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The Phantom Hacker Scam -- Everything you need to know

When the FBI warns people about the scam , this is serious, but this is actually just a variation of the scam that perpetrated upon the Asian community for a while.  To make a long story short...  Stage 0  Beware when you are contacted via some method, text message, pop-up on your computer, a direct phone call, supposedly from a company that you had patronized before (a national brand, like Amazon, Best Buy, Uber, and so on). Those companies usually do NOT contact you directly, but these imposters will. Anyway, the message claims you need to call them right away to mitigate any damage.  Stage 1 When you call, the imposter will ask you to download some program so they can control your computer from afar, in order to show you some supposed "evidence" that either have been hacked or will soon be hacked, ask about your bank, and claim your bank's fraud department will be contacting you shortly. This is of course, another imposter.  Stage 2 "Your bank's fraud departme
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What have I learned from giving advice at Subreddit /r/cybersecurity_help?

 After I got my cybersecurity certificates and certifications, I decided to hang out in subreddit /r/cybersecurity_help for a while, as that's where people go for help. I've noticed the questions tend to come in 3 major categories: a) I noticed something odd. Could I have been hacked?  b) I REALLY have been hacked, what do I do now?  c) I did something stupid! Could I have been hacked?  I have found that some people are just super-nervous when it comes to technology, as if they can be hacked everywhere doing nothing, while others are almost completely oblivious to the risks.  Let's discuss each in turn.  a) I noticed something odd. Could I have been hacked? OP started noticing some oddities with his or her phone, and wonders if it's connected to some previous event.  EX1: Op got a call from the doctor's office. X minutes later a call with caller ID "Health Center" arrived. Op asked for more details, and was hung up on. Op wants to know if the spammer has h

I Got Both Google Cybersecurity and and ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity. Should You?

The Google Cybersecurity Certificate and the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity are two of the most popular cybersecurity certifications available. Both certifications cover a wide range of topics, including network security, application security, and security operations. However, there are some key differences between the two certifications. Both Google Cybersecurity Certificate and the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity are considered entry-level certifications The Google Cybersecurity Certificate is very friendly for people who did not come from a computer background, but if you already know IT, Linux, SQL, or Python, you will have an advantage here. You will also learn some practical cybersecurity tools, such as SIEM and Splunk log reading, and you will end up trying to write incident report logs, short analysis reports, and so on.   The ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity is more focused on theoretical and base level knowledge, with a bit more discussion on the differences among incident re

I finished "Certified in Cybersecurity" by ISC2 in (ahem!) 2.5 days, and passed the exam. What did I learn?

I decided to look into another introductory cybersecurity certification after finishing the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate back in June in 5 days. Took me a while due to other obligations, but I finally decided on "Certified in Cybersecurity" by ISC2, and I started last Thursday.  I finished all coursework by Saturday, and I was waiting for the peer-graded assignments to be graded. That was when I realized this is only half the battle (yes, I am quite bad at research sometimes). This is a prep course for the actual ISC2 CC certification exam, and that cost $199.  So I went on Google to look for a discount code, as there often are for these.  That is when I found that ISC2 is doing a "One Million CC" initiative... It will give away 1 million CC prep course and exams absolutely free to people around the world. It's even available in languages such a Spanish, German, Chinese, and Japanese, in addition to English! That's right... the self-paced C

So I bought a 6-key macro keyboard with a twist knob... how to program it?

One day, I was browsing Temu, when I came across this 6-key macro keyboard with a twist knob, and it's for a ridiculous price of like... $13.93 with free shipping.  So I ordered one.  It's here, and it's exactly as advertised... Except for one thing: there is no manual, and no driver. There is NO paper in the box either. And the listing has no instructions.  However, it is basically this item on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Keyboard-Mechanical-Photoshop-Software/dp/B0B7B4MP29/ At least the Amazon seller put up a link to their copy of the driver: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MvJGXrs-HVSmthIK4Z8NJZKMB8Ha4ZSr/view Which I have scanned and tested. And it works for the Temu one too. It's the same board.  The program needs to be unzipped and copied to a directory on your HD. It has no "installer".  The EXE is called "MINI Keyboard V02.1.1" The interface is also pretty crap, But basically, it goes like this.  The "keys" are mapp

I finished Google Cybersecurity Certificate in 5 Days. What did I learn?

As of May and June 2023, there were a lot of buzz about the Google Cybersecurity professional certificate issued in conjunction with Coursera.  So I took the 8 course certificate program, and I was able to finish it in 5 days (May 31st to June 4th), which is so fast, it was within the 7 day trial period, so I did not pay anything (normally $49.00 USD).  I did go in with a couple unfair advantages: * I already know SQL * I already know Python * I was an IT professional  * I have taken a cybersecurity intro course before * I was also between jobs so I have a LOT of time to dedicate to studying * I have taken many Coursera courses before (back in early 2020) So is the course any good? I think it is a good course for people who have no idea what to expect, and this will give them a taste on what a job in cybersecurity will involve. The video lectures are relatively short, and there were a LOT of emphasis on the non-traditional non-technical background of many of the Google employees who di

6 tips to finish a Coursera Certificate Fast! (from the guy who did it in 5 days)

Hi, I am Captain Chang, an IT professional, and veteran of multiple Coursera certificates, most of them finished in 10 days or less. Recently, I finished the Google Cybersecurity Certificate in 5 days. A link to that video is in the description.  To me, Coursera education is a cheap introduction to a career you are considering, from data science and information technology to cybersecurity and user interface design, and a lot more for less than $50 a month. However, to get the most out of Coursera, there are some strategies you should follow.  While the strategies I talk about after this mainly applies to the the cybersecurity certificate, most of the tips should work in general toward other technical Coursera professional certificate programs as well. 1. Understanding how Coursera payment works Coursera is usually organized around "certificate programs", which has several courses. For example, the cybersecurity certificate course from Google / Coursera has 8 courses. [insert