In 2003 the Consortium of Anti-Spyware Technology vendors (COAST) was formed to “collaborate on projects to increase awareness of issues involving spyware.” Their goals included helping consumers understand what had been installed on their systems, enabling them to remove what they didn’t want and pressuring the advertising software industry to change their business practices.

However, things began to unravel when several founding members (Lavasoft, Computer Associates, Webroot and Aluria) pulled out of the consortium, reportedly because of the group’s inability to create a set of standards and code of ethics. Some of those departing members also indicated that COAST had begun to certify — for a fee — certain publishers that were known by many anti-spyware firms as purveyors of spyware. Yes, my friends, allegedly the fox was watching the henhouse!

So COAST basically disintegrated and many say that was a good thing! The good news is this: in early 2005 the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) convened a meeting with industry anti-spyware leaders to discuss issues facing the anti-spyware industry, and the Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC) was then formed. The new group includes the original COAST founders as well as consumer groups, academia and just about every big name in computing, including all the top anti-virus players.

Spyware has previously been defined as a computer program that, surreptitiously, gathers information without the knowledge of the user and may port that data back to another entity or as software that asserts control over a computer without the user’s knowledge.

One of the first tasks that ASC did was to create a formal definition of spyware and other potentially unwanted technologies. Their description is this: Technologies deployed without appropriate user consent and/or implemented in ways that impair user control over the following: (1) material changes that affect their user experience, privacy or system security; (2) use of their system resources, including the programs that are installed on their computers; and/or (3) collection, use and distribution of their personal or other sensitive information.

Another task of ASC was to create a set of common industry guidelines for publishers who allege that their software has been improperly flagged as spyware. This is an important step because, well frankly, sometimes anti-spyware vendors make mistakes and it can be quite costly for a publisher to be flagged as a bad guy! The guidelines are just that — guidelines — ASC does not independently resolve the disputes but has framed recommended best practices for anti-spyware software publishers. Bravo!

ASC also has published a glossary of terms commonly used in discussions about spyware and a list of anti-spyware Safety Tips to provide basic guidelines for consumers to protect themselves and their computers. They recommend that users keep their security patches up to date, download programs only from websites they trust, read the fine print in license agreements, not be tricked into clicking anything on a popup window, beware of free software and use tools to detect and delete spyware.

In an effort to fight spyware, three U.S. Senators have introduced a bill that would attempt to combat this plague by making it a crime to offer this type of spying computer program. The bill (S.2145) is entitled “Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge Act,” or the “SPY BLOCK Act.” Cute name!

If passed it will outlaw software that, without explicit user permission, installs itself or other programs, reconfigures settings (or redirects the user), captures personal information or keeps track of visited websites. And, this is the best part: the software must disclose in clear language each aspect of what the program will do to your computer and with your information and must obtain your consent to do so.

In addition, the software must be easily uninstallable through the “add and remove programs” feature (in Windows OS) or other standard methods. Spyware programs are so notoriously difficult to remove from infected systems they are often referred to as parasitic. It appears the proposed legislation is lingering in committee. So, we’ll have to wait to see what happens to publishers of “unwanted technology” if SPY BLOCK ever becomes law.

According to a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, nine out of ten Internet users say they have adjusted their online behavior out of fear of falling victim to software intrusions and about 59 million American adults, say they have had spyware or adware on their home computer. Additionally the project reports that 68% of home Internet users or about 93 million American adults have experienced at least one computer problem in the past year that was consistent with problems caused by spyware or viruses.

While those stats are discouraging, the report also indicated that 25% of Internet users say they have stopped downloading music or video files from peer-to-peer networks to avoid getting unwanted software programs on their computers. Perhaps there is some silver lining to the epidemic!

The report also indicated that there is a significant gap between people’s perceptions and the reality of what is on their computers. An October 2004 study by AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance reported that 53% of respondents said they had spyware or adware on their computers, but a scan revealed that 80% of them actually had such programs installed. Yikes!

That same study found an average of 93 spyware applications on users’ computers. The thought of nearly a hundred spyware applications per computer just blows my mind. Experts conservatively estimate that for every 1,000 users in an organization, the costs of fixing spyware-related problems are $83,000 per year. Forrester Research released “AntiSpyware Adoption In 2005,” which indicated that 39% of respondents, dubbed “technology decision makers,” did not know the percentage of desktops infected with spyware in their organizations and 56% were unsure of what percentage of help desk calls were related to spyware issues. However, the Forrester report indicates that, on average, 7% of all help desk calls are made in response to spyware infections. Considering how much time it usually takes to resolve a serious spyware infection, that number is huge.

