Saturday, November 4, 2017

Identity Theft: A Recovery Plan

 
Readers of this blog likely have an interest in personal privacy and security, and take steps to protect themselves from becoming victims of fraud and identity theft. By taking even the most basic steps to safeguard your private information, you make yourself much safer than those who take no precautions. Identity thieves and similar cyber-criminals target the easiest potential victims, going after the "low hanging fruit". These criminals want a quick score, and often won’t take the time to attempt to defeat security precautions. However, no security is perfect and regardless of what safeguards you have in place it is still possible to become a victim of identity theft as a result of having your information compromised in a data breach such as happened with Equifax in 2017, or as happened with the US Government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 2015.
 
If you are the victim of identity theft the Federal Trade Commission has published "Identity Theft: A Recovery Plan" that you can download to help guide you through developing a recovery plan. Additional information is also available on the IdentityTheft.Gov web-site.


Friday, November 3, 2017

Signal Desktop

 

Signal Desktop is now available in a new, standalone form. The new desktop version of Signal runs independently of your browser. If you’ve never used Signal Desktop before, this is a great chance to start. Send high-quality group, text, voice, video, document, and picture messages anywhere in the world without SMS or MMS fees. Signal messages and calls are always end-to-end encrypted and painstakingly engineered to keep your communication safe. Keep your chat history tidy with messages that you can set to disappear. Choose different disappearing message intervals for each conversation.  https://signal.org/blog/standalone-signal-desktop/ 
 
You will need Signal on your smartphone, and you can now pair your phone with this desktop application. Signal uses strong encryption to protect all of your communications, and is recognized as one of the most secure communication platforms currently available. Instructions on how to install Signal on your smartphone can be found here:  https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/how-use-signal-ios for iOS and here: https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/how-use-signal-android for Android.
 
 



Lock Down Your Login

 

 
Follow these six simple steps to Lock Down Your Login and gain peace of mind and more control over your online security:
 
Best practices to help Deter data compromises:
 
  • Limit the amount of personal information you post online and on public-facing online platforms.
     
  • Be wary of unsolicited contacts on social media requesting personal information.
     
  • Evaluate your security or privacy settings and limit access to your information.
     
  • Use strong, complex, and unique passwords on all accounts. Enable two-factor authentication when possible.
     
  • Check privacy policies and limit options for individuals viewing your social media account, as well as accounts associated with family members.
     
  • Regularly monitor credit reports and associated financial information for any potential compromise.
     
  • Understand what personal information may be available as public record.
     
  • Report suspicious activity to mitigate potential targeting.
     
  • Ensure that all of your devices have antivirus software and are continually updated.
     
 

The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA)  is the nation's leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness.  NCSA’s core efforts include National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Data Privacy Day and STOP. THINK. CONNECT. the global online safety awareness and education campaign.
 
 
 

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Anti-Terrorism Awareness Training

 
Anti-Terrorism consists of defensive measures used to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and property to terrorist acts. The Department of Defense requires that its personnel complete basic anti-terrorism awareness training annually.  This training can be given by someone who has completed a service component’s one-week long anti-terrorism level 2 training, or this annual training requirement may be met by completing the Level-1 Anti-Terrorism Awareness Training on-line. 
 
For individuals who wish to obtain a greater understanding of terrorism and how to protect themselves from terrorist attacks and other violent crime, additional basic awareness training is also available on-line. 
 
The following awareness courses are available without cost to anyone who wishes to take them. 
 

This stand-alone training is sponsored by the Joint Staff in coordination with the Military Services. Completion of this training meets the annual requirement for Level I Antiterrorism Training prescribed by DoDI 2000.16. The purpose of this training is to increase your awareness of terrorism and to improve your ability to apply personal protective measures. It also provides links to resources you can use in the future.
 

This course introduces critical infrastructure personnel to the information they need and the resources available to them to identify threats and vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure from the theft and diversion of critical resources, raw materials, and products that can be used for criminal or terrorist activities. The course also identifies actions that participants can take to reduce or prevent theft and diversion.
 

