Some Safe Practices for Computer Security, According to the Federal Government

Access to information and entertainment, credit and financial services, products from every corner of the world — even to your work — is greater than ever. Thanks to the Internet, you can play a friendly game with an opponent across the ocean; review and rate videos, songs, or clothes; get expert advice in an instant; or collaborate with far-flung co-workers in a "virtual" office.

But the Internet — and the anonymity it affords — also can give online scammers, hackers, and identity thieves access to your computer, personal information, finances, and more.

With awareness as your safety net, you can minimize the chance of an Internet mishap. Being on guard online helps you protect your information, your computer, and your money. To be safer and more secure online, make these practices part of your online routine.

Visit FTC.gov/idtheft to learn what to do if your identity is stolen or your personal or financial information has been compromised – online or in the "real" world.

How do criminals get your personal information online? One way is by lying about who they are, to convince you to share your account numbers, passwords, and other information so they can get your money or buy things in your name. The scam is called "phishing": criminals send email, text, or pop-up messages that appear to come from your bank, a government agency, an online seller or another organization with which you do business. The message asks you to click to a website or call a phone number to update your account information or claim a prize or benefit. It might suggest something bad will happen if you don't respond quickly with your personal information. In reality, legitimate businesses should never use email, pop-ups, or text messages to ask for your personal information.To avoid phishing scams:

• Don't reply to an email, text, or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, and don't click on links in the message. If you want to go to a bank or business's website, type the web address into your browser yourself.


• Don't respond if you get a message – by email, text, pop-up or phone – that asks you to call a phone number to update your account or give your personal information to access a refund. If you need to reach an organization with which you do business, call the number on your financial statement, or use a telephone directory.

Some identity thieves have stolen personal information from many people at once, by hacking into large databases managed by businesses or government agencies. While you can't enjoy the benefits of the Internet without sharing some personal information, you can take steps to share only with organizations you know and trust. Don't give out your personal information unless you first find out how it's going to be used and how it will be protected.

If you are shopping online, don't provide your personal or financial information through a company's website until you have checked for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser's status bar or a website URL that begins "https:" (the "s" stands for "secure"). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some scammers have forged security icons. And some hackers have managed to breach sites that took appropriate security precautions.

Learn what to do in an e-mergency.

If you suspect malware is lurking on your computer, stop shopping, banking, and other online activities that involve user names, passwords, or other sensitive information. Malware could be sending your personal information to identity thieves.

Confirm that your security software is up-to-date, then use it to scan your computer. Delete everything the program identifies as a problem. You may have to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

If the problem persists after you exhaust your ability to diagnose and treat it, you might want to call for professional help. If your computer is covered by a warranty that offers free tech support, contact the manufacturer. Before you call, write down the model and serial number of your computer, the name of any software you've installed, and a short description of the problem. Your notes will help you give an accurate description to the technician.

If you need professional help, if your machine isn't covered by a warranty, or if your security software isn't doing the job properly, you may need to pay for technical support. Many companies — including some affiliated with retail stores — offer tech support via the phone, online, at their store, or in your home. Telephone or online help generally are the least expensive ways to access support services — especially if there's a toll-free helpline — but you may have to do some of the work yourself. Taking your computer to a store usually is less expensive than hiring a technician or repair person to come into your home.

Once your computer is back up and running, think about how malware could have been downloaded to your machine, and what you could do to avoid it in the future.

Also, talk about safe computing with anyone else who uses the computer. Tell them that some online activity can put a computer at risk, and share practices for safer computing.

Where to report hacking or a computer virus:

Alert the appropriate authorities by contacting:

• Your ISP and the hacker's ISP (if you can tell what it is). You can usually find an ISP's email address on its website. Include information on the incident from your firewall's log file. By alerting the ISP to the problem on its system, you can help it prevent similar problems in the future.


• The FBI at www.IC3.gov. To fight computer criminals, the FBI needs to hear from you.

Get more in-depth information from
www.OnGuardOnline.gov.

The Biggest Misconceptions about Identity Theft

Don't be fooled by the misleading ads and false promises for preventing Identity Theft!

Here's what you really need to know.

There is a great deal of misinformation floating around the internet, and on TV, radio, etc. these days about protecting yourself from identity theft.

Here's a reality check:

Can you actually prevent identity theft?

The answer is "No"! But there are some things you can do to keep thieves from stealing your personal information from your home, your garbage, your computer, etc. (For example, be sure you shred all your bills and other papers with personal information.)

The reality is that identity thieves can find your personal information in many places (as shown above) that are out of your control. So while you can't actually prevent your identity from getting stolen, you can protect yourself against the devastating consequences of identity theft. This is why you need true identity theft protection with iDefend.

Credit fraud is only ONE TYPE of identity theft.

In fact, 67% of identity theft cases involve criminal fraud in other areas besides loans, credit cards, etc. While having loans or credit taken out in your name is a serious problem, most identity theft cases (true identity theft) are discovered in areas like:

• Social Security benefits fraud;
• Medical benefits fraud;
• Checking accounts;
• Criminal records;
• Bankruptcy;
• 401k theft;
  
• Tax fraud;
• and more . . .
  

