Posts tagged Safety Tips
New Mac OS X malware in the wild
Mar 21st
The new malware variant, OSX/Imuler-B, uses images of supermodel Irina Shayk in an attempt to trick end users into execution the malicious application. The malware relies on the fact that by default, Mac OS X doesn’t display full file extensions, and therefore is attempting to trick users into thinking that they’re about the view a JPG image file.
Once the file is executed the malware will delete the original infection file and only leave an image file of Irina Shayk. It will also open a backdoor on the infected host, transferring private information from the infected host to a remote Web More >
Facebook Security Tip!
Nov 16th
If you use Facebook, you will want to read this. If you look at a normal URL it may look something like this:
http://www.somesite.com.
When you browse on a secure connection to a website it will look something like this:
https://www.somesite.com.
Notice the addition of the ‘s’ on the second URL. The ‘s’ means that you are connected to the website through a secure connection. Connecting through https rather than http makes it much harder for someone to steal information being transmitted to and from your computer and the website. So what does this have to do with Facebook?
Facebook has a security More >
Holiday Shopping Tips
Dec 9th
The holidays are here and shoppers are out (and in) in full force. It seems as the years go by, online shopping is becoming the ideal way to get your loved ones, and yourself, gifts for the holidays. Cyber-Monday is growing every year with deals getting better than those offered on black Friday. Retailers are offering deals online that you just can’t get in the stores.
I still go out on black Friday, but it is more of a nostalgic thing. I like to watch people go crazy and reminisce about the good old days when shoppers would trample each other More >
Have You Changed Your Router Password?
Sep 13th
Your router is an important part of your connection to the online world. It gives you a level of protection from the outside world. It distributes the internet to all the computers in your house. But it can also be a major security risk.
All routers come with default passwords. I know this, you know this, and hackers know this. Hackers get lists (which are freely available online) of all the default usernames and passwords for routers. From Linksys to D-Link to Belkin and everything in between. If you have not changed the default credentials, it is very easy for someone More >
Information on 100 Million Facebook Users Published Online
Jul 30th
If you are anything like 500 million other people, you have a Facebook account. I admit, I do. I think Facebook has many useful purposes. I can share my photos and videos with family that live all over the world. I can keep in contact with friends I haven’t seen since high school, and make new friends with those that have the same interests as me.
With so much good that can come from Facebook and other social networking sites, we can’t ignore the security and privacy risks. No matter how hard developers of these sites try, they will never be More >
What’s the deal with Microsoft Updates?
Apr 12th
Every week I get a message from Microsoft that pops up next to my clock . It says that updates are ready for my computer. Mostly this message is just annoying and I click the ‘X’ to get rid of it. I don’t have time to do whatever Microsoft wants, in fact I don’t want to have anything to do with Microsoft. Have you found yourself having the same thinking process?
Well, let me put this in perspective. Yes Microsoft can be overbearing sometimes and we don’t have to do half of the things they want us to do, but updates More >
Grandmother Scammed for Thousands!
Mar 4th
A scammer, posing as a grandson, gets a grandmother to willingly give up thousands of dollars in one of the new scams that is becoming more popular amongst scam artists.
Here’s what happened: Earlier this week a supposed Grandson called his Grandmother, out of the blue, to ask for money because he got arrested at the Winter Olympics in Canada and needs $3000 for bail. Grandma feels bad, and because it is time sensitive, sends the money right away only to find out that her real Grandson never called at all.
This begs the question, “How did the scammer find out the More >
If It Can Happen To Them, It Can Happen To You
Mar 2nd
Virus news is almost a daily occurrence now. I don’t think I have passed a day that there hasn’t been some kind of virus attack. You would think by now we could figure out how handle viruses better, but as we all know, hackers are always one step ahead.
Last week, a well-known Utah based website, KSL.com, was part of a virus attack that infected visitors who went to that site. What this means is that every person that went to that website was subject to a virus infection.
When visiting the site, a box would appear warning the visitor that they More >
A Security Epidemic on Social Networking Sites
Jan 21st
Believe it or not, social networking safety used to be easy. You put your computer in a high traffic area. As a parent you monitor what your kids are doing and saying online. Or just take away internet privileges from your kid’s altogether.
There is a bigger problem at hand now. And it is growing at a cancerous rate. The problem? You. The adult, the parent, the guardian. More and more adults are turning to social networking like Facebook and online dating sites every day. Our false sense of security is draining our money and breaking our hearts.
It seems that the More >