Cyber Security For All

Cyber Security For All

By ApetechTechnology
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Cyber Security For All episodes

  • Can Your iCloud Account Be Hacked?

    Website: apetech.me/social

    Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/apetech/message

    Hello, and welcome to another episode of Cyber Security For All podcast.  A podcast all about cybersecurity from Apetech.  I’m your host, Alex and today we are going to be talking about can your iCloud account be hacked?

    Before we jump into the episode, let me update you on a few things.  Almost at 650 downloads! I really do think we can get to 750 before the end of the month!  Please feel free to share my podcast with your friends and family so that they too can benefit from Cyber Security For All!  If you want to leave a message, there is a voicemail URL in the episode description that you can use to get a hold of me.  Also, apetech.me/social is where you can find me and everything else that I am working on.  This podcast is just one of many different side hustles that I’m working on.  Alright, enough updates, let’s get into the episode.

    First, let’s talk about how your personal iCloud might get hacked.  Apple does a pretty good job at securing their actual infrastructure that drives iCloud.  What I mean by this, is the servers and computers that Apple uses to keep iCloud running are usually pretty safe.  While a hacker might still be able to breach Apple’s iCloud, it’s more unlikely to happen.  Because of this, most hackers will focus on attacking individuals rather than trying to attack Apple.  There are a few ways that a hacker can get into your iCloud account. Unlike breaking into Apple’s servers, hackers will try to obtain your credentials and then log into your account.  Once a hacker has your credentials, they can log in and do whatever they want.  There are a few different methods that a hacker can use to obtain your credentials.  Let’s talk about a few of those different methods.  Hopefully, by the end of this podcast, you’ll have a better awareness of where the vulnerabilities are and you can then take action to minimize your chances of getting hacked.

    16 min
  • Will a Virus Scanner Keep You Safe Online?

    Website: apetech.me/social

    Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/apetech/message

    Hello, and welcome to another episode of Cyber Security For All podcast.  A podcast all about cyber security from Apetech.  I’m your host, Alex and today we are going to be talking about will my virus scanner keep me safe online?

    Before we jump into the episode, let me update you on a few things.  Almost at 600 downloads! I really do think we can get to 750 before the end of the month!  Please feel free to share my podcast with your friends and family so that they too can benefit from Cyber Security For All!  If you want to leave a message, there is a voicemail URL in the episode description that you can use to get a hold of me.  Also, apetech.me/social is where you can find me and everything else that I am working on.  This podcast is just one of many different side hustles that I’m working on.  Alright, enough updates, let’s get into the episode.

    Will having a virus scanner on your computer keep you safe online?  Based on a Google search I did, the resounding answer is YES!  I find this very interesting and it’s the reason why I wanted to create this episode today.  While yes, a virus scanner will keep you safer online, I do not think it’s the only thing you should be using to keep yourself safe online.  I also do not agree with the first article that popped up in my search.  They state that the best antivirus program on the market is going to offer you 100% protection from advanced cyber threats.  I really do wish they would have not state this information.  I remember growing up and getting the internet installed in my house for the first time.  I was 10 years old and I remember going to a radioshack to purchase MSN.  I had no idea what I was doing, but my parents had just bought me my first computer and the year was 1998.  Within a month of owning that computer, and having an internet connection, my computer broke to the point where CompUSA (where I purchased my computer) took almost three months to fix it.  I was 10 years old and didn’t know what had happened.  Back then, not a lot of people knew what could happen on the internet.  Turns out a virus had wiped out my hard drive and rendered my computer useless.  In 1998, this was easy enough to believe since it made sense.  A simple virus scanner purchase later, and I was back in business.  But now, in 2021, if your computer broke, would you blame a virus?

    Well that’s it for this episode.  I hope you enjoyed it.  If you feel that someone you know could benefit from listening to this episode, please feel free to share it with them.  I appreciate you taking the time to listen to my podcast and thanks for the support!  I know I’m just getting started, but I’m excited to see where I take this podcast in the future.  Thanks for being a part of this journey with me.  See you on the next one!

    18 min
  • How safe is the cloud? And can you trust it?

    Apetech Website: https://www.apetech.me/social 

    Voicemail - Call me!! https://anchor.fm/apetech/message

    Twitter:  @apetechda

    Hello, and welcome to another episode of Cyber Security For All podcast.  A podcast all about cyber security from Apetech.  I’m your host, Alex and today we are going to be talking about the cloud.  Specifically, is it safe and can you trust it?

    I personally use cloud services to store some of my personal data.  And it seems that more and more businesses are running to the cloud because it allows them to cut down on infrastructure expenses. They can also get away with charging a monthly fee which guarantees that business a steady stream of income every month.  Every cloud service provider is different and you should be aware of a few things when it comes to safety and trust.

