The “Epic Hack” of Wired’s Mat Honan – Social Engineering at Work

[Article first published as The “Epic Hack” of Wired’s Mat Honan – Social Engineering at Work on Blogcritics.] I spend a lot of time and effort attempting to keep people safe in the digital age.  Whether it’s on a professional level at…

DNS Changer Malware and the FBI’s July 9th Deadline – A Few Answers

[Article first published as DNS Changer Malware and the FBI’s July 9th Deadline: What It Is and What You Should Know on Blogcritics.] Depending on how close you are to your local nerd, you should have already heard about a computer virus…

Capcom Producer Admonishes Street Fighter x Tekken Players for Hacking On-Disc DLC

[Article first published as Capcom Producer Admonishes Street Fighter x Tekken Players for Hacking On-Disc DLC on Blogcritics.] I remember that there once existed a time when gamers had to accomplish a feat to unlock additional content for a game.  This was especially true…

FBI Arrests Hackers with Help of Former LulzSec “Leader”

[Article first published as FBI Arrests LulzSec Hackers with Help of Former “Leader” on Blogcritics.] Just one time. After being cautious about covering his tracks, all it took was just took one time logging into IRC without masking his IP address for…

97. Smartphone Spy – Mobile Carriers Caught Secretly Skimming Android User Info

[Article first published as Smartphone Spy – Mobile Carriers Caught Secretly Skimming Android User Info on Blogcritics.] While I enjoy the increasing number of things I have been able to do with each iteration of mobile technology on the market, I’ve always…

96. Common Damn Sense: Does the Facebook Spam Wave Reflect Deeper Issues with User Habits?

[Article first published as Does the Facebook Spam Wave Reflect Deeper Issues with User Habits? on Blogcritics.] It’s been a while since I jumped into a good old-fashioned rant.  As there is, as the kids say these days, no time like the…

94. Hacking, Social Engineering and RSA

[Article first published as Hacking, Social Engineering and RSA on Blogcritics.] More than occasionally people will come to one of my tech friends or me with a computer problem.  No longer an uncommon occurrence with the ever-present digital influence in our lives,…

80. could a little tech know-how prevent strangers from seeing you in the shower?

[Article first published as Lack of Computer Knowledge Allows Technician to Hack Customers’ Webcams on Blogcritics.] In my line of work and field of nerdery, I often encounter people who need my help because they just don’t understand computers. I…

74. first PSN, now SOE: Sony, WTF?

[Article first published as First PSN, now SOE: Sony’s Wounds Deepen on Blogcritics.] I spent more time this morning checking the posting dates of the articles I was reading online than I did on taking in their contents.  It seemed to me like…

73. welcome back? sony’s answer to the PSN fiasco

[Article first published as Welcome Back? Sony’s Answer to the PSN Fiasco on Blogcritics.] The current issues surrounding Sony’s little security problem have been fairly public, and can be considered the biggest issue in gaming to date this year.  If you’re not…