Beware of job search scams

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November 16th, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin

Identity thieves tend to be quite good at identifying and capitalizing on new trends and opportunities. So it isn't particularly surprising that as unemployment rises, scams designed to take advantage of vulnerable job seekers have become increasingly common. Job seekers are an easy target since they are more willing to share personal information as part of their job search process. One of the most common scams involves phishing emails that appear to advertise jobs and work from home opportunities. These emails direct recipients to websites containing fake application forms, which have been created for the purpose of gathering as much personal information as possible. The applications require a Social Security number, supposedly in order to conduct a background check, and bank information, supposedly so that the victim can receive a paycheck via direct deposit. Identity thieves also pose as employers on legitimate job search websites, where they post generic jobs that would appeal to many potential victims, and then solicit personal information from applicants.

Try not to let desperation cloud your judgment. Don't share your Social Security number up front. Legitimate employers don't need this information until they are on the verge of making you an offer. And no company should ever request your banking information until you become an employee. No matter how badly you need a job, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. And consider investing in an identity theft protection service, just in case.

Lunarpages offers 50% discount this weekend only

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November 13th, 2009 - Posted by Kent

Lunarpages is one of our favorite web hosts, a solid performer with a great site builder and control panel. For one weekend only they're offering 50% off of their one- and two-year plans. That puts two years at just under $3.50, and one year at about $4.50. It's a limited-time offer, so you do have to hurry (ironically, the coupon code is: RELAX). It really is a good time to get hosting from them. What's particularly nice is that the 50% discount applies to the whole order, including extras like domain privacy

You can read our review of Lunarpages, or if you're ready go jump in, just follow this link. Just remember to use the coupon code (RELAX) when you check out.

The latest Twitter phishing scam

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November 13th, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

I've been getting the same "direct message" from several of my Twitter followers. Apparently, their accounts have been hacked, because it's a phishing message that says, "ROFL this you?" and contains a shortened URL.

The link leads to a page that resembles Twitter's log in page. The web address is /videos.twitter.zoltykatalogfirm/. Don't go there.

Your account will only get hacked if you enter your account information on this spoofed page. Warn your friends. Retweet this.

Protect yourself from this and similar scams. Don't mindlessly click on links, even if they appear to be coming from someone you know and trust. Attackers understand that you are more likely to click on a link if it appears to be coming from someone within your network. If you receive a direct message from a friend, urging you to click on a mysterious link, the account may be controlled by a criminal. Before clicking on any shortened URL, find out where it leads by pasting it into a URL lengthening service like TinyURL Decoder or Untiny.

Install Internet security software and set it to update automatically. Vary your passwords. Don't use the same password for Twitter or other social networking sites that you use for email or financial accounts.

Consider getting a credit freeze. Go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief. And invest in identity theft protection. Not all forms of identity theft protection can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses hacked accounts 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.

Living in a less nervous world

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November 12th, 2009 - Posted by Kent

Does the world seem a little less anxious than it did six months ago? A study released this week indicates a "15% improvement in the levels of anxiety that people feel." People seem to be feeling especially comfortable about "Internet security, personal safety and national security." Unisis, the global IT security giant which conducted the study, provides this illustration of the phenomena:

It's interesting that this study comes out in a week when both Apple and Microsoft released massive security updates, and a week after a series of Facebook and MySpace exploits came to light. Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water.

It is suggested that a possible end to the economic downturn has resulted in the ease of anxiety. People still remain concerned about some areas, however. According to the study, "when it comes to Internet and personal security, people in the countries where the bi-annual survey was done showed the most worry over bank cards and identity theft." The countries where people showed the most concern? Brazil, the United States, and Germany.

If you're one of those that's concerned about identity theft, check out our reviews and comparisons of identity theft protection services.

Should you manage your own online backup encryption key?

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November 12th, 2009 - Posted by Kent

When you use an online backup service like Mozy or Carbonite, your data is encrypted before it leaves your computer. This makes your data essentially indecipherable to hackers, should they somehow be monitoring your Internet connection. The software itself manages the encryption and the service will have your encryption key. Now according to Carbonite's Help section they keep: "your encryption key in a database that is itself encrypted, isolated, and accessible only to a handful of trusted employees."

