Our Blog

My favorite security author (Brian Krebs) published a blog post this morning that struck me right between the eyes.The full article is available here and is titled "Windows 10 Shares Your Wi-fi with Contacts"... WHAT!?!Here's the opening paragraph: Starting today, Microsoft is offering most Windows 7 and Windows 8 users a free upgrade to the software giant's latest operating system -- Windows 10. But there's a very important security caveat that users should know about before transitioning to the new OS: Unless you opt out, Windows 10 will by default share your Wi-Fi network password with any contacts you may have listed in Outlook and Skype -- and, with an opt-in, your Facebook friends!
Continue Reading...

Brian Krebs from Krebsonsecurity.com fame is one of my must-read bloggers.IMHO, Brian is one of the sharpest internet security analysts around and he's also a prolific and excellent writer on security issues - I highly recommend that you subscribe to his blog.Today's article was about ATM skimmers and the slick methods that thieves use to steal the information in the magnetic stripe on the card; it also goes into detail about how they can steal your PIN # and it turns out that one of the methods involves putting a micro-camera in the skimming device so it visually records your keystrokes when you enter your PIN #... here's a valuable tip extracted fromt the article:
Continue Reading...

Sleeping under the stars, hiking, swimming, and toasting marshmallows are activities many folks look forward to every summer. But getting back to nature offers its own set of risks. By understanding the following common camping mishaps, you can make it much more likely that your summer outdoor excursions will only include the fun and exhilarating kind of adventures, instead of the emergency-room kind.
Continue Reading...

For most American families, summer is outdoor celebration time, fireworks time, barbecue time, and fun-in-the-sun-by-the-pool time. If you're the one who happens to be hosting, however, it's important to recognize that these quintessential summer activities present unique risks, as well as potential liability issues.
Continue Reading...

Picked up a news article on the net reporting ACE Insurance Company's purchase of Chubb Insurance Group.These are two giant insurance carriers with a lot of similarities and the merged entity will be an even more significant force in our industry.Here is a good article in Property-Casualty-360 that details the transaction, which is still pending regulatory approval.The approval and merger process is expected to take about a year and the new entity will operate under the venerable Chubb name (ACE is only about 35 years old).The current companies both write both Personal Lines and Commercial Lines and some of their overlapping niches include International coverage and heavy commercial risks in both Property and Casualty lines.The merged entity would benefit from Chubb's successful retail and mid-size commercial ventures and from ACE's successful wholesale and General Brokerage ventures.IMHO the merger is similar in size and nature to St. Paul's acquisition of Travelers where Travelers is actually the surviving trade name and entity... it should be interesting watching this develop.
Continue Reading...