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SECURITY ALERT BLOG Vital
Internet Security Alerts and
Information
for the everyday
Non-technical Computer user,
Internet
User and Web Surfer
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Sep 24, 2007Help Parents Understand Kids Social Web-Sites
In a recent post, I took advantage of Larry Magid's
generosity by
posting a link to his article on Teen Age Blogging.
In this post, the link again is to another
of Mr. Magid's insightful articles on keeping our children safe
online. However, this article is directed to us parents and
guardians, to help us better understand the social aspects of our
teenagers' growing-up experience.
It's through the work of people like Larry Magid and his associates
that we can keep up with the tremendous technological advances in
communication available to our children.
How else would parents know about the more than 100 really cool
social networking sites like MySpace, YouTube, Hi5, Twitter, etc,
that our kids know about and use? How about IMVU - where you can
create 3D images of how you'd like to look, dress, and act?
IMVU has been around for sometime and it isn't one that my
grandchildren use - I think, (but if I were a teenager, it would
certainly hold my attention).
Of course, these 100 plus sites could harbor serious threats, not
only to our kids but to their family and friends. It's our
responsibility as guardians to help them avoid these dangers.
Larry Magid's
"Social-Tips for Parents"
identifies 5 important things to
consider as we work with our children...
...and even if you don't have any teenage children living with you,
read the article and tell your friends with kids about it. They
should appreciate your concern.
Sep17, 2007Do Your SPAM Blockers
Really Work? Will They Ever?
I believe this is an interesting take
on the state of the cyber world and the continuing proliferation of
SPAM - and why things aren't getting any better.
It's a rather detailed report posted on one of ZDNet's blogs, and
starts with this quote -
According to ZDNet's David Berling
"the spammers are winning the cat n mouse game. Working
with e-mail is more unproductive than its ever been.
Theres more spam than theres ever been. More
legitimate mail is getting trapped than has ever been
trapped before. And finally, fewer people are seeing
e-mail as a reliable form of communication.
The makers of anti-spam solutions (be they stand-alone or ones that are built-in to existing e-mail solutions) would have you believe that their solutions are worthy of battling spam and merit your attention if ridding your inbox (or inboxes) of spam is important to you. Theyre full of it. The proof? Were worse off [...]"
You can read the whole report if you're really into the involved
details, but as I see it, the problem isn't going to be solved
without a lot of inconvenience to everyone using email. Why? Because
SPAM blocking and filtering tools can't be perfect for everyone and Spammers are never going to
become good Samaritans and stop sending the junk just because it
might bother someone.
Not every random message that arrives in my email is junk, although
it may be unsolicited. However, messages that interest me could well
be junk to you. If the ISP's try to apply universal guidelines to
deleting SPAM, you could get email messages you don't want
that would be of special interest to me.
Larry Magid*, creator of "SafeTeens"
website, wrote an open letter to Teen age bloggers on his Safe Teens
website some months ago.
It's really a well done message
that recognizes today's teenagers for their knowledge and expertise
in a technology that many of their parents may not understand as
well as they do.
I have little doubt that every teener who has read Larry's message
is pretty much aware of what was covered regarding the potential
dangers from momentary carelessness while blogging.
I'm less convinced that all parents and guardians are aware of how
talented and capable their teenage bloggers are...
... or if they appreciate just how important blogging, instant
messaging, and participation in social site activities is in the
social development of their children
Larry's message, in my opinion, is a perfect tool for helping
teenagers and their parents understand each other.
*Larry Magid
is a syndicated technology columnist and broadcaster. He contributes
to CBS News, the New York Times, San Jose Mercury News and other
media outlets.
Sep 03,
2007 Firewalls and Virus
Protection Web Site Updated...
...with information on more of today's Computer and Family Security
Threats, available Protective Software, Spam and Spyware cyber
happenings, free tools and reports, and advice on avoiding the
nastiness lurking in wait for unsuspecting and innocent web surfers.
Threats to families and young Internet surfers, Hacker attacks and
theft of personal Identities, Enterprises Data loss are a few of
today's most discussed cyber problems.
Five or Six years ago when my Security Alert campaign
started, the major threats involved computer viruses, worms, the
the beginning of overwhelming email (I nearly wrote 'evil') SPAM, and
insecure browsers.
Many senior and nearly senior citizens were learning to use their
computers for sharing family news and children's pictures. Younger
family members were becoming the home based computer experts,
venturing into the exciting and enticing world of early cyber
socializing with Instant messaging.
Today, the threats are much more serious. The Hackers and
malcontents smell the money that can be stolen from Internet surfers
and have targeted
children and other everyday
Non-technical Computer users and Web Surfers who just want to be
safe doing basic stuff without the hassle of viruses, spyware,
Trojans, or worse.
With so much more helpful information and software tools available
to talk about and use, some streamlining of the
Firewalls and Virus Protection site certainly seemed to be in
order.
