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Cybersecurity Is A Worldwide Imperative
By Ray Wilson, For The Bulletin
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will raise the issue of Google’s ongoing battles in China in a broad policy address in Washington on Internet freedom. The main focus of the speech will be to let America’s policies for supporting and enabling unrestricted Internet access to people worldwide be known. Sometime ago, President Barack Obama made the same kind of remark to the children of China, whose usage is controlled by their government. Google’s censorship battles in China will be a part of the speech. This is to be a major policy address on Internet freedom putting forth the idea that the Internet is a tool for people around the world to connect with each other and share information with each other, whereby they are able to benefit from the Internet and each other as resources. Mrs. Clinton is also expected to articulate a “number of concrete deliverables” to enhance the ability of people around the world to use the Internet.
Events in Iran, China and Colombia have shown advocacy for human rights, whereby democracy is no longer restricted to the traditional realms. All of this has come from an aide who wishes to remain anonymous. This is the aide’s closing statement: “A lot of these things are taking place over the Internet, as well as in other digital platforms.” How did he/she ever come to that conclusion? This is but a sample of what can be expected if cybersecurity is not given the utmost energy and consideration. Cybersecurity is a worldwide imperative and necessitates the cooperation of all of the other nations in order for it to be successful. Their cooperation will come from their willingness to be a part, and not to be intimidated to come on board. We need a worldwide gathering, like Copenhagen.
My associate and I have tested many products that have been mentioned or reviewed in this column. SuperAntiSpyware was reviewed last week. As a follow up, read about their new innovation, the Portable Scanner.
Portable Security: You have been away on a trip and God only knows what you have picked up on your laptop, NetBook, or whatever, in an airport, coffee shop, or even in your local library. At any rate, there is no need to take the chance that your computer may have become subject to an infection. All you have to do is pop in your USB-powered portable scanner loaded with SuperAntiSpyware Pro edition and clean your software. No Internet connection is necessary. You don’t have to wait until you get home. You don’t have to worry about what may be in your machine replicating. You can scan it on the spot and fix any problem. It’s a real convenience. Download to a USB at http://www.superantispyware.com/portable/.
Rogue software is the scourge of the Internet. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICCC) issued a warning on fake software admonishing Web surfers to be wary of pop-up windows warning of security problems on their computer. They estimate working this scam has raked in more than $150 million and this activity still flourishes. The pop-ups can appear anywhere and getting rid of them is almost impossible, unless you whip out the plastic and purchase their wares. If you do, you just bought beaucoup trouble. Leaving the page and restarting your machine will close the pop-up. Make a note of this site and steer clear of it. Beware of this scare-ware! There are 45 million Web pages with 32 million new ones yearly. Some of them are definitely rogues. Make sure your safety and security programs are up to date and run them.
Laptop Failures: There is a company called SquareTrade whose business is selling extended warranties and has come up with some disturbing information. Its latest report on laptop reliability is quite grim. On average, 31 percent of laptops fail completely within three years from malfunctions and abuse. Malfunctions alone account for 20 percent of the failings in three years. Failures are relative to the cost and the less expensive Netbooks will have a 25 percent failure rate in three years or less.
Verizon Becomes A Client: The crooks are preying on Verizon customers, telling them their accounts are over the limit and are offering a Balance Checker program to review their payments. The e-mail messages that look like they come from Verizon Wireless are phonies and the Balance Checker is a Trojan, a network software application which can steal personal information. If you run the tool, your computer is toast.
These boys mean business. They are not fooling around as they are knocking out 200,000 messages per hour. Multiply that by 24 and tell me how safe you are. If that is not bad enough, if you get this infection, it opens up a back door for all kinds of stuff including the Zbot Botnet, a banking Trojan, which is known for lifting banking credentials. Big payoff? You betcha! How about more than $ 100 million and this is only the beginning. Let me see LifeLock stop that before it starts. You want LifeLock identity protection? Go to http://identitytheft-protection.org/lifelock/the-great-lifelock-com-scam/ for the real story. Some never learn: While he was in jail, this guy hacked the prison files. He was caught and received another 18 months for his trouble.
