Archive | Security
It’s less than a month since I wrote about about potential security issues surrounding the new social networking craze known as Twitter.
It would seem that one or more individuals are trying to solicit personal information via the Direct Messaging (DM) system.
If you should receive a message that says something like,
‘hey! Check out this funny blog about you? http://jannawalitax.blogspot.com’
then checking that site out is the last thing you want to be doing.
The link actually redirects to an altogether different URL - http://twitter.access-logins.com/login/ - which looks exactly like the regular login page for the social network site.
However, it is a spoof, designed to extract user names and passwords so that those behind the ruse can take over the compromised accounts for who knows what sort of purposes.
Fortunately, Twitter are on the case and are wise to what is going on, releasing their own Tweet on the matter -
I think their Tweet, shown in the image above, says it all really.
Going surfing can be a dangerous business these days.
Scam artists prey on those looking to make quick bucks.
Hackers are looking to compromise your system’s security.
Viruses are everywhere.
Thieves like you so much that they want to steal your identity.
The following 7 tips could help you stay safe from some of these malicious attacks -
1. INSTALL ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Anti-virus software is designed to protect your system from scripts and programs that can damage the operation of your computer or steal your personal data.
Such software protects your system by scanning all incoming data.
Anti-virus programs can prevent destructive programs from ever taking a hold on your computer but make sure you update them regularly.
2. USE A FIREWALL
A firewall can block unauthorised persons from accessing your computer across the internet or via wireless LAN.
A firewall can prevent hackers from ever entering your system.
Most modern operating systems come with firewall protection as standard but you should always ensure that you never WWW without one.
3. INSTALL A POP-UP BLOCKER
Pop-up adverts are a major annoyance on the internet.
Not only that, but some pop-ups will try and trick you into downloading viruses, trojans and other malware.
Modern computers have pop-up blockers pre-installed to protect your browsing.
If you don’t have a pop-up blocker installed already then perhaps you should change your browsing software?
4. BEWARE OF FAKE VIRUS WARNINGS
Fake virus warnings are often utilised by scammers who are looking to get you to buy their useless anti-virus software.
Or, they are used to actually deliver other scumware, such as trojans.
Never forward virus warnings that you receive in e-mails as they may have been designed to scare the recipients into downloading trojans or removing important system files from their computer.
5. PASSWORD PROTECTION
Always use a hard to guess password with at least six characters or, preferably, much longer.
Do not use ‘dictionary words’ or names of relatives.
Instead, try for a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols.
This will slow down anyone trying to break your password protection.
6. CHAT LINES, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND MESSAGE BOARDS
You should never, ever, disclose any kind of personal information on internet chat lines, message boards or social networking sites.
These kinds of websites are well-known by identity thieves who could use your personal data to impersonate you before committing various crimes, financial and otherwise.
7. FILE SHARING
It is advisable to never download data from file sharing sites.
The way that many clients are configured can be unsafe in the first place, plus there are a large number of files on these sites that have been infected with viruses and trojans.
Do you think that surfing the net is a relatively anonymous process?
Well.. think again.
BIG BROTHER IS ALWAYS WATCHING YOU
Whenever you request a web page a large amount of information about you gets logged, including your IP address, browser type, ISP and even your location.
Likewise, if you surf the web at work, then employers can utilise the same information in order to determine the exact websites that you have been visiting!
I’m sure for some workplace surfers this could undoubtedly lead to certain levels of embarrassment!
ANONYMOUS SURFING
Truly anonymous internet surfing is, for most people, a pipedream.
There are various tools available which will allow organisations to see through even a proxy in order to determine the true information about a surfer.
However, such tools are generally only employed by big business and governmental organisations.
Therefore, the average internet user can take some steps to hide their IP address whilst surfing by utilising an anonymous proxy.
Whilst hiding behind a proxy your communications can still be intercepted though it is far less likely to happen unless someone is deliberately targeting you.
However, not all proxies are created equal, and some are run by less than honest webmasters.
HIDDEN COSTS
Many people will scan the search engines looking for a free proxy rather than one that has to be paid for.
Unfortunately as is often true, anything that is free on the internet often comes with a hidden cost.
Whilst the proxy that is chosen may well hide personal information from the websites being visited, that data may still be logged by the proxy itself.
Cyber criminals have discovered the value of such information and have put their own proxies onto the web in order to capture such private data.
Therefore, if you do not choose the right proxy then you may, in fact, be giving up your privacy to just the sought of people you wished to remain hidden from in the first place.
Peer to Peer file sharing can be an incredibly tempting proposition for many people.
However, there are some grave risks to consider before engaging in such practises.
Many times I have had friends call me up to assist them after problems have arisen through their peer to peer downloading.
For that reason, I have decided that peer to peer transfers are not for me.
PRIVACY
Do you know that when you are connected to file-sharing programs you may be allowing others to copy confidential files from your pc, files that you may never have intended for other people to see?
If you don’t properly configure the file-sharing program when you install the software then you may be granting access to other information on your hard drive, such as tax returns, email messages, medical records and any other personal information that you may have stored.
Therefore, it is essential that you are aware of which files are stored in your shared folder.
Do not put any files in the shared folder that you wouldn’t wish anyone else to view.
COPYRIGHT
Knowingly, or otherwise, you may be downloading material that is protected by copyright laws.
Should you violate them then the consequences can be quite extreme.
Copyright infringement can result not only in financial penalties and damages but criminal records too.
If you are a parent then did you know that you would be held to account if your children were to download copyrighted material?
ADULT MATERIAL
Whether you are an adult or child there are risks associated with downloading files from anywhere on the internet and especially through file-sharing programs.
It is quite common for files to be mislabelled such that innocent looking videos may prove in fact to be inappropriate adult content.
SPYWARE
Some file-sharing programs come bundled with additional pieces of software, such as spyware, that are then installed onto your system.
Typically, spyware will monitor a user’s browsing habits and then send that information onto interested third parties.
This may well then lead to the user being served all manner of adverts related to their habits whilst they surf in the future.
For this reason it is advisable to buy or download free anti-spyware software in order to help prevent the downloading or installation of spyware, or to detect it on your hard drive once it has been installed.
VIRUSES
It should go without saying that you ought to use and update your anti-virus software on a regular basis.
Each and every file that you download could potentially be mislabeled, hiding a virus or other unwanted malware.
If you use good anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses then you should avoid picking up viruses other users through the file-sharing network.
Typically, your virus filter should prevent your computer from receiving files with extensions such as .exe, .scr, .lnk, .bat, .vbs, .dll, .bin, and .cmd which are all potential havens for harmful programs.
This is an update to my post about the security alert issued about Internet Explorer -
Microsoft have announced that a patch will be released today, probably around 6 p.m. (GMT).
The security flaw, which only seems to affect Internet Explorer 7 at this time, is believed to have affected some 10,000 websites so far.
Whilst the flaw only targets gaming passwords there is a perceived threat that trojans could be installed by criminals who are looking to profit from stealing people’s financial data.
The moral of this story is that all internet users should keep their browser, whichever brand it may be, fully updated and patched and should install any updates offered to them at the earliest available opportunity.
Update :
Get the Internet Explorer patch here (just make sure you choose the correct version for your browser).
Loading ...
Monday, January 5, 2009
1 Comment