 |
Here's your
"Security
Alert News Reporter"
for October, 2005
The "NewsReporter"
is published to keep you up-to-date on the latest information we
gather for avoiding and surviving the hectic hacker attacks on your computer
security and personal identity that take place constantly on the
internet. Many of our comments are based on personal experiences. Protecting
your safety, security, sanity, and privacy is not a simple task. We're trying to make it a bit easier for you to accomplish.
This Newsletter
is sent out periodically to everyone who has registered for the
Security Alert
and Report
Alert Services from one or more of the websites
published and maintained by www.RichardPresents.com.
If you are no longer interested in up-to-date Security Alerts or
Safe Surfing Suggestions -
please use the
link at
the end of this letter to un-register.
|
Thanks for being a
Loyal
Subscriber |
Some
Highlights from
TODAY'S TOPICS |
●.
Latest Virus and Worm Threats
●.
The Panda Report - Fake Search Pages
●
Cyber Crime
Trends
●.
Revised ALERT -Stinger Updated
●.
Privacy Theft - Important Updates
●
Install
Free Anti-virus software
●
Watch out for
these dangers
●. Family Security -
Updated Caring Report
●.
Family and Kid Friendly Sites
●.
Recommended - Predator Guard to Protect
your Children |
●. Publications for your Family and Friends/
"23 Critical
Security Alerts" / FREE
Internet
Glossary /5 New Article Announcements/
Online Security while Traveling / Others
●.
Resources - Many FREE! / (What
is i-cop?)
●.
Bill Hely's ebook -My Security Bible
●.
Reviews of the News-
really fresh
information and encouraging news to keep
you abreast of latest Security activities
●.
National Cyber Security Month -
October 05
●
Free Download
/ Errornuker Registry
Cleaner
●
Question from a Junior Reader |
CLICK ON ANY TOPIC YOU'RE INTERESTED IN - OR READ THIS NEWSLETTER FROM
TOP TO BOTTOM |
America has just experienced a double tragedy, and the survivors
of the Katrina and Rita disasters need help - our help - and they'll need it for
a long, long time. Please open your hearts and help them in the best
way you know how. We're doing it through i-Cop. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
►
Latest Virus Threats
reported
thru Oct 1,
2005 by McAfee ,
US-CERT, Panda and other advisory services. (US-CERT is the
operational arm
of the National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) at the
Department of Homeland Security)
Full descriptions including virus characteristics, symptoms, aliases
and removal instructions are available by clicking on the
links. This virus alert is in addition to those posted in previous
month's News Reporter
issues. You can review previous Virus Alerts in the Archive files.
CLICK on
Red
Virus Name for
descriptions and Removal Advice
► |
McAfee Advisory
W32/IRCbot.worm!MS05-039
is a Low-Profiled virus.
W32/Sober.p@MM
is a Low-Profiled virus.
|
► |
symantec Advisory
●
W32.Zotob.E
is still
considered a medium threat worm with high
distribution
●W32.Alcra.D
is a worm that spreads through the Limewire
file-sharing
network. It tries to disable several
programs and drops a
W32.Spybot.Worm
variant on the compromised
computer.
|
|
► |
US-CERT, September 23, 2005
US-CERT is aware of
a public exploit code vulnerability in Mozilla products. A remote attacker who is able to convince a
user to view a specially crafted HTML document may be able
to execute arbitrary code on a computer
running the vulnerable application.
US-CERT encourages
Mozilla users to upgrade to
version 1.0.7 and Mozilla Suite users to upgrade to
version 1.7.12 as soon as possible.
.
|
► |
TrendMicro
No Malware Alert
There are no medium or high risk alerts at this time.
|
► |
Panda
Here's an item from the
Panda Report for Oct 1, 2005
Security experts have discovered a malicious program aimed
at tricking users into clicking on phony search results on
fake Google, Yahoo and MSN sites.
People with infected machines who try to visit those
popular search sites are redirected to spoof versions,
antivirus company Panda Software reported. The spoof
sites serve up bogus search results intended to generate
traffic and revenue for other sites that are presumed to
be in on the scheme, said Patrick Hinojosa, Panda's chief
technology officer.
"This is a business; this is organized crime," Hinojosa
said. "People are making money on it."
Machines can become infected with the program, called
PremiumSearch, when visiting Web sites that distribute
pirated software and pornography....................
