As Summer 2016 comes to a close, the COAR mentors would like to thank our summer interns for an amazing summer filled with tons of teamwork and tons of hard work. We wish you all the best on your upcoming school years.
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Month: August 2016
Malware Prevention Tips For Computer Users
According to Panda Security, “more than a quarter of all malware samples ever recorded were produced in 2015”.[1] Researchers from different cyber security companies such as McAfee and Kaspersky predict that this malware trend will only continue to grow.[2] [3] This means that users today are more vulnerable to malware infection than ever before. Thus, it is essential that users learn to protect themselves. This article will outline three common ways users fall victim to malware infection and how to defend against them: malicious email links, macro virus, and an infected USB flash drive.
Oh, The Places You’ll (Pokémon) Go
Pokémon Go, the latest edition in the Pokémon game series, has generated a lot of buzz since its release on 6 July 2016. This is not a cyber security game for students. The augmented reality game, a mix of real world and virtual reality, is the fastest app to ever reach the number one spot for iOS and Android downloads.[1] The app works by locating the gamer in reality through the phone’s GPS and clock, and placing Pokémon in the general vicinity, which the gamer can view and catch using the phone’s camera.[2] Upon download, the app also has access to the user’s email address and user name, but does not have access to the user’s entire email account or the ability to send and read emails, though many users had this concern.[3] In many ways, Pokémon Go is based off of Ingress, an augmented reality game from Google that launched in 2012, which also used the gamer’s location, camera, and some personal information in order to play the game, concerning people then as it does now.[4] The game’s popularity is one that rivals Twitter in the number of daily users[5] and sent Nintendo’s stock prices blasting off[6] like Team Rocket; however, it is becoming hazardous for users and others around them.