Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – August 18, 2009

Twilight movie star used as lure by malware-spreading hackers – Malware authors are explotiing interest in revealing pictures of actress Ashley Greene to entrap unwary surfers. Learn more about the attack, and remember to think twice before hunting for nubile snaps of Hollywood starlets online.

Change the registration information in Windows Vista with this handy tool – When a system changes hands, it’s a good idea to update the registration information to reflect the new user. This simple GUI app lets you quickly knock out the task so you don’t have to wade through the Registry Editor to make the changes.

Scareware Proves Need for Backup Software – It took three full days to eradicate the nasty SafeStrip Trojan from my PC. More than anything else, the incident demonstrated the need for good backup software as much as antivirus protection.

Sophos Anti-Rootkit – now with 64-bit and Windows 7 support – We’ve updated our free rootkit detection and removal tool to support 64-bit versions of Windows and the upcoming Windows 7. Download a free copy of Sophos Anti-Rootkit 1.5 now.

US govt says $1.92M P2P damage award totally fair – The Department of Justice has stepped into the case of Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the first file-sharing defendant whose trial ended with a $1.92 million judgment against her. According to the DOJ, those damages are exactly what Congress intended.

Leaked upcoming BlackBerry OS screenshots reveal new features – News is spreading quickly within the underground BlackBerry community of a leak within Research in Motion, the company that makes the phone, of the latest BlackBerry operating system. So I downloaded the new OS and took it for a spin.

How to Buy a Back-to-School PC – A good desktop PC for school, needs to have a reasonable price and enough power to get you through the next four years. Here’s how to sort through the myriad choices.

Walmart to Offer $348 Toshiba Laptop, $498 HP Desktop – Walmart’s introducing even more bargains just in time for the new school year. Read more about the systems on Gearlog.com.

Enjoy iTunes Wherever You Work – With free utilities and an Internet connection, you can listen to iTunes wherever your work takes you.

NiftyClicks: Backup, Web Design and Free Music – Andrew Lock, host of Help! My Business Sucks, shares more cool online tools. Take a look at what Mozy, RedAlt, ColorSchemeDesigner and AudioMicro can do for you.

No More Browsers, Please – I’ve been in this industry long enough to have a front row seat for the rise and fall of the Netscape browser. It was a great web platform (my favorite, in fact, for most of the 90’s). That, however, was then, and this is now. We learned last week that Marc Andreessen, who brought us Netscape, wants back in. He thinks “RockMelt” could be the answer to all our browsing troubles. I’m thinking not so much ………….

A quick Twitter guide and glossary for business users – For a service that is remarkably simple, Twitter is often difficult for new users to understand and to quickly turn into something useful. In fact, the simplicity of Twitter can actually be a barrier in the beginning, because there’s not much to help a new user get started.

Patients Warm to Digital Records But Docs Shun Web – It’s hit-and-miss for the latest trends in health IT, according to findings from a new IBM study.

Is Facebook Gunning for Google? – Recent moves point to overlap in the two Web giant’s strategies.

Off Topic:

Photos of cake can keep you slim, say psychologists – Picture a thick wedge of rich, velvety Black Forest gateau. Hungry? Unlikely as it sounds, showing weight-conscious women pictures of sweet treats actually strengthens their resolve to eat healthily, rather than encouraging them to cheat.

The Simpsons: Creationism vs Evolution – Humor.

16 Things I Wish They Had Taught Me in School – I am 28 now. I don’t think about the past or regret things much these days. But sometimes I wish that I had known some of things I have learned over the last few years a bit earlier.

43 Things Actually Said in Job Interviews – “I’m not wanted in this state”, “How many young women work here?”, “I didn’t steal it; I just borrowed it”, “You touch somebody and they call it sexual harassment!” – Believe it or not, the above statements weren’t overhead in bars or random conversations — they were said in job interviews.

Today’s Free Downloads:

10 valuable Twitter utilities for business users – Today, more than three years after Twitter originally launched, there are now thousands of different tools developed from the API, many useful. Here is my list of the top 15 most useful Twitter tools for business users.

