Posts from — December 2008

6. Learn what to do if something goes wrong.
(a) If a scammer takes advantage of you through an Internet auction, when you’re shopping online, or in any other way, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
(b) If you get deceptive spam, including email pishing for your information, forward it to “spam at uce.gov” (replace “at” with the @ sign).
Be sure to include the full Internet header of the email. In many email programs, the full “Internet header” is not automatically included in forwarded email messages, so you may need to take additional measures to include the full information needed to detect deceptive pam.
(c) If you believe you have mistakenly given your information to a fraudster, file a complaint at the FTC’s website and then visit their Identity Theft website to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from a potential theft of your identity.
7. Use anti-virus software, a firewall, and anti-spyware software to help keep your computer safe and secure. Don’t be put off by the word “firewall.” It’s not necessary to fully understand how it works; it’s enough to know what it does and why you need it. Firewalls help keep hackers from using your computer to send out your personal information without your permission. While anti-virus software scans incoming email and files, a firewall is like a guard, watching for outside attempts to access your system and blocking communications from and to sources you don’t permit. Some spammers search the Internet for unprotected computers they can control and use anonymously to send unwanted spam emails. They refer to these as “zombie computers”.
If you don’t have up-to-date anti-virus protection and a firewall, spammers may try to install software that lets them route email through your computer, often to thousands of recipients, so that it appears to have come from your account. If this happens, you may receive an overwhelming number of complaints from recipients, and your email account could be shut down by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Some operating systems and hardware devices come with a built-in firewall that may be shipped in the “off” mode. Make sure you turn it on. For your firewall to be effective, it needs to be set up properly and updated regularly. Check your online “Help” feature for specific instructions.
8. Be sure to set up your operating system and Web browser software properly, and update them regularly. Hackers also take advantage of unsecured Web browsers (like Internet Explorer or Netscape) and operating system software (like Windows or Linux). Lessen your risk by changing the settings in your browser or operating system and increasing your online security. Check the “Tools” or “Options” menus for built-in security features. If you need help understanding your choices, use your “Help” function.
Your operating system also may offer free software patches that close holes in the system that hackers could exploit. In fact, some common operating systems can be set to automatically retrieve and install patches for you. If your system does not do this, bookmark the website for your system’s manufacturer so you can regularly visit and update your system with defenses against the latest attacks. Updating can be as simple as one click. Your email software may help you avoid viruses by giving you the ability to filter certain types of spam. It’s up to you to activate the filter. In addition, consider using operating systems that allow automatic updates.
9. Subscribe to a managed security services. As the best form of protection available today, you get much more than just software. You get professional grade technology coupled with having a team of security experts available to help with any security problem. This level of protection has never been available for homes and small businesses until now, and, because of the increase in online security threats, risks, and attacks, it is becoming the future of Internet security.
Although the Internet basically provides a positive and productive experience, cyber-attacks against our personal privacy and security are reaching epidemic proportions. These attacks are occurring in our own homes and businesses. Our own computers are being used are being used as zombies to attack other people, businesses, and even our nation itself. As an average Internet user, you may not be aware of these threats nor have any idea about the dramatically increasing risks you face when connected to the Internet.
On a campaign for internet safety awareness and protection, my mission is to bring critical awareness to individuals, families, and small business owners, and to provide access to the necessary tools and ongoing expertise to secure your computer and help you stay protected.
I invite you to join the many thousands of others who have tested their computers, discovered these threats are real, and taken the necessary steps to protect themselves.
Now that you have become aware of these issues, I encourage you to share this vital information with your families, friends and communities. Together, we can reach many millions of people and inform them about the threats to their privacy and security, and help them get the protection they desperately need.
Remember: When you say “No!” to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don’t, we all lose! © MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator
Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Safety Advocate, recommends to individuals and small business owners the protection (including free lifetime technical support and $25,000 identity theft insurance and recovery) package he uses. For more information, visit http://www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Although the Internet basically provides everyone a positive experience, attacks against our personal privacy and security are reaching epidemic proportions. These cyber-attacks are occurring in our own homes and businesses. Our personal computers are being used as zombies to attack the computers of other people, their businesses, and our nation. Identity theft and assorted crimes committed online, commonly referred to as cybercrime, has grown to epidemic proportions.
As an average computer and Internet user, you may not be aware of these threats nor have any idea about the dramatically increasing risks you face when your computer is connected to the Internet. And when you do become victimized, sometimes it seems that there is nothing you, the average computer-and-internet user, can do to fight back.
Internet Safety Advocates are on a campaign for Internet safety awareness and protection. With a mission is to bring critical awareness to individuals, families, and small business owners, they provide access to the necessary tools and ongoing expertise to help the public secure their computers and stay securely protected.Using the internet as a way to fight back, Internet Safety Advocates found a talk show as another way to continue to fight cybercrimes.
Online talk shows allow Internet Safety Advocates to expand their cybercrime-fight abilities by allowing:
* both domestic and international audiences to participate;
* listeners anywhere in the world to listen at no cost to them;
* English-speaking listeners anywhere in the world to call-in at no cost, and
* each show to be recorded and archived as a podcast for listeners to review at their leisure.
Thus, if you plan to start your own online talk show for whatever reason, I encourage you to utilize one that is, not only user-friendly, but offers the following features and benefits:
* it has one-click Flash-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) feature. (This enables listeners to interact with the show from their Web browser without the need for long-distance fees or a traditional landline or wireless phone.)
* It has an integrated telecom-based back-end infrastructure. (This means that for the listener no software downloads are needed.) Listeners who wish to participate during his live internet radio show must simply have a microphone connected to their computer and be logged onto the talk show’s site in order to connect directly with the host. Once those steps are completed, the listener simply clicks a button on the show’s web page to interact directly with the host.
If you’ve been wanting to fight back cybercrime and didn’t know exactly where to get start, here’s an option available to you. And the best part is that you won’t spend an arm and leg of your tight budget because the entire service is free. You can’t ask for better than that! If you run into difficulties or have questions, please feel free to contact me.
Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator, recommends to individuals and small business owners the protection package he uses. For more information, visit http://www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

