphone users could have been accessed by hackers since 2010 due to a previously unknown vulnerability.” Pultarova further reports that the “vulnerability allowed attackers to use malicious software to mimic other, legal apps, thus gaining access to data stored in smartphones without having to request the user’s consent.”

Google quickly offered a patch for the vulnerability, but “a survey of behavior of smartphone users, compiled by mobile phone comparison site TigerMobiles.com, revealed that not only do users not install security software, most of them don’t even have measures in place to protect unauthorized access to the information stored in their gadgets in the case of theft.”

What sort of security measures do phone manufacturers and network providers need to take to protect against these threats? How can consumers protect their information on their mobile devices? Tell us know what you think on Twitter and Facebook, and be sure to check out our Tumblr for the latest industry news stories.

For more information on mobile security check out our whitepaper, When Good Technology Goes Bad: Evolution of Mobile Technology.

Mobile Security Infestation: Protecting Yourself and Your Mobile Device

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-07-28T16:12:19-05:00 July 28th, 2014|Uncategorized|

This guest blog post comes to you from Ivan Serrano, a technology, business and social media writer and infographic specialist from San Jose, California. In his free time, Ivan loves marveling at the wonders of modern technology and gets wound up in his photography in San Francisco.

We’re all aware of the dangers of hackers when delving into the depths of the Internet on our computers, but as the ever-expanding mobile community also dives deeper into the Internet, we have to worry about the health of our mobile devices as well. The problem with this mobile infestation is that, along with mobile Internet connectivity, it is relatively new. Most people are still under the illusion that nothing bad can happen to a phone other than physically damaging it, and it’s not their fault; no one really knows what to look for.

Third party app stores can contain malicious apps, unsecured WiFi hotspots can lead to identity theft, and in BYOD businesses, the devices are often insecure. With more businesses and individuals relying on mobile phones to store data and do business, this poses quite a large security problem. Thankfully, these security breaches haven’t gone unnoticed. There are numerous ways to keep your mobile device secure, and more are being developed all the time.

What’s out there and how can we deal with it? Let us know what you think on Twitter and Facebook, and be sure to check out our Tumblr for the latest industry news stories.

Payments 101: An Intro to Payment Security and Transaction Trends

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-07-10T09:09:26-05:00 July 10th, 2014|Uncategorized|

EMV The security of transactions and payments is a hotly debated topic around the world. Which methods are most secure? Which should we all adopt? And why one over the other?

But before we start diving more into the debate on this topic, how about a simple introduction? Let’s define some of the major terms and security issues that you will often see discussed:

Magstripe:
This is a type of card that is capable of storing and transferring data within a magnetic stripe. The information is read by swiping past a magnetic reading head. If you’re in the US, this is likely what you are familiar with on your credit card, debit card, public transportation card or even ID card for your office. Typically, you are asked for your signature at a POS when using your magstripe card.

EMV:
EMV, which takes its name from Europay, MasterCard and Visa, is a global standard for payment cards that is based on micropressor chips. These are often called IC cards or “chip cards.” A computer chip is embedded in the card and associated with a PIN. The owner must supply the PIN to allow for the card’s processing. This use of a PIN to identify the owner is considered more secure than the use of a signature, as you use with magstripe cards.

Chip and PIN:
This is another name for EMV cards or the EMV standard.

CNP Transaction:
CNP stands for Card Not Present. This is a type of transaction made with a card in which the cardholder does not or cannot physically present the card to the merchant. For instance, CNP transactions often take place over the phone or Internet. CNP transactions can be major sources of credit card fraud, as it can be difficult for the merchant to authorize the user’s identity. When you make a purchase in person, you may be requested to prove your identity with a photo ID, signature or PIN. However, in a card not present transaction, there isn’t an easy way to authenticate you are who you say you are.

Contactless Payments:
Now we are seeing more instances of contactless payments, in which the user can wave a card, device or fob over the POS system to make the transaction. This type of payment uses radio-frequency. Near Field Communication (NFC), for instance, is a set of standards for smart devices to establish radio communication when in proximity with one another. Security risks include malware and interception of the transaction. However, since smart cards and devices often have more than one use, the owner only has to replace the one card or device if it is lost or stolen.