(Panda is an
International anti-spyware provider)
************** |
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To Top
Cyber Crime Trends
In following the
threat activities reported by
the major Security companies, I've observed the change in
virus activity and severity from fast-acting, broad based
global threats to more targeted worm attacks where the focus
is on avoiding detection and stealing money and identities.
Phishing activities are rampant, as are Trojans dropping
spyware Keyloggers.
Do you
remember the scenario on a keylogger exploit
we discussed
last month? Here's an update
International investigators
looking to identify the virus writer responsible for the Zotob/Rbot
worm outbreak additionally stumbled onto three groups of virus
writers, two groups of botnet creators, and an international
stolen credit card network. (Carders)
Carder groups are structured much like traditional organized
crime syndicates: new members must provide a certain number of
fresh, new stolen credit card numbers before they are
admitted; once accepted, they must commit to providing a
certain number of stolen credit card numbers each week.
By hiring virus writers, carders can use the infected
computers worldwide to harvest credit card information from
that PC or from other computers on a network.
FBI and other international authorities recently announced the
arrests of two individuals, Farid Essebar, an 18-year-old
Russian-born Moroccan, and Atilla Ekici, a 21-year-old Turkish
man, in connection with authoring the recent worms.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Even your firewall is under attack.
There's a malicious code masquerading as a trusted application
that could
trick a ZoneAlarm firewall into letting it connect to the
Internet, security experts have warned.
The issue affects the popular free ZoneAlarm firewall and
default installations of version 5.5 and earlier of the
paid product, maker Zone Labs said in a recent security advisory. Default installations of the Check Point
Integrity Client are also affected, but the paid ZoneAlarm
6.0 products, released in July, are not, Zone Labs said.
What to do about it? Be certain to update when you receive the
automatic Update alert from Zone Labs. It's easy and you can
update the Free version.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phishers Take Aim At Yahoo Photo Sharing
In a recent issue of TechWeb News, Gregg Keizer
reported on this latest tactic
Phishers have switched tactics in their ongoing attempt to
steal usernames and passwords from unsuspecting Yahoo users, a
security company said, by turning to secondary sign-on pages,
such as on the Yahoo Photos image sharing service.
San Diego-based Websense said that crooks are sending
out spam that claims to contain photos from a friend wanting
to show off some recent pics, like ones from a wedding or
birthday. The messages include a link to a phony site which
captures the user's Yahoo ID and password, then passes the
data to the real Yahoo Photos site.
Websense also reported that the majority of the spoofed sites
using this trick are hosted by Yahoo's own GeoCities service,
which offers data storage and transfer at no
charge.
Phishing criminals are always searching for sneakier ways to
deceive Internet users. Last week, for instance, security
vendor SurfControl noted that some phishers were using
phony digital certificates to calm users' worries about
suspicious sites.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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|
To Top
IMPORTANT ALERT►Last
month, I revised my recent reminder about the Free virus checking
and removal STINGER tool at the
Firewalls and Virus Protection site.
STINGER, (compliments of McAfee's Anti-virus and
Vulnerability Emergency Response Team -
AVERT) was
updated on August 18, 2005 to detect and remove more than 50
current viruses including Zotob.
It's a great
little program that still fits neatly on a floppy disc - a perfect way to
clean up your computer if a worm or other 'rogueware' has disabled
your ability to get back on the Internet to update your
security ware.
Whenever updated versions become available,
I'll post
a notice here, on the Firewalls and Virus
Protection website and
in the Security Alert Blog. |

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To Top
|
Privacy Theft
-
Be on the alert for the latest spyware and Scams, sources of
malware and Zombie (hijacking)
programs that often lead to stolen personal and financial information
and Identity Theft.
Usually, it's very difficult to repair the damage
they cause, however, there
are some really
fine
and very effective
Programs available to Home and Small
Business computer
users to improve online security and minimize adware, Trojan horse/Zombie and
general malware threats. You'll need
at least two or three.
Among the many reputable online security resources that I monitor,
Suzi Turner's "Spyware
Warrior" website is one that does an outstanding job of not only
reviewing the latest anti-spyware software, but she advises how best
to use it.
The following recommended anti-spyware programs appear most often on
the top rated research and anti-spyware reporting websites, including
Spyware Warrior.
Microsoft AntiSpyware*,
Webroot Spy Sweeper
(CLICK
for Free trial),
-
Spybot Search and Destroy -
Adaware
-
XoftSpy
- and -
Pest Patrol
*
Microsoft AntiSpyware
is currently available as a
FREE Download, but you can't use it
with
Windows 95 or 98. I use it on my windows 2000 and Windows XP PC's,
have it set for automatic updates and daily scans. Like
SpywareBlaster
(Download) it's designed to monitor in Real Time.
