At one time thieves and robbers were limited to where they could work from for geographical reasons.  They had to take into account how much petrol would fit into the tank of their getaway car, how much swag they could carry and if they could plan a decent escape route that would take them away from the scene of the crime as fast as possible, before the road blocks went up.  

Nowadays thanks to the wonders of the internet cyber-theft knows no boundaries and super hackers have found ways to make it possible to carry out crimes that bring in rewards of tens of millions of dollars without having to get up out of their easy chair,

From their havens around the World, with centres being as far apart as the Far East and Eastern Europe, cyber criminals can employ the latest spyware to extract information on individuals or company’s sensitive financial details.  Once they have that information at their disposal the sky is the limit to as how much money they can extract. And the chances are that nobody will notice till it is long gone. Cyber crimes are very difficult to solve as fingerprints or any other form of evidence is left at the scene.

So basically the only way that a computer owner or operator can protect their information and security us to set up roadblocks before the crime is committed. These days information highways are getting broader all the time, and the thieves that travel on them are getting smarter and more sophisticated as fast as the companies who provide software such as web browsers and operating systems progress. That means that these roadblocks whose role it will be to prevent the infiltration of viruses, malwares and worms into a computer need to be equal to the task of manning the roadblocks.

That’s why companies and individuals who can’t afford to take chances and  need to know that they are being protected at all times go for the most powerful and professional anti-virus software that is available on the market.

These raids can come from everywhere and at any time of the day or night, so remember that a good anti-virus program never sleeps. 

For more information of anti virus soft ware visit http://www.mcafee-downloads.co.uk/

Tags: Anti Virus, cyber-criminals, cyber-theft, cybercriminals, Fraud, Phishing Scams, Spam

Recent reports have it that hackers are attempting to steal the identities of Twitter users, through a fairly sophisticated phishing scheme. What appears to be making the scheme easier to spot is that the hackers are bulk e-mailing subscribers, with some attempted victims, receiving up to ten e-mails a day containing the following message.

“Due to concern that your account may have been compromised in a phishing attack that took place off-Twitter, your password was reset. Please create a new password by opening this link in your browser” Needless to say the link was false, and those who fell victim to the scam had inadvertently given away all of their account information.

Yet who can be truly surprised that the latest internet sensation would become a target of an online phishing campaign. After all, they are only falling in the footsteps of Facebook, Google, Hotmail, EarthLink, Yahoo, and Comcast among others.  Estimates are that more than one million accounts may have been compromised, resulting in login details falling in to the unscrupulous hands of phishers.

The earliest examples of phishing that were seen on the internet were the almost laughable “Nigerian prince” scams that were very active around five years, although quite a few people fell victim to them. Another more recent example was a bulk e-mail campaign by phishers posing as representatives of PayPal, asking for account holders for their user name and password, again bringing surprisingly good results for the hackers and bad news for those who fell victim.

Some of the profits from these phishes appear to have been invested in the next generation of phishing, known as “spear phishing,” in which the web fraudsters have used a friendly and local cover to attempt to prize sensitive information from the unsuspecting public. If scammers send an email blast to an entire local community, under the disguise of a bank or local department store, the chances are that a few people will click on the link before news spreads.

This is the reason why internet users are urged to regularly update their passwords, even though it can some inconvenience. Yet the inconvenience will certainly bear no comparison to that caused if a person’s identity is stolen, Another, and probably more efficient method of preventing cyber theft, is install the most powerful anti-virus software on the market and to take every step to make sure that it is maintained and  up to date to protect themselves from  phishing fraudsters.

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If you would like to know more about how to protect your PC and/or Laptop visit Mcafee Downloads

Tags: Comcast, EarthLink, Facebook, Google, Hotmail, phishing campaign, phishing fraudsters, Phishing Scams, Trojan Horses, Viruses, Yahoo

Every day a fresh Trojan seems to hit the net and as they become more invasive their names become more bizarre. The latest comes with the distinctive name of the Vundo virus, and is indeed a pesky little invader. Early reports have it that the Vundo virus is particularly problematic because it is capable of installing deep in a computer’s registry and only a top anti-virus will have the ability to totally remove it in all of its many formats and disguises.  

