Tag Archives: security
Kaspersky Internet Security 2009
October 23rd, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
If you use a computer and have ever searched for an internet security program or antivirus then you will almost certainly have come across the name Kaspersky. The Russian Security specialist has earned a respectable name in a very short period of time. As you hopefully know by now, a computer without an antivirus program is much like a bank vault without a door. Enter Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 – one of the best all-in-one security packages for all types of users. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 integrates all the significant programs that can protect your computer from a wide range of external threats. This is achieved through the inclusion of – a robust anti-virus scanner a strong firewall an anti-spyware scanner and parental controls. The quality of these components has led to Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 winning several awards. From the moment you install this internet security program on your computer, you will surely find life easier, as well as being protected from virtually all current threats. Features Below are some of Kaspersky Internet Security 2009’s features which make is a hot favorite in this competitive market – User-friendly graphical interface This is a feature on which the designers have obviously worked really hard. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 has got a very clean and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate. All it’s features and options are well laid out and this can only help you take care of your computer better. Antivirus Program, Spam and Anti-Phishing Program I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you must have an antivirus program installed if you are a Windows user. Kaspersky’s antivirus component is supported with a huge database (which can also be updated), which makes sure that your computer is safe from all the latest viral infections. KIS 2009 goes beyond some of the alternative antivirus programs as it is provided with e mail scanner which detects and deletes spam and phishing emails too. KIS 2009 also introduces Secunia vulnerability scanning, which is one of it’s best features. KIS 2009 scans all the applications that are installed on your computer to let you know about the vulnerable programs and by removing those applications you can enhance the security parameters of your computer. This makes KIS 2009 far more advanced than some other basic antivirus programs that you could get elsewhere. Robust Firewall Having an alternative firewall to the default Windows one is always beneficial. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 offers its users robust Firewall protection against many different types of rogue applications and programs. KIS 2009 also allows its users to customize the settings of the Firewall as per their own individual requirements. Proactive defense tool and Parental Control If standard antivirus programs are meant to protect your system from standard viruses then KIS 2009 features its Proactive defense tool which detects any king of suspicious activity on your computer and terminates such applications. Parental Control features enable you to customize the settings of your computer to ensure a safe browsing environment for your kids. The Kaspersky brand is highly popular because they ensure a high level of trust in the minds of their users when it comes to protecting their computers for any viral threats such as rootkits, spam, malware and adware. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is extremely worthy of your money and is undoubtedly one the best options available on the market today. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Kaspersky Internet Security 2009
Windows 7 Has Improved Security Features Built In
October 22nd, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Microsoft has brought a new entrant into the operating system wars and it’s name is Windows 7 . After Windows Vista has pretty much turned out to be a dud, even though the security in the system proved to be much improved over previous version of Windows, Microsoft seems to have found a winner in Windows 7 and especially in their expanded security front. The tools are now easier to use and the capabilities of the security that are built in has been expanded as well. I will go over with you, the built in tools that you should be utilizing to keep Windows 7 a fun experience. User Account Control (UAC) The first thing that the people over at Microsoft have done to make the dealing with security of Windows a better experience is to make the UAC (User Account Control) a more pleasurable item to work with. The UAC now allows less software events to make it create a pop up. This will cause more users to not want to turn it off so they will have a sane computing experience! The main problem in Windows Vista was the fact that this pop up would go off an insane amount of times, causing many of the complaints that Vista received. The new UAC also has four levels of security warnings, ranging from “always notify” to “never notify”. “Never notify” is a better option than to turn it off completely. Even though you do not see the pop up warnings, UAC is still working in the background, allowing you to still be protected. BitLocker Encryption An innovation that Microsoft introduced in Vista was the BitLocker feature. This allowed you to encrypt and protect your hard drive. This feature was limited in Vista to protecting your main partition and other drives surrounding it. Now you are able to encrypt and protect portable media as well. This is a big improvement and will allow you to feel safe if you ever lose your thumb drive while walking around your city or neighborhood. Also Microsoft has allowed BitLocker to be used without the TPM chip being built onto the computer motherboard. This allows everyone to have the option of having their drives protected. It is not the default choice and you will have to activate the ability to use Bitlocker without the chip. Additional Security Features Microsoft has many more new and improved security features that have been built into Windows 7. This list includes the new Direct Access, which allows workers to seamlessly connect to their work network automatically and securely, as well as Applocker, which prevents unauthorized scripts and programs from running on the machine. These are mostly security features that will interest IT administrators so I will not go into detail about them here. Overall Microsoft has done well in improving their security features in Windows 7. Being built upon a decent security scheme, such as Vista, and making it more user friendly as well has created a better overall experience. It has really brought them into the world of having a grade A security system.
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Windows 7 Has Improved Security Features Built In
Avoiding Spyware With Windows 7
October 22nd, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
You should, by now, be aware that Microsoft is introducing a brand new operating system into its Windows line of OS. The new operating system is called Windows 7 and from running it, it seems to be a more stable and more secured operating system. This is very good news for people that may have had security issues with Microsoft products in the past. Unfortunately some security issues still remain that will not be helped by simply upgrading your operating system. Spyware still remains a constant annoyance when you are using a computer. I will try to walk you down the way of avoiding spyware on your system by using common sense and new upgraded technology from Windows and other third party software vendors. Microsoft has spent years trying to help their third party software creators come up with a solution to the spyware problem. Windows Defender Finally a couple of years ago they threw their hat into the ring and introduced a new product called Windows Defender. This product was shipped with Windows Vista and was available as a free download to Windows XP users. Now it is again being shipped with Windows 7 and has been much improved. This system was put down by professional security people in the past but this new updated edition has been getting good reviews for the most part. Microsoft have taken what they have learned and improved this product a great deal. Third Party Anti-Spyware Vendors You will also have third party software vendors that are coming to the party, trying to protect your computer from devious spyware offenders. Most of the major spyware software manufacturers have been upgraded to include protection for Windows 7 systems. A lot of these software companies have had to use beta Windows 7 software to test their product so they might be a step behind the companies that Microsoft has closely worked with. With the release of the new operating system though this will not be an issue much longer. Once they get their hands on the final OS version, they will be able to keep up with anyone. The software products Ad-Aware or Malwarebytes still seem to be the best of the breed when it comes to software solutions. It doesn’t matter if you have the best software on your computer if you do not keep it updated on a regular basis though. Internet Security Begins And Ends With YOU! All of the increase technology that comes with installing a new operating system version will not mean anything if you are not using common sense while surfing the Internet. New technology works a lot better if the person operating the new technology does not work against it. I do not mean to be harsh but a lot of the problems that people get involved in can usually be avoided with a little common sense. Most of the time people realize this themselves when they sit and think about it, after they have made the blunder. So the first thing is that you do not want to go to any strange web sites while surfing the Internet. If you are not sure about a web site, Google it first to see if anybody has complained about it. Most web sites that will compromise your system have already been ran across and someone has complained about them. Also do not download any software or files from people you do not know that you may receive through email or Instant Messenger systems. This is rarely legitimate and I would even suggest that files that you receive from friends you double check. Email them first and ask if they sent their files and where did they get the file from. We have given you both software and common sense solutions that may help you avoid getting spyware or something worse into your system. It is up to you to maintain vigilance and keep your system safe.
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Avoiding Spyware With Windows 7
Securing Your Brand New Windows 7 System
October 21st, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
The age of Windows 7 is upon us as the new operating system from Microsoft will be released in the next few hours. As usual there will be the normal people who update as soon as the new system is available on shelves or is ready to legitimately be downloaded. There are also others who will update when they get a new computer over time. Windows 7 Security Whatever type of person you are, it will pay to know how to secure your new operating system from all of the dangers that the Internet can contain. With the releases of this new operating system a lot of the old exploits will be made null and void. But, as with any expansive piece of new software being released, new exploits will be found and taken advantage of. It will pay for you to be prepared in the long run. Securing Windows 7 is not too much different than securing Windows Vista or Windows XP. Again it will take a combination of the latest software and the (much needed) common sense on your part to keep your operating system secured. Antivirus The first thing that you will want to do is to make sure that you have the latest version of antivirus that you use on your computer. Microsoft has been working with all of the biggest vendors that provide antivirus solutions , so that they could keep their software updated for the new OS. Now might be a good time to think about switching to one of these vendors for a short time while the other companies race to catch up. You do not want to use an outdated and incomplete antivirus system on your new operating system. Firewall Microsoft has also upgraded the choices that you now have with their integrated firewall that comes built into the system. It is now easier than ever to allow certain pieces of software to talk to an outside network with your permission. The outbound and inbound network traffic analyzer has been much improved. The whole program has been made more flexible, which was a major complaint in the past. As I said with the antivirus if you use a third party firewall , then you might want to go with one of the major companies until the smaller companies have had a chance to catch up. Until they catch up the built-in Firewall that Windows 7 provides is a decent solution. Spyware Spyware will still end up being a problem with your new system, even though they have taken steps to try to eliminate the problem. Their solution to the problem, Windows Defender, has been upgraded and has been receiving major kudos this time around from the security community. For a short amount of time they will have the inside track as being one of the better spyware solutions until the others have caught up. One of the best in the business, Ad-Aware, I did not see on the list of companies that Microsoft has been working with. This will give them a temporary disadvantage but not much of one since beta copies of Windows 7 have been released all through the development cycle. So I hope this article gives you a good understanding on what’s available and how to secure your brand new Windows 7 system. Not too much has changed but the security has been raised to a new level.