Keep in mind that you must also have up-to-date anti-virus software(*)
and a
strong firewall, plus the latest updates for your browser (Internet
Explorer,
Firefox, Netscape, Opera... whichever one you use).
(*) Here's the best link to
Grisoft's AVG
Free anti virus software, in case you missed it in recent issues of
the
News
Reporter.
When you arrive at the Grisoft webpage, scroll to the bottom
and click on the link in the table under the FILE heading.
It'll look something like this:
avg70free344a618.exe -- Select Save in the
Download dialog box that opens.
Saving it to your desktop will make it easier to find the
Install icon placed there as part of the installation process.
Click on the icon and follow the instructions to complete your
installation. Spend a few minutes becoming familiar with the
AVG Anti-Virus Control Center.
Be sure to check for updates, get them and then do a complete
virus scan.
I set my AVG program for automatic updates once every day...
makes me feel more secure, and I also use two anti-virus
programs on each of my computers.
However, I use only one
firewall software program on each computer... Richard |
Check
out the Free Resources topic for more information and links
to the HijackThis and
CWSshredder trojan detection and removal resources.
To Top
This might shock you -
No. 1 Source of Identity Theft
In an article by
By Heather White, The
Hollywood Buzz in Picit, she wrote:
About half of all identity theft is committed by close friends and
relatives who gain access to the personal records in your home,
office, wallet or pocketbook. They not only steal bills and credit
cards, but also "LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT" documents and the identity
that goes with it. That's the shocking conclusion of a new survey of
4,000 consumers, about 500 of whom were identity theft victims, that
was conducted by Javelin Research and the Better Business Bureau for
CheckFree Services Corp., Visa USA, and Wells Fargo Bank.
The most frequently cited sources of identity theft:
29 percent |
Lost or stolen wallet |
12.9 percent |
Fraud that occurs during an in-store or telephone transaction:
|
8.0 percent |
Stolen mail: |
5.0 percent |
Spyware on the computer |
2.6 percent |
Sifting through garbage |
2.2 percent |
Computer viruses |
1.7 percent |
"Phishing" through fraudulent e-mail |
With just your name, Social Security number and birth date, identity
thieves are often limited only by their creativity.
A
few more dangers to watch out for
1.
An Instant Messaging worm that
masquerades as Apple Computer's iTunes applications and drops
adware on infected PC's. The worm is reported to spread using AOL's
Instant Messenger. Although it hasn't been reported as a fast
spreading worm, it could easily infect those PC's that it does visit
with spyware.
2. Wireless networks are becoming more
prevalent with the spread of broadband Internet access, and many
consumers are not aware of how to configure their networks to avoid
unauthorized access.
Most new computers are equipped for wireless Internet access, and more
and more people are opting for Wi-Fi in their homes. But as the
networks become stronger and more prevalent, more of those signals are
available outside the home of the subscriber, spilling over into
neighbor's apartments, hallways and the street.
Trespassers to your wireless signal can steal a lot of information
about you and use your signals for free. Be on the alert for
suspicious activity of internet piggy-backers.
|
To Top
►
Family Security and Caring
Family Caring- At some time
in our lives, family members and friends may need caring support
and special understanding. The FREE Care Giving/Care Receiving
manual is still available from the Senior2Senior.org website.
Download
this Free document, even if you aren't a Senior or aren't now
involved in providing care for a loved one. All of my friends
that I've shared it with agree that it's a great Resource and
Guide.
......
Richard |
►We post Kid Safe Sites, because like you, we care about
the safety and security of our children and grandchildren...
...and to help parents,
grandparents and guardians guide today's young internet surfers to
safe sites. There are many other website creators who feel the same
concerns and responsibility. These are just a few of their sites that
we have personally reviewed and tested as safe for our Grandchildren.
Check them out and share them with the young people you care about.
Please note the 'AMBER ALERT" scrolling at the bottom of this
table
If you would like to help support the Code Amber project,
please
click here.
Reviews of
Family Safe Sites |
CRAYOLA
|
The Crayola
website goes
beyond being just for Kids with its sections for Parents
and Educators, too. |
 |
PBS Kids is a respected and trusted site.
