security

"Good fences make good neighbors," wrote Robert Frost in his poem "Mending Wall." And the legendary poet makes a good point, as fences can offer privacy, protect younger family members and pets as they spend time outdoors, and add to the aesthetics and value of a home.
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This year, many of us got a much more up close and personal relationship with our families, our houses, and our things. And many of us realized: we have way too much of all three. While you can't get rid of your 6-year-old or your spouse, there are plenty of places you can go to unload excess stuff.
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These days, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when many work and school remotely, much of our lives is spent online. And social media is not just for young people anymore, different platforms have become the norm for all ages. Sure, it has its perks, such as catching up with people whom you might not otherwise get to visit with, but it can also be harmful if not used properly. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself online, plus a few tips specifically for teens.
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Technology-enhanced homes in Pennsylvania are the wave of the future, but many people might not understand how smart home technology works, believe they can afford it, or know whether or not it's worth the investment. While there certainly are complete smart home systems available, you don't necessarily have to go all in or spend a ton of money in order to take advantage of some of the most practical innovations smart home technology has to offer.
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We've had a number of clients ask questions about not just insurance but small business loans, grants, payroll protection, and the family first act. We're trying to keep informed to help direct those questions. We can't offer legal of financial advice, but we've been trying to help our clients wade through the muddy waters of the information that is out there and give advice about how this effects their insurance and how they can prevent or mitigate new risks that could arise. (And advice is always free).

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I was reading the * Malwarebytes 2019 'State of Malware' Report today and one part of it that particularly interested me was related to Phishing Attacks.The reason I found this particularly interesting is that I seem to get A LOT of phishing emails.I won't go into all of the reasons why, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that I own a couple dozen domain names including this one and I don't try to hide my identity on any of them.You can easily find me at Bill@Since1849.com on many of those sites as well as on the sites of many of our insurance companies.I HATE phishing emails and I particularly resent what is called 'spear phishing' attacks.Simply put, a phishing attack might appear to be from American Express or Google or Sam's Club or a bank.They are often fairly general and claim that you need to log on to a website to check or reset your password.Spear phishing on the other hand is very direct and appears to be a more personal email from someone that you work with or perhaps someone that is a vendor or insurance company.They may have links, but more likely they might have attachments that are named things like Invoice or Your Order or Payment or SexyPic or whatever - - - all of these are designed to trick you into opening the document and view it.Sometimes they are harmless, but more often they contain Trojans or Viruses that are designed to compromise your computer or help the 'actor' gain access to information on your network.

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This past year, it seemed like just about every week there was a new headline about some serious privacy breach, intentional or otherwise, occurring at a major organization. With the increasing popularity of technologies, from genetic testing to health tracking apps and electronic payment services, we're putting more of our important personal information online, and we have less and less understanding of what's being done with that information or how to keep it safe. Here are a few important takeaways from the year in digital privacy, and a few things you can do to make your information safer this year.

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I'm reading more-and-more about Cyber fraud in the news and Insurance Trade Journals.Earlier this week, my favorite security-blogger, Brian Krebs published a report of a dispute between a Texas manufacturing firm and Chubb Insurance Group where the TX firm is suing Chubb to recover $480,000 that was scammed from them by criminals that pretended to be the CEO of the firm.You can read the whole blog here if you want the details, but the short version is that the employee that made the wire transfer relied on an email and telephone call and a pledge of secrecy and the firm was bilked out of $480,000 by wire transfer.The employee got suspicious when the thieves requested an additional $18 Million to complete the deal, otherwise the loss would have been much greater.

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Everyone in Pennsylvania agrees that cyber safety is important, but what, exactly, does it mean to be "safe" online? And what do parents really need to know? Here are the top five things you can do to teach your kids how to become responsible digital citizens:
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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!
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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:
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Your home or small business wireless network comes with security but it won't work if you don't turn it on.Doing so is a little involved but most of us, even the most timid, can accomplish the task.The software with most wireless routers includes a security, called WPA or WEP with newer routers, which will allow you to randomly generate an encrypted 'network key'.This key is required to access your wireless network.Each computer using your network will need to be configured one time with the key.After that everything is automatic.
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What is "Identity Theft" or "Identity Fraud"? Simply, identity theft is committed when another person's name, Social Security number or other personal information is used to apply for credit, buy goods and services, or commit other fraud. Identity theft is now a federal crime and recently stiffened penalties were put in place but you should still take measures to protect yourself. And if you should be victimized there are steps you can take to minimize your loss.
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Maintenance for your vacation or second home is pretty much the same as for your primary residence. There are a few reasons why you may need to take a few extra measures with your second home. You are most likely away from your vacation home for periods of time and, if you have nearby neighbors, they may be away from their homes during the same intervals. Many vacation homes are situated 'away from it all' so, if something were to happen to your home, it's possible no one would notice until too late.
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