Alexa sure is handy, as long as you know the pro tricks for getting the most out of the Amazon smart assistant. Kim shares 7 tips to make your Echo experience more secure, useful and fun. Learn how to adjust your privacy settings, change the way Alexa sounds, upgrade your audio and much more with this week’s Digital Life Hack.
Use this one trick to protect yourself as data breaches hit all-time high
Every week seems to bring news of corporate data breaches that are putting millions of Americans’ information in peril. The year isn’t even over, but 2019 is shaping up to be the worst in terms of data breaches.
Major names such as Capital One to small e-commerce sites have been hit this year. As we’re finding out, it’s not only the amount of data hacked that is important but also the kind of information stolen that could spell all sorts of trouble for consumers.
We’ll look at how 2019 is measuring up t0 2018 and what have been the most egregious breaches so far. As always, we have ways to protect yourself if you find that your data has been stolen.
Data breaches in 2019 will surpass 2018
For the first six months of 2019, the number of data breaches increased by 54% compared to the same time last year. That’s according to a new mid-year report by RiskedBased Security.
Through June 30, 2019, 3,813 data breaches had been reported, exposing more than 4.1 billion records. The number of records exposed so far this year is up 52% compared to the same time last year.
The business sector accounted for 67% of reported breaches, with medical coming in at 14% and government at 12%. Over the first two quarters of 2019, eight breaches exposed 3.2 billion records or 78% of all records exposed through June 30.
Hacking remains the No. 1 tool for breaches, accounting for 82% of all reported incidents. About 70% of the data exposed was email addresses. Passwords made up about 65% of data exposed in breaches.
Why do emails and passwords remain so prized by hackers? They are sold on the dark web as access to credentials continues to be the most popular way to gain access to systems and servers.
Third-party companies made up just 137 of the data breaches in the first half of 2019. Most were negligible but at least two were major.
Related: Sensitive FBI files, emails, Social Security numbers and passwords exposed
Major 2019 data breaches to date
The two major third-party breaches exposed millions of records from Facebook and a medical collection agency. The latter has had a calamitous effect on three major health care companies.
American Medical Collection Agency
American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA) suffered a massive data breach that affected three of its major clients — Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp and Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL).
An unauthorized user had access to AMCA’s web payment system. The breach was not detected for eight months. The affected companies said lab results were not accessed.
The data of 11.9 million Quest, 2.2 million CPL and 7.7 million LabCorp patients were exposed. Data from Quest customers included banking information and credit card numbers, medical records and Social Security numbers.
Companies in the banking and financial sector also were hard hit. Three companies alone account for 924 million compromised accounts.
Capital One’s servers were hacked, exposing more than 100 million U.S. customers. Data analytics firm Ascension exposed about 24 million financial and banking documents related to loans and mortgages due to a misconfigured server. It’s not known if any of the information was stolen.
But by far, the largest number of data exposed by one company is courtesy of First American Financial. What’s worse is that the data was compromised due to the company’s own negligence.
First American Financial
First American Financial, one of the nation’s leading settlement and insurance providers, exposed 800 million records containing sensitive data. A flaw in its database design made critical data visible to anyone using a web browser for more than two years.
On its public-facing website, private mortgage information, tax records, and even Social Security and bank account numbers could be seen by anyone with an internet connection. And First American literally handed people access to the data.
The company sends users links to documents with each file labeled by number in the web address. All you would need to do to access another person’s information would be to change the number in the URL.
Protecting yourself from corporate data breaches
You can protect your personal information on your home PC, but it won’t matter if a company you do business with exposes that same information. It’s frustrating, but there are things you can do to contain the effects of a breach on you.
The most important step to take, first and foremost is to get into a routine of changing your online account passwords every three months. That means something new and different for each account because if one gets breached, that compromises so much more if you’re using the same password.
Consider using a password manager to help simplify the task, such as RoboForm. Right now, you can take advantage of a limited-time offer and get 50% off RoboForm password manager.
Here are more tips to protect yourself:
- Be on the lookout for phishing scams. Hackers will create emails pretending to be the affected company in hopes of getting you to click on malicious links. If the email provides a link back to the company, don’t click on it. Type the company’s actual URL on your browser to avoid a spoof site.
- Frequently check your bank statements for signs of suspicious activity. If you see anything strange, report it immediately.
- If you see suspicious activity on your credit cards, call your credit card company and put a freeze on your accounts as soon as possible.
- Install strong security software not just on your PC but also on your smartphones.
With hackers seemingly always one step ahead of companies’ cybersecurity efforts, don’t be surprised if your personal information is exposed. But, following the tips above, you can always be prepared.
Be sure to visit Komando.com to keep up with the latest information on data breaches and tips on how to protect yourself.
Phone trackers, search deletion, checking strange links and more: Tech Q&A
Each week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products, and all things digital. Sometimes, choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job.
This week, I received questions about hidden phone trackers, ending robocalls, checking strange links, and more.
