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If you think you know all the tricks about avoiding identity thief; think again! The criminals will just lay low and wait for you to forget some available proactive measure and strike you down in the confusion and distraction of everyday existence. If they can't get you individually, they'll strike a business that fails to shred your personal information or has some security breach that avails access to the info needed.
Yes, by now most of us generally know Spoofing, Phishing, Pharming and many other tactics are used by thieves as a means to convince individuals to provide personal or financial information that enables the perpetrators to commit credit card/bank fraud or other forms of identity theft. Rest assured thieves keep up with technology and they continue to profit from your assets by being two steps ahead of unaware consumers. Well, guess what, Evil Twins are the current frontier in identity theft. According to Ken Silva, chief security officer at Verisign Inc., a Mountain View, CA company that provides Internet security services. Evil Twins in a nutshell are basically the wireless (Wi-Fi) version of a phishing scam. The Evil Twins do not pose as much of a threat when connecting to Wi-Fi networks from home. Thieves tend to go where there are a large concentration of Wi-Fi users such as airports, coffee shops, large bookstores and other public places that provide Wi-Fi hubs.
Many people having become aware of scam artists and the eavesdropping that does occur when using public Wi-Fi services have implemented encrypted connections and other techniques for the safeguarding of their information or surfing habits. However, according to The Wall Street Journal even with the use of Internet counter intelligence measures there are still instances where what seems like an encrypted connection may actually be a rouge site for hackers. There really is no definitive way of detecting a corrupted Wi-Fi hub and as such cyber criminals have and continue to make a living off cultivating login data, personal data, tracking online activities and building profiles from activities that subsequently allow this new method of identity theft to grow and damage unsuspecting life's.
But, the good news is with every crime such as the Evil Twins comes proactive measures to eliminate their threat. To ensure you are always connected to a secure server over a wireless connection be it from home, work or a public Wi-Fi hub there is protection software available. Anonymous Surfing Software eliminates a cyber criminal from detecting any of your personal information and tracking your online activities. This software hides your IP address by redirecting it through a secure server using 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, similar to the protection a bank provides. This software also protects you from inadvertently visiting websites that are known for phishing pharming or are known spyware sites by displaying a warning page alerting you of the hidden dangers that lurk ahead. In summary, anonymous surfing software bypasses fraudulent hotspots by routing all your Internet traffic through secure servers that are updated every 15 minutes to detect all known threats.
If you really do want that extra insurance to protect your personal information, want to defend against identity theft and online scams, shop online safely, ensure secure Internet banking and close the lid on any doubts about wireless PC security then you should consider an easy one-click protection layer that anonymous surfing software provides with the ability to hide, mask or cloak an IP address and counter spyware and other threats. To learn more about Wi-Fi privacy software visit Page 8 (the identity theft pages) at http://www.registryfixing.com/ [http://www.registryfixing.com/IdentityTheft_8.html]
Ronald Hudkins administers a site dedicated to software downloads that primarily focus upon PC registry repair, optimization and security. He sponsors programs, services and resources dedicated to protecting consumers from identity theft. His site gives away free Books on vital consumer awareness issues. For more information visit http://www.registryfixing.com
Web surfing is no longer safe as far as your privacy is concerned! There exist specialists who are masters at the art of tracking down all your details including your computer's IP address as well as your bank account passwords! They can follow your cyber fingerprints in the process earning even the most personal of your details. Yes, along with the unlimited benefits World Wide Web offers, there are these unsavory disadvantages that internet brings to surfers.
When you make visits to the websites, most of their search engines absorb your computer's data so that it can come back again. For instance, when you visit a shopping website, the hosting server will take note of your computer's data so that it can track down your shopping preferences. But there cannot be any guarantee that the information that is divulged remains confidential.
There are hackers who can intercept the data packets of these websites and use them to reach at your personal details. But you need not worry. Anonymous web surfing can lessen the risk of your details being leaked. The provision of an anonymous internet proxy server will substitute your IP address with their own thereby hiding your address. Anonymous web surfing will not guard your computer completely against the hackers. But the advantage is that the job of infiltrating into your private territory becomes an arduous task.
Though running a free anonymous proxy might seem to be a brilliant idea. But there are some points to be noted. The proxy service can cost you a fortune. It occupies a lot of bandwidth which might lead to additional expenses. On the top of it, if the proxy service is not properly configured, the whole attempt for privacy might get arrested.
To make matters worse, with the escalating demand for free proxy service, there are software packages developed by hackers themselves. Hence, you have to be careful in picking up the right service providers in anonymous web surfing.
For more information about anonymous web surfing [http://anonymouswebsurfing.org/], visit [http://anonymouswebsurfing.org/]
When the Super Highway became commercialized, its use was intended for the free and legitimate exchange of information and instantaneous communication. It was a fairly innocent medium, awkward to some, but still innocent and safe. However, nowadays, staying safe online has become a never-ending battle - for children as well as adults. Because cybercriminals are becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their operations, they are real threats to our personal security and our privacy. Our money, our computer, our family, and our business are all at risk.