How To Lock Your Network’s Front Door
October 20th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Securing your network The following security measures are relatively easy to implement, provided you read the manuals that came with your wireless devices. “The manual?” you ask. Yes, the manual. You know, it’s the thing propping up the short leg on your computer desk. Take it out for now; you’ll only have to deal with the wobble until we’re done. None of the measures described here are particularly dramatic, and there are ways to get around them. But, doing so requires some skill and understanding of networking. In this case, they serve as a sort of “intellectual firewall ” that prevents script kiddies from cracking your network. These steps include the following: 1. Change the default SSID. 2. Disable SSID broadcast. 3. Change the default IP subnet. 4. Consider disabling DHCP. 5. Enable MAC address filtering. 6. Change default administrative passwords. 7. Change default user names. 8. Enable WEP or WPA encryption. 9. Adjust broadcast power. 10. Set minimum connection speeds. 11. Set access times. Change the default SSID The first step toward making a WLAN reasonably secure is changing the default SSID. This is important because anyone using a wireless sniffer can determine what sort of access point you use by looking at the default SSID. Knowing your access point model allows the cracker to guess the rest of the default settings and attack your WLAN that much easier. Don’t change the name to something obvious like your street address (I have actually seen this done) or your name. Consider using random numbers or even changing it to something tike “NOTPUBLIC” or “NOTRESSPASSING” just to make a point. Disable SSID broadcast Wireless access points are set to broadcast the SSID by default. Turn this feature off to make it harder for casual wardrivers to discover your network’s name. It won’t stop a determined cracker from discovering it, though, because wireless NICs always broadcast the SSB3 when communicating with the access point. The procedure for disabling SSID broadcast is different for each manufacturer, so consult your access point’s manual. Once you turn off SSID broadcast, you have to configure each NIC manually and input the new SSID. Change the default IP subnet The next thing you should consider doing is changing the default subnet IP addresses. Each manufacturer has a default IP subnet, and this can make it easy for an attacker to discover the IP address of your access point. Consider also disabling DHCP and assigning static IP addresses. Consider disabling DHCP Most access points support built-in DHCP service. This allows the access point to assign IP addresses dynamically to new computers as they connect to the network and to computers that are reconnecting after a shutdown or reboot. This also allows an intruder to connect to the WLAN and have the access point assign him an IP address, which makes the intruder’s computer a legitimate member of the WLAN. By disabling DHCP, you make this far more difficult. You have to assign permanent (static) IP addresses to each computer on your WLAN and manually configure them. Once again, this is an extra step, but it is well worth the effort. Insider insight : Without DHCP enabled, an intruder has to monitor and analyze network traffic in an attempt to determine the IP subnet and addresses in use He can then assign himself an IP address and attempt to establish a connection. This makes it difficult for casual sniffers and neophyte intruders to access your WLAN. Enable MAC address filtering Another step that you can, and should, take is to enable MAC address filtering. Remember that each network device has a unique MAC address assigned by the manufacturer. Many access points have an option that allows you to restrict access to specific MAC addresses. This should block any MAC addresses that are not on the “allow” list from connecting to the network. This is effective, but it is not perfect. An intruder can monitor network traffic and discover the MAC addresses of legitimate computers on the WLAN. He can then change the MAC address of his NIC, which allows him to masquerade as a member of the network and connect even when filtering is turned on. Change default administrative passwords Change the default administrative passwords on all access points. Once again, these are public knowledge, and, if a cracker knows what type of access point you use, he’ll know the default password. This will aid him in attacking your access point. Caution : Write down the new settings and passwords, and store the list in a secure place. This will be helpful if you forget this information and need it at a later date. Change default user names Likewise, the tips above apply to your username too as these are also common knowledge. Enable WEP or WPA encryption As I mentioned earlier, even though WEP encryption is flawed and vulnerable, you should use it. Enable 128-bit WEP on your WLAN, and use it. With the relatively low traffic on a WLAN in a home, it could take a cracker several hours to collect enough packets to crack your WEP key. Again, each step you perform just adds another piece to the intellectual firewall you’re building. As a whole, these measures with discourage most script kiddies and casual wardrivers. Adjust broadcast power On some access points, you can adjust the broadcast power of the unit. I recommend that you experiment and turn this down as low as you can while still maintaining decent connection speeds between computers on your WLAN. The idea is to keep the signal within the confines of your house rather than having it reach across the street. This makes the signal more difficult to receive for outsiders. Wardrivers can use directional antennas to pick up weak signals at a greater distance, but doing this will at least make it harder for them. Set minimum connection speeds On many access points, you can set a minimum access connection speed. The further away from an access point an intruder is, the weaker the signal will be (both ways). Therefore, if you set the minimum connection speed higher, computers will have to be closer to the access point to connect and stay connected. Once again, this makes it harder for an intruder to access your WLAN because he will have to be closer to connect. Anyone standing on your lawn with a wireless laptop is probably up to no good unless he’s the water meter reader. Set access times Lastly, some access points allow you to configure the times of day to allow access. If it supports this, consider using it. If no-one is home during the day, consider configuring it to block all access between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
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How To Lock Your Network’s Front Door
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What Are The 4 Ways In Which My Computer Can Be Infected?
October 17th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Computer security has come a long way in the short amount of time that the Internet has been in wide usage. Computer security was less of an importance back in the dawn of the computer age since most attacks had to take place while the person was at the terminal. In the age of the Internet though, most of the attacks now are done through the network, and with these attacks people have found several different ways to deliver them. We will list them for you and tell you the best way to avoid them – The Computer Virus The first and most common vector of attack is the widely known computer virus . A computer virus is a highly reproducible executable that will cause damage to your computer by infecting your files and other items on your computer. Viruses have gotten pretty sophisticated over the years with the ability to hide their signature as well as hiding themselves by capturing signals that are sent by the OS that would identify them. People mistakenly call all different types of infections a virus but even without that it is still the number one way to have your computer become infected. The Trojan Horse The second vector of attack is a Trojan attack . A Trojan program is a program that looks like a normal innocent file, such as an mp3 or pdf file, but in actuality is a file that was sent to run an undesirable code on your computer. This code will sit in the background of your computer and you will never know. At the same time that it is sitting back there it will run either a bot net on your computer or pick up information from your computer and send it to a server. Trojans are less destructive on your computer and more destructive to your real life information. The Computer Worm A third vector of attack is a computer worm . A worm will find a way to get through different types of network security that you may have and then spread itself to the computers on your network. Worms can be destructive and destroy your network but most likely it will sit in your network and try to discover valuable information. Spyware The fourth and final vector of attack that a program can use to cause damage on your computer is known as spyware . Spyware will monitor you as your surf the Internet and pick up trends and information about you. The information is then used to send you advertising on your computer through the use of pop ups. Spyware is more annoying than it is destructive. Some legitimate companies will also track your Internet movements but they will not send unwanted advertisement to you. Countermeasures Each of these attacks that we have discussed are well known and there are good counter measures that are out there. For viruses and Trojans on your system a good antivirus / internet security suite will do the job of getting rid of them. For Worms attacking your network, there are several programs that will provide you a reliable firewall on your system and will do a good job of protecting both your network and your computer. Windows comes with a default Firewall built in but it is better to go out and get a reputable third party firewall. And for the spyware on your system there are several programs out there that will help you get rid of that. One of the more popular is a program that is called AdAware. This will scan your system and get rid of spyware that is residing within it. Hopefully this run down of the different infections that can cause damage to your computer will help you out. If you know what you are fighting then it is easier for you to be able to avoid it.
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What Are The 4 Ways In Which My Computer Can Be Infected?
My Top 10 Internet Security Programs Of 2009
October 17th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
As 2009 draws to a close most security vendors have already released their 2010-branded products. Therefore I thought this was a good opportunity to look back over what I believe to be some of the best offerings of 2009. Sure, there may be newer versions of some of these available now (and I will be writing about those over the next few weeks) but guess what? These 2009 versions are typically just as effective, and can often be found for a fraction of the price, as retailers look to clear out old stocks Introduction to the best of internet security, 2009 Every person who uses a Windows computer on the internet needs to ensure that their system is well protected. The very first thing I do after installing the operating system onto a new computer or drive is install my security software and I would recommend that you do the same thing too. There is no point in having the latest and greatest laptop or desktop computer if you arn’t going to take care of it and that includes preventing malware from entering it, as well as blocking other threats too. How does an antivirus program work? After installing an antivirus program it will scan your computer, detect and eliminates potential virus threats in two ways – Firstly, the antivirus program scans your system files and looks for virus definitions that match it’s in-built and updated virus dictionary and if a virus match is found then it automatically alerts the user about the virus. The second method is to recognize other suspicious behavior, such as spyware or data capturing. When such behavior is detected the program will again alert the user and offer the means to put an end to them. There are many such antivirus and internet security programs available today and picking the right one can be quite a tricky prospect. In order to help you decide I’ve listed my own favourite antivirus/security programs from this year – 1. Bit defender Total Security 2009: Bit defender antivirus 2009 was one of the best antivirus programs of the year. It has also earned “Top Ten REVIEWS Gold Award” for being the best protection suite. Bit defender not only provides security to PC’s but also provides internet security as well. This version of Bit defender has new features, improved protection and performance. The main key elements are: • Easy to use. • Easy to install. • Automatic updates • Parental controls • IM encryption • Active Virus Control • Adjustable user interface 2. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009: Most of my friends, who are more casual users of the internet, have not heard of Kapersky who come from Russia. That is, perhaps, because Kaspersky are one of the younger companies featured here but they have already carved out a great name for themselves nonetheless. Kaspersky Internet Security isn’t my favourite on this list but it is a suite I’ve chosen for kids’ computers due to it’s simple and clean interface. It does offer strong protection and has also won many awards. The main features of KIS 2009 are – • Renowned antivirus scanning engine • Virus scanner • Effective anti-spyware tools • Popup blocker • Simple interface • A strong well protected firewall The ability to protect your computer registry and more. That’s why it received the “Top Ten REVIEWS Bronze Award.” Receive a discount on Kaspersky Lab products 3. Webroot Antivirus 2009: Webroot spy sweeper is a product of Webroot software INC, one of the leading providers for anti-spyware software. Webroot spy sweeper is a reliable and award-winning anti-spyware program that effectively detects and gets rid of the spyware and adware from personal computers and laptops. The main advantage of this spy sweeper is that it protects your computer from various consequences such as a slower Internet connection, pop-up advertisement problems, reduced computer performance or, in the worst case, the loss of private information and identity theft. The main features are: • Advanced Detection Techniques • Accurate Risk Assessment • Continuous Security Updates • Enhanced Blocking with Smart Shield Protection • Protection Made Easy 4. