BOSTON, MA - A new report is pointing to new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) launched within the past few years, such as .Top, and .Shop as contributing to an increase in use by scammers and cybercriminals due to the fact that – given their relatively new status on the market – they are cheaper to register compared to more established domains. According to Interisle Consulting Group’s newly-published Cybercrime Supply Chain 2024 report, 16 million cybercrime events … [Read more...]
Senator Elizabeth Warren Calls for Antitrust Investigation into Domain Registrar Verisign
WASHINGON, D.C. - Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is claiming that internet domain registrar Verisign is a “monopoly” and is subsequently demanding that an antitrust investigation be carried out against the company. Working in conjunction with Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Warren sent a letter last week to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that accuses the top-level domain (TLD) market of being tightly controlled by Verisign, whom she claims … [Read more...]
Amazon Seizes Domains Used by Russian Hackers Targeting Windows Users
SEATTLE, WA - Online shopping retail giant Amazon this week seized multiple internet domains that have been utilized by Russian hackers to launch phishing attacks that targeted users of Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Chief Information Security Officer at Amazon, CJ Moses, announced in a blog post that Midnight Blizzard, otherwise known as APT29 – a threat actor directly sponsored by the Russian government – had been targeting government agencies, empires, … [Read more...]
Senator Demands Domain Registrars Address Russian Influence Operations During 2024 Election
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has issued a demand to several of the top American internet domain registrars to clamp down on the abuse of their services by Russian disinformation actors who he alleged are attempting to interfere with and influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. Warner sent a letter earlier in October to several well-known companies in the web domain registering and hosting … [Read more...]
Experts: Hackers Registered Over 500,000 Domains for Massive Cyber-Attack
SANTA CLARA, CA - Hackers have been around since the debut of the Internet, and over the years they’ve learned a number of underhanded tricks to use on unsuspecting victims; one of the most prolific is registering new domains to use to disseminate malware and conduct fishing attacks – while posing as innocent and trustworthy websites – in order to get the unwary to share sensitive information or download malicious software. That being said, according to cybersecurity … [Read more...]
Google to Phase Out Call & Chat Reporting on Google My Business Profiles
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - In a recent announcement Google revealed that it will discontinue the call and chat history features in Google Business Profiles by July 31, 2024. This move appears to be part of a broader effort to streamline Google's services and shift its focus elsewhere. While these changes will affect how businesses interact with their leads, it also presents an opportunity to enhance marketing efforts with proper planning and the right tools. What’s Changing in … [Read more...]
AT&T Discloses Major Data Breach Affecting Approximately 70+ Million Accounts
DALLAS, TX - AT&T recently revealed a cybersecurity incident that exposed call and text message records for a significant portion of its customer base. The breach impacted nearly all of AT&T's cellular customers, along with customers of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) that utilize AT&T's network. Even some landline customers who interacted with AT&T cellular users during the timeframe are included. While the compromised data doesn't contain the … [Read more...]
Unstoppable Domains Introduces AI to Create Secure Digital IDs for Crypto Users
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Unstoppable Domains, a company that offers blockchain-based domain names – such as .zil or .crypto – announced this week they have adopted the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in order to help “enhance the user experience” by allowing customers to utilize the growing technology to help craft “digital identities” for their “personal brand.” Unstoppable Domains COO Sandy Carter noted that all users have to do is provide some very basic material, either … [Read more...]
Ticketmaster Faces Massive Data Breach, Affecting Millions of Users
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - Ticketmaster, the ticketing giant, is reeling from a major data breach that may have exposed the personal information of over half a billion users. The notorious hacking group ShinyHunters is claiming responsibility for the attack and is demanding a ransom of $500,000 to prevent the data from being sold. While Ticketmaster has yet to confirm the breach officially, security experts are taking the claims seriously. According to reports, the stolen data … [Read more...]
49 Million Customers Data Affected After Dell Technologies Data Breach
ROUND ROCK, TX - A security incident has come to light, prompting concerns among users. Dell Technologies, a prominent player in the tech industry, disclosed a data breach affecting a substantial number of customers, totaling 49 million. While the breach does not involve sensitive financial or payment data, it nonetheless exposes personal information, including full names, cities, postal codes, and purchase details. Despite seeming innocuous, this data can be exploited by … [Read more...]
Omni Hotels & Resorts Suffers Breach, Potentially Impacting Millions
DALLAS, TX - Last month, Omni Hotels & Resorts, a prominent hotel chain, experienced a cybersecurity breach that resulted in the theft of customer information. In an update on their website, Omni confirmed that the stolen data includes customer names, email addresses, postal addresses, and guest loyalty program information. However, financial information and Social Security numbers were not compromised. The breach was detected on March 29, prompting Omni to shut down … [Read more...]
How Google’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Sees Keywords In Your Photos and Videos
PALM BEACH, FL - Imagine if your images could speak to Google, revealing their hidden keywords and boosting your search engine rankings. Well, it's not just a fantasy anymore. Google's advanced artificial intelligence (AI) has the ability to see and interpret the content of your images, opening up new SEO opportunities. While it's common knowledge that having keywords in the text sections of your website is important, many overlook the power of incorporating relevant … [Read more...]
Popular Question: “If I Build My Website on Shopify Who Owns My Website?”
FLORIDA: I get this question quite often and it's pretty important to know the difference. I've discussed a bunch of similar issues with domain and site ownership in my book Mastering Your Website. If I build my website on Shopify who owns my website? Technically, you will own the website you build on Shopify, even though Shopify provides the platform and tools to create and run it. The keyword here is platform. Here's a breakdown: It's important to distinguish … [Read more...]
What Is Geofencing And How Does It Work?
FLORIDA - Geofencing is a location-based technology that creates virtual boundaries around a specific geographic area. These boundaries are defined by GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or cellular data. When a device, typically a smartphone or GPS-enabled device, enters or exits the predefined geographic area, it triggers a response or action. Here's how geofencing typically works: Imagine a virtual fence you can draw around any area, like your competitor's dealership or even … [Read more...]
10 Billion Connections to Malicious Domains Blocked by NSA in 2023 via “PDNS”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Security Agency (NSA) noted that 10 billion user connections to known malicious or suspicious domains were blocked over the course of the past year as part of the agency’s efforts, according to its 2023 Cybersecurity Year in Review report released on Tuesday. The NSA‘s annual report is a public account of the agency’s work with government partners, defense industrial base (DIB) entities, and foreign partners to help keep the nation secure, … [Read more...]