Protecting Online Businesses From Fraud Events

Online card fraud has rocketed in recent years as more people head online to shop. Businesses which don't protect themselves from these scam events could result in heavy losses and even put a business under in certain cases.

The good news is that there are ways to protect your online business

Implementing these will have the effect of deterring fraudsters from carrying out a scam event as well as allowing you to identify and prevent some fraud.

New credit card security features

Credit card companies introduced what is known as 3-D Secure to attempt to combat online fraud. In order for a transaction to be completed, the cardholder must enter a password, that they created after entering personal information in order to validate a transaction.

The user must register for this service which is often prompted by attempting to complete a transaction. The customer is taken automatically to the bank issuer website to register.

This system is highly recommended to be adopted by online businesses since it clearly reduces the chance of fraud since it shifts the responsibility back to the cardholder and the credit card company as it acts like an online PIN eliminating the risk of unauthorised cardholder charge back to a business.

The downside is 3-D Secure adds another action for the customer to complete which will affect your businesses conversion rate; hopefully the risk will be offset by the fraud it is preventing. As the systems become more widely known and people get used to them then conversion rates should be impacted as much. The security enhancements should also boost customer confidence as they are dealing with a legitimate website and therefore may lead to increased and repeat business.

I think this is a must for any online retailers however do consider the downsides including the risk of program variations across regions. Customer registrations, card issuer registrations and legislation all differ around the globe.

In conclusion I believe the card password protection technology outweighs the downside however that is up to you to decide. scam event seminars are definitely worth taking the time to attend as the information you will learn is invaluable.

Tom Swayer writes articles covering a broad range of subjects. His main area of expertise is fraud awareness and scam prevention. Tom has written articles on these subjects including a recent article covering the scam event conferences.

How Not to Fall Prey to Cyber Criminals

Imagine checking your e-mail to find out if your friends, colleagues, business associates or any other person or organization that communicates with you, has gotten in touch. Your eyes ritualistically scan the name/subject in each box, and hey! a message in one of the subject lines gets your attention. Curiosity gets the better part of you and naturally you click on the subject matter and the contents are revealed. Well what do you know? someone is presenting a whooping sum of money to you, in exchange for a "seemingly harmless favour". It's an unbelievable offer, probably a once in a life time opportunity and you decide to play ball, and end up parting with some money. Congrats! you've just been duped of your hard earned money by some cyber criminals in sheep clothing.

A person who falls as a victim in the net of these day light robbers is referred to as a "Mugu" or "Maga", which simply means "a dummy, a fool" and in our National colloquial (vernacular) in Nigeria is called "Mumu". The reason why people constantly swallow the bait is ironically based on "Greed ". These lazy bones will always present you with a whooping sum that would make you whistle or cause your eyes to pop out of its sockets. Of course, since you want the money, you agree to play ball. They use the weapon of greed against you, tell you to bring a small amount of money, a little now, and a little again based on a thousand and one excuses. It's like leaving trails of bread crumbs for the bird to eat, which it does eat, hoping excitedly from one to the other, and since its guard has been let down...bam!, it finds itself trapped in a cage.

I have received e-mails telling me of a next of kin issue with millions that I could conveniently inherit, or that I'd won a whooping sum,(in pounds) organized by some Blue chip companies, lottery bodies. I was asked to send my personal details ( name, address, phone number, bank account number,) to claim my prize money. I didn't need any one to tell me that they were scammed mails, I sniffed it out instantly.

Those who perpetuate these crimes are referred to as "Yahoo Yahoo boys" in Nigeria (they illegally used the top notch site for criminal activities when the internet began to blossom in the country), and also "Advanced fee fraudsters".

HOW TO SNIFF THEM OUT
Always bear in mind that the potential scammer might and might not know you. He might know you by reason of being your friend, relative, colleague who knows a lot about you such as your likes and dislikes, where you shop, your habits, what you do, they know a lot. Where they don't know you, they generate e-mails through the e-mail look up process on popular search engines and type in a person's name. Thousands of e- mails with the name pops up, then the search is narrowed down to city, town, address of the people. They then decide on whom to pick, and after carefully writing the letter to avoid suspicion, it's sent to your box, and then the game begins.

Death and Inheritance messages: Next of kin
The scammer introduces himself in the e-mail as "Mr X", (a false name) and probably tells you he'd tried mailing a letter (surface mail) to you, sent it but didn't get any response and so it must have been lost. He correctly states your name, address, and can even tell you some details about yourself (but not in all cases, he can go straight to the point after introducing himself). There are various versions of the next of kin story. One version is to inform you of how a rich man died (with his family) and left an incredible sum with no one to inherit the money. Then he began to conduct an investigation and suddenly finds out that you're his lost long next of kin. Of course he knows you'll doubt it and asks you in the letter to send an e-mail to his Attorney to verify. You're curious (on one hand you feel something's not right and on the other you begin to think of the possibility of being a made for life and even allow yourself to day dream in Fantasy Island). You send the e-mail, after all an Attorney (an officer of the law in the Temple of Justice) can't be engaged in nefarious activities.

The Attorney who unknown to you is still 'Mr X' replies and confirms its true, and with that assurance you eagerly write back to 'Mr X' telling him you've confirmed and your ready to claim the inheritance. He's happy, showers praises on you and tells you he'll get right to working on it. He waits a couple of more days (to heighten the suspense) and sends another e- mail to you stating that he'll need, say $500, to get the legal documents out based on "xyz reasons". What's $500 compared to hundreds of thousands/millions of dollars, so you send it. Then one excuse after the other comes rolling in and you're parting with more and more money, and before you know it "you're the Mugu"

Another version of the Next of Kin evil scheme, would be to receive an e-mail by 'Mr X' who is based in another country. He informs you about how a certain rich man ( a foreign business partner ) deposited a staggering amount in their bank for the expansion of some business deals in Africa, while he was and still is, say, the foreign operations manager. Unfortunately, the man, and his wife, died in an air crash and since they had no children, and no one had come forward to claim same, he was offering you the opportunity of doing that. He tells you to open a new bank account and forward the details to him, and to also include your name, address, phone number, age, occupation and other personal details that would be useful in withdrawing the amount. He tells you not to worry, he's got everything worked out and after the money transfer has been made, he'll resign, meet with you, and split the money 50/50. You decide to play ball, and he begins to bring up one excuse or the other to extort money from you, and hey he's got you "You're the Maga".

THE WIDOWER ANTICS
The trick is always aimed at those who want to 'date/marry' someone 'over the net' (that is not to say that all dating sites are illegal or don't give the desired results some crave for) but it's a strategy they effectively use. I particularly do not encourage people to date over the net or to be swept off their feet by love declarations and marriage proposals (my opinion) for the following reasons:

1) People are not really who they seem to be over the net
2) The net is a facade that hides their true identify/character
3) How do you know the picture of the person is his true self, you'd be surprised at how these idle minds put up fake pictures and impersonate people
4) Anybody can write any thing on the net to impress you, you can't tell if he truly likes/loves you, and you can't attest to his character
5) You could be chatting/dating an ex-con, a criminal, pervert, rapist, wife beater, murderer, psychotic, who just wants to play on your emotions
6) Most dating/love relationships, oftentimes than not, takes place in different geographical axis, the man in one country and the woman in another. It's safer for them that way, after all, you can't hop in to a plane just to go to his country and when you finally do, he's made all the necessary arrangements for you to believe in his tell tales.