We would not hesitate to send our children and grandchildren
there for entertainment and education, either. |
 |
Our Firewalls-and-virus-protection.com
website is Certified 'Family Safe' by the
Institute of Family Safe Businesses. |

Ask Jeeves for Kids |
Ask Jeeves is a
trademark of Ask Jeeves, Inc., Copyright 1996-2000 Ask Jeeves,
Inc.
Ask Jeeves for Kids has great Study Tools, Fun and Games and
News Resources, |
Kid Safe Site from
 |
|
A really cool Index to the
Web for net Surfers ages 8 - 14. |
|
Check out the
Kid Friendly pages HERE |
and the
Parent Friendly Links
HERE |
 |
Your Site Support
Supporting your Play Time with Kids
for Kid approved
activities that grownups love
Click to visit Site |
|
We receive no compensation for
displaying these links and you will be under No Obligation when
you visit them. They are here because we care about the safety
of everyone who uses the internet, especially our Kids. |
|

|
Help for Parents and Grandparents. Add to your computer
Predator Guard provides real-time protection for
children in chat rooms, instant messaging, and e-mail
exchanges.
The Home Edition Features:
-
Real-time protection
in Instant Messaging, Chat Rooms, E-mail and Attachments
-
E-mail notification to parents
-
Reviews both outgoing and incoming data
-
User defined library to prevent distribution of personal
information
-
Detects, captures, logs and reports violations
-
Works as a stand-alone application or with existing site
blocking programs (AOL Parental Controls, Cyber Patrol, Net Nanny,
and more.)
|
Predator
Guard provides real-time protection for children in chat
rooms, instant messaging, e-mail and attachments from online
predators and pedophiles. In addition,
Predator Guard can prevent all outgoing personal
information, such as a child's home address, phone number and
school information, or other information that is essential for a
predator to make contact with a child.
Purchase this
Inexpensive Protection Now
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To
Top
|
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO SUBMITTED SUGGESTIONS
IF YOU
DIDN'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT YET
PLEASE ADD YOU OPINION BY CLICKING BELOW
► Would
splitting the newsletter into two separate sections, and issuing
them two weeks apart make it easier for you to keep up with all
of the news,
tips, and useful content?
One suggestion was to present important current security
alerts and advice in each issue of the News Reporter and
make the regular features available as a Supplement that could
be accessed by clicking a link.
(Here's a sample of a separate "Regular Features Supplement"
CLICK HERE)
► Your
opinions will be very helpful. Please let me know how often
you'd
like to have your newsletter sent to you.
►
CLICK HERE to open a
contact form where you can tell me what you think.
thanks, Richard |
To
Top
|
►
Publications - Use these Reports to help your
family and friends:
. For
those of you who have visited our Firewalls website and Security Alert Blog, you know that the information there is directed toward keeping
you safe from hacker and cracker attacks. Additions to our bookshelf
are selected with the same purpose - and we encourage you to share our
reports
freely. Don't
miss the NEWest
Free report
►
Bookshelf and
Special Report Alerts |
 |
"23
CRITICAL ALERTS
You Should Consider
when Maintaining
Your Computer Security and Protecting
Your Personal Safety"
FREE Downloadable eReport for ALL Subscribers
to the Security Alert News Reporter
Already a
Subscriber?
CLICK HERE to
request your
Free copy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|

Protect Yourself
and Family from Dangerous Chat Rooms and Instant Messages.
If you use them, you and
yours are the Hacker's newest targets.
Hackers are already taking advantage of problems with today's IM
systems. People not familiar with these new threats could easily
open a new, harmless looking IM message that pops up on their
screen. With one well intentioned click of their mouse on a Hackers
phony message, could get infected.
It's no longer just the teen age Chat Room users that
are in danger.
Whole families are threatened
In case you missed this FREE report on the
Firewalls-and-Virus-Protection website,
you can read
it here. Please print the report and share it with your
family, friends and associates. Help them avoid the hidden
dangers and threats often buried in IM messages and of predators
lurking in Chat Rooms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To
Top
|

If you take your laptop computer with you on your travels, this
interview with the Author of "Travel Cheap-Travel Well" contains
tips and advice to help maintain your
Online Security while Traveling in the United
States and Abroad.
The author, Victor K Pryles, discusses computer security and
offers first hand advice on maintaining personal safety while on
the road, high seas and in the air.