Fresh HTML – Create and edit web pages easily with Fresh HTML’s WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). The built-in editor also allows advanced users to fine-tune HTML codes to fit their needs.

Video DVD Maker – A quick and remarkably easy tool for mastering DVD disks from your own home-made videos right out of the box.

Google Map Buddy – If you have ever wanted to print a map from Google and spent ages putting images together to fit on one piece of paper then this program is for you.

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7 Excellent Online Security Blogs Worth Subscribing To

Guest writer Mary Ward, takes you on a tour of 7 security Blogs that can help you stay safe on the Internet.

The issue of privacy, more specifically as it relates to online security, is a hot topic these days. As people use the Internet for more and more of their everyday functions, they want to understand what online security means and how it relates to them.

While people fear for the safety of their own information, they can look to some very knowledgeable resources in the blogosphere for help.  You can learn most everything within the world of online security by visiting these top blogs.

7 Online Security Blogs You Should Know:

1. 1 Raindrop – Written by a software architect, there is a unique and extremely relevant point of view presented on the topic of online security. This blog is written by an individual who understands the topic firsthand and therefore can bring insight on current trends as he is considered to be an expert in the field. Not only does he keep up with informative blog posts but talks about his speaking engagements and the reaction they get from the general public.
2. Freedom to Tinker –   The nice part about this blog is that it offers many different featured authors as part of the following and for whom the actual blog posts come from. Not only does this mean unique points of view, but it also allows for individuals to contribute and keep followers informed on various areas of online security. This is well worth following to keep up with current trends and to see what the latest news is with online security because that is at the core of every contributing author on here.
3. Exhaustive Research – A very intriguing blog that not only dives into the concept of online security but also how it relates to human behavior and the world in general. If the blog posts weren’t to capture your attention, the comments by those who regularly follow this blog can often keep you on the edge of your seat.
4. Another Set of Teeth – You can tell that this comes from an IT professional who has a distinct point of view and that’s what keeps people coming back. He represents his views thoughtfully but without apology as he tackles the issues of hacking and online security for the general public. It’s a refreshing point of view as it’s not only informative but very honest too.
5. Security Buddha – Though online security is at the center of this blog, there are so many other security issues that this blogger delves into. You can learn about everything from hacking to keeping your information safe—even learn about airport security. He takes his security issues very seriously and therefore brings a much respected point of view.
6. Avi Rubin’s Blog – Sure it’s just one blogger writing about his unique point of view, but it’s rather intriguing. He spells out up front his desire to dive into the specific areas of security evaluators and network security, amidst many other topics that are pertinent. This is one individual who not only knows about the world of online security, but also about how to write in an interesting and relevant manner.
7. Meta Security – There are a variety of different topics and authors that make this an excellent blog to follow. Though online security is just one of the many topics, including money laundering and fraud, you can learn a little bit about a whole lot of topics within the security world.

More and more we find that the issue of online security is one that needs addressing.  Follow along with these top security bloggers and get the information you need to surf and work the web confidently and securely.

This is a guest post by Mary Ward who writes about various safety, security, and legal career topics, including how to obtain a court reporting degree. Checkout what Mary has to say on top court reporting degree programs.

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Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – August 17, 2009

Microsoft’s Browser Best at Beating Malware – A test of malware-blocking prowess finds Internet Explorer 8 beats its browser competitors.

10 Ways Apple Can Fix the Google Voice Public Relations Blunder – Apple is now in a public relations nightmare after banning Google Voice applications from its App Store for duplicating features on the company’s iPhone. Customers are angry and the government wants to find out how this happened.

Obsolete Technology: 40 Big Losers – Old tech friends we used for years are now deceased or on life support. Remember shrieking modems, paper phone books, and the C:\ prompt?

PandaLabs: 35 Million Computers Infected With Rogueware Each Month – Rogueware is being distributed through Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, and targeted blackhat SEO attacks.

Microsoft Windows XP: Should It Be Allowed to Live? – We’re looking for a few good Windows XP users to tell us why they still use this Microsoft operating system.

