I just joined myFICO because they send you the credit score that lenders use the most. They have Equifax and Transunion scores. How do I obtain my EXPERIAN FICO score?
May 13th, 2010 - Posted by Tasha
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q: I just joined myFICO because they send you the credit score that lenders use the most. They have Equifax and Transunion scores. How do I obtain my Experian FICO score?
A: Although myFICO is a solid offering, they only provide you with Equifax credit reports and your FICO credit score based solely on this Equifax credit report. They don't provide Transunion or Experian credit reports or FICO scores based on these 2 other credit reports. In fact, effective Feburary 14, 2009 consumers can no longer purchase their Experian FICO score, although lenders will still be able to see it. For more information, please see our previous blog post on this subject.
Because you have 3 different credit reports, you can have 3 different FICO scores. Your FICO score for Transunion could be substantially different than the Equifax FICO score that myFICO provides. For more information about how your FICO score is calculated, check out this previous blog entry.
To be really vigilant about monitoring your credit activity, you should consider signing up for a service that monitors your credit reports at all 3 credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and Transunion. Identity Guard provides this service as well as credit scores from the 3 bureaus. These scores are based on the CreditXpert scoring system, which isn't as popular as the FICO system that most lenders use, but is a very good approximation of it. Identity Guard also includes identity theft protection and a nifty credit analyzer that shows you how your credit score can be affected by different actions you take.
Germans to get fined for not securing wi-fi networks
May 13th, 2010 - Posted by Kent
Here's an interesting bit from gadget blog Gizmodo: Germans to get fined for not securing wi-fi networks. Or that's the headline, at least. It conjures images of laptop-toting polizei running from block to block looking for leaky networks. In truth, the law states that if someone uses your unprotected network to commit piracy, you can be fined 100 Euroes (or $126).
One wonders how this will affect Internet cafes, who generally have open networks, but it's probably not a bad law. It's something everyone should be doing anyway. Of course, probably the best reason to password protect your wi-fi network is to keep hackers from stealing your stuff.
Web hosting: Password protected directories
May 12th, 2010 - Posted by Kent
A user recently wrote asking how she could create password-protected areas of a website "to which individual clients (no more than 50 people) can login and retrieve their lab reports and other such information." We suggested a HIPAA-compliant web host. When she clarified that the clients were, in fact, large animals, we changed our advice. There's an easy way that she, and anyone else, can create password protected areas of a site.
"Password Protect Directories" is offered by web hosts that use cPanel for site administration. The cPanel solution is so ubiquitous we only really mention in a review when a web host doesn't use it (Hostgator, Bluehost, and Hostmonster, all have it). "Password Protect Directories" is found in the "Security" section of cPanel.
You will be asked where the directory is located, and then you will be shown a list of directories. A directory is a folder that your html documents (which make up your web pages) reside in. Choose the directory you want to password protect and you'll see a screen like this:
cPanel Password Protect Security Screen
Enter that info, and you're golden. You can now move files into that directory and only those with the correct login info will have access. Of course, your security is only as good as the passwords that you choose.
Want privacy? On Facebook? Seriously?
May 12th, 2010 - Posted by Robert Siciliano
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
There seems to be a groundswell of people who are anti-Facebook today.
Google “Facebook” and “Privacy” and 761,000,000—that’s seven hundred and sixty-one million—results come up in a quarter second. WHY? BECAUSE THERE IS AN OBVIOUS ISSUE WITH FACEBOOK AND PRIVACY. The major issue here is not that Facebook isn’t private, it’s that some people want it to be private and it's not and they can’t have their cake and eat it too. Privacy has always been a hotbed media grabbing issue that sells news too, so the few privacy pundits that there are, get all this attention by pointing the finger.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks head dude said, "people have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people." Then he went on to say "that social norm is just something that has evolved over time."
Nick Bilton a New York Times writer interviewed a Facebook employee and shortly after tweeted “Off record chat w/ Facebook employee. Me: How does Zuck feel about privacy? Response: [laughter] He doesn't believe in it.”
So if the head of an organization is telling you straight out, privacy isn’t really a concern, then why expect anything different? If you are about to book a cruise and you are told the captain of the ship likes to drink ALOT and he has a habit of hitting icebergs, would you get on the ship? If you don’t like the way things are done at Facebook either shut up or delete your profile.
I personally have no hard feelings towards Facebook; I also don’t share intimate details of my life and I understand the implications of the service. My angst is towards its users who say and do things that make themselves vulnerable to crime and online reputational disasters. Like Howard Stern’s dad used to say to him “I told you not to be stupid, you moron.”
And now that politicians are stepping in and making a fuss, Facebook is now the new privacy battle ground. These same politicians won’t do anything or accomplish anything. They just love the attention. And with 400 million people on board, I think privacy is deader than dead, a rotting corpse that just smells bad and we will complain as long as the stink lingers. Openness and transparency along with sharing too much information is the norm. But that doesn’t exclude you from at least understanding the risks, taking some responsibility and being smart about how to use it.