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 2009: ESET NOD32 Antivirus 2009 is one of the leading top 10 antivirus programs with some great features like – • Virus definition updates are very small in size compared to others antivirus applications. • Provides best protection against zero day threat and attacks • Multi layered protection including real time email scanning • Blocking all attempts to collect and forward your personal and confidential data 5. F-Secure Internet Security 2009: F-secure Internet Security 2009 is the one of the top 10 internet security softwares. I reviewed it very recently so check out my F-Secure Internet Security 2009 review for more detailed information. F-Secure Internet security 2009 has come up with many exciting features like antispyware, spam, antivirus, and a phishing filter. It also has a new feature called DeepGuard 2.0 cloud computing technology which provides automatic updates and protects your computer from severe threats which include terrors like root kits and malware. The main features are – • Protection from virus and spyware • DeepGuard 2.0 Enabled • Healthy and trustworthy Firewall • F-Secure Black Light which detects and eliminates the presence of root kits. • Spam Filter and Anti-phishing toolbar • Parental Control 6. AVG antivirus 2009: If I were to conduct a poll asking people which antivirus vendors they know of then AVG antivirus would probably come out at the top result. This would almost certainly be due to the fact that their free antivirus program is really rather good. It is very easy to scan your computer with AVG and for that reason it is what I am running right now whilst I choose another complete internet security package. Also, the user interface is easy to understand and installation is a breeze. Later versions of AVG come with a feature called core scanning engine which offers better performance with multi-core processors. 7. McAfee Antivirus 2009: McAfee is a well-known brand and the company always offers good quality products. Their 2009 Antivirus program offers some great features including a Script Stopper to prevent viruses from spreading from one computer to another via email, and WormStopper. It can automatically update its virus database regularly. And finally it has no support for p2p File Sharing and Registry Startup Protection. 8. Panda Antivirus Pro 2009: The new Panda Antivirus made it’s comeback with some new and excellent features. The best of those new features is the ultrafast scan engine that scan almost 30% faster compared to other antivirus applications. This is another easy to use program that my kids have had on their systems recently and it did a great job of keeping them safe. Other features of Panda Antivirus Pro are – • Inbuilt Personal Firewall • Panda Antivirus has an advanced heuristic scan which maximum possible identity theft • Identity protection through Anti-Phishing Filter and Anti-Banking Trojans Engine 9. Norton Antivirus/ Internet Security Norton Antivirus/ Internet Security is one of the most reputed antivirus application on the market today. This version of Norton has the ability to identify your wireless home network and protect it. Recently Norton has brought in a special version for gaming PCs known as Norton 2009 Gaming Edition. Here are some of Norton’s main features – • Very easy to use. • Updates take only 5 to 10 minutes. • Easy to install. • Uses less system resources. 10. Trend Micro Internet security 2009: Trend Micro Internet Security is an antivirus and internet security program developed by Trend Micro who are based in Tokyo, Japan. Trend Micro are growing fast and are quickly becoming a strong contender in the internet security arena. Here are some of the best features of Trend Micro Internet Security 2009 pro – • The programs boot times are 20 percent faster and use 40 percent less RAM. • The installation of the software is very easy and doesn’t take much of your time. After the installation is finished it performs a quick scan and updates the definition files. • So you can protect your personal information with ease and Surf the Internet without slowing down your computer. • Trend Micro Internet Security has a behavioral engine which is an exceptional tool for preventing malware. • Exciting new look and good user interface • Protect your children online: • Protection against web Threats (Take 10% Off Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 Now! Coupon Code: trendsecurity ) Which of the above is best for you is something I cannot really say – I use different products for different computers, according to their usage, and have chosen those with simpler interfaces for my kids regardless of the the rest of their features. The one certainty, however, is that all of the above are highly effective and will do a grand job of keeping your computer secure. Safe surfing! 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Are Cell Phones Safe From Viruses And Other Malware?
October 16th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Hah! Thats a bit like asking whether Apple Macs can get infected by malware . The only reason cell phones haven’t been hit by as many viruses as desktop PCs is because not many virus writers have started targeting them yet. In 2001, a mobile phone virus surfaced on Japan’s NTT DoCoMo I-mode service, took over basic functions of handsets, and caused them to dial 110, Japan’s equivalent of 911. Like many PC viruses, this virus spread via email. Hackers also are beginning to target cell phones and PDAs connected to networks with malicious code in an attempt to gain access to those networks. With the increase in cell phone usage, along with the growing popularity of wireless internet on such devices, this trend is only likely to increase. In early 2003, some cell phone users in the U.S. and Europe received malicious code embedded in what appeared to be a spam message. The message deleted the address books on the phones and disabled SMS. While malicious code and viruses are still extremely rare, they will become more common now that phones are becoming ubiquitous and feature-rich . Virus writers tend to target systems where they can do the most damage and get the most bangs for their buck. This is why more viruses attack Microsoft PCs than Apple’s Macintosh. Because Microsoft controls more than 90 percent of the market, it is a better target. Now that phones can download executable code, and a few brands are controlling a major portion of the market, we will begin to see more viruses targeting mobile phones.
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Are Cell Phones Safe From Viruses And Other Malware?
What Are Trojan Horses And Worms?
October 16th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
What Is Meant By ‘Trojan’ And ‘Worm’? Trojans and Worms are small unwanted programs which hamper the performance of your computer to a great extent. But what do Trojans and worms actually do? These are designed to retrieve your confidential information from your computer which includes your passwords, bank account numbers, credit card information etc. Trojans do no spread whereas worms replicate vigorously and capture all the information available on your system. People who are new to the Internet, and sometimes even experienced users, download some strange and dangerous files which then turn out to be Trojans and Worms. The Klez, I LOVE YOU and SirCam viruses are few such examples. Trojans can also be carriers for different viruses so they can be termed as WRAPPERS too. On the other hand, Worms are small programs designed by programmers to capture the email IDs of those they ensnare which they then usually sell to advertisers for the purpose of marketing their products, so they replicate very quickly. Once you think you have found any Trojan or Worm on your computer, I strongly advise you to use a good antivirus program to scan you computer in order to terminate their activities. You must also make sure that the antivirus program used by you is updated on a regular basis. Prevention Measures To Keep Your Computer Clean From Trojans And Worms Trojan.IrcBounce, IRC/FinalBot, WinHelp.a, VBS.Stages, love-letter-for you.txt.vbs, MyPicture.bmp.vbs are some of the most dangerous Trojans and Worms. But by staying alert and by following preventive measures you can keep your computer system safe from harm. Below are some tips that will allow you to avoid Trojans and worms: Most importantly, always use a good antivirus program which would let you know whenever a Trojan or Worm enters into your computer and then ensure it’s removal. Always scan any email attachments you receive before downloading or opening them, even if they are sent by your friend. This is the reason that all email services provide in-built antivirus scanners . Only use reliable and trustworthy sources for downloading files. You need to be careful while you are downloading the files such as .EXE, .COM, .VBS, .BAT, .HLP and .DLL. Always use a strong and healthy Firewall. Many Operating Systems do provide their own Firewalls but using an external Firewall typically ensures better security and safety. It enables you to keep a check on the applications using your computer resources. Completely avoid using insecure Peer to Peer networks. Always delete your Temporary Internet Files, Cache and Cookies whenever you finish browsing. Play Safe To Stay Safe!
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What Are Trojan Horses And Worms?
Commentary By Jackie Jeter – WAMU
October 14th, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
WAMU Commentary By Jackie Jeter WAMU The letters urged opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the so-called cap and trade bill. It wound up passing in the House by a slim … and more
Congressional panel to investigate phony letters – Charlottesville Daily Progress
October 13th, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Congressional panel to investigate phony letters Charlottesville Daily Progress The phony letters urged the congressmen to oppose the American Clean Energy and Security Act, commonly known as the cap-and-trade bill. … and more
House Select Committee schedules hearing on fraudulent letter campaign – Charlottesville Daily Progress
October 13th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Political Scams. No Comments.
Charlottesville Daily Progress House Select Committee schedules hearing on fraudulent letter campaign Charlottesville Daily Progress The phony letters urged the congressmen to oppose the American Clean Energy and Security Act, commonly known as the cap-and-trade bill. … and more
Exclusive: Oval Office Watch – Saturday, October 10 – Family Security Matters
October 10th, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Family Security Matters Exclusive: Oval Office Watch – Saturday, October 10 Family Security Matters The Waxman-Markey bill is a cap and trade bill similar to what most European Nations imposed in 2005. The bill imposes a declining ceiling, or cap , … and more
What Makes A Hacker Hack And A Cracker Crack?
October 8th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
There are as many reasons for hacking as there are hackers . Personality traits of a hacker It’s hard to pin down just a few personality traits that define a hacker. A typical hacker profile is a male, age 14 to 40, with above-average intelligence, obsessively inquisitive with regards to technology, non-conformist, introverted, and with broad intellectual interests. A hacker is driven to learn everything he can about any subject that interests him. In fact, most hackers that excel with technology also have proficiency in no technological hobbies or interests. Hackers tend to devour information, hoarding it away for some future time when a random bit of technical trivia may help them solve an intriguing problem. Hackers seem especially fond of complex intellectual challenges and will move on to a new project once the challenge and novelty wears off. Personality traits of a cracker Contrast this with the following cracker/script kiddy profile and you start to get an idea of why hackers resent being lumped in with crackers. The average cracker or script kiddy (in the United States) is a 14- to 28-year old white male, usually intelligent but academically underachieving, who lives in his parents’ basement and collects comic books (OK, I added those last two). Cultural and behavioral distinctions between groups can help identify a cracker because they often leave clues when they deface a Web site or break into a computer. Crackers and script kiddies differ from ethical hackers. They often lack social skills, are loners (most hackers I know love company), and show poor judgment and impulse control. Where a hacker may work for days or weeks to solve a particularly difficult problem, a script kiddy lacks the discipline to even begin to become a competent programmer and so depends on code written by real hackers. Financial gain motivates some crackers. Credit card and bank fraud present opportunities to use cracking to increase personal wealth. Cracker/script kiddy culture sees stealing from large corporations as a kind of Robin Hood game. While major financial crimes involving crackers are not commonplace, there have been instances of theft on a grand scale by the more talented among them. In 1994, a Russian computer programmer stole millions of dollars from Citibank accounts. The cracker, Vladimir Levin, was part of a group that created a complicated scheme of wire transfers and pickup all over the world.
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What Makes A Hacker Hack And A Cracker Crack?
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In What Ways Can A WLAN Be Attacked?
