Eight Online Shopping Tips

Most cybercriminals want money. They create and use clever ways to get money from unsuspecting online shoppers. Whether that means stealing credit card information or copying bank account numbers, cybercriminals will monitor online shopping activity to achieve their goal. Increased online shopping activity, like during the holidays and back-to-school shopping days presents opportunities for these criminals to gain access to personal information.

A particularly common way that scammers attempt to gain access to personal bank account information and credit cards is through 'phishing'. Phishing emails are emails that look legitimate and encourage users to click on links that appear to go to places like a bank website or even to an online retail site. Once the user clicks the email links, they are redirected to a site, that although it appears real, is actually a site controlled by the online scammer. Once information is entered into the site, it is captured by the phisher. Avoid this type of scam by simply going to the site mentioned yourself rather than clicking on a link.

Making sensitive transaction through free Wi-Fi hot spot locations is dangerous. Your account credentials or other sensitive information can easily be swiped from the wireless traffic.

Before entering sensitive information into a website, look for signs that indicate a secure transaction. There should be a padlock symbol located in thew browser window. When you click on this icon, you can verify that the certificate is up-to-date and issued to the same company you are visiting. Also, make sure you see "https" before the web address in the address bar. This signifies the page is secure and any data entered onto that page will be sent across the internet securely.

Always log out of sensitive sites. It is possible for an attacker to hijack a sessio that has been left open. Most sites perform an auto log-out after a period of inactivity, however, attackers can get into an account if the session isn't purposefully terminated.

When setting up online accounts, make sure to use different log-in and password information on each one. Passwords should be as long as possible and contain a mix of letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols.

Don't allow sites to store your credit card information. While this might be convenient, it creates an opportunity for you information to be exposed should the online retailer ever have an issue with your critical data.

Use the same credit card for all of your online purchases and only use that card online. This will make it easier to track your spending and spot any strange activity.

Try to use simple logic. If a deal seems too good to be true and it is sitting in your inbox, delete it; especially if it is from someone you did not initiate contact with in the first place.



Courtesy of Security News Daily

21 Ways to Buff Up Your Browser

You probably spend more time working (and playing) in IE, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari than in any other application. Here are our favorite tips, tricks, and add-ons to supercharge your Web browser.
By Patrick Miller, PCWorld Feb 27, 2012 8:29 am

Illustration by Papercut.fr
Whether you are at home, work, or school, odds are you spend a lot of time staring at your Web brows­­er. So why does it look—and run—like everyone else’s? This collection of our favorite browser secrets and extensions can make your browser safer and more efficient than ever—and help you figure out what’s wrong when things don’t work as you expect.

Unless stated otherwise, our tips are for all of the four major browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari.

See Full Article: http://www.pcworld.com/article/250552/21_ways_to_buff_up_your_browser.html



By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Browser Add-On Stops Google (and others) from Tracking You Online

Concerned about Google and others snooping on your online activity? Then you might want to install a free browser add-in called Do Not Track Plus that can tell Google (and other marketers) to mind their own business.

The app, made by Abine, of Boston, is designed to block advertisers, social networks, and marketers from tracking you online via your Safari, Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer browsers. More specifically, Abine says its Do Not Track Plus plugs the hole that has allowed Google to circumvent browser privacy protection in both the Internet Explorer and Safari browsers. In short, it blocks Google's attempts to activate +1 and DoubleClick activity in your browser—even when it's built-in protections have been circumvented by Google.

After installing the add-on, which works on Safari, Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer, a small icon will appear to the right of the browser's address bar. It will tell you if a website wants to send data from your visit to other companies.



When you click the icon, the software will display what companies the website is trying to share your information with.

As you surf the Web, the applet keeps a running tab of all the times it blocks a third-party site from obtaining information from you without your knowledge.

