iSD in the Tech Age!



Net-self-defense, we spend an exorbitant amount of time on our physical defense training and then we forget that our lives are in just as much danger of "Grave Financial Harm" or Financial ruin (Death) as if we are attacked by a street predator. Research and studies show, from the security experts in this field, that Anti-virus and Firewall suites only catch about 5% of the threats out there and those same folks tell us that it is in all probability worse at the Enterprise levels.


My goal here is to educate myself, and by proxy, pass on what I learn to others so that each individual who is connected at any level can take steps to achieve some semblance of security in their electronic on-line lives. We are so deeply imbedded in modern technology that to not take appropriate actions to learn iSD or internet self-defense in the technological age is just foolishness.


My goal is to provide enough of a foundation that readers, like me, can take the appropriate actions, i.e., apply those fundamental principles of technological methodologies to safeguard one of the more important, actually critical, strategies and tactics to defend ourselves from grave economical harm or even economical/financial death or ruin from nefarious predatory hacking processes.


Nothing in this blog is definitive, it is meant to set a foundation of knowledge, understanding and awareness so that you are not one day blindsided by some effort to steal your very life out from underneath you so fast you feel like you have been hit behind the ear and knocked into a daze of confusion, fear and finally anger where your tech-life falls apart and ruins your real life utterly, completely and with no light in sight down that dark, empty and black hole.


Tuesday, June 14, 2016

ATM Self-Defense

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

With more and more banks resorting to technology to do bank business, i.e., not only teller’s becoming just another teller machine in the bank but fees when you do use a human teller along with other fees to make MORE money by banks, it has created an industry of what one reporter is calling “Deep Insert Skimmer w/Hidden Camera” scams.


So, as stated in the article, there are some things you can do to thwart those skimmers such as first and foremost take defensive actions against the hidden camera’s. When you push in and remove your card you often just punch in the pin numbers but in reality you should use one hand to cover up the pad before you enter the pin. Take a look at the machine you are using, the article talks about the false overhead panel for the hidden camera so obscure the pad as best you can to hide your entry from a many angles as possible. Also, move in close like I do so your head and upper body obscures the pad not just from the above hidden camera but any camera that may be located in proximity to the machine that could capture your entering your pin.

Now, as to a general self-defense methodology use the above as well as the following:
  • Keep your wits about you when you’re at the ATM, and avoid dodgy-looking and standalone cash machines in low-lit areas, if possible. 
  • Stick to ATMs that are physically installed in a bank. 
  • Be especially vigilant when withdrawing cash on the weekends; thieves tend to install skimming devices on a weekend — when they know the bank won’t be open again for more than 24 hours.
  • Covering the PIN pad with your hand defeats the hidden camera from capturing your PIN — and hidden cameras are used on the vast majority of compromised machines (see the above paragraph for a reminder on obscuring the pin pad, etc.)
Remember, relying on technology to provide you the security and peace of mind against such trickery is just not good. You need to remember that the best security you can depend on is, “Yourself,” and that means reading articles like, “KrebonSecurity,” and my blog because the best security you can achieve is knowledge and understanding along with a concerted effort to live and work that security model. Every single new technological security method, model and code is only as good as the human programmer(s) who create it and since humans are inherently flawed so are the programs and software and hardware they create. Humans also are very clever and creative so once a new technological security program, etc., is released there are about twenty times more creative people out there finding ways to crack that very software. 

For us humans who are diligent in our security our greatest strength is our due diligence and continuous effort to learn and understand and implement while our greatest weakness is our social conditioning that leaves us susceptible to social engineering so - ‘Be careful out there!’

Bibliography (Click the link)

Addendum:

The previous article has a link to a more comprehensive one about skimmers and you should note that this is just not bank machines but also other card reading devices to include a portable one some waitresses will use for your credit cards, i.e., read the magnetic strip and then write down the three digit security code on the back. Read Article HERE

Simple but effective security precaution of covering his hand when entering his 4-digit code. The last few minutes of the following video show how to cover the pad with your hand to enter your pin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbDdsUh_sTg


It’s a good idea to visit only ATMs that are in well-lit and public areas, and to be aware of your surroundings as you approach the cash machine. If you visit a cash machine that looks strange, tampered with, or out of place, then try to find another ATM.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)