IDG News Service reports Russian software is suspected in the investigation of the theft of tens of millions of dollars from Citibank by hackers. This incident was under investigation by the FBI. The actual source of the money is still unclear, but the tool, “Black Energy,” was designed by a Russian hacker. This tool is used to control a botnet or a large bank of computers infected with malware. A hacker controlling this tool’s ability is aimed at taking down large Web sites.
Friendly Reminders: If you are running the Microsoft XP operating system, you should be using Service Pack 3 (SP3). In order to get SP3, you must be running service packs 1 and 2. Go to Microsoft Windows updates for downloads. If you are running Microsoft Vista, you should also have the service packs that are available at Microsoft Downloads. While there, check the other Microsoft Windows downloads. And, in the same area, check for any other patches that were offered in 2009, as five are vital.
Microsoft may never catch Google in general Internet search, but it came up with a system that has them sitting up and taking notice. To enter the Bing Health Search, go to Bing, enter a term, such as “blood pressure,” and you will come up with a summary of information regarding your inquiry. These links are provided by the Mayo Clinic for Microsoft’s General Manager of Health Search. Seriously, take a look at Bing with the uncluttered interface and feed it some things to find. I have found that it gets the job done.
Free Stuff: There are a couple of scurrilous and insidious rumors currently bantered about from several software manufacturers that because some software is free, it is not worthy of a download. However, this can be true if it is offered by hucksters. Make sure of what you are downloading. There are more and more rogue companies springing up everyday as finances continue to dwindle. The other scam that comes in a pop-up as the software is being loaded is “You have another (program name) running, uninstall it before downloading.” This is really tacky and quite a stretch. I have come across this several times even being used by noteworthy companies.
Windows 7: Microsoft is well aware of its users waiting for Service Pack 1 (SP1), prior to investing in any new system. This is the motivating factor in Microsoft’s necessity to produce SP1 as soon as possible. This means another flurry of Window 7 sales and more USDs.
Was Microsoft caught with both hands in the cookie jar? They did admit it. It really upset Plurk, owners of the coding they copied, who were investigating their options. Microsoft has pulled it from Juku in China, a rival of Plurk, and just in time to avoid Plurk instituting a suit. There is a lot more to this story that would likely fill a whole page but this gives you the drift of what goes on everyday in this business. Hmmm. Interesting fact.
Terror in the sky! Our administration’s report on the failed airliner bombing on Christmas Day brings to light the work that has to be done to enable a coordinated security effort. The term they used was “connecting the dots,” but this is not a game. All of the information that was pointing to the alleged bomber was not gathered from databases and other sources. If it were not for this overall security intelligence failure, this event could have been avoided. Even the alleged bomber’s father said, “his son had terrorist intentions.”
The information was there and could have avoided this attempted attack before it started. The government agencies failed to identify or correlate the information that was obviously at their disposal. The reason seems to be that the computers are not linked or talking to each other. This seems to be the gist of what they have ascertained and in this era of electronic surveillance there is no excuse for agencies not communicating. Let’s hope they get it right and do something positive to avoid any future terrorist activity.
Let’s hear it for tablet computers. Finally, after all the hype and rhetoric, the Apple tablet, the iPad, according to Steve Jobs, the honcho of Apple, is ready for prime time. Are tablet computers new? Not really. In 1987, GoCorp was the first to get tablet computing going. Yes. It quickly crashed. Since then it seems to be a mania for getting a tablet computer on the market that is more than an expensive toy. Aside from Apple, there is Microsoft’s Courier Tablet, Lenovo’s IdeaPad U1, and Dell’s, which is still unnamed. In 1993, Apple gave it a shot with Newton, but it flopped. In 2000, Microsoft spent serious time working on plans for a tablet. Guess what happened to those plans? Now, at the CES show, tablets took the spotlight. (I understand some of the tablets were aspirin). Palm made out with its Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) for a bit. Today, they are a Smartphone vendor. The suspense has been uh…yawn.
Heartland Comes Clean: You remember in 2008 when this company that processes credit cards was breached and lost the information of millions was spouting a lot of rhetoric of not being at fault. Heartland Payment Systems have agreed to pay up to $60 million to issuers of Visa credit and debit cards for their losses in the data breach of 2008. Card issuers are due an immediate recovery for loses from the Heartland intrusion. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Albert Gonzalez and his accomplices with the data breach. Mr. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to two other data breaches and two counts of conspiracy in the Heartland case. He has resided in a corrective facility for 17 years. It is hard to say what will be on the table next week, but be assured, it will be good stuff! Stay well, have positive thoughts.