    First, let’s talk about trust.  Every business, no matter what type of business they are in should strive to earn their customer’s trust.  A business that fails to do that will not fare well long term.  When thinking about the cloud, big names such as Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft come to mind.  There are other key players like Box, Dropbox, and Adobe.  All of these companies create products that basically require you to utilize a cloud in order to use their services.  In my opinion, you should trust but be overly cautious about everything you store on the cloud.  I believe that these companies do go to great lengths to keep your data safe and thus you should trust them. But, what you cannot trust is always having access to your data.  Data that you store in the cloud doesn’t actually belong to you.  It is stored on a remote server and a cloud provider could shut down services or just eliminate something that you used to use.  In a matter of weeks, all your information could disappear.  Because of this, I would say, you can typically trust cloud providers to keep your data safe and secure, but you shouldn’t trust them to keep your data long term.  Always have a backup plan for your precious data.

    Now, let’s talk about safety.  Is the cloud safe?  Should you store your personal information there?  This depends all on how good of an internet user you personally are.  Companies try their best to combat the latest cyber security threats, but their protection systems are only as good as your password hygiene.  If you have a bad password, or if you fall victim to a social engineering attack, then it doesn’t matter how safe a cloud service is, an attacker will be able to obtain your personal data because simply put, they’ll have access to your password.  Most companies are getting a little smarter about their password security and many encrypt their databases that contain passwords.  Some companies offer two factor authentication which add a second layer of protection to their cloud services.


    22 min
  • How Secure Is Your "Smart" Home?
    Apetech Website: https://www.apetech.me/social
    https://anchor.fm/apetech/message
    Twitter:  @apetechda
    I was planning on talking about the future of warfare but then as I was researching that topic, I stumbled upon a video from Dan from What’s Inside.  If you aren’t familiar, What’s Inside is a popular YouTube channel where they cut things open.  Dan and Lincoln started the channel many years ago and after some growing popularity, they started a family channel where they show their fans a more behind the scenes look at their personal and “private” life.  A little over a year ago, Dan and his family purchased a plot of land and began building out their forever home.  This home is super advanced and has automation built into the entire house.  Dan created a series of videos showing his fans the ins and outs of his house and they even had their house listed on a tour that allowed you to walk through the entire house right before the pandemic started.  So, what does this have to do with cyber security?
    In one of the many episodes Dan published, he showed how his home automation was set up. He showed the server room and basically an in depth view of all the IP cameras and other smart home gadgets and devices he has throughout his huge house.  Additionally, when he was testing his internet speed, he flashed up the speed along with his IP address.  It turns out that a cyber security specialist from Europe was able to get into their IP cameras and see the live feeds.  This to me, and obviously to them, is super scary.  And I want to talk about this, because it’s nearly impossible to go to an electronics store and not see product after product on creating a smart home.  I want to discuss some things on my mind when you are buying these products and also talk about some tips I would recommend if you are introducing these devices into your home.
    People like automation.  They like the convenience you get when you can turn things on and off around your home with the power of your voice.  I get it, I have many devices like this all around my house to make things easier.  From smart bulbs, smart outlets, voice assistants, smart fridges, smart washing machines, the list goes on. It seems that manufacturers are basically making almost every aspect of your home smarter.  And if you remember from movies from our past, you’d probably think that we are behind!  Nonetheless, the majority of these devices rely on a home network in order to facilitate the automation that they provide.  And this where things can start to get scary.  Unless you are actively interested and engaged in the cyber security space, you probably aren’t thinking about the dangers of introducing these devices to your home.  But, having these devices adds more vectors to your home, network, and overall privacy. Let’s talk about that some more.
    Every device you introduce into your home is a new area that someone with some malicious intent can take advantage of.  Some devices are created by reputable brands and others are created by not so well known brands.  If you look up smart X on Amazon, you’ll be flooded with devices from brands/manufacturers that you probably don’t recognize.  But, because these devices are cheap, you buy them and integrate them into your home network.  Is this dangerous?  I think so.  Introducing these devices, whether from reputable brands or not, is a safety risk that you are accepting. You see, even devices such as Ring Doorbells have been known to have significant security flaws.  I worry even more when buying devices from companies that don’t have dedicated software engineers.
    17 min
  • What War Will Look Like In The Future

    Apetech Website: https://www.apetech.me/social

    Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/apetech/message

    I recently read a tweet that stated that war in the future will not be fought with guns, tanks, or bombs.  It will be fought with networks, data, and artificial intelligence.  I want to talk about this since I’ve spent a good amount of my career in both spaces.  I’ve worked in large defense companies, developing advanced warfare systems and I’ve also been a cyber security specialist for some time now.

    I agree that the future of warfare is going to look drastically different in the future. I also believe that our “enemies” are going to look different in the future as well.  Before I go any further, this is all going to be from a U.S. perspective.  If you live in another country, you might have a different definition for what an enemy is.

    Every day, there is a new cyber threat that you can read about in the news.  Entire power plants have been crippled by hackers and I believe that we are only just beginning to see what a truly digital warfare is going to look like.  As a country, I do not believe that we are prepared enough for this new enemy.  All of our military protocols are so ancient that no amount of training out in the desert is going to prepare our country to handle the numerous attacks that could come in the future.

    The main difference here is that cyber warfare can happen just about anywhere.  As more and more of our services and utilities go online, more attack vectors are created.  These attack vectors can be taken advantage of and have the potential to really cripple our country.  Individuals that are responsible for keeping the lights on do not really know how to handle an attack at a level that could cause severe damage.