There are loads of ways you can protect your privacy on the internet and I hope dear reader to show you a few.   But I think perhaps some background that is possibly to blame for my indignant paranoia and my problem with the presumption that people should be snooped on – just in case.   Now we all know that the internet is the most awesome communication medium that the world has ever seen – it has literally brought a whole world that much closer together.  I have met friends in place I probably would never have ever visited or even heard of thanks to the internet but of course it has been used for communicating between the zealots, fanatics, criminals and well everyone!
I do not think it is sufficient justification for the erosion of privacy, freedom of speech and blatant spying on the 99.99999% of the population to catch the one or two ne’er-do-wells that may be prosecuted for the violation of our civil liberties. I suggest if you feel like me that you should read the article below from the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation).
Well that’s my rather unscientific rant over and now I would like to show you a few ways to protect your privacy on internet.   I’m afraid you can’t completely protect your privacy without spending a few bucks but there are some simple free ways to stop those snoopers.
1. Get a separate email address for your personal email – don’t use this to subscribe, get information or any other stuff intended to sell you rubbish.
2. Tell, teach and order your kids not to give out personal information out on the internet.  Make it fun – create an anonymous persona they can use
3. Clear your cache – after you’ve surfed the web your browser stores images, pages and information on each page visited.  Delete these after each visit especially on public, or company machines.  It’s usually called – clear history, clear cache or similar and found in Tools/Options./Preferences or very similar.
4. Don’t use Free anonymous proxies to protect your privacy.  All you’re doing is relaying all your information through a server you know nothing about.
5. Always run a firewall and keep your computer up to date with security patches, it makes your computer much harder to break into.
6. If an email looks suspicious delete it.  Never open attachments unless you are sure of the sender.
7. Always keep your antivirus software up to date.
8. Keep your identity secure on the internet.   Be careful how much personal information you post on social network sites or blogs, think before you put too much
9. Never ever reply to spam emails, all you are doing is confirming they’ve found a real address.
10. Just remember anything you post on the internet is not private and will stay there.
There is a fine line between enjoying and interacting on the internet,  the problem is that people don’t think about what information they are giving away on the internet.  Identity thieves can glean lots of information from an avid Facebook user for example, it’s surprisingly easy to get a decent photograph, some background information, place of work, home address and date of birth from the internet for millions of people.    That is a great start for impersonating someone and stealing their identity, how many people use their date of birth as a PIN or a password for example?
Your information is private and law abiding people should not be spied upon – here’s the article ‘Freedom not Fear’ from the Electronic Frontier Foundation for reference – http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/05/freedom-not-fear
Many people use so called anonymous proxies to surf the internet, it’s a big mistake. If you would like to be able to surf the internet without your ISP, government and hackers being able to view your surfing habits you need to read this.
Surfing the Internet Anonymously
Jim

