Tech It Like A Man!

If you have not updated your computer by now, you should do it ASAP. Conficker is set to strike unsuspecting PCs tomorrow. You need to have your Windows updated with the Microsoft patch 958644, which you can obtain from Microsoft proper (make sure you are in Internet Explorer when you do this or it won’t work) . There is more that you can do to prevent and rid yourself of Conficker. Make sure to check out the following:

Prevent AutoRun attacks
Conficker removal tool

I am currently updating my system, as somehow I didn’t get all the security updates. I have been avoiding Service Pack 3 for a while, since it has killed so many systems. I am figuring that these updates were probably included with SP3 when I got the notification.

You have until midnight. I just found out about it this morning, myself. Make sure you get on it pronto.

Special thanks to Marisa for bringing this to my attention.

The other day I received a really really good spoof email from “PayPal”. It was telling me that I had been limited on my PayPal due to suspicious charges. The letterhead of the email was on point. It was even from paypal@Security.com… Yes I typed it right.

I didn’t notice the large S at the beginning of Security, or I would not have clicked through. Other than that, there was nothing to indicate that this email was phishing for anything. The links onthe side were totally legitimate. They went to the actual PayPal pages they said they were going to:

So, I click through and VOILA! My browser (thanks Flock) alerts me that this might be a phishing scam so do not put my information in. I then noticed that the cloaking device they used to make sure I didn’t know it was a scam had dissolved, and I saw the actual web address on the page only after I clicked through.

So make sure to be careful when you get these emails. The phishers are getting really good at covering their tracks. If you do get an email like this, or one you are unsure of, forward it to spoof@paypal.com so they can look into it. They always get back to you within 24 hours.

Tags: paypal+phishing+scams, phishing, email+phishing

The other day I logged into my Facebook account, to find that they are releasing a public profile to Google. I’m like …uh NO. I immediately fixed my privacy settings to reflect that I did NOT want to show up on Google with my real name and whatnot hanging out. What I didn’t know was that many people are pretty mad about the change.

How Facebook’s “public search listing” could empower users by ZDNet‘s Steve O’Hear — Facebook is adding “public search listings” whereby user profiles will be indexable by Google et al. This, once again, raises the issue of privacy on the social web. In this post, I argue that Facebook profiles that show up on Google results could actually benefit users who are concerned about their represented online.

So, if you have not changed your privacy settings yet, you should definitely go do it right now. If you are okay with people searching your name and a way to contact you, then let it be.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Google, privacy

I am still a bit unsettled about what it means to use a keylogger program. I mean, it’s good for parents who need to keep tabs on their children. It’s good for some employers to make sure that the employees aren’t using company time to socialize. I find that there is a great potential for this medium to be used in business as an accountability tool. You and I have a conversation, it is known that I record it. Everything is in writing and if we end up in court, there are plenty of records to back me up. You can even keep track of yourself and what you do on your computer, so if you are forgetful like me you won’t have a problem figuring out what you have said and done.

There is a point where it all goes downhill and becomes a technique to spy on others. I was watching a court show the other day where a husband had a program like this and was spying on his wife. That is where I draw the line. Keylogging is great for many different uses. It’s a little money to put out to make sure your family is safe, but it’s not supposed to be used as your personal private eye. I just want to put the warning out there not to abuse this program. Just as fast as the technology was released it can be recalled. Let’s not ruin it for everyone who needs a program of this nature.

Technorati Tags: Keylogging