Why You Should Use Sleep Mode – Shutting down your PC at the end of the day is so 20th century. What you probably should be doing is putting it into sleep mode. You’ll save that interminable wait for your system to boot up, and it won’t destroy the Earth or your bank account with a dramatic change in energy usage

Is your kid addicted to video games? – How can you differentiate between a child who enjoys playing games and one who is addicted? What can you do if you think your kid is addicted to video games?

IBM Basing Experimental Chips on DNA – IBM is looking to the building blocks of our bodies–DNA–to be the structure of next-generation microchips.

Off Topic:

Lifehacker: Five Best Apartment Search Tools – Gone are the days when the only place to find apartment listings was the back of a newspaper. Now you can conduct apartment searches of all sorts online, and its almost always packed with additional photos, video, and information.

Birds of a feather drink together: The three clever pigeons who help each other sup from a water fountain – They obviously have a better class of pigeon Down Under. The trio pictured here, in Brisbane, Queensland, appear to have worked out a clever system of adapting the water fountain built by humans for their own pigeon purposes.

Photographing an Airshow – Here’s what you need to capture the excitement: digital photography equipment and techniques for shooting high-speed aircraft.

Some Moral Dilemmas – The following is a list of some moral dilemmas, mostly adapted from Moral Reasoning, by Victor Grassian (Prentice Hall, 1981, 1992), with a couple of additions. The question to consider with all of these is, why they are dilemmas. Some, however, may not seem to be dilemmas at all.

Today’s Free Downloads:

MyDefrag – MyDefrag may be the most and least flexible defragmentation tool I have used. The most flexible, in that everything it does can be determined by the user to a very fine degree.

Wise Disk Cleaner Free – Running low on disk space–but don’t want to delete songs from your precious music collection? Wise Disk Cleaner 4 trolls your computer for files you won’t miss, such as temporary and index files. When started, a wizard prompts the user to modify the filters used to select files for deletion. This is what differentiates Wise Disk Cleaner from others: Instead of cleaning only preprogrammed folders, it scans your whole hard drive and deletes files by their extensions, finding files that other cleaners may miss.

Tweak UI – Tweak UI allows you to change the way Windows looks and works. For instance, you can change things like the speed at which the mouse wheel scrolls and if a specific user should be automatically logged in whenever you start up Windows (a big timesaver if you are the only person to use a PC, and hate having to type your password every time you reboot).

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Postbox – One Stop Email, Newsgroup, Tasks, and Contact Manager

Guest writer, Glenn Taggart, shares his discovery of an email, newsgroup, tasks, and contact manager that will help you save time, and get more done.

Since I made the move to Windows 7, I have made every effort to use open source software. Other than the Win7 operating system and the other programs it comes with as part of the Win7 installation, I am proud to say I don’t use any other Microsoft products.

The two main Microsoft products I am training myself off of, are the Windows office suite and Outlook which was used to host my email, calendar and contact management.

At home, I have little use for the Microsoft office suite or Outlook. Most of my home office routine is web based; when I need to draft a letter or check my email. Google office, Gmail, Calendar, etc, all take care of my minimal home related office tasks.

I still have a POP3 email account through my internet service provider, although I have switched all of that email to head toward my Gmail account. I still like to check it on occasion.

Enter a new lightweight Email program called Postbox. Postbox is an email, newsgroup, tasks, and contact manager that has a simple user interface and is the easiest Pop3 email program to set up I have ever used.

The program is based on the Mozilla platform (same folks who brought you Firefox). Not only will it check your Pop3 account but will also set up all of your web based email accounts as well. If you like your email via the local desktop rather than the cloud, this program certainly is a strong contender.

If you find yourself without a good trusty local email client, check out Postbox. It is still in beta but so far I haven’t had any issues. It runs on Windows7 x64bit just fine.

System requirements: Windows XP, Vista

Download Beta at: Download.com

Guest Writer: This is a guest post by Glenn Taggart of The Crazy World of G, who brings a background as a high level super user, to the Blogging world. Why not pay a visit to Glenn’s site.

