McAfee discount 50% off
Posted by kent on November 20th, 2009
Internet security software provider McAfee has made a significant, limited time price reduction on its total Total Protection product. This brings the price down to $39.99, a pretty good deal. No coupon is needed, just follow any link to McAfee's site from NextAdvisor.com. McAfee has yet to release its 2010 product, but users who buy the 2009 version will get an automatic upgrade when it's released.
Check out our reviews of Internet security software to see which one's right for you.
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NextAdvisor guide to using web hosting ad credits
Posted by kent on November 19th, 2009
If you've signed up for web hosting, or spent any time looking into it, you've probably noticed that just about everyone offers Google and/or Yahoo! ad credits. Usually you're offered $50 worth of the former, and sometimes $25 worth of the latter. Just what do those credits buy you, and how do you use them?
Let's look at AdWords. Most people have seen AdWords in action, even if they don't know the program by name. AdWords is a pay-per-click ad program that allows site owners to promote their sites right next to Google search results.
You can use web hosting AdWords credits to bid on keywords and advertise your own site (you cannot use it to pay for the $5.00 sign-up fee, however).
So, what will $50 buy you? You can bid as low as one cent for a keyword (though you'll probably be quickly outbid) or as high as you want. That bid amount represents the most you will pay per click on your ad. Like an eBay auction, you may not end up paying your maximum bid, but you should be prepared to pay that amount per click that you get. If you have the fairly standard $50 ad credit, it can theoretically cover:
50 clicks for a $1.00 bid
1 click for a $50.00 bid
1,000 clicks for a $.05 bid
This is a simplification, of course (and we don't recommend $50 bids). You can pay less if there are lower bids than yours. How much you'll actually need to bid depends on your keyword(s) and how high on the page you'd like your ad to appear. Be aware that your ad credit is a not a hard spending limit. If you don't want to spend more than $50, you'll need to monitor your account carefully. AdWords will let you set daily limits, but not a total budget cap.
That's basically how bidding works. Here's how to redeem an AdWords coupon, if one came with your web hosting:
Step 1: Find your code
This will differ depending on your web host, but most users will find this in their control panel. Here we used HostGator, since it uses the widely used cPanel. You'll find it under Marketing Services:
You should then see a page like the one below. Copy the code (here represented by a series of X's), and follow the link to Google's AdWords page.
Step 2: Register for AdWords
If you don't already have a basic Google account (such as a Gmail account), you'll have to create one. Then you'll have to create an AdWords account:
Create an AdWords account
After you create your account, follow the steps of setting your time zone and currency, and verifying your account. Once you've verified your account, you can log in and get to work.
Step 3: Enter your code
In order to use your ad credits, click the "Billing" tab.
This is where you'll have to input payment information for the aforementioned $5.00 setup fee, as well as any spending you might do beyond your ad credit (which Google hopes you'll do). After that, click the link next to "Do you have a promotional code?" and enter the code in the box that appears.
Step 4: Create and Bid
We won't go through the process of making an ad, since Google offers pretty good documentation on how to do that. Beyond your $5.00 set-up fee, you don't have much to lose. If you use your web site to sell something, there's no reason not to try it out. Just make sure you keep track of how much you're spending through your AdWords control panel on Google. Also, there may be an expiration date depending on your web host's offer, so check that too before you begin.
Kaspersky adds SugarSync backup, garners awards
Posted by kent on November 19th, 2009
Kaspersky has added a compelling offer to its Internet security suite, bundling 10GB of online SugarSync storage. We really loved SugarSync when we reviewed it.
Kaspersky was one of the first Internet security software products to go 2010. Since that time it has done very well in the rigorous Virus Bulletin VB100, and the AV-Comparatives Malware-Detection and Malware-Removal tests (receiving an Advanced rating in the former, and an Advanced+ rating in the latter).
Originally we'd knocked the suite for its price of $71.95 and some detection failures in our tests. But the independent testing data, and the addition of 10GB of SugarSync storage have changed our minds on both counts.
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PhonePower adds 60 minutes of free international calling
Posted by kent on November 19th, 2009
VoIP favorite Phone Power has added a little bonus to its monthly unlimited plan: 60 minutes of free international calling per month. This includes calling to over 70 countries. This applies to both new and old Phone Power plans (those with at least 500 minutes), and really increases the value of an already inexpensive plan. Of course, frequent international callers will want to go with Lingo or Vonage's more expensive unlimited world plans.
To see which service is right for you, check out our full VoIP reviews and comparisons.
Introducing Carlisa, our Online College student
Posted by Carlisa on November 18th, 2009
I'm a new "blogger" and like most people today, I had personal goals and dreams that changed as life happened around me. In this blog, I invite you to follow along in my journey of getting an online college degree through AIU (American Intercontinental University).
