People who earn their living in the software industry probably comprise the most innovative group of people in the world with, sadly, some of them working on the “wrong side of the tracks”.

There is a constant war going on against cybercrime, which seems to pop up in the most original of formats, with one of the latest to rear its ugly head being “rogueware” which, for the common man, means scam anti-virus products.

It’s a funny thing about anti-virus programs, where so money people are prepared to spend hundreds of pounds on upgrading their computer, increased bandwidth and all the latest accessories yet are very reluctant to spend more than £50 to protect their computer, with all the data contained in it, as well as that of their friends, family and colleagues. 

Those who lurk in the shadows of cyberspace are well aware of this characteristic and have found yet another way of exploiting it, with the launch of a never-ending stream of Rogueware, with which they tempt the less responsible and easily influenced, with prices of between thirty to fifty pounds for full “anti-virus” protection. Sounds cheap enough, till you discover that these programs at best do nothing and, in most cases, invite all kinds of malware into the innocent victim’s computer. The unbelievable truth is that  a large number of computer owners have had no form of virus protection on their computer till recently, They only become aware of the need for anti-virus protection when a pop up appears on their computer, advising them to immediately purchase a rogueware product.

Statistics show that there are now 200 different versions of rogueware available online, some of which are very sophisticated. Unfortunately, not in virus protection, but by creating variants programmed to make detection by anti-virus vendors difficult, and also stubbornly refuse to be removed from a computer system, using background processes to protect un-installation or tampering.  To date, Windows has introduced an uninstall set-up to deal with just 27 of the 200 rogue anti-virus software programs from the computer system, through their Malicious Software Removal Tool which is updated every second Tuesday of the month, as part of  the Patch Tuesday set up.

Rogueware is becoming a serious problem for the innocent and an increasingly big earner for cyber criminals, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) estimating that fake anti-virus programs have raked in more than $150 million (£100 million) for scammers so far in 2009.

Tags: Anti Virus, Digital Download Products, FBI, Fraud, Malicious Software, Mcafee, Rogueware, Trojan Horses, Viruses

The NSPCC has had a change of heart over its decision to close its Guernsey operation.

The St Peter Port premises shut on Thursday for the last time with the loss of four full-time staff and a number of part-time support workers.

But the NSPCC says two practitioner staff will continue working on the island.

It said the change of plan recognised the strong representations received from islanders.

The NSPCC’s work in the Bailiwick will also continue through activities such as helplines, training and consultancy

source http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/8409865.stm

For more info on the NSPCC visit http://www.charities-direct.co.uk/

Tags: Charities, child protection, Child Safety, NSPCC

By Alex Steger.

Calls to charity helplines to report child abuse are set to drop by up to two thirds over the Christmas period.

This leaves some children at serious risk of harm according to the NSPCC.

On average around 200 people call the charity’s helpline every day out of concern for a child’s welfare. This figure drops significantly over Christmas.

Last Christmas Eve the NSPCC received 128 calls, a figure that dropped to 72 on Christmas Day before rising again to 103 on Boxing Day.

Last Christmas a number of calls were concerned with children being physically, sexually assaulted or being badly neglected. Three calls were serious enough to need immediate police or social services help.

John Cameron, head of the helpline, said: “Some children don’t get a Christmas break from cruelty. It can happen at any time, any day. But people seem reluctant to report cases of abuse and neglect at this time of year, possibly because they see it as a happy occasion and don’t want to spoil it.

“However, this means some children could be left in dangerous situations when help should be on its way. Hopefully this year people will realise that a child’s safety is more important and give us a call. We are here round-the-clock, 365 days a year.”

For more information on NSPCC visit http://www.charities-direct.co.uk/

Tags: Alex Steger, Charities, child protection, Child Safety, NSPCC

Cases of child cruely and neglect reached record levels, new police figures reveal

Sunday December 20,2009

By Lucy Johnston

CASES of child cruelty and neglect have reached record levels, new police figures reveal.

The statistics, drawn from the Home Office crime data base show that cases of child abuse are at their highest since records began.

Between 2008 and 2009 police handled 6,184 – a three-fold increase compared to 2000 and 2001. The figures have been compiled as part of a joint Sunday Express and NSPCC crusade to demand that child neglect becomes a political priority in the run-up to the next general election. Last week the Sunday Express revealed one neglected child is dying every week. We also showed how the same “failures and deficiencies” behind the deaths are being repeated year after year despite a string of high-profile abuse cases, including baby Peter.

Diana Sutton, head of campaigns and public affairs for the NSPCC, said: “The jump in crimes against children should sound a warning bell for politicians. They must make the same commitment to tackling these crimes as they do others.”