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Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – August 16, 2009

Deploy Ubuntu on Windows systems easily – If you are a system administrator, have heard of Ubuntu as being a powerful free alternative to Windows and want to give it a try, then do so with these simple tools without affecting your current Windows installation.

Facebook firing after ‘friend’ boss ripped – Woman let go after rant: ‘I guess you forgot about adding me on here?’

Firefox 3.6 Alpha Unveiled – The next release of the popular Web browser adds some powerful behind-the-scenes capabilities and hopes to increase Firefox’s load times.

Better Core i7 Coolers Really Do Improve Performance – Corsair argues that a better cooler can affect your computer’s overall performance. And the argument is actually pretty compelling.

Cellphones Largely Immune to Viruses, for Now – The tightly controlled mobile industry so far has helped keep cell phones from attack.

Brazilian ID thieves using Twitter as botnet command channel – Arbor Networks security researcher Jose Nazario has stumbled upon a crimeware botnet using Twitter as its command-and-control operation. The botnet, which is linked to identity thieves in Brazil, uses Twitter status messages to communicate with bots — sending new links for the infected computers to contact and new commands and executables to download and run.

Advanced Mac OS X rootkit tools released – Security researcher Dino Dai Zovi (of Pwn2Own fame) has released a suite of tools to demonstrate how to load an advanced rootkit on Mac OS X machines.

58 Cool Hacks: Linux – Increase your guru points and apply these cunning hacks to boost performance, secure your system and increase productivity – or fun!

Off Topic:

What Came Before the Big Bang? – Even as a boy watching the first moon landing on TV, Brian Clegg remembers wondering, “How did it all begin?” In his latest book, Before the Big Bang, the Cambridge-educated writer examines the theories that physicists and philosophers alike have put forth to explain how we got here.

7 ways to change your life in the next 7 days – Life change may seem to take years to achieve but there are steps you can walk today and in the next week that perhaps can change your life forever.

Why It’s Smart To Be Optimistic – Sure, it has been a harrowing storm. And now is no time to discount the dangers that still exist. But opening your mind to optimism can help you seize the opportunities ahead.

Video: How to promote yourself without being obnoxious – Self-promotion doesn’t come naturally to everyone. But, during times of economic uncertainty and job cuts, you might need to promote yourself and your work to stay employed. Learn how to celebrate your successes with integrity.

How Rabbits Deal With Confusion – Humor.

Top 10 Ironic Ads From History – Remember when you could buy barbiturates for the baby? Cover your house with asbestos? Or get heroin from the doctor? Okay, probably not, but thanks to the immortal beauty of advertising, you can take a trip back in time. Here’s our pick of some of the most ironic ads in American history.

Today’s Free Downloads:

Web of Trust Rates Sites’ Reliability – This free Web browser add-in lets you share Web site ratings with the product’s five million users.

GridMove Brings Windows Snap to XP and Vista – Windows 7’s ability to “snap” a window into place comes to older versions of Microsoft’s OS with this free 1MB download.

Trillian Astra is ready to fly – Trillian Astra has finally, officially replaced Trillian 3, and the update makes the multi-protocol messaging program competitive once again.

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FBI Spam – Spammers Go One Step To Far

Times must be tough in Spammer Land. Or, it could be, that the poor air and water quality, in this well know country, is beginning to rot a few brains.

How else to explain, spammers giving a deliberate “poke in the eye” to, of all organizations, the FBI. On the other hand, I suppose it’s possible to be both bold, and dead stupid, at the same time.

In any event, it’s obvious the spammers who are responsible for a ludicrous email currently making the rounds, do not subscribe to the philosophy of “choose your enemies carefully, for they shall kick your ass”. In this case, I suspect, it won’t be very long before that happens.

According to this recent email, the FBI has interceded on my behalf to allow me to complete an illegal transaction with Mr. Sanusi Lamido, of the Central Bank Of Nigeria.

The FBI (according to the email), kindly points out “During our Investigation, it came to our notice that the reason why you have not received your payment is because you have not fulfilled your Financial Obligation given to you in respect of your Contract/Inheritance Payment.