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Viruses are, however, not the only malicious software programs out there. The newest addition to the evil software family is the so called Spywares and a good anti-virus program or firewall is not enough to safeguard against these clever programs.
Spywares are known by many names such as adware, trojans, malware, browser hijackers etc. The thing they all have in common is that they will transmit your personal information to companies and individuals who have an interest in knowing about your surfing habits, online purchases, credit worthiness, interests, web searchs, chats, birth date and even your credit card number. The list goes on and on, since Spywares are constructed by promotional companies who need to know as much as possible about the online consumers to target them effectively. By ewes dropping on you online, these companies hope to be more successful when sending out promotional materials.
Spyware usually enter your PC by piggybacking on other software downloads. Every time you use downloaded or otherwise shared files, including Freeware, Shareware or p2p sharing programs, you stand the risk of unknowingly infecting your computer with Spyware. Even confirmed virus free music files, films and computer programs can have Spyware stowaways. Once inside your computer, they will hide, monitor all your actions and promptly start telling your secrets to anyone willing to listen.
Contrary to most viruses the Spywares actually make an effort not to be observed. Since they won’t cause obvious harm such as deleting important files or shutting down your computer, they can thrive in your PC for years without you noticing, sending out massive amounts of information about all your online habits.
At a first glance, you might find this annoying but essentially harmless. Why not let the companies send me promotional material about things I am actually interested in? Spyware is however far from harmless, since the infiltration by Spyware not only let the companies know about your latest online search, but also much more private matters such as credit card details, online purchases of medicine and your private e-mail correspondence with family, friends and business partners. There are even examples of how this massive gathering of personal information has led to an overall loss of privacy and stolen identities. In the computerized world of today it is not hard to imagine the amount of damage and personal suffering the fraudulent use of a persons’ identity can cause.
It is obvious to anyone that we must start combating the Spyware programs, but the best way of doing this is not to panic and pull the plug on your PC, never go online again and keep five feet away from all Freeware. There is a much better solution: Support Cave
Jason Frovich is an spyware removal software expert with twenty years of experience in the computer industry. He helps to advise people on how to remove spyware, virus, trojans, malware and other software from your PC.
Learn to completely get rid of all the spyware and viruses on your computer with a spyware removal programs PC Scan!