An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and other populated area. In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly.  All employees can help prevent and prepare for potential active shooter situations. This course provides guidance to individuals, including managers and employees, so that they can prepare to respond to an active shooter situation.
 

The purpose of this course is to make persons involved in commercial retail operations aware of the actions they can take to identify and report suspicious purchases or thefts of products that actors could use in terrorist or other criminal activities. To achieve this goal, the course provides an overview of prevention steps aimed at identifying and monitoring high-risk inventory products and reporting suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies.
 

Surveillance Awareness: What You Can Do (IS-914) is a course developed to provide awareness to critical infrastructure employees of actions to take to detect and deter hostile surveillance situations. This course provides guidance to individuals, including managers and employees, on ways to enhance critical infrastructure protection through increased awareness, detection and reporting of suspicious behavior that may be linked to hostile surveillance activities.
 

The "Terrorism 101" course prepares learners to successfully recognize, report, and react to potential terrorist incidents. In the first two lessons, learners develop a broad understanding of terrorism, including a definition of terrorism as well as examples of terrorist groups and targets. In addition, learners gain insight into the importance of protecting private sector resources through awareness-level training. The last two lessons list various weapons of mass destruction (WMD), relay indicators of potential terrorist activity, and outline actions to be taken in the event of a potential terrorist attack. Course was updated and recertified in July 2011.
 

This course provides guidance to individuals and organizations on how to improve the security in your workplace. No workplace - be it an office building, construction site, factory floor, or retail store - is immune from security threats. Employees are often the target of these threats as well as the organization's first line of defense against them. Threats endanger the confidentiality, integrity, and security of your workplace, as well as your virtual workplace and computer systems. This course presents information on how employees can contribute to your organization's security.
 
Advanced Anti-Terrorism Training

For anyone who would like to develop a more in depth understanding of terrorism, there are advanced courses of study, also available on-line. When taken in total these courses provide much greater breadth and depth of knowledge than the Department of Defense one-week anti-terrorism level 2 courses.  It should be noted, however, that just completing this training does not make one an expert in anti-terrorism.  Rather, completion of these courses will give you a foundational knowledge about terrorism that will serve to enhance your understanding of terrorism and terrorist related events.
 
(Requires a STEPP Account to Enroll)
This course provides students with the appropriate background, skills, and abilities to qualify as an Antiterrorism Officer (ATO) and conduct Level 1 Antiterrorism (AT) briefings, based on component's approval. It details the duties and responsibilities of ATOs at DoD facilities or installations around the world; discusses AT awareness, terrorist group operations, hostage-taking and survival, terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction, active shooter threat, and insider threat; and explores the AT plan by examining physical security considerations, the antiterrorism planning process, and resource management. As part of the course, the bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia and the attack on the USS Cole will be studied.
 
Community-led Action in Response to Violent Extremism (4 hrs)
Community-led Action in Response to Violent Extremism (CARVE) is a 4-hour self-paced online course designed for a U.S.-based audience to provide community-focused, rigorously researched, and academically-informed instruction on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). Targeted at the FEMA "awareness" training level, this FEMA-certified course is intended to provide a general introduction to radicalization to violence and community-based efforts. The course addresses the topic "Radicalization to Violence Awareness" by examining START-supported research about violent extremism and radicalization to violence in the United States. The course also provides guidance on "Community-Based Efforts for Countering Violent Extremism" by exploring a spectrum of community-led efforts to foster resilience to violent extremism and radicalization to violence.  After completing this training, participants will be able to recall and understand research-based information about violent extremism in the U.S., and a social science theory of radicalization to violence. Participants will also be able to discuss a spectrum of community-based efforts for countering violent extremism.
 