Protect yourself:
Use URL decoding. Before clicking on shortened URLs, find out where they lead by pasting them into a URL lengthening service like TinyURL Decoder or Untiny.
Maintain updated security. Whether hardware or software, anti-virus or critical security patches, make sure you are up to date.
Lock down settings. Most social networks have privacy settings that need to be administered to the highest level. Default settings generally leave your networks wide open for attack.
Register company name and all your officers at every social media site. You can do this manually or by using a very cost effective service called Knowem.com.
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 Intelius to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.
Does your Identity Guard discount require a coupon code?
May 12th, 2010 - Posted by Tasha
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q: Does your Identity Guard discount require a coupon code?
A: Our Identity Guard discount does not require a coupon code. The exclusive $3.00/month discount is automatically given. All you need to do is click any Identity Guard link on the NextAdvisor.com site.
The original price, as shown on the Identity Guard site, is $17.99/month. Our link leads to an exclusive $14.99/month offer. So don't worry, even though it's not specifically indicated on the page you are definitely getting a $3.00/month discount through our site.
Finding a HIPAA-compliant web host
May 10th, 2010 - Posted by Kent
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q: I would like to design and build a website for my small business that will mainly provide information to my existing clients. Some of this information is private medical information, so I would like to include a password-protected section to which individual clients (no more than 50 people) can log in and retrieve their lab reports and other such information. I am having difficulty finding a service that will help me to do this by myself (I really don't want to hire a professional service to design my website). Can you direct me to a service that would suit this need, or to resources that I should review before delving into this any deeper?
A: This is a really good question. I'm not an expert on medical law, but the main thing you probably need to look for is HIPAA compliance. If you work in the medical field you're probably pretty well versed in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA makes requirements on security, data backups and other issues designed to keep customer data safe. Fortunately, there are web hosts that specialize in HIPAA compliance. The web hosts we review aren't specifically HIPAA compliant, but your question prompted us to look at a site called LuxSci that has HIPAA compliance features. There are others out there too; just do a search for "HIPAA compliant web hosts."
We have not tested this web host, but it might be a good starting point for you. The service is more expensive than the web hosts we reviewed (it looks like it's $149 per year base price, plus $20 or more per month depending on your requirements). But with HIPAA, you don't want to mess around; the privacy of your clients, and the livelihood of your business depend on it.
iPhone help for diets. Yes, there's an app for that!
May 10th, 2010 - Posted by Tasha
If you're tech-savvy and food and/or diet conscious, your life just got easier. The iPhone has multiple apps that will assist you in everything from diet to food shopping. These apps can be a big help and time saver in the battle to eat healthy and lose weight.
Too busy to keep track of what you're eating all day long? Foodscanner is a nifty app that lets you use your iPhone to scan the barcodes on the food you eat. Once the item is scanned, Foodscanner will track the the foods you eat throughout the day and display the calorie count and nutritional information. If an item doesn't have a barcode, you can manually type in the name of the food (ie, apple) and it will add it, count it and display it's information.
If you're headed to the supermarket, Grocery IQ can help. With Grocery IQ you can easily create grocery lists by taking a picture of the barcode or typing the food in. Then you can organize your list by store and even get coupons for those items, a nice money saving touch.
Feeling green? Then Locavore is for you. Locavore will automatically detect where you are and what foods are in season near you, and then let you know what farmer's market you can buy them at. Time magazine loved this app enough to name it one of the Top 10 Apps of 2009.
If you don't have an iPhone, you don't need to feel left out. Some of our reviewed diet plans, including WeightWatchers, provide access to their online tools for tracking food consumption via your mobile phone.
Why everyone should learn to be a hacker
May 10th, 2010 - Posted by Robert Siciliano
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
I know enough about hacking to make all of my software un-usable, mess up my operating system, and crash my PC. I also know enough about hacking to re-install my operating system, re-install all my software and get my PC running fresh and relatively secure. I’m no criminal hacker. And I am not suggesting that. Nor can I program; I don’t know code but I do know enough to hack in a way that keeps me running, and again, secure.
"Hacker" isn’t a bad word and "hacking" isn’t a bad thing to do. It’s something that if everyone who plugs into a PC every day did, they’d be a heck of a lot more versed in the functionality and security of a computer.
The beauty of becoming a “do it yourself” (DIY) hacker is you don’t need to pay a dude to come to your home or office to fix your computer when it’s not working. Three hundred and twenty five years ago I used to pay someone to fix me. Now I can do most of it myself, and when I don’t know how to do it, I look it up on Google. Chances are if you have had this problem, then thousands of others have too. There are a bazillion forums that you can go to and solve annoyances and real technology issues.
Once you start asking questions you begin to find people who know the answers. Next thing you know you are the person with the answers. Along the way you connect with people that are smarter than you are who actually do know code and how to really hack a system. Keep this stable of experts on your contact list so when you are in a pinch, you reach out. But do your best to figure it out on your own first so you aren’t constantly bugging them. You’d be amazed at how capable you are once you invest the necessary time to learn this stuff.