The Vundo Trojan falls into the category of being a rootkit virus because it houses itself in your computer’s software registry, which is the very root of your operating system, and if left undetected takes full control of the computer. These forms of viruses are infamous because of the difficulty in removing them, as well as being dynamic in nature. This means that if less than capable software is employed in removing the virus, and succeeds in only partially removing it, Vundo will rapidly rebuild and reinstall itself and set about attacking its prey from where it left off, inside the registry file.

What is equally as worrying is that the Vundo Trojan virus will even start to create pop-ups that will attempt to sell its host computer a series of fake antivirus software. If anyone falls for the Vundo scam then the program or programs they will install are liable to infect the computer even further. Later on, when it has totally manifested itself, Vundo will slow the computer’s system down to a crawl and possibly cause it to seize up altogether. These are just a few of the ways that a Vundo-infected computer will behave. Suffice it to say that all of them are annoying and offensive.

The Vundo virus will make a very major struggle to prevent itself from being exorcised from a computer that it has taken over. Experience has shown that the only effective way to keep the Vundo Trojan at bay or totally remove it in the case of infection is setting the best tried-and-tested anti-viruses in place. 

For more information on Protection your PC or laptop visit http://www.mcafee-downloads.co.uk

Tags: Anti Virus, Digital Download Products, Mcafee, Phishing Scams, Trojan Horses, Viruses, Vundo virus

With Microsoft hot from releasing an emergency patch on Thursday 19^th January designed to repair a zero-day vulnerability that caused Google and more than 30 other companies to be hacked in the so-called Aurora attacks, an older problem has reared its ugly head which looks like it will represent further woe for Internet Explorer (IE).

Information has reached Microsoft that versions of Internet Explorer could inadvertently allow hacker entry to a computer’s hard disc and allow them to access files on the computer. Apparently Microsoft was made aware of the problem as long ago as 2008 and despite two attempts by Microsoft to fix it two years ago, the problem seems unwilling to go away.  The virus is not so sophisticated and doesn’t allow the hacker to install other codes on a person’s computer. Despite that fact, the presence of this glitch has to be regarded as a serious breach of security, affecting all of Microsoft’s operating systems, including their latest IE8.

The hacker operates by duping a victim into clicking on a heavily disguised malicious Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The URL is created by manipulating four or five features in Internet Explorer; if the hacker succeeds in drawing a computer owner or user into his web, the browser will process files that are not pure HTML on the computer.

Despite the fixes carried out in 2008, hackers continue to find ways to pull off the same attack. Hopes are that when Microsoft’s next batch of patches is released on Feb. 9 the company will have come up with a solution to the problem by then.

In the meantime, if you come across a link that looks suspicious, you should stay clear. If you click on the URL you might find yourself on a web site that is an exact replica of the one that wanted to link onto it, but is instead an attempt to access private information and introduce a series of viruses into your computer.

For more information on Protection your PC or laptop visit http://www.mcafee-downloads.co.uk

Tags: Anti Virus, Computer Viruses, Digital Download Products, IE, Internet Security, Mcafee, Phishing Scams, Trojan Horses, Viruses

And that is never to switch it on, or at least never connect to the internet, which would kind of defeat the purpose of having a computer in this day and age.  Once a computer has been connected to the net, and it is without virus protection than it is vulnerable to invasion as if it has been online for years.  .  Viruses and other malware  are lying in wait to invade a computer and it could just a few minutes before they come knocking on the door, to discover that it has been left ajar.

Computer viruses didn’t earn their title because it slipped off someone’s tongue. There are human viruses and there are computer viruses and they bear strong similarities. A person can become really ill from being infected with a virus as a can a computer. The difference is that a human will, in most cases, eventually recover from a virus while a computer will gradually deteriorate into an uncooperative and unfriendly monster if left untreated.

The first signs that a computer has been infected by a virus, is that it begins to operate increasingly slowly. While this is something that can be very frustrating for the operator, but is a small time problem compared to what lies in store. The next tell-tale sign that there are gremlins at work is when your disc drives begin to lock you out. You will find yourself increasingly using your right click button as you battle to retain control of your computer, which is becoming increasingly unfriendly.

Dependant on the strength and the nature  of the virus which is attacking your computer there will eventually be no option but to  take some very radical  steps to get your computer back on the road to health. This will invariably require the services of a computer technician who knows what will be required to get your computer clear of all these viruses. Computer technicians are like doctors and will not be slow to point out that an unprotected computer will only become a sick one again, and in next to no time. 

So like humans take their preventative medicines so you should protect your computer with a dose of what is good for it.  Not that you should pour some cough medicine through the DVD drive, more that you should install a professional and efficient anti-virus program.

Tags: Anti Virus, Computer Viruses, Mcafee, Phishing Scams, 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

Computer viruses at one time could only attack our computers through e-mail attachments. It could be said that these were in the "good old days", when most home computers at least were subject to seemingly never-ending waves of spam, and an unsuspecting surfer could open a virus-infested e-mail attachment, temporarily blinded by the promise of great riches, or a weekend for two in Bognor Regis. Thankfully, these days most of the computer-owning public have become alert to the dangers of opening e-mail from unclear sources and with anti-virus software becoming increasingly sophisticated, this threat has been largely removed from our radar, only to be replaced by more sinister threats. That doesn’t mean that we should now begin to open all our e-mail attachments without fear. There are still plenty viruses out there to attack our computers through opening the wrong e-mail attachment. So here are a few tips to help the innocent and unsuspecting to recognize a potential e-mail attachment threat.

Basically, if you are not totally acquainted with the person who sent you an e-mail with an attachment, you shouldn’t open it. If the sender has advised you that a specific e-mail is on its way with a specific attachment, and then it is a risk worth taking; otherwise think twice. If the attachment is a Word files (.DOC), Excel spreadsheet (.XLS), or an image such as JPG or GIF, then you should be able to open them with confidence. If you open a Word or Excel file before proceeding too far, you should make sure that it doesn’t contain any macro files, which could disguise a virus. If the attachment is an EXE, COM or VBS file, then it should be discarded without any second thought. These are executable files and will more than likely contain a virus, which can and probably will do tremendous damage to your computer. The only defense that you can have is to never run executables that arrive via e-mail, even at the risk of offending the person that supposedly sent it.

Computer viruses have sadly moved on a great deal since the hey-day of the attachment transmitted babies of just a year or two ago. That doesn’t mean that complacency be allowed to creep in. Anyone who regularly receives e-mails and sends them needs to make sure that there is an anti-virus software installed and active on the computer. Doing so will protect them from any of the dangers of these innocent looking and tempting “to open” e-mail attachments.

This article was sourced from www.mcafee-downloads.co.uk/

Tags: Anti Virus, anti-virus software, Computer virus, Digital Download Products, E-mail, e-mail attachment, executable files, Home Electricals and Computers, Mcafee, Phishing Scams, risk, Spam, Trojan Horses, virus-infested e-mail, Viruses

Computer viruses come in a number of formats, yet all with the same intention: To attack your computer and make life difficult. Some viruses are designed to do malicious damage to your computer, simply because they can. This harm that they can do begins and ends on your computer’s hard disc. And when this kind of damage occurs on your computer and vital files have not been backed up, the effects can be fairly disastrous, leaving the person whose computer has been attacked in such a way that the questions begs to be asked: " Haven’t these people got anything better do with their time and their abilities?"