Keep an eye out on our blog, cyberSAFE webinar series and social media channels for more on this topic as we begin to take part in the debate. In the meantime, what do you think about each type of card? What about each type of transaction? Join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

News Recap: Amazon Fire Phone Privacy Concerns

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-06-19T16:51:44-05:00 June 19th, 2014|Uncategorized|

Firefly This week, Amazon released its first phone, which boasts a number of unique features including 3D functionality, dynamic perspective, and a number of convenient tie-ins to Amazon’s book, music and TV-streaming services. While many are simply discussing the array of new features on the device, one reporter is concerned about the phone’s unique powerful identification system called Firefly and what it could mean for consumer personal privacy.

First, let’s start with what Firefly actually does. Nick Statt of CNET explains, “With the press of a button, you can scan and tag songs—much like the popular Shazam app—and films and TV thanks to IMDb.com, which Amazon owns. You also can identify text and phone numbers printed on paper, like countless third-party apps in the iOS and Android stores.” However, the vital detail of the Firely feature is its ability to use the phone’s camera to scan barcodes, identify items online and then price check more than 70 million products for the ultimate online shopping experience.

While Amazon’s Firefly feature seems incredibly convenient, John Koetsier of Venture Beat is worried about the privacy implications of using the phone’s camera to identify items in pictures and locate them online. Koetsier states that Firefly and the camera feature of the phone are one and the same. This fact, in tandem with Amazon’s free cloud storage, means each and every photo taken on the Fire Phone and stored in Amazon’s cloud has the potential to be analyzed for its content and metadata. Koetsier remarks, “By storing all the photos you’ll ever take, along with GPS location data, ambient audio, and more metadata than you can shake a stick at in Amazon Web Services, Amazon will get unprecedented insight into who you are, what you own, where you go, what you do, who’s important in your life, what you like, and, probably, what you might be most likely to buy.”

Do you think Koetsier’s concerns are valid? Should consumers be concerned about the privacy features of this device? How should Amazon respond to make sure consumer data is protected? Tell us know what you think on Twitter and Facebook, and be sure to check out our Tumblr for the latest industry news stories.

Your Small Business is Big Business for Cybercriminals

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-06-03T13:37:24-05:00 June 3rd, 2014|Uncategorized|

This post is part of our cyberSAFE series focusing on SMB financial and reputational risks. You can learn more about the financial and reputational risks SMBs face during every phase of business growth by registering for our upcoming webinar on June 10^th at 12 PM CT.

This cyberSAFE guest blog post comes to you from Kent Lawson, founder and CEO of Private Communications Corporation and creator of its flagship software PRIVATE WiFi. In 2010, after 12 years of retirement, Kent became interested in Internet privacy and security issues and the vulnerability of wireless communications in WiFi hotspots. He created Private Communications Corporation to protect consumers and corporations from privacy and security breaches on the Internet. PRIVATE WiFi, the company’s first product, protects individuals and business people while using laptops and other mobile devices at public WiFi hotspots.

Do you think your business is too small to have data that’s valuable to hackers? If that’s the case, you may be unknowingly exposing it to cyber threats that could spell disaster for your business. A whopping 42 percent of SMBs said they experienced a cyber attack within the past year, according to the 2013 Risk of an Uncertain Security Strategy study by the Ponemon Institute. Yet, despite that hair-raising statistic, 58 percent of the SMBs surveyed said senior management doesn’t consider cyber attacks a significant risk to their organizations. How’s that for denial?

It’s not surprising that cyber security complacency continues to make SMBs prime targets for cybercrime. Small and midsize businesses are lagging behind in their cyber security efforts, according to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report 2014. As a result, SMBs experienced the highest number of targeted attacks overall last year, nearly double the number from 2012. Even worse, those attacks lasted longer than ever.

