Security

Imagine you walked out to the front step tomorrow morning, clad in bathrobe, boxers, and scruffy slippers, only to find a note with the message "I'm going to kill you." Now, imagine that same sentiment came in the form of a personal email. Is there ... a difference? Most long-time users of the web and electronic mail would be hard-pressed to consider both mediums in the same manner. Although it takes some backbone and effort to leave a note like that on someone's porch, doing so via email isn't quite as personal. Regardless, the "Killer Spam" that is now finding its way into electronic mailboxes ... (view more)

If you have Windows XP, 2000, Server 2003, 95, 98, or NT, beware! Symantec has identified a new Trojan Horse aimed at snatching credit card details. Once the Trojan has made its way onto your system (via an infected email, for example), The ... Windows-reactivation Trojan, known as "Trojan.Kardphisher," appears as a message from Microsoft with the headline "Microsoft Piracy Control." It tells the user that their current copy of Windows has been activated by another user and must be reactivated before it can be used again. It gives the user two options: reactivate Windows over the Internet ... (view more)

The United States federal government is in the midst of unveiling their latest defense mechanism against chemical, biological and/or radiological attacks... the common cell phone. Officials at Homeland Security have revealed that these new cell ... phones are equipped with detectors that would direct emergency responders to locations where harmful toxins and other biological agents have been released. While yet to be tested, many experts believe that cell phones could change the way chemical, biological and radiation detection and response is handled. The U.S. government has invested billions of ... (view more)

International hackers have reportedly been targeting American federal agency computers, stealing as much data as possible, and assuming control of PC files. While this appears to be a very difficult and sophisticated endeavor to accomplish, ... international spies are simply using the same method that domestic hackers implement on a smaller scale: corrupt Microsoft Office files. The actual virus is sent via email attachment and when government officials unwittingly open these Word, Excel or PowerPoint files, they relinquish control of their entire PC. The attacker then uses the PC as a base from ... (view more)

We've known for a long time that Microsoft is the most powerful software company in the world. If it's a desktop or laptop PC, in all likelihood it's running a Windows operating system -- or any number of other programs crafted by the Redmond-based ... company. Over the course of a year, Microsoft has also began to dabble in security, most notably with the release of its Windows Live OneCare. Although the program has been criticized at times for loopholes, it appears MS is serious about building out this new venture. That's becoming more and more apparent, especially with the recent establishment ... (view more)

One of the rising technologies right now is Skype, a peer-to-peer telephone network devised by the same entrepreneurs behind the now decrepit Kazaa. But, don't be too alarmed; although peer-to-peer and Kazaa have both become dirty terms in the ... security vocabulary, Skype is a rather safe (and in many cases, cheap) and effective way of reaching friends long distance. However, Skype grows in popularity, so too do the threats, including a recent instant messaging worm that has spread its way to a few unlucky users. The recent issue hitting Skype's instant messaging service isn't much different ... (view more)

"Protected Mode provides the safety of a robust Internet browsing experience while helping prevent hackers from taking over the system and installing programs or deleting your information." At least, that's what the Windows Vista web site and all ... the commercials tell you. The problem is, you're not as protected as you thought you were. According to Microsoft, users with Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) in Windows Vista are better protected from malicious web exploits than users with IE7 in Windows XP -- all thanks to the introduction of Vista's Protected Mode. With Protected Mode enabled on a ... (view more)

As if doing your taxes weren't annoying enough, now the Internal Revenue Service is warning American citizens that a phishing scheme is reaping important personal details by posing as a free tax-filing agency. It seems no one knows better than the ... IRS that nothing -- and we mean nothing -- is free. It's a fairly bad time for such a scam, considering Tuesday's tax filing deadline. Those behind the offence clearly know that anyone still left to complete the necessary forms are desperate for help as the clock strikes twelve. The threat is making its way to the frantic via emails, with the ... (view more)

Microsoft Corp. released an emergency security patch to plug a hole recently found in several versions of Windows, including the company's brand-new operating system, Vista. Microsoft is receiving some ridicule from industry analysts, since the ... company has invested months of promotion, claiming that Vista is the most secure operating system ever. Many have said that the hole has the company so worried, that Microsoft put their critical security fix one whole week ahead of their regularly scheduled update. (Source: itpro.co.uk ) The hole allows hackers to break into personal computers and ... (view more)

It turns out that not only is big brother watching you, he's profiting from you. At the Open Data 2007 conference in New York last Tuesday, Compete Inc. CEO David Cancel revealed that ISPs are selling the clickstream data of its subscribers. ... Clickstream data includes each webpage that a user visits and the order in which the pages were viewed. (Source: seekingalpha.com ) Although the data is not sold with the corresponding user name and information, it is theoretically possible to tie the information to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) account. Cancel went on to say that his company earns ... (view more)