Add-On Puts Tracking Choices in Consumers' Hands

It does, however, allow you to use Google's +1 on a permission basis. When you click +1 on a page, you'll get a pop-up window asking you to confirm the +1 request.

The add-on, unlike the protections against third-party snooping found in Safari and Internet Explorer, can't be skirted by Google, social networks and marketers. "By doing that, it shuts down the holes that Google was exploiting in Safari and Internet Explorer," Abine Co-founder Rob Shavell told PCWorld.

Although the software prevents unauthorized tracking of web surfers, Abine doesn't think of it as blocking software, according to Shavell. "It's not about blocking Google," he said. "It's about the user being able to control when they're tracked."

"We're not an ad blocker," he contended. "Our product doesn't block ads. It's meant to give consumers the kind of control we think they should have by default."

A Cure for Google Privacy Gaffe

Google was discovered last week to be flanking protections against third-party tracking found in Safari. Google has stated that its gaming of Safari was an unintentional consequence of other actions it took to make its +1 service work better with Apple's software.

However, on Monday, Microsoft revealed that Google was exploiting a flaw in Internet Explorer to do what it is doing with Safari. "Google is employing similar methods to get around the default privacy protections in IE and track IE users with cookies," Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Internet Explorer Dean Hachamovitch wrote in a company blog.

Tech Solution for a Policy Problem?

Google has been roundly criticized by privacy advocates for its Safari shenanigans and a trio of lawmakers have called for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate if Google's actions violate the consent agreement it made with the agency last year.

Problems like the Safari and IE workarounds by Google will continue to persist as long as they're framed as technology problems and not ethical ones, according to Chet Wisniewski, a security advisor at Sophos. "The real issue here is Google's behavior," he told PCWorld. "It's not about whether there's a bug in Safari or not."

"If they're living by a set of ethical guidelines saying this what we will and will not do when you're using Google services," he continued, "then they shouldn't be needing to manipulate technology or flaws or poorly implemented features in products in order to get what they want."

Follow freelance technology writer John P. Mello Jr. and Today@PCWorld on Twitter.

See more like this: privacy, online privacy, browser security, google, safari, internet explorer, cookies

http://www.pcworld.com/article/250355/browser_addon_stops_google_and_others_from_tracking_you_online.html#tk.hp_new



By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

FBI Says Social Media Monitoring Won't Infringe Privacy Rights

The FBI today said that its proposed plans to monitor social media sites as part of a broader strategy to improve real-time situation awareness will be fully vetted by the agency's Privacy and Civil Liberties Unit.

The unit will review the legal implications of the monitoring application and ensure that it meets all privacy and civil rights obligations before it is implemented, the agency said in a statement emailed to Computerworld "Although the FBI has always adapted to meet changes in technology, the rule of law, civil liberties, and civil rights, will remain our guiding principles," the agency said.

The FBI was responding to questions about its plans to use technology to quickly gather and analyze data posted on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and on blogs using simple keyword searches and phrases.

In a Request For Information (RFI) last month, the FBI said that data posted on such sites would let it more quickly detect specific and credible threats, locate those organizing and taking part in dangerous gatherings and predict upcoming events.

It noted that social media networks have been trumping police, firefighters and news media when it comes to communicating news of developing incidents and protests. "Social media is rivaling 911 services in crisis response and reporting," the RFI noted.

Similar monitoring by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has already stoked considerable privacy concerns. Groups such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have called for more transparency and oversight of such monitoring activities.

EPIC last month warned that some of DHS' monitoring activities appeared to have little to do with public safety; it has expressed similar concerns over the FBI's plans.

Such concerns have prompted the House Committee on Homeland Security to schedule a hearing Thursday to examine the privacy implications of DHS' social media monitoring activities.

In its statement, the FBI said that information gathered from social media networks will support the activities of its Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC). "In accordance with its core mission, SIOC has a responsibility to enhance its techniques for collecting and disseminating real-time publicly available open source information to improve the FBI's overall situational awareness and support of mission requirements," the FBI said.