Registration for Understanding Terrorism and the Terrorism Threat is available through Coursera. Enrollment is available year-round.
The course will begin with a unit looking at widely held myths about terrorism and utilizing empirical data to discuss the realities of broad trends and patterns in terrorist attacks over time. Then, it will review the psychological factors at play in individual radicalization and recruitment into terrorism, followed by an analysis of terrorist group dynamics. It will look at terrorist group operations, including their attacks and some of the supporting behaviors that allow them to carry out attacks, including use of media, financing, recruitment, and training. In conclusion, the course will look at the factors that drive terrorist group persistence or endurance versus terrorist group desistance, and will bring the varied course concepts together through a detailed look at the case of al-Qa’ida.
 
Universiteit Leiden on Coursera

Terrorism has arguably been one of the defining factors of our age. It frequently makes headlines, threatening or attacking governments, private business and ordinary citizens. And in many parts of the world, it has been one of the most important threats to peace, security and stability. But what does this exactly mean? What is the nature of this threat? Who or what is threatened, how, by whom and why? What can be done about it or how can we at least limit the impact of terrorism and make sure that terrorists do not make headlines and manage to scare us?
 

This course will provide a brief introduction of the religion, its early history and schisms, the role of Jihad, Islam’s relationship to the West and that of individual Muslims within Western countries and the ideologies of Islamic extremism.
 

This course discusses components of a school response plan including a bomb incident response plan. The concepts of time, distance, and shielding discussed in the course are applicable to a wide variety of incidents. The 'Recognizing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)' section explains the major components of an IED and safety measures to consider with a suspicious device.
 

This free certificate program includes courses that provide training in bioterrorism preparedness and understanding the public health threat. Emergency providers that will be responding to bioterrorism events are also one of the focuses of this program. This certificate is composed of 5 courses: Bioterrorism, Biological Response Preparedness for Emergency Medical Services, Bioterrorism: The Public Health Threat, Bioterrorism: The Agents, and Mass Casualty Incident Triage.
 

The possibility that terrorists might acquire and use nuclear weapons is an urgent and potentially catastrophic challenge to global security.  Nuclear weapons, the most powerful weapons of mass destruction (WMD), use the energy produced by reactions within and between atomic nuclei to generate tremendous explosive force, heat, radiation, and other harmful effects. You will learn about the threat of terrorism using nuclear explosives, and options for meeting this threat, in this self-directed course. The course provides relatively technical information about nuclear energy and nuclear terrorism.
 

This course is designed to provide the basic awareness training to prepare first responders to respond to incidents of terrorism safely and effectively.
 
(Note: Universal Class enrollment is free through AKO and some public libraries.)
Terrorism, is it the scourge of our time?  Are you fearful of being involved in a terrorist attack?  Quite frankly it almost depends on where in the world you live.  It is often because a safe place today is a terror target tomorrow.  With the desire on the part of the terrorists to obtain weapons of mass destruction, i.e. chemical, biological, or even a dirty bomb or nuclear bomb, the potential for a massive destructive attack increases exponentially.This course looks at the recent history of terrorism from the early twentieth century to today. 
You will learn:
- The extent to which terrorism has become a part of life in the twenty-first century.
- Why there is not a generally accepted definition of terrorism.
- Acts of terrorism in the old world, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the new world.
- Who in the world is acting to fight terrorism, or acting to support terrorism.
- What the world is doing to combat terrorism.
- The known terrorist groups and what are their goals.
- The momentous influence that religion plays in terrorism
- The continuous problems with political and military tactics in defeating terrorism.
 
 
 



Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Vehicle Ramming Attacks



 
At least eight people have been killed in New York after a pickup truck plowed down a bike path in lower Manhattan this afternoon (October 31, 2017). The driver was shot and taken into police custody. Authorities are treating the incident as a terror attack.
 
The attacker who turned a Home Depot truck into a deadly weapon in New York City, used a method that has become familiar in terror attacks across the world. He was identified by two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov. The suspect is from the central Asian nation of Uzbekistan and came to the United States in 2010.  Witnesses reported that Saipov was yelling "Allahu Akbar," as he rammed his vehicle into cyclists along a bike path.
 
Today's terrorist attack is similar to others that have occured this year: 
  • In August 2017, Younes Abouyaaqoub drove a van into the crowded Las Ramblas mall in Barcelona, killing at least 13 and injuring more than 130. Another suspect, Moussa Oukabir, is thought to have rented the van. Oukabir, a teenager, was suspected of using his brother’s documents to hire the vehicle.
  • In June 2017 three terrorists killed eight people after driving a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before attacking nearby revellers. It later emerged the group had initially tried to hire a 7.5-tonne truck but were unsuccessful.
  • In April 2017, a hijacked truck was deliberately driven into crowds in Stockholm, Sweden, killing five and injuring 14 others.
  • In March 2017, Khalid Masood, a British citizen, rented the 4x4 he used to mow down pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge in March, killing four people, then fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by police.
  • The most devastating of such attacks happened in July 2016 when Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel used a hired 19-tonne cargo truck to kill 86 people in Nice on Bastille Day. Then in December a truck was deliberately driven into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12. On that occasion Anis Amri hijacked a truck before driving it into the crowd.
 
Protective Measures Against Vehicle Ramming Attacks
 
Watch for danger signs.  Be alert for speeding vehicles, sounds of collisions, revving engines, or sudden unusual vehicle movements.  If you see or hear something that is outside of the norm for your environment, don’t just blow it off.  Look around and actively figure out if you are in danger.  During attacks like these, a second or two of forewarning can be the difference between life and death.
 
Don’t loiter in any spaces that the terrorists can use as drive lanes. If you are walking on a busy street and need to stop in order to tie your shoes, write a text, or speak with a friend, stop at a spot on the sidewalk that offers you some protection from a car hopping the curb. The gaps between the parked cars are the likely routes the terrorists will use to get onto the sidewalk.  Don’t stand there.  You are much safer if you keep a parked car between you and the traffic lane.
 
Move indoors immediately, but don’t stay there.  A sturdy structure offers a decent refuge from a vehicle driven by a terrorist intent on killing people.  Get inside quickly.  Stay away from large glass windows/doors and exterior walls.  Once you get inside, you are relatively safe against a vehicular attack. The problem is created, however, when waiting with a large group of people indoors exposes you to risks from terrorist attacks that are conducted in the more traditional manner of shooting, bombing, and stabbing.  You don’t want to be huddled up into a tight group without an escape route.
 
Don’t rush to help the injured. Immediately after the attack, you may feel compelled to rush in and help those who have been hurt.  Take a moment and assess the scene before wading into the chaos.  Is the crashed vehicle a danger?  Are there people in the area shooting or cutting people with knives?  Is it possible that there is more than one attacker? 
 
Stay away from the attack vehicle and be alert for secondary attacks.  Here’s my prediction for the next evolution of this type of attack. Terrorists will place a bomb in the car they used to run people over. Explosives set to go off 10 minutes after the vehicle attack. It’s the perfect secondary device. The bomb will kill all the first responders and anyone giving aid to the victims.
 
Don’t draw your firearm while you are attempting to figure out what’s happening.  Those of you who regularly carry firearms may decide that the best course of action is to shoot the attack vehicle driver or his terrorist accomplices.  That’s great. Just recognize that it’s going to take you a few seconds to figure out what’s happening.  Keep your gun in your holster while you are evaluating the situation and making your hasty battle plan.
 

When shooting through a windshield fire multiple times, and remember that bullets deflect downward when fired into a vehicle through the windshield. Auto Glass is a very challenging tactical barrier. It is a hard and very strong material that universally deforms and deflects the handgun bullets that pass through it. The heavier the bullet, the less deflection. In tests a 230 grain FMJ (.45 ACP) deflected the least, while a 115 grain 9mm FMJ round deflected the most.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Things You Can Do to Avoid Fraud


1. Spot imposters. Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, a charity, or a company you do business with. Don’t send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request — whether it comes as a text, a phone call, or an email.
 