October 8th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Just as there are many ways to attack a wired network, there are numerous ways to attack a WLAN . If a WLAN isn’t secured properly, an attacker may be simply able to connect to the network without having to make any sort of elaborate effort and without using any specific exploit. When the situation warrants, crackers have a number of techniques for cracking a WLAN. A basic understanding of these attacks will give you a better idea of the threats you face and how you should deal with them. Crackers are continually locating new avenues for intrusion and updating their tools to take advantage of them. Many types of exploits are very technical and require significant knowledge of networking to understand. Man-in-the-Middle Attack A man-in-the-middle-attack involves an attacker intercepting and monitoring network traffic or client authorization information and using it to authenticate with a server. In the first attack, an attacker intercepts authentication data from a legitimate user’s computer by configuring his computer to pose as an access point and then uses that data to authenticate his own computer with the network server. The attacker can then gain access to additional network resources. The attacker listens for a reply to the ARP request and then either “spoofs” the MAC address by posing as a legitimate computer or sends an unsolicited ARP reply by transmitting his own MAC address to the WLAN. Computers on the network receive the unsolicited ARP reply and update their list (cache) of MAC addresses with the attacker’s MAC address. Legitimate computers may then associate the attacker’s MAC address with that of a legitimate one by routing traffic to the attacker’s machine. In the second method, an attacker listens for and intercepts an address resolution protocol (ARP) request sent from one legitimate user’s computer to another. ARP is a network protocol used to determine a computer’s physical network address, which is also known as the media access control layer address (MAC address). Every NIC and access point has a unique MAC address assigned at the factory where it is manufactured. MAC Address Spoofing Attack An attacker monitoring traffic on a WLAN can listen for replies to ARP requests and intercept MAC addresses of legitimate computers on a network. The attacker then configures his computer to transmit and receive data on the network using a stolen MAC address to gain access to network resources and information. Internet Protocol Address Spoofing Attack To gain access to a WLAN, an attacker can acquire an Internet protocol address. Using a sniffer, the attacker monitors the WLAN to see what IP addresses the WLAN uses (this range of addresses is called the subnet). After the attacker determines the IP subnet, he assigns himself an unused address and connects to the WLAN. If a network uses the dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), it’s even simpler. DHCP software automatically assigns IP addresses to computers logging onto the network. If an attacker knows the service set identifier (SSID) for the network (which can also be sniffed), he can connect, and the access point or router with DHCP software will assign him an IP address. Manufacturers have included DHCP service in most routers and access points. Denial of Service Attack An attacker doesn’t use a denial of service (DoS) attack to gain access to a WLAN. Instead, DoS attacks are used to deny legitimate users access to the network and its services. WLANs are vulnerable to DoS attacks in a number of ways. First, using a brute-force attack, an attacker can “flood” an access point with network traffic, which effectively shuts it down for other users. Users attempting to use that AP are unable to connect, which is much like receiving a busy signal when calling someone on the telephone. An attacker can also use a high-power radio source on the same frequency to interfere with the WLAN and drown out its signal. The resulting radio noise prevents devices on the network from talking to and hearing one another, which brings network operation to a halt. This sort of attack is risky for an attacker. Getting close enough to the WLAN with a high-powered transmitter can make him easy to locate using sniffers and scanners. A denial of service resulting from a high-powered signal may not always be an intentional attack. RF interference from other devices that share the same spectrum could result in essentially the same network conditions as a DoS attack. However, this sort of accidental “attack” is rare if you take care in designing your network. DoS attacks are nothing new. They’ve been a problem on wired networks and the Internet for years. Certain applications and devices are susceptible to different forms of DoS attacks. Crackers may exploit design flaws that can trigger shutdown or crashing of devices. The best way to become aware of these DoS threats is to be knowledgeable about vulnerabilities that affect your equipment and deal with them as they arise.
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In What Ways Can A WLAN Be Attacked?
Securing Your WLAN With Encryption
October 6th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Encryption has been in use for a long time. The ancient Greeks and Romans used early encryption techniques to secure their communications, and governments and individuals have used encryption ever since. Many early types of encryption are still in use in some form today, including steganography, restrictive algorithms, and proprietary encryption schemes. These older encryption techniques often suffer from numerous design and implementation flaws, and, when companies integrate them into networking products, security ultimately suffers. Modern encryption techniques Modern encryption techniques utilizing computers and advanced mathematical science are far more secure than those that preceded them. They use unrestricted algorithms in conjunction with numeric keys to secure information. Because unrestricted algorithms are public, and have been tested and withstood scrutiny and attack by the world’s best cryptanalysts, they are more secure than the older restrictive algorithms. These techniques, even though they are not foolproof, have proven to be robust and reasonably secure. WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is the encryption standard developed for wireless networking. WEP encrypts data traveling between access points and computers on the network. It’s a nice name, but the technology hasn’t lived up to its promise. WEP suffers from a number of flaws that allow attackers to discover keys by analyzing network traffic. Attackers can then decrypt all data in real time and continue to compromise the network. WPA In order to improve security, the Wi-Fi Alliance developed a new standard known as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WPA is much more secure than WEP, however, some older devices may not be upgradeable to WPA, and older mobile devices (Pocket PC and Palm) may not have enough processing power to take advantage of WPA. Although it is better, WPA is vulnerable to simple DoS attack. If an attacker sends two forged data packets to a WPA-enabled access point in under one second, he can trick WPA into thinking it’s under attack and force it to shut down for over a minute. This effectively locks all users out of the access point. If the attacker does this repeatedly, he can cause real headaches. All protocols are susceptible to DoS attacks in some form, so this is a trivial vulnerability. I say don’t worry about it; if your system allows you to do so, upgrade to WPA as soon as you can. If WPA is compatible with your network, then enable it. You can enable WPA (and WEP) using the configuration utility for your device or through its Web interface. If you can’t use WPA, then use WEP. Even if WEP can be broken, it takes some effort, and you can deter all but the most determined crackers. Faced with having to crack WEP or simply moving on to the next open WLAN, most crackers will just move along. VPN If you telecommute or work from home and need extra protection, use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN acts as a “tunnel” to protect data traveling between your workplace and home (or laptop). Chances are good that your company already has one installed so all you need to do is contact your IT dept and (very nicely!) ask for a VPN client. This allows you to check and send e-mail and other data through an encrypted link with the company mail server. Dealing with Default Settings Failing to change the default settings on WLAN equipment can facilitate attacks and allow unskilled script kiddies to access your network with little effort. Each manufacturer has default settings for all the equipment they produce. These settings facilitate installing the equipment; unfortunately, many users never change them. They just take their router out of the box, hook it up, and start using it. Default settings are public knowledge to crackers, who post them all over the Internet. There are default settings for passwords, SSIDs, broadcast strength, and IP addresses. Failing to change any of these can leave your network vulnerable to attack.
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Securing Your WLAN With Encryption
How Do I Block Pop-Up Ads?
October 3rd, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
It is certain that all of us come across popup windows once in a while we are surfing on the internet. It feels really annoying when something stupid interrupts your endeavor appearing from nowhere. These are called Pop-Up ads. The specialty of these ads is that you need to manually click on them to close each. Pop-up ads need to be avoided and blocked to all extents possible because many scammers try to invade in to your personal details like passwords, credit card details and bank account details using these pop-up ads. Thus, a pop-up blocker becomes inevitable and highly indispensable. WHAT IS A POP-UP BLOCKER? A pop-up blocker is a program that stops these unwanted ads to come up during your browsing. The pop-up blocker is installed in the web browser . Most browser packages have them pre-installed and those not having them can be upgraded by downloading a pop-up blocker of your choice from the free software sites. Pop-up blocker not only prevents these annoying ads to opening in a new window but even protects you from a possible identity theft and personal information theft. Pop-up blockers have additional features for the people who want to view the pop-up ads of particular sites. For this they need to enable the view pop-up ads for that particular site. Many types of pop-up blockers with unique features are available online. You can buy as per your needs. However, some of the most basic types of pop-up blockers are free and can be downloaded from any of the popular sites. An additional advantage of using pop-up blockers is that you can prevent your computer from becoming slow or being infected from malware , spyware or any virus. This prevents your pc from getting slow. Choose an effective pop-up blocker as soon as possible and get rid of unwanted content to make your browsing experience delightful.
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How Do I Block Pop-Up Ads?
Exclusive: Oval Office Watch – Thursday, October 1 – Family Security Matters
October 1st, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Family Security Matters Exclusive: Oval Office Watch – Thursday, October 1 Family Security Matters I'm going to take a wild guess and say that only 5 percent of Americans could give an accurate definition of what “ cap-and-trade ” means. … and more
The Top 5 Firefox Security Addons
September 30th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Mozilla Firefox is, in my opinion, the best of the currently available web browsers. When it comes to speed, privacy and security, Mozilla Firefox has the best to offer. The best thing about this web browser is that it allows you to install additional add-ons according to your own requirements. You can easily find a number of add-ons which would enhance the performance of your Mozilla Firefox browser. Privacy and security has always been an issue, when it comes to surfing the internet. Mozilla Firefox has successfully helped us in this particular area but there are times but there may still be times when you are not completely satisfied with it’s performance. The best way to enhance the performance of Mozilla Firefox is to use add-ons. There are number of add-ons which can prove to be useful in tackling the problems related to privacy and security, below are my favourite 5 – BETTER PRIVACY When we use internet, we might come across some non deletable long-term cookies, which hamper the performance of your computer to a great extent. Such cookies can be used to track you on the internet, which could be very dangerous. Better Privacy allows you to know about such cookies, so that you can block them and protect your personal information from being traced. LSO (Local Shared Objects) attack your computer in the form of Flash plugins. These types of cookies are hard to trace and delete, but Better Privacy allows you to block them before they ever get onto your computer. Before your system becomes the shed for all such LSOs, you should install this add-on to your browser which ensures that your information will not be traced on to internet now. Download Link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6623 CLEAR PRIVATE DATA Every time you switch on your web browser to browse web sites, a number of cookies are saved into your system. There is a misconception that just by clearing the history we will be deleting all our previous data, but it is miserably wrong. We have to go into many folders and delete all the cookies stored, which is highly irritating. Clear Private Data is the add-on which clears all the private data from your computer on order to increase the safety level. Private data is a very sensitive thing, and one must make sure that we do not expose it. Clear Private Data works exceptionally well and gives you a little bit space to be careless as it can comprehensively protect your private date automatically, and this is the best part of this add-on. Download Link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1280 SECURE LOGIN Secure Login is a plugin which enables you to manage all your passwords. It can be rather irritating to have to enter the user ID and password every time you want to log on to your e-mail accounts on your personal computer. You can use this add-on to save your user ID and passwords, so that you can simply log on to your accounts by using simple shortcuts. This feature is somewhat similar to that of Opera’s Wand login. It provides an easy way to save passwords and also enables you safely maintain multiple account details. You can also enable your login details to be protected from external JavaScript code. It also allows you to customise your keyboard shortcuts, in order to operate the add-on within your comfort zone. It also protects your data from phishing . Secure login is a wonderful add-on that would surely make your form filling work easier and much, much simpler. Download Link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4429 WEB OF TRUST – WOT WOT – Web of Trust – is one of the best add-ons for Mozilla Firefox. It warns you about all the websites that might be a threat to your computer. It helps you to avoid all the dangerous sites that would hamper the performance of your computer. WOT provides a front layer protection to you system. WOT keeps you safe from deadly browser exploits and unreliable online shops. WOT works as per the safety ratings given to over 21 million web sites and its algorithm enables the add-on to keep updated with all the latest ratings. You can customize the WOT add-on with respect to your requirements. WOT is an exceptional tool to provide a safer browsing experience to your family. Surf safer and add WOT to your Firefox now. Download Link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3456 VIRUS THREAT LEVEL VTL is basically an indicator, which indicates the threat level of a website. This add-on simply adds an indicator to the status bar of the browser. And whenever you open a site, it shows the content level of the dangerous programs like malware and viruses. So, whenever you can see the indicator showing the RED light, you can simply close that particular web site and protect your system from being attacked by unwanted programs. It is a wonderful little tool, which makes your browsing activities absolutely safe. VTL uses statistics from McAfee, Symantec and ESET products to come up with an appropriate threat level of any web sites. This makes it a reliable tool. So, before your computer actually gets attacked by any viral content, this indicator enables you to prevent it because “Prevention is always better than Cure.” Download Link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4548 These were some of the best add-ons for Mozilla Firefox which would surely minimise your security and privacy constraints on internet. Add these add-ons and make your internet browsing safer. Also, please let me know if you are aware of any other good security addpns for Firefox.
