Medical Info

As reported from the New Scientist, a team of researchers from IBM, and Cornell University developed a new algorithm for detecting spam in emails, called SMTP Path Analysis. The algorithm works by examining the path information (probably by looking at the Received headers), and detects patterns that are likely to be the route of a spammer. “…the algorithm is not meticulous enough to efficiently catch spam on its own, but works well in combination with content filtering tools.

Engineers at ActivSoftware recently announced their new algorithm
called ’slow start outbound connection ramping.’ This new server
technology attempts to avoid becoming flagged as spam by automatically monitoring delivery success and failure rates and adjusting simultaneous connections to an email service provider based upon those parameters. It begins with a very low number of simultaneous connections to any one ESP for any one IP address. It monitors delivery failure to success ratios and slowly ramps up the number of connections to that ESP from that particular IP.

In another recent attempt to help legitimate email senders avoid
becoming flagged as spammers, researchers at ActivSoftware, using a bayesian spam filter, sifted through over two hundred thousand words flowing through their email servers and itemized the top 50, or so, words most likely to trigger spam filters. The words are organized by their spam to ham ratio, or illegitimate to legitimate email ratio.

The team analyzed many factors within this data, but the most
compelling was the spam to ham ratios. Words such as click and here don’t rank as high, since they are used often in legitimate email. Whereas words like madam, rarely found in legitimate email, while readily found in spam email, had very high ratios. Using this method the team created, what they deemed, “A
superior list of spam words.”

The top twelve words follow:

• homeowner
• discreet
• madam
• materially
• unclaimed
• anticipates
• soma
• preapproved
• unconditionally
• beneficiary
• refinance
• intercourse

To view all the words visit the ActivSoftware Blog

Rob Thrasher and Pete Freitag are nationally published auhtors on the topics of email communications, marketing and software coding. Contact the authors

Filed by admin at 12:47 am under Better Net
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Identity theft is a fast growing problem within the US and many other countries. There are many victims desperately trying to put their lives back together after an unknown person has taken everything from them. Identity theft is when someone uses your name, address, social security number (SSN), bank or credit card account numbers or other identifying information without your knowledge. With this information they then are able to open accounts, commit fraud and other crimes all in your name!

It would appear that Identity Thieves are using this as a career and are very experienced in what they do. They can use a number of low and high tech methods to gain access to your personal identifying information.

A person wishing to steal someone’s identity can get information from businesses or institutions by stealing records from their employer, bribing an employee who has access to the records, conning information out of employees or hacking into the organizations computers.

A less glamorous way to steal an identity is to rummage through your trash, the trash of businesses, or dumps in a practice known as dumpster diving.

Identity thieves obtain credit reports by abusing their employer’s authorized access to credit reports or by posing as a landlord, employer or someone else who may have legitimate need to the information.

As your credit or debit card is processed identity thieves steal the account numbers in a practice known as skimming.

They steal wallets and purses that contain credit and debit cards as well as identification.

Mail is stolen which includes bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks or tax information.

All they have to do is complete a change of address form to divert your mail to another location.

And the more confident identity thief may scam the information from you by posing as a legitimate person or government official.

Unfortunately there are many consequences to becoming a victim of identity theft. Once the thief has your personal information he can go on spending sprees. Buying ‘big ticket’ items such as computers (these can be sold easily) using your credit and debit account numbers.

It is easy for an identity thief to open a new credit card account using your name, date of birth and social security number. Needless to say the thieves do not pay the bill and the delinquent account is reported on your credit report.

The imposter changes the mailing address on your credit card account so that it will take some time before you will realize there is a problem. By this time he has probably taken out auto loans in your name as well.

With your information it is easy for the imposter to establish phone or wireless service in your name.

He will more than likely open a bank account in you r name and write bad checks on that account. Another useful trick for them is to file for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts or to avoid eviction.

If arrested at any time they can give the police your name and when they do not show up for the court appearance a warrant for arrest will be issued in your name.

So as you can see it is very easy to become a victim and the consequences can be enormous and take a long while to sort out. It is essential to do everything within ones power to protect their identity from these thieves.