Social media monitoring will help the agency stay on top of breaking events, crisis activity or natural disasters that have already occurred or are still in progress, the FBI said. The effort will not focus on specific persons or protected groups, but on words that relate to specific events, crisis scenarios and criminal or terrorist activities.

Examples of the words that the FBI will use in its social media searches will include 'lockdown,' 'bomb,' 'suspicious package,' 'white powder,' 'active shoot' and 'school lock down.'

The federal government already uses publicly available open source information to identify immediate or emerging threats to national security. "The type of social media application being researched by the FBI, to view publicly available information, is no different than applications used by other government agencies."

http://www.pcworld.com/article/249984/fbi_says_social_media_monitoring_wont_infringe_privacy_rights.html


By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28

Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Staying Safe on Social Networks

The fun part of online social media is the networking and sharing. The dangerous part of online social media can also be the networking and sharing.

To get a sense of why people enjoy online social networking, visit Twitter or Facebook during a playoff game or during a live broadcast of a show like “American Idol.”

Thousands of people might be sitting alone on their couches watching the game or the show, but they are interacting with people – cheering on their favorite person or trash-talking an opponent.

Personal information is exchanged as if the conversation were happening in a private space. The fact is, these people are speaking publicly.

Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media

Do take advantage of privacy settings available and encourage your friends to do the same. Even if you only share information with designated people using privacy settings, others can neglect to do the same and everyone they are connected to can see information about you.

Don’t announce your vacation plans. It may not be only your closest friends who can see when you are leaving and when you will return. Wait until you come home to share your vacation information online.

Don’t stay logged into Facebook while you are visiting other websites. Any time you browse the internet without first logging out of Facebook, other sites can gain access to any profile information you’ve marked as public information.

Do resist the urge to share identifying information on your social media profiles. On Facebook, for example, you can include your full home address, phone number, date of birth and other personal information. This gives criminals enough details about you to steal your identity or worse, if you give this info and share your vacation plans, they not only know where you live, they also know exactly when your home will be empty!

Do ask questions before clicking on links. Malware is common on status updates on social media sites. If you are uncertain about a link posted, ask the sender first.



Courtesy of Safety Daily News

Google Updates YouTube with Discovery Features

Google is updating the YouTube app for Google TV owners this week, promising performance improvements and easier ways to discover videos you like.

Google quietly announced the refresh on Sunday. The revamped app will be available as an update in the Android Market.

The new YouTube app for Google TV now features channel pages, and you can see related videos and more videos by the same user when you press up or down on your remote. A feature called Discover also allows you to browse through YouTube channels by categories.


“First you’ll notice the app works faster with smoother navigation for a better experience,” says Google TV product manager Jurek Foryciarz in Google's statement. “Whether you’re looking for hilarious comedy, delectable cooking content, or the latest news, you can find great channels for any of your interests.”

With the improved integration of channels on YouTube for Google TV, the company continues its push for original channels that began last year. In a bid to attract more viewers and compete with streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix, these new channels are intended to complement the amateur videos and the non-exclusive, professional movies and TV shows on YouTube.

Updated Apple TV Looms
Google is not the only one pushing updates for its set-top box software. Apple is expected to make a further foray in living rooms with an updated Apple TV set-top box, too. Last updated in 2010, the Apple TV appears to be running out of stock at all major retailers, which according to a 9To5Mac report, indicates an updated version is looming.


Beside an updated Apple set-top box, several reports in the past few months suggest the company is also working on a full-fledged television set. First hints are found in Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs, in which Isaacson quotes Jobs as saying of his quest for integration: "I finally cracked it." The set purportedly features Siri-style voice input and would ship as early as 2013.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/249850/google_updates_youtube_with_discovery_features.html#tk.hp_new



By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Surprise! Windows 8 for ARM Will Come with 'Office 15' Apps

Since Microsoft shared the first obscure hints of expanding the architecture horizon to include running Windows 8 on ARM processors, there has been rampant speculation and anticipation of what that will really mean when the OS finally launches. Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky is providing some more clarity about Windows 8 on ARM (WOA), including the fact that it will have “Office 15” apps built in.

