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Phishing isn’t only Grandpa’s favorite activity by andrew5952

You said 1 month ago:

I absolutely dug that website for OnGuard Online! Not only was it by far the most informative website I’ve seen yet regarding phishing, but you’ve got to love the interactive stuff! Hokey, yes, but definately not something you’d expect on a website dealing with this serious subject matter. They absolutely get points for style and creativity, that’s the kind of stuff that sticks in people’s minds. Effective education.

Also, pretty scary with the VOIP usage to be able to match the area code of someone’s local bank from anywhere in the world. This just adds to the “authentic” look and feel of these e-mails.

Julie Marshall said 1 month ago:

Phishing is scary. I am constantly getting e-mails, at home and at work, where the writer is trying to get personal information. You just never know. I do a lot of shopping online as well as online banking. I am comfortable with my banking website and with various companies in in which I order from. Otherwise, I am cautious as to what type of information they are seeking. Many times I only provide my e-mail address at work. If it is a scam, at least it is going ot a lawfirm and not my home.

young42 said 1 month ago:

Thanks for the link. I too blogged about phishing, but I used my own experience with my bank. It is amazing how many people actually give out personal information. We try to educate our employees with training and we have even held community events at our local High School to teach the public on the do’s and the don’ts of giving out information. I thought everyone was familiar with the term phishing until today my husband asked what I blogged about and did not know the term. I explained it to him he just never knew it had a name.

har1eygur1 said 1 month ago:

Thanks, for the information about OnGuard Online, this is the first time I have heard about that website. I did a paper on identity theft and did not see it.
I have 4 personal e-mail addresses plus my work one and only have problems with spam on one of my personal ones and my work e-mail. We have a great spam blocker/spyware system but they still get through at times. The one personal e-mail address I have the problem with is the one I give my friends to use when sending me an e-mail and I think a couple of them have had problems and that is why I get them at that address. The other 3 I have had no problems with, one is the address I use if I need to give an e-mail address for coupons from a resturant, my bills, stores or filling out a questionairre and have no problems with spam at that address.
I will have to pass along the e-mail address spam@uce.gov and the OnGuard Online website to our IT guy at work, if he does not already know about them.
Thanks, again for the information, it was very informing.

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Internet and E-Commerce by kmaryland

You said 1 month ago:

Not only is identity theft a problem, but if someone blindly gives out bank account numbers or credit card numbers, this can lead to an “e-thief” directly stealing funds from that person’s accounts or using their credit cards until they are deactivated. While banks are indeed taking all sorts of precautions to protect their customers, if you look at some of the examples of these phishing e-mails on the Wachovia website, it’s pretty scary just how authentic some of them look. On top of that, I just found out by reading Andrew’s blog on phishing (he referenced OnGuard Online’s website) that these scam artists can use VOIP to match the area code of a person’s local bank branch when including a phone number in the e-mail. This gives the e-mail an even more “authentic” look and feel.

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What is VoIP? by Julie Marshall

angie79 said 1 month ago:

I researched VoIP as well. It’s funny how I’ve been exposed to most of these topics that we are writing about but don’t really know all the information. I see the Vonage commercial at least once a day. Is there an alternative for those that don’t have broadband? I didn’t come up with any specific information about that.
I believe not being able to call 911 is a major disadvantage. I find that hard to comprehend that there isn’t a solution to that issue. What if a cell phone battery dies or doesn’t get service. I’m sure a solution for this will be explored in the near future.

VoIP News » Blog Archive » Friday Links: History of VoIP, Targeted Attacks pinged 1 month ago:

[...] a little rudamentary, but useful. Jules59 explains exactly what VoIP is (and gives a little history [...]

young42 said 1 month ago:

Your disadvantage of when cable is down so is your phone is the main reason why my work will not switch to VoIP. Not having a phone at home could be an advantage to piece and quite. Your post was very informative I did not know that digital voice and VoIP was the same. Not being able to call 911 and have them know where I was would make me nervous especially if I was older and lived alone.

You said 1 month ago:

I found that even though VOIP is cost effective, I’d be very hesitant to rely on it for my only personal phone, or business service for the very reasons you stated above. The voice quality is not typically the best, even most cell service is more consistent, depending on the location. Also, the fact that if you lose your internet connection, you can lose your phone service is a little scary; unless you’ve got a backup plan like cellular. Also, I wasn’t aware that you cannot dial 911 until I read the comment above. That’s probably the most scary disadvantage of all!

