Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat, Contributing Writer A new viral campaign that infects computers and uses them as Bitcoin mining bots has been spotted recently on Facebook. The virus is spread through Facebook private messages, generally received from one of the victim’s trusted friends. The victim receives a message that reads “hahaha”, along with an attachment of an archive file called 1IMAG00953.zip. Once opened, the file …

  Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat, Contributing Writer   These days we store huge amounts of data online. Individuals, schools, businesses and other organizations upload everything from corporate documents to private personal files using online cloud storage services. With recent revelations about the NSA tapping into cloud-based giants like Yahoo and Google, it is becoming increasingly important for cloud storage users to …

  Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat, Contributing Writer   Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple, says companies that depend on cloud storage have left themselves open to the prying eyes of intelligence agencies like the NSA. Wozniak expressed sympathy for companies that are at odds with the surveillance tactics of these agencies, but he also added that industry reliance on cloud services is a …

  Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat, Contributing Writer   Simple Tools To See If Your Google Account is Hacked A recent string of high-profile attacks, including the breach against Yahoo Mail servers, has been the focus of technology media outlets over the past few weeks. It appears that no cloud-based service is safe from malicious hackers these days. Google’s Gmail is another …

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  Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat, Contributing Writer   Mobile Carrier makes announcement that it will offer unlimited cloud storage service to its wireless customers for $5 a month through Pogoplug app. Sprint has added a new product to it’s “unlimited services” lineup.  Last Monday the company announced that it is now offering unlimited cloud storage from Pogoplug as part of its …

  Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat, Contributing Writer   Google tracks everything you do, and they are not limited to just tracking you online.  The search giant is now developing ways to track users across laptops, tablets and smartphones. They can even follow you right down to the the stores you visit and businesses you call from your mobile device. The new …

  Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat, Contributing Writer   Bitcoin virtual currency might be more than just a passing fad. In fact, it could be a worthwhile investment, according to experts. The virtual currency was launched in 2008 by an anonymous developer known only as ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’. The creator has since disappeared, leaving a trail of questions about his identity and motives. …

Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat Contributing Writer   If you are the most technical person in your neighborhood, then chances are you have become the local unofficial tech support rep for your circle of friends and family. It doesn’t matter how much, or how little, you know…as long as you are more technically capable than the rest of your family, you will …

Chris Dougherty VirtualThreat, Contributing Writer   NSA Hacks Google. How could it affect you? Emails? Online searches? Think bigger… Recently it was leaked that the National Security Agency tapped into primary overseas communication links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world. According to former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the agency has access to raw data from hundreds …