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As groundbreaking leaders in personal security and risk management for travelers, we stand ready to equip and serve as you are called to the ends of the Earth.
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ARE YOU PREPARED?
Faith-based guidance and practice in prevention, protection, interaction, and survival
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Collaborative workshops on assessing risks, mitigating crises, and managing contingencies
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Partner together to provide 24/7 emergency access, consultation, and threat analysis
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NEWS FOR YOU
IS YOUR HOME SMART?
The U.S. smart home market is expected to be worth nearly $50 billion by 2026. Yes - Smart light bulbs, assistants, and thermostats can make life more convenient and save on energy bills. Yes - Installing and maintaining smart security systems can save you money on insurance premiums. BUT - There are some really important security tips to keep in mind as you set them up: Create strong passwords (It feels like we say this A LOT) Change the default device passwords, and make sure email or commerce accounts that control the devices are strong, too. Most of the time, the password to log in will be like “admin” with the password “1234” or something super simple. Make sure you CHANGE that. Otherwise, somebody could quite easily hack into your system. Protect your home Wi-Fi secure Keep your smart devices on the main house account, and don't let visitors on it. Create and use a guest account, with a separate username and password, for visitors to connect to the internet. Evaluate if you really need WiFi-enabled devices connected to the internet Even though you can Wi-Fi connect things from faucets to InstantPots, doesn’t mean that you should do it. If you’re not going to use its app and control it regularly, don’t connect it. It’s just another possible vulnerability. |
TIPS & ADVICE
2,300 INTERNET COMPLAINTS PER DAY
No, that doesn’t include complaining about your download speeds. This is 847,376 complaints that were received in 2021 by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) – recording more than $6.9 billion in losses to individual and business victims.
What were the most frequently reported complaints? Phishing and similar ploys like non-payment/non-delivery scams, and extortion. The most financially costly complaints involved business email compromise, confidence fraud, and spoofing – like mimicking the account of a person or vendor known to the victim in order to gather personal or financial information.
While email is still a common entry point, frauds are also beginning on text messages—a crime called smishing—or even fake websites—a tactic called pharming.
You may get a text message that appears to be your bank asking you to verify information on your account, or you may even search a service online and inadvertently end up on a fraudulent site that gathers your bank or credit card information.
You need to be extremely skeptical and double check everything. In the same way your bank and online accounts have started to require two-factor authentication—apply that to your life. Verify requests in person or by phone, double check web and email addresses, and don’t follow the links provided in any messages.
No, that doesn’t include complaining about your download speeds. This is 847,376 complaints that were received in 2021 by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) – recording more than $6.9 billion in losses to individual and business victims.
What were the most frequently reported complaints? Phishing and similar ploys like non-payment/non-delivery scams, and extortion. The most financially costly complaints involved business email compromise, confidence fraud, and spoofing – like mimicking the account of a person or vendor known to the victim in order to gather personal or financial information.
While email is still a common entry point, frauds are also beginning on text messages—a crime called smishing—or even fake websites—a tactic called pharming.
You may get a text message that appears to be your bank asking you to verify information on your account, or you may even search a service online and inadvertently end up on a fraudulent site that gathers your bank or credit card information.
You need to be extremely skeptical and double check everything. In the same way your bank and online accounts have started to require two-factor authentication—apply that to your life. Verify requests in person or by phone, double check web and email addresses, and don’t follow the links provided in any messages.
HOW CRACK-ABLE ARE YOU?
Brute-force hacking can crack an eight-character password in less than one hour, according to Hive Systems.
In a recently published research article, the security news firm says any password with less than seven characters can be brute-forced "INSTANTLY". Its findings show how more accessible and affordable cloud computing services make it simpler to crack passwords than two years ago, when the company showed that a relatively strong, eight-character password was crackable in eight hours.
While password managers are the best bet for protecting passwords, research also showed that a 12-character password created by a password manager could take some 3,000 YEARS to brute-force crack. Check out this password table of its findings on password-character combinations and their vulnerabilities to brute-force hacks.
Brute-force hacking can crack an eight-character password in less than one hour, according to Hive Systems.
In a recently published research article, the security news firm says any password with less than seven characters can be brute-forced "INSTANTLY". Its findings show how more accessible and affordable cloud computing services make it simpler to crack passwords than two years ago, when the company showed that a relatively strong, eight-character password was crackable in eight hours.
While password managers are the best bet for protecting passwords, research also showed that a 12-character password created by a password manager could take some 3,000 YEARS to brute-force crack. Check out this password table of its findings on password-character combinations and their vulnerabilities to brute-force hacks.