Another and more powerful form of malicious virus is the worm form of a virus. Computer worms are especially unpleasant because they have been programmed to replicate themselves and never contain themselves within one computer. In fact, the opposite applies. The worm is totally self-contained and can spread itself without being part of a host program. Once a worm has found itself in a computer, it will place itself in a position where it can be rapidly spread throughout the internet, usually through e-mails. The worm will simply infiltrate the victim’s e-mail address book and this spreads to the addresses that appear there, and forever onwards and outwards through the system. While they bear a strong similarity to the "simple" computer virus, worms are potentially more damaging and much more difficult to get rid of. It can appear several times on the same computer, running in a seemingly never-ending loop.

Apart from the damage they can cause worms, more than any other of the forms of viruses, have brought about the end of the age of innocence on the internet. Nowadays people have learned to be very suspicious about opening e-mails, and especially attachments, even from people that they know very well, for fear that they may be "contaminated". The spread of viruses in the last five to ten years has been considerable, and has even been responsible for inspiring a whole sub-industry within the internet world: anti virus software.

Nowadays, anyone who leaves their computer unprotected from viruses does so at their own peril entirely, and is risking not only their own computer but those of their friends and colleague: An irresponsible act within itself. Too many times, under pressure, computer owners who don’t take the threat of malware as seriously as they should will rush to the internet to download the first "free" software that they can find. And while there are many excellent "freewares" available on line, they are often not powerful or all-encompassing enough to handle the increasingly sophisticated threats being thrown at it.

Once the computer owner realizes that the threats that computer viruses in their various forms present to the computer, and hopefully not before it is too late, he will rush to invest in a top level Anti-Virus from one of the well-known and reputable publishers. The cost in terms of money is totally negligible in respect to the important work that it does. Anti-virus protection from MacAfee means that the computer owner or operator has done all that can be done to protect themselves and those within their circle, from the never-ending threats which malware presents.

Tags: Anti Virus, anti-virus software, Computer virus, Home Electricals and Computers, MacAfee, Malware, Phishing Scams, Worm

Recognized as being among the most lethal and difficult pieces of malware ever to hit the market Zeus, if not contained, will empty the back accounts of innocent people who leave themselves susceptible to this powerful yet seemingly easy-to-operate piece of software. The Zeus Trojan horse, if it succeeds in a computer, will rapidly find its way to the most sensitive of personal information, such as online bank account details, passwords and credit card numbers, and will cause havoc with the information accessed.

News of the Zeus malware first came to the authority’s attentions in the UK a few weeks ago, through information that the malware’s operators were searching for victims through the social networking sites. The Zeus Trojan horse operates in such a fashion that if it invades a computer it will cause it to forward sensitive and personal data to servers which are under the control of the hackers. Zeus has reared its ugly head in a number of forms already, with the most damaging to date being a false Facebook page that encouraged users to download a tainted software update. Two young hackers who were behind that particular scam were arrested on the 3rd of November in Manchester, and are currently being held under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act and the 2006 Fraud Act pending charges, with details of the arrests only just being released.

Zeus is what is known as a banking Trojan. While it is a measure of the determination as well as the levels of sophistication that hackers are achieving to create fraud on a massive scale, this is one of the first times that an actual web page on a social networking site has been seen to be used to infiltrate the unsuspecting computer surfer’s hard disc.

Trojans are usually distributed as attachments in email messages, yet increasingly more as software downloads masquerading as legitimate programs. Zeus has been set up to utilize a variety of different methods to steal details, including logging key stokes as a user-entered password.

The total number of computers that have attacked at some time or another by a trojan horse is almost impossible to ascertain, but thought to run to several million. The truth is that it is almost impossible to detect the Zeus Trojan software, as it can change its identity during the time that it is in operation.

Zeus often changed in order to avoid detection by anti-virus software.

Zeus is apparently being sold and distributed among the hacker fraternity, and is in great demand due to its low cost, ease of use and sophistication. Hackers buy it in a tool kit form, which can be manipulated to form a unique variant. Once the Zeus hacker succeeds in accessing either a Facebook or MySpace password, they can use the invaded account as a springboard for sending out more attacks to their friends and family. It can spread like wildfire through the entire framework, and there is evidence that it has already succeeded in doing so on several occasions.

