Technology Tips: October 2023 Edition (Cybersecurity Special)

#Tips Read time:

For fun: cyber trivia 

A. There are more than ___ cybersecurity workers in the U.S.

B. Hackers steal ___ records every second.

C. The 2019 U.S. cybersecurity budget was ___ billion dollars.

Find the answers at the bottom of this page! 
 

Creepy cars

Trick or treat: Cars are one of the worst products when it comes to data privacy.

Unfortunately, no treats here—especially if you drive a Tesla, Nissan, or Hyundai. These three makes ranked worst when it came to the collection of personal information. (But unfortunately, according to this study all car makes ranked poorly—so you may not want to base your purchasing decisions too heavily on privacy.) Be sure to check out this article for a full breakdown, but a few of the red flags in vehicles include: untrustworthy AI, collection of genetic information and other very personal info, as well as privacy policies that allow manufacturers to share your data with government and law enforcement agencies when requested.

Here are a few ways to help protect yourself:

     1. Decline location sharing on your phone.
     2. Do not allow your vehicle to share information with third parties (opt out!).
     3. Don't give access to tailored ads. (Learn more about your specific vehicle's privacy policy here.)
 

Spooky stats

👻 Cybercrime is more profitable than the global illegal drug trade. Illegal drugs bring in $400 billion annually, while cybercriminals rake in $600 billion.

👻 It's predicted that cybercrime will cost the global economy more than $20 trillion by 2026.

👻 Hackers attack every 39 seconds.

👻 Hackers create 300,000 new pieces of malware daily.

👻 Someone could become an American citizen for $6,000, or buy a fake passport, drivers license, and ID from different countries for about $900.

👻 84% of car makes share or sell your data, while 92% give drivers little to no control over it.
 

Funny hacks

Sometimes the bad guys want a good laugh too—let's lighten the cybercrime talk with these humerous hacks.

🍭 In 2013, Burger King’s Twitter account was hacked and, for a few brief moments, they became McDonald's. They also announced that Burger King was sold to the Golden Arches “because the whopper flopped.” Oops!

🍭 In 2010, Mr. Bean became... the prime minister of Spain? PM Zapatero’s photo was replaced with one of Mr. Bean on the EU presidency website, along with the words “Hi there.” Guess that’s what happens when you resemble a famous movie character!

🍭 “Drive crazy y’all.” That was the message on a Texas road construction sign after a man correctly guessed the login information and changed the sign's text. He ended up getting arrested and charged with criminal mischief, but with credentials that easy to crack, we think there's another problem too! 

🍭 Cybercrime collided with cupcakes in 2010 when British intelligence organization M16 hacked an online magazine from Al Qaeda. The magazine included detailed instructions for how to create a bomb in one’s kitchen. M16 replaced the recipe with one from a segment of Ellen DeGeneres’ show “The Best Cupcakes in America.”
 

Malware of the month

What do you call every major U.S. airline + millions of dollars in phoney plane parts sold by a rookie entrepreneur and former DJ? Bamboozled. London-based AOG Technics, founded by Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, has been selling faulty airplane parts to every major U.S. airline (and other airlines outside the U.S.). He did this by faking signatures and nearly 100 safety certificates. The “AOG executives” on LinkedIn were all fake accounts with stock images. There have been 126 affected engines and each could cost up to $300,000 to fix. Don’t fear if you have upcoming travels—there haven’t been any flight emergencies as a result.
 

Trivia answers

A. 1.1 million
B. 75
C. 14.98