Dear Black Bag Confidential Reader,
This week’s selection of articles strikes a pretty even balance between technological threats and the perils of Mother Nature.
It just goes to show that in this day and age, you need to be prepared for anything.
Let’s take a look.
1. “Inside the TalkTalk ‘Indian Scam Call Centre’”
Three whistleblowers have exposed a large-scale scam operation in India targeting customers of TalkTalk, a British telecommunications company.
This scheme is a prime example of a social engineering hack, whereby criminals use deception and manipulation to obtain personal or confidential information to use for fraudulent purposes. In this case, hackers posed as TalkTalk employees to trick customers into giving up their banking information.
There are several steps you can take to avoid falling for such a ploy — in fact, I covered 10 ways to protect yourself in a recent issue of my Spy & Survival Briefing — but the most important thing you can do is never give out your information to a company that calls you. Hang up immediately and call the company’s customer service number to see if there are any issues with your account.
Did you know that tornadoes occur more often in the U.S. than in any other country? It’s true. And while tornadoes can touch down anytime, March through June is typically considered “tornado season.”
Tornadoes are especially destructive because there is usually little to no warning when and where one will appear. This makes prepping a vital necessity not only to survive the twister itself, but also in the event of a power loss or disruption in the water supply caused by the storm.
If you live in an area prone to tornadoes — especially the region known as Tornado Alley — don’t throw caution to the wind. Get your supplies in order and your emergency plan in place now.
3. “Radio Silence — Communication Without Electronics”
This comprehensive article from the Prepper Journal covers a variety of ways you can communicate if electronic communication is inoperative or impractical — from Morse code to semaphore flagging to military hand signals.
Consider learning one (or more) of these useful survival skills to keep in your back pocket. It won’t cost you a thing, and you can turn it into a fun activity for the whole family.
Of course, I still recommend having a Baofeng survival radio on hand with plenty of extra batteries, but I do realize sometimes you want to be seen and not heard.
4. The Virtually Indestructible Knife You Need to Own
This knife was inspired by elite CIA operatives executing clandestine operations in hostile territories. It’s the ultimate tool for the self-reliant American who knows that when the stuff hits the fan, they’ll likely be on their own.
And now you have the chance to get one for yourself. Click on the link above to discover what makes this the superlative self-defense and survival knife.
The last time we offered this incredible tool, it sold out in just 72 hours. So don’t delay, claim yours today.
5. “How to Cope With the Recent Flood of Security Failures”
Even for someone as plugged-in as myself, it’s difficult to keep all the hacks, leaks and security breaches straight these days. This article over at Macworld does a great job of breaking down some of the latest threats.
It addresses the recently revealed Cloudflare leak, which we discussed last week, as well as the risks associated with the increasing interconnectedness of the IoT (internet of things) — which I’ve repeatedly warned against.
But hopefully, as the piece points out, the publicity surrounding these attacks will prompt companies to take cybersecurity a little more seriously and ultimately lead to change.
Until then…
Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