Ray Wilson was raised in Upper Darby and has lived in Chester County since 1973. He has more than 40 years of experience in computing and he has been testing virus and Spyware programs for eight years. He can be reached at IMHelpful4u@aol.com.
Events in Iran, China and Colombia have shown advocacy for human rights, whereby democracy is no longer restricted to the traditional realms. All of this has come from an aide who wishes to remain anonymous. This is the aide’s closing statement: “A lot of these things are taking place over the Internet, as well as in other digital platforms.” How did he/she ever come to that conclusion? This is but a sample of what can be expected if cybersecurity is not given the utmost energy and consideration. Cybersecurity is a worldwide imperative and necessitates the cooperation of all of the other nations in order for it to be successful. Their cooperation will come from their willingness to be a part, and not to be intimidated to come on board. We need a worldwide gathering, like Copenhagen.
My associate and I have tested many products that have been mentioned or reviewed in this column. SuperAntiSpyware was reviewed last week. As a follow up, read about their new innovation, the Portable Scanner.
Portable Security: You have been away on a trip and God only knows what you have picked up on your laptop, NetBook, or whatever, in an airport, coffee shop, or even in your local library. At any rate, there is no need to take the chance that your computer may have become subject to an infection. All you have to do is pop in your USB-powered portable scanner loaded with SuperAntiSpyware Pro edition and clean your software. No Internet connection is necessary. You don’t have to wait until you get home. You don’t have to worry about what may be in your machine replicating. You can scan it on the spot and fix any problem. It’s a real convenience. Download to a USB at http://www.superantispyware.com/portable/.
Rogue software is the scourge of the Internet. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICCC) issued a warning on fake software admonishing Web surfers to be wary of pop-up windows warning of security problems on their computer. They estimate working this scam has raked in more than $150 million and this activity still flourishes. The pop-ups can appear anywhere and getting rid of them is almost impossible, unless you whip out the plastic and purchase their wares. If you do, you just bought beaucoup trouble. Leaving the page and restarting your machine will close the pop-up. Make a note of this site and steer clear of it. Beware of this scare-ware! There are 45 million Web pages with 32 million new ones yearly. Some of them are definitely rogues. Make sure your safety and security programs are up to date and run them.
Laptop Failures: There is a company called SquareTrade whose business is selling extended warranties and has come up with some disturbing information. Its latest report on laptop reliability is quite grim. On average, 31 percent of laptops fail completely within three years from malfunctions and abuse. Malfunctions alone account for 20 percent of the failings in three years. Failures are relative to the cost and the less expensive Netbooks will have a 25 percent failure rate in three years or less.
Verizon Becomes A Client: The crooks are preying on Verizon customers, telling them their accounts are over the limit and are offering a Balance Checker program to review their payments. The e-mail messages that look like they come from Verizon Wireless are phonies and the Balance Checker is a Trojan, a network software application which can steal personal information. If you run the tool, your computer is toast.
These boys mean business. They are not fooling around as they are knocking out 200,000 messages per hour. Multiply that by 24 and tell me how safe you are. If that is not bad enough, if you get this infection, it opens up a back door for all kinds of stuff including the Zbot Botnet, a banking Trojan, which is known for lifting banking credentials. Big payoff? You betcha! How about more than $ 100 million and this is only the beginning. Let me see LifeLock stop that before it starts. You want LifeLock identity protection? Go to http://identitytheft-protection.org/lifelock/the-great-lifelock-com-scam/ for the real story. Some never learn: While he was in jail, this guy hacked the prison files. He was caught and received another 18 months for his trouble.
IDG News Service reports Russian software is suspected in the investigation of the theft of tens of millions of dollars from Citibank by hackers. This incident was under investigation by the FBI. The actual source of the money is still unclear, but the tool, “Black Energy,” was designed by a Russian hacker. This tool is used to control a botnet or a large bank of computers infected with malware. A hacker controlling this tool’s ability is aimed at taking down large Web sites.
Friendly Reminders: If you are running the Microsoft XP operating system, you should be using Service Pack 3 (SP3). In order to get SP3, you must be running service packs 1 and 2. Go to Microsoft Windows updates for downloads. If you are running Microsoft Vista, you should also have the service packs that are available at Microsoft Downloads. While there, check the other Microsoft Windows downloads. And, in the same area, check for any other patches that were offered in 2009, as five are vital.