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DSL -VS- Cable by kmaryland

Julie Marshall said 1 month ago:

Khristian, I used to have DLS before I moved into my home 15 months ago. I was living in an apartment in Midlothian at the time. After I decided to buy this house, I found that DLS was not available in this area. I never had a problem with DSL and I was heartbroken that I could not have it hear. Comcast was offering the Three-in-One plan at $99 per month. I decided to go with Comcast and I signed a two year contract which doesn’t end until this coming April. I really haven’t had any problems with Comcast either. I had to have Comcast install my Internet service because they were installing the phone system as well. DSL is now offered where I live. I will need to decide if I will stay with Comcast or go to DSL when my contract is up. I guess one of the deciding factors will be how much my cable three-in-one package will go up at the end of my contract. I look for it to be substantially more costly.

You said 1 month ago:

I didn’t know cable had as much of an advantage over DSL. I have FIOS, and am curious of the differences between DSL and FIOS, what advantages or disadvantages there is between the two. I’ve had both cable and FIOS, and hands down FIOS is a much better picture as the network is capable of carrying a much larger signal than cable, but I’m curious how DSL stacks up.

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Plan to discard an old computer? Read first! by angie79

young42 said 2 months ago:

I have never thought of what happens to old computers, I have always donated mine to the schools, but I haven’t even done that in 5 years. I have one I am ready to get rid of that is 7 years old, I am sure the school won’t want it because of its age.

I will have to do some research on who may want an old computer, maybe a retirement home, home for the elderly, or a childs day care so the kids can play games. I won’t just throw out in the dump.

Thanks for the information.

You said 1 month ago:

I also never considered just how detrimental to our environment improperly disposed of computer hardware can be either!! I’m glad I chose this topic to blog about for class as well, because it really opened my eyes to how crucial it is to recycle in one way shape or form our old equipment. Either recycling at a facility that specifically handles this type of recycling, or donating your old equipment to charity, or even selling it to someone who refurbishes and resells used equipment are all excellent options to keep that old toxic pile of stuff out of the landfill!!

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All in One printer by kmaryland

lb5hs said 2 months ago:

I also have an All-In-One printer and I use it constantly, until it runs out of ink, then I head to the nearest library or Kinko’s. The versatility of the product makes it very efficient while working on presentations for work or school. My fiancée is able to scan pictures and then send them on an online producer, keeping her from having to stand in line at the store, waiting for hours to scan her pictures and print them, behind some sweet old lady who was born in 1923 and doesn’t know how to work the machine. We actually have two printers, but she always sends her pictures to one of the major companies because the picture quality is not up to par for her scrapbooking/picture fetish. We have it set up in the spare bedroom and we both have laptops, so when we need to print, we just take it in there and print off what is necessary. I would run it on our wireless network, with all of our other electronics, but I haven’t had the time or the patience to buy the adapter and set the printer up.

You said 1 month ago:

An all in one printer is indeed great to have, provided you don’t need to do A LOT of printing. It gets old pretty quick when you have to purchase ink cartridges all the time! I’m sure there are varying degrees of print quality capability on the market, but from what I understand, the best quality printing can only be done on a dedicated machine. (Inkjet vs. Laser? Not sure which is better..)

Also, as far as the wireless capabilities you mentioned above, for about $99 you can pick up a wireless router at Best Buy for your all-in-one printer. It works wonderfully! My wife and I use one at home, and I installed it and connected both of our laptops (there is driver software that comes with it) in about half an hour!

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My Favorite Piece of Technology by kmaryland

You said 2 months ago:

GPS systems are, I feel, some of the greatest pieces of modern technology outside of the cell phone! I’m sure there are many new technological devices that are way cool and way useful, but for me, GPS is definately where it’s at. I do have a pretty good sense of direction, but my wife and I take a lot of road trips, and it really is nice to know EXACTLY where you are going, and to be able to find all sorts of business’ and points of interest along the way!!

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The Hummer Limo Ride by har1eygur1

young42 said 2 months ago:

I saw that Limo on Route 60 in Powhatan yesterday it looks awesome. I have heard bike weeks are a blast, my sister-in-law goes to Nags Head and Myrtle Beach every year she will be going in a couple of weeks. She rides a softtail duce (I think that is the name).

You said 2 months ago:

Harley’s are awesome pieces of machinery!!! Outside of maybe the Polaris Victory line (designed by Arlen and Cory Ness, a father and son team of famous custom bike builders)there is not another bike like them on the road today. There is absolutely no Japanese bike that compares to the feeling and sound of cruising on a Harley! As you know Harleygurl, they are a lot quieter when you’re in front of the pipes rather than behind them! I cannot wait to own my very own Harley as well!!

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Phishing

2. What is phishing? Visit 2 banking websites and discuss their responses to the threat of phishing. Cite at least 2 sources.

In the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites (Youtube, Facebook, Myspace), auction sites (eBay), online banks (PayPal), or IT Administrators (Yahoo, ISPs, corporate) are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging,^[1] and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose URL and look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Even when using SSL with strong cryptography for server authentication it is practically difficult to detect that the website is fake. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users ^[2], and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies ^[3]. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.