Filed by admin at 9:30 pm under Better Net
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It appears that Identity Theft has been way over hyped. Yet why? Well let’s follow the money? The Federal Trade Commission has a budget right? They have to employ a handful of really good economists and quite a few wannabe economists who think that every business merger is some sort of economic conspiracy an attitude, which has permeated the FTC’s existence for generations. Then the FTC has to higher thousands of Lawyers and has to pay them with taxpayer’s money to protect large companies since many of these companies are lazy, weak and inefficient while delivering inferior products and providing mediocre to lousy service.

The Federal Trade Commission is a complete sham, but will not admit it although those in the know say it is for the good of the economy due to these large employers financial stability. Besides Adam Smith predicted this might happen and so it is somehow okay? Go figure these wannabe academics accepting such hokum and carrying on as if it is okay to misrepresent Justice at the little DOJ agency; FTC.

The new disruptive innovative and entrepreneurial companies move too fast for the larger corporations and they need help from the government to protect them because executives who quite frankly are only capable of borderline piss-poor performance run these companies. Now then this is one reason that the FTC fraudulently over hypes the problems of Identity Theft. The other reason is they choose companies who sell services to larger companies to prevent identity theft who make money selling software and consulting.

The FTC needs budget monies from Congress and most prove their worth so they over hype the reality of the problems. Read any GAO report on the FTC for more knowledge of how all this budget stuff works.

So how bad is Identity Theft? Not as bad as you think, but all this hype over it is hurting online companies who sell stuff on the Internet as consumers have been mislead and fear using their credit cards online. And that is bad for e-commerce companies and really good for large box store retailers this Christmas Season. But do you think it is right for the FTC to scare the public, misrepresent truth and make people fear a reality that does not exist or do you think the agency should be closed and disgorged of their ill-gotten gains? Think on it, as it sickens me to think this is Truth, Justice and the American Way at work.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Filed by admin at 8:48 pm under Better Net
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Dear Hacker,

Since I’m writing articles to ezinearticles.com you have frequented our side with your harassments (and you will probably read this). Why are you doing that?

I think that hacking is a function that is well needed. I also can imagine that not every hacker has the ability to jump on the big and important sites. You need to learn the job and you try a simple site somewhere in the open.

Let me try to figure out who you are. Here are some of your phrases (I have taken the liberty of copying them):

with the intention of increasing the effect when

right place, for it must exist. t led from here

the asaltar region of celand are attributed by the natives to their iants the ons of rost, of the dda. uppose, my dear, said r. lentworth, dryly, that you were to visit it yourself you might, perhaps, give us some new theory of the phenomenon. am sure there is no
–25cbbcacfff165d9995d0b041548c33e–

You left many more footprints on our site (which I could reveal). If those words are of your own, you have a cultural background. In Holland there is this famous writer I’m very fond of. He - Arnon Grunberg - said: Character is what you do when nobody watches (you). I guess, what you do when nobody watches is of a very poor quality. I do not know much about you. Yet if you would be a professional hacker you would probably earn your money hacking important sites. So you must be young, still learning the job unattended and without friends.

My advice to you is: Grow up.

© 2005 Hans Bool / Astor White

Astor White. Serious business.
Committed to your management issues. On a distance.

Filed by admin at 9:30 pm under Better Net
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Regarding the FTC VS. Petco case? What is the FTC Thinking? Attacking victims of crimes? Outrageous attack on American Business. If this is any fore shadowing of things we can expect from the FTC in 2005?

Public Comment: “In the Matter of Petco Animal Supplies, Inc.; File No. 032 3221″

Dear Sirs, This letter was made of my own free will and I have not been prompted by another to take the time out of my schedule to write to you today.