So therefore, we have contacted the Federal Ministry of Finance on your behalf and they have brought a solution to your problem by coordinating your payment in the total amount of $5,000,000.00 USD which will be deposited into an ATM CARD which you will use to withdraw funds anywhere of the world”.

The email goes on to say – “We have confirmed that the amount required to procure the Approval Slip will cost you a total of $196USD which will be paid directly to the ATM CARD CENTER agent via western union money transfer / money gram Money Transfer”.

Not a bad deal huh? $5,000,000.00 USD  for an investment of a measly 196 Bucks – and all of it guaranteed by the FBI! Jeez, how could a rational, thoughtful person, pass up an opportunity like this?

Too Funny! I’m now a little unsure as to what I should do – I’m used to watching YouTube to get my daily chuckles, but maybe I’ll give that up, and just focus on this type of email instead.

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7 Freeware Security Apps Everyone Should Download

Guest writer Mary Ward, gives you the lowdown on her choices of the best free security programs you need to safeguard your computer.

You most likely cannot count the number of times that you have went to all the trouble to download a security app that claims it will take care of all the problems with your computer for absolutely no charge to you at all.

How many times did the app actually perform as it was expected to do? Better still, how often did the free app turn out to be not so free after all? Often the answer to these questions is a big fat zero.

Unfortunately, the majority of software companies tend to use catchy gimmicks to pull customers in and convince them to purchase their overpriced security apps.

You may get a month of free service, but then you will have to pay the cost for a complete subscription if you wish to continue to use the software. In addition, other software that is supposed to keep your computer secure at no charge will simply scan your computer for any bugs, but do nothing about it.

The picture may look bleak, but there are real, honest freeware security programs that provide excellent computer security for no cost.

7 Real Free Security Apps For Your Computer

In order to keep your computer as safe as possible without completely emptying your wallet, you can try these free security apps that everyone should download:

1. Ad-Aware SE Personal
   Perhaps the most popular, this is an all-encompassing tool for removing spyware from your computer system. You will be able to maintain a huge database of blacklisted spyware types as well as identify any malicious program code in order to provide you with the greatest possible protection for your computer system for hard-to-eliminate spyware.
2. Spybot – Search & Destroy
   This app uses a special technique for performing deep scans in order to cleanse you computer system more effectively from some of the most difficult to understand types of spyware. You will also be able to blacklist a number of specific kinds of spyware in order to keep it from ever popping up on your computer system ever again in the future.
3. Avast Home Edition
   This is a complete anti-virus suite that includes email protection, a firewall, internet traffic filtering, real time scanning, automatic virus database updates and much, much more.
4. Sophos Anti-Rootkit
   This one will eliminate complicated rootkits as well as a number of different kinds of malware that may be hiding on your personal or network computer.
5. ZoneAlarm
   This is one of the most popular and all-inclusive firewall suites available for download. It includes a rule set that is easily customizable as well as a highly effective system that will warn you any time your computer is at risk. Be sure to click “I only want basic ZoneAlarm protection” or else you will end up downloading only a free trial version of the app.
6. Thunderbird
   This email client is secure and very easy to customize to suit your needs perfectly. It comes with encryption capabilities, phishing protections and spam filters.
7. Firefox
   This web browser is a favorite of many thanks to its awesome security features and all the great add-on you can get to go with it.

These apps make life on the internet much safer for not only you, but also anyone who comes in contact with you via your computer.  Stay safe and enjoy your web browsing and productivity with these 7 freeware security applications.

This is a guest post by Mary Ward who writes about various safety, security, and legal career topics, including how to obtain a court reporting degree. Checkout what Mary has to say on top court reporting degree programs.

If you enjoyed this article, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

Virus Alerts – Panda Security’s August 14, 2009 Report on Viruses and Intruders

Courtesy of Panda Security. Panda Security’s weekly report on viruses and intruders.

This week’s PandaLabs report focuses on the Harakit.D worm and the
Registry Optimizer fake antivirus.

The Harakit.D worm downloads an update of itself as soon as it is run.
It then modifies the registry to run on every Windows restart and when
the browser is opened. Additionally, it ensures that hidden files cannot
be viewed and tries to spread to other computers.

