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| October 29, 2020
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The 7 Spookiest Cities in America

The Spookiest Cities in AmericaIt’s Halloween – the time for ghosts, goblins, werewolves, zombies, and haunted houses. SmartAsset scared up some numbers to find the spookiest city in America. There are many factors to consider: the number of vacant houses, graveyards, and costume stores that unleash the ghouls upon the streets. 

haunted homesSmartAsset scored nine different metrics to find the spookiest cities in America. They factored in spooky facts like the number of vacant homes, death industry rate, number of cemeteries, large homes, old homes, clothing accessory stores, single-family home rate, and Halloween costume stores to scare up the spookiest cities in America. They say the spookiest cities in the U.S are …

7. New Orleans, LA

New Orleans culture is dripping with vampires and other spookiness. Dressing in costume is popular here, judging by data from SmartAsset. The Big Easy ranks high for the density of clothing accessory and costume stores. The many cemeteries tend to be more haunted than average according to the article. Homes in the Crescent City are prime for haunting – it has more empty old homes than the average city. The Hotel Monteleone has been ranked as the spookiest place in NOLA. Former employee “Red” and children that died in the hotel from yellow fever have frequently been seen in the hotel on the 13th floor.

inhabited by ghosts

6. Cleveland, OH

Homes in Cleveland are older than most, making them susceptible to haunting. SmartAsset reports that about 63% of homes here were built before 1950. The also city contains 115 cemeteries. Franklin Castle in Cleveland is considered by many to be one of the most haunted houses in America. It has been featured on paranormal investigation shows like Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures” and “Paranormal Lockdown.”

5. Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh owes its ranking to its prominent death care industry, specifically the large number of cemeteries in the Steel City. SmartAsset claims that Steel City is ripe for the haunting. The housing stock is also quite old and large: nearly 60% of all homes were built before 1950 and more than 15% of homes have at least eight rooms. This city also has a very high concentration of costume stores. The spookiest building in Pittsburgh, as ranked by goodforpittsburgh.com, is the Pittsburgh City Tuberculosis Sanatorium, an abandoned tuberculosis hospital.

Detroit has 43 cemeteries4. Detroit, MI

Motown is full of old, single-family, and vacant homes — just the type spirits love to haunt. Along with the high chance of stumbling across a haunted home in Detroit, the city has 43 cemeteries. The D ranks in the top 30 for costume stores as a percent of all establishments. Curbed Detroit says that the largest Masonic Temple in the world located in Detroit is haunted.

3. Baltimore, MD

Being the hometown of Edgar Allen Poe where he wrote “The Raven” should be enough. But Baltimore also has a large number of cemeteries. Cemeteries are traditionally haunted spots which puts Baltimore high on SmartAsset’s list of spookiest cities.

2. Augusta, GA

Augusta is more than golf – It is also one of the spookiest cities in America. Just under 10% of homes here are vacant, which leaves them vulnerable to being inhabited by ghosts. Southern Living Magazine considers The Partridge Inn, one of the most haunted places in the South.

Spooky1. Macon, GA

Macon is the spookiest city in America according to the report. This city ranks high with haunted homes and percent of establishments in the death care industry. The Macon Gateway says the Bennett House, to be the most haunted place in Macon.

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I don’t know if the Michigan Masonic temple is haunted – but I did see my first concert there with the Romantics –My Sharona.

 

Stay safe out there!

Related article

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Holidays | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
| October 26, 2020
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Work From Anywhere Movement

Work From Anywhere MovementChanges in the workforce are beginning to emerge as we suffer through 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, the parent company of WordPress and Tumblr blogged, “This might be a chance for a great reset in terms of how we work.” Slack co-founder and CEO Stewart Butterfield told the BBC “We all know that work will never be the same, even if we don’t yet know all the ways in which it will be different.” Recent reports from Owl Labs and staffing firm Robert Half put numbers to what many have sensed – the nature of work has changed to work from anywhere.