SIMILAR ARTICLES:
Microsoft Office 15 Begins Technical Preview: Tablet Readiness Questioned
8 Things About Windows 8
Windows 8 on ARM: The Desktop Plot Thickens
Microsoft Windows 8: Here's What We Know So Far
Windows 8 Coming in at Least 4 Versions
Microsoft: Intel's Comments on Windows 8 Versions Are Dead Wrong
The Sinofsky post details extensively the techniques and technologies that WOA is built on, and how it will work. There are two points stressed by Sinofsky that I found particularly interesting, though – WOA will have the Windows 8 desktop and not just the Metro UI, and WOA will have “Office 15” apps built in.


Microsoft revealed that Windows 8 on ARM will have "Office 15" apps built in.
There seem to be surprisingly high expectations for Windows 8 tablets built on ARM architecture, but there has also been some serious anxiety over the past few months regarding the capabilities and limitations of WOA. One of the reasons there is so much apparent demand for a Windows 8 tablet is that there is a customer base out there that wants the power and functionality of Windows, with the features and capabilities of an iPad -- and Android tablets thus far have failed to meet this demand.

It makes sense, then, that those same users are worried about how the tablet will integrate or work with the more familiar desktop version of Windows 8. While the traditional x86 and x64 versions of Windows that run on Intel and AMD processors are distinct from the WOA versions (I’m assuming multiple flavors, but Microsoft hasn’t yet revealed details of the actual Windows 8 lineup), Sinofsky spells out in the blog post that Microsoft has gone to great lengths to ensure a consistent user experience across the entire Windows 8 ecosystem.

The most exciting news in the blog post, though, is the revelation that WOA will include “Office 15”. When Microsoft revealed plans for a summer beta of “Office 15”, there was concern that Microsoft seemed evasive about whether or not it would be available for WOA. A lack of Microsoft Office would severely handicap the potential of Windows 8 tablets.

Thankfully, Sinofsky states unequivocally that WOA will include “Office 15” version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. He explains, “The new Office applications for WOA have been significantly architected for both touch and minimized power/resource consumption.”

He then goes on to say, “This engineering work is an important part of being able to provide Office software with WOA, as these are not simply recompilations or ports, but significant reworking of the products with a complete and consistent user experience and fidelity with their new x86/64 counterparts,” which implies that they are separate distinct, separate versions from the x86/64 versions.

With the Windows 8 Consumer Preview expected to be available by the end of this month, there is an expectation that Microsoft will officially launch Windows 8 before the end of 2012, and we may see Windows 8 tablets in time for the holidays.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/249679/surprise_windows_8_for_arm_will_come_with_office_15_apps.html#tk.hp_pop



By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

How to Tell if a Link Is Safe Without Clicking on It

Even the best security software can’t protect you from the headaches you’ll encounter if you click an unsafe link. Unsafe links appear to be shortcuts to funny videos, shocking news stories, awesome deals, or “Like” buttons, but are really designed to steal your personal information or hijack your computer. Your friends can unknowingly pass on unsafe links in emails, Facebook posts, and instant messages. You’ll also encounter unsafe links in website ads and search results. Use these link-scanning tips to check suspicious links. All of these solutions are free, fast, and don’t require you to download anything.

Hover Over the Link
Sometimes a link masks the website to which it links. If you hover over a link without clicking it, you’ll notice the full URL of the link’s destination in a lower corner of your browser. For example, both of these links connect you to PCWorld’s home page, but you wouldn’t know that without hovering:

Click Here!

http://www.freerolexwatches.com/

Use a Link Scanner
Link scanners are websites and plug-ins that allow you to enter the URL of a suspicious link and check it for safety. There are many free and reliable link scanners available; I suggest you try URLVoid first. URLVoid scans a link using multiple services, such as Google, MyWOT, and Norton SafeWeb, and reports the results to you quickly.