Click to read it
here or Down Load it from this link and share this FREE 10 page
report with the travelers you care about. (It's in eBook format;
download in less than a minute and zip to open)
DOWNLOAD HERE
This is the book that
prompted my interview with Victor Pryles. He included so
many money saving Tips and Useful Resources that I sought
his first hand advice on keeping my laptop free of bugs
and stuff when traveling. There's so much more in his
book, though, it would be impossible to describe it all
here... but it's summarized on his web page where he
describes everything he included, like --
all the travel
hot spots, the unknown secrets, the special deals and
comprehensive travel savvy, and a great deal more; knowledge that would take
years to learn on your own. He put it all in one place --- in the
"Travel Cheap - Travel
Well!"- Confessions of A Traveling Pauper eBook.
I feel confident
you'll find Victor's web page to be a fascinating
review in itself.
Click here - it won't cost you anything to look.
... Richard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
|
Don't
get trapped by Rogue Anti-Spyware
software
Trying a new anti-spyware program? Avoid being duped
or robbed by false
positives.
"Rogue/Suspect" means that these products are of unknown,
questionable, or dubious value if used for anti-spyware
protection.
In case you missed this FREE report on the
Firewalls-and- Virus-Protection website, you can read
it here. Please print the report and share it with your
family, friends and associates. Help them avoid the hidden
dangers and threats often buried in software programs that are
supposed to clean up, not infect your computer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|

Is Your
Firewalls and Virus Protection Safe
Enough?
This FREE report will help you identify viruses, prepare for attacks
and infections and guide you in their removal. It's a
9 page,
easy reading guide that covers the threats we all face in our
daily use of the internet. It's a basic education in
understanding and Avoiding Virus Grief
Down load it from this link (it's in PDF format):
http://www.RichardPresents.com/safefirewall.zip
The download includes a ReadMe page with instructions for
unzipping and using your Acrobat Reader, and even a link to the
Adobe website where you can get your own free Acrobat Reader if
you don't already have one
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|

Is a Keystroke Logger Being Used To Spy
On You?
Many of the tools and tricks in use today to spy on
your internet activities are exposed in this 7 page report. This
look into spyware will alert you to the ease in which your
identity could be compromised, or stolen.
Open the FREE report in a new webpage by clicking
Are
Keystroke Loggers
Spying On You?
(No downloading necessary, and you can print it right from
your
browser window.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|

How Much Money would it cost you to
regain the use of your computer after a serious virus infection?
It cost one of our friends a whole lot of money, much aggravation
and lost time, lost records, and a major inconvenience to recover
from the havoc caused by the worms and viruses that had infiltrated
their computer over a period of many months.
In case you missed this FREE report on the
Firewalls-and-Virus-Protection website,
you can read
it here. Our friends have recovered full use of their
computer and now encourage everyone to learn from their
experiences. Please print the report and share it with your
family, friends and associates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
What's an Internet Glossary?
NEW!
Ours
is FREE. It's an alphabetical list of dozens of
the terms you'll find used in many of the articles
and news reports that relate to the Internet.
With our Glossary, you'll be able to decipher
acronyms, like CGI, CSS, DSL, GIF, ISP, and more
Do you know the difference between
Cookies and Crackers?
Firewalls and flame?
Internet and Intranet?
Surfing and Scrolling?
Get the answers from our FREE Internet Glossary.
Click HERE to Download yours
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To
Top
|
There are a lot more
Articles and Reports at the Firewalls and Virus
Protection website. Look them over for the helpful 'keeping
safe' info they contain.
Our most recent library additions include
PC
Cleanup for Windows XP
Viruses
and Worms - The Problems and their Solutions
Good
Password Tips and Password Management
Avoid
Losing Data Files from your Recycle Bin
Planning
for Disaster Recovery -Protecting Your Data Files
and
visit the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
website with its many publications relating to protecting the security
of your family, both on the internet and off. They are FREE. You can go to their pages covering
Consumer (family)
Protection
HERE.
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To Top
|
► Resources
- many Free. It's
easy to install the latest Firewall, anti-virus(*), spam blocking, and spyware removal software on
your computers. Download all of these programs, and more, mostly for FREE, from our
Firewalls-and-Virus-Protection website pages.
Check them out. If you need to
block Spam, find the links on the 'Spam and Spyware' page. Same thing for Cookie
Crumbling tools, Spyware protection, etc. Most of them have a purchasable Upgrade option, and by trying the
free versions, you can upgrade the ones that work best for you.
Browser Hijacking is still
a major problem. One of the outstanding
sources for information about browser hijackers and tools
to remove these predators is still available on the
SpywareInfo.com website.