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The Top 5 Firefox Security Addons
Morro Is Here Today – Microsoft Ships Their Free MSE Antivirus
September 30th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Yesterday saw Microsoft officially ship their free antivirus program – Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). MSE has been in the pipeline for some time now – I first wrote about it back in June when the project was known as ‘ Morro ‘. This new antivirus program is targeted mainly at the home user, as well as home-based businesses, but may still find things tough vs. the competition, despite being free. Not only are the top brands well established in the paid antivirus market but there are also plenty of other free alternatives too. Microsoft Security Essentials is designed to run on desktop machines that run recent versions of Windows, such as XP (service pack 2 onwards), Vista and Windows 7, though the latter would appear to require Windows XP mode to be enabled. MSE is a replacement for Windows Live OneCare which was discontinued earlier in the summer. There are, of course, several alternatives available already which are also free – see this list of the best free antivirus of 2009 . If you do decide to give MSE a try then please remember that running more than one antivirus program on a system at the same time can be extremely problematic at times due to conflicts – always remove your old av product before installing a new one.
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Morro Is Here Today – Microsoft Ships Their Free MSE Antivirus
Good News Microsoft Security Essentials to Be Available Today (9/29)
September 29th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
I am glad to see that Microsoft is finally releasing Security Essentials today. I actually beta tested the product for Microsoft and have to say it’s lightweight (doesn’t slow down your PC) and does as good or better a job than Norton (Symantec) Antivirus or McAfee Antivirus. Both Norton/Symantec and McAfee products are quite bloated, slow down every PC I’ve installed them on and quite frankly don’t do as good a job as many of the free antivirus and antimalware applications available. Security Essentials is a predecessor of Microsoft OneCare (which I also liked). It’s a quick download and install and doesn’t pester you with a lot of messages. In a nutshell it works like a security application should. Best of all it’s 100% free from Microsoft. The Microsoft Security Essentials website still shows the “beta” designation, however I am sure that sometime today it will be removed and the final version will be available for download. Website http://www.microsoft.com/Security_essentials/ I do recommend that if you are looking for a powerful yet lightweight antivirus / antimalware application that you give Microsoft Security Essentials a try.
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Good News Microsoft Security Essentials to Be Available Today (9/29)
Why You Need More Than Just Software To Secure Your PC
September 28th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Have you installed an antivirus program ? Good. Got an antispyware program ? Well done. Is your operating system fully patched ? Excellent! Your PC must now be totally secure, right? WRONG! If you have been online for any length of time then you should already be aware of the types of programs I mentioned above. If not, then you are a danger and a menace to yourself . On the other hand, if you do run the appropriate security programs then chances are that your computer is running fine and contains no malware. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Don’t be too pleased with yourself though because your PC is still not totally secure yet. WHY YOU NEED TO PHYSICALLY SECURE YOUR COMPUTER Some, perhaps most, of the threats to your PC come from across the internet but there is another type of danger too, a very human one. Its easy to forget that data theft can occur in person and theres also the issue of hardware being stolen too. How secure is your laptop? Do you leave it on the front seat of your car when you are out on the road? Do you lock it in the boot? Worse still, have you ever left your computer unattended in a public place, even for just a minute or two? What would happen if someone picked it up and ran? What personal or business information would you lose, how would you retrieve it and what damage could be caused with it? SECURING YOUR COMPUTER The first thing you should do is to engage your brain as commonsense often goes a long way. You should always secure your computer in an appropriate manner. For laptops that means never letting them out of your site, locking them away out of sight when not being used and keeping windows shut (and doors locked) when stopped at traffic lights. For desktop computers you can buy various cables and locks which can secure your machine to the desk. Of course it goes without saying that a determined thief would take your PC whatever you do but most are opportunists and the above tips will make your computer far less appealing to them than the next one they can see.
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Why You Need More Than Just Software To Secure Your PC
Weaker and worse – Himal Southasian
September 25th, 2009. Published under Political Scams. No Comments.
Himal Southasian Weaker and worse Himal Southasian … and Security Act is that it sends its single most generous handout – more than USD 60 billion worth of free carbon credits – to the coal industry. … and more
Asian Teenage Hackers To Join MI5 To Fight Cyber Terrorism
September 23rd, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
According to a recent report in The Sunday Express , the British spy agency MI5 has begun recruiting teenagers to aid their fight against cyber terrorism which it claims is emanating from China, Russia, Pakistan and even Belmarsh maximum security prison!! MI5 is believed to have already hired around 50 hackers, most of whom are young Asians, to work in their newly formed top secret Cyber Operations Command, a function which has a close working relationship with the Pentagon. Each of the youngsters has had to sign the “Official Secrets Act” which means they cannot even tell their friends, girlfriends or parents what they are getting up to when they work in the Security Service building which is located next to The Thames in London. In a report to Lord West, the Security Minister, it was revealed that during this summer alone there were over 1,000 hits made on computers in Whitehall. Other key assets to have been targeted include power stations, air traffic control and the city of London. It is also believed that accountants, banks and other financial organisations have come under attack from Chinese state organisations . As with all security personnel, the teenagers are subject to high detail background checking of the same level used to vet other members of the intelligence community. According to Lord West, the new recruits are – “youngsters who use their talents to stop other hackers from closing down this country”.
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Asian Teenage Hackers To Join MI5 To Fight Cyber Terrorism
How Can I Avoid Credit Card Fraud?
September 20th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
There is no denying to the fact that credit card usage has increased considerably over the past few years. Unfortunately, credit card fraud related cases have also seen a great surge in the recent past. As a matter of fact, credit card frauds have become a common incident amongst people across the world. Undoubtedly, the victim has to experience regret and inconvenience upon any such incident. WHAT ANTI-FRAUD FEATURES ARE OFFERED BY YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY? People who own credit cards should always be aware of the security features their credit card company has to offer. One can also keep this in mind while applying for a credit card. Apply for a card which offers room for plenty of security, in case of a fraudulent event. At times this might help one minimise the losses partly or completely. With the large number of financial institutions offering free credit cards, loads of people are being attracted towards possessing a few cards, without being completely aware of the precautionary measures one needs to take before calling themselves a proud owner of the credit card. Fortunately, most companies are aware about the fraudulent events associated with credit cards, and they offer plenty of security features with their cards. YOU NEED TO READ YOUR CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS One of the best ways to prevent credit card fraud is to keep track of your statements as and when they arrive. If you do not receive the statement for a particular month, make it a point to call the credit card company to know about the transactions on your credit card account. Statements are a good way to track any unwanted transactions happening on your credit card. Report any fraudulent transaction immediately, and block the card from further use by informing your credit card company about such events. WATCH OUT FOR PHISHING Not replying to any phishing or suspicious emails pertaining to your credit card is another measure to prevent oneself from credit card frauds. The internet and mailbox is often flooded with loads of fake emails requesting your credit card information for varied reasons. One should always exercise caution while dealing with such emails. Cross check with your credit card company about the legality of the email, and reply only once you are 100% sure about the validity of the sender. KEEP YOUR CREDIT CARD IN SIGHT AT ALL TIMES Keep checking the possession of your credit cards in regular intervals. While handling your credit card to any dealer for a payment, make sure to take back the card promptly after use. Keep your credit card in a safe place whenever you are travelling or carrying them with you. The key factor is to track your credit card transactions, and to report any illegal activities as quickly as possible. That’s the best way to track fraudulent activities, and to exercise damage control upon fraudulent use. How Can I Avoid Credit Card Fraud? is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out 101 Internet Security Programs and Tips
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How Can I Avoid Credit Card Fraud?
DoS vs DDoS – What Is The Difference?
September 11th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
DoS = Denial Of Service DDoS = Distributed Denial Of Service What is the difference between the two? Whilst DoS and DDoS sound remarkably similar there are in fact differences between the two – DoS A DoS Attack is a Denial of Service attack. This means that one computer and one internet connection is used to flood a server with packets (TCP / UDP). The point of such a denial of service attack is to overload the targeted server’s bandwidth and other resources. This will make the server inaccessible to others, thereby blocking the website or whatever else is hosted there. DDoS A DDoS Attack is a Distributed Denial of Service Attack. In most respects it is similar to a DoS attack but the results are much, much different. Instead of one computer and one internet connection the DDoS attack utilises many computers and many connections. The computers behind such an attack are often distributed around the whole world and will be part of what is known as a botnet . The main difference between a DDoS attack vs a DoS attack, therefore, is that the target server will be overload by hundreds or even thousands of requests in the case of the former as opposed to just one attacker in the case of the latter. Therefore it is much, much harder for a server to withstand an attack against a DDoS attack.
