How do you make sure you're protected online?

Last week, Epsilon, a Dallas, Texas based company that handles mass-email marketing and communications for some of the world’s largest banks and corporations, sent out a notification and press release explaining that they had experienced a security breech into their customer database which exposed millions of personal records to a unauthorized entity.  Many of you may have already received notifications from the companies you work with on a daily basis explaining this issue. 

Although these companies send out very nice and calming notifications with verbiage such as:

“We have been informed by Epsilon Interactive, a vendor based in Dallas, Texas, that files containing your email address were accessed by unauthorized entry into their computer system. Epsilon helps us send you emails about products and services that may be of interest to you.

We want to assure you that (financial institution) has never provided Epsilon with financial information about you. For your security, however, we wanted to call this matter to your attention. We ask that you remain alert to any unusual or suspicious emails.” 

This was not a very finite event.  Although Epsilon is downplaying it stating it was only email addresses and names, and they only exposed 2% of all of their records, realize that Epsilon handles marketing information on a massive scale for companies such as: 

1800-Flowers
Best Buy
Capitol One
Chase
CitiBank
Hilton Honors
JP Morgan
Marriott Rewards
US Bank
Walgreens

And that is just a small sample of the dozens of their clients that were affected.

Or should I say, of their clients’ clients that are affected?  Ultimately this lands on each and every one of us that has done business with these companies and provided our names and email addresses in the course of doing business with them. 

What does this mean for you?

Obviously, first and foremost this means your security online has been compromised.  Perhaps not in a way that directly can lead to identity theft, but as an end result, it is a possibility.  Expect increased spam, phishing emails and virus attacks as a result of this.

At best you’ll get a letter acknowledging there was a problem – neither Epsilon nor their clients are offering any solutions or remediation and seem to be doing nothing more than analyzing the scope of the damage.  In essence, they are making this your problem to deal with as they work at fixing the security issue that caused the exposure.

Your security, as always, is your responsibility!

What should you do?

Epsilon and their clients can assure you all they want that nothing really important was stolen – just your name and email address – but for those that stole the information, you can bet their intentions are to get as much personal information as they can.

Act with extra caution when clicking links in emails or opening any emails from unrecognized sources.  If you receive and email from someone you know that looks suspicious but you’re not sure, pick up the phone and call them to verify what it is, or simply send an email to their address in return (not a reply!) asking them what it is and if they did indeed send it.

Be sure you are using a good quality desktop security software that offers aggressive spam and phishing filtering, web threat prevention and proactive internet security features – and make sure you keep it updated and the subscription active!  Our recommendation is Trend Micro Internet Security.  It is a lightweight but robust security platform that you can trust.

Change your passwords.  According to Epsilon passwords weren’t stolen, but do you really want to take the chance that they’re 100% accurate regarding that?  Besides, most of us use the same passwords for email, bank accounts, on-line shopping, etc. and our email address is almost always our login ID.  If the bad guys can get one of your passwords either through a phishing scam or Trojan download, it could expose much more than just your email address to them.

And as always, if you have questions call us.  We are indeed concerned about your security and are more than willing to answer your questions or inspect any suspicious emails you receive.  If you already suspect you may have a Trojan, spyware or other malware on your system, bring it in to us for our flat-rate PC Tune-Up service.  We’ll diagnose any issues your system may have and make security recommendations to keep you safe.

If you’re concerned about your network security or have multiple systems, schedule an on-site appointment with one of our technicians and we’ll come to you!

Remember, security is your responsibility – trust the professionals to make sure YOU are as secure as you need to be!

Security Alert is a post from: @ Blog

But with it come the inevitable problems and dangers of any new platform.  Problems that iPad users should keep in a mind and also consider while looking at the iPad as a solution.

Is iPad leaving users with a false sense of security?

For years part of Apple’s marketing campaign included the underlying message, “No Windows, no viruses.”  While this may be true to an extent, it doesn’t mean that there are no security flaws in their products.  And while the ultra-mobile iPad may not be vulnerable to such issues right now, that doesn’t mean that it never will be.

Part of Microsoft’s problem with security through the years is simply the breadth of their products usage in the business and government sector.  While approximately 98% of all desktops in these markets run a Windows O/S, the odds are good for the bad guys that they will find an open port or a vulnerable system somewhere.  As the iPad becomes more popular it too will become more frequently targeted, and more frequently hit by the bad guys.  Think of it as a numbers game; the more of them there are out there, the more attractive of a target it becomes.

Since it runs a very similar operating environment as the iPhone and the iPod Touch, distribution of malware that can exploit browser based vulnerabilities in these devices are equally effective, and all of these devices are currently vulnerable to numerous web kit attacks.

Along with that is Apple’s attempt to keep applications on these devices proprietary – meaning you have to go to Apple to get their officially licensed software for them.  Jailbreak attacks have grown in popularity as users and hackers alike attempt to open their iDevices to applications and software other than those sold by Apple.  As always with these applications it is, “buyer beware,” and you can bet not all of them are designed to be the user’s friend.

You might be asking, “So, some security software should cover these problems, right?”  Well, that would be the case, except there are no anti-virus or firewall options for the iPad.  With the ability to access public WiF and hotspots, the iPad is touted as a convenient mobile internet device.

But, would you consider doing internet banking on public network on a Windows laptop without having a firewall or encrypted connection?  I hope not – unfortunately without any built-in firewalls, that is exactly what you would be doing using an iPad for these purposes.  Lacking this feature will inevitably make for easy access for mobile hackers looking to steal personal information.

Compounding that is iPad’s lack of any comprehensive encryption and password protection.  A serious concern for a device designed to be used for mobile e-mail and internet capabilities.

Apple has marketed iPad as a robust media device, which also offers hackers a varied platform for attacks.  Just prior to the release of the iPad, Apple distributed patches to address 88 different vulnerabilities for Mac OS X, Quicktime and iTunes.  However, there are still security issues and known vulnerabilities in Quicktime, which is embedded as OS X’s default media player, as well as known exploits found in iTunes, CoreAudio and ImageIO. 

The media capabilities and security issues present can also allow malicious code to be embedded into media sent through e-mail via video CODECS or into phishing e-mails with fraudulent web links.

So with advancement and possibilities, the warnings should also be noted.  Identity theft continues to rise – and the best defense against it is being aware of where the threats can come from.  The iPad is a great device in concept, but my road-tested ThinkPad is still a durable platform and I’ll be waiting for the release of iPad 2.0 before jumping on this bandwagon!

iPad: Anything But Leak Free is a post from: @ Blog

Trend Micro Internet Security will provide you real-time security information on your search engine results. Click for a larger image.

One thing that never fails to impress me about the human spirit is the out-pouring of support, assistance and over-all sympathy when tragedy strikes.  World wide, people come together and do or give whatever they can to help those in a time of crisis.  In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that has stuck Haiti, humanity has once again come together to show how generous and supportive we can be.  And as the internet makes the world smaller, this assistance can be delivered faster than ever before.

Of course the opposite side of humanity often comes to light as well.  There are those who plan, scheme and seek to take full advantage of the outpouring of generosity for their own gains.  With internet technology at their disposal these schemes can be rolled out quicker and take more from unsuspecting victims; people looking to help those in need.

So what are these schemes?  What should we look for, be wary of and most importantly, how do people keep themselves and ultimately those who need help from becoming the victims of these scams?

1. Fake charity or malware sites.

Scammers know those who want to help but might not know where to go are likely to go to Internet search engines for advice.  Fake charitable organizations are springing up online faster than dandelions in a spring meadow.  These scammers use a technique known as Search Engine Poisoning to get their sites to the top of the search engines quickly.  Although they may not stay there, the majority of search engine users tend to trust the top search results as being the most relevant and therefore legitimate organizations.  This gives the scammers precious time at the top of the ranks to dupe as many users as possible.

Our suggestion – always go the extra step to verify the organization you’re looking to donate to is legitimate.  Nothing saves time, money and aggravation better than doing your homework and gathering all of the information before taking action.  Stick to charitable organizations you know such as the Red Cross (www.redcross.org) or contact your local government for information on any grass-root efforts in your area.

Also, a quality security application such as Trend Micro Internet Security will actually provide you with information as to which search engine results have been verified as legitimate, scams or those that have not been verified yet.  Please see the graphic in the article for a demonstration of this feature.  This will give you a good first indication if the site is for real or just out to make a buck.

Or something worse.

2. Twitter tweets and traps.

Many see Twitter as a reliable source for breaking news and information, but just as many legitimate companies use Twitter for marketing purposes, scammers use it to market their fake charities as well.  Using Twitter accounts, target links are spread in an effort to make them look like official charities or news sites related to the Haiti crisis.  This is exacerbated with the use of TinyURL’s that can easily hide a shady link.

Again, be sure to verify the source and destinations of these links.  If in doubt, don’t send the money.  Seek out a reputable organization that you know and trust.

3. Spam and Phishing galore.

Spammers know due to the outpouring of concern over the happenings in Haiti, e-mail users are more likely to open messages with “Haiti” in the subject line.  Many of these are messages designed to appear as though they are sent by not-for-profit or charitable outreach programs. Others use “Haiti” subject lines as a disguise for the usual online pharmaceutical sales, dating-sites or links to other malware infested websites.

As you know, malware sites containing rogue anti-virus programs, Trojans and key loggers are set up to steal user information and potentially damage computer data.  These nefarious attempts at identity and financial theft can be even more dangerous and damaging than fake charities.

It is important to remember that unless you have supplied your email address and signed up to receive newsletters from charity organizations online, they will not send you solicitations for donations.

And as always, keep a reliable and updated security application on your PC and use common sense.  Do not open emails or click links on emails without verifying the source first.

4. Haitian money scam.

Like the infamous Nigerian Money Scam or 419 scam, e-mails from supposed Haiti Earthquake victims that paint a grim picture of life and suffering in Haiti, begging for assistance are becoming more prevalent.  These e-mails generally include a very convenient link to send donations as well.  In most cases the link directs the user to a malware site that will infect the user’s computer with Trojans or key loggers.

As in all cases, common sense and a good mail filtering security program is still your best defense.

5. So-“phish”-tication.

Phishing attempts are becoming more sophisticated.  We’re all pretty used to seeing the horribly written phishing and spam emails, wrought with misspellings and grammatical errors.  New phishing attempts detected are sophisticated emails impersonating reputable charities such as the Red Cross.  These lengthy emails include data and statistics that compel the reader to donate immediately to help the victims of Haiti and other disasters.  However, the spoofed links in the email lead back to fake donation sites of profiteers or malware sites aiming to steal identity and personal information.

All the same suggestions apply here – charities such as the Red Cross will not send e-mails asking for donations unless you’re already on an e-mail list with them.  Keep your security software updated and avoid clicking links in unsolicited e-mails.

When in doubt Aspire Technology Solutions has security experts on staff that can answer your questions and even check on the legitimacy of e-mails and websites.  We also carry a wide range of security products for businesses and home PC’s that can be purchased on-line and downloaded for immediate use.

We are all concerned for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, but our assistance needs to be directed to the organizations that can provide help to those that need it.

Top 5 Haiti Scams is a post from: @ Blog