Microsoft may never catch Google in general Internet search, but it came up with a system that has them sitting up and taking notice. To enter the Bing Health Search, go to Bing, enter a term, such as “blood pressure,” and you will come up with a summary of information regarding your inquiry. These links are provided by the Mayo Clinic for Microsoft’s General Manager of Health Search. Seriously, take a look at Bing with the uncluttered interface and feed it some things to find. I have found that it gets the job done.
Free Stuff: There are a couple of scurrilous and insidious rumors currently bantered about from several software manufacturers that because some software is free, it is not worthy of a download. However, this can be true if it is offered by hucksters. Make sure of what you are downloading. There are more and more rogue companies springing up everyday as finances continue to dwindle. The other scam that comes in a pop-up as the software is being loaded is “You have another (program name) running, uninstall it before downloading.” This is really tacky and quite a stretch. I have come across this several times even being used by noteworthy companies.
Windows 7: Microsoft is well aware of its users waiting for Service Pack 1 (SP1), prior to investing in any new system. This is the motivating factor in Microsoft’s necessity to produce SP1 as soon as possible. This means another flurry of Window 7 sales and more USDs.
Was Microsoft caught with both hands in the cookie jar? They did admit it. It really upset Plurk, owners of the coding they copied, who were investigating their options. Microsoft has pulled it from Juku in China, a rival of Plurk, and just in time to avoid Plurk instituting a suit. There is a lot more to this story that would likely fill a whole page but this gives you the drift of what goes on everyday in this business. Hmmm. Interesting fact.
Terror in the sky! Our administration’s report on the failed airliner bombing on Christmas Day brings to light the work that has to be done to enable a coordinated security effort. The term they used was “connecting the dots,” but this is not a game. All of the information that was pointing to the alleged bomber was not gathered from databases and other sources. If it were not for this overall security intelligence failure, this event could have been avoided. Even the alleged bomber’s father said, “his son had terrorist intentions.”
The information was there and could have avoided this attempted attack before it started. The government agencies failed to identify or correlate the information that was obviously at their disposal. The reason seems to be that the computers are not linked or talking to each other. This seems to be the gist of what they have ascertained and in this era of electronic surveillance there is no excuse for agencies not communicating. Let’s hope they get it right and do something positive to avoid any future terrorist activity.
Let’s hear it for tablet computers. Finally, after all the hype and rhetoric, the Apple tablet, the iPad, according to Steve Jobs, the honcho of Apple, is ready for prime time. Are tablet computers new? Not really. In 1987, GoCorp was the first to get tablet computing going. Yes. It quickly crashed. Since then it seems to be a mania for getting a tablet computer on the market that is more than an expensive toy. Aside from Apple, there is Microsoft’s Courier Tablet, Lenovo’s IdeaPad U1, and Dell’s, which is still unnamed. In 1993, Apple gave it a shot with Newton, but it flopped. In 2000, Microsoft spent serious time working on plans for a tablet. Guess what happened to those plans? Now, at the CES show, tablets took the spotlight. (I understand some of the tablets were aspirin). Palm made out with its Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) for a bit. Today, they are a Smartphone vendor. The suspense has been uh…yawn.
Heartland Comes Clean: You remember in 2008 when this company that processes credit cards was breached and lost the information of millions was spouting a lot of rhetoric of not being at fault. Heartland Payment Systems have agreed to pay up to $60 million to issuers of Visa credit and debit cards for their losses in the data breach of 2008. Card issuers are due an immediate recovery for loses from the Heartland intrusion. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Albert Gonzalez and his accomplices with the data breach. Mr. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to two other data breaches and two counts of conspiracy in the Heartland case. He has resided in a corrective facility for 17 years. It is hard to say what will be on the table next week, but be assured, it will be good stuff! Stay well, have positive thoughts.
Ray Wilson was raised in Upper Darby and has lived in Chester County since 1973. He has more than 40 years of experience in computing and he has been testing virus and Spyware programs for eight years. He can be reached at IMHelpful4u@aol.com.
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janice33rpm wrote on Feb 10, 2010 11:10 AM: