Author: Caleb Townsend

Caleb Townsend is a staff writer  for the United States Cybersecurity Magazine. He has been crafting his passion for film-making and script writing since childhood. While not a tech person by training, Caleb has held a passion for journalism and writing, which he discovered working for his college newspaper. Caleb graduated from Eastern Mennonite University in 2017, receiving his bachelor’s degree for Digital Media with a minor in Journalism, and is now a full time employee of the United States Cybersecurity Magazine.

(In)Famous Hacking Groups

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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The Different Hacking Groups Hacking Groups are a staple of cybersecurity culture. Since the 1995 release of the movie Hackers, there has been a very specific subset of cultural cliches we associate with all hacking groups. However, some hacking groups aren’t youthful, energetic teenagers or lone wolfs. In fact, some groups are state sponsored, and … Read more

Catfishing: Not Just About Money

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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Catfishing, catfish

We live in a time where it is easier than ever to deceive people. For example, the internet now enables us to speak anonymously through message boards, comment sections, and even online games. Additionally, the internet can help you pretend to be a different person. Catfishing is the act of pretending to be someone else … Read more

Starting a Career in Cybersecurity

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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Woman on computer pursuing a career in cybersecurity, University of San Diego, USD, Cybersecurity Career

Cybersecurity is a very large field, filled with many specialized jobs that require a large variety of skills. Though it seems silly to point this out, it is sadly necessary to state that “cybersecurity expert” is not an actual job title. The hardest part of getting a cybersecurity career is knowing how each individual component … Read more

How to Clean Your Computer and Speed it up

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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Clean Your Computer, Messy Desktop, Too Many Icons, Computer with messy home screen

It is important to regularly clean your computer. Every computer has two forms of storage, RAM and Hard Drive space. RAM is temporary storage. This dictates how many programs you can simultaneously run on your computer. If your RAM runs out, your computer will use the hard drive space to store the temporary memory. This … Read more

Mobile Security: Safeguarding Your Information

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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Mobile Security, phone getting hacked, web, hands on phone, malware

Mobile security is a relatively new field in the world of cybersecurity. The rise of mobile computing calls for an increased vigilance in regards to our personal information. Smart phones and the like are now the standard. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, 95% of Americans own a cellphone of some kind. The … Read more

A Brief and Incomplete History of Cybersecurity

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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Cybersecurity History, evolved, evolution of man, blue men, computer, cyber

Many people assume that cybersecurity is a new vector, relatively starting within the last decade. However, cybersecurity history dates back to the seventies, before most people even had a computer. We have covered hacking incidents that took place before computers, but for the purposes of this article, our timeline starts in 1971, with an experiment. … Read more

The Top 5 Cybersecurity Myths That Need to Die

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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Cybersecurity Myths Man in Suit Looking at a White Wall With Two Direction Arrows Pointed To Fact or Myths

Cybersecurity myths are pervasive ideas people have about cybersecurity that weaken your cybersecurity posture. These myths often are defense mechanisms, rationalizations for apathy and inaction. It is important to dispel these myths. Otherwise, you could be opening yourself, or your business, to vulnerability. Cybersecurity Myth #1: Cybersecurity is the IT Guy’s Problem If you work … Read more

Equifax was Careless With Your Data

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

Josh Henry, ,

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Data breach and private personal information theft as a technology security concept as a digital thief stealing code as a computing risk idea in a 3D illustration style. Equifax

The Cost of Carelessness Is it possible to quantify carelessness? Recent news about Equifax has shown the veracity of carelessness seen in the cybersecurity department of major corporations and countries. This year alone, we have seen many companies that we trust with our personal information fail us. Because of this, the catastrophic failures of cybersecurity … Read more

ElsaGate: The Problem With Algorithms

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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Elsagate concept, kids on IPads looking shocked and confused

Social Engineering can take many forms. Sometimes it’s a phone call attempting to extrapolate your mother’s maiden name. Other times it is an email attempting to gain rapport and get you to click on a sketchy link.  However, sometimes you get something much more bizarre. Something like Elsagate. In 2017, many news sources started reporting … Read more

Dark Web: Unpacking the Notoriety

Author(s):

Caleb Townsend, Staff Writer, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

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Dark Web Silk Road anonymous marketplace drugs index

If you are internet savvy, or into Creepypastas, you absolutely have heard of the dark web. What started out as a little trivia fact (did you know 99% of the internet is The Deep Web?!) has morphed into something else entirely. The Legend of the Dark Web Because the dark web is non-indexable, Google can … Read more