Work from anywhere benefits

The Owl Labs State of Remote Work report and Robert Half 2021 Salary Guide (PDF) looked at work from anywhere. The reports found unexpected benefits and challenges. Employee expectations have shifted as 69% of full-time workers in the U.S. are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The change in the nature of work has benefits for employees and employers.

Employees are seeing economic and personal benefits from the change in the nature of work. Owl Labs reports that workers are saving almost $479.20 per month on additional expenses related to work. That is nearly $6,000.00 a year savings. U.S. Federal Highway Administration reports that U.S. road traffic fell by more than 25% during the lockdowns. Traffic levels dell to the lowest level since 1995. As a result, Owl Labs found that the average WFM employee saving 40 minutes per day on the daily commute. That totals to over three workdays per month which can be dedicated to personal objectives.

Work-life balance

Remote work has mental health and work-life balance benefits, too.

  • work-life balance77% of respondents told Owl Labs that having the option to work from home would make them happier.
  • 77% report that working remotely would make them better able to manage work-life balance.
  • 72% of all survey respondents agreed that the ability to work remotely would make them less stressed

In 2013 old-school Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, claimed, “Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home.” She was wrong. Employers are also gaining benefits from the new work from anywhere. 20% of employees told Owl Labs they worked more hours per week during the pandemic – for the same pay.

working more hours per week during the pandemicDuring COVID, the average work from anywhere employees worked an extra 26 hours each month. Which is nearly an extra day every week. Despite claims to the contrary from old-school managers, worker productivity has improved. 75% of people working from home report they are the same or more productive during COVID-19. In 2020, people are using video meetings 50% more than pre-COVID-19.

Being able to work remotely some of the time also makes the employers more attractive to staff. Respondents told the researchers that with remote work:  

  • 80% would feel like their employer cares,
  • 74% would be less likely to leave their employer,
  • 59% would be more likely to choose one employer over another in their next job if they offered remote work.

look for another role that allowed remote workIf working from anywhere was no longer an option after COVID-19, almost 70% of respondents would be less happy. Almost half would look for another role that allowed remote work. Robert Half found that 60% of workers want to work for an organization that values its staff during unpredictable times.

80% of full-time workers told Owl Labs they expect to work from anywhere at least three times per week after the lockdown. Robert Half also found that 74% of employees want to work remotely more frequently following the pandemic.

Increase surveillance

Of course, this is not all puppy dogs and rainbows. Employers may increase surveillance of WFH staff. Firms uncomfortable with the work from anywhere movement can turn to software track employees. Productivity monitoring is available from Aware, ActivTrak, Time Doctor, or Teramind.  PwC has developed a facial recognition tool that logs when employees are away from their computer screens while working from home.

increased surveillance of WFH staffThe Guardian reports that interest in Teramind’s product has tripled during the pandemic. When Teramind’s “agent” is downloaded to employees’ computers, they can measure employee time spent on different windows. It can playback or live-stream a view of an employee’s screen and record their every keystroke. It can also raise a flag if certain predetermined words are typed. Eli Sutton, the firm’s head of operations told the paper that 70% of Teramind’s clients are concerned about productivity. He said, “Teramind is an extra set of eyes to make sure distractions aren’t causing issues.”

Forty-three percent of survey respondents told Owl Labs that if their employer started monitoring their WFH activity as a way to track productivity they would be unhappy or leave.

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Having an expanded remote workforce alters the dynamics of work. Employees will no longer be bound by geography to find the best opportunity. Employers can expand their pool of candidates. The work from anywhere movement will also raise tensions between old-school managers who are about control and their remote employee’s privacy.

Stay safe out there!

Related article

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
| October 11, 2020
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10 More Times McAfee Was in the Spotlight

Updated – 06/24/2021 – John McAfee was found dead in a Spanish jail on 06/23/2021 from an apparent suicide. The Guardian reports his body was found hours after Spain’s highest court approved his extradition to the United States. Mr. McAfee faced federal criminal charges for tax evasion. The charges carried a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

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Updated – 10/26/2020 – McAfee’s second IPO did not go as planned. IPO shares of MCFE were pegged to open at $20.00 per share. It was only able to hit a high of $19.50 per share. Barron’s called the McAfee IPO “a broken deal.”