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

How old should your child be before you start thinking about keeping your child safe on the Internet?
When she’s starting to use Chat rooms?
When he starts using search engines to collect information?
I have observed many parents starting on the road that could lead to danger.
Learn how to start your child on the safest road to Internet safety and at what age you should start.
1. Starting Early
I have seen children as young as four being sent to another room to play on the family computer on their own. This is setting a policy in place that this is how computers are used. Start in the safest way possible and make sure you know what your child is accessing and have the computer in a room where you can see what they are doing.
2. Set a good example
Be careful about what you put on the internet yourself. Today many parents are putting their family photographs on the Internet and also giving away more information about their families than they realize. People will find your site and can use the information provide for things you would rather they didn’t.
3. Talk to your child
As soon as your child can communicate make sure you spend time daily listening and talking to your child. If you have this built into your relationship it will be much easier to have conversations about keeping himself safe on the Internet. He will also feel secure in talking to you about what he’s doing on the Internet.
4. Positive reinforcement
When talking to your child about the Internet use positive reinforcement and not negative. Encourage the good thing your child is doing telling her what you want him to do rather than majoring on what you don’t want him to do. “These are sites I want you to access” rather than “Don’t go on these sites”.
5. Keep up to date.
Make sure you understand what is happening on the Internet. New innovations are happening all the time and if you don’t understand this technology your child will and so will others people who you would rather didn’t contact your child.
Extra child Internet safety tip. Make sure that your Internet provider includes a filter that can be locked to stop your child accessing certain types of sites. Then make sure it’s on all the time. As you child gets older may want to purchase some sort of monitoring software. And you can view one here.
Advice from Maureen the English Nanny with over 25 years of experience.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What Internet sites did your childs access yesterday?
How much do you know about what your kids do on the Internet?
What safety setting do you have set on your computer and what setting does your child set on any social networking websites or chat rooms she uses?
Most parents want to protect their children and keep them from harm.
If your child was going out on her own you would want to know where he was going and who he was going to be with. Why then do many parents not take the same care about knowing who their child is associating with on the Internet?
How much danger could your child be in when she uses chat rooms and social networking sites? What are the chances of your child being unsafe while accessing the Internet?
Thousands of youngsters today will be placing themselves in position where they could be at risk while using the Internet, how likely is that your child is one of these?
Be responsible for keeping your child safe and don’t negate your responsibility.
I was watching a television program this evening that demonstrated how much information an online predator could learn about a youngster just by persuading her to add them to their list of friends on a social networking site. He learnt about what she was doing on a daily basis and included bits of this information when he contacted her. It was really easy because she didn’t have the privacy setting set on the social networking site she used. The predator learnt about her friends, school and other personal details by not only looking at her profile and chats but by looking at what her friends said also. When she went on a visit to a museum with her school he followed and approached her. It was amazing how much he learnt about her this way.
In the UK police receive 400-500 official reports a month from children and parents concerned about online abuse and the number is increasing.
The police say “awareness is of critical importance”. So be aware as to what your young person is doing on the Internet and who he’s exchanging information with and who’s contacting him.
There is software you can use to monitor what your child is doing when he’s on the Internet.
And you can find out more about this software by clicking here
Make sure you know the internet safety rules for kids and put them into practice. Maureen the English nanny with over 25 years of experience is concerned that you learn how to keep your child safe. http://www.rulesforinternetsafety.com

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

If you spend the time to explain to your kids about internet safety, you generally should not need to spy on them while they are online. The trick is to take the time to actively participate in your child’s online use education. Many parents do not take the time to teach their child about internet safety, unfortunately.
The first step toward avoiding the need to spy on your kids while they are online is to actually involve your kids in the making of the internet use rules. By involving your kids in making the rules, they can learn why certain things, such as giving out personal information, can be dangerous online. That will have a much better result than simply forbidding them to do things without explaining why. Another good reason to involve your child in the rule making process is to show that you trust them. Trust breeds trust, after all.
If you, as a parent, take the time to really talk to your kids about internet safety when they are younger, you can avoid the need to spy on your kids while they are online as they get older. Teach them not to give out personal information online. Teach them not to visit websites or chat rooms without your approval. Let them know never to agree to meet with strangers, no matter what.
Also, there is a good possibility that your kids are more internet savvy than you yourself are. You may find that, by sitting down and talking to them, you learn some internet safety tips yourself. So, keep an open mind and keep the communication with your kids flowing.
There are many websites devoted to the subject of internet safety. You can sit down with your kids and look at the websites together. That way you can be sure to cover all the topics in an informative way. Just be sure that you find age-specific internet safety websites. There is quite a difference between a teenager who is constantly instant messaging with his or her friends and a small child who should not even be entering chat rooms online, after all. Be sure to tailor the internet safety rules to your child’s current age. Also, it is important that you be willing to re-evaluate those rules with your kids as they get older.
Teach your kids about online safety when they are young. Then trust them to make the right decisions as they get older. However, if you suspect that your child is in trouble or you catch them not following the rules, you might need to spy on your kids while they are online, in order to protect them, whether they like it or not.
If talking and teaching your kids does not work and you are concerned about the well-being of your child or you consider your child at-risk, you may need to turn to parental control and monitoring software. There are many titles on the market today that allow you to either discreetly or knowingly monitor all of the activities your child participates in online.
The Parental Control Guide Provides Parents with In-Depth Articles on Monitoring their kids online and many more related topics.
Parents interested in learning about great parental control software, like Spector Pro for Windows, should visit http://parentalcontrolguides.com today!