It's loaded with
powerful information and helpful advice that zeros in on the hijacking
problem. If you are experiencing any similar problems, be sure to
follow the link to their forum. There are literally thousands
of postings from which you will learn and possibly find the advice
that will help you resolve your own issues.
You can download HijackThis from the Software link on the
SpywareInfo website. Be sure to read and follow their instructions to
the letter if you want good results.
We learned about this program from the extraordinary website and
forums built and maintained by James Healan, webmaster of SpywareInfo.com.
|
DOWNLOAD latest cws shredder
which is now a part of Trend Micro
http://www.intermute.com/products/cwshredder.html
It'll find and remove
those nasty Cool Web Search trojan horses. |
To Top
Here's a powerful, inexpensive, and helpful resource
Did you know
that popular, everyday gadget items like MP3 music players
(Apple iPod for example) and digital cameras can "walk"
your precious data and records off your premises, right
under your unsuspecting nose?
In The
Hacker's Nightmare the danger is fully explained and
an inexpensive, easily-implemented solution offered.
You'll learn the dangers and the means of prevention.
...and Did you know that your home garbage bin and your
office dumpster are gold mines of information to the
hacker and the identity thief?
In The
Hacker's Nightmare a retired FBI Special Agent will
tell you exactly what he or anyone else who knows the
tricks can do with your refuse.
Hackers, virus and
spyware writers and other unethical persons are
becoming more and more sophisticated every day. Their
attacks and the undesirable and often dangerous stuff they
sneak into our computers slow them down, and threaten our
personal lives with increasing severity.
Ever since I found the
eBook, "The Hacker's Nightmare"
that tells how to
really Keep Hackers, Worms and Germs out of my PCs, it has
received my highest recommendation to family and friends.
It's my Computer Security Bible.
Bill
Hely, 20 plus year veteran of internet security consulting. has loaded
it with valuable information and plain common
sense. We could fill this and future issues of our News
Reporter for the next few months just talking about them.
Bill has designed a webpage that describes many of the security
tricks and tools that will help keep that nasty stuff out
of your computer.
Review The Hacker's Nightmare Story HERE. Some
sample (Free) chapters are available to early visitors.
Among the testimonials
Bill received recently--
Just one
chapter solved a severe problem for this reader:
"... loved it, it's
the first computer related thing I've read that
makes sense to me as an IT illiterate can't wait
to read the whole book!"
Lucy Fisher - Exec. Director
Private Hospitals' Assoc. (Qld)
Brisbane, Australia |
and here's My Favorite Resource
i-Cop is a resource I'm
proud to be a part of.
You have probably noticed the
various references to it throughout this newsletter,
the Firewalls and Virus Protection website
and my Blog.
It's the
International Council of Online Professionals,
i-Cop for short. I
believe anyone actively using the internet to
provide information, services or sell products will
benefit by subscribing to i-Cop's publication -
The Internet Marketing Trade Journal.
It truly sets the
standard for Honesty and Integrity Online. I'm proud
to be a member.
This FREE ezine is
vitally important to online business owners and
anyone even considering making money online! We keep
folks
informed about all online issues and programs to
participate
in, or avoid. Subscribe to The Internet
Marketing Trade Journal
here::
http://www.i-Cop.org/trade-journal.htm
...Richard |
i-Cop members are helping the survivors of the
Katrina Tragedy here.
Will you join us? However you do it, please open
your hearts and help.
http://www.katrina-long-term-relief.com/
thank you, Richard |
|
|
To Top |
►
Reviews
of the News (more encouraging news
about controlling
SPAM, SCAMS, pornography, and protecting Personal Consumer
Information)
 |
A sweeping U.S. Senate measure that would stiffen security
requirements and penalties could go up for a committee vote in
early October, 2005
|
In
a recent
release of the news at CNet Networks, I read that
A sweeping U.S. Senate measure that
would stiffen security requirements and penalties for so-called
personal data brokers could go to committee for a vote in early
October, 2005,
In June,
Sen. Arlen Specter, (Republican, PA), and Sen. Patrick Leahy,
(Democrat, VT) introduced the "Personal Data Security
and Privacy Act" as part of a governmental reaction directed at a
series of security lapses by big-name companies such as ChoicePoint, Bank of
America and Visa.
Tough criminal penalties--including up to five years in prison for
concealing security breaches involving sensitive personal information
and economic damage to even one person--could result from this
legislation.