2. Do online searches. Type a company or product name into your favorite search engine with words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search for a phrase that describes your situation, like “IRS call.” You can even search for phone numbers to see if other people have reported them as scams.
 
3. Don’t believe your caller ID. Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information, so the name and number you see aren’t always real. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If you think the caller might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is genuine. (https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id)
 
4. Don’t pay upfront for a promise. Someone might ask you to pay in advance for things like debt relief, credit and loan offers, mortgage assistance, or a job. They might even say you’ve won a prize, but first you have to pay taxes or fees. If you do, they will probably take the money and disappear.
 
5. Consider how you pay. Credit cards have significant fraud protection built in, but some payment methods don’t. Wiring money through services like Western Union or MoneyGram is risky because it’s nearly impossible to get your money back. That’s also true for reloadable cards like MoneyPak, Reloadit or Vanilla. Government offices and honest companies won’t require you to use these payment methods. Make sure you're cautious when you're using your credit card online. Only enter your credit card number on secure websites that you can be 100% sure are legitimate. To be sure a website is secure, look for https:// in the address bar and lock in the lower right corner of your internet browser.
 
6. Don't Show ID with Your Credit Card. Security experts say the information on your driver’s license could be enough to steal your identity, which is why the Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on retailers who ask consumers to show theirs. Both MasterCard and Visa actually prohibit merchants from requiring identification as a condition for accepting their credit cards, provided the card is signed. A study by Javelin Strategy & Research found that an increasingly common method of identity theft is account takeover fraud... instead of just using a card for unauthorized transactions, fraudsters dive deeper and hack into existing accounts, change settings and make purchases in your name on-line. In order to do this effectively, the criminal needs additional personal information beyond that contained in the credit card transaction. This additional information is exactly what you provide by showing ID when making a credit card purchase.
 
7. Talk to someone. Before you give up your money or personal information, talk to someone you trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry. They might even threaten you. Slow down, check out the story, do an online search, consult an expert — or just tell a friend.
 
 

 
8. Be extremely cautious when dealing with anyone you’ve met online. Scammers use dating websites, Craigslist, social media, and many other sites to reach potential targets. They can quickly start to feel like a friend or even a romantic partner, but that is part of the con to get you to trust them.
 
9. Hang up on robocalls. If you answer the phone and hear a recorded sales pitch, hang up and report it to the FTC. These calls are illegal, and often the products are bogus. Don’t press 1 to speak to a person or to be taken off the list. That could lead to more calls. (https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0025-robocalls)
 
10. Be skeptical about free trial offers. Some companies use free trials to sign you up for products and bill you every month until you cancel. Before you agree to a free trial, research the company and read the cancellation policy. And always review your monthly statements for charges you don’t recognize.
 
11. Don’t deposit a check and wire money back to the sender. By law, banks must make funds from deposited checks available within days, but uncovering a fake check can take weeks. If a check you deposit turns out to be a fake, you’re responsible for repaying the bank.
 
12. Guard your personal information. Fraudsters use a variety of tricks to get you to divulge account numbers and passwords. They send bogus emails designed to look like it’s from your bank and make calls pretending to be with your credit card company. There’s always a reason why they need your personal information. A common ruse is for a phone bandit to ask for your account number and PIN to solve a computer problem or to stop fraudulent transactions spotted on your account. It doesn’t matter what they say – hang up! Those who need your account numbers, PINs or passwords already have them. They’d never call you or send you an email asking for them. When in doubt, contact the company in question by phone – use a number you know to be legitimate, from your statement or the phone book – and ask what’s up. Your Social Security number is the key to your life. A thief can use it to steal your money and your identity. Social Security numbers are also used to access many financial and medical records. So guard that number and only give it out when absolutely necessary to someone you know and trust.