... Hopefully, you were able to take a weekend getaway, visit your favorite amusement /water park or had an opportunity to spend quality family time at a (preferably warm) vacation destination.  (As a techy, a bonus to any of these is of you were able to successfully unplug and rejuvenate for any period of time!)

In review of the Summer (and life review!), one of the biggest challenges for my wife and me, when planning a car trip is how to keep our children occupied for the long ride ahead.  I fully understand that for many of those older than us, this “challenge” may seem ridiculous.  Old School rational simply says to stick the kids in the car and let them sleep, enjoy the “country” looking out the windows or hum along with a grandparent as they repeated the same few sounds over and over for hours straight (a habit permanently engraved in my mind!), right?  I understand.  Growing up, I remember multiple road trip vacations with eight of us (yes, eight!)  getting crammed in an Oldsmobile station wagon (my brother and I were actually positioned laying flat in the back of the car, spaced in-between the luggage and a cardboard box full of groceries) driving from Ohio to Arizona.  We not only survived, but we loved every minute of it.  Did we have digital devices or media to get us through the three days of travel?  Heck no!  However, we also didn’t have car seats (except for maybe our mom’s lap) and the wearing of seat belts in the back seat wasn’t a law either (I am fairly certain other than my dad driving nobody used seat belts, as the whole family shuffled around the car during those long hours).
 
I guess we can say that times have changed for the good or bad.  It seems like kid’s today (including my own) desire to be constantly entertained, hence the car ride challenge.   So prior to leaving for vacation, we make sure all media devices get properly charged, we visit the library to sign-out books, plan car activities and so on.  This year, as we planned our car activities, we made the decision to make the activities as brain stimulating as possible. (Yes, it even lasted past the first 10 miles!)  We downloaded trivia related apps, brain teasers, guessing games, etc.  One of the biggest hits (believe it or not), was a simple cardboard road bingo game.  Old School prevailed!  Anyhow, when it comes to travel, my wife and I have adopted a basic motto, “five minutes is five minutes”…meaning, every activity helps, even if it last only a short period of time.
 
Since car travel (and the subsequent planning of car games) was a big portion of my summer this year, I felt it only fitting that I pen a post-summer security trivia article this month.  Trivia questions and games took us over many miles, and I believe it can go the distance with us for our Tech Article today as well.  We’ll keep it simple.  Take out a pen and paper, number it from 1 – 10 and answer the following ten security related questions.  Let’s see how well informed you stayed concerning some of the top security stories over the last few summer months (without looking up answers online!).  Let me know your answers by emailing me at feedback@thirtyseven4.com.   Simply email me your answers, your mailing address, and I’ll send the winner (first nine questions answered correctly and the closest answer to question number ten) a Thirtyseven4 prize.  I will also randomly select a handful of people to send Thirtyseven4 prizes, too.  Sound good?

Question #1:
The global WannaCry threat (in May) can be best classified as what type of malware?
A.) Backdoor 
B.) Scareware 
C.) Ransomware 
D.) Bot

Question #2:
What is the name of the security exploit, suspected to have been developed by the NSA, used in the WannaCry attack?
A.) CodeRed 
B.) EternalBlue 
C.) GreenTree 
D.) None of the above

Question #3:
Very similar in nature to WannaCry, what was the industry accepted name of the late June threat that also capitalized on the exploit discussed in Question #2, created havoc all over Europe (including FedEx) and didn’t just encrypt user’s data, but also encrypts the master file table (MFT) & overwrites the Master boot record (MBR)?
A.) Happy99 
B.) CryptoLocker 
C.) Petya 
D.) Klez

 Question #4:
What is the term given to a computer worm that targets users through social media by posting fake security links?
A.) Koobface 
B.) ToolKit 
C.) Tunneling Virus 
D.) SimpLocker

Questions #5:
Routinely in the news lately, who is the fifth and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security?
A.) John Kelly 
B.) John Brennan 
C.) Mike Pompeo 
D.) LeBron James

Please Note: The above answered has recently changed since this writing.  The answer is now the former fifth United States Secretary of Homeland Security.

Question #6:
What is the term used to describe a phishing scam where an attacker might tweet a post interesting enough to trick a user into revealing their login ID and password? The use of this technique has been on the rise throughout the summer.
A.) Spear Phishing 
B.) Whale Phishing 
C.) Watering hole 
D.) Twishing

Question #7:
Brute style force attacks directed towards Windows servers have seen a significant increase over the last couple months. Many of these attacks seek to crack weak passwords.  Which of the following passwords would not be considered weak?
A.) qwerty  B.) password  C.) 123456 D.) Min1stryT3ch

Question #8:
In mid-June, what organization saw phone numbers, names and pin codes of six million of their customers potentially stolen and left online for around nine days during a major security breach?
A.) Walmart  
B.) Verizon  
C.) Lowes 
D.) Wells Fargo

Question #9:
Apple issued "critical" security patches for iPhone, iPad and Mac users after reports emerged of what type of dangerous security threat in late July?
A.) Remote Code Execution 
B.) Backdoor Exploit 
C.) WiFi Hacking Attack 
D.) iOS Worm

Question #10 (Bonus):
How many schools and churches is Thirtyseven4 actively protecting Nationwide with its flagship Thirtyseven4 Endpoint Security solution? (Through July 2017)

Keeping current and updated on the latest security news is important, like keeping your children occupied during a long car trip….

Being aware of the latest vulnerabilities and attacks can help us to recognize malicious behavior or related vulnerabilities and have an awareness of what the latest trends are.  The measures that we take to proactively protect ourselves from infections or violations of our information/data/personals can be invaluable if they save us from losing information/pictures/projects.  A secure password may take an extra moment to type, but that will be the difference between business as usual, and starting over if your machine is compromised.  Five minutes is five minutes!  Take the 5 minutes to be proactive: in your online security measures, by staying abreast of the latest news of cyber-trouble, and overall—by caring for your online activities.
 
The carefree days of yesterday are gone, where my brother and I rode on our backs and bellies for three days out to Arizona in the back of a station wagon.  The carefree days of using “password’ as your password and other simple trends will usher you into the realm of infection and ransomware in a hurry.  Times have changed, and hackers move us from comfortable to high-alert.  But with seatbelts and car seats came saved lives and fewer injuries.  And strong security measures (and antivirus protection!) bring uninterrupted capabilities and safe information, and fewer headaches!

The tips and practices that we encourage for online safety are for your good, and there is no multiple-choice about that.  Stay current on what’s happening with security trends, and it will better equip your mind for staying protected and proactive.

Now who’s up for a Fall car trip?