As a former vendor of Petco Animal Supplies, I can tell you that unlike much of Corporate America, Petco pays their bills on time. They do not string out their vendors for 90-120 like so many other companies, who so often have corporate retained earnings yet fail to pay their bills on time. We are in the truck wash business among other services and our franchisees which have had the pleasure of washing concrete out front of their stores or their trucks have been quite very satisfied with the account. I can make this statement from personal knowledge and observations. Petco also supports no kill shelters and animal adoption, what a wonderful, wonderful thing to do, they do not have to do this. Petco is a great corporate citizen, because they care. Their employees are top notched and they truly care about our nation’s pets. “Bear” who happens to be half Australian Shepard and half lab (smarter than most government workers at the Federal Trade Commission in my opinion); my dog has been quite happy with the suggestions of Petco employees on toys and healthy food. I am on the ‘South Beach Low-Carb Diet’ and “Bear” has a special balanced diet and he has never been happier or looked better. Together on our mutual diets we are both looking very good these days.

Their employees go out of their way to help customers, consumers and their pets. They know “Bear” by name, while at Starbucks they only know my name. Petco truly represents what is good about American Business and Corporate America. We see that the Federal Trade Commission has dragged their corporate name thru the mud. The Federal Trade Commission has done this in their attempt to promote a policy of stiff enforcement of privacy rights and to stop identity theft. Yet they are making an example of another great, no, a truly great company in the process, when this problem is running ramped throughout the free world. The Federal Trade Commission is impotent at even slowing down the problem. I guess they will attack Viagra next?

I asked “Bear” while we were out jogging the other day, yes he is quite the canine athlete with his new diet, wow! Anyway I asked him what he thought about the Federal Trade Commission and he started growling and showing teeth, but “Bear” as you might have guessed is not a violent dog at all. Then I asked him what he thought about Petco? He tilted his head and wagged his tail, I thought he was going to turn around, run back home and wait by the cab of my truck to jump in so we could go to Petco. He understands Petco, he loves Petco as you know. “Bear” is a great judge of character. I asked him what he thought about Federal Trade Commission VS Petco, he growled and then wagged his tail and looked confused. Well so am I. “Bear” is right, why are you picking on Petco. Bear is very angry about this whole matter. I better not jog by the Federal Trade Commission building anymore because he is liable to do his thing on the FTC property or mark some of those thorny bushes out front. Luckily with this new Petco diet, it shouldn’t be too bad as his digestive system is also working very efficiently, but “Bear” is quite upset at this attack on his favorite store and quite frankly I do not blame him, not one bit. Dogs love Petco and so do I !

May I remind the Federal Trade Commission that if they had worked closer with Microsoft in the beginning and allowed them to develop certain protocols on their operating system, then today there would be few able to send anonymous emails in the form of SPAM. Today I get 2000 SPAMs per day, meaning I have less time to spend jogging with “Bear”. The Federal Trade Commission has only just now been able to even define what SPAM is. The Federal Trade Commission has filed 64 for cases in vain in my opinion. Since they took up the SPAM problem my SPAM has gone up 3000%, which is an invasion of my privacy. Thanks for nothing guys. We should put “Bear” in charge of the SPAM issue, I bet he could take a bite out of SPAM, bet he could do a better job than the FTC. Today we see that International Terrorists are using phishing tactics to sucker citizens and consumers out of their hard earned money. Then use that same money to attack US citizens or US interests abroad.

If the FTC cannot stop this then they are part of the problem instead of the solution. Which team is the Federal Trade Commission on? I believe it is the Federal Trade Commission’s fault that grandparents are having their identity stolen and their bank accounts drained thru this phishing technique, which the FTC has been unable to get a handle on. How easy it is for this agency to drag corporate names thru the mud when the Federal Trade Commission has nothing but mud on their face. “Bear’ does not understand this mud on the face thing as he likes to bury stuff in the back yard so he is not as concerned as I am about it. “Bear” knows how to fish the right way, he was taught by his father “Sam” and his mother “Socks”. He loves to jump in the river and chase fish and sometimes catches them too, he does not expect anyone to give him a fish like the Federal Trade Commission.