I graduated high school in Alabama in 1979 (OMG, I just realized, it’s been 30 years!). To make long story short, "Life Happened". I met a guy, got married, had children, became a gymnastics/ballet/girl scout/soccer mom, a Sunday school teacher, and worked in various radio stations.
Jump ahead 27 years. I’m now divorced, my kids are grown and I have 2 grandchildren. The state of the economy caused the group of radio stations that I worked with to downsize, so I lost my job. I moved to Georgia to be near my parents and tried desperately to find another radio job. In my attempt to find "work" I saw the same requirements, over and over. It was quite apparent that to get a good job – a career – I needed to get a Bachelors Degree. All of a sudden I realized that the ringing in my ears was actually my dad’s voice in my head – something about having a "back-up plan"!
The thought of going back to school seemed crazy, but exciting! I mean, I barely graduated high school (again, 30 years ago!). I’m not a particularly "scholarly" person and just couldn’t imagine myself being able to follow through. Plus, I'll be turning 50 on my next Birthday. "Is there really any sense in getting a college degree at this age", I asked myself. Also "isn’t college expensive"? But everywhere I looked, there were ads enticing me "Moms, Go Back to School"! All the talk about getting government grants, student loans and scholarships to further my education peaked my interest.
My first step was to start researching all the possibilities. I’m not one to make quick decisions. I had to do a lot of investigating and compiling and comparing of information. It turns out that I was indeed eligible for grants, scholarships and student loans. I started calling area schools and researching the many online college and "brick and mortar" college options. I took lots of notes as I asked loads of questions and compared the details for all the colleges that I was considering. My phone was ringing off the hook as admission advisors were constantly calling me back trying to win my enrollment.
I weighed the pros and cons of being in an actual classroom with other students for classes, vs being at home alone with my computer for online classes. There were many decisions to be made. In my next blogs, I'll walk you through getting into AIU and my online college experiences.
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Popular Facebook games include scams
Posted by Caitlin on November 18th, 2009
Many of the most popular applications on Facebook, including FarmVille, CafeWorld, and Mafia Wars, are created by a company called Zynga. Zynga's CEO, Marc Pincus, recently acknowledged that these games contain "scammy" offers, in which users are offered various deals in exchange for in-game currency. These offers, unsurprisingly, tend to be deceptive schemes designed to trick users into unknowingly signing up for unwanted subscription services, or download upwanted software. Zynga has pulled some of these offers, Facebook has suspended some applications, and at least one law firm is investigating a possible class action suit against Zynga and Facebook, as well as MySpace and several of the marketing companies responsible for the offers themselves.
When you allow a social media application to access your profile information, you open yourself up to a wide variety of scams. The more applications you use, the easier it becomes for tricky marketing schemes or malware to slip through. It's safest to avoid these types of games altogether, but if you just can't quit, be very careful when downloading files, clicking on ads, or agreeing to any type of offer. Be sure to install Internet security software on your computer, and set it to update automatically. And consider investing in an identity theft protection service, to help prevent the worst possible result of an Internet scam.
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Money mules facilitate identity theft and fraud
Posted by Robert Siciliano on November 18th, 2009
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
Mules are relatively unaware people who get hooked into a "small business" or employment that is a function of a criminal enterprise. The mules often respond to "help wanted" ads from online job placement sites. Shipping scams are a common tactic criminals use in which they employ mules to receive goods bought with stolen credit card numbers, who then ship to people who buy them in online auctions. The mules in this process are essentially facilitating selling hot goods and money laundering.
An RSA study revealed laptops, iPods, iPhones, Nokia smartphones, digital cameras, Sony PlayStation 3 devices, and DJ equipment were among the items shipped to addresses in Russia and Belarus. RSA estimates that more than $36,000 worth of merchandise was cashed out every month before one scam ended earlier this year.
These scams generally have a virtual store front posing as a shipping company, giving the ruse a legitimate appearance. The efficiency of money mule operations has increased due to the amount of money being generated from data breaches and scams.
There have been dozens of significant data breaches over the past few years, in which millions of credit card numbers have been compromised. Once the data is in the hands of a criminal, they scheme to turn it into cash.
Credit card numbers are often bought and sold by "carders" who sell thousands of cards numbers for pennies each. In many cases when a PIN is present the criminal hacker will use the card number as a debit card at any ATM.
But when turning the data into cash isn’t so easy, they will burn the data to a white card and make in store purchases using mules. That can sometimes be a slow and riskier process. Recently, fake shipping scams have proven to be a profitable model that involves leveraging hundreds of naive people.
The mules are often baited into setting up bank accounts that the criminal controls. These bank accounts will be set up under the name of the mule to avoid detection and generally programmed to transfer money overseas in increments of less than $10,000 to avoid detection.
Most mules end up pulling money out of their pockets to front shipping costs with the promise of a big payoff. In the end the mule is often bilked and ends up with an empty bank account.
These scams hurt a lot of people. The banks and retailers lose because money and goods go out the door. The mules often end up losing thousands. And worse, many organized criminals are associated with terrorists groups who use the money to fund violence.