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DoS vs DDoS – What Is The Difference?
Malware That Changed The World – The Conficker Virus
September 10th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Conficker is the most recent addition to my list of notable malware, having only been released into the wild around October of last year. Many people predicted that Conficker would do some crazy stuff on April the 1st of this year but nothing of note really happened. That doesn’t mean to say that Conficker has gone away though. The Conficker virus, also known as Downadup, Kido and Confiker, is known to have infected up to 6 million computers around the world. No-one has claimed responsibility for writing the Conficker virus yet though industry experts believe the author(s) may be in the Ukraine or somewhere else near Russia. Infected machines are hooked into a botnet that could be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from spam to DDoS attacks. Despite all this potential they only serious effect of Conficker thus far has been to serve up an inducement to buy a fake antivirus program. I for one believe that Conficker will be used for far worse in the future. After all, 6 million plus infected computers are bound to have some monetary value to cyber criminals. Have you been infected by the Conficker virus? Heres more in my short series on malware that changed the world – The OSX/RSPlug Trojan The I Love You Virus The Blaster Worm Anna Kournikova The Melissa Virus The Storm Worm The Morris Worm The Conficker Virus
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Malware That Changed The World – The Conficker Virus
Malware That Changed The World – The Robert Morris Worm
September 9th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Robert T Morris, Jr. was a graduate student in Computer Science at Cornell. On November the 22nd, 1988 he wrote an experimental piece of code which could both reproduce and spread itself across the emerging new world wide web. What he had created would later become known as a worm. Soon after releasing his worm Morris found that it was spreading far quicker than he had ever anticipated. The machines that became infected with this ‘Morris worm’ would lock up or completely crash. He tried to make amends by sending an anonymous message from Harvard that contained instructions on how to disable the worm but by that time networks were so clogged up that most recipients never received it. A huge range of computer systems and networks became infected, ranging from medical facilities to military installations. The cost to remove the Morris worm was quite severe in some instances, rising into the tens of thousands of dollars. Eventually researchers managed to reverse engineer the worm and after a few days the worm’s affects were largely neutralised. Everyone wanted to know who was responsible, however, and the The New York Times took a growing body of evidence and pointed the finger at Morris. Morris was later convicted of violating the computer Fraud and Abuse Act (Title 18) for which he received a sentence of three years probation in addition to four hundred hours of community service and a fine of $10,050. At the end of 1990 Morris appealed his sentence but it was upheld in March of the following year. Heres more in my short series on malware that changed the world – The OSX/RSPlug Trojan The I Love You Virus The Blaster Worm Anna Kournikova The Melissa Virus The Storm Worm
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Malware That Changed The World – The Robert Morris Worm
Malware That Changed The World – The Storm Worm
September 8th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
The Storm Worm came to prominence back in 2007 when recipients received a simple email. The spam email arrived in inboxes with a large variety of subject lines and the infected attachment varied in name too. The most common variant, however, was the one from which the worm acquired it’s name – Subject: 230 dead as storm batters Europe Attachment: video.exe The Storm worm first surfaced in the middle of January 2007 and typically had one of several different Trojans associated with it. These Trojans were most often disguised as the following attached files – video.exe read more.exe full_video.exe flash_postcard.exe full_text.exe Most Windows operating systems of the time could be infected by one of these Trojans should the emailed attachment be opened. As the following video from F-Secure demonstrates, the worm spread far and wide in a very short period of time – You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Even though the worm was most commonly known as ‘Storm’ there were several alternative subject lines for the infected email, including – 230 dead as storm batters Europe Russian missile shot down Chinese satellite Russian missile shot down USA aircraft Russian missile shot down USA satellite Chinese missile shot down USA aircraft Chinese missile shot down USA satellite Strongest earthquake hits Beijing Wrapped Up Death toll in China exceeds 1000000 Recent china earthquake kills million British Muslims Genocide Naked teens attack home director Saddam Hussein alive! Saddam Hussein safe and sound! U.S. Southwest braces for another winter blast. More then 1000 people are dead President of Russia Putin dead Third World War just have started! First Nuclear Act of Terrorism! So in Love I Believe A Romantic Place A Little (sex) Card The Miracle of Love All For You Safe and Sound A Special Kiss Hugging My Pillow You’re Soo Kissable Want to Meet? For You amongst many, many others. Were you ever infected with the Storm worm ? Can you remember any of the other subject titles the email arrived with? Heres more in my short series on malware that changed the world – The OSX/RSPlug Trojan The I Love You Virus The Blaster Worm Anna Kournikova The Melissa Virus The Storm Worm
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Malware That Changed The World – The Storm Worm
Malware That Changed The World – The Melissa Virus
September 7th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Melissa was a computer macro virus that infected computers and email gateways via Microsoft Word 97 or 2000 or Microsoft Outlook 97 or 98. Created by David L. Smith, Melissa first appeared on Usenet in the late 1990s. At the height of it’s distribution Melissa caused some users and mail clients to be shut down due to the sheer volume of replicated emails that is was sending and receiving via numerous infected systems. Even major companies, such as Microsoft and Intel, had to temporarily shut down their email servers as they became clogged by the virus. The Melissa virus arrived in email inboxes in many different forms. Typically, a message would be entitled as ‘My Pictures’ but there would be no text in the email, though a file was attached. That file of course was not a picture but the virus and, if opened, it would delete files and send itself onto the first 40 entries it found in the infected machine’s email address book. Though the Melissa virus can be a problem, many people with newer forms of Word or Outlook have no problem with the worm type virus. Good antivirus programs can, and did, detect the macro language used by Melissa which was also defeated by newer versions of Word too. However it should still server as a good reminder that you should never open email attachments unless you are 100% certain that you trust both the sender and the files that they may have included in their email. David Smith was eventually caught at the end of 1999 and was amongst the first few individuals to ever be successfully prosecuted for creating a computer virus. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail and fined $5,000 but this was later reduced in return for his cooperation with authorities. Smith later went on to work for the FBI, tracking down viruses and those who were writing them. Heres more in my short series on malware that changed the world – The OSX/RSPlug Trojan The I Love You Virus The Blaster Worm
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Malware That Changed The World – The Melissa Virus
Malware That Changed The World – The Anna Kournikova Worm
September 6th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
The Anna Kournikova worm was released back in 2001 and, whilst it was not aimed at causing data loss, it did cause embarrassment and disruption for many personal and business users. The worm was spread via email with an attachment that claimed to be a picture of Anna Kournikova, who many a hot-blooded young male found incredibly hard to resist. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Opening the bogus attachment simply sent copies of the worm by email to all addresses found in the recipient’s address book in Microsoft Outlook. The virus inevitably resulted in a number of copycat variants. Whilst most worm creators have never been identified, a 21-year-old Dutchman, Jan de Wit, admitted to unleashing the Anna Kournikova worm. De Wit, an obsessed admirer of Kournikova, ended up receiving a community service sentence.
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Malware That Changed The World – The Anna Kournikova Worm
101 Tips And Programs That Will Help You Stay Safe On The Internet
September 5th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE TIPS 1. Install a quality antivirus program and keep it updated 2. Setup a firewall (a 2-way firewall is best) 3. Install an antispyware application 4. Buy or download a good spam filter 5. If you are using IE7 (or earlier) consider changing browser for increased security 6. Use the Hosts file to safely redirect malware and advertising (advanced users only) 7. Surf in private by using a Proxy (advanced users) GENERAL SAFETY TIPS 8. Always backup your critical data onto CD, DVD, or other removable media 9. Windows users should turn on Automatic Updates in order to keep their operating system fully patched against the latest security threats 10. Update all Software products periodically on your system 11. Schedule regular virus scans. I would recommend at least weekly 12. Likewise, schedule regular antispyware scans 13. Make emptying your recycle bin a regular practice 14. Ensure User Account Controls are enabled in Windows Vista 15. Register your copy of Windows as soon as it is installed 16. Whenever you install new software be sure to read the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) 17. If you have Windows Vista and kids then utilise user accounts and Parental Controls to help keep them safe 18. Never use public computers to enter sensitive data, i.e. checking your online bank account in an internet cafe 19. When entering credit card details or personal data make sure the website you are on is secure 20. Avoid peer-to-peer networking – music and movies from these sites tend to be infested with malware and such downloads are often illegal too 21. Change the passwords you use on the internet on a regular basis 22. When making a new password ensure you choose one that cannot be easily cracked 23. Never disclose your personal information, i.e. name, age, address, SSN on public forums or social networking sites RECOMMENDED EMAIL SAFETY TIPS 24. Never open email attachments unless you are 100% certain you can trust the sender 25. Never unsubscribe from spam emails (you’ll just end up getting more) 26. Never click on links sent to you via Instant Messaging services 27. If your email client uses auto-preview of messages then turn it OFF 28. If you receive email from someone you do not know then don’t open it, just delete it 29. Do not use links in emails to visit your banking site (such links are almost certainly false and will lead to phishing sites) 30. E-cards are nice but if you don’t know the sender then you really shouldn’t open them 31.If your operating system or antivirus needs updating then do so properly – never initiate updates via links in emails RECOMMENDED BROWSER SAFETY TIPS 32. If you visit a website and Google says it is infested with malware then pay attention and leave. Pronto 33. Try and avoid inappropriate sites which will attempt to hijack your browser or install malware 34. When surfing for topical subjects be aware that malware authors are getting good at ranking infested sites for popular search terms 35. If you are using an older browser consider upgrading to a newer one that comes with better security features 36. Make it a regular task to clean your browser cache of all temporary files, history, cookies, passwords, etc. 37. Carefully consider your browser’s security settings and choose a level that is appropriate to you MALWARE CLEANING TIPS 38. If you experiencing popups, fake virus warnings or system slowdown then you may very well have an infection 39. When choosing a program to remove malware put in some research time – there are many rogue applications out there that will make matters worse 40. Learn as much as you can about a malware infection – there are websites that offer step-by-step removal guides if you know which one(s) are on your system 41. There are many free online scanners on the web but make sure you choose one from a reputable company 42. A registry cleaner may help in removing some difficult malware agents 43. You may be able to safely remove some malware by using Window’s ‘Safe Mode’ 44. After clearing your system of malware change all your passwords in case they have been compromised SECURITY AWARENESS AND EDUCATION 45. There are hundreds of websites, blogs and articles about security online. Read them to improve your knowledge 46. Use a service such as Twitter to get breaking news on security topics 47. Whenever updates and patches to your software and operating system become available you should install them 48. Never forward email hoaxes – they are annoying and some even contain malware or are used to collect email addresses for spamming purposes 49. No-one ever gives anything away for nothing – son’t believe emails that say you have won a lottery or gained an inheritance from someone you don’t even know 50. Setup separate user accounts for everyone who uses your computer and give each of them their own password 51. Pass on what you have learned to your friends and family 52. If you ever make a security error then learn from it and don’t make the same mistakes twice RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE PROGRAMS FREE ANTIVIRUS 53. Avast! Home Edition is one of the better free antivirus packages on the market and features both antispyware and rootkit protection. 