The Federal Trade Commission is so quick to grandstand, send out press releases on the AP and Internet wire services to over 6500 media outlets every time they file a case. Many times before the company they are attacking has even received a copy of the bogus complaints. I believe that in the Federal Trade Commission’s haste to promote themselves, they have stolen real capital from Petco. Brand Names are hard to build, it takes years, yet the Federal Trade Commission can attack and drag a brand name thru the gutter with a simple filing whether it has any basis or not, while the companies cannot fight back. Comment On Brand Building:

http://worldthinktank.net/wttbbs/index.php?s=a8b4ed30e0d9aad2bcc9eb07fcbf528c&showtopic=196

It is utter and pure extortion. I have personally met Federal Trade Commission investigators and prosecutors and I can tell you from a personal character stand point they do not hold a candle to the caliber of employees at Petco and I mean from the top of the corporate food chain to the store manager, from the frontline first week on the job employee team member to the people cleaning their trucks. Petco, their team and extended family care about the consumer, their customers and our pets. I am sure Petco even cares about you ‘dogs’ at the Federal Trade Commission (I apologize to “Bear” for comparing his species with the FTC, that is not fair to him). Petco loves all animals no matter how ugly and mean spirited they are. (Personal Opinion - is that too: “RUFF!?!” for a sneaky little group within the FTC calling them selves ‘gray wolves’?).

I believe Petco has fixed this problem so that no one can hack into their system any longer. Isn’t that the purpose of the rules? Why aren’t we attacking the hackers or criminals? Why are we fining the company who has fallen victim to a crime? The reason is clear, it is because the Federal Trade Commission could care less about what is right, their only goal is to raise fees, collect fines and promote their bureaucracy, how sick, none of this makes any sense. If some one steals your car, the police are going to sue the owner because he left the window cracked an inch or two, while he went into the store, maybe the owner has a nice companion like “Bear” and is use to leaving it down a smidge? It is obvious that such an owner of a car will never make that mistake again, if his car gets stolen, why do we need a fine here? Please enlighten us your honorable clothes-less King, oh noble FTC, please tell us how this helps the consumer? Any fines will have to be made up by the company, thus passed onto the consumer. So you steal hard earned brand name and then the consumer pays more in the future? You want to tell “Bear” why I had to choose between the yellow ball and the red squeeze toy, instead of buying both? Yah, like he is going to understand why he can’t have more. He is a smart dog for sure, but I think the FTC just doesn’t get it.

Since the Federal Trade Commission has hurt Petco’s brand name capital to the tune of not less than 10 million US dollars and it was a first and only offense, I believe the Federal Trade Commission should immediately pay Petco the 10 million dollars and attach a personal thank you for their great service to American Pets and their owners. I also believe the check should be cut and delivered now so they can decide which year they wish to put it on their books. You see my grandmother’s best friend owns stock in Petco, some shares in the company. She is a consumer and your case and the way the Federal Trade Commission has presented it in the media has adversely affected the company and her stock dipped, you are hurting her investment in a solid company for no reason. This nice old lady has three cats and she loves Petco too. She has invested in Petco, because she knows it is a great company because she patronizes the store even on her modest fixed income. How dare the FTC hurt this nice old lady’s nest egg, with some frivolous, hastily filed case which is not worth the paper it is written on. Mr. FTC, you have damaged the consumer once again. So tell us, what does Federal Trade Commission stand for? Forget The Consumer? Maybe you should change your name, after all your attacks are hurting company’s hard earned reputations and consumers, whom you are sworn to protect?

I believe the Federal Trade Commission knew or should have known that this attack against a perfect corporate citizen has caused harm to pets and consumers. I always suspected the Federal Trade Commission as abusive to animals after all you have a statue of a half naked man on steroids trying to do God only knows what to a horse out front? Pathetic. Petco would never display such a tasteless statue degrading animals in front of any of their locations as they love animals. No, not in the way I suspect the Federal Trade Commission does? What exactly is that man in the statue trying to do maneuvering himself to the rear of the horse like that anyway?

