The 12 Scams of Christmas.

The holiday season is coming while most people are being jolly, there are some who take this as a season of scamming.

Below are 12 tips by Mcaffe.

McAfee warns about '12 Scams of Christmas'

Retailers aren't the only ones gearing up for the holiday season. Criminals are also out in force.

To highlight the increased crime during the holidays, security company McAfee has come up with the "12 Scams of Christmas" ranging from bogus electronic greeting cards that deliver malware instead of cheer to fake charities that steal your money and your identity.

It's especially important to be extra careful this time of year, says McAfee's David Marcus. "The bad guys know people are spending more time online, they're paying more bills online so [the criminals] stand a chance of being a bit more successful this time of year.

In a podcast interview (scroll down to listen), Marcus counted down the 12 scams of Christmas starting with:

1. Charitable phishing scams: Marcus warns consumers to be wary of e-mails that appear to be from legitimate charities. Not only will they take your money and deprive charities of needed funds, but they will also steal your credit card information and identity.


2. Fake invoices from delivery services: During this period, scammers will send out fake invoices and delivery notifications appearing to come from Federal Express, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service or even the U.S. Customs Service saying that they were unable to deliver a package to your address. They ask you to confirm your address and give them credit card information to pay for delivery.


3. Social networking friend requests: Bad guys take advantage of this social time of year by sending out authentic looking friend requests via e-mail. Marcus recommends that you not click on those links but sign into Facebook and other services and look for friend requests from the site itself. Clicking on a link could install malware on your computer or trick you into revealing your password.


4. Holiday e-cards: Be careful before clicking on a holiday e-card, especially if it's from a site you haven't heard of. This is a way to deliver malware, pop-ups, and other forms of unwanted advertising. Some fake e-cards will look like they come from Hallmark or other legitimate companies, so pay close attention and make sure it's from someone you know. If you're going to send an e-card, be sure you're dealing with a reputable service lest you risk infecting yourself and your friends.


5. Fake "luxury" jewelry: If you see an offer for luxury gifts from companies like Cartier, Gucci, and Tag Heuer at a price that's too good to be true, it probably isn't true. These links could lead you to malware and take your money or merchandise that will probably never arrive (or be fake if it does). Some of these sites, according to McAfee, even display the logos of the Better Business Bureau.


6. Practice safe holiday shopping. Make sure your wireless network is secure and be sure you're shopping on sites that are secure. Though it isn't an iron clad guarantee, you should look for the lock icon in the lower right corner of your browser and make sure the Web page starts with https. The "s" stands for "secure."


7. Christmas carol lyrics can be dangerous: Bad guys know that people are searching for holiday related sites for music, holiday graphics, and other festive media. During this time, they create fraudulent holiday related sites.


8. Job search related scams: With the unemployment rate at 10.2 percent, there are plenty of job seekers looking for work. Beware of online offers for high paying jobs or at-home money making schemes. Some of these sites ask for money up front, which is a good way for criminals not only to steal your "set up fee" but misuse your credit card too. Marcus said that some "get rich quick" sites are all about money laundering, asking you to accept an inbound financial transfer and pay them.


9. Auction site fraud: McAfee has observed a rise in fake auction sites during the holidays. Make sure you're actually going to eBay or whatever site you plan to deal with.


10. Password stealing scams: Criminals use low-cost tools to uncover passwords, in some cases planting key logger software to record keystrokes. Once they get your passwords, they gain access to bank accounts and credit card accounts and send spam from your e-mail accounts.


11. E-mail banking scams: A common type of phishing scam is sending out official looking e-mails that appear to come from your bank. Don't click on any links but type in your bank's Web address manually if you need to access your account.


12. Files for ransom: Hackers use malware to gain control of your computer and lock your data files. To access your own data you have to pay them ransom.

Bottom line--Don't let the eggnog and holiday cheer keep you from using your critical thinking skills when you go online during the holiday season. And, of course, make sure your operating system is updated and that you're using up-to-date security software.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10403100-238.html

Latest Facebook and Twitter Security warning

The latest security update to Twitter and Facebook users.

