Your smartphone is not immune to viruses and other malware!

Tweet

We appreciate the convenience of browsing the web and web-based applications on our smartphones but often don't think that these devices are susceptible to viruses and other malware, just like our PC's.  Check out Black Enterprise's 8 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone from Viruses for tips on how to keep your smartphone (and all the personal and private information you have stored on the phone!) safe.

The Wall Street Journal's tips on preventing device fingerprinting

Tweet

We discussed previously on this blog that much of our online activity is tracked without our knoweldge.  If you are looking for ways to protect your online privacy and avoid having your web activity tracked, read the Wall Street Journal's on how to prevent device fingerprinting, here.

 

See also:  ‘Evercookies’ and ‘Fingerprinting’: Are Anti-Fraud Tools Good for Ads?

Protect your privacy on social networks

Tweet

Social networks are built on the premise of sharing, but often users post personal information such as birth dates, phone numbers, addresses and employers on their social network profiles without realizing that they may be "sharing" this information with people they don't know - people that may be able to access this information if users don't take measures to protect their information.  For instance, if any of your Facebook privacy settings are set to "everyone"  then it can be found by anyone on the Internet (including potential and/or current employers).

Take a few minutes to read the privacy policies of any social networks of which you are a member and find out the steps you need to adjust the privacy settings of your social networking profiles to a level you are comfortable with and safeguard your personal information.  Here are some links with tips on how to adjust privacy settings on some of the most popular social networks:

• How to Change Facebook Privacy Settings
• 5 LinkedIn Privacy Settings You Need to Know
• Control privacy on MySpace
• Privacy Settings and Safety Tips for Socializing on Twitter
• How to Tighten Your Google Buzz Privacy Settings

See also:

• Connect Safely | A Parents' Guide to Facebook
• Facebook Safety Center
• MySpace Safety, Security and Privacy
• How people monitor their identity and search for others online | Pew Internet & American Life Project

Beware of malware on your computer to protect your privacy

Tweet

This week we are discussing ways to protect your privacy while browsing online.  One of the key threats to your online privacy is malware which can be picked up from email attachments, clicking on links to unknown websites, clicking on pop-up windows, file sharing via the web or free downloads.  Microsoft describes the term malware as being derived  from the "two words 'malicious software,' and refers to any software that is designed to cause damage to a computer, server, or network.  Viruses, spyware, worms, key loggers, and Trojans are examples of malware.  If you click links that are disguised as images, audio, or video files which might appear on suspicious websites or in Instant Messages (IMs) or email messages, you might expose your computer to malware. In some cases, malware can even be hidden in files that have been uploaded to reputable websites.  Malware can:

• Corrupt data.
• Slow down your computer.
• Use your email or instant message(IM) program to spread itself to other computers.
• Erase everything on your computer.
• Result in identity theft or give a criminal access to your web accounts."*

To help protect your computer from malware, you should should install anti-virus software including a firewall and be sure to update the software regularly.  As an extra preventive step, adjust the security settings on your browser to control the types of websites that can be accessed, block pop-ups, how cookies are handled, etc.

If you have malware on your computer and need help removing those files, give us a call at  (212) 851-8426 to make an appointment.

See also:

• Help! My PC is infected with malware (FAQ)
• Apple - Mac OS X - Security - Keeps safe from viruses and malware
• How to prevent spyware
• A guide from the Federal Trade Commission - Minimizing the Effects of Malware of Your Computer

*Source: www.microsoft.com/protect/learnabout/iemalware.aspx

PRIVACY ALERT: Marketers may be tracking your online activity

Tweet

A recent Wall Street Journal investigation, part of their "What They Know" series of reports on online privacy issues reveals that marketers may be tracking your online activity.  Web users (especially children) are usually unaware that some of the websites they visit will install tracking software such as a "beacon" or "cookie" on their computers to track the other websites that they browse and sometimes even what they type on those sites in order to create a profile of the user which they can then sell to marketers.
Here are some of the findings as reported by the Journal::

• The study found that the nation's 50 top websites on average installed 64 pieces of tracking technology onto the computers of visitors, usually with no warning. A dozen sites each installed more than a hundred. The nonprofit Wikipedia installed none.
• Tracking technology is getting smarter and more intrusive. Monitoring used to be limited mainly to "cookie" files that record websites people visit. But the Journal found new tools that scan in real time what people are doing on a Web page, then instantly assess location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions. Some tools surreptitiously re-spawn themselves even after users try to delete them.
• These profiles of individuals, constantly refreshed, are bought and sold on stock-market-like exchanges that have sprung up in the past 18 months.*

For more news and video from the WSJ's "What They Know" series of reports, visit their website here.  Below is a video from the series discussing how a customer is profiled on websites.


*Source:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703940904575395073512989404.html