For more information on NSPCC visit http://www.charities-direct.co.uk/

Tags: Charities, Child Abuse, child protection, Child Safety, Diana Sutton, NSPCC

One of the most negative aspects of the virtual world has to be the considerable amount of time and money wasted on clearing out malware, spyware and these incredibly frightening Trojan horses, from an unprotected computer. With viruses becoming increasingly sophisticated and therefore more difficult to treat, there are some of them waging a virtual guerrilla war inside a computer’s RAM. Some of the most recent Trojan horses have been programmed to prevent some of the less powerful ant-virus programs from running the Task Manager, which in turn makes it even more difficult to remove them, as well preventing the running or even installing malware removal programs. And some of the more toxic can also block internet access connections, which appears to be more malicious than criminally fraudulent.

Winning the Trojan wars involves winning a series of battles in what appears to be a never-ending war of attrition.  As well as the latest and most powerful anti-virus software, computer owners should be equipped with either a flash drive or a CD containing the Firefox Web browser, as well as Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool and a safe boot program, should the virus have removed the Safe Mode.  

If you have had to clean up your computer, it would be wise to restart in Safe Mode, which you can do by rapidly hitting the F8 key as the system is booting up. The next stage, once you have succeeded in logging in, is to run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, preferably the latest version. You can do so by clicking on Start Menu, and then Run. To access the tool you will need to type in mrt and then hit enter or ok. The software will then scan and remove any malwares that it comes across.

All of these damage repair actions can be done away with, or at least dramatically reduced, if proper and powerful anti-virus software has been installed on the computer. Many people still ignore the virus threat as being of limited importance and only partially protect their computer. A little time and surprisingly little money will provide the level of protection that today’s computers need. The proper software can ensure that the computer, and with it valuable personal information, is protected by installing MacAfee’s anti-virus protection software.  Doing so will more or less ensure victory in the Trojan Wars. 

For more information on anti virus sofyware and protection http://www.mcafee-downloads.co.uk/

Tags: Anti Virus, Digital Download Products, Firefox Web browser, Mcafee, Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, safe boot program, Trojan Horses, Viruses

An Adobe post has confirmed that the company fears that both their Adobe Acrobat and Reader are currently under active attack from a Trojan named Pidief.H.  Adobe has hastened to point out that infection rates are “extremely limited” and the company’s risk assessment level is very low, suggesting that the threat has been largely contained. .

The fact that hackers can succeed in breaching the defences of a company holding such an elevated status in the software industry has raised a few eyebrows; the attack seemingly was targeted on a zero-day level, a combination which is hard to defend against. These forms of targeted attacks against a specific company’s software invariably come in a personalised form, and usually through an e-mail. The e-mail has to be good to evade all the security blockages and anti-virus programs that most computer owners and operators should have in place, but reports are that there are many cases where it has slipped through.  

When some poor unsuspecting soul, who is lulled into a false sense of security, mistakenly opens an e-mail attachment that sets off a zero-day attack, the virus is almost guaranteed to find the weak spot in the software that it has been primed to attack, as long as that software has been installed on the computer, and Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat reader are resident in millions of computers around the globe. The only real protection against the Pidief.H Trojan is to have an anti-virus program strong enough to detect the attack. Some of the less sophisticated anti-virus software suites will have very low capability of defending against these types of small scale targeted attacks.

Thankfully, in these days of mass-produced viruses, the targeted attacks are few and far between, but can be devastatingly vicious if they get through a computer’s defences.  

Apparently Adobe learned of the attack on Monday of this week, with three of the leading anti-virus software developers advising of the attack within minutes, and MacAfee being one of them, while the majority of anti-virus products are yet to detect the attack which apparently has been active since Friday 11^th December.

Until the spread of Pidief.H Trojan can be arrested it is expected to become more wide spread in the next few weeks, especially to those whose computers are not sufficiently protected against such sophisticated attacks.

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Tags: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Anti Virus, anti-virus programs, Digital Download Products, Mcafee, Phishing Scams, Pidief.H, Pidief.H Trojan, Trojan Horses, Viruses

With the news that more than 100,000 UK homes are eligible to receive a handsome subsidy to replace their new boilers, the subject of how to remove an existing boiler must have been a hot topic across the dinner tables and bars of the UK at the weekend.

After all, when does the occasion ever come up about how to remove an existing boiler?  However, with all of these tens of thousands of boilers on their way to British homes before the winter of 2010, it’s time to begin thinking about how to remove all of those old,  energy inefficient and probably not-too-secure boilers, to be replaced by the shiny and new environment- and budget- friendly versions.   

One thing for certain is that removing a boiler is not something to take lightly and should always be handled by an expert, preferably by a company who has British Gas accreditation.  The majority of boilers penciled in to be replaced will be fairly large in size and dismantling them will be no easy task, especially as they will need to be cut up, since in their whole state they will represent a safety hazard.

An additional factor that has to be taken into account is that many of these older boilers have an asbestos lining and, if this is the case, very special care has to be taken both in the dismantling and particularly in the disposal.

So if you are in line to change your boiler then the whole subject of doing away with the old boiler should be looked very carefully, and should only be carried out by registered professionals.