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10 More Times McAfee Was in the SpotlightFollowers of the Bach Seat still recognize the name, McAfee. John McAfee founded the anti-malware company McAfee Associates in 1987. By 1994, he’d been forced out after telling everyone that the Michelangelo Virus was going to smash up the world’s computers on March 6, 1992. It didn’t. He looked stupid.  McAfee Associates debuted on Nasdaq in October 1992. Even today, McAfee anti-malware still protects 500 million people’s computers. 

McAfee anti malwareMcAfee was bought by Intel in August 2010 for $7.6 billion. Intel (INTC) had hoped to integrate security into the company’s chips. Intel renamed McAfee – Intel Security in January 2014. Intel lost interest in running the cybersecurity company and in September 2016 sold 51% of the security firm for $4.2 billion to VC’s TPG Global, LLC, and Thoma Bravo. The VCs resurrected the McAfee brand and filed to go public in September 2020.

Now Mr. McAfee is back in the news too. The former 2016 and 2020 Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. president was arrested at the Barcelona airport, boarding a flight to Istanbul with a British passport. He is awaiting extradition to the U.S. on federal charges, including anti-fraud provisions and tax evasion.

Uncle Sam wants youThe U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission filed criminal charges against him. The DOJ has charged with tax evasion they claim Mr. McAfee did not file tax returns between 2014 and 2018. McAfee was said to have received up to $23 million in compensation in the form of tokens, ethereum, and bitcoin. The SEC has accused McAfee and his bodyguard, Jimmy Watson Jr., of “illegally promoting initial coin offerings (ICOs).“

The SEC maintains that “McAfee promoted multiple ICOs on Twitter, allegedly pretending to be impartial and independent even though he was paid more than $23 million in digital assets … denied receiving any compensation from the issuers … McAfee made other false and misleading statements … he had personally invested in some of the ICOs and that he was advising certain issuers.“

CryptocurrencyThe SEC complaint against Mr. Watson alleges that he, “assisted Mr. McAfee by negotiating the promotion deals with the ICO issuers, helping Mr. McAfee cash out the digital asset payments for the promotions and … having his then-spouse tweet interest in the ICO. Mr. Watson was allegedly paid at least $316,000 for his role .. investors were left holding digital assets that are now essentially worthless.“

This is not McAfee’s first time in the spotlight.

1 – April 2012 – Mr. McAfee’s compound in Belize, was raided by the Belize Police Gang Suppression Unit on suspicion it was a front for making meth. Police discovered an arsenal of weapons and a drug lab that he apparently used in an attempt to purify MDPV, a drug that’s said to enhance sexual pleasure.

John McAfee2 – November 2012 –  Mr. McAfee was wanted by Belize Police for questioning in the murder of his neighbor, American expatriate Gregory Faull, 52. He refused to speak with authorities about the case, making him a fugitive in the eyes of Belize authorities. He disappeared for a month.

3 – December 2012 –  Mr. McAfee was arrested in Guatemala for illegally crossing the border from Belize in an attempt to find asylum from police in Belize. He was about to be deported back to Belize when he faked a heart attack, telling ABC News “Sure, I faked it … What would you have done?” His attorney was able to obtain a stay of deportation to Belize for him and Guatemalan authorities deported him to Miami.

4 – June 2013 – Mr. McAfee released an NSFW video on YouTube slamming the McAfee product.

5 – November 2013 – Mr. Faull’s family filed a wrongful death suit against Mr. McAfee. In June 2018 a Florida court issued a default ruling against (PDF). The court ordered Mr. McAfee to pay the Faull family more than $25 million.

under the influence.6 – August 2015 – Mr. McAfee was arrested by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. He was arrested for DUI and possession of a handgun while under the influence. McAfee blamed Xanax. He told CNBC, “I had just that morning received a prescription for Xanax from a doctor, I’d never taken them before.” 

