BrickHouse Security Blog

It’s that time of the year. The change is imperceptible to everyone, but to you as a parent it’s consuming. You look over to the most precious thing in the world, your child: innocent, naive, and vulnerable. Thinking about your child growing older and becoming more independent sends your heart flying out of your chest. But you’re not alone, with these Top 5 Back To School Child Health and Safety Tips you can venture into the unknown confidently knowing you have done everything possible to protect your child. [...]

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As our modern world becomes ever more tied to computers and the systems that run it, our computer networks are constantly under the threat of hackers, spam and malware. We may be living in a constantly connected, dynamic society, but the benefits of the modern world’s dynamic nature are coming at a price to people’s person information security. Recent developments in the field of computer security have shown just how large of an uphill battle the public and our institutions are fighting against the unseen forces that endanger our computer networks.

The problem of spam and malware has increased a whopping 80% since last quarter, partly attributed to the advent of new procedures online including shortened URLS, frequently used on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

When it comes to condensed URLs used on Facebook and Twitter shortened links, “The caution that users usually apply when they view search results and news links disappears behind the obfuscating address,” the a McAfee security report notes.

According to a report issued at the recent Black Hat security conference, another recent computer security threat is that of the Machiavelli technique, in which hackers take control of already victimized Macintosh computers and steal protected data. This technique takes control of the Safari browser before gaining data to protected information such as financial records.

Macs are the apple’ of the public’s eye due to their impressive applications and high-end computers, but according to security expert Dai Zovi and others, who authored the report on the technique, attacks on Macs will rise as they gain market share on PC’s running Windows. Mac’s operating system will be easier to attack for hackers because it has much more code, therefore allowing them to have a larger affect on the system.

People today are constantly under the threat of malware posing as antivirus software. Many have experienced the hassles and sometimes truly dangerous consequences of fake antivirus software, but many people probably do not realize just how prevalent and resourceful this army of malware really is. According to PandaLabs, the samples of fake antivirus software have been reproducing like crazy and grew to 374,000 by the second quarter of 2009. The company estimates that as many as 35 million computers per month are infected by rogue antivirus programs, mostly due to users who are not diligent enough in checking out the programs they pay for. These samples are a big family to feed, and they will feed on the inattentive and uninformed.

Although it is a challenging battle, there are a few methods by which you can fight these forces.

1) Don’t always provide your e-mail address and apply strong caution when opening a suspicious e-mail sent to you.

2) Be careful when following links on social networking sites. If there’s a tag to the link, pay attention to what it says before clicking.

3) Don’t download pirated software or media: For hacking techniques such as Machiavelli, do as much as possible to avoid downloading pirated software and avoid pirated media that will put you at serious risk.

(via Wired, Cnet and News.com.au)

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Thou shall not kill, Honor thy father and thy mother, thou shall not steal. We all know the 10 commandments, but at what lengths will some go to avoid having to hear them again?

Ask the 7 year old boy from Utah who wanted to leave church so badly that he drove his dad’s car home. Mid-drive he ran a stop sign, almost hit another driver and managed to escape a chase by the police. Upon arrival he ran inside his house and hid, realizing that he had just broken 2 out of the 10 commandments.

When his father asked him what had happened, the boy admitted to just wanting to go on a joyride.

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It will come as soon as it leaves and the damage will be irreparable.  In a matter of seconds, your iPhone can be taken over, leaving you absolutely powerless.

Two researchers, Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner, have found a flaw in the iPhone’s SMS text messaging system that allows hackers to send a text message that gives them complete power over the phone.  The message, a small, symmetrical square is the perfect indicator to an iPhone user that their phone has been hijacked in such a beautifully simple manner.  Once the hijacker has control he/she can dial the phone, visit web sites, turn on the device’s camera and microphone and, most importantly, send more text messages to further propagate a mass-gadget hijacking.

There is no definitive way to protect yourself against these viral text messages as of yet, but the researchers hope that in identifying the flaw and notifying Apple, there will be patches and changes to the system to prevent malicious attackers from executing what could be a fatal virus.  Unfortunately, the researchers plan has not gone as planned.  They reported this hole in the system over a month ago to Apple, but no patch has been made to correct it.  The researchers contend that possibly turning off your phone as soon as possible after recieving a text message might be a short term solution that could deter the hacker.

Using SMS text messaging to deliver viruses to smart phones should be a priority in cybersecurity. These attacks are only the tip of a very large, Titanic-esque iceberg.

We are in a new Cold War- hackers vs. cybersecurity- trying to explore the final frontier: SMS hacking.  The chase is no longer a game; it’s necessary to prevent millions of users from becoming victims.

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Locking the door may give some people peace of mind, but you may want to think again. There’s a whole new bogeyman in town. Beware the homemade “bump key.”

Bump keys are uniquely ground-down keys that when positioned just right, can open almost any lock of a particular brand. Think of them as the ultimate skeleton key. Both law enforcement and locksmith companies are concerned with the understanding and accessibility of bump keys at the moment because of videos and photos all over the web explaining how to make and use them.