http://www.hildenbrand.org/Pictures/Friends/Others/FTC_statue.jpg

Please do not answer that. I have had my suspicions all along. Scary stuff, I tell you if you tried to do that with “Bear” you would be very sorry, if he didn’t get you, I would. You people may as well put a statue of Michael Jackson out front, with a little boy or a small child with a disrobed Catholic Priest? Is the Federal Trade Commission in Never-Never Land, can’t you see that your attacks on 272 of the fortune 500 over the last couple decades, whom I might add employ about 22% of all Americans and account for 1/2 of our economy, which is what makes America great? Can’t the Federal Trade Commission understand that a company or entrepreneur has made available every single thing you see everywhere you go in our great nation? Why would any government agency want to destroy a great company, providing choice and competition to help consumers get the quality products they desire at a fair price? Without Petco; America’s pets would be like those in Afghanistan, Iraq or maybe Indonesia now after all the destruction from the Tsunami and Earthquake. Our pets would not be able to have the quality of life they enjoy in such a free country if it was not for Petco. Instead our best friends would be too skinny, malnourished and forced to play with sticks and dirt clods rather than squeaky toys and chewable squishy Frisbees.

The Federal Trade Commission knew or should have known that the reason companies get hacked go way back to the Federal Trade Commission’s own incompetence, under the Clinton Administration. It was the Federal Trade Commission’s weakness to be swayed by AOL and other competitors lobbying them to attack Microsoft; the clear market winner through superior products, better prices, strategic rollout and consumer choice. It was therefore the Federal Trade Commission’s inability to provide proper guidance to the computer industry that caused these holes in IT software from second-rate vendors and quick fix patch-ware. Why is the Federal Trade Commission attacking companies and American interests, isn’t that the goal of the murderous international terrorists? Why is the FTC using extortion tactics and mass media hysteria to prove self worth for the FTC’s next year’s budget? Why is it that the Federal Trade Commission has failed 8 times in the last ten years to get their budget in on time and correct? Why is the FTC providing loop holes for some telemarketing companies and then publishing my phone number on their website? Why is it that the Federal Trade Commission hurts American Company’s Brand Names causing the loss of millions and millions of dollars per year without retribution? Why is it that the Federal Trade Commission will not look in the mirror and see what they are really doing to America and her most faithful employers and their ability to compete in World Markets? Why is the Federal Trade Commission thru extortion proving to companies that it is safer to outsource over seas or move their company HQ to other countries to prevent being hassled and attacked?

I think America, her consumers and our wonderful pets deserve some answers. After carefully reviewing this case: A.) I propose the fine be dismissed; B.) An apology be issued to Petco for Display in their stores and website and; C.) A check for 10 million dollars be sent immediately to Petco Corporate. It’s time that the Federal Trade Commission stopped screwing around, grandstanding and attacking America’s best companies. It is time that the fraud at the Federal Trade Commission stop here now. It is time for the FTC to use this New Year as a fresh start to come clean and play it straight, as the hypocrisy is unworthy of an agency with a history of Truth, Justice and the American Way.

God Bless America and God Bless her pets. In closing I would like to point out that of all the Government Agencies I have studied, in my professional opinion, there is no greater waste of tax payer’s money or use of government resources then that of the Divisions within The United States of America’s Justice Department’s Federal Trade Commission. What a total embarrassment of such a great nation, built on the sweat, blood and tears of the entrepreneurs and capitalists. It is simply pathetic, how utterly despicable and disgusting!? The Federal Trade Commission ought to be ashamed of them selves. I am ashamed for them, “Bear” on the other hand wants to have nothing whatsoever to do with them and is angry at me for comparing his species with your agency.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Filed by admin at 11:05 am under Better Net
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Identity theft is big business and, like it or not, the likelihood that you will become a victim is increasing. As the Internet and its popularity have grown, the number of unscrupulous operators out there has grown as well. There are so many scams and attack methods out there it is difficult to keep up with them.

