North Dakota law could change the iPhone in a big way

North Dakota law could change the iPhone in a big way

A proposed North Dakota law could force Apple and Google to allow alternative app stores and payment systems on their platforms, potentially ending Apple’s tight control over iPhone apps and sparking major changes in the mobile app market.

February 16, 2021 • 6 min read
Hacker breaches water treatment plant in Florida, tampers with chemical safety settings

Hacker breaches water treatment plant in Florida, tampers with chemical safety settings

Last week, someone breached the computer system of a water treatment plant in Florida. According to public officials, the hacker tampered with critical safety settings, making changes that could have released toxic chemicals into the water supply.

The Oldsmar water treatment plant hack

The incident occured in the city of Oldsmar, Florida, a small municipality (pop. 14,000) just outside of Tampa. According to a press release issued by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, an unidentified hacker accessed the City of Oldsmar’s computer system twice on February 5.

The first intrusion was brief, and …

February 10, 2021 • 4 min read
How to avoid Valentine’s Day romance scams

How to avoid Valentine’s Day romance scams

Valentine’s Day 2021 is right around the corner, and the FBI is telling people to be on the lookout for romance scams. In this article, we’ll tell you what romance scams are, how they work, and how you can avoid them.

What are romance scams?

Romance scams are a kind of social engineering. In a romance scam, the scammer pretends to be romantically interested in their victim in order to gain their affection and trust. They then use the relationship to ask for money or personal information. In some romance scams, an …

February 4, 2021 • 9 min read
What’s up with WhatsApp?

What’s up with WhatsApp?

WhatsApp has been in the news a lot over the past week, with critics alleging that the popular Facebook-owned messaging app has become a threat to user privacy.

January 21, 2021 • 5 min read
7 COVID-19 vaccine scams to watch out for

7 COVID-19 vaccine scams to watch out for

The COVID-19 vaccines are here, but there have been serious issues with availability and distribution. Sadly, the bad guys are taking advantage of the situation — and of people’s anxieties — with new COVID-19 vaccine scams. 

Here’s what to watch out for, and how to stay safe:

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January 18, 2021 • 6 min read
How to avoid package delivery scams

How to avoid package delivery scams

For record numbers of people, holiday gift buying was done online this year — and now everyone is waiting around for those presents to be delivered. The bad guys know this, and are using package delivery scams to take advantage of the situation.

December 11, 2020 • 6 min read
5 tips to help you avoid scam Facebook ads

5 tips to help you avoid scam Facebook ads

If you’re going to be doing some online holiday shopping in the next week or two, here are 5 things you can do to protect yourself from the kind of scam ads you may encounter on Facebook and other social platforms.

December 8, 2020 • 5 min read