A phishing technique was described in detail in 1987, and the first recorded use of the term “phishing” was made in 1996. The term is a variant of fishing,^[4] probably influenced by phreaking,^[5][6] and alludes to baits used to “catch” financial information and passwords.  -  Wikipedia.com 

I was shocked to see just how truly authentic some of these phishing e-mails can look.  I bank with Wachovia, and typed “phishing” into the search bar on the home page (www.wachovia.com).  They have an entire page of topics and links dedicated to consumer education regarding banking scams, but specifically phishing along with about five or so examples of phishing e-mails.  Its amazing how convincing these e-mails look and “sound”.  I can see how it’s incredibly important for a lending institution, or for that matter any online retailer that processes money and customer information via an account, to educate their customers on these type of scams. 

Bank of America (www.bankofamerica.com) had a whole page devoted to educating their customers as well; while Suntrust (www.suntrust.com) as well as BB&T Bank (www.bbt.com) had consumer education pages also, however theirs were a bit shorter.  Unfortunately a couple of the smaller banks websites, such as EVB (www.evbbank.com) and Bank of Richmond (www.gatewaybankandtrust.com) didn’t have these type of pages.  Certainly they should as they deal in online banking which could certainly expose their customers to these type of scams. 

Overall, if someone keeps their wits about them and stays educated to this type of consumer fraud; as well as what to be aware of when conducting any online business, they can certainly keep their money and information safe.

VOIP

What is VoIP? Name 2 or 3 companies that offer this service. How does this service work, as opposed to the traditional service that it is used to replace? What reservations (if any) would you have about adopting VoIP in your home or office? Please cite at least 2 sources.

Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP, IPA: /vɔɪp/) is a protocol optimized for the transmission of voice through the Internet or other packet-switched networks. VoIP is often used abstractly to refer to the actual transmission of voice (rather than the protocol implementing it). This latter concept is also referred to as IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband, broadband telephony, and broadband phone.

VoIP providers may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol (1973) invented for the ARPANET providers. Some cost savings are due to using a single network to carry voice and data, especially where users have underused network capacity that can carry VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP-to-VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP calls connecting to public switched telephone networks (VoIP-to-PSTN) may have a cost that is borne by the VoIP user.

Voice-over-IP systems carry telephony signals as digital audio, typically reduced in data rate using speech data compression techniques, encapsulated in a data-packet stream over IP.  – SOURCE : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VoIP

A landline, main line or fixed-line is a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre. This is distinguished from a mobile cellular line, where the medium used is the airwaves. Landlines usually cost less than cellular lines and provide better voice quality, and are used when there is no need for mobility or where cellular service is unavailable. A land line is also used to increase the security of communications, as it cannot be intercepted by a receiver without physical access to the line.  SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landline

So we can see in a nutshell, we’re looking at voice compressed into data and sent over the internet, either hardwired or wirelessly, versus an actual voice signal sent over a dedicated, hardwired, metal or fiber optic telephone line.  The former, also known as VOIP, is offered by such companies as Vonage, Skype, and Speakeasy.  This technology has gained a ton of popularity in recent years, primarily due to simple economics.  VOIP is considerably less expensive than traditional landline service, with set rates for all calls, whether local or long distance.  The question becomes, at the risk of sounding cliche, do you really get what you pay for?  VOIP tends to be less reliable, as well as has significantly inferior voice quality, on a regular, consistent basis.  This is not always the case, however, in my experience (I have a few friends that use VOIP) it is the case enough of the time, for me to have serious doubts that I would trust my business to it.  I might consider using it for personal use, if I had the need (I have not had any kind of home phone service for approximately six years, I have relied on cellular service as it suits my personal needs).   

My personal opinion on the debate of VOIP versus landline, is that while VOIP is easy on the budget, for the immediate future, you do indeed get what you pay for as far as the superior reliability and security of landline service. 

Additional source:  Google.com (voip vs. landline) also (VOIP) and (landline)

The Mojave Experiment, sort of

Wow.  I thought the “Mojave Experiment” commercials from Microsoft were interesting at first, they definately caught my attention, which is PART of what a marketing campaign should do; however, after doing some research and really considering the message Microsoft was putting out there with these ads, I see them in a different light.

The “Mojave Experiment” is a marketing campaign by Microsoft, and basically the tell unsuspecting XP users that they want them to try a new, secret operating system called Mojave to see what they think.  In this controlled environment, with someone walking them through predetermined applications on a machine already loaded with “Mojave” OS, the people’s initial reaction, given the set up and the way the “experiment” is conducted, is that they think its great and wonderful and all that.  THEN, once they elicit that reaction from the users, they pull the rug out and say “HA!  You’ve actually been using Vista!”, which basically is trying to squash they negative perception people have about the much disliked OS from Microsoft.

