Personal Details – PSafe Blog

Check out These 4 Location Sharing Do’s and Don’ts

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:43:31 +0000

In 2017, location sharing is a prevalent feature of online life. It has gotten to the point where users will hit the “tag location” button without giving their actions a second thought. While keeping your friends and family updated about your life is a lovely gesture, it’s important that you exercise caution on public social media platforms. You may choose to make all of your social media profiles private and be selective about who you connect with online.

Location sharing can lead to dangerous consequences if individuals with malicious motives are following you. Unfortunately, this is becoming a trend — hackers are now stalking victims on social media to learn more about them so that they can carry out a more effective attack. That’s why you need to know the unofficial rules for sharing your whereabouts online. Keep reading to find out the do’s and don’ts of location tagging.

Don’t: Tag a Personal Location

Never disclose your home address, school, or even your place of work. You’d be amazed how easily someone could track you down with this information. So, you should never share these items publicly. This rule also applies to your loved ones. It’s important to protect their safety too, especially when it comes to children, the elderly, and other vulnerable parties.

Do: Share Where You Ordered a Delicious Meal

Location tagging should only be used for light-hearted, trivial things, like when you have an amazing meal at that new restaurant. This information is quite harmless when posted online. Also, it can benefit your small, local businesses. After all, you’re giving them a free endorsement! Go ahead and tag as many food photos as you’d like.

Don’t: Tell People When You’re Not at Home

If you’re on a tropical vacation miles and miles from home, it could be best to keep that information quiet. After all, thieves and criminals often patrol social media, looking for their next target. Don’t let them know that you’ll be away from the house for a month! You can never be too careful when it comes to online safety. Also, when you’re on a road trip, it’s never prudent to post your location, especially if you’re stopping regularly at motels and rest stops. Someone could easily trace your movements.

Do: Upload Photos After Your Trip

When you’re back at home, then by all means, post all your vacation photos! Perhaps, go the extra mile and specify that those beach selfies are from last week. Your photos will look nicer when they’re neatly organized in one Facebook album, anyway.

How Malware Uses Fake Login Screens to Gain Personal Info

PSafe Newsroom — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 23:00:44 +0000

Session-hijacking is now a very real concern for cell phone users worldwide. Recently, a threat known as “overlay malware” has begun appearing on Android devices. Impersonating login pages from popular websites, this malware steals a user’s name and password through keystroke-logging. These hacked sites are often ones that hold a person’s most confidential information, such as their bank and social media accounts. Giving up this personal data to hackers can lead to disastrous consequences, such as identity fraud and theft. Click here to scan your device for malware and keep your personal information safe:

In order to keep your personal information safe, you should regularly scan your device for malware, especially after downloading any new apps or accidentally clicking suspicious-looking links. DFNDR’s Full Virus Scan feature is an excellent weapon in the fight against malware. The Full Virus Scan searches through your entire phone, looking through every app and inch of storage. It will check your phone and your phone’s SD card for any malware, and quickly deal with any security breaches it finds.

Recent Appearances of Keystroke-Logging Malware

Back in August 2016, keystroke-logging malware had infected Google’s AdSense Network. The Moscow security company warned Android users about a malware that would attack when they visited certain Russian news sites. These unsuspecting visitors didn’t even need to click on anything. The so-called “last-browser-update.apk” would simply download itself onto their phone. Turns out, last-browser-update.apk is a banking Trojan. Banking Trojans are specifically designed to steal a user’s online banking information.

Similarly, Netflix suffered a phishing scan at the beginning of 2017. In January, users were targeted with emails, pretending to be sent by the popular streaming site. These phishing emails would ask for the user’s login details, then proceed to acquire their credit card information. This keystroke malware was so thorough in its design that it even gave Netflix users the option of logging in through Facebook. When the phishing attack ended, it brought users to the real Netflix page. Click here to protect yourself from phishing attacks and malicious websites with the Anti-Hacking feature:

Indeed, perhaps the most troubling aspect of fake login screens is how convincing they’ve become. Hackers are very, very detail-oriented in their approach now. So, it’s best to protect your Android with Full Virus Scan, running regular scans, and Anti-Hacking. You never know what new threats could be lurking out there.

Personal Details That Broadband Providers Can Collect

PSafe Newsroom — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 21:45:44 +0000

The United States has been falling behind the rest of the world, at least in terms of what companies can do with personal data. Many European countries have been protecting their citizens’ privacy for a while now. However, the U.S. recently passed a new rule that prevents companies from giving citizens’ personal information to other companies.

Which Personal Details Were Collected?

Just a few short weeks ago, broadband providers could legally distribute information about their users. This includes your location, financial information, web browsing habits, the apps that you use, the websites that you visit, among other information. Broadband providers knew it all — and they weren’t afraid to share it.

Your Personal Information Will Still Be Collected

Now companies like Comcast and AT&T can’t use your personal information for targeted marketing. However, AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon can still gather information on users — but it is now a lot harder than it used to be. Jeffrey Chester, the executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, stated, “For the first time, the public will be guaranteed that when they use broadband to connect to the internet, whether on a mobile device or personal computer, they will have the ability to decide whether and how much of their information can be gathered.” Finally, it is up to the consumer — to an extent.

Of course, this ruling will not affect users of the HBO Now app or the AT&T DirecTV users, for example. The ruling is only applicable to broadband businesses. Web companies, such as Facebook and Google, are also left out of the F.C.C. ruling. These kinds of companies will follow the general consumer protection rules handled by the Federal Trade Commission. They do not need to ask for permission before gathering web browsing habits.

When and How the Ruling Will Go into Effect

It will be a year before consumers see any of these changes. Companies will notify users of the new privacy options through email or pop-up boxes on their websites. Once the ruling goes into effect, broadband providers will no longer be able to gather personal info — unless they receive customer permission.

Protect Your Information

Now that your broadband information will soon be safe, it’s time to further protect your web browsing activity. You should always be careful about the type of information you provide to companies, in addition to which companies you trust with your information. Download and install PSafe Total Windows to protect your computer from viruses and malware. PSafe Total Windows also offers disc cleanup, which will help your computer to run faster and better than ever.