54. AVG Free Edition is, perhaps, the most well-known free antivirus available on the web today. 55. Avira Antivir Personal will scan your computer for evidence of malicious programs such as viruses, Trojans, worms, etc. 56. Bitdefender 10 Free Edition allows the end-user to employ an on-demand virus scanner for zero cost. 57. Clamwin ’s features include a scanning scheduler, standalone virus scanner and an addin for Microsoft Outlook that allows for the manual identification of virus-infected attachments. 58. Panda Cloud Antivirus is the first free cloud-based antivirus client. 59. Comodo Internet Security is a free all-in-one security software that that comprises of antivirus, host intrusion prevention system and a firewall. 60. Microsoft Security Essentials Beta offers a good level of protection against the usual suspects, such as viruses, spyware, Trojans, worms and all the other bad stuff. 61. PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition is another recommended antivirus program. PAID ANTIVIRUS 62. AVG has an easy-to-use interface and has recently been optimised to make better use of the multiple cores found in modern processors. 63. BitDefender 2009 is not only good against the usual suspects – viruses, spyware, hackers and spam – it also blocks attempted identity theft, i.e. phishing. 64. F-Secure is an antivirus program that scans incoming and outbound email communications in real-time and also shields your registry against possible hijacking attempts. 65. Kaspersky Anti-Virus Products offers real-time email scanning as well as hourly updates. 66. McAfee comes with a ScriptStopper which prevents viruses spreading from one computer to another via email and also a WormStopper which, funnily enough, does much the same for worms. 67. The NOD32 antivirus software by ESET provides real-time protection against the bad guys – worms, trojans, spyware, malware, phishing and hackers. 68. Norton , offers a ‘PC Tuneuo’ function which can clean and repair your computers registry in addition to discovering other issues which may affect the speed at which your computer runs. 69. Panda Antivirus offers all the usual features, such as protection from viruses and keyloggers, as well as spyware protection to name but a few. 70. Trend Micro antivirus + antispyware utilises protocols for protecting PCs against viruses, worms and trojans, spyware, rootkits and malware. ANTISPYWARE 71. Ad-Aware offer a free antispyware application that has many of the features found in their paid version. 72. Spyzooka is an intuitive and easy to use antispyware program. 73. Webroot’s Spy Sweeper sweeps away spyware. This anti spyware download software has received a number of PC Magazine Editors’ Choice awards for spyware protection. Spy Sweeper has an extensive spyware database and currently scans for over 150,000 spyware components. 74. NoAdware anti spyware is constantly updated to identify the latest threats to your privacy. The software will scan your PC for different Spyware, Adware, Dialers, and Web Bug traces. 75. PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor has consistently been awarded Editors’ Choice, by leading PC magazines and testing laboratories around the world. Recently its Starter Edition was included in Google Pack. 76. CA’s AntiSpyware has a free 30-day demo which has a full working version; however, you’re asked to provide a lot of personal information. 77. Trend Micro which has excellent Anti Virus features has recently developed Anti spyware that acts as the first line of defense against threats like spyware, grayware, viruses, and phishing. 78. Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware Free is a free anti spyware download software, however it does not offer real time online protection . Moreover it is not extremely aggressive in detecting and removing certain adware. 79. Microsoft’s Windows Defender is an anti spyware download software program designed to prevent, remove and quarantine spyware in Microsoft Windows. So Linux based systems cannot use it. 80. Spybot – Search & Destroy is currently released as freeware. However, the fine print of the license indicates a commercial distribution. It has been applauded for its ease of use and installation, free support and updates but it suffers from having a small spyware database. 81. Counter Spy : Besides acting as an anti spyware software, it also gives privacy protection by erasing files and clearing your web browsing history. 82. McAfee protects your system from spyware before it gets a foothold. FIREWALLS 83. BlackICE (now discontinued by IBM) is a mainstream, general purpose firewall. It features a very well-designed user interface and logging capabilities, as well as many free and frequent updates. 84. Another top firewall is Sygate personal firewall . It provides very good protection, and it also has mail notifications and automatic logging. 85. Zone Alarm is a very user-friendly firewall; the most basic version can be downloaded for free without any extensive limitations except for the lack of few advanced features. SPAM FILTERS 86. Spam Bully is an email filter for Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Mail. It works with Windows Vista. 87. Spamfighter Pro is an award-winning filter used in 206 countries. 88. Outlook Spam Filter is an easy-to-use MS Outlook add-on that features Bayesian filtering technology. BROWSERS 89. Firefox from Mozilla (Windows/Mac/Linux) 90. Internet Explorer from Microsoft (Windows) 91. Chrome from Google (Windows) 92. Opera (Windows/Mac/Linux) 93. Safari developed by Apple (Mac/Windows) BROWSERS FOR KIDS 94. Buddy Browser 95. Kid Zui 96. Kid Rocket 97. PikLuk 98. Kidoz 99. My Kids Browser 100. Kidsplorer 101. Glubble Can you add any tips to this list?
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101 Tips And Programs That Will Help You Stay Safe On The Internet
Adopting Poor Password Security Is Like Laying All Your Cards On The Table
September 4th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Personally I’m not a card player, let alone a gambler. If I was, though, I’d be sure to keep all my cards close to my chest when playing the game. Thats just a commonsense thing to do isn’t it? So why, then, do people gamble with their passwords? I know plenty of people, some of them readers of this site, who still make fundamental mistakes with their password security. Some of them have passwords that are their names, even just their initials. They’re crazy I tell you! If you arn’t already aware of the bad password mistakes I’ve mentioned before then here they are again and with a few extra tips thrown in – DON’T MAKE YOUR PASSWORD TOO SHORT Has your wife or girlfriend ever told you that size matters? She is right you know. If you haven’t got enough length, in your password, then you are asking for trouble. Short passwords are easy to guess, or crack, so make them as long as you can. DON’T WRITE PASSWORDS DOWN! You’re not stupid are you? If you record your passwords on scraps of paper, post-it notes or even in a file on your computer then somebody, somewhere, sometime is going to have access to them. Don’t do it! If you really must record your passwords then use a password managing program or lock them in a safe. Better yet, choose passwords that mean nothing to others but enough to you that you will be able to remember them. DON’T MAKE PASSWORDS TOO COMMON Do you own a dictionary? You probably do. Open it up and have a good look at the words inside. Are any of those what you have chosen for your password? They are? Ooops! Hackers use their own computerised dictionaries when trying to crack passwords. Don’t make their lives any easier by selecting anything that they’ll be able to crack in seconds. AVOID PASSWORDS BASED UPON YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS Wives, children, pets. Love ‘em. But don’t use them in your passwords. No. Really. Don’t. You’ll regret it. If you use any of the above, or other common data such as your date of birth, phone number, or address then someone who knows a little about you could be into your computer system in seconds. NEVER MAKE YOUR PASSWORD YOUR REAL NAME Love yourself? Good. Somebody has to. Just don’t be so vain as to use your own name as your password though. Its not clever. DON’T CREATE PASSWORDS THAT ARE EASY TO GUESS Trying to think of a password? Have a can of your favourite cola drink on your desk? Don’t do it! Famous brand names and descriptions of common household objects are used far too often as passwords. Hackers know this. Make sure you do too. NEVER MAKE PASSWORDS THAT ARE JUST LETTERS OR JUST NUMBERS Passwords that are just letters, or just numbers, are much easier to guess than those that that use a mixture of the two. (That doesn’t mean using your name with your age tagged on the end though!) Throw in some symbols as well and you will be well on your way to having a password that is hard to guess. PASSWORDS HAVE TO DIE SOMETIME TOO Everything dies eventually and your password should not be an exception to that rule. You may have used it for a few months, lovingly typing it out several times a day, but you shouldn’t get too attached. If someone is trying to crack your password and they have time on their hands then they will eventually get it. Make it as hard as possible for them by changing your passwords on a regular basis. PASSWORD VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE Variety is the spice of life. Using just one password for everything you do, every site you visit, is boring. Stupid too. If someone cracks the one password you have then they will have access to everything you do and everywhere you go. You really don’t want that so pick a new and unique password every time that you need an additional one. NEVER, EVER, SHARE YOUR PASSWORD Do you give the keys to your house or car to people you hardly know? Didn’t think so. Why, then, would you share your password with anyone? Once someone has it they have access to everything you do on the computer. So, sometimes, its good not to share. WHY GOOD PASSWORD SECURITY MATTERS You really do need to keep your passwords secure because, if you don’t, you may well fall prey to one of the following – Online banking fraud Invasion of your privacy Identity theft Unauthorised data leaks None of which would be particularly good!
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Adopting Poor Password Security Is Like Laying All Your Cards On The Table
Malware That Changed The World – The Blaster Worm
September 3rd, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Remember this? (I know I do as it was the one and only infection I’ve ever had on my PC). The Blaster Worm, also commonly known as ‘Lovsan’ or ‘Lovesan’, was first spotted on the 11th of August 2003. The worm spread quickly on computers that ran Microsoft operating systems such as Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The rate of spread and infection by the Blaster worm peaked 2 days after it released before ISPs managed to successfully filter it. It is believed that the original variant of Blaster was created after a Chinese hacking group before Jeffrey Lee Parson engineered a B variant, a crime for which he later received an 18 month jail term. The Blaster worm spread by exploiting a buffer overflow discovered in the DCOM RPC service on the affected operating systems, something for which a patch had been released one month prior in MS03-026 and later in MS03-039. This exploit allowed the worm to spread even without users opening attachments, simply by spamming itself to large numbers of random IP addresses. Blaster acquired it’s nicknames of Lovsan and Lovesan due to two different messages that were discovered hidden in it’s code. The first message said – billy gates why do you make this possible ? Stop making money and fix your software!! – was obviously targeting Bill Gates of Microsoft fame. The second message said – I just want to say LOVE YOU SAN!! – which is obviously the reason for the ‘Lovesan’ names. Were you ever caught out by the Blaster worm?
