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Chicago-based Forward Technologies delivers IT support and cyber security to businesses in the Chicago area and nationwide.

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Hacked and Harassed: When Debt Collectors Buy Your Stolen Digital Life

July 21, 2025 by Edward Silha

Digital profile data being handed to a suited figure with shadowy background and legal documents in handA startup called Farnsworth & Co. has found a niche in the dark overlap between surveillance, malware, and civil litigation. Their product? Personal data stolen from infected computers—now available for purchase by debt collectors, divorce lawyers, and anyone with a grudge and a budget.

The company’s entire business hinges on access to data siphoned off by infostealer malware. This kind of software quietly grabs login credentials, browsing histories, cookies, emails, and contact lists from unsuspecting users. It then bundles the stolen data into searchable profiles. Farnsworth, for its part, packages this information and sells it as “intelligence services.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity, Tech In General Tagged With: cybercrime, data breach, data brokers, digital profiling, Farnsworth & Co., infostealer, malware data, privacy invasion

Hackers Hide Malware in DNS Records to Evade Detection

July 16, 2025 by Edward Silha

An endpoint computer receiving a DNS response, which reassembles into a malicious script, shown as puzzle pieces forming a bug icon at the user’s terminal.A new cybersecurity threat is emerging as attackers use DNS records—the very system that directs internet traffic—to hide malware. Instead of relying on email attachments or suspicious downloads, bad actors are embedding malicious payloads into DNS TXT records. This method sneaks malicious code past traditional defenses because security tools often ignore DNS traffic.

DNS, or Domain Name System, acts like the internet’s phonebook, translating domain names into IP addresses. It is so fundamental and routine that most security systems allow it without scrutiny. That makes it a perfect hiding place. According to researchers at Infoblox, attackers are disguising shellcode—malicious binary instructions—inside base64-encoded TXT records. These look like harmless text but are reassembled and executed by compromised devices once fetched.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity Tagged With: Cobalt Strike, cybersecurity, cybersecurity threats, data exfiltration, DNS blind spot, DNS malware, DNS security, DNS tunneling, DNS TXT records, DNS-based attacks, DomainTools, Infoblox, TXT records, zero trust

Homoglyph Phishing: When One Letter Steals Everything

July 7, 2025 by Edward Silha

A user clicking an email link, leading to two identical websites—one real, one fake—split like a mirror.You click a link. It takes you to a site that looks exactly right. The logo matches, the name checks out, and everything feels familiar. But something’s off. And before you realize what it is, you’ve handed over your login, your credit card, or worse, your network credentials. The trick wasn’t in the layout or the content. It was in the letters.

Cybercriminals are using homoglyphs—lookalike characters from other alphabets—to build fake domains that mimic real ones down to the pixel. A Cyrillic “а” is nearly identical to the Latin “a” your eyes expect to see. To a browser, they’re completely different. To a person, they’re the same. That’s the whole con. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity, Tech In General Tagged With: brand impersonation, browser security, credential theft, cybersecurity threats, Cyrillic characters, DNS manipulation, domain impersonation, domain spoofing, homoglyph attacks, homoglyph phishing, PayPal phishing, phishing, phishing scams, spoofed domains, Unicode attacks, unicode security

Stalkerware App Meant for “Parental Control” Leaks Passwords and User Data

July 5, 2025 by Edward Silha

A cartoon-style smartphone with glowing eyes hidden under a trench coat, sneaking data into a dark web dashboard while a folder labeled “Passwords” leaks out onto the ground.A surveillance app marketed as a stealthy tool for parents has exposed sensitive data from over 62,000 users, raising fresh concerns about the real audience for apps like it.

The app, called Catwatchful, claims to offer invisible monitoring for Android phones. According to its creators, it’s intended to help parents keep tabs on their children’s digital activity. But the app’s heavy emphasis on secrecy and undetectability tells a different story. On its website, Catwatchful boasts that it “cannot be detected,” “cannot be uninstalled,” and “only you can access the information it collects.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity Tagged With: Android spyware, Catwatchful, cybersecurity, data breach, parental control apps, Play Protect, stalkerware

DMARC in 2025: What’s Working, What’s Failing, and What Comes Next

June 12, 2025 by Edward Silha

Visual representation of email authentication flow highlighting DMARC enforcement and policy alignmentEmail authentication continues to improve, but DMARC is still widely misunderstood and often misused. The number of domains publishing DMARC records has grown steadily since 2023, especially in industries like finance, education, and healthcare. However, a large percentage of those domains are not enforcing any policy, which means spoofing and phishing attacks are still a serious concern.

Adoption is up, but enforcement remains low. Estimates show that while more than 30 percent of domains have added DMARC over the past two years, fewer than a third are using policies like quarantine or reject. Most records are set to “none,” which enables monitoring but provides no actual protection against domain impersonation. It’s a good first step, but without enforcement, DMARC doesn’t prevent malicious email from being delivered. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity Tagged With: cybersecurity 2025, DKIM, DMARC, DNS configuration, domain spoofing, email authentication, email security, Forward Technologies, phishing protection, secure email, SPF

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