Now the widower "Mr X" doesn't reveal his true identity through the picture, so he becomes an impostor, and takes the identity of someone else (having hacked into the person's profile over the net) from another country. He pastes the picture on a dating site he has created, and since he's good looking, "lonely Miss Y" from another country sees the picture and sends him a flattery e-mail, but the letter conveys a tone of disbelief. 'Mr X' quickly responds by sending pictures of himself to her box, his profile, and other vital information he senses would be of paramount interest to her. She's satisfied and begins a relationship with supposedly 'Mr X'. One day he cooks up a story about how he's stranded at the airport in "N country" and needs her to send $500 to help him out. He designs and sends her counterfeit flight tickets, hotel bills etc and instructs her to send it in the name of "Mr Z" (his accomplice). She'll do anything for the love of her life and sends same. It's one excuse or the other after that, and she keeps on sending money and never gets to meet him, until she realises she'd been tricked, but it's too late "She's the Mugu"

Credit/ATM Cards, Bank Accounts
"Mr X" through software generators, gets access to people's IDs and with their credit card information has access to their bank details. He logs on to the bank's website, types in the information, and transfers the money into his account. It was used mainly when internet facilities began to thrive in Nigeria. Currently, e-mails and even text messages via mobile phones, are sent by these lazy drones to people, especially bank and Telecoms customers, requesting them to send their ATM details, bank account details, PIN numbers, to redeem prizes or for some other unrealistic reasons. In a swift reaction, the Banks and Telecoms companies have alerted the public to disregard such e-mails and text messages, and not to divulge such vital information, as they would never tell customers to do that.

Lottery winnings
Imagine being sent an e- mail that you'd won "K million dollars/pounds", because your name popped up as the winner. They tell you to visit the lottery site (bear in mind that some don't ). You do and it looks authentic, and you're thrilled about being a Millionaire, imagine all the stuff you'd buy with the money... but hold on a second "It might not be real". There are authentic lottery sites no doubt, but you've got to be careful that you're not on the wrong track as 'Mr X" also uses lottery sites to perpetuate his illegal activities.

"Mr X" is aware of the ongoing lottery in "P country" he visits the site and designs a similar one, generates e-mail addresses, gets their information and sends it to various people, (not in his country, except to those he knows) and tells them they've won and should visit the site. You do and he has even placed the team's photos (fake) and the country it's being carried out in. You reply the message and you're informed of series of things that would be done in order for you to get the money. Again out of excitement you send "M dollars", and the excuses keep coming in, while you keep paying and then you soon realize "you're the Mugu"

Non-existent Business deals
Most oftentimes than not "Mr X" sends an e-mail to "H company" in another country filled with all sorts of business ideas, information, opportunities, projected financial yields 'H company' would have if they did business together (became partners). Of course, opportunity to expand the business and make tons of profit causes 'H company' to jump at the sweet package. One thing leads to another and 'H company' unaware of the legal processes to take in establishing a business/joint venture in 'X's country or unable to confirm the authenticity of the deal and about his company readily agrees to and gives into the various demands of 'Mr X'. He later finds out its all been a lie and oh! well the "contact man of H company was the Mugu".

Foreigners and indigenes alike should not be in the habit of jumping into partnership/business deals of any kind without verifying the legality of such proposed businesses initiated by an individual/company. One of the steps to take is to engage the services of a lawyer who will help in the verification process amongst other things.

Winning streak

Blue chip companies do not conduct promos without advertising same through the Media (electronic and print). They'll never tell you to send details of your bank account, address, or tell you to call them so that they can inform you of where to pick up your prize. Winners are always contacted or told to go to the Redemption centres to get them.

It's no longer news that some unpatriotic Nigerians are involved in internet scams and have tarnished the country's image abroad. Nigerians generally are viewed with suspicion and are seen as unreliable, untrustworthy, fraudulent people. This notion is however wrong as a few bad apples doesn't necessarily mean the others are rotten, but the country without blemish should first cast a stone!.

Nigeria's Minister of Information Prof. Dora Akunyili spurring on the Re -branding campaign, with the slogan, "Nigeria good people, great Nation" is ready to correct the wrong impression most foreigners have about Nigerians. The Economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC) has been haunting down Cyber criminals with the cyber raid approach and the latest electronic mechanism in partnership with Microsoft to monitor, detect, scam mails over the net which is generating a 100% success result. Illegal sites are being shut down, reducing by the day the number of millions of people who fall as victims. Mails perceived as scams based on reasons expounded herein or otherwise should be reported to the EFCC.

Nigerians are good, warm, hospitable, friendly people and the fertile soil gives investors (foreign and local) the opportunity of ploughing their financial/technical resources into it with mouth watering financial returns. It's a great place to be in and without mincing words "I'm proudly Nigerian".

So long... auggiepo@yahoo.com

Encryption For Internet Security

These days when no information seems safe online, people have been considering file and disk encryption. Sometimes, they don't even understand what it is. They just know it's a security measure they must take to ensure that they need not face the worst from being thieved of their data.

So what is encryption? Encryption is basically the process of presenting a piece on information in coded form. This means that human being will not be able to understand such information unless it is decoded or decrypted. Encryption is an effective way of protecting data traveling over the web and it is, in fact, one of the most used and reliable techniques in cryptography which is a body of scientific principles that promote safe communications.

Cryptogrpahy has a lot of ways but on the Internet, it it makes use of long series of numbers which can be decoded using certain algorithms. Some of these algorithms make use of only one key for encryption and decryption which means a key used for encrypting is the same key that will be used for decoding the data. In other cases, encryption uses one key and decryption will require another. The safer one to use is obviously the latter.

Generally, these keys are responsible for protecting the data that is contained in a piece of encrypted information. Internet browsers are currently using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to ensure that information entered by online customers are adequately protected as this travels from the customer's computer to the businessman's server. SSL encryption also relies on keys and this is the reason why before buying anything online, it is important that the site has an SSL certificate which means data entered into it will be traveling encrypted.

The rule is, the longer the key or the greater number of bits there are, the safer the encryption is. This is because it is generally easier to come up with different bit combinations and try them out. For example, if you have a 2-bit encryption, you can easily come up with four different combinations, try each one and eventually decrypt the information. However, with a 128-bit encryption, there are at least 309,485,009,821,345,068,724,781,056 combinations possible. According to experts, 128-bit encryption can be good enough for a period of ten years which is probably the amount of time it would take for all such combinations to be tried.

Internet security is mostly a matter of having a good understanding of the risks involved as well as knowing what must be done to reduce the risks. In terms of general Internet safety, one can rely on an IP changing software which is a program designed to allow a user to surf the Internet with his IP address hidden.

Remember that an IP address is a computer's unique identifier when it connects with any other computer on the Internet. This means that whatever a hacker can do, he can do it because he knows his victim's IP address. Naturally, when you hide your IP, you're safe from hackers. Thus, with an IP changer alone, you can be assured of significant Internet threat protection.

Why Online Backup is Important - Safeguard Your Data on the Internet

Information is what makes the world go round. In the business world, any organization stores thousands or millions of data everyday for the use in their venture. Sales receipts, pricelist, manifests, and portfolios -- every single data is stored in a database for various uses. What do you think would happen if your precious data is suddenly wiped out from your storage? Let me introduce to you the concept of online backup.

Online Storage

The Internet is not only for the function of disseminating information to every individual in the planet. Today, those who have access to the Internet is capable of utilizing online storage sites to safeguard their files and having access to it wherever they go. The concept of online backup is simple -- store data that can be accessed from any computer console at your disposal.

