Blog – Page 9 – Anti-virus Software, Spyware Protection & Firewall

Jon January 4, 2011

Internet Privacy and Internet Safety Tips for 2011

A New Year brings in a lot of new things to everyone… New hopes. New dreams. And yes, sometimes it brings in some new bad things, too. Such is life. But while we can’t help make your favorite sports teams win, and we can’t do anything about that crazy co-worker in the cubicle next to you, but we can give you some tips on how to stay safe online in 2011.

You can bet your bottom dollar that Internet privacy concerns, identity theft, malware distribution, cyber attacks, and a host of other technology-related problems are only going to rise and morph over the course of the year. (They always seem to, don’t they?!) Keep yourself, your family, your information, and your money safe by following the tips below:

Change your passwords:
Yep. All of ’em. I know I mentioned it last year, but if you didn’t change your passwords then, you really should change your passwords right now. The safety and security of the information on your PC is literally a password away from being grabbed and abused by unscrupulous characters on the web.
Patch it up:
You’ve got a computer. You’ve got software. And you’ve probably got patches you can apply to them all. Unpatched machines and software leave holes open that hackers can take advantage of, so patch your PC today. Doing so will not only keep your machine secure, it might make a program or two a bit more peppy or give it a few more features.
Desocialize your network:
Look, I love Twitter, Facebook, an LinkedIn just as much as the next guy or gal, but every now an again you should review and do a little housekeeping on your social networking profiles. Think about it: Do you really need Jake, formerly of accounting, on your friend list now that he’s gone and you only added him because he was a co-worker in the first place? I didn’t think so.
Geolocation in moderation:
Our blog post “Stranger Danger: Geolocation Features and Internet Safety” still stands, in my personal opinion, as one of the most important blog articles written in 2010 from both a personal safety and Internet safety standpoint. If you haven’t seen it, please read our article on geolocation safety tips now, especially if you’re using any of the location-aware features of Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, or any other service or device.

I sincerely hope these tips help you stay protected. Happy New Year, and I hope you have the best of luck with all of your Internet privacy and Internet security concerns in 2011.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/1suisse/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: geolocation, identity theft, Internet Safety, Internet Security, passwords, social networks

Jon December 29, 2010

StopSign – Virus Removal Made Easy

If you’ve ever been hit with a computer virus, you know that the actual act of the virus removal isn’t always the easiest part of the process. In fact, it can be the longest, most time-consuming portion of dealing with the removal of an infection, depending on your security software and the nature of the malware that takes up residence in your PC.

Any decent antivirus product will clean you out pretty well, but every now and again a particularly nasty infection rears it’s ugly head and there are leftovers that, at best, clutter up your PC and at worst re-infect your computer. It’s enough to make your head explode.

Why Virus Removal is Important

That’s why the actual virus removal is such an integral part of the antivirus process. Making sure that the threat is identified is only one aspect; an entirely different, and equally important, part is cleanly, efficiently, and quickly removing all traces of the infection. The last thing you want happening is to have any remaining bits of malware cluttering up your computer once its been removed.

The StopSign Difference

At StopSign we pride ourselves on making sure that we not only find the infections, but that we clean and remove the viruses and other infections from your PC as well as possible. StopSign makes virus removal easy:

Install StopSign:Download the StopSign threat scanner and install it on your computer.
Run StopSign:Once installed, run StopSign. At the end of your scan you’ll get a set of Scan Results that will tell you if any viruses or other infections were found. If you need help getting up and running you can check out our StopSign support and contact the StopSign support staff.

Find out why you should skip the status quo and give StopSign a try. We’re different, and that difference makes us better.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/24471966@N04/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: antivirus, Internet Security, malware, virus removal

Jon December 17, 2010

Is That Picture Worth Downloading?

It’s a well known fact that downloading certain kinds of material is more dangerous than others. Outside of any possible moral, philosophical, or comfort factors, there are security reasons that make the PG-13 (and higher) side of the Internet a hotbed of potential problems for your PC.

But adult sites aren’t the only ones that get targeted. Celebrity/gossip sites, thumbnail/graphic sites, video sharing sites, and even Harry Potter related sites are all targets; often without the knowledge of the site owner.

Once installed on your machine, spyware and Trojans can track your every move. Any link you click, site you visit, or text you read. There have even been cases of spyware creators blackmailing victims they’ve been spying on in an attempt to get cash from them.

Titillating, popular, and/or well-trafficked content on the Internet is big business, and the malware developers of the world know it. Because it’s content that get a lot of eyes looking and clicks happening, the malware folks take advantage of that fact and spread their wares on sites that cater to looky-loo’s. As such, every bikini-wearing beauty, her less-clothed sisters, and other video/picture/movie websites are a possible suspect for computer infection.

So before you head to that site, click that video, or download that picture, think about what you (or rather, your PC) could catch if you do.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmarty/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: identity theft, Internet Security, malware, spyware, trojan

Jon December 10, 2010

Holiday Scams for 2010

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… so they say. Right about now holiday scammers are ramping up their ho-ho-horrible trade and preying on unsuspecting folks who are trying to spread a little cheer to family, friends, and those in need.