I have been infected a couple of times on my home computer — ahem — when someone other than me was using it. It takes days to “fix” the problem. In fact, I now just re-image my PC because it is easier than trying to find the culprit(s) and eliminate them. I simply keep a backup of my data on an ongoing basis so that I don’t have to deal with the potential loss of it.

Meanwhile, the need to fight spyware will push anti-spyware revenues from $12 million in 2003 to an estimated $305 million in 2005. Hum … with all that revenue to be had, how motivated could anti-spyware publishers be to find a cure?

Folks, this insidious problem is not going away any time soon. The best we can do is to alter our cyber-behavior and keep our anti-spyware and anti-virus software up to date. Remember, my little chickens, it may not be Big Brother watching you, but somebody probably is — let’s hope it isn’t a fox! Safe surfing.

Donna Johnson Edwards is the Director of Consulting for Tenax, Inc. Established in the U.S. in 2002, Tenax provides IT compliance certifications, training and targeted consulting services. For further information on IT Compliance and Software Asset Management please visit the Tenax Corporation website.

Everyday more and more computers are becoming infected with Spyware and Adware (advertising tracking). No matter where you go on the web, someone is trying to sneak something on your computer. From honest web sites placing simple logon cookies, to paid advertising tracking your movements on the web, to malicious software that is designed to record your keystrokes and discover your passwords, Spyware and Adware have together become the web’s number one problem.

Many of these programs are down right dangerous and seriously threaten your online privacy and identity. But even the simple and supposedly benign Adware programs can cause you serious problems.

Spyware is any program that installs itself onto your computer with the intent to spy on your activity. This can be recording your online searching habits, or whatever you type on your keyboard. Adware is not much better. It is designed to watch what you do online, where you go, which terms you search for and then report this to the ad agency that runs the adware program.

Adware programs may be designed with the best intentions in mind, but even these can cause your computer serious problems.

Here is what happens. Many, if not most, advertisers on the internet will try and place a cookie or other small program on your computer. Many will add code that will track that cookie as it hits different pages. The code may be designed simply to gather anonymous data, or it may be trying to send ads to your browser that the advertising company thinks you will be more likely to respond to.

Whatever the case, the Adware or Spyware is using your computer to do its tracking. This means that part of your computer’s power and CPU cycles are being diverted away from the activity you are trying to perform. Your computer is being used by someone else instead to track your movements. Now, when we multiply this behavior by tens or hundreds of Adware or Spyware programs all trying to use your computer for their work you can begin to see the problem.

These programs can literally slow your computer down to a crawl, or make it crash altogether. They can fill your computer up with trash files, open unwanted popup windows, use up the space in your internet cache and generally just make working on your computer a nightmare.

Luckily there are several easy solutions to the problem. But first let me make one distinction, Spyware and Adware are not the same thing as a computer virus. Although a computer virus can install spyware on a computer, you will need different tools to remove a computer virus and to keep your system clean from Spyware and Adware. You should be using both a high quality commercial anti-virus program and one or more good quality programs for handling the spyware/adware problem.

There are several good Spyware/adware programs on the market. I use two different programs on my network, Ad-aware from Lavasoft and Spy Sweeper from Webroot Software although there are several others. You can easily find both of these by doing an internet search for Ad-aware and Spy Sweeper. Or simply do a search for spyware. Both of these programs will scan your hard drives and registry and present you with a list of spyware/adware programs hiding on your system. You can then quarantine or remove the offending programs. I use both of these programs since neither one seems to catch everything. Plus I will run them 2 or more times in a row, the nastier spyware will not be completely removed on the first pass.

The process is very easy and I recommend running these programs at least once a week and every time you have been doing some extended web surfing. You will be surprised at how many of these spyware/adware programs will sneak onto your system. I run a very clean network and I have yet to scan my system and not come up with at least a few of these hiding on my hard drive.

So be aware of the problem, take reasonable precautions, scan your system frequently, and the spyware/adware curse can be broken.