Safeguard Data

Database backup offsite has its own advantages and disadvantages, but the benefits tend to outweigh the possible drawbacks that come with it. For starters, you can easily upload any form of data to your online servers with ease. You can backup your files through FTP, or Web-based environment for data upload and download.

Benefits

Online backup offers every individual the convenience of having access to important data from any computer console available. Let's take your Webmail for example, you can access your mails from any computer -- all you need to do is to login to your account and your done. Same is with the case of file backup online. You just need to login to your account, utilize built-in applications for uploading files, that's it!

Also, online backup is your last resort in case of emergencies -- like someone accidentally wiped out your entire database on your company's computer. You need not worry sine you have all the information from your latest backup and you can immediately download it to your computer to restore organization functions without having to worry too much about it.

Keep in mind, however, that human initiative is essential for a successful utilization of file backup online. Set a date or time for a routine backup to ensure that restoration of these relevant data is up-to-date. It might also be best to limit people who have access to your backup to avoid tampering.

Online backup is a necessity in today's business. Trusting too much on your private servers might lead to unrecoverable loss later on when you don't have a backup online to restore company operations.

Keep Your PC Safe - Internet Security For the Home User

As the number of cable modems and Wi-Fi networks increases, internet security is becoming more of an issue. You may think that your Internet connection is safe from unwelcome and unwanted intrusion by hackers, but there are some things you can do to improve your security levels to stop hackers gaining access to your personal details, bank account numbers and passwords.

The reason that Internet security is becoming more of an issue now is that people are spending longer connected to the Internet. And unless that pathway is protected by high level security, the hackers will have more opportunities to find a way in. Hijacked machines (often known as zombies and forming part of botnets) are valuable to fraudsters and spammers. The trick is to beat the hackers at their own game.

There are three aspects of home Internet protection, sometimes referred to as the 'holy trinity'.

Personal firewall/intrusion detection

These are the firewalls that often come with your operating system. In older operating systems such as Windows 95 and 98, these systems have virtually no inbuilt security. Because these systems have now been superseded by more up to date software, it is advisable that if you are still operating Win95 or 98 to upgrade to a system that is supported by a Microsoft inbuilt firewall.

All versions of Vista, XP and 2000 are still supported by Microsoft and have inclusive firewall protection. For an additional layer of security, external firewall programs can be incorporated into your operating system as simply as downloading any other piece of software. It is advisable to talk to an expert, however, as some firewalls may not be compatible with your operating system and you may encounter run conflicts that could affect other aspects of your system.

The most popular free downloadable firewall is Zone Alarm, although for comprehensive coverage, Zone Alarm Pro is probably a better option. You can also set your Internet security levels to 'high' on your operating system if you are going to be on the Internet for prolonged periods.

Anti-spyware software

Spyware is software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge. That information is then passed to a third party (the hacker or fraudster) and suddenly your secure system isn't quite as secure as you thought it was. There are countless pieces of embedded software (often also known as 'malware') that piggyback onto downloads and install themselves into your operating system. These include BHOs (Browser Helper Objects) which hijack your browser and take it to their 'chosen' site whether you want to go there or not. Although annoying, these don't do any real damage. However, other spyware can count keystrokes and relay these back to hackers who, from this data, can uncover passwords and other information such as account numbers. Anti-spyware software stops this malware from infiltrating your computer and leaving your important information exposed.

Anti-virus software

A virus can devastate a computer. Designed to cause maximum damage to your data, viruses are created to cause mayhem and have no other purpose other than that. Anti-virus software is essential, particularly if you are using the Internet for long periods of time, and the best option is to include a package such as McAfee VirusScan in your operating system. Ensure that you update this program regularly (you will receive prompts from your computer on start-up).

No piece of anti-virus or spyware software can cover all threats, so it's a good idea to keep an eye out for updates and to combine several systems to cover your bases. There are also some things you can do for yourself when online to keep your PC and your personal details safe:

• Never open email attachments if you do not know who the email has come from, or even from friends. This is the easiest way to allow a virus to access your system.
• Avoid downloading files from sites you are not familiar with.
• Ensure that your security protocol is set to 'high' if you are going to be online for any length of time
• No bank will ever ask for your details via email. Any that do are scams and should be immediately deleted without responding and your bank notified of the scam attempt.
• If something looks suspicious (poor spelling, bad graphics), then trust your instincts - it probably is a bogus email or phishing attempt to get access to your personal details
• If you have a wireless network in your home, ensure that it is password protected.
• Never have the same password for all your sites.

With a little thought and preparation, you can keep your home PC safe from outside attacks and your details out of the hands of fraudsters.

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DDoS Attack Hits Amazon Cloud Customer Hard

UPDATE: updated to clarify that the downtime was isolated to the single customer, and to include comments from Amazon Web Services.

(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- As has been reported in several sources this week, including this report from The Register, a customer of Amazon’s cloud computing service - Bitbucket (www.bitbucket.org), a web-based code hosting service that uses both EC2 and the Amazon’s Elastic Block Storage - reported 19 hours of downtime as a result of a DDoS attack.

The disruption, as most of the reports have mentioned, is certain to raise questions about both the resiliance and stability of cloud hosting solutions, as well as invite scrutiny into the quality of Amazon’s response to customer situations like this one.

In an email, Amazon Web Services public relations manager Kay Kinton writes "The customer’s Amazon EC2 instance was receiving a very large amount of network traffic. This large flood of traffic exceeded the networking of the customer’s single Amazon EC2 instance and caused performance to degrade on all network operations for that instance (including access to the EBS volume). Once we properly diagnosed the problem, we worked with the customer to put measures in place to help mitigate the unwanted traffic they were receiving. We have continued to work with the customer to apply network filtering techniques which have kept their site functioning properly."

Bitbucket operator Jesper Nøhr spent a great deal of energy venting his frustrations about the situation via Twitter over the weekend and on Monday. He also published a detailed account of the outage timeline on the company’s blog.

He says in the post that, while he was advised not to reveal the source of the outage (according to The Register, because Amazon felt revealing the attack might give future attackers fuel for designing new means of attacking the service), he believed he owed it to customers to explain what went wrong.

“We were attacked. Bigtime,” he wrote. “We had a massive flood of UDP packets coming in to our IP, basically eating away all bandwidth to the box. This explains why we couldn’t read with any sort of acceptable speed from our EBS, as that is done over the network. So, basically a massive-scale DDOS. That’s nice.”

Nøhr’s blog post, and much of the discussion that has flowed from the incident, is more a look at Amazon’s response, and a debate about the nature of customer service than an investigation into the technical issues at play. His post concludes by saying Bitbucket is taking measures to ensure an outage of this kind won’t happen again, and that those measures might include moving to a new hosting provider.

In the final analysis, he doesn’t come down too hard on Amazon, demonstrating that the company devoted a lot of support attention to his cause after a frustrating (and exceedingly long) preliminary period – about 10 hours.

After the service was originally restored, Bitbucket reportedly suffered two further attacks, Sunday morning and early Monday.

The technical question seems to be how an attack using external traffic was able to disrupt the connection between Bitbucket’s EC2 and EBS resources, which one might reasonably consider an “internal” network connection, and why Amazon didn’t have the means in place to more quickly identify the outage as the result of a DDoS attack.

Kinton points out that AWS may have to do more work to help educate customers on the availability of measures to mitigate the impact of unexpected spikes in traffic.