Tags: 1990 Computer Misuse Act, 2006 Fraud Act, Anti Virus, anti-virus software, Banking, banking Trojan, Malware, Mcafee, Phishing Scams, Trojan horse, Trojan Horses, Viruses, Zeus, Zeus malware, Zeus Trojan horse

Selling a car was always a bit risky; the dodgy cheque, the bundle of forged cash, the chance that someone would drive off when test driving, or come back at night and steal it.

But now, what with a lot of cars sold through web-sites and more haggling done via the emails and telephone, those days almost seem quaint and innocent. You now have to accept that there are a large number of people out there ready to take you for a ride, and you have to be on your guard. It’s best to play it really safe and in a way, be cynical of all approaches. A case of guilty until proved innocent.

There are quite a few cons out there, but basically all work to the same theme, and unfortunately they rely on people being gullible and trustworthy. Some will involve chancers who operate on the margins in this country, earning a good living by creaming off a few hundred pounds here and there from people selling anything, not just cars, and then there are the more organised crime gangs, often based in other countries, who are sophisticated and very clever at parting you and your money.

One of the more popular cons at the moment is the forged cheque technique.

You have a car to sell and someone emails you offering to buy it, but then sends you a seemingly sound looking cheque (certified, cashiers, building society, or bankers draft) for too much money. You get the cheque, you email them and they, all sweetness and light, say not to worry, when their cheque has cleared, could you please send the surplus via money transfer to their shipping agent.

Quite reasonable you think. So their cheque clears in three days, you send the surplus money as requested, and then, some two weeks later, your bank informs you that the cheque was actually stolen and claims all the monies back, including your surplus payment which you have no chance of claiming back because it was by money transfer and when you look at your emails with the buyer, you have no idea where this person actually is.

Basically, your are blinded by the sense of fairness of it all. You end up having not sold your car and having forked out a few hundred pounds for the priviledge.

Now, let’s not go into the banks role in all this, which seems to regard you as the sole judge of the legitimate status of a cheque and leaves you to carry the can. Rather, lets look at a few basics. There is one great rule in life; there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If someone offers you more than you are asking for the car, then why would they do that: are they stupid, on the make, or have made a genuine mistake. Rarely do people happily pay over the odds for it and if that is what happens to you, then stop right there.
Report the email and send the cheque to the authorities; or, if you think it a genuine mistake, ask for the correct amount of money to be sent and for a longer period for the cheque to be cleared, informing your bank that it might be suspect.

Also, have a close look at the email that comes from the alleged buyer. Poor English is often a sign that it is coming from far afield, from someone sat thousands of miles away with no intention of buying your car. Also, look at the email address. If it’s from one of the free services, then remember that anyone, anywhere can create such an address, with few details, in seconds.

Basically, if it doesn’t feel right, then it most probably isn’t.

A less sophisticated con, but one quite effective nonetheless, is targeted at people selling their cars through web-sites and listings magazines.

A company emails, or rings someone selling a car and says I represent ABC Ltd (it will be a very respectable name, with references to cars in it) and have a firm buyer for your car, but you need to pay a deposit, lets say £99 (they judge the price just right, so as to avoid the tricked person spending too much on chasing them) to secure the sale, otherwise the buyer, tired of being gazumped, will walk away.

Great you say, what’s £99, if I have a firm buyer for my car and the £99 will be refunded after the sale anyway. Wrong. That’s the rule of any transaction. He who comes first with the loot, gets the deal. Why should you pay anyone to have anyone secure the deal? And when you think about it, the prospective purchaser hasn’t even seen your car, so why would they enter into such an agreement?

But of course, people pay over the £99, no buyer transpires and no-one ever answers the telephone at the company who’s just fleeced you of £99. And most people say nevermind, put it down to one of life’s lessons and walk away embarrassed.

Above all, remember that if it doesn’t sound right, don’t touch it with a barge pole!

Tags: AA, Car Insurance, Car Maintenance, Cars, Fraud, Phishing Scams