Granted, it’s hardly a level playing field when it comes to SMBs and cyber security. Smaller businesses may not have a full-time IT staff like larger companies. They might not have a company network or maintain a corporate VPN. To control costs and improve productivity, SMBs may allow employees to use their personal mobile devices for work. But without a strong BYOD policy, the blurred line between personal and professional time opens the door to compromising company data.

SMBs and Mobile Devices: Who’s Minding the Store at WiFi Hotspots?

Nowhere is that security vulnerability more obvious than when employees connect to public WiFi hotspots. Since most WiFi hotspots aren’t encrypted, the data traveling them can literally be grabbed out of thin air. As a result, data theft is rampant. But that threat hasn’t stopped workers from routinely logging into hotspots. A 2013 survey by GFI Software revealed that over 95% of workers admitted using public WiFi connections at least once a week during their commutes to carry out work-related tasks, such as sending and receiving email, reviewing and editing documents and accessing company servers. More than one-third (34.2 percent) reported that they accessed public WiFi at least 20 times per week.

Think of it this way: Every time an employee accesses company information on a WiFi hotspot, the likelihood that your business will be the victim of a cyber attack goes up. For many SMBs, that risk isn’t hypothetical. More than 40 percent of small businesses report that they have been victims of a cyber attack that cost them thousands of dollars, according to a 2013 survey conducted by the National Small Business Association. Have you considered how much a cyber attack could cost your business? For many, the cost was too high: 72 percent of small businesses that suffered a major data loss shut down within 24 months. Make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

These are the simple steps you can take to protect every mobile device that touches your business.

How SMBs Can Secure the Mobile Workplace

Make sure to install firewall and anti-malware apps on all mobile devices used for your business, and promptly install app and OS updates.
Use strong passwords of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols and different passwords for each site. And uncheck the box that automatically saves them.
Check before connecting to hotspots with strange names. Watch out for unusual variations in the logo or name of the establishment that appears on the login-page. That could mean it’s a fake hotspot designed to steal your data.
Disable features that automatically connect your device to any available network. This will prevent you and your employees from accidentally connecting to a fake WiFi hotspot or a stranger’s computer.
Disable printer and file sharing options before connecting to a hotspot.
Limit your employees’ access to company data to include only what they must have to do their jobs. Also, make sure all the mobile devices used to conduct business – laptops, smartphones, and tablets – are protected by a VPN. VPNs like PRIVATE WiFi encrypt the data traveling to and from your mobile devices, which makes it invisible to hackers.

2014: The Year of Mobile Surveillance

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-03-25T15:27:05-05:00 March 25th, 2014|Uncategorized|

This guest blog post comes from Camille McClane, writer and researcher based in Southern California.

Between Snowden, the NSA, the sheer amount of our private information we keep in public and the vulnerability of our personal electronics to hackers and their ilk, it’s easy to feel like we’re in an inescapable downward spiral toward absolute zero privacy. The good news is that, in 2014, it’s not all bad news. As threats try to expand, so does the technology to fight back. Here are some of the important security trends we can look forward to this year.

Increased Cloud Usage

Cloud storage already exists, but since the security parameters are so different from physical storage, more companies are going to be consolidating their information in a cloud. Not only is cloud storage more secure, it can even make your day-to-day business more efficient and is certainly worth consideration. Wouldn’t you rather have convenience and security, if possible? Cloud storage has the added benefit of creating a backup, a network and a server that is both encrypted and remotely accessible.

New Encryption Methods

What’s one of the best ways to keep sought after valuables secure inside a safe? Change the combination often. Similarly, one of the best ways to secure your data is by increasing the levels and complexity of your digital encryption. Watch for mentions of cryptographic block modes like cipher-block chaining (CBC) and output feedback (OFB), and authenticated modes like EAX, CCM and GCM, as well as new standards of access and passkey management.

Greater Internal Protections

Your security wall is only as strong as your weakest barrier to entry, and insiders still have the easiest means to disrupt a system. So what can you do about it in your business? On the security side, expect larger companies to focus on system-wide data encryption, making it harder for employees to accidentally (or intentionally) compromise the security of company data.