"We are working to make sure we learn from this and continue to improve the speed with which we and our customers can diagnose issues like this," she says. "We will also provide additional guidance to our customers on how they can better detect this sort of problem and use existing features of EC2 to run a highly scalable and available website. These features include taking advantage of EC2’s scale-out ability to run multiple instances in multiple availability zones and regions, the Elastic Load Balancing feature which helps users filter and balance traffic among their instances and the Auto-Scaling feature which allows users to scale in response to changes in customer traffic."

In the comment section of the Bitbucket blog post, Nøhr wrote that he wouldn’t answer many of the technical questions posted in the comments, but that the company’s system admins “are writing a follow-up post outlining some more meaty details with numbers and graphs.”

Source: http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/100609_Outage_Hits_Amazon_Cloud_Customer_Hard

The Assclown Offensive: How to Enrage the Church of Scientology

In the evening of January 15, 2008, a 31-year-old tech consultant named Gregg Housh sat down at the computer and paid a visit to one of his favorite Web sites, the message board known as 4chan. Like most of the 5.9 million people who visit the site every month, Housh was looking for a few cheap laughs. Filled with hundreds of thousands of brief, anonymous messages and crude graphics uploaded by the site's mostly male, mostly twentysomething users, 4chan is a fountainhead of twisted, scatological, absurd, and sometimes brilliant low-brow humor. It was the source of the lolcat craze (affixing captions like "I Can Has Cheezburger?" to photos of felines), the rickrolling phenomenon (tricking people into clicking on links to Rick Astley's ghastly "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video), and other classic time-wasting Internet memes. In short, while there are many online places where you can educate yourself, seek the truth, and contemplate the world's injustices and strive to right them, 4chan is not one of them.

Yet today, Housh found 4chan grappling with an injustice no Internet-humor fan could ignore. Days earlier, a nine-minute video excerpt of an interview with Tom Cruise had appeared unauthorized on YouTube and other Web sites. Produced by the Church of Scientology, the clip showed Cruise declaring himself and his co-religionists to be, among other remarkable things, the "only ones who can help" at an accident site. For the online wiseasses of the world, the clip was a heaven-sent extra helping of the weirdness Tom Cruise famously showed on Oprah. But then, suddenly, it was gone: Scientologists had sent takedown notices to sites hosting the video, effectively wiping it from the Web.

Housh and other channers knew that Scientology had a long history of using copyright law to silence Internet-based critics. But this time, maybe because the church was stifling not just unflattering content but potential comedy gold, the tactic seemed to inflame the chortling masses. That evening, Housh logged in to an IRC channel frequented by like-minded chuckleheads and started talking with five others about the Cruise video. There was a sense that something must be done, but what? One of them logged out and posted a call to action on 4chan and some similar sites. By the middle of the night, 30 people had joined the chat. Within a couple of days, a consensus emerged: They would take down the main Scientology Web site with a massive distributed denial-of-service attack, or DDoS.

By the time the attacks started on January 18, Housh and many of the now 200 others on the chat channel were devoting every spare moment to the cause: "We were like, OK, we have 24 hours today. None of us need to sleep. Get your caffeine. What's the next step?"

Someone suggested they create a press release. Housh and four others broke off into a side channel to work on it while the DDoS attacks unfolded. They figured they should explain the goals of their spontaneous uprising, but what exactly were those goals? "We had no fricking clue what we were doing," Housh says. "We didn't mean to do it in the first place." They were still more of a riot than a movement—a faceless, leaderless mob growing daily as new adherents flocked in. None of them knew one another, even by pseudonyms, since as a rule there was only one username throughout the community. In fact, it was a standing in-joke on 4chan and related sites that their collective output was the product of a single hive-mind entity, known by that same username: Anonymous.

Instead of a press release, Housh and the others made a video introduction in the name and voice of the hive mind itself. Thrown together in a few days of furious collaboration, it appeared on YouTube on January 21, titled "Message to Scientology."

"Hello, leaders of Scientology. We are Anonymous," the clip began in a robotic, software-generated voice-over accompanied by stock footage of clouds rolling over desolate cityscapes. "Your campaigns of misinformation, your suppression of dissent, your litigious nature: All of these things have caught our eye," the voice explained. "For the good of your followers, for the good of mankind—and for our own enjoyment—we shall proceed to expel you from the Internet and systematically dismantle the Church of Scientology in its present form." The message ended, as it had begun, on a pitch-perfect note of sci-fi comic book menace: "We are Legion," the robot voice intoned. "We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us."

Source: http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/magazine/17-10/mf_chanology

Website Security - Be Hacker Proof!

At first glance, online shopping seems easy as 123 because of how easy it is to choose, compare and purchase different products with the help of search engines. According to a survey of American online shoppers, 41% abandon their carts once they face difficulty in the transaction process. This only indicates that the story doesn't always have a happy ending. Some online shoppers do encounter difficulties, confusion and misleading tactics that make them discontinue the shopping or subscription process. Can all this be blamed to a weak website security?

If you are online merchant, you want to avoid your potential sale from turning into thin air. Surprisingly, it is not other e-commerce businesses that you should feel threatened about- even more if you know for yourself that you sell top notch products or services. It is those attackers trying to find a vulnerable spot in your website security that you should be careful of. 95% of cyber attacks are targeted to banks and businesses processing credit cards. And if you have no protection, then you have higher chances of being hacked.

Cyber crime is rising rapidly and it has become a weapon of destruction because in the year 2008 alone, the loss due to cyber crimes has reached $1 trillion. What's even more alarming is the fact that tracing these cyber criminals is almost close to impossible. Even government institutions have fallen prey to hackers, and sad to say, due lack of evidence and difficulty in tracing, they haven't had prosecuted almost any of the guilty party.

Computers were invented out of necessity and we store everything in it! This is followed by the creation of internet -a real world where we buy, sell, exchange goods and services. Are you a 100% sure that information is securely saved on your computer network and website?

Take note that hackers are privacy invaders and will try incessantly to steal your that identity and hard earned income. Cyber attackers are masters when it comes to sophisticated technology. They can insert viruses and malicious files into your system without you even knowing it. The truth is having only anti- virus software can be a false sense of security. If you really want to prevent your business from becoming a statistic in cyber crime damages, then be educated about website security. You'll have higher chances of beating the bad guys if you are aware of how they play the game of fraud.

You can only be prepared if you know what you are dealing with. Here are some cyber attacks you may not have heard of:

1. Phishing- method to steal credit card information, passwords and other important information in forms of suspicious links, and emails of spoofed websites.

2. Clickjacking - this is one of the new and most dangerous threats because there isn't any effective solution for this problem yet. So what hackers and spammers do is that they hide a malicious content under the cover of legitimate buttons or clickable items in the website. For example, you clicked 'enter' into a website but instead the hacker directed the click you made into downloading viruses. They can also create spoofs of legitimate websites, where they steal credit card information entered by shoppers.

Online shoppers face more risk of fraud than those who do physical shopping. They might thought that they have purchased real goods from a legitimate merchant, but it can be possible they were actually misled. Online merchants also face the possibility of being hacked of names, addresses and credit card information. It is no surprise that for this reason, e-commerce businesses come and go. Having no website security is like having no burglar alarm on your property. You may wake up one day and everything has been taken away.

Hackers don't only target only large businesses. In fact, they easily find unprotected systems which are mostly small to medium businesses. According to hacker safe, 75% of e-commerce is not secure. Isn't it a disgrace to be a part of that statistic? There are many ways to get started with website security. So go ahead and get started.

1. Get covered with the basics. So install at the same time: a firewall system, anti-virus program and anti spy-ware program.

2. Get trust seals. This works both ways- it increases consumer confidence thus increasing sales and secures your website from vulnerabilities that hackers can take advantage of.

3. Get a consultant. If you have a budget and you can't handle it on your own, get a consultant to take care of your system and network. They too can make professional recommendations on ways how to secure your network.

Katrina loves to write and is dedicated to doing her best in all that she does.

Adware Spam Blocker Review

Do you want to download a piece of high quality adware spam blocker to get rid of all the malware that may be in your computer right now? Most people have heard of the term adware but are not aware of the dangers that it poses to them. Adware are irritating programs that run advertisement scripts once they are successfully installed into the system. For example, you may sometimes find advertisement banners popping up whether or not you are online. This is usually the most obvious sign of adware.

1. What Are the Harmful Effects of Getting Your Computer Infected by Malware Such as Spyware and Adware?

The first harmful effect is that it will start clogging up your system with more and more advertisement pop ups and slowing down the overall processing speed. The more harmful effect is that it may be stealing sensitive information such as credit card numbers or username and passwords from the user and use them for unauthorized and illegal purposes.

The most common industrial use of adware is their use in free software. Programmers usually write malware codes into their free software to try to recoup their costs of developing the software and earning some profits in the process. By displaying such advertisements, they are able to make some money when the user either clicks on the ads or actually purchases the products referred by the advertisements.

2. Download Spyware and Adware Spam Blocker Software

It is important to first research and read reviews about the capabilities and functions of any software you are planning to download and use. Even though there are many product vendors claiming to have the most effective spyware and adware solution available, be sure to check out other user reviews for a more unbiased review first. To find out which are the best antispyware tools to use, you should check out forums or read websites with reviews provided by real life users of these protection software.

Are you looking to download Adware Spam Blocker? Don't do it yet, because the author has found many bad spyware and adware cleaning software on the web. Read the author's review of the Top 5 Spyware & Adware Removal Software on the market now at http://www.review-best.com/spyware-adware-removal-software.htm first!

Learn to completely get rid of all the spyware and adware on your computer in less than 5 minutes with a FREE PC Scan!

Perform a Confiker Virus Removal

What is the confiker virus? How can it harm me? How can I fix it for once and for all so that it does not bother me in the future? There are many different things that you can do to get rid of the confiker virus, you just want to make sure that you are taking the correct steps to get rid of it today!

There are many different aliases and variants that can potentially harm your computer. The most popular one seems to come up somewhere around april fool's day and can definitely harm your computer dramatically.

What is it, what does it do? This virus does all kinds of terrible things such as not allowing you to access specific security websites, it will erase all of your documents, and will even mess with the back-up service. It is a malicious virus that aims to delete everything in its site, it was built purely for harmful purposes and has brought down whole organizations.

The worst thing is that it can lie dormant for months at a time something like a human virus. The great thing is that there is top notch software to get rid of it before it gets to this point, as technology is increasing to battle this as well. There are other viruses that could be on your computer and currently slowing it down.

It is recommended that you get an antispyware software package that's up to date and a registry cleaner that can help you get rid of all that clutter and unnecessary junk that may be on your computer - you'll be able to speed up your computer and get rid of all that stuff for once and for all!

Are you experiencing Repair DLL Error Messages, EXE error messages, general slow downs of your computer, Sychost, System 32, Fix General Protection Fault, General Shutdown, Javascript, Activex, Adware, Spyware, Viruses, or a huge variety of errors for your computer? You can fix this with a very easy to use registry fix tool that is available for a free trial. For More Information, Visit: http://registrycleanpro.blogspot.com/

President Obama's Cyber Security Plan and What You Can Do to Support It!

A flurry of articles concerning Cyber Security and the threat it poses to our National Security have been written over the past several weeks and with great cause. The number one National Security threat to the United States has been the theft of our industrial and defense proprietary information. What many of you do not realize, is the fact that China, Russia and a few others have been stealing us blind and infecting our IT Infrastructure for many years. The have taken advantage of corporate America's extremely lax computer security protocols, hacking into their databases, planting malicious code to be activated at a later date, stealing secrets such as nuclear power development, weapon design and construction, pharmaceutical formulas, marketing plans, financial data of not only major companies, but yours as well. This is a problem that has existed for years, but has grown to such proportions that our government has finally decided that the best defense is educating our population so we ALL can do something about it.

I have written several articles related to Internet security, all of them focused on what YOU can do about it. Over the past several years, we have seen how inept the government, financial and retail industries are, when it comes to protecting critical information such as your banking records, social security and credit card numbers and other information, that, if placed in the wrong hands can ruin you. Couple this with the convenience of wireless Internet access and you have a recipe for disaster, unless you become more aware of how hackers can access your private information, and have easy to use tools to protect that critical information. Wireless Internet access is here to stay. It's convenient, cheap and easy to use, for both you and the bad guy.

Recently a major telephone service provider admitted that their wireless routers did not provide adequate protection. Last month, I commented on a recent vulnerability scan of various financial districts around the world and the miserable failing of over half of the 3,600 wireless access points tested. If your bank or your Internet service provider is not going to provide you with the means to protect yourself, who will? The answer is you! The threat is so large, that even our own government is years behind the curve in being able to provide the level of protection needed for everyone in the United States.

But, it must start somewhere and it might as well be you. You do not have to be an IT security genius. There are several applications available that are easy to use, affordable and effective. You want something that you can just turn on and know it is protecting your Internet connection. You want something that protects you from marketers and hackers collecting personal information about you. You want something that easily password protects your personal information and stores it safely wherever you place it. You want to do all of this without having to make any configuration adjustments yourself.

This application exists. The application is called Covert Surfer. Covert Surfer is an easy to use, affordable and very effective Internet Privacy and Security program that encrypts your Internet connection, no matter where you are, and prevents your neighbor, the sandwich shop owner's son and the guy sitting across the coffee shop, from stealing you blind, ruining your relationship with your girlfriend or even worse. Using industry approved, state of the art encryption, Covert Surfer protects you from identity theft, as well as your right to privacy. Covert Surfer automatically erases your cookies and encrypts your personal files for safe keeping. Covert Surfer is another great tool in the fight for Internet Identity and Privacy Protection. As an added bonus, Covert Surfer can be downloaded directly onto your computer or onto a USB Flash Drive, making it portable and a perfect travel companion.

Michael Dunleavy, President, Diginonymous, LLC
For more information on data protection visit us at http://www.covertsurfer.com

Phishing - The Dangers Are Far to Real Online

Phishing is simply not going around in the lake, and catching fish. It's a far to real internet crime that is sweeping America. Basically, it is phishing for your personal information through a fake e-mails, that appears to be from Amazon, eBay, or from your bank. (these are just an example) The reason is so crooks can gain access to your personal information and steal your identity.

A typical scam email will states that they need your password because their has been fraudulent activity on your account. It will appear to look like it is from the actual company. However, it will be addresses as Dear Sir or Dear Mam. Even more sophisticated nowadays they will use your name. Never click on any of their links because they have been known to release Trojan viruses onto you computer.

As an added warning these letters will commonly provoke you to act quickly. or your account will be shut down. Another thing to be cautious of is the sender's email will have the same return address to make it appear to be real.

These tips should help you avoid phishing online:

Never respond to the emails that ask for your personal information. If you do suspect that it is real, contact them by phone to verify.

Most companies have it in their policies, that they will NEVER ask you for personal information.

Check your latest anti phishing forums and websites to get a current update of what is going around on the internet.

Get a anit-virus program and make sure you frequently update it.

Report Online Scams
If someone does rip you off you can report it to the authorities, as well as post your story at: http://www.report-online-scams.com for free. I specialize in getting your story out their on the internet. Please check out my site before you many any more online purchases.