It does no harm to begin investing time and comparing prices on boiler removals. It is definitely something that can not be ignored, and you should have your contractor picked out and your price scales well calculated before the massive wave of boiler changes begins, probably as early as the spring of 2010. Take into account that the larger the boiler you have, the more expensive it might be. Try and discover if your boiler is asbestos lined. Armed with these facts you can begin to shop around, and it is best to do so online. Although a service engineer will have to call on you eventually, it is better to get the feel of the competition and the range of prices available and the sooner the better.  

Upgrading a water boiler is not something that an average family will do too often in a lifetime, yet next year looks like being a bonanza for the water heating industry. Make sure that you are not left behind in the rush to change your water heater.

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Tags: Boiler Efficiency, Boiler Grants, Boiler Replacement, British Gas, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler

One of the most problematic and often embarrassing issues that can happen with a computer operating system is when an uninvited piece of adware unexpectedly pops up without warning. How these nasty little gremlins enter your computer is a matter for conjecture, but they can become a major nuisance if not nipped in the bud.

So how can you know that this more annoying than harmful piece of malware is liable to suddenly appear in your life? There are a few tells that can point to the fact.

Here are the main ones:

• If your browser starts to behave a little strangely, and especially if you discover that your home page has changed, and is no longer your staid default one. Instead you will have something garish. If you succeed in deluding yourself that this occurrence is a one-off, you might soon discover that the next one that shows up is even worse.
• If you notice some feverish activity on your modem, even though you are neither uploading, downloading or even surfing the web, then you can take that as a sure sign that something is invading your computer, and that something might well be a nasty piece of adware.
• If you suddenly begin to notice a spectacular upsurge of junk mail, then the chances again are high that adware is at work in your system.
• While surfing the web, you suddenly find yourself re-directed to a page that you didn’t want to visit, and then you can again point your finger at adware.
• If you suddenly find that banners begin to pop up without reason, or your favourites file also contains some unfamiliar new entries, that’s a sure sign that your computer is diseased.
• Last but by no means least, if pop-up advertisements start to appear with increasing regularity on your computer, and then it’s time to call a halt to the adware invasion, if you haven’t done so already.

Once again the only option is to call in a computer technician who almost invariably advises you to reformat your hard disc, with all the aggravation and upset that this can cause. You can win the adware war by installing a professional and efficient anti-virus software program on your computer. Once this is done you can surf where you want in the knowledge that these annoying little monsters are being kept at bay. 

For more info on computer protection visit http://mcafee-downloads.co.uk

Tags: Anti Virus, Browser, Computer, Malware, Pops up, Trojan Horses, Viruses

Dream auction 2 launched today, which means that for the next 12 days you can bid online for a fantastic array of items, with proceeds going to the Childs Voice Appeal.

From Christmas baubles to Xboxes; holidays to horse training; opportunities to meet our celebrity endorsers Ant and Dec, Peter Andre, Deborah Meadon and Jodie Kidd, and the ultimate invitation to Vanity Fair’s Oscar party, there is bound to be something for everyone.

There are a few ways that you can help to spread the word:

• Check out the site, www.dreamauction2.co.uk and get bidding today! Tell your friends and family too.
• Update your Facebook status with “I’m bidding now at dreamauction2.co.uk”

·  Ask friends and family to post web banners on their websites – please contact Fundraising Manager Debbie Herald for these.

Happy bidding!

Tags: Ant and Dec, Deborah Meadon, Gifts For Others (And Yourself!), Jodie Kidd, NSPCC, Peter Andre

TV presenter and singer, Cheryl Baker is calling for people to turn out their pockets, look down the back of their sofas, and make a New Year’s resolution which is as easy as ABC. People of all ages are being asked to take part and encourage family, friends and work colleagues to donate loose change and raise vital funds to help protect vulnerable children.

Cheryl, mother of twin girls and a long term supporter of the NSPCC said: “The NSPCC does such fantastic work for children and families and I’m really pleased to be supporting the ABC Challenge. This is the perfect New Year’s resolution as it’s so easy to do and with the support of your family, friends, or work colleagues, very easy to keep. If we can get as many people as possible in the area taking part, the results could be incredible – every penny really does count and can change a child’s life.”

ABC, ‘Address Book Challenge’, is a simple fundraising idea designed to raise as much money as possible for the NSPCC at very little cost. ABC is a volunteer led initiative championed by Divisional Vice President, David Clark.

Launched this summer to our local fundraising volunteers, ABC works by individuals placing a cardboard collection box in their home and collecting their small change in it until the end of February 2010.

How you can get involved

Colleagues can also take a box and encourage friends and family to do so. Just one email sent to friends and family asking them to join the Challenge could raise a significant sum for the NSPCC for very little effort.

At the end of the Challenge, all people have to do is count the money in the box and send a cheque to the NSPCC, and that’s all there is to it. The boxes cost just 6p to produce and raise an average of £10 per box.

Tags: Address Book Challenge, Charities, Cheryl Baker, child protection, Child Safety, NSPCC, NSPCC ABC Challenge