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If you’re headed to Black Hat 2010 this year as we are, be sure to follow our security tips to avoid placement on the Wall of Sheep. Our third security tip post is actually a collection of some miscellaneous things. Join us at Booth 33 to learn more about these tips, try your hand at Hack The Lab, and see what other things are going on at Stonesoft and the new StoneGate 5.2 release.

As many YouTube videos demonstrate, you never know when someone may be watching. A good thing to keep in mind at Black Hat as well, particularly when you are using a laptop or other mobile device. Be mindful of the fact that hackers may be watching your screen and your fingers as you type. From this they can capture information off your screen and capture your logins and passwords for use later on. Often this hack is accomplished by using a video camera on a cell phone or by pretending to take a picture of a nearby attraction. So keep your fingers covered as much as possible, and be prepared to change your passwords often. If you can avoid using your laptop or smartphone in open areas, do so and reserve the work for after you return to your hotel room or other private location.

Black Hat has also been famous in the use of social engineering and ATM hacks. There’s a presentation on ATMs at this year’s conference. Be sure to avoid any stand-alone or third party ATMs within the casinos, or any ATM that is not at a bank branch office. These stand alone ATMs can be cheap copies, or purchased off eBay or other sites, and reconfigured to capture your account data, while providing no money.

Just one more quick review: turn off wireless and Bluetooth on all devices whenever possible. Avoid wireless if at all possible, and use a 3G cellular modem instead. Be careful typing in passwords, and also what you work on while in open areas. Don’t trust ATMs or storage devices of any kind. Keep your mobile devices up to date with the latest software updates and patches, and use encryption and firewalls whenever and wherever possible.

Remember to enjoy the conference and have a great time knowing you won’t be joining others on the Wall of Sheep!

written by markb - 1,565 views \\ tags: conferences, hacking, passwords, Security