Cybersecurity News
Before You Click
Meet the mobile app built for the moment before the mistake. A premium feature article introducing ZoraSafe Mobile and why scam protection has to happen before the click.
ZoraSafe · 5 min read
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Cybersecurity News
Latest cybersecurity threats and news (legacy category)
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33 published articles
Cybersecurity News
LexisNexis: The Private Infrastructure Behind Identity Surveillance
How a legal research company evolved into a nationwide data aggregation system used across government, insurance, and risk analysis—often without warrants or individual consent.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 14 min read
Cybersecurity News
A Practical Privacy Review for Your Accounts and Devices
Review what you share, which apps have access and how to request deletion. Work through the accounts that matter to you instead of relying on an outdated list of menu paths.
ZoraSafe · 25 min read
Cybersecurity News
Kroger Made $1 Billion From Your Grocery List. You Got 5% Off Yogurt.
Kroger's data business is worth over $1 billion annually with 1,400+ corporate clients. They track every item you buy, enrich that data with third-party information about your income and race, and sell access to your profile. You got 50 cents off crackers.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 10 min read
Cybersecurity News
23andMe Filed for Bankruptcy. Your DNA Filed for Witness Protection.
Your DNA is the most permanent data that exists about you. If you sent a spit sample to 23andMe, that uniquely identifying information is now a corporate asset in a bankruptcy auction. 15 million people are about to find out what it means to be a saleable asset.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 10 min read
Cybersecurity News
Amazon Kept Your Kid's Voice Recordings Forever. Even After You Said Delete.
Amazon kept your children's voice recordings indefinitely and used them to train algorithms. When parents requested deletion, they deleted audio but kept transcripts. The $25 million settlement reveals how Big Tech treats kids as unpaid data laborers.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 10 min read
Cybersecurity News
BetterHelp Told Facebook You're Depressed. Facebook Showed You Ads for More Therapy.
In March 2023, the FTC announced a $7.8 million settlement with BetterHelp for sharing sensitive mental health information—including responses about depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts—with Facebook, Snapchat, and other advertising platforms. Your cry for help became a sales lead.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 11 min read
Cybersecurity News
The Data Economy of Period Tracking Apps
How reproductive health signals became high-value behavioral data, and why long-term retention creates privacy and security risks
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 11 min read
Cybersecurity News
Your Car Sold You Out for 26 Cents and Your Insurance Went Up $200
The world's worst trade deal, explained. Honda sold driving data from 97,000 vehicles for $25,920. That's 26 cents per car. Meanwhile, insurance rates jumped 24%.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 11 min read
Cybersecurity News
Your TV Takes 48,000 Screenshots Per Second and You Thought It Was Just Slow
The $57 million reason your 65-inch was suspiciously affordable. Vizio made 2.2 times more money from selling your viewing data than from selling you the TV.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 11 min read
Cybersecurity News
Meta Makes $16 Billion a Year From Scam Ads and Budgets $1 Billion for Fines. Do the Math.
When getting caught is just a line item. Meta makes $16 billion from "higher-risk" advertisers and budgets $1 billion for fines. That's a 1,500% return on investment.
ZoraSafe · 11 min read
Cybersecurity News
FTC Social Media Data Report: What Families Can Learn
The FTC’s September 2024 social-media report examined collection, sharing and retention practices. Use its findings to ask concrete privacy questions without assuming every service behaves identically.
ZoraSafe · 10 min read
Cybersecurity News
Commercial Location Surveillance and Sensitive Places: How your most protected activities became products
How commercially sold location data has been used to infer visits to religious sites, healthcare facilities, protests, and other protected spaces
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 14 min read
Cybersecurity News
Florida just told Big Tech to choke on their kombucha.
Florida just told Big Tech to choke on their kombucha. DeSantis just drew a line in the sand on AI. Big Tech wanted zero AI regulation for the next decade. Florida said "lol no." Here's why I'm slow clapping from my home office.
ZoraSafe · 5 min read
Cybersecurity News
Ransomware Got an AI Upgrade. Here's Your 7-Step Defense
Attackers now use AI to target people first, devices second. Use this simple layered plan to harden your home or small team.
ZoraSafe · 15 min read
Cybersecurity News
Ransomware Just Got an AI Upgrade: Why Attacks Are Moving Faster Than Your IT Team
AI-enhanced ransomware is compressing attack windows from hours to minutes. With 76% of organizations unable to keep up and attacks increasing 36% year-over-year, the defender's advantage is vanishing.