For more information, click here.

Happy New Year Fireworks Around the World!

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Christmas Wishes to You and Yours!

May You and Your Family Have
the Merriest of Christmases!

Good News about Stranger Danger

Doing Our Part For National Cyber Security Month.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

"Protect Yourself Before You Connect Yourself".

National Cyber Security Alliance Launches Cyber Security Awareness Volunteer Education (C-SAVE) Program Focuses on bringing Cybersecurity Experts Into Nation’s K‐12 Schools To Educate Students and Teachers about Internet Safety and Security

SAN FRANCISCO, April 22, 2009 – With studies finding that less than 25%** of educators feel comfortable teaching students how to keep themselves safe from online cyber predators, bullies, and online fraud, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) has focused much of its efforts on providing K‐12 schools with the resources they need to better equip today’s digital generation.

Today at the RSA Conference, the NCSA announced the launch of a nationwide initiative – the Cyber Security Awareness Volunteer Education Program (C‐SAVE) – that is focused on fostering opportunities for cybersecurity experts and IT security professionals to donate their time and tap their expertise to help educate elementary, middle and high school students about Internet security and safety.

“There is an Internet safety and security knowledge gap,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the NCSA. “As we evolve into web based culture, our schools have not kept pace in teaching our youth to develop the skills they need to stay safe and secure online. Only 18%** of K‐12 curriculum discusses identity theft and only 22%** of teachers are comfortable teaching about cyberbullying. In these difficult financial times, C‐SAVE provides schools with a cost‐free opportunity to enrich the education experience and help improve the everyday lives of both their students and their teachers. It also provides information security professionals a wonderful opportunity to give back to their community.”

NCSA is seeking motivated individuals and corporations to approach local schools to deliver the C‐SAVE program. A comprehensive set of learning materials designed by a U.S. Department of Education veteran is available at www.StaySafeOnline.org/CSAVE.

Suggested lesson plans designed to meet the developmental level of young people at all grade levels provide clear, easy to understand instructions and tips for working in a classroom setting. In addition, resources are available that allow teachers and administrators to continue the conversation with their students and their students’ parents.

“We are living in a time when many of our children know much more about how to use the technology than their teachers and parents,” said Bill Sanderson, principal of the International Studies Academy high school in San Francisco. “Most of our students spend more time on the computer each day then they do watching television. School and parents have a responsibility to ensure that students can use computers safely, C‐SAVE will help better educate our children by leveraging the expertise of those who bring significant life experience making computers more secure. In turn, this program will also allow our teachers to better understand the online challenges our students face and better prepare them to harness the power of the Internet safely and securely.”

C‐SAVE also provides the opportunity to introduce students to the possibility of cybersecurity as a profession and become part of the next generation of cyber defenders. As part of the lesson plans, cybersecurity professionals are encouraged to talk about their job and the path they took to get to where they are.

EMC Corporation is the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information. Striving to be active and socially responsible in its local and global communities, EMC encouraged its cybersecurity experts to participate in C‐SAVE. More than 25 EMC security practitioners have already agreed to volunteer at schools from Massachusetts to California and help train more than 1000 families on staying safe online.

“There is no doubt that both our nation’s students and teachers need assistance when it comes to Internet safety and security,” said Roland Cloutier, Vice President and Chief Security Officer of EMC Corporation. “Companies such as EMC and others have a vast amount of resources that can not only help to keep our children safer online, but also foster a better understanding of the responsibilities one must embrace when using the Internet.”

C‐SAVE was launched in collaboration with the NCSA’s K‐12 education working group and its corporate sponsors.

** Data from 2008 K‐12 National Cyberethics, Cybersafety, Cybersecurity Baseline Study. Full results can be found at www.StaySafeOnline.MediaRoom.com/

About NCSA

The National Cyber Security Alliance is a nonprofit organization. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non‐profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely protecting themselves and the cyber infrastructure. NCSA works to create a culture of cyber security and safety through education and awareness activities. Visit www.StaySafeOnline.org/ for more information.

Contacts:

Aimee Larsen-Kirkpatrick
National Cyber Security Alliance
Phone: 202-756-3616
email: aimee@staysafeonline.org

Joshua Zecher
463 Communications
202-463-0013, ext. 206
email: mailto:/josh.zecher@463.com

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About National Cyber Security Awareness Month

National Cyber Security Awareness month now in its sixth year is a coordinated effort of the National Cyber Security Alliance, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MSISAC).

Source: National Cyber Security Alliance

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Went "Over the Top"

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey went "over the top" with their all-out show and circus performances.

The music! The colors! The unbelievable precision! The animal performances! The comedy! The clowns! All these elements in a 2-hour performance came together in an unseamed cavalcade of acts that were nothing short of "Over the Top" entertainment.

Not only did Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey go "over the top", but they definitely lived up to their name as "The Greatest Show on Earth". Simply outstanding!!!! Or better yet, Way Over the Top!!!!

I greatly admired, and was in awe about, the precision and talents of the aerial performers and those riding circles in the ring.

Visit Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey at

www.Ringling.com/