| |
Here are a few of the more interesting security and Internet safety
postings we selected from the many reviewed during the past few days
_________________________________
Top Tips To Stay Secure While Social
Networking
It should be no surprise that social networks
have become a popular target for online criminals. The features that
make social networking so successful – the wide variety of
communication channels, the openness of the networks and the
thousands, even millions of participants – are powerful lures for
spammers and hackers.
In
light of this, Cloudmark, (a global leader in
messaging security), has outlined tips for consumers for safe social
networking. Here are a few highlights of their report:
• Know Your Friends—Be wary of “friending” people you don’t know
and never reciprocate friend requests from complete strangers. .
• Choose Applications Wisely—New applications can enhance your
social networking experience, but unfortunately some are at the
expense of your privacy. Read the fine print and pay attention to
the information you expose .
• Don’t Share Personal Contact Information—Do not disclose your
mobile phone number on your social networking page, this is an easy
way for spammers to send spam, viruses, or fraud attacks to your
mobile.
Read the rest of
Cloudmark's valuable line-up of Social Networking Safety
Tips here
_________________________________
Posterity
There was one of Cloudmark's bits
of advice that is very often overlooked, ignored, and possibly even
unrealized by many users of any site where personal information is
posted for the public to see -
That personal information never goes away!
Remember, the Internet is Permanent—you don't want to post content
that you might be embarrassed about in the future. .
Every comment, update, picture, joke, poke, nudge, smiley that you
post will be as permanent as the Internet. Don't rely on your
privacy setting - it isn't at all difficult for experienced hackers
to get your data if they want it.
Consider what some of your Facebook, Flickr, MySpace and other
friends post, for example - they list birthdays, full names, where
they work, email addresses, videos, lists of their friends, on and
on. Do you think this is a safe practice?
Today, many Personnel Departments screen social media profiles as
part of their due diligence for prospective job candidates. If you
feel comfortable with any pictures or comments that you posted, and
you're searching for a new job, it's probably not something to be
concerned about.
But it is something to think about.
_________________________________
News for Facebook members
While we're talking about Facebook, here's some good news for those
of you if you happen to
be using a cellphone or a dial-up connection to access your Facebook
homepage or Fun Space.
Facebook has created a pilot Lite version that cuts down on the
graphical clutter. At the same time, the company said it would be
slowly rolling out the ability to tag friends in status updates,
using the "@" symbol, much like Twitter
"Friends you tag in your status updates will receive a notification
and a Wall post linking them to your post," wrote Facebook engineer
Tom Occhino on the Facebook Blog. "They also will have the option to
remove tags of themselves from your posts. "
Mobile usage and advertising is the fastest growing technology
today, more so outside of the U.S., and is the dominant device used
for social media and trusted networks. "So with the lack of
broadband, the overwhelming increase in mobile access, and the
general complaints about their competition, Facebook has done it
again by streamlining their offering."
My guess is the we can Expect even more
advertisements real soon.
(TechNewsWorld
posted this Facebook news On 9/11/09)
_______________________________
Do
You Remember all the News about Conficker?
We haven't heard much about it lately, but Conficker is back. And
this time it comes with a new twist.
According to security specialists BitDefender the worm has
returned. They report that the latest Conficker variant has some new
tricks up its virtual sleeve, such as not only being able to prevent
access to security vendor websites as it always has but adding the
installation of rogue security software onto the compromised
machine.
The fact that Conficker is blocking access to legit software sites
and leaving the door open to fake security solutions is a worrying
turn of events.
Conficker worm removal advice in the April-May-June 2009 Archives of
the Security Alert Blog Here
(Here's the link to the current
Security Alert Blog posts)
_________________________________
Have any Friends
who are addicted to the Internet?
The effects of
addiction are no joke. They range from loss of a job or marriage to
car accidents for those who can't stop texting* while driving.
A Washington Post article reports on an Internet addiction
center called ReSTART, opening in Fall City, Washington. They cite
an example of one young person who found help. Here's an excerpt -
FALL CITY, Wash. -- Ben Alexander spent
nearly every waking minute playing the video game "World of Warcraft."
As a result, he flunked out of the University of Iowa.
Alexander, 19, needed help to break an addiction he calls as
destructive as alcohol or drugs. He found it in this suburb of
high-tech Seattle, where what claims to be the first residential
treatment center for Internet addiction in the United States just
opened its doors.
Read the rest of the Washington Post Article on Internet Addiction
here
*Nothing against texting - so long as the distraction doesn't lead
to some serious consequences.
__________________________________
Pleasant Stuff that I came upon
recently
If you Twitter, Tweet, or whatever, you no doubt have picked up a
lot of followers, and you may be following your own bunch, or trying
to.
I know my Time Line is loaded with so many tweets that I just can't
keep up with them - and if I come upon an interesting looking post,
unless I've been involved in the discussion, there's little
meaning to that 140 character message. However -
...and this just had to happen. Someone has taken the time, and made
the effort to find the funniest and most amusing tweets and publish
them in a book titled "Twitter Wit". Check it
out on Amazon, read some of the sample pages - some of those posts
are really funny
Twitter Wit: Brilliance in 140 Characters or Less
__________________________________
Important reminder: Don't be lulled into a false sense
of security because there isn't much hyped up news about viruses
recently. They are 'out there', but the current threat levels are
still fairly low. As I suggested in the last issue, it would be a safe move to
prepare yourself and your family for the next big security threat.
In that issue, I listed a couple of resources - both are still
available
Get this FREE ecourse on
Avoiding Current Security Threats and
Avoid Identity Theft - FREE 5 part eCourse. Feel free to
share with your family members and friends.
And remember, when you come upon a link to a site you've never visited
before, DON'T look, CLICK and then think about it - instead
Look, THINK and then Click
__________________________________
To your safe surfing, and a
delightful fun filled Autumn.
Richard Rossbauer
Follow Me on
Twitter
Helping to change your ideas into
fun
and rewarding results at
www.RichardPresents.com
Old School Bldg D1
230 Centre St Langhorne, PA 19047 USA
Do you like the Newsletter in this format? I would really like your
comments and opinions. Click here to send me an eMail. Thank you.
Send Richard an Email
And if you don't receive your own copy, you can
Subcribe HERE
_________________________________
P.S. Here are more resources,
FREE for the taking
10 (FREE) Powerful Lessons on
Protecting Your Home, Your self, and your whole family
 Thanks for Visiting !
Close Window
 |
|