You'll find it a lot easier to navigate, too, and if you don't, I'd
really appreciate your suggestions and comments as I continue
working on the 200 or so remaining pages.
August 30,
2007
Beware of Rogue Anti-Spyware. A
Current
reminder from the SpywareGuide* service
SpywareGuide's Latest Spyware
Updates identify two potentially dangerous anti-spyware type
programs currently being advertised. They are "Rogues" and could
deceive users into believing their computers are infected.
"Rogues" are anti-spyware
or security software applications that use various forms of
deception and/or unethical means or show a history of
false positives to goad the end user to make a purchase.
In some cases these applications include
unwanted software which the rogue product offers to
remove if the customer purchases the application.
The
current two malware culprits are "Error Safe" and "Spyware Cleaner". A visit
to the SpywareGuide website will give you more details and removal
advice at
(*)<http://www.spywareguide.com/product_show.php?id=2809&rss>
Their report is a good reminder of the problems these unethical
suppliers can create. I described my personal experience with a
"Rogue" in my recent report
"Rogue
Anti-Spyware" - which includes tips on avoiding it altogether.
My report on
Making the best
anti-spyware choices is a perfect companion piece. (Both are
FREE)
August 24,
2007 How Did
You Teach Your Children To Be Safe
When They Were learning to Surf the Internet?
We'd love to learn how you taught your kids to
be cautious and careful and avoid the threats from online scammers
and pedophiles when they were learning to explore the "web".
As parents, grandparents and guardians, we
are reminded constantly to help our children enjoy the pleasures and
excitement of the Internet in safety.
My own grandchildren learned how to boot up their family
computers at a very early age. For the youngest of
them, it was simply a matter of watching their older sisters and brothers as
they chatted online with their friends, worked on their school lessons, and
explored the mysteries of the cyber universe.
Informed
parents recognize that the Internet provides an exciting and
learning experiences for their children. Teaching online safety, and
learning together is a wonderful way for any family to enjoy it.
Your experiences and successes could help a lot of other parents and
us grandparents.
CLICK HERE for a
real easy way to Share your Experiences and learn how other parents
helped their kids to safety - free, of course
Thanks for caring, and sharing....Richard
Tags: kids Internet safety
Neil Shearing posted his recent Gmail account experience - can
you believe 294,013?
That's a frightening large amount of
messages to accumulate and makes me wonder how many of them might
contain dangerous spyware, Trojans, or viruses.
He is a very popular Internet personality and probably gets many
times more email than most of us ever will ... and he has a clever
way of using this email account to filter the junk mail.
Neil
explains this at his blog.
The point here - I believe it can be dangerous to allow email to
accumulate because of the potential for loading up your mail box
with hidden malware.
The likelihood
of problems is directly proportional to the amount of spam that gets
through to our email boxes.
August
12, 2007
Summer's Nearly
Over and It's Back To School
for Our Children -
Let's keep Them Safe
That means they're going to spend more online
time at their computers for lessons, term papers, Instant
Messages with friends, more visits to MySpace, UTube, Chat rooms,
etc.
It also means that the
undesirable elements they face, like child predators, pedophiles,
and hackers, could also be eagerly anticipating their increased
online activities.
As I've posted before(*), I have nine grandchildren, all but one in
school. I want all of them to understand that these dangers do
exist, so I've shared my "Keeping Your Children Safe Online"
Guide with them and their parents.
I believe this is important enough to
revisit the issue today -
If you have children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, or friends
with young children, help them avoid potential grief, too. Share "Keeping
Your Children Safe Online" with them. Check out the Guide
HERE
August 6,
2007
Is a Botnet Storm
brewing - Can Your Computer
Survive?
Online criminals can use a virus to
take control of large numbers of computers at a time, and turn them
into "zombies" that can work together as a powerful "botnet" to
perform malicious tasks. Botnets are highly valued by online
criminals, and have become a serious problem on the Internet.
InformationWeek (Aug.
2, 2007) reported that the current siege by the Storm Worm
is 10 times larger than any other e-mail attack in the last two
years amassing a combined botnet army of nearly 2 million
computers
A botnet - also known as a zombie army - is a number of Internet
computers that have been set up to forward transmissions including
spam or viruses to other computers on the Internet. Any such
computer is referred to as a zombie - in effect, a computer "robot"
or "bot" that serves the wishes of some master spam or virus
originator.
Most computers compromised in this way are home-based
and infected without the owners' knowledge. According to a report
from Russian-based Kapersky Labs, botnets - not spam,
viruses, or worms - currently pose the biggest threat to the
Internet. A report from Symantec offers the same conclusion.
Literally hundreds of thousands of computers have been harvested
into Botnets that can distribute spam e-mail and infected greeting
e-card messages, spread viruses, attack other computers and servers,
and commit other kinds of crime and fraud.
Computers that are captured into a zombie army are often those whose
owners fail to provide effective firewalls and other safeguards.
