Showing posts with label FBI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FBI. Show all posts

Monday, March 23, 2015

Doubleheader Videos: Int'l Cyber Crime and BlackHat & DEFCON

Cyber crime is a serious problem for society as we immerse ourselves further and further into an Internet-based world. Today's a doubleheader day as we provide you with two informative, interesting videos on cyber crime.

Those who have been victimized know all too well the pain and suffering associated with the actions of criminals that work hard to take what is not theirs. No longer is the word "hacker" synonymous with young children looking for a new challenge, but rather grownup adults who seek to steal as much money as possible, or to steal critical data in order to blackmail or gain some political or business advantage.

This reminds me of a situation I encountered many years ago where my grandson received a $1,200 check in the mail for two small mobile speakers he had advertised on Craigslist for $100. The letter, neatly typed out on a blank piece of paper, instructed him to cash the check, take an extra $100 and to wire them the balance of the cash. What these kinds of scammers are looking for are greedy fools willing to do this no matter if it's right or not. In a word, people who ask no questions but are quite willing to participate in a crime they don't know anything about.

I told him not to send the speakers, but rather to give me the check, which I took to the local FBI office. I met with one of the agents who told me to keep the check, to report it to the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) and they would take care of it. He confided that this portion of the agency was very busy and he doubted anything would come out of the complaint as it's happening all the time and there is so much of it that the FBI probably wouldn't follow through. He was correct as far as I can tell because I was never contacted and never asked for the check.

One thing is for sure, I did not allow my grandson to cash it.

Here we are, almost 15 years later, and the fish that the FBI has to fry is even more shocking.

In 2013, the IC3 received 262,813 consumer complaints with an adjusted dollar loss of $781,841,611, which is a 48.8 percent increase in reported losses since 2012 ($581,441,110). The IC3 continues its efforts to inform the general public about online scams by publishing public service announcements and providing tips for Internet consumers. (click here)

Today, @ESC_LLC presents two informative cyber security videos, the one on International hacking and a discussion regarding those who are in the fight and what made them decide to enter the cyber security industry.

Here they are.

If you or the company or organization you work for have been victimized through an Internet scam or hacking situation, you can report it to the FBI's IC3 group. To do that, Click Here.

ESC would like to hear from you. If you have a question about cyber crime or if you would like to comment, please feel free to comment directly to this blog post using the comment window below, or use our quick response form top right. You also can use our Contact Us pages.

Allan B. Colombo
ESC Director of Social Media and Web Assets
Senior Design Specialist with TpromoCom of Columbus, Ohio.

Copyright©2015
TpromoCom

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Monday: Doubleheader Videos on Cyber Crime

This next Monday ESC will release two informative videos on cyber crime. The first outlines the nature of cyber crime activities occurring, especially between nations, and how that effects us. The second discusses careers in cyber security as experts tell how they entered the fight. This is a great video for those contemplating a career fighting cyber crime. Be there!

As mentioned numerous times, Electronic Systems Consultants LLC is dedicated to your security and that includes the security of your data. We assist many commercial and government institutions in the fight against crime, which includes computer security. The two videos we present Monday will provide helpful insights into cyber security and the men and women who are on the front lines of data protection.

To watch this video, click here.

John Larkin

Copyright©2015
TpromoCom

Monday, December 8, 2014

Espionage: The Betrayal of a Nation

Espionage is one of those trade crafts that fuel the plot in 007-type movies. And although this is true, it's also true that there are spies out and about throughout society within these United States working to uncover secrets held by both public and private concerns.

"I miss good old-fashioned espionage. Few crimes can sway or drive the wayward heart’s intentions as spying for — or against — one’s country," says William Parkinson, Senior Moment columnist with The Sentinel, Carlisle, PA, in his recent newsprint column on spying (click here).

Throughout the years there have been many spies on Uncle Sam's payroll who have sold out their country for either the need for money, because of an ideal, perhaps because of blackmail, or some combination of the above. Some of them got away with it and will never surface publicly while others where caught in the act.

I am relatively sure that the trade craft of espionage did not end with the closing of the cold war. There are, in fact, many cases in modern day times of U.S. citizens and others within the borders of this nation who were caught spying on a variety of entities, from Uncle Sam to government contractors.

One of those spies, Robert Hansen, is one of the most notable in a long list of traitors.

Robert Philip Hanssen (born April 18, 1944) is a former US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States for 22 years from 1979 to 2001. He is currently serving 15 consecutive life sentences at ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. (read more)

Here's the FBI's press release on the Hansen arrest, published on February 20, 2001: (click here).

The following is an interesting documentary on Hansen. There are those who claim that the work that Hansen did for the Russians led up to the 9/11 tragedy. According to this video, the U.S. paid millions for Hansen's KGB file which included an audio tape of a conversation that a KGB operative had with Hansen. This led FBI investigators to recognize the voice, which was that of their Comrade Robert Hansen. This led investigators to investigate Hansen to the extent that they were able to ascertain guilt.

ESC will feature a number of news items via Twitter and our Facebook page that deal with traitors who were caught or suspected of crimes against this and other nations.

Copyright©2014