If you don't like that idea, there is another option: your own private encryption key. You create it, you maintain it, you keep it. This is different from a password; it's the virtual 'secret decoder ring' that turns the encrypted gobbledygook into readable data. While this sounds more secure, and really it is, there are disadvantages. The first one being the line above: "You create it, you maintain it, you keep it." In other words: if you lose it, you're sunk. Really sunk. Irrecoverably so. There's no option to have the key reset or sent to you. No one has it but you.

This is why Carbonite recommends against it for most users, and why they say that if you do want to manage your own key you should "store at least two separate copies of the key on removable media, and store at least one copy of the key in a separate physical location, such as a safe deposit box."

Another disadvantage is that it can limit your ability to access your files remotely from a web browser.

Of course there could be legal reasons why you need your own encryption key. Perhaps you backup sensitive customer data for your business such as medical records or credit card numbers (in which you case, you might want to look at IBackup). Or maybe you're an international secret agent. Or a criminal. People have their reasons. We don't ask.

Still, for most people the trouble of creating the key, and risks of losing it, probably outweigh the advantages. So when you're installing your online backup service, chose to let the service manage the key for you. Of course you can always change your mind later (though you'll have to run your entire backup again).

U.S. Justice Department indicts international ATM hacking ring

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November 11th, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin

Yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department indicted eight men who allegedly hacked into a computer system at RBS WorldPay Inc., cloned prepaid ATM cards, and used them to withdraw $9 million from 2,100 ATMs in 280 cities around the world, in less than 12 hours. The prepaid ATM cards that they cloned were payroll debit cards that companies issue to their employees. The hackers raised the maximum withdrawal amounts and attempted to destroy data in order to remove evidence of the breach. Charges against the hackers include wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. One of the accused has been arrested and is awaiting extradition from Estonia, and the rest remain at large. Authorities say this hacking ring is one of the most sophisticated in the world.

According to Shawn Henry, the assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, "More money is stolen electronically or [in] data breaches than through bank robberies." RBS customers have been reimbursed for the stolen funds, but a class action lawsuit is pending against RBS WorldPay, alleging that the company failed to adequately protect consumer data. RBS WorldPay has acknowledged that the breach impacted 1.5 million cardholders, and that 1.1 million Social Security numbers may have been compromised.

There's no way to ensure that your Social Security number or other sensitive personal data remain safe from these types of hackers. But identity theft protection services like TrustedID, LifeLock, and Identity Guard scan the Internet's black market websites to find out whether your information is being bought or sold. They'll also alert you if anyone attempts to create new accounts in your name. To learn more about TrustedID, LifeLock, Identity Guard, and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

Why is child pornography on your PC?

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November 11th, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

Anti-virus protection, critical security patches and a secure wireless connection have always been essential processes on my networks. My main concern has always been to protect my bank account by keeping the bad guy out.

In my presentations, I've always stressed the importance of making sure your wireless connection is secured, to prevent skeevy sex offender neighbors or wackos parked in front of your business from surfing for child porn and downloading it to your PC.

Once a predator uses your Internet connection to go to into the bowels of the web, your Internet Protocol address, which is connected to your ISP billing address, is now considered one that is owned by a criminal. If law enforcement happens to be chatting with that person, who's using your Internet connection to trade lurid child porn, then someone may eventually knock on your door at 3 AM with a battering ram. And in another freakish and relatively new twist, hackers can use a virus to crack your network and gain remote control access, and then store child porn on your hard drive.

An AP investigation found plenty of people who have been victimized in this way. Maybe their PCs were being used as a virtual server, or maybe they were being framed by someone with a vendetta against them, but either way, they had child pornography planted on their computers. Once that porn is discovered by a friend, family member, or computer technician, the victim is arrested.

This is the kind of "breach" that can cost you thousands in legal fees, your marriage, relationships, your job, and your standing in society. In one case, a virus changed the default home page on a man's PC, and his seven year old daughter discovered it. The guy was arrested and eventually lost custody of his daughter. And you think you've got problems.

