Those dastardly phisherpersons are at it again. Now they are setting up legitimate-looking shopping sites for the purposes of downloading a trojan to your computer. When you click on an image of a product, it instead downloads a zip file that automatically installs itself, and it’s then poised to steal your personal and financial information.
Security
One simple rule for avoiding phishing scams
By Tom Mighell on
I talk a lot here about phishing scams and how to avoid them. But if all of these suggestions are too overwhelming, let’s boil it down to a single rule: trust nobody. Speaking of phishing, here’s a devilish (and fake) contest entry form to win a brand new car!
Test Your Phishing IQ
By Tom Mighell on
Think you know how to spot a scam e-mail when it arrives in your inbox? Try the MailFrontier Phishing IQ Test II — you may be surprised at the results.
Meanwhile, the Phishers Continue Their Reign of Terror
By Tom Mighell on
Have you heard about the latest phishing scheme? It’s particularly diabolical, because it doesn’t require you to take any action, other than opening an e-mail. When you do that, the malicious code is installed deep within your computer, and it can then force your browser to go to a fake website whenever you try…
Using Google for Evil
By Tom Mighell on
Posted in Security
There’s a new phishing scam making the rounds, and it involves Google. Apparently, the scammers use Google to re-route an e-mail, and dupes users into creating Yahoo! e-mail accounts for the spammers to use themselves. The lesson here is that if you’re going to create an e-mail account through Yahoo!, Hotmail, or other free(ish)…
Who Should Protect You?
By Tom Mighell on
Posted in Security, Technology
This week, web usability guru Jakob Nielsen posted an article titled User Education is Not the Answer to Security Problems]. The summary states:
Internet scams cannot be thwarted by placing the burden on users to defend themselves at all times. Beleaguered users need protection, and the technology must change to provide this.
The…
Okay, So Maybe He’s Right
By Tom Mighell on
Posted in Security
The Washington Post reports that “most computer users think they are safe but lack basic protections against viruses, spyware, hackers and other online threats.” Maybe user education isn’t working. I hope it’s working for the readers of this blog, anyway.
Phishing the Social Network
By Tom Mighell on
Posted in Security, Social Media
Remember a number of months ago when social networking sites like Orkut and LinkedIn were the latest rage, and everyone was joining up with their friends? Well, experts are thinking that these social network may be the next breeding ground for phishing attacks.
Those dastardly phishermen
By Tom Mighell on
Posted in Security
I like to think I’m pretty savvy about spotting phishing and other e-mail scams. I have always said that your bank or credit card company (or any financial institution, for that matter) will never ask for your personal information via an e-mail. Most of these phishing scams are easy to spot — just hovering your…
Gambling on online banking?
By Tom Mighell on
Posted in Security
I love banking online. It is so nice to be able to pay bills, transfer funds, and even open accounts without leaving my home, and I can’t believe there was a time when I had to actually go to a bank to do this. There are lots of bad folks out there who also love…