    Almost all critical infrastructure in the U.S. is going digital.  And it almost has to because we expect our infrastructure to keep up with the rest of technology.  But, some are still hesitant and some things don’t change.  For example, many of our identification cards are still physical along with vehicle registrations.  But vehicle registrations in California are going digital.  And this is where the problems start.  How safe are those digital license plates?  Can they be hacked or manipulated?  What kind of updates are being pushed to those plates?  How are they tested against malicious attacks?   So many questions that as consumers, we don’t always get all the information.  Now, you can imagine an exploit becoming known that you can change the registration on a vehicle because of a bug that wasn’t patched.  Granted, this might not be a doomsday scenario, but I don’t really trust the developers that help digitalize our infrastructure because I’ve been in the business long enough to understand how cyber security is handled.  Frankly put, it’s not a priority most of the time and if this mentality is shared among the critical infrastructure sectors, I predict that complete mayhem is upon us.

    We have to do better.  We have to invest more of our development efforts into not only creating better software and infrastructure, but also training individuals to be more cyber aware.  Sure, software could have issues, but attackers still need to physically access these devices.  And most of the time, these devices are being accessed because the individuals that are paid to utilize those systems allow attackers right in.  In their defense, they don't always know they are doing so, but therein lies the problem.  

    22 min
  • Do You Trust Your Car?

    In this episode, we talk about some of the issues and dangers found in "smart" connected cars.

    If your car is new (within the last couple years), you most likely have a car that falls under this category.

    Are you aware of the cyber security related risks your car has?  Should you be worried?  Let's discuss.

    Source for article topic:

    https://www.techrepublic.com/article/top-5-security-risks-to-connected-cars-according-to-trend-micro/

    Apetech Website: https://www.apetech.me/social

    https://anchor.fm/apetech/message

    Twitter:  @apetechda

    29 min
  • To Pen or Not To Pen - The risks of not prioritizing Cyber Security

    Apetech Website: https://www.apetech.me/social

    https://anchor.fm/apetech/message

    Twitter:  @apetechda

    Does your business have any digital assets?  Do you use computers, emails, or create any data stored on computers?  What about software, is your business in the business of creating software?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, and I have a funny feeling that you did, this episode was crafted just for you.

    Penetration Testing, or pen testing for short, is something anyone running a business should highly consider.  Getting hacked in 2021 and beyond isn’t a matter of if it will happen, but a matter of when it will happen.  It’s inevitable. If your company is creating and producing digital goods and services, someone out there is going to want to get into your system.  But the problem is that Pen tests are complicated.  They are expensive, they require contracts and they carry some risk.  A pen test gone wrong can cripple a company.  After a pen test is executed, the findings then have to be resolved.  This comes with additional cost, risk, and schedule.  As you can see, for a company to go all in on a pen test, they need to be 100% sure they are committed.  So, because of this, many companies forgo running pen tests.

    Not running a pen test is easier.  You don’t have to change your priorities or impact your budget on fixing things you don’t know about.  You don’t have to introduce scope change because you aren’t aware of any new changes that need to be scheduled in.  And besides, what are the chances that your company is going to get hacked?  Pretty low right.  Most companies hope that nothing bad is going to happen because on a perfect day, they are already pressed for budget and time.  But life isn’t always the best case scenario.  Sometimes bad things will happen and you’ll need to react to these life events.

    What type of company are you running?  The one that is reactive to life events or the one that will go out and get ahead of critical issues.  It easy to live a reactive life if nothing bad has ever happened or if you believe that nothing will happen to you.  But, I can assure you that in my experience disaster will strike and you are going to wish you would have done things differently. I hope that his message serves as a wake up call to everyone out there that’s on the fence.  Take your information/cyber security seriously.  Right now, when the storm is calm, is the right time to make decisions.  You don’t want your team making multi million dollar decisions in the middle of the storm.  Right now, when your head is clear and you don’t have the pressure of your production systems being compromised, is the when you should be investing your time, energy, and money into making sure you are as covered as you possibly can be. Don’t wait to be reactive. If your system or service had the potential to kill a human being, would you stop everything you were doing right now to fix it?  I would invest some time on fixing my cyber security gaps in my company.  Run that pen test and start closing that gap.  Future self will thank you later.

    18 min
  • Safer Internet Day
    Today, February 9th, 2021 is Safer Internet Day.
    There's an entire organization dedicated to sharing the message of a safer internet worldwide.
    https://www.saferinternetday.org/
    In this episode, I discover what safer internet day means and share my thoughts on how younger people can learn more about being safer online.
    The internet is a very scary place, and I love that an organization is dedicated to helping make it a better one.
    We all need to do our part in making the internet a better and safer place.
    Apetech Website: https://www.apetech.me/social
    https://anchor.fm/apetech/message
    Twitter:  @apetechda
    22 min

About Cyber Security For All

From the publisher's feed

Covering a wide range of cyber security topics, this is the place to come and learn about this exciting field. We break concepts down for you so you can learn about them better. We present you with…