Be on the lookout for people who are trying to take advantage of your generosity and your pocket book and you’ll be spending the holidays with friends and loved ones instead of on the phone with your bank or credit card company, trying to reverse the damage done by an online crook.

Here’s a sampling of some of the holiday scams you’ll find this year:

Gift Card Scams:
There are all kinds of gift card scams, so your best bet is to actually buy gift cards from the actual store you get the card from versus buying them from eBay or off the guy on the sidewalk selling a (fake) $100 gift card for only $50. (Yes, that happens)
Charity Scams:
This time of year is a traditionally popular time to give to charity, but no matter if you receive a phone call, an email, or a person knocking on your door, make sure they’re actually from the charity they claim to be. When in doubt, contact the charity yourself and give that way.
Name a Star Scams:
My mom actually fell for this one. It was a sweet sentiment, getting our kids a “star” they can name, but the honest truth of the matter is that stars are only officially named, and recognized, by the International Astronomical Union, and they don’t commercially offer star names up to buy.
Wire Transfer Scams:
One of the quickest ways to remove money from your bank account and get nothing back is through a wire transfer; especially if doing one overseas. Auction sites are especially notorious for these kinds of scams, so keep your money and don’t agree to a wire transfer, even if you did find that awesome toy from your younger days on eBay, still in the original package.

So with that, I hope you have a merry little Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or whatever you celebrate. Just make sure you do it safely both offline and online!

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/samridhsoneja/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: holiday scam, Internet Security, online scams

Jon December 1, 2010

What is Vishing?

You’ve probably heard about Phishing, but what about Vishing? If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t heard of it, but it’s a growing method used for fraud, and you should learn more about it before it becomes an issue for you.

Simply put, vishing is like phishing (fraud perpatrated via email), but it’s usually done on the phone, and in particular over a Voice Over IP, or VoIP connection. (Think Skype and other VoIP services) A visher will call a victim and attempt to get sensitive and/or confidential information from them, like a credit card number, Social Security number, bank account information… anything they can use to get access to your money or important info.

Often times the vishing attempt will start out familiar. Here are some examples of how a vishing attempt could be set up:

An automated call from your bank claiming there’s a problem with your ATM card. They’ll probably ask you to “confirm” your bank account number.
A person on the line claiming to be from a government agency (think: the IRS) with a tax problem they’ve found. A verification of your Social Security number will surely be involved in this case.
A department store attempting to clarify a purchase on a credit card. They’re likely to ask you to verify your credit card number, expiration date, and the “3 numbers on the back of the card”. Do that, and you may as well fill up their holiday wishlist for them yourself.

The list could literally go on and on, but I’m sure you get the picture. Anywhere you have, or could have, used your SSN, your credit card, bank account, etc. is a potential front for a fraudster.

Once they have your information, the sky’s the limit. So how can you prevent yourself from being a victim? Well first off, most companies won’t ask for sensitive information over the phone, especially if they initiated the call. In fact, many services and companies have that fact listed on their website and in their documentation. Secondly, if you have a feeling the call may be real, but you’ve got a funny feeling about it, hang up, go through your paperwork to find the right number to call back, and verify things that way. If it was a scam, you’ll know right away, and if it was a legitimate call, you can take care of the problem right there. That extra few minutes double checking could mean the difference between being scammed or not.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/re-ality/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: internet fraud, Internet Security, vishing

Jon November 18, 2010

Fake FDIC Phone and Email Scams

The name of the FDIC continues to be used by scammers to try to get your money or commit identity theft. In the past few months, the FDIC has been receiving increasing reports of fraudulent phone scam attempts by people claiming to be from the FDIC. These calls are, in fact, a vishing scam. (A form of social engineering that takes place over the phone, often through a VoIP connection) According to the FDIC in their September 2010 Consumer Alert:

To date, the callers have alleged that the call recipient is delinquent in payment of a loan that was applied for over the Internet or made through a payday lender. The loan may or may not actually exist. The caller attempts to authenticate the claim by providing sensitive personal information, such as name, Social Security number, and date of birth, supposedly taken from the loan application. The recipient is then strongly urged to make a payment over the phone to “avoid a lawsuit and possible arrest.” In some instances, the caller is said to sound aggressive and threatening.

Source: FDIC

If you get a phone call, email, fax, carrier pigeon, or anything from the FDIC claiming something akin to the aforementioned, it’s a scam, plain and simple. These scam artists aren’t dumb. They’ll craft an email, a phone script, or even a website to look as legitimate as possible in order to fool you, but it’s not from the FDIC. In fact, the FDIC specifically states that:

The FDIC generally does not initiate unsolicited telephone calls to consumers and is not involved with the collection of debts on behalf of operating lenders and financial institutions.

Source: FDIC

In short, if it’s a phone call, hang up. If it’s an email, don’t click on anything and delete the email. Then go through your bank and credit card statements to make sure you aren’t already facing an identity thief who is trying to gather more data on you. If you find out that you’ve been swindled already, contact your financial institutions immediately.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/brauerranch/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: fdic scam, identity theft, Internet Security, vishing