Among other things, the bill would require that, on discovering a
personal data
breach, any agency or business entity that "uses, accesses, transmits,
stores, disposes of or collects sensitive personally identifiable
information" notify any U.S. resident whose data was subject to the
intrusion "without unreasonable delay."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anti-Spyware Suits are cause for Adware companies to reconsider
many of their software installation methods
Robert Gettleman, a District Court judge recently issued a preliminary
order to allow one of two Class Action cases against two companies
facing allegations of installing online tracking software to proceed
to trial.
Many Anti-spyware proponents believe the tide has shifted dramatically
in favor of exasperated computer users in the legal battles against
the non-consensual installation of adware and spyware programs.
The issue involves a pair of purported class action complaints against
Direct Revenue and 180Solutions, the two companies facing allegations
of installing online tracking software through security holes and
making it virtually impossible for computer users to remove the
unwanted programs.
No doubt, it will take some time for final resolution, but in the
meantime, there's comfort in the knowledge that real action is
underway to help us computer users.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senators Specter and Leahy each get our September 'Good Guys'
check marks√
and another goes to
District Court judge, Robert Gettleman √
'Good Guy Check Marks' to date )
√ √ √ √ √ √ √
√
√
√
√ √ √ √(See Archives)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Top
►
"User Education" is the
focus of our Firewalls and Virus Protection website and the "Security
Alert News Reporter".
Are your IM and Chat Room Buddies alert to the growing Instant
Messaging and Phishing threats?
In case you missed this FREE report on the
Firewalls-and-Virus-Protection website,
you can read
it here. Please print the report and share it with your
family, friends and associates.
As a P.S. to the above comment,
encourage your friends to check out our "Security Alert Blog".
The
most recent Blog entries
include these helpful and timely posts:
● |
Finding answers
to your questions when you're not sure
about where to go for help |
● |
Helping the Victims and Survivors of Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita |
● |
Warning for Children - The hidden dangers of Dust Off ! |
● |
Add our information blog to your list of
Must Read spyware
avoidance resources.
The more useful
information you have about
the scourge of malicious spyware, the
better chance you'll have of
avoiding he grief
and frustration it
can bring.
|
● |
Our blog is RSS
friendly
|
There are dozens more posts available in the Blog
Archives.
Read our
Blog Posts HERE. I urge you to Comment, Challenge and
add your own opinions to ours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To
Top
►
Are you campaigning with
us?
Have you participated in
the Computer Virus Awareness Campaign?
It appears as if some positive progress is being
made in alerting your friends and family of spyware dangers.
Many of the Spyware monitoring organizations and individuals
have noted the changes in Hacker and Spammer tactics. Because so
many internet users have built up their defenses against
malicious spyware, these cyber criminals have had to develop
increasingly more devious and sophisticated attack schemes,
challenging the anti-spyware software developers. We're caught
in the middle of this battle. We cannot drop our guard now.
Now you can do even more. The National Cyber
Security Alliance (NCSA) has set October 2005 as the
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
|
How to
help? Heed their CALL TO ACTION: BE A CYBER SECURE
CITIZEN
Securing your personal computer plays a crucial role in
protecting our nation's Internet infrastructure. The National
Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is a public-private partnership
focused on promoting cyber security and safe behavior online. It
drives awareness and response to pressing cyber security issues;
providing tools and resources to empower home users to
stay safe online.
More and more consumers are using computers at home to create wireless
networks and access the Internet using high-speed broadband
connections. In addition, they are using their home computers to
conduct their personal banking, shop for groceries and make
purchases online. With the expanding possibilities that are
being created from powerful new computers and wireless home
networks comes increased risks of harmful attacks if consumers
are not careful.
Their website gives you the information needed to secure your
computer. You'll find tips on how to safeguard your system, a
self-guided cyber security test, educational materials and other
Internet resources, as well as valuable information from our
supporting organizations.
National Cyber
Security Awareness Month October 2005
Working in collaboration with our government and industry
partners, NCSA is sponsoring National Cyber Security Awareness
Month in October 2005. The mission for this initiative is to
raise awareness of cyber security so that users improve their
cyber security preparedness. The National Cyber Security
Awareness Month will feature fun, educational programs, events
and initiatives throughout the month targeting Home Users, Small
Businesses, Education audiences (K-12 and higher education), and
Child Safety online.