How to Remove Trojan Horse Virus and Worms

Would you like to learn how to remove Trojan horse virus and worms from your PC fast? There are many different types of viruses and malicious software spreading around the Internet today. To make matters worse, some malware are using very creative ways to influence innocent users to download them. For example, one of the most common ways is to use misrepresentation to get the user to click on links.

1. Beware of False Security Messages That Would Cause You To Download Malware into your Computer

The virus or worm would display a security message that warns the user that his or her computer has been infected. These viruses would display warnings that appear to be legitimate. It then entices the user to click on links that would apparently take them to sites for removal of the viruses, when in actual fact the malicious software is making the user visit an infected website and run more malicious codes on the user's system and registry.

2. What Are Some Common Ways For Trojan Horse Viruses, Malware and Worms to Infect your System?

The most common way for a PC system to get infected by malicious software is via downloads of files online, especially from free download websites. The same is true for peer to peer files sharing networks like Kazaa and Limewire. Visits to malicious websites and connection of infected media devices like a corrupted thumb-drive can also bring the problem to your PC.

3. Beware of Scam Trojan Horse Virus, Worms and Malware Software

One of the most sophisticated scams is fake protection spyware and virus removal software. They claim to help you scan your system and then report fake results in order to get you to purchase whatever "security software" that they offer. To really remove harmful malware, you need to research carefully and download only legitimate antivirus and antispyware software.

Want to learn how to Remove Trojan Horse Virus and Worms fast? Don't do it yet, because the author has found many bad spyware and Trojan cleaning software on the web. Read the author's review of the Top 5 Spyware & Trojan Removal Software on the market now at http://www.review-best.com/spyware-trojan-removal-software.htm first! Learn to completely get rid of all the spyware and Trojans on your computer in less than 5 minutes with a FREE PC Scan!

How to Hide Your IP Address to Protect Yourself From Hackers

All that a hacker needs is for you to visit their website to get your IP address and they can infiltrate your computer. Yes your firewall will help, but it's not full proof so IP masking is another layer of security.

Understand how it works. Your IP address or Internet protocol is simply the unique address of your computer on the Internet. The address consists of four numbers divided by periods. These numbers indicate the domain, the subnetwork, the network and the host computer.

Use an IP masking tool. A masking tool changes your IP address when you are surfing online. It does this by routing your Internet traffic through an overseas server. Usually the tool will have a drop down box that enables the user to choose an IP address from one of the countries mentioned in the box or you can just have it choose a country at random.

Protect yourself from fraud. One of the reasons to protect your address is to protect yourself from fraud or potential hackers. If they manage to get in they can steal important documents or get to your passwords. This is especially worrisome if you do a lot of online banking.

Protect yourself from spyware. Spyware is the software that monitors a computer's activities. Many free softwares online, or free porn surfing sites today contain spyware that allows people to watch your every movement.

Protect yourself from junk mail. Another advantage of hiding your IP address is that it will help protect you from spam.

Find a software. There are plenty of good softwares out there for masking some free some at a cost. GoTrusted is one that you might want to check out there's also MaskMyIP.

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How to Remove a Virus Easily

Would you like to learn how to remove a virus easily from your computer? Most users have no idea what to do when their PCs get infected, which can become a big problem because viruses and other forms of malware have the capability to destroy important files when not treated early.

1. What are Computer Viruses and How Do They Usually Spread?

This type of malicious software can duplicate and spread itself rapidly. It can spread through the Internet when users download infected files and open bad email attachments, through infected media storage devices like a thumb drive, CD-ROMs and floppy disks etc. They have the capability to damage or completely delete important files, data and registry entries stored inside a computer system.

2. How to Remove a Virus From Your Computer Easily?

After my personal laptop got infected by Trojan viruses, I managed to finally get rid of all of them with a spyware and virus removal software. They have the capability to detect any malicious file and quarantine them (so that they cannot damage the computer files anymore) for removal or repair afterwards. Most of the time, you will attempt to repair or delete the infected files.

3. What Are the First Things You Should Do When a Virus Attacks Your PC?

If the infected computer is connected within a network, you should disconnect it immediately to prevent it from spreading to other PCs. After that, you should backup all important data and files on the PC immediately in case they get destroyed. After you have taken these critical actions, you can then proceed to run an antivirus and anti-spyware software to detect and destroy them. The entire process did not take more than 30 minutes for me.

Are you looking to Remove a Virus from your computer fast? Don't do it yet, because the author has found many bad spyware and virus cleaning software on the web. Read the author's review of the Top 5 Spyware & Virus Removal Software on the market now at http://www.review-best.com/spyware-virus-removal-software.htm first!

Learn to completely get rid of all the spyware and viruses on your computer in less than 5 minutes with a FREE PC Scan!

How to Prevent Identity Theft - Some Tips

Your identity is one of the most important personal possessions that you have. You may not realize or even be aware of it, but protecting your identity from unscrupulous identity thieves should be the top priority for you. More than 10 million Americans fall prey to identity theft annually, and by the time they realize it, they lose a lot of money and their credit standing, not to mention the hassle, shock and bother that go with it.

Identity thieves are on the prowl to get hold of various kinds of personal information like the Social Security numbers, bank account or email id passwords and a host of other data that could be of use to them in a plethora of fraudulent ways. Prevention is better than cure. Being armed with information and taking precautionary measures is a sign of prudence.

Here are a few tips to help you prevent identity theft:

·Social Security Number: Preserving your social security number is of prime importance as it is the primary source for your credit report. If this gets into the hands of identity thieves, they can use it to open and operate accounts under your name with disastrous consequences for you. Be careful never to leave your social security card carelessly about. It's better not to take it out in your wallet each time you go out, unless it is absolutely necessary. Storing it under lock and key or in a safe deposit box is actually a great idea.

·Online Transactions and Passwords: A lot of transactions, including banking transactions, are conducted by individuals online nowadays. Whether it is making a payment online, booking airline and travel tickets or making online purchases, online transaction modules have brought in great convenience and flexibility for consumers. However, indiscreet and careless use of online transaction portals is a huge source of identity theft. 'Phishing' is an online phenomenon where online fraudsters ask for your personal information, user ids and passwords, posing as genuine online portals. Once you part with this information, the mischief begins. To prevent these:

o Be careful not to click on pop-up ads and spam mails.

o Use firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware to secure online transactions.

o Ensure that online transactions are logged out of and any online shopping is done through secure and genuine vendors only.

o Hold information on your ids and passwords very close to your heart. Do not use your name or birth date as passwords as these can be easily hacked into. Make passwords a little complex, using alphanumeric characters. Never keep PIN numbers strewn about your house carelessly.

o Do not pass on sensitive information related to your ids and passwords even to your family members or close friends unless it's critically vital.

·Mailboxes: While it's best to have a dedicated post office box, it may not always be feasible. If you have an ordinary mailbox, remove mail and documents regularly. All personal mails with PINs, Social Security numbers or passwords must be shred finely and disposed of carefully so that identity thieves may not get hold of it. When you are away, ask the post office to hold your mail.

·Credit Cards: Be very careful about user ids and passwords or PINs. Any document with credit card PIN information must be finely shred and discarded. Also, ask for and scan credit reports regularly to detect any misuse or fraud. In any case, the moment you suspect any foul play involving your credit card, ask the issuing authority to freeze the credit or put it on a fraud alert. This will prevent any wrong use of the card. If the statements are delayed, check the same because the thieves may have altered the address.

