Issue #17 This Authenticator App Did What? Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, let’s talk about what happened with Raivo, a popular authenticator app for iOS. Raivo’s nasty surprise Raivo users had a nasty surprise at the end of May. After updating the authenticator app, they found their 2FA codes had been deleted, locking them out of their online accounts. Mobime, the company who owns Raivo, announced they found a way for users to restore their codes if they had...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Issue #16 Is Recall Worth the Risk? Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, let’s talk about Microsoft’s latest controversial feature: Recall. Recall is currently available on Microsoft’s AI powered Copilot+ PCs. It allows you to retrace what you were doing on your computer up to three months ago. It does this by taking screenshots every five seconds and storing them locally on your machine, allowing you to explore them later in a timeline format or via search. While...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #15 Be Wary of Google's AI Overview Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! Today, let’s talk about Google’s AI Overview, which you’ll soon see integrated into Google Search. As its name suggests, AI Overview (previously known as SGE or Search Generative Experience) provides an AI generated summary of the search results for certain queries. And, to make sure you can’t miss it, Google places it right at the top of the search results page. When experimenting with AI Overview,...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #14 Vastaamo Hacker Sentenced Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! Before getting to this week’s story, I have a quick announcement. Going forward, I’ll be sending this newsletter out once every two weeks instead of once every week. I hope you’ll continue to enjoy the newsletters, even though they’ll be a little less frequent! Now, let’s talk about Julius Kivimäki, a 26-year-old Finnish hacker who was sentenced to prison earlier this week for his attack on Finnish...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #13 The Change Healthcare Ransomware Disaster Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week let’s talk about the train wreck that is the Change Healthcare situation. If you haven’t heard, Change Healthcare suffered a ransomware attack back in February that caused disruption at hospitals and pharmacies around the country. As is common with ransomware attacks, the bad actors also stole data from the health tech giant. UnitedHealth Group, the company that owns Change...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #12 Cybercriminals Offer $300 per SIM Swap Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, let’s talk about how cybercriminals are bribing employees of major cell carriers to carry out SIM swaps. What is a SIM swap? First, a bit of background. A SIM swap allows an attacker to steal your phone number. It happens when a cybercriminal convinces your cell carrier to transfer your number to their phone, meaning all your calls and texts go to them. If you receive 2-factor...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #11 Eclipse-Themed YouTube Scams Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! Let’s talk about YouTube scams again this week, as there’s been more scam activity on the video sharing platform. As I explain in the latest post on Safe Not Scammed, fraudsters have been exploiting Monday’s eclipse to lure viewers into a classic crypto giveaway scam. This scam works by asking victims to send crypto to a specific address and promising to send double the amount back. Of course, anyone...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #10 Malware Lurks on YouTube Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, let’s talk about YouTube. If you need a tutorial about anything computer related, YouTube is a great place to look! Unfortunately, hackers know this, and are using it to trick viewers into downloading malware. Proofpoint, a cybersecurity company, released a report earlier this week describing what’s been going on. Essentially, the unknown cybercriminals are creating YouTube videos describing how...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #9 Don’t Trust Links From AI! Image made using Canva Ahoy there, fellow Netizens! This week, let’s talk about Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). This combines AI with Google Search to provide an AI generated answer to your questions. Lily Ray, an SEO specialist and DJ, found that SGE includes malicious links as part of its AI generated answers. If you search for “Walmart auto center,” for example, she found you’ll get an AI generated summary of Walmart’s auto services,...
4 months ago • 1 min read