NCSA invites you to participate in the National Cyber Security
Awareness Month programs so be on the lookout for more
information as we approach October. In the meantime check out
their Top Ten Security Tips for more information on keeping your
computer safe from hackers. For more information contact
NCSARon@aol.com. or visit
the
National
Cyber Security Alliance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please help us help your
family, friends, and associates enjoy a safer and less
frustrating internet experience. We encourage you to share this
information with them or suggest they
subscribe to this newsletter.
I like to say that
Sharing is Caring ......Richard
|
All of us, too, need to |
act, by educating ourselves and by making
sure we obtain the necessary programs to protect our computers.
Those programs include a firewall; installing and updating
anti-virus software; using anti-spyware software that can identify and
delete programs that have migrated to our computers; using spam
filters to protect
e-mail; and downloading patches that update
software and
web browsers. |
_____________
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that
no man can sincerely try to help another without helping
himself.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
_____________ |
Keep in mind that
these programs are only as good as their
latest updates!
I hope your machines aren't infected with any viruses that send out spam.
How can you be sure? Do
some 'house-cleaning' on your system. Scan for spyware and
viruses and while you're at it, install a diagnostic program so
that you can discover any viral ills on your PC.
Have you checked the health of your computer's Registry? I have,
with
errornuker. It's a
powerful diagnostic utility
that scans the Windows Registry to identify errors and
provide ways
to optimize it's performance.
Your Registry could need a clean up, too, if
you have these Registry Problem Symptoms
- PC keeps crashing at
critical times
- PC needs frequent
rebooting
- unable to remove a program
using add/remove dialog
- 'unable to load ***.DLL'
errors
- 'cannot find ***.exe'
errors
- PC runs noticeably slower
than when you first bought it
 |
Download errornuker now,
absolutely FREE
After running
errornuker
the first time, and seeing how many registry listings
needed to be fixed on my computer, and how effectively
they were fixed, it is now a part of my booting
routine every time I restart. ...
Richard |
|
To
Top
|
► NewsReporter
Reader's Questions
??????????
We
recently received this question from a young reader --
?
► |
How can I tell if my computer
is infected? It freezes up a lot and some of my programs aren't
working right.
from JPS, (age 12) in Pennsylvania
|
|
A
► |
1. The first thing to do is scan your computer for a virus.
If you already have an anti-virus program installed, update it
before scanning. (You need your internet connection open to do
this).
2. If your don't have an anti-virus program,
go back and get the free one
from the AVG link shown earlier in this newsletter.
3. Do you have a firewall? If you do, update it, too. If
not, be sure to add one to your computer. Click to download Zone Alarm's
Free Top Rated Firewall
.
4. Next,
scan for spyware. You can download the Free
Adaware
program if you don't already have anti-spyware on your computer now.
It's a good idea to have at least two anti-spyware programs
because there are so many bad pests that it takes more than one
spyware finder to discover them all.
5. To combat all future virus and spyware problems, keep your
Internet security software up-to-date, be careful exchanging
software games with your friends, be real cool when chatting
online and don't click on anything that looks strange or
unusual. |
Thank
you, young JPS. Your question is one that many people have,
and just by asking it, you have
helped them, too. .....Richard
With your permission, we'll publish your questions and answers in
future
issues of the
"NewsReporter".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sharing ?
If you have the opportunity to help
family members, associates, or friends by sharing any of the
information in this
"News Reporter",
please suggest that they subscribe for their own personal copy.
They can subscribe here and we'll never share their information with third
parties.
If your friends are hesitant or uncertain
about the benefits of visiting with us,
suggest that they review the help that's readily available at
our one page summary of the Online Security Consideration and
Protective Tactics that are designed to keep them safe on the
Internet.
They Can Check out these Considerations HERE.
And finally for this issue,
we hope you can take our one minute
mini- survey (We'll give you a nifty and entertaining Free
eBook on Coping With Your Stresses for your time)
and visit our
Blog Pages, read our postings and contact us with your comments
and opinions.
Everything you have to offer will help us do a better
job of helping you.
Thank you. ...Richard
Read our Privacy Policy
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As promised in our first
issue, we aren't going to stuff your mail box with un-ending mailings every
day, week, or whenever. When there's important news about the
topics we've noted, we'll let you know, usually monthly.
To avoid unwanted and unnecessary filtering of our messages, we will
send a very brief text email to you. It will have a link to this
News Reporter and an un-subscribe link. The email subject line will identify the contents as
"Latest Security Alert News Reporter - Issue ##" and the
email "FROM" address will be "richard@richardpresents.com"

|
Thank you again, for your interest and trust.
We'll do our best to
honor and preserve it
Richard Rossbauer
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