Archive for May 21st, 2007

The Finely Tailored Suit, er Email

Posted in All Posts, Email Security, Exploits, Scams on May 21st, 2007

The Finely Tailored Suit, er Email.

Spammers have learned to tailor their scam emails to specific groups of users. These spammers use clever social engineering to ensnare their victims. These emails can be successful in disarming caution in even the most cautions email recipient.

Our advice:

  • Never ever respond to unsolicited email, period.
  • Never ever respond to any email warning of dire consequences unless you respond.
  • Never ever respond to any unsolicited offer for any product, period.
  • Never ever respond to any email that promises great reward if you respond, such as lottery winnings, business relationship offers, etc.
  • Please do understand what an “advanced fee scam” is.
  • And even if you believe the email is solicited, use great caution.
  • Use great caution even if the email appears to be from some organization with which you have a relationship. They can easily be spoofed.
  • If the email has links, we advise that you not use them *especially* if related to any account login. We recommend that you simply go to the web address of the organization in question, by typing their address into the browser address bar, instead of clinking on any link in these emails.

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Malware Lurks in 1 out of 10 Web Sites

Posted in Exploits, Malware, Online Security on May 21st, 2007

Google researchers have found malware lurking in 450,000 web sites, out of 4.5 million sites studied…. An amazingly large percentage.

Correction: Google researchers have clarified and revised their statements and it turns out that out of the Internet as a whole, they estimate less than 0.1% of web sites attempt to infect visitors with malware. Their original statements were speaking of a “subset” of risky sites that contained the much higher percentage of malware.
Source: http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9721866-7.html

Many of the attacks focused on security defects in various programs that have Internet access. This is why updating those programs is critical to maintaining a secure computer or computer network.

Besides the obvious programs. such as Internet Browsers, don’t forget to update programs such as QuckTime, Flash, Real Media, Microsoft Office, Outlook Express, Adobe Reader and all your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, etc.

Many users don’t even know they have QuckTime and Flash and many of these other programs on their computers.

For more information:
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9719590-7.html?tag=head

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