People Will Become More Private

At the very least, as the threats against privacy continue to grow, people will become more conscious of how they expose themselves to these threats through carelessly granting permissions to countless apps, websites and software. There is an international effort underway to educate the public in these matters, and as the individuals begin to take back some of the lost ground; it will theoretically reduce the overall risk in the process.

After all, no matter how scary the truth is, isn’t it better to know than to not? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and check out our Tumblr for the latest news stories.

Cyber Security Takeaways From South By Southwest Interactive

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-03-20T10:22:54-05:00 March 20th, 2014|Uncategorized|

Cyber security was a hot topic this year at South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi), the digital, film and music festival held in our headquartered city of Austin, TX. We took part in the security discussions by sharing some mobile security tips, hosting a networking party Saturday night and participating in three SXSWi panels. Take a look at our SXSWi activities and what we learned

CSID President Joe Ross and CIO Adam Tyler Shared Mobile Security Tips

Prior to the festival starting, Joe and Adam got behind the mic and in front of the camera to share mobile security tips. Joe on KLBJ radio and Adam on KXAN News, both discussed how a large event like SXSWi attracts cyber criminals as there is an onslaught of out-of-towners and a tendency for conference-goers to use public Wi-Fi. Here are a few suggestions they shared with the audiences to help protect against mobile risks during the festival:

Avoid using public Wi-Fi and use a VPN for added security, if possible.
Use a different mobile passcode during the festival and then change it back to your original code when you travel home.
Be cautious about downloading new apps during the festival. Always download apps from a credible app store.

We Hosted Our Annual “Protect Your Buzz” SXSWi Party

We held our annual “Protect Your Buzz” party at Star Bar on Saturday during SXSWi and had a chance to connect with security professionals, strengthen partner relationships and celebrate our hardworking employees. And as always, we enjoyed food from our favorite Tex Mex caterer– Valentina’s!

CSID CIO Adam Tyler Demonstrated the Power of a Malicious $20 Hacked Router

In his “When Good Technology Goes Bad: Mobile Technology” solo panel, CSID CIO Adam Tyler showed how inexpensive, readily available technology can be hacked into a malicious device used to create “man-in-the-middle” attacks. Here are the key takeaways from his panel:

If you must connect to Wi-Fi on your laptop, take a moment at the end of your session to “forget” the network. This can help you avoid man-in-the-middle attacks that allow malicious technology to connect to your device via past networks. Smartphones and tablets, however, do not have the capability to “forget” networks, so the best policy is to not connect to public Wi-Fi at all.
Make sure your mobile device does not automatically connect to Wi-Fi. You should always manually choose a secure Wi-Fi connection on your device.
While technology can be manipulated into malicious devices, you should never be afraid of using technology. In fact, the better informed you are about technology, the better armed you are to protect against the bad.

Internet Privacy Lawyer Parry Aftab Partnered with CSID to Talk Reputation

The hour-long SXSWi panel, “That Was the Old Me: Managing Online Reputation,” featured CSID’s VP of Product and Marketing Bryan Hjelm and renowned Internet privacy lawyer Parry Aftab. They discussed how personal and business digital presences have evolved in our fast-paced world and the implications of a damaged online reputation. Some crucial lessons:

Suppression services can help hide unwanted, and many times untrue, articles, web profiles, etc. that can hurt a reputation.
Hiring managers are looking at social media more than ever to determine whether a candidate is fit for a job.
The excessive reuse of passwords across multiple websites and the frequency with which teens share their passwords can put many at risk for identity theft, which can lead to damaged reputations as well as injured credit.

Two Child Online Safety Advocates Discussed Child ID Theft in a Roundtable Discussion

In CSID’s third security panel, “Growing Up Unprotected: Child ID Theft,” CEO of Inflection Point Global Chris Crosby and CEO of Lookout Social Clay Nichols discussed how child ID theft should be a top privacy concern for parents. Here are some lessons learned from the discussion:

Children have a digital footprint before they are even born! This early digital footprint can make cyber criminals aware of a fresh identity on which to prey.
Many parents are unaware that child identity theft is a growing problem, since there are many other frightening cyber challenges they face, such as cyber bulling.
To combat cyber criminals, parents can start the digital safety conversation early with children. Let kids know why they should not share their passwords with others and educate them on what is appropriate to post on social media.

