Have you been hacked ?

Increasingly hacking has become a modern crime.  Despite millions being spent on security software to counter hacking it appears to be increasing. 
The big danger is storing sensitive individual information in one location.   Often this is cloud-based storage system.  Unfortunately with CLOUD as the name might suggest is stored off-site which in some ways increases the security threat.
Hackers come in all shapes and forms are motivated by various means.

Black Hackers as they are known are basically thieves trying to steal personal information that they are then used for their own financial gain.  Sometimes by selling on more time by blackmailing the owners or custodians of the information.
Then you have Hactivists those hacking for religious of political reason, some to expose wrongdoing or even revenge.
State-sponsored hackers basically trying to steal or control the military capabilities of another country.

Then there is the real scary one the Cyber Terrorist his goal is to cause mayhem throughout the world.
We are all targets and potential victims once you use the internet.  So if you for example book a holiday rental or buy a book online be sure your information is stored correctly. 

The latest corporate victim has been Uber and not for the first time.

Uber has become the latest company to reveal that it has been hacked after confirming that the details of some 57 million customers and around 600,000 drivers were leaked.

Understandably, the questions that customers and drivers will want asking is whether or not they’ve had their details leaked, what details were leaked and how dangerous this leak could be.

In 2016 a pair of individuals were able to hack into data that Uber had stored on a third-party cloud server.

Having gained access, the individuals were then able to steal information belonging to Uber and in turn demand a ransom from the company.

Those assurances obtained by Uber involved giving the two individuals $100,000 in exchange for their silence and the promise that the information wouldn’t be shared.

In a statement, Uber’s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said:

“At the time of the incident, we took immediate steps to secure the data and shut down further unauthorized access by the individuals. We subsequently identified the individuals and obtained assurances that the downloaded data had been destroyed.”


What information was hacked and leaked?


Uber’s official advice following the hack is this:

“We do not believe any individual rider needs to take any action. We have seen no evidence of fraud or misuse tied to the incident. We are monitoring the affected accounts and have flagged them for additional fraud protection.”

Uber says it does not believe that any credit card or payment information was taken and has seen no evidence so far to suggest that it was.

Unfortunately for Uber, security experts believe that the situation is far more serious.

Tags :  Uber, holiday rentals,

Kerry included in ABTA Travel Trent Report 2017

Recently came across a number of excellent but brief reports from that ABTA
One of these caught my eye in relation to Kerry in the south west of Ireland.  Kerry in particular  Killarney is a must-see holiday location.   The visitor accommodation provided is sophisticated from excellent Killarney serviced apartment, holiday rental, to luxurious hotels.  Here is a look at the report.

County Kerry

Feel the force in the gorgeous West of Ireland

The world’s eyes will be on the beautiful County Kerry in 2017 as the latest Star Wars movie features the stunning County’s Skellig islands. So come and feel the force and share the craic in one of the most magical and hospitable spots in the world.


County Kerry has long been regarded as one of
– if not the – most beautiful spots in the Irish Republic. The intense greens of the landscape, the tranquil beauty of its lakes, soaring mountains, sweeping golden sands and dramatic sea cliffs, once seen are never to be forgotten. Travelling around the county is best done via two drives; the Ring of Kerry which travels through the Iveragh peninsula, and the Dingle peninsula whose wide sandy beaches have already featured in the film in David Lean’s epic, Ryan’s Daughter. The island of Skellig Michael was home to early Christian monks whose beautiful beehive huts still dot the island. This rich cultural early Christian

‘DID YOU KNOW’ FACTS & FCO ADVICE

The currency of Ireland
is the Euro.

New drink driving limits were
introduced in 2011.

Visit www.gov.uk/foreigntravel-advice/ireland
for more information
heritage is reflected throughout the county
with ancient churches and Celtic crosses.
On top of all this overwhelming beauty,
the warmth, humour and hospitality of the
Irish people is legendary, as is their ability to have a good time.