7 – May 2016 – He was appointed chief executive chairman of MGT Capital Investments. The penny stock mobile gaming company became a “technology company” under McAfee. MGT surged more than 1,200% after the announcement it would transform into a cybersecurity company led by John McAfee. MGT changed its name to John McAfee Global Technologies, Inc.  

Bitcoin miningIt was then when McAfee decided to move to the mining of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. He said that this would help MGT to increase their funds as well as their expertise in dealing with blockchains. Resulting in an SEC subpoena and stock crash and delisting from the NYSE.

8 – July 2017 – Mr. McAfee in full cryptocurrency hucksterism mode tweeted about how cryptocurrencies like Tron (TRX), Verge (XVG) and Reddcoin (RDD) could revolutionize the world. He even promised to do something NSFW to himself if cryptocoin Bitcoin (BTC) didn’t hit $500K within three years.

9 – Mr. McAfee taunted U.S. regulators – January 2019 he tweeted he hasn’t filed a tax return for eight years because “taxation is illegal.” June 2019  – He tweeted from Cuba –  promoting BeatzCoin (BTZC) – “Yes SEC, I’m promoting. Fucking come and get me.”

10 – July 2019 –  The Dominican Republic military arrested Mr. McAfee and associates in Puerto Plata after they found several large-caliber weapons without proper documentation. He was deported to London. After landing in London he asked his Twitter followers whether he should also campaign to be British prime minister.

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John McAfee had $100 million when he left McAfee. Now he broke, paranoid, and a tax dodger. Sound like a good candidate for U.S. President.

What next? Prison? Up to 30 years if DOJ has its way. The SEC, wants him to pay back his profits and to ban him from serving as an officer or director to any company that sells securities.  Let’s see if he can worm his way out of this.

 

Stay safe out there!

Related article

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| October 10, 2020
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Smart Backpacks

Smart BackpacksI first wrote about Google’s Project Jacquard which weaves conductive threads to create touch-responsive clothing in 2015. Since then COVID has changed the world. As a result of the pandemic, Gartner found that 88% of businesses mandated or encouraged all their employees to work from home as COVID-19 spread and 97% of the firms canceled all work-related travel.

Despite the growth in WFH, Google’s Project Jacquard has announced its latest innovation: two new smart backpacks developed with luggage maker Samsonite. Unlike the previous Jacquard backpack co-created with Yves Saint Lauren with a stupid $995 price tag, The Samsonite version has prices low enough for normal people to actually consider buying one.

The new Google Jacquard “Konnect-i Slim” smart backpack begins at $199.99. The slightly larger “Konnect-i Standard” will run you $219.99. Both available are through Samsonite’s webshop. Both are also water-repellent, and they have the same materials and feature list.

Besides smart backpacks, Google has partnered with Levi to make the Trucker jacket with Jacquard and Adidas to create the GMR insoles that use Jacquard.

Connect the smart backpacks

Jacquard controlsTo connect the smartbackpack to your iOS or Android phone, you’ll have to stuff a thumb-sized dongle into the backpack’s strap. According to Engadget, the module syncs with your phone via Bluetooth. The functionality seems pretty limited. Through the Jacquard app, you can define what brushing up and down or double-tapping the strap does. You can skip or pause your music, ask Assistant a question or drop pins to remember places you’ve been, or take a selfie. An LED on the strap will light up to alert you to notifications.

Jacquard relies on a small Micro-USB-charged Bluetooth puck which contains most of the electronic components. Google reduced the physical footprint from a large USB drive to something roughly the size of an SD card. It’s charged using magnetic pins, and data transfer is possible with a microUSB connector. The removable Jacquard Tag lasts up to two weeks on a charge and is separately rechargeable. The Jacquard Tag module still needs to be removed before washing.

The Samsonite Jacquard backpacks require an internet connection, a compatible Android or iOS phone, the Jacquard app, and a Google account for access to Jacquard features. For Android, you need a supported phone running Android 6.0.1 or newer. For iOS, you need an iPhone 6 or newer running iOS 11 or newer.  Data usage fees may apply. 

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Ambient computingAs a product still don’t get it – as wearable tech – it seems to me that the $200 iWatch can do more than the backpacks. But as another way to invade our lives and steal our data – it makes sense.

Google told CNet it could add gestures on top of voice into Google Assistant – “… as a new direction for Google’s AI … Bringing these nonverbal cues into the conversation with technology is a key opportunity …” 

Combining AI with Google’s security and privacy problems makes me uneasy. In this uber-google world, will they give us the best result or the one that is paid for? 

Stay safe out there!

Related article

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| October 3, 2020
Comments Off on Seven Social Engineering Classics

Seven Social Engineering Classics

Seven Social Engineering ClassicsSocial engineering describes various non-technical attack techniques cybercriminals use to manipulate users. The attackers hope the user will bypass security or other business process protocols, perform harmful actions, or disclose sensitive information. Beware of these social engineering classics.

Business Email Compromise

Business Email CompromiseDon’t get fooled by official-looking emails even though the email appears to be work-related. Subject lines such as “Invoice Attached” or “Here’s the file you needed” might be a social engineering classic. To be sure, you should hover your cursor over email addresses and links before clicking to see if the sender and type of file are legitimate. BEC is the most costly form of cybercrime. It stems from faked emails called “Business Email Compromise” or BEC scams. A typical BEC scam involves phony emails in which the attacker spoofs a message from an executive at a company and tricks someone into wiring funds to the fraudsters.

VishingVishing

Corporate phone systems are often set up to forward voice mail audio files to employees’ inboxes. While this is convenient, forwarding the files can be risky. It makes it harder to determine if the email is phony or legit. Since 2014, scammers have been installing malicious software through emails designed to look like internal voicemail messages, making vishing a social engineering classic.

With vishing, cybercriminals use an urgent or alarming voicemail message to try to get potential victims to call back with their personal information. Fake caller ID information is often used to make the calls appear to be from a legitimate organization or business.

Free Stuff, a social engineering classic

Free pizzaFree Stuff is one of the oldest social engineering classics. Most people can’t resist free Stuff, from pizza to software downloads, and they will click just about any link to get it. Of course, nothing is truly free. Sophisticated attackers might send a link to genuine free software, but they’re sending you through their website, which means you may get infected or compromised.

Baiting

Baiting is a variant of “Free Stuff.” The attacker hopes to trick their victims into executing code by piquing their curiosity or convincing them to run hardware or software with hidden malware. For example, innocent-looking USB sticks handed out at a conference or casually “dropped” in the parking could contain malware. They then detonate when the curious user plugs it into their PC. This is how Stuxnet attacked the Iranian nuclear program.

Quid pro quo social engineering classic

Seven Social Engineering ClassicsAnother version of “Free Stuff.” In Latin, Quid pro quo means “something for something.” In exchange, the attacker offers something of genuine worth to the victim and will work their way into the target’s network. An example: The attacker poses as tech support and solves a problem for you, then convinces you to type in a line of code that serves as a “backdoor.” On the other hand, it may be as simple as trading a candy bar in exchange for a password!

Waterholing

This attack plants malware on a website you and your colleagues frequently visit. The next time you surf the site, the malware—such as a remote-access Trojan or RAT—is downloaded to your computer. And just like that, the attacker can begin exfiltrating data from your employer’s network.

Pretexting

Pretexting is another form of social engineering in which attackers focus on creating a fabricated scenario that they can use to try to steal their information. It is a true con game. It relies on the crook fostering a sense of trust in the victim.

Pretexting

Pretexting can also impersonate co-workers, police, banks, or tax authorities. It pretends to be any individual who could have perceived authority or right-to-know in the targeted victim’s mind. In some cases, all that is needed is an authoritative voice, an earnest tone, and an ability to think on one’s feet to create a pretext scenario.

Stay safe out there!

Related article

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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