·Personal belongings: When you are required to carry your wallet or handbag with the social security number or credit cards, be extra careful that your pocket is not picked or your wallet is not lost. Not everyone who picks up your wallet or handbag may have enough integrity to return it. So if it gets into wrong hands, your liability will not be limited only to the money you had in the wallet or handbag.

·Phone calls: Beware of crooks who may call you under assumed identities asking you for information pertaining to your identity. So not give out your credit information carelessly.

·Charities: Genuine charity organizations will provide you brochures and information. So, you need not worry about any information that you provide. Be wary of charities with suspect credentials that ask you for some identity related information.

·Identity Coverage: You can consider identity theft coverage programs like Identity Guard or Lifelock to help protect your identity and prevent hassles and bother in case your identity information security is ever compromised.

Preserving your identity is not only important, but also critical. You just cannot let your identity security and confidentiality be compromised. A few precautions as mentioned here could go a long way in preventing identity theft. Be safe, be secure!

Mozy Pro Review - A Close Look at Mozy Pro For Business Use

Mozy Pro is the online backup solution offered by Mozy that is designed for the needs of small and medium businesses. This Mozy Pro review evaluates the features of the service, its advantages, and the areas where it can do better.

Mozy Pro Basic Features

As its name suggests, this service is the "professional," or business counterpart, of Mozy Home. It provides all the features as the home version plus more advanced features to assist the IT pro, the office manager, or the businessman. For each computer that you will be backing up, you need to use either of two licenses - the desktop license which costs $3.95 plus $0.50/GB per month, or the server license, which is priced at $6.95 plus $0.50/GB per month.

The server license comes with a higher price tag than the desktop license because it already includes Microsoft Windows Server OS support, network share support, and backup & restore of Exchange and SQL, among others. The Mozy system utilizes a secure 128-bit SSL encryption during the backing up process and 448-bit Blowfish encryption or 256-bit AES encryption while your files are in storage.

The Pros

Regardless of whether you opt for a server or desktop license, Mozy Pro comes at a very affordable cost for such a secure and comprehensive online storage and backup package.

Aside from putting all the stops when it comes to security, Mozy Pro has also placed the user's convenience and ease of use at the top of its priority. The service supports both Windows and Mac, and gives the user an option of to set it on automatic or scheduled mode of backup.

Mozy Pro also backs up and restores all types of data files on practically any software or database in your computer - Exchange, SQL, and those in network drives. Plus, it comes with advanced administrative features which is ideal for a multi-user business set-up.

The Cons

Mozy Pro is not without its flaws, though. Some users of this online storage and backup facility have pointed out that the technical support provided is rather slow and at times not helpful at all. Problems in connecting to Mozy's servers have also been experienced by some users, and the software itself has been reported by some as "buggy."

Another common complaint cited in Mozy Pro reviews and by subscribers is the fact that when they reach their backup quota, the backup fails. To ensure that your data has been successfully stored, the process should be checked regularly, which can be inconvenient and time-consuming.

Lastly, although the restore function itself is quite seamless, the process can take a long time. Plus, it can take up to 24 hours or more simply for Mozy to retrieve the data before you can begin the restore process. Businesses that need their data restored quickly such as doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc. may find this delay unacceptable.

Mozy Pro Review Summary

On the whole, while this service isn't perfect it is a secure and an affordable solution for small and medium businesses. The other benefit is that a business can be up and running with the service almost immediately. So for businesses without IT departments or those that just want a simple online backup solution, Mozy Pro is certainly worth consideration. And since they offer month-to-month plans, businesses can test the service without committing to a long-term contract.

Be sure to read the full review of Mozy Pro here to decide if it is the best online storage solution for your business!

How to Decide on Shared Web Hosting

There really is a vast quantity of data available on the Internet regarding how to choose the best web hosting. The good thing is that there's only a small collection of entirely critical factors that you must have a grasp of. In this article I'll briefly run through some of the most important elements that you really ought to take care with.

Please remember, what you really want here is very good value. The cheapest price will not give good value. The thing you are actually searching for from a hosting company is the best combination of various different factors that ultimately, will give you the best value.

Make sure that you don't put too much emphasis on the dramatic headlines. Some of the adverts you will see promoting web hosts will present exciting headlines. What you're hunting for is a reliable and well rounded hosting firm. These claims in the headlines will not present a thorough overview of the whole offer. You will really need to travel a little bit further to locate the reliable information that you will require before making any commitments.

Verifying the trust-worthiness of the web hosting company is a vitally important subject to endeavor to investigate. Selling on the World Wide Web is relatively straightforward. Nearly any person can set it up. In the context of these factors it's quite easy to see how there is a small number of dubious ones around the Net. A really great line of attack for judging the reliability of the web hosting company is to check roughly how many years they have been in business.

As I said before, this has been a basic outline of a few of the most vital aspects about the matter of how to choose the best web hosting. There are just a small number of other really critical points that you will really have to have a grasp of.

To learn about those other things right now please go to web hosting advice now. For the best tips http://info.answertrain.com/WebHostingAdvice.html

Who's That Stalker Who Keeps E-mailing Me?

When most people hear the word stalker, they assume that someone is following you around or, at the very least, calling you at all hours and invading your privacy. While both in person and over the phone stalking are terrifying experiences, you can also be stalked via your email, as well. Email stalking can be done by just about anyone and until recently, there was no real way you could find out who was really responsible. Now, an easy to use online tool has made holding email stalkers responsible for their actions.

An online email search only takes a moment to perform and it can answer some serious questions. You can begin by entering in the email address that is bothering you and pressing enter. The site will use both online searches and public records scans to find any matching information pertaining to that email address. You can instantly know who is behind the stalking so that you can begin to put an end to it at that moment.

There is a second way in which you can help to put an end to email stalking. If you think you know the name of the person responsible, you can enter in that name and find out if the email address that is bothering you is connected to that name. This way, you can double check to see if you have, in fact, figured out the party responsible. It is also important that you notify the police if you feel that the stalking emails you have gotten are endangering your life or your safety.

It only takes a moment to perform your first email address search and it can help you put an end to any email stalking that you may be subjected to. You don't have to live a life of fear, fight back against email stalking by trying your very first email search today.

Jonelle is a freelance writer interested in online search techniques. Her newest project can be found at http://emailfinder.com

What Are the PC Security Tools That I Need?

PC security is very important for those who have a PC and internet connection.

In year 2000, the Byzantine Bloomberg network was attacked by two Kazakhstan hackers and demanded that Bloomberg pay $200,000 if they want their data back.

Byzantine Bloomberg can easily pay the ransom, however, the CEO decided that they cannot follow the hackers demand and brought with him undercover officers to where he would hand the money and the hackers were caught during the transaction.

Most companies are willing to pay high amount of money just to protect their data.

Computer and the world wide web certainly made any job easier, but it also created a new type of criminals.

So, in order to keep you and your computer safe from online threats, you need to have a few PC security tools software inside your computer.

1. Firewall

You need a firewall in order to monitor your ingoing and outgoing traffic. You can search the Google to find free firewall and install it into your computer.

2. Anti-Virus

Anti-virus is one of the important tools that you will need. However, most of the people didn't install any anti-virus and even if they did, they seldom update the virus definition. Updating the anti-virus definition is very important in order to keep you up-to-date with new viruses.

Please keep in mind that you can only have one anti-virus installed in your computer.

3. Anti-Adware and ant-spyware

Adware and malware are software with malicious intent. Created by hackers for their own use, these two types of malware are dangerous to your PC. Therefore, you need anti-spyware and anti-adware software.