When you click a link in an email or a pop up advertisement in your browser, you may inadvertently download one of these viruses, which can then visit child pornography websites and download files onto your hard drive.

Make sure your Internet security software is up to date and set to run automatically. Update your web browser to the latest version. An out of date web browser is often riddled with holes that worms can crawl through. Update your operating systems critical security patches. Lock down your wireless internet connection with WPA security protocol.

And invest in identity theft protection. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but an identity theft protection service can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses viruses on Fox News.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK6du0O8TfE[/youtube]

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.

Can I backup my operating system?

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November 10th, 2009 - Posted by Kent

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: Can I backup my operating system?

A: By default, most online backup services are set to backup documents and other irreplaceable items on your hard drive. In general they do not automatically back up programs or your operating system (or OS, for short). Now, you can have your service back up pretty much anything on your hard drive. While it's crucial to have a restore disk with your OS on it, it's critical that the backup is on a separate, physical installation disk, such as a CD ROM. And it shouldn't just be a copy of your OS; it should be a full restore disk that will install a new OS from scratch. There are three big reasons why, and they're related:

The OS is the foundation of your system. In order to access your online backup service, you have to be using your OS; it simply runs everything. Trying to replace the OS on your startup disk would be a bit like trying to swap out the engine of our car while you're driving it.

Similarly, if your hard drive ever does crash, and your OS goes with it, you won't be able to access your online backup service. You'll have to start up from a separate startup disk. Once you have your system reinstalled, you'll be able to connect to your online backup service and get your documents back.

Now, you might ask why you can't just startup from that external disk, access your online backup, and then restore your OS from a browser running on that external disk. While that may work, a clean install is always the best way. If you've backed up your email, various libraries and preferences (Carbonite does this, for instance, but you should always check to see what your service backs up by default). There are just too many components in the OS that need be installed in a particular way, and in specific places.

I have a Windows XP machine and want to back-up data, then download to new Windows 7 machine. Will this work?

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November 10th, 2009 - Posted by Kent

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: I have a Windows XP machine and want to back-up data, then download to new Windows 7 machine. Will this work? Thanks

A: Yes, this will work, provided you use a backup service that is Windows 7 compatible. IDrive is the only service we've reviewed so far that claims that its software is Windows 7 compatible. However, any of services that allow web-based interaction should work as well, since they use a web app for the restoration. Backing up your documents, music, photos, and videos will enable you to "restore" them to a new Windows 7 machine.

We will put in our standard warning that this will probably be slower than a direct connection between two computers. A complete backup can take a day or more, depending on your Internet connection. There are a few reasons for this, one of which is that it takes time for IDrive to encrypt and unencrypt your data, a crucial operation for safeguarding your files.

However, if you already have a compatible online backup solution, or you plan on purchasing one, there's no reason why you shouldn't give it a try.

What if a teenager loses his wallet?

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November 9th, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question.

Q: If someone who has just turned 18 and has no prior credit history loses his wallet, what can he do to prevent someone using his driver's license to open up new accounts in his name? Would it do him any good to contact the credit bureaus, or are they only an available resource for people with credit histories?

A: A credit report is not created until you open your first line of credit. And if you do not have a credit report, it is not possible to set a fraud alert. Since the young man in this particular case is now over 18, he should request his own credit reports from all three bureaus in order to confirm that no fraudulent accounts have been opened in his name. He may also find that he does, in fact, have a short but legitimate credit report already, perhaps due to a gym membership, DVD rental card, or student loan. If so, he can set fraud alerts or freeze his credit file to prevent new accounts from being opened in his name.

If he truly has no credit file whatsoever and wishes to set fraud alerts or freeze his credit, he would first need to apply for some form of credit, such as a credit card. In order to acquire his first credit card, he may need a cosigner.

However, whether or not this young man has an existing credit file, he could subscribe to a credit report monitoring or identity theft service, which would immediately alert him to any suspicious activity. You can check out our reviews, comparison charts, and frequently asked questions to learn more about credit report monitoring or identity theft protection services. You may also be interested in our Student Identity Theft Protection Guide.