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

There are plenty of sources for finding where to buy Webkinz Pets, so this article addresses something else that many new parents are asking about: why the online website Webkinz World is a good place for kids to spend their time. As much as I love those adorable and oh-so-collectable plush toys, it is Webkinz World that deserves recognition and appreciation by parents who are concerned with Internet safety.
And, believe me, all parents should be concerned with Internet safety! For concerned parents who are new to the Webkinz craze, this article breaks down the main benefits of Webkinz World. In general, Webkinz World encourages responsibility, learning, and social networking in a completely safe Internet environment.
Webkinz Promotes Responsibility
The main idea about Webkinz World is that children can learn how to take care of their “pet.” By feeding, exercising, and playing with their cyber pet on-line, children become responsible for taking care of another “creature.” This builds responsibility, empathy, and also time management skills. For parents who are not accustomed to this idea, it is a lot like “egg shell” babies that were a popular part of Health curriculum thirty years ago.
And to answer the big question: no, Webkinz pets cannot die! When they need attention, they simply get sick.
Webkinz Promotes Learning
The central task of feeding, clothing and taking care of pets requires “KinzCash,” a currency that is only good in Webkinz World. This currency cannot be bought, but must be earned. The way kids earn KinzCash is by playing their choice of educational games, quizzes and activities.
Isn’t this brilliant? Many of the games offered test reading and arithmetic skills. Other contests encourage problem solving and writing skills. Children are highly motivated to take care of their pet, so they don’t even know that they are “learning” because they are having fun as well as making their own choices at the same time.
Webkinz Promotes Getting Along with Others
In Webkinz World, children can pal around with other friends, challenge them to quizzes, and visit their pet’s room. This simple activity is what we as adults call “social networking.” Because children are free to roam on the site, it is up to them to be nice to people and accept company. This is a great social skill that can help some overcome shyness barriers.
Webkinz World is Safe from Online Predators
The “friending” of other people online is the biggest concern for parents, as well it should be. Webkinz World has built a smart way to protect kids while still allowing them to network with each other. Called “KinzChat,” this system allows kids to choose from phrases to construct sentences and questions. Nothing inappropriate can be said because the words and phrases are highly controlled.
A more relaxed, but still safe, option is called “KinzChat Plus,” which allows users to write their own sentences. However, if the Webkinz dictionary does not allow the word or phrase, then it cannot be transmitted on-line. Besides inappropriate words, most common names as well as place names have been eliminated. This is a good option for older kids or children who are interacting with their parents’ help.
Clearly, Webkinz World is a breath of fresh air for parents’ concerns about Internet safety for kids. It can be difficult to discover the right Webkinz pet for your child’s adventures into Webkinz World, so be sure to stop by my favorite place to find seasonal Webkinz pets.
This article is free to be reproduced, but only in its entirety. Copyright Protected (c) 2008 Barbara Garrison