Staying Cyber Secure During the 2014 Sochi Olympics

By Morgan Grevey| 2014-02-11T15:23:09-06:00 February 11th, 2014|Uncategorized|

Sochi 2013 Last week NBC News experimented with cyber security in Russia to help visitors traveling to Sochi for the Olympics understand the cyber risks they may face. The news segment warned that travelers’ data could be exposed when using their devices in Russia, and the reporter showed how his data was hacked within minutes of using his smartphone and laptop.

This report has been under fire since it was published. Gizmodo reporter Robert Sorokanich writes, “NBC did a few questionable things in filing this report – namely, initiating download of an unknown .apk file on the smartphone, and neglecting to download updates on their fresh-out-of-box laptops… That certainly upped their chances of being hacked.” In fairness, Sorokanich continues, “those are the kinds of things unsavvy tech users do, and unsecured public Wi-Fi is still plenty risky.”

Mashable reporter Jason Abbruzzese also pointed out that these risks “are not exclusive to Russia. Visitors may see more malicious links in the average Olympic search result than in other countries, but any users clicking on suspicious sites are bound to end up with problems regardless of where they are.”

In short, the risks NBC highlighted are risks that consumers should be wary of, no matter where they are in the world. Whether in the United States, Russia, or another country, cyber criminals are savvy when it comes to identifying a device’s weaknesses, infiltrating your data and taking advantage of large-scale events, such as the Olympics, to maximize hacking success.

Travelers to Sochi should note, however, that laws pertaining to cyber monitoring do differ from the United States. The State Department issued a travel advisory that warned travelers “that Russian federal law permits the monitoring, retention and analysis of all data that traverses Russian communication networks, including Internet browsing, email messages, telephone calls, and fax transmissions,” reported U.S. News.

Here are three ways to protect yourself during the Olympics, whether you’re watching from home or abroad:

1. Make sure your devices do not auto-connect to public Wi-Fi.

When you connect to a public Wi-Fi spot, you’re giving cyber criminals a chance to capture your Internet history by tracking data via a man-in-the-middle attack. This can provide access to valuable accounts like your email and social networking profiles, which likely store sensitive data. Disable your smartphone’s auto-connect to Wi-Fi feature to help reduce this risk.

2. Connect to reputable sites to get Olympic coverage.

Phony sites that claim to stream Olympic coverage can actually harm your device and result in stolen data. Dave Kashi from The International Business Times reports that “harmful actors may create fake websites and domains that appear to host official Olympic news or coverage, which could be used to deliver malware to an end user upon visiting the site. Such sites are also known as drive-by downloads or watering holes.” Kashi provided a list of sites that provide credible Olympic coverage, including: NBC, NBCSN, MSNBC, USA Network, NBCOlympics.com and the Olympics’ Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

3. Lock mobile devices and install remote wipe apps.

In case of mobile theft or loss, keep a passcode on your smartphone to help delay identity thieves and cyber criminals from accessing sensitive data on your phone. You can also download apps for your iOS or Android device that allow you to remotely wipe your SD card and phone data in the event it is lost.

If you are abroad or plan on traveling abroad to visit Sochi for the Olympics, check out our past blog post: 10 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft While Traveling.

What are some additional ways to protect your devices during this Olympic season? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter, and please be sure to stay up-to-date on the latest security news on our Tumblr.

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2016: Mobile, IoT Threats on the Horizon

Location Based Marketing: Ethics and Privacy Concerns

News Recap: Mobile Security at Black Hat Conference

Mobile Security Infestation: Protecting Yourself and Your Mobile Device

Payments 101: An Intro to Payment Security and Transaction Trends

News Recap: Amazon Fire Phone Privacy Concerns

Your Small Business is Big Business for Cybercriminals

Cyber Security Takeaways From South By Southwest Interactive

Staying Cyber Secure During the 2014 Sochi Olympics

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