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Messages from Randel
Received April 9th 2010
Coffee shops, computer stores, airports and even
libraries all offer free access to computer systems connected to the
internet. Due to the proliferation of web based services in both the
personal and corporate
environment, it is easy to be tempted to use one of these
public systems to check your email or access other private information.
By their very nature, these systems can be accessed by anyone. Including the
bad guys. Once someone has physical access to a computer, it becomes very
easy to gain administrative access to the system. These types of open access
systems are usually riddled with viruses, spyware and other tools that can
capture any information you input into the computer.
One of the most common tools the bad guys install is called a
Keylogger. It is a program that keeps track of every keystroke that is
made on that computer. Once the data is collected, the program can either
store the information in a file on the system or transmit it to any computer
on the internet.
If you login to check your email on a public computer with a keylogger on
it, the bad guys will have a record of your username and password. Once
someone has access to your email account, they can search for confirmation
emails from other web sites. Soon they will have access to your
Amazon.com account or your
online
banking service. The damage that can be done, and done
quickly, is staggering.
Since this technology captures your information from the keystrokes you
type, it bypasses any security on the web site itself. That's the important
thing to remember. No matter how good the encryption or security of the
service you are accessing, it doesn't matter. Keyloggers capture your
authentication information before it is ever encrypted.
Keyloggers are readily available. A quick Google search will show dozens of
different versions available. Some are even free. The reason Keylogger
programs are so easy to obtain is because they can be used to
monitor children's computer usage in the
home. Or employees actions at the office.
The best habit you can get into is to not use these systems at all for
any access that requires you to log in. Just like you wouldn't take a sip of
a drink you found on a table in the library, don't trust a unknown computer.
You don't know where it's been.
a reprint for a tech news letter I get.
Randel
Sent:
Sun 3/14/2010 2:09 PM
Windows Explorer and the LAN:
When you load
up Windows Explorer you might notice a delay, this is due to WindowsXP
automatically checking the network for shared folders and printers. Depending on
the size of the network you're on, this can take a bit of time and I'm sure we
can all agree that sitting in front of the computer waiting for programs to get
ready is loads of fun.
Disabling this
feature is easy. First load up Windows Explorer (right click on the "My
Computer" icon and select "Explore") then click the "Tools" menu and select
"Folders Options". From there click the "View" tab and find the "Automatically
search for network folders and printers" check box and uncheck it. Press the
"OK" button, reboot your computer and you're all set.
From now on
Windows Explorer will no longer check for shared folders or devices on your
network automatically when first loading up.
Randel
Sent: Fri 3/12/2010 1:34 PM
Comcast looks for infected
traffic on its net
According to a Feb. 15 Washington Post story , Comcast now notifies customers
when their computer traffic is infected with malicious software. Comcast is
doing some of this because it's cheaper to clean their machines than it is to
lose the bandwidth on their network created by all the bots." The cost of
monitoring and holding infected traffic in quarantine, he says, could be borne
by the market or by imposing an Internet tax.
Back in 2002, CNET reported on the release of the Bush administration's
"national strategy to secure cyberspace." Missing from the final plan was an
item requiring all ISPs in the U.S. to provide free antivirus and firewall
software to their customers.
I thought it was a good idea then, and I still do. But it's only a start.
Providing free security software is no more the ultimate solution than is
putting PCs under quarantine, and for the same reason — there are millions of
infected PCs in other countries.
According to the Washington Post article mentioned above, security company
McAfee tallied infected computers worldwide and found that China leads the pack
with 1,095,000 actively infected PCs.
From Randel
Date: Fri, 5
Mar 2010 04:06:47 -0800
From:
lgcc06@yahoo.com
Subject: : Microsoft hot mail hacked! lgcc
To:
For your information.
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Microsoft Hotmail has possible been hacked
The Holy Grail amongst hackers –
Microsoft
Hotmail may have been hacked recently. The evidence
was posted on an online forum October 1st 2009.
Hotmail
is currently the largest web-based e-mail service.
The passwords to 10 028 Hotmail accounts
listed form A to B were posted on an online forum used by software
developers on October 1st 2009.
Microsoft said it was investigating this incident and has not yet
offered any official statement about what has happened.
"We're actively investigating the situation and will take appropriate
steps as rapidly as possible," a spokesperson said.
The list was posted on Friday at
pastebin.com but has since been taken away from the forum.
Parts of the list has been verified and the accounts on the list
appeared to be genuine and mostly from Europe.
The list detailed accounts starting from A through B, indicating there
are more accounts been compromised.
Further exacerbating the threat is the fact that many people use the
same log-on information for Hotmail and other online resources offered
by Microsoft, which could expose sensitive information.
Security experts recommend Hotmail users to change their password and
security
section immediately.
Microsoft has confirmed that Hotmail have been compromised in a phishing
attack. However, some security experts do not believe this is the case,
because there has been very few emails lately pretending being from
Microsoft, asking for users to confirm their IDs and passwords. This
leads them to believe that Microsoft has been hacked, and that the
Hotmail server could have been compromised.
Security experts do not believe it is an inside job, as personnel would
not know both the ID and password to be able to construct this list.
Another hacking method - phishing involves using fake
websites
to lure people into revealing details such as bank accounts or login
names. However, the systematic way this list has been made public,
suggest this is not an attack of this kind.
The most plausible cause of this list being made public, is that the
Microsoft Server has been attacked and compromised and tapped for vital
information which has been decrypted and made public.
The list included details of Microsoft's
Windows Live Hotmail
accounts with email addresses ending
hotmail.com,
msn.com and
live.com.
Most security experts deem this to be a hi-tech cyber crime and not done
by someone accidently getting into the server, as these servers are
assumed to be the Holy Grail amongst hackers due to its security
systems. |
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