* How to clear out your browsing data from Android browsers

TechViews.org Android, Browsers, Mobile Devices, Tips & Hints

TechViews News   …..

Android mobile devices come with a basic, built in browser. While basic, the stock browser is really quite adept and fast in its use.

You may, if you choose, also install alternate browsers for use. The more popular ones are Firefox, Chrome, Dolphin & Opera (I use Dolphin).

Regardless which browser you use, our readers by now know that browsers collect and store information about your web activity, regardless to whether you are using a desktop or laptop computer, or a mobile device.

There are multiple reasons why deleting cookies, clearing the cache, and removing browsing history can benefit not only your privacy but also your devices and browsing sessions more generally.

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* 10 cybersecurity myths inside corporate culture

TechViews.org Internet Security, Malware, Online Dangers, Tips & Hints

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There are a lot of misconceptions out there concerning the importance of cybersecurity. Most people just hear the term and think it is someone else’s responsibility. But the most common misconceptions about cybersecurity may surprise you. See if you’ve heard a few of these myths and what the truth is.

Myth #1: The only worthwhile targets are large corporations

Everyone is a target and no one is immune from cybercrime’s impact. Of the companies that experienced cyberattacks in 2016, 31% were small and mid-sized companies that had less than 250 employees.

Myth #2: Users aren’t facing that many threats in a given day

The average organization with 1,000 to 3,000 employees will see anywhere from 11 to 20 incidents in a single day. Larger organizations that have 3,001 to 5,000 employees? Well, they’re a bit busier and see 21 to 30 incidents a day. The largest organizations that have 5,001+ employees will see 31 to 50 incidents in any given day, all according to McAfee Labs’ Threats Report.

Myth #3: Outsiders are the bad guys

Though you may not want to think about your own staff and users acting against you, it happens more often than most people realize. Roughly a third of all incidents are actually caused by insiders, whether that’s due to negligence, accident, or actual malicious intent. This number is backed up both by a Radware report and a study conducted by Verizon.

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*151 million records of Americans’ calls collected by the NSA in 2016

TechViews.org Gvt. Intrusion, Internet Security, Privacy

The NSA collected 151 million records of Americans’ phone calls last year despite the USA Freedom Act of 2015. The NSA also complied with requests from government officials to reveal the identities of 1,934 U.S. persons ensnared in the foreign surveillance.

Metadata about the calls such as the number of the caller and recipient, as well as the duration and time of the call was also collected.

The annual report, issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, provides the first assessment of the effectiveness of the 2015 USA Freedom Act which was meant to limit dragnet surveillance of millions of Americans’ phone records.

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* WhatsApp To Stop Working On These Smartphones

TechViews.org Android, Mobile Devices, Tips & Hints

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WhatsApp has announced that it will finalize the ending of its mobile app for earlier model smartphones. The blocking of the app began early this year and should be complete the end of June, 2017.

The following phones are affected:

  • BlackBerry OS
  • BlackBerry 10
  • Nokia S40
  • Nokia Symbian S60
  • Windows Phone 7
  • iPhone 3GS/iOS 6.

Apparently, older model phones hinder the development of the app, so they have decided to stop serving them all together.

But the guys at WhatsApp have this advice to those affected: “If you use one of these mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone before the end of June 2017 to continue using WhatsApp.”

Totally worthless advice.

So if you happen to own one of the phones above you better enjoy the next 29 days of mildly irritating group chats with school friends and ex-colleagues while you still can.

Be Safe – Backup Your Data Regularly!

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*New Android Malware Infects Over 36.5 Million Phones

TechViews.org Android, Identity Theft, Malware, Mobile Devices, Software Vulnerabilities, Tips & Hints

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Security researchers at Check Point Security recently discovered a malware scam in Google’s Play Store. The malware dubbed “Judy” has been hiding behind the scenes on 41 specific apps that have been available in the Play Store for years, so it’s unclear how long they have been infecting devices.

The malicious apps were developed by the Korean company, Kiniwini, listed in the Play Store as ENISTUDIO corp. The impacted apps have been downloaded millions of times and may have been spread to over 36 million users.

Moreover, the researchers also uncovered a few more apps, published by other developers on the Apple Store, inexplicably containing the same the malware in them. The connection between the two campaigns remains unclear, though researchers believe it is possible that one developer borrowed code from the other.

This is how it works — the user downloads an app from the Play Store and at that point, it’s not malicious. But once the user opens the app, it connects to its Command and Control server (C&C) and installs the malicious code.

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* Easy way to clear the cache, cookies, and browsing data in Google Chrome

TechViews.org Browsers, Google, Tips & Hints

TechViews News   …..

Because of the way the Google Chrome browser is set up it can be difficult for users to get into the correct settings locations to clear out the cache, cookies, and browsing history.

And indeed, many users don’t care if a browser keeps track of their Internet activity and reports that activity back to someone, sitting at a desk, in a dark room, at some undisclosed location.

Yes, it just might be that scary. So here’s how to clear that tracking information from the Google Chrome browser:

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*US Government starting to crack down on fake ‘tech support’ lines

TechViews.org Credit Card Fraud, Hoaxes, Malware, Online Dangers

TechViews News   …..

It’s happened to all of us … we click on a bogus link and up pops an equally bogus blue screen claiming our computer has been compromised and we need to call a toll free “Microsoft” support line to get help.

Then sometimes we even get a loud voice telling us NOT to leave the page or our computer will stop working. The voice is adamant that we must call Microsoft right then to keep the Internet safe from whatever bogus nasty thing has infected our computer.

Riiiight.

This is one of the most common scams on the internet, yet thousands of people fall for it every week. Of course it wasn’t Microsoft and the pop up was fraudulent.

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