Tags: Kerry, golf, holiday rentals, Killarney serviced apartment, holidays Ireland, wild Atlantic way, Ring of Kerry,

How to discover the mouth of the Douro

I arrived in Porto one bright May evening with no huge expectations of the place or the people.  I was on route from Dublin courtesy of Ryanair.   My final destination was a villa in Lagos in the Western Algarve.   I planned to stay two nights in serviced apartment in Porto and learn a little about  Camino  Portuguese "The Portuguese Way".

Finding my way.

I had book a nice apartment Porto on www.golidaylets.com in the centre of the city.   My only challenge was to get there quick as my host was waiting and it was getting late.  In the end, the journey into Porto was uncomplicated.   There is a Metro do Porto station at the airport and once you figure out the station you want it's straightforward.  A word of caution at certain times ticket purchasing is by machine only.

When you finally arrive in Porto it will all be worth the effort.   Its an amazing beautiful city sitting on the side of the Douro.  Here the Douro river pushes into the cold Atlantic and the city on one steep river bank.  The steep city landscape is dotted with churches and palaces long since abandoned.

Very quickly I abandoned my quest to discover the start of Camino do Portuguese.   Instead of turning my attention to this ancient hug of the world port trade.   I set onto on foot heading down the steep sloped of terraced 3-storey buildings.   Occasionally stopping to reflect on the ingenuity of the skilled craftsmen that built such structures on such difficult terrain.  I stopped the watch the ongoing renovations of the city using modern cranes.

I eventually got to the scene of the regular photo you ll see of Porto,  The Meccano bridge built by the famous Gustave Eiffel.  For me a sight to behold it was well worth a visit just to walk across this magnificent structure.   Twice in the one day,  I know I am sad.

On the other side of the bridge, you enter Vila Nova de Gaia.  Quickly you ll relaise you in the heart of the cities port industry.  Names Cockburn, Grahams Croft and Sandeman appear in the distance.

My attention was drawn to a cable car running the length of the quayside to the top of the Eiffel bridge.   Needless to say, I used the occasion to take my trip on one.   For €6  and a visit to a port house excellent value. All in all a great city to visit.   If you're staying in a holiday rental Lagos old town or a villa in Vilamoura.   You can easily fly to Porto from Faro for as little as €40 return with Ryanair. Worth considering just to get a feeling for this city.

Tags:  Ryanair,  Metro do Porto, Camino do Portuguese, villa Lagos, holiday rental Lagos, serviced apartment Porto, villa Vilamoura,

Can Ireland still host the Rugby World Cup 2023

Rugby World Cup

Ireland has spared no effort in trying to attract the Rugby World Cup 2023.   According to Kevin Potts, the IRFU chief operating officer and the Ireland 2023 bid director, the show goes on. Even though he did admit to “initial disappointment”.  It appears the powers that grant permission to host the world cup are aware Ireland is capable of hosting this competition.  Albeit they gave the green light to South Africa. Ireland overall score of 72.25 percent which, when you look at it, is a good score, but South Africa got 78.97 percent.   It appears primarily because of stadia and experience.  They must have done well to have a stadium better than Croke Park.  In their place for the bid was  France with a score 75.88 percent.

Irelands bid involved many people from all sections of Irish society ex-Labour leader Dick Spring chaired the process  Brian O Driscoll and both the present Taoiseach Leo Varadar and the past Enda Kenny.  The late First Minister in Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness was also involved.

The GAA also put their substantial resource behind the bid.

From reading the Irish Times and other Media sources there is a glimmer of hope.  Our world location is excellent and accommodation is excellent.   Fabulous hotels, serviced apartment, and holiday rentals.

In the Irish Independent  Sports minister, Shane Ross and Minister of State Brendan Griffin said it is a "setback" that can be "overcome".
The Rugby World Cup Board has made an initial recommendation that South Africa would be the most favoured country to be awarded the hosting duties.

A final decision will be made on November 15 when the World Rugby council convenes to cast its vote.
A technical review group scored each of the bids from Ireland, South Africa and France on five criteria which consist of; finance and tournament guarantees; venues and host cities; tournament infrastructure; vision and concept; and tournament organisation and schedule.

So let's wait and see dont book the flights yet.

Tags:  Sport, holiday rentals, serviced apartments, hotels,  rugby world cup,