Harakit.D uses two main propagation methods: through shared network
drives and via USB devices. In the first case, not only does it spread
through shared local network folders, but also through the Internet
subnet used by the user.

When spreading via USB devices, it copies itself to the root directory of the USB device and creates a file called autorun.inf, in order to run automatically when connected to another computer. To prevent these types of actions, Panda Security provides the new Panda USB Vaccine, a tool that vaccinates USB devices to prevent these threats. You can download it free of charge from Panda Security.

Registry Optimizer is a new example of the increasingly notorious fake
antiviruses. These threats try to fool users by displaying a false
infection on the computer to encourage them into purchasing fraudulent
security software. In addition to defrauding users, malware creators steal users’ bank details when they carry out the transaction.

As you can see in the image, the malicious program displays an installation screen which resembles that of a genuine program, including an end-user license agreement.

Once installed, Registry Optimizer carries out a fake system scan. When the scan ends, it shows a set of fake threats it has supposedly found on the
computer and offers users the possibility of registering the product by paying a fee.

If the program is closed, registry error warnings will continue to be displayed, and on clicking them the program will reopen. It also creates an icon in the
desktop.

These fraudulent applications usually spread through file-sharing networks and users usually download them unwittingly because they have a different name or they are next to content users are interested in.

They can also spread through pages that promote the program and allow users to download it, making them believe it is free or a demo, and that it will resolve their security needs.

In the case of this fraudulent program, the page even displayed the awards “obtained” to look more credible.

More information about these and other malicious codes is available in
the Panda Security Encyclopedia.

You can also follow Panda Security’s online activity on its Twitter and PandaLabs blog.

Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – August 15, 2009

Lab: IE8 Beats Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera In Catching Socially Engineered Malware – Internet Explorer 8 detected nearly three times as many socially engineered malware links than Apple’s Safari 4 and Mozilla’s Firefox 3, according to new test results from an independent security lab.

Browser Envy: Microsoft Disputes Firefox One Billion Downloads Claim – Two weeks ago, Mozilla announced a major milestone for its FirefoxFirefoxFirefox web browser: one billion downloads. Not everyone’s in awe of the number, though. A senior executive of Microsoft, the current browser market leader, has made statements today that essentially question the validity of the one billion downloads milestone. Oh, and she talked about how IE6 cannot die as well.

Microsoft Banned from Selling Word – A U.S. federal court has ordered Microsoft to stop selling some versions of Microsoft Word after ruling in favor of a Canadian company which filed suit against Microsoft alleging patent violations.

Microsoft Patent Lawsuit Could Spell Trouble for Open-Source Format – the lawsuit could also present trouble down the road for XML-based OpenDocument Format, an open-source alternative for spreadsheets, word-processing and other productivity applications.

Scareware Hits My PC; Now I’m Really Mad – Irony is when something happens in a context in which it shouldn’t have happened, such as my PC getting infected with a piece of nasty “scareware” while writing a report on the effectiveness of browser security features (I’m sure the two are unrelated, but that’s irony).

When (and why) do you buy a new PC? – In my experience around 25% of PCs that are replaced could easily have a few extra years squeezed out of them if the owners took the time to clean up the installed junk (and, quite often, accumulated malware or badware) or just reinstall the OS.

UPS Encrypts Laptops And Smartphones After Data Breach – UPS has encrypted all of its U.K. laptops and smartphones a year after an unencrypted laptop was stolen from an employee.

How do I get my free Windows 7 upgrade? – That’s a key question being asked by students, parents, and anyone in the market for a new laptop. We detail every major PC maker’s win 7 upgrade process.

‘Paypal for Kids’ Goes Live to All – PayPal has moved its student account program out of beta, PayPal said Thursday.

Off Topic:

Lifehacker: 10 Must-Dos for the First Week of College – With the start of the academic year, it’s time to switch out of vacation mode—pronto. What you do the first week of classes can majorly impact your grades four months from now, so don’t skip these first week must-dos.