Many home computers have high speed connections that may be
inadequately protected. A zombie or bot is often created through an
Internet port that has been left open and through which a small
Trojan horse program can be left for future activation. At a certain
time, the zombie army "controller" can unleash targeted attacks with
his Zombie army by sending a single command.
Malware and targeted attacks are almost always economically
motivated.
The goal of todays threats is to stay silent and hidden
for as long as possible while stealing confidential and financial
data from infected networks around the world.
It's possible that your computer could
already have a virus and be
compromised into a botnet.
(*)I'm a proud grandparent of 9
precious grandchildren and the last thing in this world that I ever
want to see is someone hurting them.
I'm certain that this
doesn't make me any different than every other parent, grandparent
or child guardian.
What is a bit different, however, is that I have an opportunity to
help other parents and grandparents do something to help protect our
young children from the most heinous people who prey on them
when they're playing on the Internet - the pedophiles and child
predators hiding in the cyberworld.
I do this through my websites and blogs - usually through news
alerts and product announcements. This message is a product
announcement.
The product is an eBook I just prepared from information I
purchased. I bought it because it seemed so complete, and thorough,
that I believe it will enable all of us to help our kids more easily
understand how serious, and cautious they must be when visiting the
Internet.
Yes,
there's a price for this one, but it's only $6.95, and you can
download it from the internet and start using it almost
immediately.
If you order the eBook and find that it doesn't help you understand,
and explain the threats that these creatures pose, then I'll return
your money. (Within 60 days of your order).
It's not the money, the most important issue here is the safety of
our children, as you'll see when you visit the order page.
August 1 2007
Checkout My eBook "How to
Protect Your Privacy
and Security
Online"
It's loaded with Vital Security Tools and Tips to Secure Your
Computers and Guard Against Internet Fraud and Identity Theft.
To make it easily affordable to the lesser experienced Beginners and
Senior Internet Users, and to provide a greater opportunity
for them to strengthen their own security defenses at a price that
nearly everyone can afford -
I slashed the list price by 61 percent from $17.95 to only $7.00!
And to make it available to even more of the internet users who can
really benefit from its wealth of security information, I have
included free resale rights that will give you 100 percent of the
profits for each and every copy you sell.
Your profits will go directly and immediately into your own PayPal
account.
Even better, the $7.00 price includes the free bonus eBook - "PC
Security", my Info Guide to Beefing Up Your Personal Computer's
Safety from Malicious Threats, with dozens of easy to apply ideas
and strategies to strengthen your Security Fortress.
It's really important that everyone be aware that Clever Internet
Thieves from all around the world are using very highly
sophisticated and stealthy infiltration schemes to plant trojans,
worms, viruses and other malware in their computers, and could even
be secretly adding any one of us to their botnets.
Even if you are reasonably comfortable when going online, your
family members and friends may not be as experienced as you.
Give them the gift that can save their families and friends
from
potential hours of grief, plus potential loss of money and identity
to these Internet thieves.
Here's the link to the Security Tips ebook, bonus PC Security ebook
and
Free Resale Rights
Don't
hesitate to express
your views and opinions on my Security Alert Blog and Cyber
Security Alert postings (easily done by clicking on
the highlighted 'COMMENT' |
'TRACKBACK' at each post. Watch for postings on fraud alerts,
virus alerts, worm alerts, Internet Security alerts, security scams,
parental controls, online predators, net security, and more. Be sure to visit our
Firewalls-and-Virus Protection website for even more help
More Free help for People who purchase
from online businesses
and the business who sell to them
The FREE iCop Member and Shopping Mall Desktop Directory
is a listing by business category of all of the hundreds
of i-Cop members who have pledged to meet the rigid
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You can use it as a guide to resources and assistance
with the full confidence that each member is a
professional in their field.
iCop is the organization for home based and other
businesses that sets the industry standard of business
ethics that every online business should follow!
Please note the iCop member seal on this blog and on my
websites. I'm proud to be a member and I've pledged to
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standing.
You can download your
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CLICK
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RichardPresents.com
A breach in your personal privacy
protection could easily lead to
hackers, online, and offline thieves stealing your identity.
Identity Theft is the
fastest growing crime in America, affecting
approximately 900,000 new victims each year!
More than ever, the information explosion, aided by an
era of easy credit, has led to the expansion of a crime
that feeds on the inability of consumers to control who
has access to sensitive information and how it is
safeguarded.
Can we fight back? Yes! One of the best ways is to be
informed of the tricks and ploys used by Identity Theft criminals
and to understand how they attack.
Forewarned is Forearmed and There's a lot to know,
The contents of this Free Report
include
Protection Strategies
Safe Credit Card Practices
Why reveal your Social Security number?
Document Destruction
Common Sense Things to avoid
What you must do if the Worst Happens- with the telephone numbers to call and the
organizations to contact.
It's a five page report you can download, print and freely
share with your family and friends.
Download "Identity Theft Guide" by CLICKING HERE.
Save the file to your Desktop - it'll be easier
to find
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and Easy Way to
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be shared with third parties.
... Richard Rossbauer
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