Do You Get Them? Then You're A Target!

When I'm not talking about computer security, I am addressing the issue of Identity Theft.

And if you own a credit card or two, you could be an easy target.

Now, nothing against the US Postal Service - I love my snail mail dearly and can be seen giddily skipping to my mailbox everyday at 2p.m. when it's delivered - but sometimes our mail doesn't quite reach its intented recipient. Delivered to the wrong address. Lost. Hey, when you think about the number of pieces of mail that are handled each and every day (over 200 billion a year), you gotta cut 'em some slack.

But those lost pieces of mail can cost you your identity.

Here's just one example. At least 4 times a month, I get some blank checks from my credit card company. "Transfer your balance!" "Take a vacation!" "Have some fun!" they exclaim. Why, it's free money (not!). Normally, I shred them as soon as they are delivered.

But then I started thinking, what if they get delivered to the wrong person? Or worse, what if somebody steals them from my mailbox (yes, people do this!). They will have my account number, my name, address. . . all of my personal information.

So I picked up the phone and called my credit card company.

"Uhh, you know those blank checks you keep sending me?" I said, "Well, I don't want them anymore."

"No problem Mrs. Trahd," came the accommodating reply. "Consider it done."

Couldn't have been easier. So call your credit card companies today and make the same request. And if you ever decide you need a blank check, they'll be happy to send them!

. . . Stephanie

Technorati Tags: Identity+Theft, Stephanie Trahd

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Is Microsoft Getting Too Much Heat. . . Or Not Enough?

The security world is still filled with daily news about Microsoft.

Why can't they stay a step ahead of cyberscum?

Why are their patches creating just as many problems as they're solving?

Here's an interesting perspective from Charles Cooper at CNET.

Microsoft security--no more second chances? Perspectives CNET News.com

technorati tags:Microsoft, Internet+Security, Computers, Computers+Internet, Stephanie+Trahd

See, I Told You So!

I know I've been pushing about downloading the new Windows Security Updates, but I'm not alone!

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is urging people to apply the Microsoft patch as quickly as possible. Trust me, that doesn't happen often.

Read more. . .

Homeland Security: Fix your Windows CNET News.com

. . . Stephanie

technorati tags:Microsoft, Internet, Computers, Internet Security, Computers and Internet, Stephanie Trahd

Badware Beware!

You may be seeing something new popping up on your screen as you are surfing the Net with Google.

It’s the new “Neighborhood Watch” program that resulted from partnership between search engine Goliath Google and the Stop Badware Coalition.

People who attempt to go to a Web site that has been identified as risky by the coalition are taken to a warning page.

"Warning – the site you are about to visit may harm your computer!" the message states. Then it offers users a link to "learn more about malware and how to protect yourself at StopBadware.org."

They suggest you return to the search page and choose a different result, or proceed to the website that is being flagged. . .but armed with the knowledge that you could be putting your computer at risk.

"We're not going to say don't do it," said John Palfrey, a professor at the Harvard Law School who teamed with Britain's Oxford University to provide much of the manpower for the coalition's Web-monitoring effort. "What we want to do is basically give people some more information about what might happen to their computer."

If you encounter a site that has malicious code, you can report the it to the Stop Badware Coalition. A human being then checks the report before the site is flagged.

Reported and flagged sites are not removed from search engines, but the idea is to warn users of potential problems.

I say kudos to Google and Stop Badware Coalition!

. . . Stephanie

Technorati Tags: Computer, Internet Security, Computers and Internet, Stephanie Trahd

Yet Another Big "Patch Tuesday" Today

As we arrive at yet another big ‘Patch Tuesday’, Microsoft techies have been busy preparing 12 new security bulletins to fix holes in both Windows and Office suites.

Twenty bulletins address Windows flaws, and three are for Office. Nine of these are classified as critical.

Critical flaws are those that can be exploited by attackers to run unauthorized code on a personal computer without any user interaction (meaning you don't have to click on a link or download a file for them to be able to attack you computer).

And that’s not all folks! Microsoft is also releasing an updated version of its Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool on Windows Update, Microsoft Update, Windows Server Update Services and the Download Center.

The recurring message here is that we are never safe. As soon as new patches and protections are released, the attackers and hackers are releasing new havoc into cyberspace.

I still have a hard time understanding how someone chooses to cause this type of evil and chaos in our world. Call me naïve, but I still believe good overcomes evil.

So again, if you use Microsoft Windows, please make sure you download the updates on Tuesday. Better still, sign up for their Automatic Updates to ensure your seamless protection.

. . . Stephanie

technorati tags:Microsoft, Internet, Computers, Internet Security, Computers and Internet, Stephanie Trahd

AOL Is Free. . . Or Is It?

They’re singing from the rooftops . . . AOL is free! AOL is free! AOL will become a free service for broadband users who bring their own access.

How many different ways can I say to you “run as fast as you can AWAY from AOL”?

AOL, often referred to as ‘AOHell’, has lost well over half of their customers since their hayday of 40 million. Think about it. . . did over 20 million subscribers jump ship because of the great service they were getting from AOL?

(Sidebar: They are laying off 5,000 of their 19,000 employees during this company restructure)

Tell me why anyone would want to use AOL when they continue to. . .

• not deliver legitimate email that you specifically asked to receive
  

• require you to open dozens of windows just to perform a simple task

• download adware and spyware onto your computer (just because it's theirs, doesn't make it OK)
  

• make it virtually impossible to remove AOL from your computer without reformatting your entire hard drive

So the question remains. . .is AOL really free? The answer is a resounding NO! When you factor in the adware, spyware, undelivered emails, and time lost opening and closing 5 million windows, I think you’ll come to the same conclusion.

. . . Stephanie

technorati tags:Microsoft, AOL, Internet, Computers, Internet Security, Computers and Internet, Stephanie Trahd

Short Sighted Thinking At Its Best

Microsoft is offering a free test drive of Office 2007, but they recently announced that they will be charging $1.50 per download starting on August 2. So if you want to try it out for free, do it before tomorrow.

A Microsoft representative said on Friday, "Since the end of May, Beta 2 has been downloaded more than 3 million times...That's 500 percent more than what was expected," the representative said. "The fee helps offset the cost of downloading from the servers."

Wow, Microsoft needs to offset the cost of their advertising, and they want you and me to pay for it. I thought that's what we did when we bought Microsoft products? Maybe they shouldn't have offered the free download if they couldn't afford it or didn't know how to budget for it? And who actually believes Microsoft can't afford it? They want us to find the bugs in their new software (it's a beta release), report it to them, and pay for it while we're at it!

They have over 3 million people interested in Office 2007 without spending a dime yet on television / radio / print advertising. This is the epitomy of short-sighted thinking on Microsoft's part. I can't seem to pull any sympathy out of my sympathy well.

. . . Stephanie

technorati tags:Microsoft, Internet, Computers, Internet Security, Computers and Internet, Stephanie Trahd