Tag Archive for: ‘tip

Father who hacked into 772 webcams to watch 47 women have sex was captured by the FBI after tip off


  • Christopher Taylor was caught after the FBI was tipped off by IT specialists

A father-of-three who hacked into hundreds of webcams across the world so he could spy on women undressing and having sex is facing jail after IT specialists tipped off the FBI. 

Christopher Taylor, 60, was caught when IT staff at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta alerted the FBI after the malware was found on the laptop of a student at its aerospace laboratory.

Taylor had tricked 772 people in 39 different countries into unwittingly relinquishing control of their computers so he could monitor their private lives over a three-year period.

Police believe 47 women were secretly watched by the married man from his laptop at his £170,000 semi-detached home in Wigan, Greater Manchester, while engaging in sexual activity with their partners. 

A prosecutor said the malware was detected on a student’s laptop by the ‘sophisticated spyware systems’ at Georgia Institute of Technology. That enabled FBI agents to link it back to Taylor’s unassuming home in north west England.

Christopher Taylor, 60, pictured outside Bolton Crown Court, hacked into hundreds of webcams across the world so he could spy on women undressing and having sex
Taylor’s home in Wigan, Greater Manchester, where police believe he secretly watched 47 women

The investigation found Taylor had deleted thousands of files before his arrest.

When British police raided his home, Taylor – a full-time carer for his wife Wendy – told officers: ‘It’s just what I’ve been meddling with on the computer.

He faced extradition proceedings to face trial in the US for wire fraud and computer fraud, but the request was turned down after a judge in London ruled it would ‘negatively impact’ his ailing wife.

More than seven years after his original arrest, Taylor could be jailed today after he admitted securing unauthorised access to computer material and voyeurism.

Taylor also admitted possession of extreme pornography over obscene images found on his devices.

He lured in his unwitting victims with a phony link he placed on porn sites which, when clicked, would allow him full access to their laptop’s function, Bolton Crown Court heard.

He was found to have…

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Security tip: Are you making this huge Wi-Fi mistake?


You pay good money for your internet service, so I understand the frustration of a slow connection. News flash: It’s not always your ISP’s fault. Here are common Wi-Fi mistakes. 

Entertaining guests? They’ll want access to your Wi-Fi, but it’s a pain to give out your login repeatedly. Get tech smart. Post a QR code in your home that automatically signs in guests on your home network. 

Now, if a hacker gets into your home network, they can find their way to your personal information. Should you set your home Wi-Fi network to public or private? The answer might surprise you.

A woman walks past a WiFi-enabled phone booth in New York, July 12, 2012.

A woman walks past a WiFi-enabled phone booth in New York, July 12, 2012.
(Reuteres / Keith Bedford)

Enter to win a $500 Amazon Gift card.

It’s not what you think

Having your home Wi-Fi network set to private would be the most secure setting, right? That’s actually incorrect. But don’t let the sloppy terminology confuse you.

When you are on your home network and have it configured as private on your computer, your PC is undiscoverable by other devices connected to the same network. So, in this case, the public Wi-Fi setting is more secure than the private one. Yes, you read that right!

If you want to share files or send documents to a family member in your home on the same network or your home printer, you’ll need to have your network set to private. 

ARE YOUR STEPS TOTALLY OFF FOR YOUR 2023 FITNESS GOALS?

When the network is set to private, your printer will recognize and connect to your computer to receive the documents you want to print. Clear as mud, right?

Find your iPhone when you phone gets lost.

Find your iPhone when you phone gets lost.
(CyberGuy.com)

Let me summarize it again to be clear:

  • Private network: Use this setting only for networks you control or trust. When a network is set to private, your PC is discoverable to other devices on the network. You can use it for file and printer sharing.
  • Public network: Use this to connect to public networks, such as airport or hotel Wi-Fi. Your PC will be hidden from other devices on the network.

Did you know your printer can be a gateway for hackers to wreak havoc? Here are five ways to lock down your printer.

How to change your network from public to private

If you need to…

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iWatchTexas anonymous tip service now providing school safety feature


The Texas Department of Public Safety app allows parents, teachers and students to be proactive in reporting potential threats.

MIDLAND, Texas — iWatchTexas is a service provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, and it has an app that’s been around for four years.

Now, it also has a school safety extension that is relatively new, allowing parents, students and teachers to report problems with a proactive approach.

Sergeant Steven Blanco with Texas DPS is a big supporter of the app.

“The app is actually available to anybody,” Blanco said. “So, whenever we go to schools, myself or troopers go to schools, we always advocate for teachers, parents, school staff, to download the app. So, it is available on iPhone and Android.”

When it comes to why threats in schools are becoming prevalent, Blanco said it is a classic case of copycats.

“And that continues every time there is an active shooter-type event,” Blanco said. “There are copycat-type individuals who make threats to scare the public for a variety of reasons and those threats are taken very seriously, and those persons who make those threats are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The tips on the app are anonymous, and they will help keep schools safe and secure by alerting the appropriate personnel of any potential threats.

“I encourage everyone to download the iWatchTexas app, because everyone in our community – parents, teachers, the students – everyone in our community are gatekeepers for our community,” Blanco said. “We are the gatekeepers of our community. So, we always say if you see something, say something.”

For more information on how you can get involved, visit iwatchtx.org

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Man shares tip for finding out who sold your email address


 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A LinkedIn user and business owner has revealed a tip for discovering who may have sold your email address to marketers.

In a LinkedIn post, Sam Jones shared his life hack, as he expressed why people should include a website’s name as their “middle name” when signing up for something online.

“Top tip: When you sign up for anything online, put the website name as your middle name,” he wrote. “That way when you receive spam emails, you will know who sold your info. I share this every year, but it’s always worth repeating.”

According to his LinkedIn Profile, Jones is the founder of Genr8 Ads, a software development company that works with other companies to provide media for “anticipated audiences”, offer insight about customers’ habits, and promotes brands in order to “drive action”.

Previously, Jones was also a global advertising specialist and global brand manager for Red Bull in Austria.

As of 15 June, Jones’ post has more than 8,300 reactions and over 200 comments, as fellow LinkedIn users praised him for sharing this email tip.

“That works all the time,” one wrote, while another said: “Genius!! Love it lol.”

A third user added: Brilliant hack… I never thought about this though…”

Other people noted how they could still end up getting spam emails and asked what to do next, after discovering which websites had stolen their email addresses.

“And then what – Can you sue?” one asked, while another wrote: “I see. But with this practice I would still receive the same number of spam emails for the extra effort. What to do after finding who’s selling my info?”

Some LinkedIn members questioned the security of the internet today and claimed that regardless of if this hack works or not, some websites can still sell people’s email addresses.

“I think every website/app sells your info. No need for such hard work,” one wrote. “ Anyways, we can’t do anything as we all checked that terms and conditions box.”

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