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Malware That Changed The World – The Blaster Worm
Can Snow Leopard’s Anti-Malware System Only Protect Mac Users From Two Trojans?
September 2nd, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Since the release of Snow Leopard a few days ago it has become common knowledge that the latest version of Mac OSX ships with some sort of anti-malware / antivirus functionality. But will it protect Mac users from all the potential threats that are slowly gathering in the wild? Possibly not would seem to be the answer. In fact, it doesn’t even seem equipped to deal with OSX_JAHLAV.K , a Trojan that some fake download websites are serving up in the place of Snow Leopard itself. From what I have been reading (someone please correct me if I’m wrong) the new anti-malware feature doesn’t even so much as scan the Downloads folder. Instead, it only appears to watch out for OSX.RSPlug and OSX.Iservice and not too much else besides. To my mind that makes it seem like this feature in Snow Leopard was just an afterthought. What do you think?
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Can Snow Leopard’s Anti-Malware System Only Protect Mac Users From Two Trojans?
Malware That Changed The World – The OSX/RSPlug Trojan
September 1st, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Back in November of 2007 the OSX/RSPlug Trojan appeared for the first time. What was it though that made it notable? The answer, simply, is because it was the first piece of malware to be discovered that targeted the Apple Mac with the intention of making a financial gain out of the infection, via possible identity theft for example. Prior to OSX/RSPlug, users of the Mac were largely untargeted and to this day many believe that the Mac is virtually immune to viruses and other security threats. The OSX/RSPlug Trojan horse was typically encountered on web forums, within messages promoting pornographic content. Links in these messages led to websites which claimed that the installed version of Quicktime was out of date and required a new codec to be downloaded. If the Mac users agreed the download then the Trojan would be installed in the background. The lasting effects of OSX/RSPlug were minimal in terms of direct damage caused but it’s discovery did show that the Mac was vulnerable should hackers ever switch their attention away from their preferred targets, namely machines running the Windows operating system. Fortunately, the newly released Snow Leopard may go some way to addressing security concerns on the Mac as antivirus is now at last included.
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Malware That Changed The World – The OSX/RSPlug Trojan
What Exactly Is Data Encryption?
September 1st, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Do you engage in any of the following activities – online shopping? eBay? other types of online buying or selling? online banking? If so, you are just like millions of other people across the internet today. Whether you realise or understand it, or not, you are probably relying upon data encryption far more than you know. Data encryption is becoming far more widespread on the internet as the number of web-based transactions continues to soar. Such encryption is an essential part of safe and secure web commerce. WHAT EXACTLY IS DATA ENCRYPTION? Encryption can be applied to many processes from emails to web based forms, such as the ones you see on shopping sites and when you are conducting your online banking. The encryption technique is used to hide the contents of your email, or the data that you are typing on the form, thereby preventing said data from being stolen by anyone else on the internet. When you send your data it will pass through a secure socket layer (SSL) and will be disguised so that if anybody manages to intercept it then they will not be able to decipher anything meaningful from it, at least not without having to go to an awful lot of trouble. When the data is received by the website at the other end of the communication process it will be decrypted, thus revealing your data only to the intended target. Data encryption is performed by applying mathematical logic or algorithms to the data. As with almost all aspects of internet security, algorithms can be broken by someone who has the time and determination. Encryption will go a long way in keeping your data secure but a sufficiently motivated hacker could succeed in breaking that encryption if they were determined enough. HOW THEN DOES DATA ENCRYPTION WORK? Behind every piece of data encryption is a key. These keys are used in the coding and decoding of your data. A key is in fact a long sequence of bits (1s and 0s) that are used by the encrypting algorithms. During the encryption process the algorithm will apply that sequence of 1s and 0s to the original data in order to alter it so that it then appears in a form that would make no sense whatsoever to anybody else who were to capture the data and try reading it without the use of the decryption algorithm. Obviously, when the encrypted data reaches its destination it will be decrypted using the same key (less secure) , or another (more secure) designed for the task, thereby rendering the data useful again as it reverts back to it’s original form.
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What Exactly Is Data Encryption?
How Do I Remove Spyware From My System?
August 31st, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Removing spyware from your system is a fairly straightforward matter if you have the right tools for the job. ( You do know what spyware is, right? ) Even if you ignore the rogue antispyware programs in the market there are probably still hundreds of different products available right now, all of which are able to remove spyware from your system with differing levels of success. Spyzooka is one of my favourites because not only is it genuine but it also has a simple and easy to use interface. It’s scanning abilities are also good, fast and accurate. Spyzooka is not an antivirus program. Whilst today’s antivirus programs can, and do, scan for the more common forms of spyware only a dedicated program such as Spyzooka is geared up for detecting the new spyware that is finding it’s way onto the internet each and every day. With Spyzooka installed you can scan your hard drive whenever you want and can quickly identify any programs that have spyware hidden within them. The program can then get rid of any spyware it finds then and there, long before it has the opportunity to cause your system and serious problems. Check Spyzooka Out NOW With An Absolutely Free Spyware Scan
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How Do I Remove Spyware From My System?
Old Macdonald’s Guide To Avoiding Pharming
August 28th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Old MacDonald had a farm, ee-eye, ee-eye oh And on that farm he had a case of identity theft, ee-eye, ee-eye oh With an email, email here and an email, email there Here an email, there an email Everywhere an email, email Old MacDonald had a farm, ee-eye, ee-eye oh Oooh-ah, Old Macdonald here and today I wants to be telling ya’s all about Pharming . Pharming, ya see, is somefing I knows a lot about. I ain’t talkin’ about ‘farming’ which is all about me sowing me seed, oooh-ar, no sirs this here pharming is somefing altogether different. I hopes you alls got good protection for your computers already see. Ya need a scarecrow to ward off those pesky antiviral things and those bugs ya see. What I means, like, is antivirus programs and antispyware cos they will keep your vegetable patch safe from all sorts of harm. Oooh-ah. Once you’s got ya field in order ya almost home but pests they are smart ya see. Them there pharmers are jealous of you’s and they want your fields all to themselves. Ooooh-eck. Now it don’t be making many odds how good ya scarescrow is cos it ain’t got stop the pharmers, no sir. You’s need to have far more smarts so I’ll leave ya’s with the olde webmaster who speaks proper city talk like you folks and he’ll tell you’s more. Oooh-ah. 4 WAYS FOR CITY FOLK TO AVOID GETTING THEIR HANDS DIRTY WITH PHARMING Thankyou Old MacDonald, I almost understood what you were talking about! Avoiding pharming, which is a type of identity theft, is reasonably simple. As Old MacDonald mentioned though, antivirus programs, antispyware and registry cleaners are all for nought against this crime. Common sense, however, will take you a long way. As will these tips – 1. Pay attention. You should never enter your personal information on a website that isn’t secure. You can determine whether a website is secure or not by looking at the beginning of it’s URL – if it starts with ‘https’ rather than the more common ‘http’ then it is indeed secure. Such sites should also display a padlock icon somewhere in your browser’s status bar. If a site isn’t secure then they are either a little fishy or they simply don’t deserve your business. Move along. 2. Choose your browser wisely. Switch to Mozilla’s Firefox browser . Do it now. You can then add the ‘petname’ plugin which allows you to assign a pet name to any site that you visit. If you then visit one of those sites which is in fact an imposter of the original then you will be notified. Firefox is also far more secure than other browsers I could mention. 3. Check security certificates. If your browser warns you that the key certificate on the site you are visiting has expired then bail out. The same goes for certificates from ‘unknown’ publishers too. Entering your personal information into such sites is just asking for trouble. Don’t do it. No, really, don’t do it. 4. Secure your router. If you connect to the internet through a router then you really must ensure that the router itself is secure . Routers are shipped from the factory with a default password which will be common to all of that model, maybe even common to the entire range of routers from that manufacturer. Funnily enough, this means they are rather easy to guess if you don’t change them. Change your router’s password but make sure you change it to something that is secure. After all, you wouldn’t want to make a bad password mistake , would you? These simple measures will make you far far safer from pharming. Do them and you can be better than the pharmer.
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Old Macdonald’s Guide To Avoiding Pharming
Mr. Patrick Mayor Tells Me I’ve Won £1.9m
July 2nd, 2008. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
It’s been a long, long time coming but I have finally had another lottery win to add to the billions I already have. This notification arrived just a few minutes ago – CONGRATULATIONS!!! Dear Winner, The management of the United Kingdom National Online Free Lottery,formaly wishes to inform you that your email address won you 1,900,000.00GBP from the Month of July 2008 Multi-Email Draws. Hence, we have given your winning cheque to a relaible security company here in UK for personal remittance to you. Your security code are- NWSC-662721 Furthermore you are hereby advised to make contact with the processing officer Mr. Patrick Mayor to the security company to enable her continue with the process of delivery of your prize. Find below is their contact details: Mr. Patrick Mayor (Director Of Operations) Tele: +44 70457 81738 E-mail Contact: patrickmayor@live.com When contatinmg the Mr. Patrick Mayor, you are required to state your security codes and also fill the form herein: ::::::FILL AND RETURN:::::: 1.Name in full———- 2.Address————— 3.Nationality———– 4.Age——————- 5.Occupation———— 6.Sex —————— 7.Phone/Fax————- 8.Present Country——- Upon the receipt of the above listed details the security company will immediately deliver your prize to you. Yours Sincerely, Uk. Lottery Management Strange, though, that U.K. Lottery Management’s email address in the sender’s field is hank_pam@charter.net!! Obviously, it goes without saying that I haven’t really won the lottery and that this is a typical email scam that would require me to pay money before never actually receiving my winnings. The fact that the sender’s English and grammar are poor are another indication that this email is not quite genuine. Mr. Patrick Mayor Tells Me I’ve Won £1.9m is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009
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Mr. Patrick Mayor Tells Me I’ve Won £1.9m