The Facebook Viruses saga is not over yet, and it’s definitely not going to end soon. I’ve said it many times: Facebook is the most popular social networking website in the world and like Windows is the most popular platform in the world therefore hackers and attackers will always try to unleash their evil into the world via these two options. The latest in a huge series of Facebook viruses is called News44.org which is posting fake stories on users’ walls and status updates.

The news44.org virus is also claiming Twitter chatter and is misleading users into thinking that they can make money easily on the Internet. At the moment Facebook officials didn’t make any official comments, like usually I must say. They’re not doing anything to prevent things like this from happening and we’re definitely going to see more News44.org-like Facebook viruses. Meantime I advise you not to click on links with news44.org and not only for the moment: please do not click on any links that you do not trust!

http://www.softsailor.com/news/9575-news44-org-virus-is-just-the-latest-in-a-long-series-of-facebook-glitches.html

SS3 women folk fear robbers who strip victims

Ladies. Please be extra careful.

NEWS of women being robbed and forced to strip during morning walks have caused a lot of anxiety among residents of SS3 in Petaling Jaya lately.

Nanyang Siang Pao reported that three women who went for morning walks together were ordered to stripped naked when robbers suspected them of keeping their money in their bras and panties.

The report said there had been a number of robbery cases in SS3 area for the past six months, and most were committed by men on motorcycles.

The paper also reported that the robbers breaking into houses and committing snatch thefts in the day and night.

Now they have been targeting women folk who go for their morning walks within the residential area.

According to the report, about 100 elderly residents would go for morning walks, hold Tai Ji exercises and line dance at the garden in SS3/26 and basket ball court in SS3/14 every morning between 5am and 7am.

Residents fear that their residential area has become a target for robbers and want the police to increase patrols and improve the security there.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/14/nation/4899608&sec=nation

Change your Hotmail Password

For those who use Windows Hotmail..

Neowin has received information regarding a possible Windows Live Hotmail "hack" or phishing scheme where password details of thousands of Hotmail accounts have been posted online.

An anonymous user posted details of the accounts on October 1 at pastebin.com, a site commonly used by developers to share code snippets. The details have since been removed but Neowin has seen part of the list posted and can confirm the accounts are genuine and most appear to be based in Europe. The list details over 10,000 accounts starting from A through to B, suggesting there could be additional lists. Currently it appears only accounts used to access Microsoft's Windows Live Hotmail have been posted, this includes @hotmail.com, @msn.com and @live.com accounts.

Neowin has reported this immediately to Microsoft's Security Response Center and to Microsoft's PR teams in the UK and US and we are currently awaiting feedback on the situation. As this is a breaking story please check back frequently as the story will be updated as soon as more information becomes available.

If you are a Windows Live Hotmail user Neowin recommends that you change your password and security question immediately.

Thanks to Chris for the news tip

Update: According to BBC News, Microsoft is currently "investigating the situation and will take appropriate steps as rapidly as possible."

Update 2: Microsoft has now fully confirmed our reports. According to a Microsoft spokesperson "over the weekend Microsoft learned that several thousand Windows Live Hotmail customer's credentials were exposed on a third-party site due to a likely phishing scheme. Upon learning of the issue, we immediately requested that the credentials be removed and launched an investigation to determine the impact to customers. As part of that investigation, we determined that this was not a breach of internal Microsoft data and initiated our standard process of working to help customers regain control of their accounts."

For all media inquiries please contact tom.warren@neowin.net

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/10/05/thousands-of-hotmail-passwords-leaked-online

Spyware Sneaks Past Facebook Safeguard

Just when you thought Facebook was safe.....

Hackers have found a way to create automated Facebook pages and are using them to spread spyware to unsuspecting users, says antivirus and Internet security firm AVG Technologies.

Artwork: Chip Taylor

In a blog entry posted last week, Research Chief Roger Thompson said that AVG's LinkScanner users had started detecting some "rogue spyware attacks" that were coming from Facebook pages. When AVG started looking at the pages, it noticed that the Facebook profiles featured pictures of the same woman and merely had different names to differentiate them. Each page had a link to a supposed video that would infect user computers with spyware if clicked.