For example, researchers have found that most web browsers handle pop-up windows in a manner that makes them vulnerable to a simple phishing technique that allows fake content to look genuine. Even fully patched, standard versions of globally used browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Konqueror, and Safari--used by trusted sites such as banks--allow malicious sites to insert their own content into any pop-up window, as long as the target name of the window is known.
Over the past year, experts warned of new attacks that not only circumvent DomainKeys but, adding insult to injury, even exploit the fledgling e-mail signing technology for their nefarious ends.
As eWEEK's Dennis Fisher reported, the technology once regarded by many in the security community as one of the best hopes for preventing e-mail address forgery is now being used to make bogus messages appear legitimate, thus undercutting confidence in the system. "It proves that people will get to the point where they can't trust e-mail from anywhere," one security expert, who requested anonymity, told Mr. Fisher.
But things seemed darker yet before a ring of cybercriminals was recently broken up by Russian authorities. These cybercriminals used keylogging software that they had planted in email messages and had hidden in websites to draw over $1.1 million from personal bank accounts in France.
Their goal was to infect the inner workings of computers in much the same way that mischief-making virus writers do. The twist here is that the keylogging programs exploit security flaws and monitor the path that carries data from the keyboard to other parts of the computer. This is a more invasive approach than phishing, which relies on deception rather than infection, tricking people into giving their information to a fake website.
The keylogging programs are often hidden inside ordinary software downloads, email attachments, or files shared over peer-to-peer networks. Because they can be embedded in webpages, they take advantage of browser features that allow programs to run automatically.
The hidden keylogging programs infect the computers of unsuspecting users. This puts the keylogging programs in the category of malicious programs known as Trojan horses, or just Trojans. These Trojans are very selective because they monitor the web access the victims make, and start recording information only when the user enters the sites of interest to the fraudster.
The growing threat of spyware. Beyond the phishing epidemic, spyware was on track to replace mass-mailing worms as the biggest security threat in the coming year. This technology, which uses covert techniques to install itself on computers and track user activity, is dangerous because malicious code can be executed on infected systems.
As eWEEK.com's Ryan Naraine reported, spyware, also known as adware, has become the preferred way to deliver malicious Trojans, which can relay information to other computers or Web locations, thus putting user passwords, log-in details, credit card numbers and other personal information at risk.
Notwithstanding financial chief security officers' complaints, the Feds spent a good deal of the past year studying cyber-crime, pondering and passing legislation to thwart it, and even handing down the first-ever felony conviction of a spammer. The spammer, Jeremy Jaynes, received a sentence of nine years in prison when a jury in AOL's home county convicted him and his sister.
What Lies Ahead: In the coming years, internet users will not only have to be more vigilant, but will also have to demand more from vendors vis-à-vis secure products, as well as will have to go through legislative wording with a fine-toothed comb.
To protect ourselves, our approach to internet use will have to change to stay ahead of the cybercriminals. But we cannot do it alone, as exemplified by Mr. Greg Garcia, the Assistant Secretary for cyber-security and telecommunications at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, when he said that he and his team are already hard at work creating policies that aim to better protect critical infrastructure.
Although the United States government is better suited than ever to defend the nation's computing and communications networks, federal watchdogs will need private industry to lend a hand to keep attackers at bay, according to the first-ever federal cyber-security czar.
The cyber-security chief went on to say that his initial priorities revolve around work to breed cooperation between federal agencies to develop common security policies for defending networks and to help the private sector strengthen national preparedness and incident-response plans. Garcia said his most important role will be to serve as a focal point in the U.S. government to drive national security policies across both the public and private sectors.
On a personal level, there is more that we as individuals will have to do in order to keep the internet and the personal computers in their homes and businesses safe. We need to change our thinking and actions when it comes to computer security, especially when going online. But we cannot do it alone; we need an internet security team of experts making sure that we, our family, and your computers at home and place of business remain safe and secure.
The best protection we can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all our internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. We will need to find our own personal team of experts to rely on. If we ever have a security problem, we will want to have a trusted expert we can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!
Because cybercriminals are becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their operations, they are real threats to your personal security and privacy. Our money, your computer, your family, and your business are all at risk.
These cybercriminals leave you with three choices:
1. Do nothing and hope their attacks, risks, and threats don't occur on your computer.
2. Do research and get training to protect yourself, your family, and your business.
3. Get professional help to lockdown your system from all their attacks, risks, and threats.
Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!
© MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, The Internet Safety Advocate and Educator
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Etienne A. Gibbs, Independent Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection (including free lifetime technical support and $25,000 identity theft insurance and recovery) against spyware, viruses, malware, hackers, and other pc-disabling cybercrimes. For more information, visit http://www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/