Another great way to learn how to be a DIY hacker is through tech support of your new PC. Most computers come with a one year guarantee that includes phone support. Now, many people complain about lousy support, but the hundred or so hours I’ve spent over the years with these people from all over the world has definitely upped my hacking abilities. Even when the tech support guy is wrong, you learn something.
Recently I got rid of all my old five-, six-, eight-year-old PCs and upgraded all but one to Windows 7 boxes and couldn’t be happier. In the process, I had to go through a litany of changes that were always frustrating, but made me a better, smarter, faster DIY hacker. I’ve spent about 20 hours with tech support on the phone getting everything to work like it should and now I know how to do it myself when things go wrong.
"Why I want my daughter to be a hacker" is the title of a post that's been making waves in the blogosphere. It doesn’t exactly make my point, but worth a read.
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 Intelius to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing the identity theft on CNBC.
Q: Does Yahoo! Small Business web hosting allow add-on domains?
May 7th, 2010 - Posted by Kent
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q: Does Yahoo! Small Business web hosting allow add-on domains?
A: Yes they do. I just got off the phone with the helpful sales reps at Yahoo! Small Business web hosting to verify. You'll only pay extra for the domain registration, which is currently running at $9.95 for the first term. The price goes up to $34.95 per year, which is a little high. Buying multiple years locks you in at $9.95:
1-year term: $9.95
2-year term: $19.90
3-year term: $29.85
5-year term: $49.75
After term expires: $34.95/year
Secret Service: ATM card skimming five times higher this year
May 5th, 2010 - Posted by Robert Siciliano
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
ATM skimming is approaching a billion-dollar issue. ATM skimming is happening coast to coast and there seems to be no end in sight. Skimming devices have been found recently at ATMs at a Bank of America in Daytona Beach and outside a Chase Bank in Escondido, California. Customers slipped in their cards, took their money and left.
In Boston, police uncovered an international ATM skimming ring responsible for stealing money from hundreds of local accounts. Izaylo Hristov, 28, of Ontario, Canada, a Bulgarian citizen, was arrested at an ATM in the Boston area along with Viadiclav Vladevo and Anton Venkov. Venkov had $99,100 in $20 bills in his car when he was arrested. One of them had Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards and American Express cards with post-it notes that had “PIN’’ and various numbers written on them. These cards were used to write the stolen data on, and then used to make withdrawals. Apparently, more than a few people in the Boston area didn’t watch this on Fox Boston, or this on NBC Boston or read this in the Boston Globe.
A spate of recent news reports highlight growing ATM fraud. Law enforcement in New York City reported a gang had stolen $500,000 from bank accounts via ATM skimming. They installed cameras and skimming devices on the machines, and recorded the magnetic strips and the PIN numbers.
Don’t expect the banks employees to protect you. At a bank in NY an alert customer pulled a skimmer off the ATM and brought it into the bank manager who had never seen a skimmer. She thanked him. He came back in moments later with the small wireless camera. She thanked him again then she shut down the ATM.
Generally, if you can pull something off the face of the ATM where you’d slide your card through, it's probably an ATM skimming device. Banks are investing in new technologies, such as internal hardware that can jam the signal of skimming devices. But customers need to be aware of the problem and keep an eye out for devices affixed to the front of ATMs or cameras mounted near small mirrors or on brochure holders. See more skimming demonstrations on Extra TV.
To help combat this type of crime, ADT unveiled the ADT Anti-Skim ATM Security Solution, which helps prevent skimming attempts and detects skimming devices on all major ATM makes and models. ADT’s anti-skim solution is installed inside an ATM near the card reader, making it invisible from the outside.
The solution detects the presence of foreign devices placed over or near an ATM card entry slot, without disrupting the customer transaction or operation of most ATMs. It can trigger a silent alarm for command center response and coordinate video surveillance of all skimming activities. Also, the technology helps prevent card-skimming attempts by interrupting the operation of an illegal card reader.
You can protect yourself from these types of scams first by covering your pin! Scammers have a difficult time turning your 16 digit account numbers into cash without the PIN. 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 in the machine or you notice anything odd about the appearance of the machine, such as wires, double sided tape, error messages or the machine seems unusually old and run down, don’t use it. Don’t use just any ATM. Instead, look for ATMs in more secure locations.
Ultimately, you must pay close attention to your statements. Refute unauthorized transactions within 60 days. Check with your bank to determine what their timeframe is to refute unauthorized withdrawals. In some cases it can be as early as a week.
Protect your identity:
- If you think you're a victim of identity theft, find out how to get a credit freeze. 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.
- Invest in anti-virus and keep it auto-updated.
- With your iPhone get my book as an App or go to my website and get my FREE ebook on how to protect yourself from the bad guy.
- Invest in identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)
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 Intelius to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing the Bulgarian ATM scammer getting busted on Fox Boston.
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