Scottrade Data Breach Affects 4.6 Million Accounts | Cyber Security

Data BreachEarlier this month on October 1st, Scottrade announced that they had suffered a data breach affecting 4.6 million of their customers. Federal law enforcements informed Scottrade that they had been investigating the cybersecurity crimes involving theft of information from Scottrade and other finical services.

“Based on our investigation and information provided by federal authorities” Scottrade states in a post on their website “we believe the illegal activity involving our network occurred between late 2013 and early 2014, and targeted client names and street addresses.” The attackers were able to take contact details from the system they hacked into, despite the system having sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, it appeared that the contact information was the focus of the incident.

In the post the company also states “We have no reason to believe that Scottrade’s trading platforms or any client funds were compromised. Client passwords remained fully encrypted at all times and we have not seen any indication of fraudulent activity as a result of this incident.” But despite believing that Social Security numbers were not compromised, Scottrade will being offering those 4.5 million affected customer’s identity protection services.

Scottrade has now secured the intrusion point and has even conducted their own internal data forensics investigation on the incident with assistance from a top computer security firm, while also fully cooperating with authorities. As you can tell the company has since taken the appropriate action to strengthen their network defenses. Click Here to Read Scottrade’s Cyber Security Update.

If you’re interested in staying protected from cybersecurity risks, contact Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA at 951-737-8558 or visit our website at www.urcs.net for information regarding the services we offer.

Proudly serving Corona, Riverside, Anaheim, Irvine, Newport Beach, Tustin, and all surrounding areas.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month | Online Security

Online Security Protection Internet Safety

The National Cyber Security Division within the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Alliance has sponsored National Cyber Security Awareness Month, every October since 2004. National Cyber Security Awareness Month is focused on encouraging individuals to be cautious and to use protection while accessing the internet. Weather we realize it or not the internet impacts our lives on a daily basis. We use the internet to connect with family and friends, to handle business and banking online and rely on it for many other services, like electricity and even transportation, which are supported by online systems. Technology has prompted advancements in business, healthcare, music, government and many other industries.

As technology keeps evolving, our lives are becoming easier and more connected than ever. Yet the more our lives become more connected through the internet, the more we become vulnerable for increased risks of theft, fraud and abuse. No one is immune to cyber risks at this point. As individuals, cybersecurity risks can threaten our identities, finances and privacy. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep yourself, your assets and personal information safe online. The following includes a few tips all internet users can take advantages of the month of National Cyber Security Month and throughout the year:

  • Create Strong passwords and do not share them with anyone.
  • Keep operating system, browser and other critical software’s up to date by installing updates.
  • Raise awareness by talking openly with your family, friends and community about Internet safety.
  • Limit the amount of personal information you share online and use privacy setting to avoid sharing information widely
  • Be very cautious about what you receive or read online – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For more information regarding online safety and what you can do to stay protected from cybersecurity risks, contact Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA at 951-737-8558 or visit our website at www.urcs.net to discover what services we offer.

Proudly serving Corona, Riverside, Anaheim, Irvine, Newport Beach, Tustin, and all surrounding areas.