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Children aged from five to seven years are especially vulnerable and need to rely on adult support to ensure they are safe and protected. Children so small do not ask too many whys regarding as to whether they should obey adults or not therefore, children at this age are especially vulnerable and reliant on adult supervision and care.
Some kids this small already have knowledge on how to operate a computer and even how to access the Internet, solely through the click of a mouse. Therefore, while browsing through the Internet may seem a little bit more complicated they will without doubt learn fast enough how they can use the internet. Nonetheless adult supervision is required, because children generally tend to take this for granted and not bother to ask some whys.
Since it is difficult for them to picture the difference between reality and imagination, they believe what they are told and can be easily manipulated by the others around them. To them, everything posted on the Internet seems fairly real and therefore they tend to put a lot of trust in it.
As a parent, one needs to ensure the child is protected from online attacks and do to so, one needs to follow guidelines, of which some are outlined below.
It is imperative that children aren’t left all by themselves to venture on the Internet. You must sit nearby to ensure they do not access any prohibited content. Also, you might want to compile a list of interesting websites your child might want to visit and thus ensure that you direct them only to what is educational and fun for them.
Set up the settings of the browser and firewall in a way that you are the only person who can modify them. Also, make sure the internet connection is nearby you and further away from the reach of the children. Using filtering devices to block out harmful websites is also advisable since you might want to have your child protected from online attacks even when you are not around to do so.
It is important to stress out that not all content on the internet is genuine, therefore make sure the child doesn’t click too often on gibberish. Pop ups blockers can make sure they donýt enter malicious sites and you can also restrict the access to the Java so that no malicious visual or auditory content reaches your child. Allow them to use only web browsers that are easy to learn and are oriented towards the user friendly approach.
Teach your children how to browse the web safely and how not to download malicious content and how to realize that they are about to download dangerous adware and malware.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Guarantees against online fraud are what most consumers look for in internet banking services. As money is a major consideration here, they just want the best protection for their savings and investments. Regardless of whether they’re banking in a brick and mortar institution that has gone online or an online-only bank, consumers demand security.
Banks are working hard to convince customers to try internet banking. Security features of internet banking services are now more advanced giving customers every reason to bank through the internet for added convenience and a lot more benefits. With the ever improving internet technology, anybody today can perform all sorts of financial transactions online in the comforts of their home or office. Apart from the security and convenience, internet banking is also cost effective with less or sometimes no fees at all.
Research experts say that while some consumers see no benefit in eliminating paper when doing transactions, going paperless is actually protection in itself. As an example, a bank’s website can now allow you to view your bills and statements online in an instant instead of waiting for several weeks. This means that there’s no chance that your credit card and telephone statements will be taken from your mailbox or your trash can.
The encryption technology is the most commonly used to secure websites. As data pass through shared systems or networks wherein a large number of people have access to the information, this tool plays a vital role. It is in this light then that confidential information notably passwords needs to be encrypted to prevent them from leaking to other people and from being changed. The use of a digital signature is another security technique that also involves encryption.
While encryption remains to be used, several large banks now use the latest web-based security system known as SiteKey. The tool uses a new kind of authentication process with the main goal of avoiding phishing, an online fraudulent activity. However, only a few are using this technique because of the system’s weaknesses.
The use of usernames and passwords as well as personal identification numbers or PINs is among the standard security features provided by most banks. It is, therefore, highly recommended that the confidential information should not be shared with anyone to avoid the so-called identity theft.
Email alert is another safeguard that banks use. With this feature, customers are alerted via email or text message whenever suspicious transactions occur on their account such as withdrawal of large sums, when they get emails from phishers or when someone attempts to access an account with an incorrect password.
Many major banks also provide scanned images of canceled checks. The check’s image not only shows the front side but the back side as well. This will help a customer in verifying the check number, amount and the payee in case he or she forgets the information.
Banks are committed to providing their clients with the best online security in an effort to protect their hard-earned money. It is not surprising then that internet banking customers are now growing in number.
Learn more about Internet Banking Security by visiting http://www.webinternetbanking.com/internetbankingsecurity.html

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/