One of the identity thief’s more productive techniques is phishing. A phishing scam is one where an email message contains a link to a web site that asks for personal information. The scam uses social engineering to trick people to go to a web site they would not normally visit. A common scam is one in which an email that looks like it has come from a bank or credit card company asks you to “click on this link” to update your user information. There is generally a part of the email that tries to convey a sense of urgency to get you to “do it now”. When you click on the link you are actually forwarded to a thief’s web site that is designed to look like your bank or credit card company’s web site. You are then asked to provide information, such as user id, password, and other identifying information. Identity thieves use this information to open or use credit accounts and steal money from unsuspecting consumers.

Phishing attacks are relatively easy the spot and avoid. Never follow links in email messages unless you know the link is valid. Compare the actual link address with the text you see. If you are expecting to go to PayPal.com, make sure the link really takes you there. You can view the hyperlink before you click on it buy pointing your mouse cursor at the link. Most email clients and web browsers will show you what the actual address is before you click on it. If the address doesn’t match the web site address you expected to see, don’t click on the link. Likewise, NEVER provide any personal information from an unsolicited source. You will also see the address you are visiting in your web browser’s address bar. Make sure you are visiting the site you expect.

There is a new trend in identity theft, called pharming. Well, it is actually a fairly old type of attack put to a new and alarming use. The basic attack generally relies on DNS poisoning or domain spoofing. The difference between phishing and pharming is that while phishing targets individuals, pharming targets large groups of people. Before we get into a discussion of a pharming attack, let’s look at a short primer on how Internet addresses work.

Anytime you type in an address in your web browser, such as http://www.somecompany.com, your computer needs to find the Internet Protocol (IP) address before sending any information. There are two main methods for finding IP addresses for web site addresses. The legacy method consists of a file, called the ‘hosts’ file, that lists all of the host names you may want to visit, along with their IP addresses. The other method is to send a name resolution request to a Dynamic Name Server (DNS). The DNS server looks up the address in its database and returns the corresponding IP address. Once your computer looks up the IP address for http://www.somecompany.com, it then uses the IP address for all further communication.

A pharming attack is one where the host file or DNS entry is modified to send users to a counterfeit web site. The slightly simpler of the two attacks is the host file modification. This can be accomplished with a virus or worm. It is generally harder to compromise DNS servers. With the phishing attack, a careful view of your web browser’s address bar will show that you are visiting a site you did not expect. Pharming attacks are more difficult to detect since your web browser tells you that you are at the right site even when you really aren’t.

The effect of a pharming attack is that all users who want to go to a particular site end up being redirected to a thief’s site. While this might sound similar to a phishing attack, it can be much worse. There is no indication to the end user that a redirect has occurred. The web browser still shows the original web address. This behavior makes pharming attacks more difficult to detect. Also, if the thief is able to change DNS entries on a commonly used DNS server, all users who request IP addresses from the compromised server will be sent to the counterfeit site.

So, how do you protect yourself from a pharming attack? Much of the work in stopping pharming attacks is up to the DNS administrators. They will be responsible for ensuring any DNS entry changes are authentic. But, there are some steps you can take. Following these guidelines will reduce your chances of becoming a pharming victim:

1. Install and update a good anti-virus program. Since many attacks start as malicious software, protecting your system from viruses and other malicious software will go a long way toward stopping an attack before any information is changed.
2. Protect your ‘hosts’ file. On Windows operating systems, the hosts file resides at: (assuming C:\Windows is where your OS installed) C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. On Unix systems, it resides at /etc/hosts. You can manually check your hosts file to ensure no unusual entries have been put there or you can install software shields that watch the hosts file for you (along with anti-virus software).
3. Know the sites you visit and carefully protect any information you give out. Never divulge any information for any reason unless you are absolutely certain the information is necessary and you are providing it to the correct organization. If your bank web site, or any other web site, asks you to provide confidential information, call their customer service department to get confirmation that the information is needed. Don’t call the number on the web site (it may be compromised). Look up the number in the phone book or use directory assistance.
4. As more and more web sites start using digital certificates to authenticate their identities, you will begin to see more popup windows asking you to accept these certificates the first time you visit the web site. Always read the certificate details and ensure the web site really is the one you wanted to visit. If you are unsure, reject the certificate.