URLVoid scans several security databases for information on sketchy Web domain names.

Check Out Shortened Links
URLVoid can’t properly handle shortened URLs from services such as bitly, Ow.ly, and TinyURL (URLVoid will scan the shortening service website instead of the link to which it points). To scan the mysterious shortlinks you’ll often find on Twitter and Facebook, use Sucuri. Sucuri automatically expands the shortlink and draws upon a handful of services, such as Google, Norton SafeWeb, and PhishTank, to determine if the real link is safe. You can also use Sucuri for scanning nonshortened links, but URLVoid checks more sources.

Sucuri can help you determine whether shortened links are safe or not.

Copy a Link--Safely
Services like URLVoid and Sucuri require you to type in or paste a suspicious link—but how do you quickly and safely grab the URL without opening anything? Easy. Just right-click the link to bring up a context menu, then click Copy shortcut (in Internet Explorer), Copy Link Location (in Firefox), or Copy Link Address (in Chrome). The URL is now copied to your clipboard and you can paste it into any search field.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/248963/how_to_tell_if_a_link_is_safe_without_clicking_on_it.html#tk.hp_fv



By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Top Torrent Site BTjunkie Shuts Voluntarily

BTjunkie, one of the largest torrent file-sharing sites, shut down voluntarily over the weekend. The service ranked among the top five torrent sites on the Internet and was never involved in legal action, but recent moves against the likes of MegaUpload and The Pirate Bay have influenced BTjunkie’s closure.


“This is the end of the line my friends,” reads a short message from BTjunkie owner, now visible on the site. “The decision does not come easy, but we’ve decided to voluntarily shut down. We’ve been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it’s time to move on. It’s been an experience of a lifetime, we wish you all the best,” the message says.

BTjunkie’s founder told TorrentFreak the recent high-profile legal action against popular sharing sites such as MegaUpload and The Pirate Bay “played an important role” in making the decision. The founders of MegaUpload were arrested in January and face up to 20 years in prison for the biggest charges of copyright infringement in U.S. history by enabling some $500 millions of illegal downloads of films, music, and other content.


Founders of The Pirate Bay, probably the largest torrent file-sharing site, were ordered to serve up to one year of jail and fined around $5 million by a Swedish court in late 2010. Unlike MegaUpload, where feds seized the domain and shut down the site, The Pirate Bay is still up and running and moved from .org to .se to avoid U.S. officials seizing the domain. The site is also serving magnet links by default now, instead of torrent files, to make downloading harder to trace operations down to individuals.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/249330/top_torrent_site_btjunkie_shuts_voluntarily.html#tk.hp_new


By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus & Ice Cream Sandwich Review

Google employs more than 20,000 people worldwide and the number of them working on Android are in the single digit percentage range. Google's business is search, but it has always had aspirations of more. Android isn't just a chance to capitalize on mobile search for Google, it's also an opportunity to grab power in the next era of personal computing. If you believe that smartphones will eventually replace mainstream PCs, who wouldn't want to be to smartphones what Microsoft was to PCs in the early 1990s?

Previous versions of Android have been cautious, evolutionary steps along a path to being a more open/flexible alternative to iOS. Starting with Honeycomb (Android 3.0) however, Google began to step out of the shadow of its competitors and really start to define Android as a mobile computing platform. Honeycomb was limited to tablets but its successor, Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), would bring unification to Android across both tablets and smartphones.

read the rest at: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5310/samsung-galaxy-nexus-ice-cream-sandwich-review


By Friendly Computers Copyright: 2010-01-28


Give us a call today: 281-554-5500 or visit Friendly Computers to schedule an appointment.