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Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Thursday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 4/28/05 |
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The old
internet phishing hole, I go there every day, and
every day I get several phish .... The #1 security threat on the internet
today is known as phishing – emails you get
from a trusted source like your bank or some company you do business with,
asking you to update your records with them. They just
want to verify your name, PIN, and credit card info, so that there
won’t be any lapse in your being able to use their services. Everything
looks and seems normal, and you reply to their request feeling like a good
customer....... and then you get your identity stolen; your bank accounts drained, lose your
credit rating and end up with thousands of dollars of credit card debt charged
by crooks to your account. Welcome to the downside of the internet. There are
so many dangers on the internet today I think that anyone thinking of using
it should take some kind of training course. They you should go through a
training wheels period before you have full access. Most people don’t
have a clue what the dangers are, and not a clue about how dangerous they are
to other internet users, as they happily surf along. Wonder
why there’s so many computer viruses? Because
less than a third of the people using the internet have an up to date
effective antivirus program on their computer. Wonder
why there’s so much spyware and adware and hijack browsers and phishing and crooks on the internet? Because
the internet registrars are just interested in making money, and they
don’t check identities. I
got an Ebay phish email a
couple weeks ago that originated from a phish
website hosted right here in Spokane; by a Spokane company that sells
websites. I sent them several emails about this, and they never responded. But
Ebay did eventually shut them down. I was
watching a feature on the University of Washington tv
channel I get on
Dish Network about Spam and other internet perils. It said that
email has now replaced the phone in how businesses conduct their business and
contact customers. That’s an amazing statistic. In just a little over a
decade – the world wide web - which didn’t exist before 1992 has
become virtually the primary communication, business transaction, and buying
channel not just for America, but for the world. And with it comes a degree
of legitimacy. If it’s on the internet, it must be valid. A website
must be valid. An email must be valid. That attachment to this email must be
valid..... Sadly,
nothing could be further from the truth. The internet – despite the
good things it has brought – is a world of absolute chaos. It is the
new electronic wild West in its truest sense. You have to be suspicious of
everyone, circle the wagons, always watch for unusual happenings, and protect
yourself at all times. This UWTV
feature also mentioned that the majority of spam and phihsing
is now coming from overseas, countries like Russia and China, in what appears
to be a concerted economic attack. With phishing being the biggest danger today, opportunistic companies have
created their own websites with bogus online tests you can take to see if you
can identify phishing emails. And of course these
companies sell software that will supposedly protect you from phishing attacks. Save your
money and use your common sense. Just delete phishing
emails. The average phishing site is only operational
for a day at the most. The bad guys are virtually impossible to track or to
catch. And you
can always use that old fashioned device – the telephone - to call the
company who sent you the email to verify everything. For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2005 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html (509)624-7230 |
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