Dicar Networks

Okay, so hopefully, Reader, there has NOT been a time when you've been tricked into calling a hacker (thinking it was your bank). So what's this week's cyber-trickery warning? Since when were we at risk for thinking we were calling our financial institution (FI) —but really, calling a hacker instead? Well, there’s now an improved Android banking trojan named "FakeCall" that’s intercepting calls to FIs. It sounds hard to believe, but victims of FakeCall malware, along with their financial...

It was 1994, and barcodes were approaching their limitations. Did you know Reader, that a Denso Wave employee came up with the bar code-killer? It was the QR code. (By the way, Denso Wave is a Japanese car maker). 🚙 🚙 🚙 While Denso Wave predicted much of the world would use this practical tool… They never foresaw it becoming so popular with businesses. So today, most everyone has scanned at least one QR (quick response) code. These codes are used everywhere and for everything. And that’s part...

Reader, do you like the idea that your device is watching you? 👀 I've never met anyone who is in favor of such a thing. Apple just recently revealed this could be the case with their macOS users. It was discovered that hackers are spying on Mac users through certain Microsoft apps and potentially overtaking their devices. All Mac fans should know what's going on with this latest security vulnerability. The cybersecurity pros at Cisco Talos found 8 vulnerabilities in various popular Microsoft...

Reader, I bet you've caught on to this pop-culture thing we do, like mashing two words together to get a new word. Brunch. Staycations. Cosplay. Sitcoms… even "ginormous" was so popular that it made the cut for the dictionary! But here's a mashup that's not so fun: Malvertising. The name is short for malicious advertising. Last fall, Malwarebytes found month-to-month, a 42% increase in malvertising in the U.S. That means users need to be hyper-aware of these aggressive and hazardous online...

Hi Reader, For many online scammers, those in retirement are a target ripe for the picking. The FBI reports retirees aged 60 years and older in the U.S. lost over $3.4 billion to scammers last year—an 11% increase from the year before. Here’s a closer look at common retirement scams and how to know one when you see one…before it’s too late. What retiree (or anyone else) wouldn’t love the idea of a low-risk, high return investment? The scammer knows the right things to say to win a victim’s...

Hi Reader, It might seem that we've been discussing the topic of phishing a lot lately. That's true. It continues to remain the top way malware gets onto devices. And it still manages to trick people to give up their personal information. The tech-savvy pal I spoke of last week—he just got his bank account unfrozen today (and it's been 12 days since he took the bait). Phishing scams are made to trick individuals into divulging their sensitive information (e.g. passwords, payment card details,...

Thanks to the coronavirus, the transition to living life through our devices has become very real. Our lives have now been changed in ways we never expected. This transition includes doing most things from home —like working, banking, healthcare, education, shopping, and even socializing. It's ironic - while moving our lives online has made so many things more convenient, it's also created a perfect storm for cybercriminals. They're having a field day, especially playing off the anxiety that...

Ever heard of a "deepfake," Reader? Deepfakes are images, videos, or even audio that are edited using AI tools to mimic someone. It's a new buzz word, fueled by media pranks (where our eyes deceive us! It's not the real person; it's a deepfake' look-a-like). And the numbers are in. A report by ESET (Essential Security against Evolving Threats) looked at the cyber threat landscape over the first half of last year. Their combined data collection and monitoring finds some concerning patterns...

Most of us know by now, that it's not good to use the same password for all of our different accounts. Yet some of us still do. (I won't ask for a show of hands 😉). (BTW, I included a simple graphic in this email, to help make unique passwords easier). Here's the thing: Users who continue to use passwords they know have been exposed in a hack are truly flirting with danger. In a recent study, Google found 1.5% of passwords are still being used despite those users knowing they’ve been...