Urgent! Update to iOS 12.2 now – It has 50-plus critical security patches
If you’re an Apple fan, it’s an exciting time. Earlier this week, the company held another reveal event. But this time, it didn’t focus on all of its new shiny gadgets.
Instead, we learned about a bunch of new services. AppleTV+, Apple News, Apple Arcade, and there’s even a new Apple credit card in the works.
How to make money selling your photos online
There are many amazing views in the world that make for spectacular photos. Whether you’re on vacation and capturing a beautiful sunset or just out on a local hiking trail, the opportunity to take some great pictures is out there.
Get faster internet by changing this one setting
Have you ever been frustrated by slow internet speeds? There are many things that could be causing delays in your connection speed. No one likes waiting for web pages to load or videos to play. But if you haven’t changed this setting on your computer, you’re probably not getting the speeds you deserve.
Best internet browsers: Comparing Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge | Digital Life Hack from Kim Komando
Which internet browser should you use? Kim compares well-known and top-used browsers based on safety, privacy, ease of use and personalization. Find out why you may or may not want to use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Tor and even Internet Explorer.
Nearly half of our readers polled at Komando.com use Google Chrome. What’s your favorite browser? Which will you never use?
Kim's son Ian gives a moving speech
It’s graduation season, and many of you will be watching your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews reach that big life milestone over the next few weeks. I’m right there with you. My son, Ian, just gave his senior speech and talked about something very near and dear to my heart, his hero — my mother. Warning: Grab the tissues. (Ian’s speech starts just after the 6-minute mark.)
Deepfake videos are getting terrifyingly real
If you thought fake news was bad, then you won’t believe what’s coming our way in the future. Widely seen as the next generation of hoaxes, Deepfakes are videos that use artificial intelligence to edit faces, motion, and speech with scary accuracy. In a Deepfake video, you can make any politician say anything you want, or swap the face of a person you know on a salacious picture for instant blackmail. The worst part: it’s getting harder to tell them apart from the real thing. This video might disturb you.
Apps known to track you and steal your data
Have you ever had an app ask you to access your phone’s location? Of course you have, we all have. How about those apps that want access to your smartphone camera and contact list?
If you think about why they do this, it might creep you out. In this Komando on Demand podcast, you’ll learn the dirty secrets that some app developers don’t want you to know.
Find nearly anyone online
Do you want to connect with old friends? Perhaps a long-lost classmate from your childhood or a former neighbor or co-worker who moved on years ago.
Whatever the reason you wish to track down an old acquaintance, searching on Google or Facebook might not always bring up the best results you want. But I found a cool website that could be a better way for you to find people online.
This 'Home on the Range' ranch home costs $35 million
Have you ever wanted to fulfill your dreams of living the cowboy lifestyle on a large farm estate? Maybe wake up in the morning to feed the cows, ride the horses and then later explore your 30,000 acres? The Hobble Diamond Ranch offers a multitude of amenities, and is accentuated by the Yellowstone River that runs through the property.
Clearing cache made easy
So what is your computer’s cache? Why do you need to empty it? And when? Here’s how to do it. It’s easier than you think, and you can do it in less than 2 minutes.
Highlights from the Jerry Lewis telethon
For 44 years, the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon was a tradition of the holiday. The telethon raised billions for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and gave us “Jerry’s Kids.” Check out the best moments of telethon over the years, including the comedian’s surprise reunion with old pal and partner Dean Martin.
Is your browser secure? See if it needs updating
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Opera. What do all these things have in common? They’re all web browsers, and they all need to be kept up to date to stay safe online.
Each browser has multiple versions out there at any given time. Why? Because when updates are released, some people choose not to install them. This is not a good idea.
Remove yourself from people search sites
Want to hear something a little bit creepy? Anybody who’s willing to pay online information brokers – aka people-search sites – can learn your phone number, address, criminal record and a lot more. Even more creepy? This information doesn’t always come at a price. You could be giving it away.
What is life like in a supermax prison?
For the worst of the worst criminals, there’s one prison in the mountains of Colorado that they won’t be able to break out of. Isolated from the rest of the world, this prison is the only supermax in the country, and is a life sentence to all who go there.
Kinetic sand art coffee table
Kinetic art is absolutely incredible because parts are moving or give the illusion that they’re moving. This coffee table was used as a piece of kinetic art to create ever-changing patterns in the sand. It’s truly mesmerizing! Watch this video to see how this beautifully artistic coffee table moves.
Would you give a stranger a foot massage?
Feet really freak some people out. Even if they don’t, we just seem to reserve touching feet for the people we are very close to. So if some stranger sat down across from you, plopped their foot on your lap and asked for a massage, would you do it? Could you do it without laughing? Watch this hilariously awkward video of strangers giving each other foot massages.
Get hired as a transcriptionist
Are you a quick typist? With a computer and a pair of high-quality headphones, you can get an at-your-own-pace job as a transcriptionist with relative ease.
TV shows, doctors and industries all over the world need to keep a well-documented record of their activity. Instead of transcribing the text in-house, however, they’ll usually outsource their transcription to a third party.