We will all hear more about pharming in the coming months. Its use is growing. This is just another opportunity to remind as many people as possible to be careful with the sites you visit and the information you give out. Protect your personal information. Not doing so can be very expensive.

Want more tips and information on how to recognize, prevent, and repair the effects of identity theft? Go to http://www.thesecurityguy.net right now and you’ll find eBooks and home study courses on identity theft and other security related topics.

Filed by admin at 5:27 am under Better Net
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Electronic Fraud and Identity Theft

———————————–
Human beings are pretty sensible when presented with an
imminent threat or risk. That is, if it’s staring us
directly in the face. Many threats and risk are presented in
subtle ways, and it is these subtleties we tend to
overlook.

It’s The Little Things We Tend To Overlook

——————————————
Thousands of years ago, it was the subtle things that caused
us to take action, to error on the side of caution and
protection. A good example, the reports regarding animals
seeking refuge early on during the tsunami that claimed the
lives of over 300,000 people this past January. Over time,
most people have lost the ability to identify the signs,
determine the probability, validity, and impact of certain
threats and risk.

Making Assumptions vs. Staying Vigilant

—————————————
At home, my family has given me the nickname “Safety Dad”. I
tend to be hyper-vigilant when it comes to the safety and
protection of my family, probably to a fault. I take a
similar position on the security of my computer systems and
my financial well-being. On the other hand, I tend to make
assumptions about things when I should not. For the most
part, I like to think that people are good natured. I
believe the majority of people would like to think this way.
The sad fact is, this is an assumption that can impact us
greatly, and not in a positive manner.

The purpose of this article is to share with you my thoughts
and position on some of the basic things you can do to
protect yourself from several types of threats. Particularly
those that involve electronic fraud and Internet fraud.
Although some of these items are not directly related to the
Internet, the moment someone has your private or financial
information (identity theft), the Internet will be one of
the first places they visit.

(Protect Yourself Against Electronic Fraud)

Automated Teller Machines (ATM) & Skimmers

——————————————
Have you ever heard of a “Skimmer”? If you haven’t, you need
to be aware the risk this presents you. Skimmer’s are
devices that appear to be a legitimate part of an automated
teller machine but are in fact, fake card readers. They
capture all the information stored on the magnetic stripe on
the back of the card. Skimmer’s have been around for quite
some time but their use is on the rise again. The following
link will show you what a skimmer may look like and how it
is used.

Links

—–
http://www.defendingthenet.com/Newsletters/ATMSkimmerFraud.htm

Did you know the cost to a bank or ATM vendor is minimal if
their machine is compromised, but to you it may be severe?
The company that owns the ATM only has to worry about the
cost to replace the machine, plus the amount of money
inside. You, on the other hand, stand to loose not only your
bank account funds, but possibly your identity.

Phishing and Web Site Redirection

———————————
This type of electronic fraud comes in many forms, and is
one of the most popular ways of collecting private
information, and money from the masses. Why? Because it is
simple to do and very effective.

If you receive an e-mail from your bank, credit card
company, or other online merchant like, Ebay.com or
Amazon.com, requesting information such as passwords and
financial info, delete it and report it immediately. Many of
these e-mails link you to web sites that look exactly like
that of the real company but are in fact fakes. Take a look
at Ebay’s Online Security and Protection section to get an
idea of what you need to do in order to identify scams like
these.

Links

—–
http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/index.html

If you receive an e-mail from someone promising you millions
of dollars if you assist them with their finances, delete it
immediately!. Some of these scams have been running for
years and new ones surface frequently. I recently saw one
supposedly from the wife of the late Yasser Arafat,
promising millions of dollars if someone would help her
establish a trust fund in the US. The reasons these types of
e-mail scams are so wide spread is because they are highly
effective and relatively easy to do. Thousands of people get
ripped off by these scams every day. To see examples of
several recent scams, take a look at the following Phishing
Scams page.

Links

—–
http://www.defendingthenet.com/NewsLetters/RecentPhishingScams.htm

Another good source of information on these types of scams
can be found at the State of NY Banking Department.