According to Jack Flam, a professional locksmith and owner of Flams Locks & Keys in Sherman Oaks, California, “They’re showing you not only how to make a bump key, but they are selling the bump keys on the Internet. That’s scary.”

In Southern California, law enforcement says that despite the serious threat bump keys pose, they have not experienced an increase in break-ins so far in the area. They advise residents in their area to use multiple layers of protection for their home, such as alarm systems.

Flam advises that the best way to defend your home against bump keys is to install and use high security locks, ones that feature “bump-resistant” protection or biometric fingerprint access.

BrickHouse Security offers many biometric locks that can be used to combat and defeat the threat of bump keys. These locks are completely keyless, which is a godsend for anyone who constantly loses keys or is worried about loaner keys falling into the wrong hands. With keyless fingerprint entry, a homeowner can add or delete users as they see fit, locking them out or giving them access.

These tools are the first step towards having a secure home and for thwarting the steps criminals take to get around security measures. As long as homeowners are smart and realize the technology that is at their disposal, the bogeyman will fade away.

(via MyFoxLA.com)

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The panic cannot go unnoticed.  This is the worst kind.  There are countless different types of panic you experience throughout the day.  Panic because you forgot something.  Panic because you did something wrong.  Panic because of confusion.  Panic because of ignorance.  But this panic is unlike any other.  It slowly makes its way through the pores in your skin and infiltrates your blood stream making sure that it affects every single cell in your body.  You freeze, knowing that something is wrong.  Knowing that you are not safe. Knowing that someone is watching.

Now, depending on who is experiencing this panic there are different solutions. [...]

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“If You See Something Say Something” is the motto that is plastered all over the subway stations of NYC. And soon, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be able to see something too, in fact they will be able to see everything.

The MTA plans to place surveillance equipment in one of their newest trains by the end of this year.  While the videos won’t be watched live, they could provide crucial information in criminal cases.

Could this be a new trend, following the MTA surveillance system project in Maryland?  Perhaps, but the MTA wants to first see how the program goes (fiscally, effectiveness, etc.) before it starts to outfit all of the system’s trains with surveillance equipment. If the plan does go through, we think that it will be a great way to make the MTA a safer way to travel, especially late at night and in deserted areas. After all, there is no better deterrent for a criminal than knowing that there is a surveillance system watching him.

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After hundreds of letters praising a Harvard Professor, several resignations from a local police department, countless dinner conversations and two speeches by President Barack Obama, the word was out. [...]

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When it comes to Computer Surveillance software, it might seem like Mac users are left out in the cold. If you’re looking to keep tabs on how people are using your computer when you’re away from it, at BrickHouse Security we offer an assortment of great solutions for PCs. For example, the Stealth iBot Computer Spy is an extremely powerful tool for covertly recording computer activity on the sly. But what if you’re a Mac user?

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When sports radio personalities Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith from XX1090 San Diego heard about the ESPN Anchor Erin Andrews video scandal, they immediately called upon Todd Morris, CEO & Security Expert of BrickHouse Security to sound off about the controversy.

“When celebrities show up in a hotel or dressing room or even at a hair salon there is always the risk that someone has been there before and planted a camera and might catch them in something.”

Erin Andrews had to find this out the hard way when an embarrassing peephole video of her surfaced on the Internet.

“Even catching a B list celebrity doing something embarrassing could generate a photo or video worth over $100,000 from one of the tabloids. For these paparazzi, they’re looking for their lottery ticket. They’re looking to generate some controversial content…controversy from a B level celebrity could turn them into an A level sensation.” [...]

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Well it’s summer, that time of year when Boy Scout troops go off into the woods, Dad drags the family on a cross-country trip, and teenagers celebrate their freedom from responsibility by going off into the woods and doing irresponsible things. As the number of campers out there increase in number over the next few months, we here at BrickHouse Security want you to be safe while you are out camping and to have the ability to take full advantage of your surroundings. Here are 10 must-have gadgets that will make your camping experience one to remember. [...]

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Does your company use the  iPhone 3G (or 3GS) as an important business tool? You may be ecstatic with your fancy new play-toy now, but maybe it’s time to take a long pause and consider the risk involved with the product you are using. According to one prominent iPhone developer and computer hacking expert, the 3G’s enterprise-friendly encryption is extremely weak and very vulnerable to hackers, to the point that it can be cracked in as little as two minutes with the right freeware. [...]

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Men in black suits are hastily tearing through an apartment, their hearts beating as fast as hummingbirds’,  worrying that they might be the next victim if they don’t succeed.  14 stories below, at the base of the building lies a man, dead because he lost a phone.

A shipment of prototype iPhones was set to be sent to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California from their manufacturer, Foxconn in China, but panic erupted all throughout the company when someone realized that the case was short 1 phone.  Fast forward only days later and the man in charge of the shipment was found dead at the base of his apartment after being searched, interrogated, and allegedly tortured. [...]

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Everyday we hear about celebrities being caught in awkward and sometimes compromising situations. When nude photos of Erin Andrews surfaced on the Internet, millions of people suddenly questions how private their private moments really are. But what about non-celebrities? Are we at risk? [...]

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