They are hooded cyber criminals in dark basements trying to crack your bank account PIN. They are insidious Russians stealing elections from offshore IP addresses. These are typically what we associate with hackers, but Ryan Montgomery, also dubbed 0day, is different. He is what’s called a white hat hacker, or ethical hacker. The 29-year-old cyber…

A convicted pedophile is warning parents the “Furry” craze, in which students dress up and act like animals, may seem like harmless fun but could expose children to sexual predators. Furries often describe themselves online as anthropomorphic—half-human, half-animal—or as animals with human attributes. They dress in animal costumes that reflect those identities. Though the trend…

A convicted pedophile is warning parents the “Furry” craze, in which students dress up and act like animals, may seem like harmless fun but could expose children to sexual predators. Furries often describe themselves online as anthropomorphic—half-human, half-animal—or as animals with human attributes. They dress in animal costumes that reflect those identities. Though the trend…

By Theoden Janes The Charlotte Observer CHARLOTTE, N.C.—As a consequence of her jobs working as a server at an Italian restaurant in Concord and as a dog groomer at a south Charlotte pet superstore, Amanda Frayer has never spent much time (OK, any, frankly) fielding phone calls from reporters or signing autographs at major sporting…