If the credit card companies and banks would adopt widely available technologies that make the data useless to the thief in the form of effective authentication of the user, then none of this would be happening. But until the industry changes its ways, they will keep tossing fuel on the fire.
Generally my readers don’t need to be told the following, but maybe someone you know is naive enough to fall for one of these ruses. So keep in mind, if you are looking for a job online and see “shipping manager” or “buy and sell products on eBay with no inventory or money” or anything involving virtual transactions that involves shipping any thing overseas, then chances are it’s a scam. Also, never be suckered into opening a bank account that you don’t control. That’s just plain dumb.
And protect your identity by investing in identity theft protection. While not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk.
Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses money mules on Fox News.
Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.
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Why you do not include VIPRE in your reviews?
Posted by kent on November 17th, 2009
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.
I need to download new antivirus protection and I am wondering why you do not include VIPRE in your reviews. Is it because it doesn't work as advertised? Just trying to choose the best.
A: We haven't gotten around to reviewing VIPRE yet. While we can't comment on its effectiveness as anti-virus software, it does not seem to have a built-in firewall. While VIPRE has a separate firewall module available for purchase, we tend to prefer products that offer the firewall as part of the full suite. The combined price of the VIPRE anti-virus and the firewall would push the price into the $50.00 range (or more, if you're looking for multiple licenses), putting it in the same price category as many of the suites we reviewed, such as McAfee. Some, such as BitDefender and ZoneAlarm are even cheaper.
Will Norton Internet Security 2010 software work with both the Windows Vista SP2 32 bit and 64 bit systems?
Posted by kent on November 17th, 2009
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.
Q: Will Norton Internet Security 2010 software work with both the Windows Vista SP2 32 bit and 64 bit systems?
A: Yes, Norton Internet Security 2010 works with both 32- and 64-bit versions of Vista. Here's the official line from the Norton site:
Microsoft Windows Vista® (32-bit and 64-bit) Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate
Norton Internet Security 2010 is our favorite of the current crop of Internet security software. It's been well-received by the press, including an Editor's Choice award from PCMag, and has captured a number of awards, including the AV-Comparatives Advanced+ rating.
You can read our review here, and you can use the coupon code SYM2010NEW to receive a 10% discount if you decide to purchase it.
Used ATM contains thousands of credit card numbers
Posted by Robert Siciliano on November 16th, 2009
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
After the DefCon ATM debacle, in which hackers hacked hackers by setting up a fake ATM in front of the facility's security office, I needed to find out how stupidly easy it is to buy and install an ATM. So my search began.
I found plenty of new and used ATMs at prices ranging from $500 to $2500 on eBay, but quickly decided that I didn’t want to pay another $300 for shipping. Next was Craigslist, where anyone can rent an apartment, buy a boat, get an erotic massage, or buy an ATM.
I quickly found an ad from a bar north of Boston. They were selling pool tables, neon Budweiser signs, and an ATM. I took my hacker friend with me to meet Bob, who lived above the bar and was taking care of the sale on the owner's behalf. The bar was closing and liquidating its assets. The ATM was sitting right next to the bar, sticky with beer. Fortunately, the keypad was protected by clear plastic. While Bob was giving us the history of the ATM and explaining how to operate it, he farted.
Needless to say, I wanted to unbolt this thing as quickly as possible, get out of there, and douse myself in hand sanitizer. After my hacker friend played with the manual, got it working, and determined that it was worth the financial risk, we loaded it on my trailer, paid $750 (negotiated down from a grand), and brought it back to my garage.
There’s something about having an ATM in your garage that makes for a restless night of sleep, as if the next day is Christmas. Around 5 AM the next morning, I used an entire bottle of Windex, a whole roll of paper towels, and four pairs of rubber gloves to give this thing an enema.
My hacker friend came over to my garage, manual in hand, all giggly, and says, “Watch this.” He punched in the master codes to access the machine's stored data, and hundreds of credit and debit card numbers began falling all over the floor. A few days later, another friend and I devised an evil plan to scam millions of dollars from unsuspecting suckers and then spend the rest of our lives island hopping and buying a villa in Sicily. But my wife said no.
Here's the first of a few upcoming videos of what happened next. I'll share more of my ATM adventures as they occur. There's a lot more to this story, so stay tuned!
To protect yourself from these types of scams, pay attention to your bank and credit card statements, and refute any unauthorized charges within 60 days. You might consider never using a debit card again, since credit cards are safer. When using an ATM, pay close attention to details and look for anything that seems out of place. If your card gets stuck or you notice anything odd about the machine's appearance, such as wires, tape, error messages, or a missing security camera, or if the machine seems unusually old and run down, don’t use it. Try to use ATMs in more secure locations. Cover your PIN as you enter it.
And invest in identity theft protection. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk.
Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses ATM scams on Fox.
Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.
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