George Peirson is a successful Entrepreneur, Internet Trainer and author of over 30 multimedia based tutorial training titles. Read more articles by George Peirson at http://www.howtogurus.com/free-articles.html Article copyright 2005 George Peirson

Data security is a serious issue that should not be treated with levity. Most organization in this age rely heavily on management information systems to process and store data.

Such data are vital to the smooth running of the organization. Examples of data usage in organization are; marketing decisions, such as customer preference, data showing weak sales e.t.c

Due to the important role data and information play in the success of an organization its security must be a priority.

The Need For Data Backup
Data backup is a data security tool. The constant availability of data without backup cannot be guaranteed.

Why We Need To Backup Our Data
Computer systems are subject to failures or accidents. Such failures and accidents affect the availability of data.

Fortune 500 companies, with large volumes of data depend on these data for per second decision making cannot afford a downtime of 5 minutes which result into losses running into millions of Dollars.

The Following Could happen To Your Computer System

• Hard disk could crash.

Where To Store Your Data Backup
The location of where to store your data backup is another serious issue.

Why backup your data and store such backup in the same location with your management information systems. The purpose of the data backup is defeated.

Tips On Where To Locate Your Data Backup

• Make sure your backup data is not located in a disaster prune area. Disasters such as earthquake, flood, hurricane e.t.c.

Advice:
Backup your data regularly on quality media device and ensure they are stored in a safe place. A company with sufficient funds based in the US could have a backup server located in the UK.

Christopher Okoh
CEO
Computer Security & Network Associates
Website:http://www.compsana.com

You Don’t Even Know!

You probably don’t even know, yet I’m sure you suspect it. If you are tracking your links you are wondering why you get so many hits, but so few sales.

Your Links Are Being Hijacked!

It’s because the thieves are hijacking your referrer ID,and substituting their own. Or better yet they just delete the referrer Id completely and buy directly from the vendor.

They Are Taking Your Commissions!

They are just plain mean, and don’t want you to get a commission. It’s easy to stop with the right tool!

You Have To Hide Your ID.

Stopping the thieves is easy but you have to use a cloaking link. Not just a tracking link. But a "cloaked" link" that will keep the alleged thief from knowing your ID until it’s too late to change it or delete it.

Of course they can always cancel the sale, but at that point most people will complete the purchase. It’s like the old saying. Locks only keep "honest" people, "honest"

Put An End to The Stealing Now! If you do not begin cloaking your affiliate links and referrer ID’s, then you will lose sales.

The good news is, you can stop the stealing. Whether you are new to the Internet, or you’re just starting out. You need to take action before you lose anymore sales!

I have been marketing on the Internet sinc 2001,and have learned many tricks of the trade. Believe me, I know the thieves are out there. Sincerely, Paul Webb http://www.wholenewbiz.com/asb/index.html

Why shop online in the first place?

When you decide to go online for shopping there is a reason for that. Of course there is reason you think. But really; why not just go down town and buy the product you need? It’s probably only a street or block away.

Because you like to do some fast research on the net to compare prices maybe or to simply check your options out there in the product jungle. By a click on the mouse your product is on its way to your home. It’s amazing how easy it is now a days. Only a few years back in time you went to the mall to get all your shopping done in one place.

But now, you got the internet, which is one giant world wide mall. You can buy all kinds of stuff and products online: luxury, furniture’s, motorcycles, cars, wigs, diamond rings, shoes, golf equipment, jewellery, grocery, saltwater fish and a much more. I don’t think there is anything that the internet does not offer in some way.

But how safe are you really?

One thing that is important when you shop in online stores is, look for the https in the URL in your browser before typing anything private in the stores checkout page. The s that is put in front of the http indicates that the transmission is secure and encrypted. That is preventing hackers to listen in on your shopping to steal your private data. The last thing you want is for some hacker to empty your bank account either directly or via shopping in your name so to speak. So, look for the https.

Can I trust the online stores?

How sure can you be that the store actually intends to send you any of the goods you order? Maybe they simply keep your money and that is all you ever going to see from them. Again, look for signs that this online store is serious. Look for customer service; there should be a direct phone number to the store, if you have any questions you need to be answered before or after your purchase. How do they ship items, and how about if you want to return the item? It should also be possible to pay via international credit cards like Visa or similar cards. I think it is too risky to transfer money directly into a bank account, unless you know the store well.

Final word about online stores.

I enjoy shopping online. I purchase books, both e-books and regular books, clothes, vitamins, access to information and much more. The net is a wonderful media when searching for information and services. Just look for the secure signs, and enjoy your shopping in online stores.

Huge amount of quality online stores information on this site – Go there! http://www.onlinestores.infostairs.com/

Looking for free computer security tools to use?

Got Spyware?

There is now a bill in Congress to make Spyware illegal. Good luck at catching the creators, in the mean time here are two links you can use to get started on your journey against Spyware.

http://www.lavasoft.com Ad-aware http://www.safernetworking.com Spybot Search and Destroy.

Note there is better version available for a cost. There are many things you can also do to protect your computer Keep Automatic Updates turned on for all of your Anti-Virus Software, and operating systems. Clean out your cookies as well there is often cookies placed to track your whereabouts on the Internet.

Now the subject of viruses. There are commercial anti-virus scanner like Symantec Norton Anti-Virus and MacAfee in fact many new computers come with trial versions. Unfortunately when these versions run out users most of the time ignore it and wonder why do I have a virus? Let me explain something just because you have a antivirus software program on your computer you are not cured. Virus writers do just that write new viruses and edit old ones to do new things. You need to update your signatures of your anti-virus software continuously. Crafty virus writer’s code Viruses to disable your anti-virus software!

There is free anti-virus solutions one is called AVG http://free.grisoft.com. I personally use this product and love It, it is not a memory hog like Norton. And you can also set up schedules to run and get updates.

A good firewall is a must especially nowadays. This is because everyone for the most part is running DSL and Cable modems. Which are great for connectivity horrible because it’s like leaving your front door unlocked.

Check out http://www.zonelabs.com They have a product called Zone Alarm. It is customizable and blocks allot of attempts of entering your network. It is shocking to see the amount of people trying to get into your network. Zone Alarm will alert you to programs trying to access the Internet. This is kind of annoying but can be a life saver if a program is dialing Kenya on your telephone!! Zone Alarm can remember certain programs.

Windows Service Pack 2 has a firewall in it and I recommend enabling it.

There are many web browsers that you can use. I love Open Source you can probably guess I’m using Firefox www.mozilla.org/products/firefox.There are so many features that I can rave about like tabbed browsing, if your anything like me at home I have at least two or three browser running if using Internet Explorer, with Firefox I can have as many websites as I want open and tabs at the top with descriptions. it’s ingenious in my opinion. I don’t have to switch browsers like I do with IE.

Internet Explorer is one of the most used browsers and most targeted. Mozilla Firefox has many advantages including security. It also does not use ActiveX.

Scan your own systems! To see what ports are open and running. DO you have services that do not need to be running?

Knowledge is power. I work for a technology company for three years and never have they trained any people in multiple departments on security that I’m aware of. I’m amazed to hear things from co-workers such as I don’t have an account with so and so bank but they wanted my information and I gave it to them! Corporate networks are and will continue to be infected by users that are untrained about computer security. People all the time open attachments that they do not know where they came from. Homes users are sometimes even more ignorant. That is not said in a mean way. File Sharing programs are popular and an opening to viruses, Trojans and other lovely things you don’t want in your network.

For the best and current security tools, alerts and news use Google http://www.google.com.

Benjamin Hargis CEO

Phuture Networks

http://www.phuturenetworks.com

http://www.computersecurityadvice.com Free Computer Security Advice !!!

Social Engineering is the act of tricking or cunning people into giving out sensitive information, which is used for fraud, vengeance, murder or destruction.

The aim of this is to bring personal gain to the perpetrator and losses to the victim. The victim could be an individual, a family, an organization, or Government.

The reason why social engineering seem to succeed is because information that should be kept secret are right out there in the open in plain view for people to see.

Most individuals, families, organization and government establishments do not have information classification policy in place.

Information classification policy defines the degree of sensitivity of an information. Take this example, what information in our family do we classify as "restricted", that is the information meant only for the family; father, mother and children. Anytime a member of the family comes home after 9pm, it is considered late. We use our secret code (number of door knocks) to get the door opened by a member of the family. This acts as a deterrent to house burglars, such an information is restricted to the family and must not be leaked out.

Secrecy is the only weapon that minimizes or prevents the act of social engineering. Secrecy is the only effective counter measure against social engineering.

Tips to Counter Social Engineering Using Secrecy as a Security Deterrent

Social engineering is an act that no security technological tool can fight. The best weapon is secrecy. Learn the act of secrecy Now!

Christopher Okoh
CEO
Computer Security & Network Associates.
Website: http://www.compsana.com

You’ve heard all kinds of terrible things about it, but just what IS it - and how does it get on your computer in the first place?

Spyware is a real pain in the arse, to put it bluntly. It bogs down your computer’s memory, causes you to be spammed to death with pop-up ads, and tracks everywhere you go while you surf the web! Worst of all, 99% of all spyware downloads itself to your computer without your knowledge - or your consent.

Can they do that? Yes, unfortunately, they can - but you don’t have to sit back while your computer is destroyed with malicious software. Spyware scanners and removal programs are a must on any computer that gets online.

But, first, let’s talk a little more about spyware - and what it truly is.

Broadbandinfo.com makes things a little clearer:

Spyware—gathers information about Internet users without their knowledge or consent and delivers that information to advertisers or others who have access to the information. Users can get spyware in their systems by downloading certain programs or in the form of a virus.

Sort of scary, isn’t it? There are two main ways to "get" spyware:

1. It downloads itself into your computer, without your knowledge or consent, when you visit a certain website or click on a certain pop-up ad.
2. It downloads itself to your computer along with something you chose to download, usually under the guise of "free extras" - you may or may not (usually not) be notified that the extra content is included with the download.

Short of never downloading anything, or ceasing to ever surf online again, the only sure way to keep your computer clean of spyware is to periodically "clean" it up with a good spyware removal program. The only true, and reliable, preventative measures that can be taken are to never click on pop-up ads and to be careful of where you surf - regardless, though, you are always going to end up with some spyware.

One of the things about spyware that people don’t realize is that most of it is programs. That’s right, it’s a program running in the background of your machine - eating up your resources. You can imagine what would happen if you had hundreds (and without a removal program, you will) - eventually your computer would be inoperable - slow as a snail, for want of a better term.

Since spyware is inevitable - as much so as taxes and death these days - you’d best go ahead and download a few reputable spyware removal programs on your pc.

From homecomputersafety.com

Professional i.t. tech & geeky-girl gamer who feels her duty to warn the average user about the dangers of the Internet. Feel free to use, please link back to http://www.homecomputersafety.com/

Everyone is talking about online shopping. It’s easy and a lot less hassle than a trip to the mall. It puts unbelievable choice right at your fingertips. Despite the advantages, there are certain things you do and don’t do when it comes to your money and your safety. Street smarts are the rule online and off when it comes to safe shopping. Online that goes double.

Online shoppers, just like those in the physical world, know to be aware of the neighborhood where they are shopping. They know the reputations of the places where they do business. They watch their wallets, and they know to be aware of who might be scrutinizing them just a little too closely.

Do a little research. Anyone can build a website. If you encounter an unfamiliar company where you want to shop, find out who they are. Look for an address. Be wary of any company that does not list one. An address is no guarantee, but you can use it to check references with the Better Business Bureau, BBB. Their online site at http://bbb.org/ has nationwide listings.

Sometimes you may want more information than the BBB provides. In this case, after the BBB check, use your favorite search engine and try an “about search.” The difference in an “about search,” and just looking for the site, is that you already know where the site is; now you want to find out what people are saying about it. Generally, just putting “about” in front of the company name will get you started.

For a very small purchase, you might want to dispense with all this investigating. But do use a low limit credit card. That way if anything does go awry, it isn’t that far awry. Yes, we all know about the $50 liability limit, but the low limit card can be a hassle saver online.

You may choose not to use a debit card online at all. Many debit cards do not offer the same protections against fraud as credit card companies. You could be putting your whole bank account at risk.

While you are at it, be sure to check out the return policy and guarantee. Online and off, most good companies do accept returns, either by providing a cash refund or product exchange. Note, however, shipping costs are typically not refunded for online purchases.

Online Security:

After you’ve found exactly what you have been looking for, checked out the seller, and their return policy; the next thing you need to do is make sure the site is secure. Secure means your personal information is encrypted in transit to the seller’s server. This prevents unauthorized (hacker) access and possible misuse of your credit information.

Examine the URL in the address bar. If the site is encrypted you will see an “s” directly after the http – like https://. The whole site will not be encrypted, but the order page for the transaction should be.

Other things to look for – depending on your browser, you may see either an open or a closed padlock, or a whole or broken key. If the key is broken or the lock open, you should assume that the site is not encrypted.

Sometimes security issues get tricky. Suppose you personally know the owner, it is a solid local business, but there is no encryption system in place and they expect you to transmit your credit information online. With small businesses, this is most often a case of not knowing better, that does not, however, mean that you do not. In cases like this, look for a phone number and call in your order. If there is no phone number and no mailing address, you should seriously consider whether you want to risk an unsecured transaction.

Common sense is the rule online and off. Guard your personal information, including Social Security Number, bank account information and passwords. No reputable merchant has a need for your Social Security Number and it is not standard policy to ask for it when you buy your groceries for instance. Requiring this for a routine purchase should send up a red flag. You should immediately take your business elsewhere. Some will do whatever they can think of, in all kinds of official looking ways, to get you to provide private personal information. If you call, they may personally assure you that they do indeed need your bank account and password to sell you that CD. No way, just because it looks good, and they sound sincere, doesn’t mean that it is or they are, and you may not know there was ever a problem until you see your credit report.

The last big rule is to keep copies of everything. Print out the pages with the description and prices of items you order. Print out your credit card receipt. Most companies will email you a copy as well. Keep that too, and make sure it matches your online information.

And remember, online and off, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t let the heat of the offer lull you into abandoning your good common sense. Of course, you could miss the deal of a lifetime, and that is exactly what the unscrupulous want you to think. Likely as not, online and off – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Shopping the net is destined to change the way we do business, but it is still a new frontier, with many of the uncertainties that go with it. The only way to really be secure online is to develop your street smarts and sometimes, that may not be enough. It will certainly level the field though, and by keeping your cyber smarts well honed, you should be able to safely shop the net.

Regina Garson has lived and worked on the Internet for many years. She teaches computer classes at Virginia College in Huntsville, Alabama. Online and off, she has helped many learn their way around the net. For more about online shopping, you can visit her website: LaFindz of the Net at http://lafindz.tripod.com

Falling prey to a phishing scam is a scary thought; no one wants their identity stolen. How can you learn to tell the difference between legitimate emails and scams?

You’re probably wondering, first off, where it gets that strange name from. As the Webopedia Computer Dictionary says at the tail end of its "phishing" definition:

Phishing, also referred to as brand spoofing or carding, is a variation on “fishing,” the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hopes that while most will ignore the bait, some will be tempted into biting.

Wikipedia.org, however, goes into a bit more detail about how and why phishing scams work:

In computing, phishing (also known as carding and spoofing) is a form of social engineering, characterised by attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication, such as an email or an instant message. The term phishing arises from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users’ financial information and passwords.

Some of the most common phishing scams around are the PayPal and Ebay ones - everyone should know by now that any email purporting to come from these two companies which requires you to sign-on via a link in the email is anything but legit. But what about those that come from your specific credit card company, bank, or another company you do business with?

There is one word of advice I can give you - one thing you can always remember when trying to decide if an email is fake or legit - you can be sure that companies, finanical institutions, nor credit companies will EVER ask you for your account information via email!!

That bears repeating and further clarification: ANY EMAIL THAT ASKS YOU TO "SIGN-ON" FROM THE EMAIL, THEREBY HAVING TO TYPE IN YOUR ACCOUNT NAME AND/OR PASSWORD, IS NOT LEGIT!!

If you have any concerns on whether the email in front of you is the real-deal, and you worry your account may be suspended or canceled (as many of them threaten to do to "scare" you into giving up your info), open a new browser window and type the URL of the company/institution into the URL bar. Go directly to the site - never click on the links given in the email. You could also call the company/institution in question and ask them if there is anything amiss with your account, and if they have tried to contact you.

Even for a seasoned veteran like myself, spoof emails are very difficult to spot. Take this great Phishing IQ Test offered by MailFrontier. I got less than half right - and I know what to look for!

Remembering the simple rule of thumb given above (no clicking on links in emails, companies won’t ask for personal/account info via email) and you should be okay - even if you (like me) failed the Phishing IQ Test!

The best protection - always - is to be informed. Learn as much about phishing and pharming as you can - stay abreast of the latest attacks and most common spoof emails in circulation. And, always, be wary of giving our personal and account information online!

From homecomputersafety.com

Professional i.t. tech & geeky-girl gamer who feels her duty to warn the average user about the dangers of the Internet. Feel free to use, please link back to http:www.homecomputersafety.com/