Thompson says that there are likely untold numbers of such rogue Facebook profiles on the Web right now, meaning that the hackers have somehow found a way to bypass Facebook's CAPTCHA system that requires users to retype a series of letters to activate an account. Thompson said that while Facebook will certainly delete any rogue accounts it finds, the accounts "can't be an easy thing for them to find" and will thus be difficult to eliminate.

Slideshow: Facebook Light gallery: Check out the new look

The Facebook spyware attack coincides with an FBI warning released today saying that cybercriminals are increasingly using social networking websites such as Facebook to launch attacks. Among the popular techniques used by hackers are hijacking a user's account and sending spam to their friends that leads to a phishing site; creating applications on the site that include malware or rougue antivirus software; and using malware to gain access to users' personal information on their profiles.

Taken from:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/173072/spyware_sneaks_past_facebook_safeguard.html

Security Issues

In April this year, my house got broken into in the AFTERNOON, right after the Resident's Association had SECURITY GUARDS to look after the main routes entering my housing area.

And guess what, the pondok polis has JUST been upgraded to a POLICE STATION.

Before this incident, there were other cases of break-ins that my neighbours did not report. I don't know why they don't want to do so. (Maybe because of the case above?)

My parents checked the place after the next door neighbour called but had to leave as they had to man the shop.

I reached home later as there was class that day and called my friend KC whose dad in turn informed the police.

The police came and asked us not to touch anything as there might be finger prints of the perpetrators.

They left and I lodged a report together with my mum in the evening.

When I stepped in the police station, it seemed small and there was only one person over there at the time and they had a TV with AXN (yes, they have Astro).

After lodging a report, he asked both of us to wait for the "forensics'" to come and have a more thorough look.

This was very sad for me as I lost my Acer Aspire 4530 which had been maxed out and was less than 6 months with me.*SOBS* Not forgetting a Canon camcorder which had some tapes which I did not convert to DVD yet.

BTW, he did not bother to record the model number of the lost items and also the SERIAL number of the laptop which I placed right in front of him. I wonder if he thinks that he is genius or knows that it will never be found.

Later on, the "forensics" came and took some pictures but did NOT dust for fingerprints and then left.

Something else that I noticed are that the "security guards" are missing the whole afternoon and evening, only to come at night to lock the gate. Something fishy right?

A few days later, I heard that the next door maid saw the prepertrators with the stuff he stole walking slowly out of my house.

There were two Chinese guys in short/medium length pants wearing shoes. One of them had a bald patch and was about 6 feet. The other one is a man in his 20s or 30s which is about 5 feet 7.They were sitting inside a Beige colour sedan car for the whole morning before doing this.

After hearing that, I recorded it all down and went to the police station a few days later.

Upon arriving, I heard that there were 5, yes, five break-in cases in one day in the same area.

The worst part is that one person called that police station as the break-in was HAPPENING and the police officer said this:

"Oh, itu faks machine guna line yang sama dengan telefon"

I imagined myself having a big sweat dripping when I heard this.

They can afford Astro which is non-essential but can't have an extra phone line?

Anyways, I updated my report but they still did not record the serial number down and now I have given up getting back my laptop.

My laptop:

Acer Aspire 4530-721 G6MN
AMD Turion X2 2.1Ghz
4GB RAM 800Mhz
160GB HDD
Nvdia Geforce 9100M
Blue black colour
Serial no. : LXAREOC039840251392500

On another note, my dad met up with the RA secretary to stop paying for the security fee and she said something that really feels like she is mocking you.

Reenactment (you get the drift)

Dad: I'm not participating in the security programme anymore.

Secretary: Why? You know that this is for security's sake.

Dad: What security? My house has been broken into.

Secretary: At least our guards were first on scene to inform you about it.

(At this point, my dad was very angry, as I said before, the GUARDS WERE MISSING for the whole day)

Dad: Get your facts straight. It was my next door neighbour who informed and the guards were nowhere to be seen for the whole day.

After that, my dad left.

Me and my dad attended the RA meeting once and found out that crime has became very rampant recently.

Ever since they changed the security company, there were lesser break-ins reported but by how much only the police would know...