ZoraSafe · 12 min read
Cybersecurity News
Fake Livestream QR Codes: Verify the Event and the Offer
A professional-looking livestream can still direct you to a fraudulent giveaway or login. Verify the event and any offer through the organizer’s official channels.
ZoraSafe · 18 min
Cybersecurity News
When the Cloud Hit Snooze: Your Guide to the Great AWS Outage (and Not Getting Scammed)
On Monday, AWS had a major outage in US-EAST-1, and the internet face-planted. Here's what happened, why it wasn't a hack, and how to avoid scams during the next cloud hiccup.
ZoraSafe · 8 min read
Cybersecurity News
Houston, We Have a Privacy Leak (Fix It in Under an Hour)
A no-jargon walkthrough to plug the 7 most common home privacy leaks—email, Wi-Fi, browsers, cloud.
ZoraSafe · 8 min read
Cybersecurity News
Zero Bars, Total Chaos: The SIM Farm That Almost Shut Down NYC
The U.S. Secret Service dismantled a massive telecommunications threat in NYC that could have disabled cell towers and crippled the entire network during the U.N. General Assembly.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 6 min read
Cybersecurity News
Interpol's $97M Cybercrime Bust: Will It Actually Slow Down Scam Calls to Your Phone?
Interpol arrested 1,209 cybercriminals and recovered $97.4 million in Operation Serengeti 2.0. But will it reduce the scam calls hitting your phone?
ZoraSafe · 7 min read
Cybersecurity News
A Data Breach Notice: What It Means for Your Next Step
Respond to the information actually exposed, not just the headline size of a breach. Verify the notice and follow a recovery plan suited to your accounts and data.
ZoraSafe · 11 min read
Cybersecurity News
FBI’s 2024 Internet Crime Report: Read the Loss Figures Carefully
The FBI’s 2024 IC3 report records $16.6 billion in reported losses. Treat this as a historical complaint-based measure, not a count of every scam or every victim.
ZoraSafe · 12 min read
Cybersecurity News
Zelle Scam Payments: Report the Loss and Ask About Your Options
Contact your bank promptly after a suspected Zelle scam. Explain whether you made the transfer or someone accessed the account; do not assume a lawsuit guarantees reimbursement.
ZoraSafe · 8 min read
Cybersecurity News
A Not-Boring Guide to Kompact AI vs. DeepSeek AI vs. the "Big Brain" Gang
The AI showdown you've been waiting for! Compare Kompact AI, ChatGPT, Claude, and other major AI models to find the perfect fit for your needs.
ZoraSafe · 9 min read
Cybersecurity News
Election Security & Why It Matters
As we approach the 2024 U.S. elections, safeguarding election infrastructure is more crucial than ever. Learn about CISA's comprehensive election security resources and recent cybersecurity threats.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 8 min read
Cybersecurity News
Ransomware Threats to Elections: What You Need to Know
With the U.S. election season in full swing, ransomware has become a hot topic. Learn about the dangers posed by ransomware, the actions being taken to protect elections, and what this means for voters.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 7 min read
Cybersecurity News
An Urgent Call From a Grandchild: A Callback Plan
If a grandchild appears to call urgently for money, hang up and call their saved number. You do not need to determine whether the voice was cloned before verifying.
ZoraSafe · 5 min read
Cybersecurity News
The 2025 AI Showdown: Kompact vs. Claude vs. ChatGPT vs. DeepSeek
If 2023 was the year everyone added 'AI Whisperer' to their LinkedIn bio, 2025 is the year we realized most AI tools are locked behind paywalls.
Catherine “Cat” Karow · 8 min read
Cybersecurity News
An Unexpected Package Message: Check the Original Order
Check delivery problems through your original order or the carrier’s official site. Do not pay a redelivery fee or disclose information through an unexpected text.
ZoraSafe · 4 min read
Cybersecurity News
This Text Isn't From Your Bank: Verify the Alert
A bank name in a text is not proof of identity. Check the alert in the bank’s official app or call the number on your card before replying.
ZoraSafe · 3 min read
Cybersecurity News
AI and Romance Scams: Verify Behavior, Not Just a Face
Convincing photos, messages or calls do not make an online relationship financially trustworthy. Be cautious when affection turns into pressure for money or an investment.
ZoraSafe · 6 min read
Cybersecurity News
The Rise of Deepfake Technology in Cybercrime
Deepfake technology is revolutionizing cybercrime, creating new challenges for individuals and businesses in detecting fraudulent content.
ZoraSafe · 6 min read
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