Different with anti-virus, you can install more than one in your computer. However, please make sure that you have one anti-spyware or anti-adware software with real-time protection.

4. Site-Advisor

Seldom people know about site-advisor and I decided to put this type of software as one of my must-have list PC protection tools.

Site advisor can warn you if you're visiting websites that contain malware or phishing websites. So, it's a very important tools to have if you're going online.

These four types of protection software are the must-have protection tools in your computer. I didn't expect you to have the knowledge of a computer expert to protect your computer. But, at least, by installing these software, it's better rather than having a "naked computer".

Azwan Asmat is the author of Chuang Computer Tips - http://chuangcomputer.blogspot.com - Online threats have become a major computer security issue. Would you like to know the secret of securing your PC from dangerous spyware, adware, and malware programs that can ruin your PC, your finances, and your sanity?!! Visit http://www.chuangcomputer.com/5day/ for more info.

Secure Your Computer Today

Why was your computer infected with a virus? I can tell you right now, you went to a site that was low security and it jumped onto your computer, you may of even executed a file you downloaded which contained a virus.

Computer viruses are like fleas, they jump from computer to computer, infecting everything they touch. I have been down this road before, I got a serious problem with my computer, it kind of almost ruined my business, all my details were exposed, it was like being burgled online, all my personal data read and used, I didn't go online for a long time, you could say I was afraid, could this happen again, my computer was violated and I couldn't stop it.

Well it didn't take me long to venture back online and I came armed, I got myself a great program that watches my back, I mean my computer system. It just sits there waiting for any intruders to try and take over my computer, as soon as I was set up with my program, it went to work. Within minutes of being online my computer was attacked, it detected, stopped and quarantined the virus, I have got this program running always and my computer is safe.

If you want peace of mind or you have had the same problems, then don't delay. You really need a program like the one I am using, it will give you peace of mind and it is very easy to set up, I had mine running in under 5 minutes.

http://internetsecurityinformation.blogspot.com/

What is Hacking?

What is your definition of hacking? Most people think of the news stories that relate to big companies having embarrassing problems as their data is compromised. But in truth, hacking goes a lot further than this.

It doesn't always have to be someone you don't know who hacks into your systems and causes problems for your business. It could equally be someone who works for you that doesn't have your best interests at heart. This is because the basic meaning of hacking is when someone accesses some or all of your computer systems without permission. And it doesn't just happen over the internet.

Quite often, many people don't see how widespread computer hacking can be. Assuming that they are only in danger from internet based attacks means they may not be covered for all risks. Even those companies that do all they can to prevent hacking which occurs online may have unwittingly turned a blind eye to other dangers.

This is why an understanding of what hacking is and what it involves can help you to protect your own business more fully. But what do you do if you don't know all the ins and outs of the threats posed?

The easiest solution is to rely on an expert to make sure every potential hole is plugged, and no one can break into your systems. Network penetration testing is one of the best ways to see how good your computer network really is. If you do have vulnerabilities it's best to find out via someone who is honest and is looking for them to benefit you. If you assume everything is okay and it isn't, you could be in for a nasty shock at some point in the future.

It is probably because people limit their definition of hacking that some businesses are more in danger than they realise. Everyone likes to think that all their employees are working honestly and for the company's good, but it doesn't always pan out that way.

Supposing an employee was given notice to leave but they had until the end of the day to clear their desk. They could potentially do a lot of damage to your computer system before they left, if the mood took them that way. Even though you could have them arrested for their actions, the damage would still be done and it would take time to rectify.

An expert in the field of ethical hacking would be able to highlight any potential problems and solve them before anyone else had a chance to exploit them. And that is certainly a service that is worth paying for.

Don't make the mistake of thinking this should only be done once though. Hackers are constantly finding new ways into previously secure systems. If you employ a company to see how up to date your security measures really are, make sure you do it on a regular basis. If you don't, you still run the risk of being caught out.

Pure Hacking helps protect your Internet security by providing world-class penetration testing and ethical hacking risk management services. For a free consultation, please visit Ethical Hacking.

Credit Card Users Need to Be Careful With Their Computers

If you, like most of us, own a home computer it is likely that you have used it to store personal information, perhaps done some internet banking, saved the addresses and names of family members for your Christmas card list...

It is unlikely that you would imagine yourself leaving this information out on the front door step for anybody on the street to come across, and we all know that we need to shred our personal information before we put it into the litter, but there are more aggressive identity thieves out there who are determined to get their hands on your information.

Personal computers are the new hot target for the thieves after your personal information, and they're stopping at nothing to get hold of them. If you decide to get rid of your computer for any reason, make sure you wipe the hard drive of every single thing on it otherwise you risk making it easily available to thieves. Identity fraudsters are looking specifically for used personal computers so they can harvest the information still on the hard rive.

If they can't get hold of your computer information this way, they will use a more aggressive approach and simply break into your home and steal the computer from you. There are a rising amount of theft victims saying that little more than the home computer has been stolen.

If you have any saved bank statements, pin numbers (a surprising amount of us keep these codes in a word document!) photographs of you and your family, passwords to bank accounts online etc all of this is going to in a neat little package waiting for the thief. It is so important to remember to password protect these files, if you must have them on your computer.

If you are going to get rid of your computer, take it to a responsible location and remember to destroy the hard disk inside. This way the computer can be recycled and its parts used without being a risk to your identity being stolen.

For credit cards be sure to make sure you look into all of the different credit card deals available. 0% credit cards can really make the difference on the day you are caught out on a payment you can't ignore.

Security Features You Should Know About If You Are Printing Your Own Checks

Hackers, spammers, and scammers are constantly surfing the Web looking for unwary victims. More and more people are falling victim to financial crimes such as check fraud, which is the number one crime in the financial sector.

In order to safeguard against check fraud, checks are being updated to contain enhanced security features. The increased security features help to prevent common crimes such as tampering, photocopying, and counterfeiting. Checks that lack security features can be readily altered by criminals.

It is common for checks to use one or more enhanced security features. One way to provide check security is by using special types of paper. One example is controlled paper stock in which checks are printed on a special, high-quality paper. Another way to provide security using paper is by printing checks on chemical sensitive paper. Checks are printed on a special paper that resists chemical alterations. Any type of chemical alteration will result in the destruction of the paper.

Another way to add security to checks is by using special printing techniques. Micro printing is an attractive security feature that places a small border around the check. To the naked eye, the border appears as a broken line but it is actually a series of words that cannot be duplicated by a photocopier or scanner. Prismatic pantographs are another printing option. This process employs a multicolor background with frequent changes in density. This makes the color impossible to duplicate. Watermarks are a type of security feature in which white ink is used to print the back of the check. The ink can only be seen using a black light thus the check is impossible to duplicate.

Other security features that can prevent check fraud include:

• Copy-void pantographs in which checks contain a series of dots on the backside. They are invisible to the naked eye but when photocopied or scanned, the word "VOID" will appear on the duplicate.
• Light-sensitive material known as fluorescent fibers can be used in check paper. These can only be seen in black light and they cannot be duplicated.
• Endorsement pantograph is a feature that prevents duplication of the check issuer's signature.
• Signature security is a feature in which there is a pantograph built in to the area surrounding the check's signature line. The pantograph interferes with scanners and copiers making it impossible to reproduce.
• Anti-fraud printing is a feature that uses MICR toner to create a stain to appear on any check that has been subjected to chemical tampering.

Learn more about secure check printing with MICR Toner and MICR Toner Cartridges by visiting the Inkcarts website.