Forced Fungus Sex Could Unlock Key Energy Sources – To make renewable biofuels instead of manufacturing them from the sugars in food crops, researchers want to employ organisms that can make use of the hundreds of millions of tons of cellulose in sawdust, weeds and other plant scrap that would otherwise go to waste. More…

How Men And Women Argue: Flowchart – Men and women have very different ways of arguing. So, in a better effort to help couples understand each other (which, really, is what we’re all about here at Maxim), we decided to break down the thought process of both a man and woman, during an argument.

Today’s Free Downloads:

Microsoft Network Monitor 3.3 – The Microsoft Network Monitor is a free tool for Windows PCs that allows you to see each and every networking packet that arrives at or is sent from the PC.

Free Accounting Apps for Small Business – Sometimes I fantasize about being an entrepreneur, but then I realize the harsh reality that most small businesses fail. Also, I like writing more than I enjoy managing inventory. Others out there are far braver than I and have taken the small business leap. Despite the odds being stacked against you, I do have a bit of good news. You don’t have to pay for accounting help. You’re already comfortable with PCs. Why not let them, with the right free software, help manage your business?

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Online Dangers – Even a Tech Can Get Taken

Think you’re immune from online fraud? Do you believe – “It could never happen to me”? Read what guest writer Dave Brooks, a vastly experienced computer tech from New Hampshire, has to say about what happened to him.

Bill is constantly trying to pound security into his reader’s heads, and with good reason, but unfortunately no matter how careful you are, there are things that are beyond your control when buying stuff online.

Case in point: at Bill’s request I’m going to relay a recent unnerving personal experience, if only to show that even the most security conscious are still at risk.

I’m very online safety/security conscious and I buy online only from reputable, well known stores. My online bank account password looks like an alien language, my ATM pin is 8 digits long (compared to 4 or so many people use), and I monitor my account closely.

Even so my ATM card number was recently used, in the middle of the night, in Georgia, while I was sound asleep in New Hampshire. Luckily Bank of America has decent monitoring, and I have a ton of alerts set up to email me when certain things happen with my account.

I woke up in the morning to find an alert that my card was used while I was asleep, and an email from Bank of America that they had detected suspicious activity on my account, had frozen the transaction, and placed a lock on my account to prevent further activity.

The charge was for the amount of $1.22; it’s apparently common practice by those that use stolen card numbers to make a small charge such as this to confirm that the number is good before using it to make larger purchases.

Thanks in part to my diligent monitoring, and Bank of America’s account monitoring system, the thieves were never able to get to step two and spend my hard earned cash on god knows what.

A call to the number provided in the alert email I got from the bank (after confirming it was in fact their number by matching it up on the Bank of America website; phishing emails are pretty convincing nowadays!), confirmed the illegal activity. Bank of America cancelled my ATM card, and cancelled the charge, and a trip to my local bank branch netted me a new ATM card.

My number was likely stolen from a hacked online database of a company that I had made an online purchase from in the past, but there’s no way to confirm this – it could have just as easily been a dishonest employee from a local store where I used my card.

I have since opened a second account with an ATM card, and use only that account for online purchases, (I had been contemplating doing this for a year or more or more, but never did),

I keep a balance of about 5 bucks in it, and when I want to buy something online, I transfer the purchase amount from my main account to the “internet” account to cover it. At least that way, my main account is less exposed, and if it happens again I’ll be able to determine if it was the “internet” or “local purchase” that led to the compromise.

Bottom line here is, even though you think you’re safe, if you purchase stuff online, your bank or credit card info is out there for the taking. The best you can do is keep a close eye on your accounts for suspicious activity, and try to minimize possible damage that might be done if your card number is stolen.

Guest Writer: This is a guest post by Dave Brooks a professional computer technician from New Hampshire, USA. Dave has become a regular guest writer, who’s articles are always a huge hit.

This article is Dave’s response to today’s article “How to Conduct Online Banking Safely”.

Thank you Dave for such a quick response – a great article, crafted quickly.

Pay a visit to Dave’s site at Tech-N-Go, and checkout the Security Alerts.

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