online safety: What is a Denial-of-Service Attack?
- 03/30/14 04:21 AM
You may have heard news reports about popular websites such as CNN, Amazon and Yahoo! being taken down by a DoS attack, but have you ever wondered what DoS means?
This common tech term stands for “denial-of-service,” where an attacker attempts to prevent legitimate users from accessing a website entirely or slowing it down to the point of being unusable. The most common and obvious type of DoS attack occurs when an attacker “floods” a network with useless information.
When you type a URL for a particular website into your browser, you are sending a request to that site’s computer … (4 comments)
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online safety: Meeting a Stranger: Safety Tips for Online and In-Person
- 03/26/14 11:04 PM
A simple yet comprehensive guide to staying safe when meeting a stranger in person or dealing with one online.
I have been involved in the security industry for years, and one of the most common questions I get is how to be safe when meeting a stranger online or in person.
Safety Tips for Online Stranger Encounters
When online, give out as little info as possible. If possible, meet people on sites that scrutinize their users, though even an extensive profile can be convincingly faked. Do your homework on these sites. Don’t rely only on profiles. Seek out their name … (5 comments)
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online safety: VPN for Online Security: Hotspot Shield
- 03/06/14 08:29 PM
Online users need a VPN (virtual private network), a kind of service that gives you online security, and Hotspot Shield’s service has a free version. A VPN hides your device’s IP address and interferes with any company trying to track your browsing patterns.
Many online companies take peoples’ data without their authorization, and then share it with other entities—again without the user’s permission. A virtual private network will put a stop to this invasion.
Thanks to the fiasco with Edward Snowden and the political messes happening in Venezuela and other parts of the world, many people are turning to VPN … (2 comments)
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online safety: 10 tips to keep your data private online
- 01/10/14 09:38 PM
The Internet has become an essential tool for most of us and a part of our everyday lives. We rely on it to send/receive emails, post/share photos and messages on social networking sites, shop for clothes, search for information, etc. But how do all these online activities affect your privacy?
Your online privacy depends on your ability to control both the amount of personal information that you provide and who has access to that information. Unfortunately, some of us are too casual and careless with how we manage our personal information and activities online. This leaves us vulnerable to identity … (4 comments)
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online safety: Why should you shop on sites with trustmarks?
- 12/31/13 09:31 PM
With the holiday season in full swing, this is a busy time for a lot of us with parties, gift buying and possibly even figuring out travel arrangements. With all there is to do, many of us will turn to online shopping to help beat the crowds, find deals and not have to worry about what time we shop.
While online shopping may be convenient, we also need to exercise some caution. After all, there are websites that are set up to sell fake or pirated digital downloads that can carry viruses or malware along with the product you thought … (1 comments)
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online safety: Do You Know What Your Kids Are Hiding?
- 06/30/13 12:40 PM
Many of you as parents may think, “not much” when asked this question. But in reality, it’s probably a lot more than you think. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that McAfee’s 2013 study, Digital Deception: Exploring the Online Disconnect between Parents and Kids, which examines the online habits and interests of tweens, teens, and young adults, finds there is a significant disconnect between what they do online and what their parents believe they do.
The phrase “liar liar, pants on fire” comes to mind when I hear this topic and the phrase applies to both parents and kids. Parents are … (0 comments)
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online safety: 5 Ways to Ensure Online Privacy for Kids
- 02/19/13 04:41 AM
Congress and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have taken special steps to ensure that children under 13 years of age don’t share their personal information on the Internet without the express approval of their parents. Congress passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in 1998 and the FTC wrote a rule implementing the law. The FTC currently is conducting a review of what changes, if any, should be made to COPPA to reflect the changes that may have been brought about from technology, such as the rapid adoption of mobile devices.
Parents who lack experience with the Internet, computers, or mobile devices must learn the basics … (0 comments)
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online safety: Internet Privacy Tools for Online Safety
- 10/27/12 04:44 PM
Drug dealers, child pornographers, terrorists and criminal hackers, are often sharing the same Internet privacy tools as law enforcement, domestic violence victims and citizens of oppressive governments who most likely use a “darknet” which is an anonymous secret internet designed to cover their tracks and protect them from internet surveillance. The “darknet” is used by both good and bad people with various intentions.
These internet security tools are designed to work like a private tunnel through the internet.
And then there’s the government funded “Tor” project. The Boston Globe reports “Tor stands for ‘the onion routing’ project, initiated by the US Naval … (1 comments)
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online safety: 10 Ways To Protect Kids Online
- 10/27/12 04:36 PM
Children engage in online shopping, social media, mobile web, and computers just like adults do. Many parents feel a bit overwhelmed by technology and often throw their hands in the air and give up. Unfortunately, that’s not an option. It is essential that parents educate themselves on safe, secure online practices in order to set a positive example and provide guidance for their children as they navigate the web.
Parents who lack experience with the Internet, computers, or mobile phones must learn the basics before they can adequately monitor their children’s habits. A parent’s discomfort or unfamiliarity with technology is no … (18 comments)
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online safety: Online Auto Sales Often Involve Scary Scams
- 09/27/11 06:30 PM
Online auction and classifieds websites are unwittingly participating in car sale scams. Ads gain credibility by appearing on eBay, Craigslist, and other online automobile sales websites, but some are either completely phony or have been copied and pasted from other websites.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 14,000 complaints from 2008 through 2010, from consumers who have been victimized, or at least targeted, by these auto sale scams. Of the victims who lost money, the total dollar amount is staggering: nearly $44.5 million.
The FBI explains how the scam works:
“Consumers find a vehicle they like—often at a … (1 comments)
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online safety: Standards Will Bring Mobile Payment
- 07/25/11 10:36 AM
Mobile payment has been around for years in numerous forms for purchases such as downloading music, ringtones and various other services and is now gaining traction for retail purchases in the U.S. But its implementation in the U.S. is a bit slower due to a lack of standardization of payment methods and the overall security concerns of mCommerce. Some consumers in the U.S. have had bad experiences with criminal hacking and data breaches and are concerned about their security and are waiting for the various handset manufacturers (those who make the phones), mobile carriers (those who provide mobile service) and third … (1 comments)
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You may have heard news reports about popular websites such as CNN, Amazon and Yahoo! being taken down by a DoS attack, but have you ever wondered what DoS means?
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