Unfortunately, this ad campaign may seem creative and maybe even effective on the surface, but it is full of problems.  The first one being, as a marketer, you NEVER, EVER want to make your customers feel stupid.  That’s Marketing 101, Microsoft.  Joe Wilcox from eWeek’s Microsoft Watch column (http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/marketing/why_the_mojave_experiment_fails.html) brings up an excellent point:  “Good marketing campaigns tout product benefits, show how the product will make the buyer’s life easier. There’s nothing aspirational or good feeling about making someone look foolish or stupid.”

To add insult to injury, not only does Microsoft make the customer look stupid or silly, but rather than saying, “We have a couple challenges with our new OS and we are getting right on it.  We apologize and we will make this right for our valued customers”, they are seeming to place the blame squarely on the customer and not taking any responsibility whatsoever.  If that’s not what they are actually doing (and according to Joe Wilcox’s article, they pretty much are) then they are unfortunately putting that vibe out there.

What does this experience suggests about the process of creating and releasing new software, and the marketing aspects of software development?   Successful software creators really need to put themselves in the end users shoes.  If they are currently doing that, they need to do it more effectively.  Take massive polls, find out EVERYTHING that people want and how THEY would like to use their equipment, and use that information not only in the creating of the software, but in the marketing of it too!!!  It’s like the “hot-button” close in sales.  You ask people effective questions, LISTEN TO THEIR RESPONSES to what they want and need, and then offer the appropriate product that meets all of the things they listed, presenting how your solution totally benefits them as it is exactly what they themselves said they wanted!  This is effective marketing.

Other sources – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Experiment

                     wilshipley.com/blog/2008/07/mojave-experiment-bad-science-bad.html

The Impacts of Throwing Away Your Old Computer Hardware

5. What is the environmental impact of throwing used computer hardware in the trash? What components cause concern? How can we discard these items responsibly? Please cite at least 2 sources. 

 

Throwing away old computer hardware can be detrimental to the environment, and recycling it, dollars and cents wise, may not seem worth it to some people.    Considering over the past 2-3 decades how rapidly computer hardware becomes obsolete, coupled with the fact that there is typically less than five dollars worth of salvageable material in a CPU and monitor, this has created a huge challenge.  The things inside a computer’s hardware that are cause for concern environmentally are:  leaded glass, plastic, rubber, and toxic solders which can include lead and mercury.

 

Computer’s can be properly recycled through your city or town’s recycling program, and it seems due to demand, the majority of localities have something available for this type of recycling.  While it may cost a couple bucks to take care of that old junk ($20-$30 on average) it’s well worth it when we consider the future of our planet for the generations to come.

Another option for getting rid of your old hardware, is to donate it to charity, which is tax deductible.  Granted you will not be able to write of the amount that you originally paid for it, although that would be nice, but at least its going to a good cause, and it’s always good to give!  You can write off something though, but I’d consult with an expert before taking too many liberties with tax deductions!

 

The third option would be to try and get some money for it from someone who reconditions and resells old hardware, but you may fair better with the charitable donation, depending on the age of your equipment.

 

Sources –

Environment Conscious Manufacturing

 By George K. Knopf, Surendra M. Gupta, A. J. D. Lambert

 

rochesterenvironment.com

 

macworld.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blackberry, baby!

Ok, I’ll start out by coming completely clean.  There is no way I even come CLOSE to using all the tools and features of my Blackberry 8830!  Which is one the many reasons why I LOVE it!!  It’s definately a device that will grow with a person’s PDA needs.   I know for a fact I’m not the only one, as I worked in the wireless biz for about two years, and had many people confess exactly the same thing.  The funny thing is, even though I sold them and talked about their benefits for two years, I really didn’t get “sold” on them myself till the last couple of months in my wireless career.  I guess this was due to the fact that I was transitioning into outside sales, and things like e-mail push (Blackberry is one of the only true “push” technologies, most smartphones are set up to go into someone’s e-mail and “pull” the messages, and with no where near the frequency that Blackberry servers “push” them to someone’s device) as well as GPS (God do I love and rely on my GPS), messaging and calender features, there truly is no device out there that is quite like the Blackberry (my opinion, I am well aware that there are many devices that do similar things.)  Again, I know for a fact that I am not the only Blackberry geek out there.  Just go on Google.com search engine, and type in “Blackberry”.  You’ll be astounded at the amount of amount of websites dedicated to blackberry discussion forums, accessories, available third party programs, etc.   On top of all this good stuff, if you carry a laptop, no need for an aircard!  Your Blackberry, with the right data plan from your carrier, can be used to “tether”, or basically as a modem, to get internet access without a WIFI connection!  This useful tool is truly a “one-of-a-kind” device that just keeps getting better and better!!

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