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August -September 2007 Archives

  Sep 24, 2007   Help 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.

                  
                                                                          ... Richard

Tags: ,
   

 

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  Sep17, 2007    Do 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 it’s ever been. There’s more spam than there’s 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. They’re full of it. The proof? We’re worse off [...]"

The quote is from an Open letter to e-mail vendors: "Your spam fix doesn’t work. Time for a complete redo?" by Mr. Berling.

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.

You can minimize (but probably never stop) the influx of SPAM to your mail box. If you haven't downloaded my Free guide on Stopping Spam, jump down to the download link and request your copy now.

                                                                  ... Richard
Tags
   

 
 

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  Sep 14, 2007          Teen Guide to Safe Blogging

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.

You can still read Larry Magid's article here and if your are responsible for the safety and welfare of any youthful soon-to-be adults, I urge you to read it now.
                                                                               ... Richard Rossbauer
Tags: ,
   

 


*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.

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  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.
 

I invite you to visit, review and share the updated security tips and tools.

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.

                                                  To your safe surfing ..... Richard Rossbauer

 
Tags   Trojans 
   

 

 

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  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)

                                                                              ... Richard
Tags:   trojans       
    

 

 

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  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
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  August 14, 2007   How much Spam do you get in your eMail?

Can you imagine more than 100,000?

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.
 
My Guide for Stopping Spam can help you reduce the flow of junk email to your inbox ... and you can request your free copy here.
                                                                                ...RichardP
Tags   Trojans 
    

   
 

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  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

http://www.richardpresents.com/Internet-Kids-eBook/

     * Learn What To Teach Your Kids About the Internet – how to present
        the problems and what they need to do to stay safe.
 
     * Know Who You Should Contact – who do you notify if you find a predator
 
     * Chat rooms, Social Sites and Your Child – learn what goes on in chat rooms
 
     * and a lot more, including a listing of free and paid services
        you can use for more information
                                    
                                                    Thanks for sharing my concern
                                                    ... Richard Rossbauer

 

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  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 today’s 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.

     A virus that makes your computer into a zombie might cause it to slow down, display (Finish reading Botnet article HERE and learn how to prepare your computer to "Weather the Storm") (Includes Printable Version of Full Report)

                                                                                              ...Richard
Tags:   trojans       
    

 

 

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  August 2, 2007                        Protecting our Kid's Safety Online

(*)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.

                                  You can  Order "Internet Safety for Your Kids" HERE

                                                                                          Thanks for Caring,
                         &sp;                                                              Richard Rossbauer

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  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
 
http://www.RichardPresents.com/securitytipsebook/
 
Refer your friends to your very own sales page for "How to Protect Your Privacy and Security Online"
 
Thanks for helping to make the internet a safer and more fun experience
for everyone.
 
                                                                        ... Richard
  

 

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  * CLICK HERE for your FREE  Guide to Stopping Spam - Once and For All(?) . Get the Guide plus a Free Subscription to the Security Alert News Reporter and the 23 Vital Security Tips that will help you protect your Computer Security and Online safety against Cyber crooks 

I hope you encourage your family and friends to get this free guide - it could keep them from innocently sending infected email messages to you.
                                                                                        
                                               ...Richard

Tags,
    

   
 

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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

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        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 requirements imposed by the Council to maintain the highest levels of honesty, integrity and respect for you, the consumer.
 
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 meet the rigid requirements to maintain my good standing.




CLICK HERE
to request your FREE Directory

You can download your Free copy to your Desktop. Simply clicking on the desktop icon will then take you right to an always up-to-date Directory. You'll never ever have to upload updates and it will always be current.

CLICK to request your FREE Directory, compliments of RichardPresents.com

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  Have you ever thought about writing your own Blog? It's actually a lot easier than having your own website, and it's a lot of fun, too.

  I thoroughly enjoy writing about my major interest, "Internet Safety for everyday Internet users and web surfers".

  Everybody has a main interest, and many would probably like to write about it, but may not know how to get started.  How about you?
 

  Blogging Help
Blog for Fun and Profit
Blogging's easier and more fun than building your own website
RichardPresents.com
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the Blogging and Pinging Tutorial Holds The Keys to Successful Blogging -  CLICK HERE to get your copy
        
                 

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      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
   



                                                         ..... Richard Rossbauer

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