Links

—–
http://www.banking.state.ny.us/index.htm

Credit Card Fraud

—————–
Never place your credit card face up when paying for
something. Many people will simply place their credit card
on the table, face up, when paying for a meal, for instance.
In the time it takes for the server to pick up your check,
someone walking by can visually scan your card for
everything they need to go on an Internet shopping spree.
There are thieves that specialize in this type of fraud.

When paying for something, particularly at a restaurant,
check to see if the full or partial credit card number is on
the merchant receipt. In most cases, only the partial number
is visible. However, when the full number is there, I cross
out all but the last four digits with a pen. The merchant
has already scanned the card at this point, they should not
need a paper backup of the number.

If your credit card is stolen, lost, or used fraudulently,
you can call your card company and speak with the fraud
department. However, I recommend you contact your card
company’s credit line department first. This is the
department that can extend your credit almost
instantaneously. They can also decrease it within seconds
as well. If you have a limit of $5,000, they can reduce it
to $100 immediately, then pass you to the fraud department.
Call your card company and request the direct number to this
department and make a record of it.

If you notice someone swiping your card more than once when
paying for an item, ask them why. Regardless of how sensible
the answer is, call your card company and request a list of
the last few transactions, you might be surprised what you
find.

If your card company sends you checks to use for cash
advancements and you don’t plan on using them, don’t keep
them around, shred them immediately. We get these all the
time in the mail. As far as shredders go, everyone should
have one. You can pick up a small one for under $30 and it
is well worth the investment.

Any statements or correspondence you have regarding your
credit cards should be in a secure place or shredded.

Credit Reporting & Monitoring

—————————–
Thoroughly review your credit report at least every 90 days,
more frequently if possible. It’s better to find out sooner
than later if someone else’s actions are negatively
impacting your credit report, trust me. There are three
major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and
TransUnion. They all have reporting and monitoring solutions
available. Some of these services may be free of charge.

Links

—–
http://www.transunion.com
http://www.experian.com
https://www.econsumer.equifax.com

If you find something strange on your credit report, contact
the credit reporting agency immediately. In addition to
calling them (if possible), send them a certified letter
describing what you have found. It’s very important to
document any and all correspondence on these matters.

Conclusion

———-
I am sure this information may be old news to some.
However, if just one person reads this article and learns
something new, then my objective has been met.

One of the best ways to protect yourself from electronic
fraud and identity theft is to ask questions. Primarily, ask
yourself whether or not the particular situation you are
faced with makes sense? Why would your bank request
information from you via e-mail? Why would someone in
another country be willing to give you millions of dollars
to assist them with their banking woes?

There is a certain percentage of our population who has
absolutely no morality when it comes to the acquisition of
wealth. These people know the risk of getting caught is
minimal. In many cases, even if they do get caught, they are
willing to deal with the consequences given the potential
monetary payoff. Stay vigilant and educate yourself on these
matters. It really is the best way to protect yourself
against the myriad of threats and risks we are presented
with everyday.

About The Author

—————-
Darren Miller is an Information Security Consultant with
over sixteen years experience. He has written many technology
& security articles, some of which have been published in
nationally circulated magazines & periodicals. Darren is a
staff writer for http://www.defendingthenet.com and several other
e-zines. If you would like to contact Darren you can e-mail
him at mailto:darren.miller@paralogic.net or
mailto:defendthenet@paralogic.net. If you would like to know
more about computer security please visit us at
http://www.defendingthenet.com.

If someone you know has sent you
this article, please take a moment to visit our site and
register for the free newsletter at
http://www.defendingthenet.com/subscribe.htm

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This article is intended as a guide for webmasters who want to display automatically updated content on their website in the form of RSS feeds. In this article I will cover the easiest method to implement using javascript for displaying RSS on websites to create additional dynamic content. This will allow you to display headlines from syndicated content around the web on your website.

RSS to Javascript.

By far the easiest method is to use client side javascript to parse and display the headlines on your site. To achieve this all you need to do is cut and paste some HTML or javascript code into the web page where you want the RSS feed headlines to display.

To achieve this there are several sites that offer a free service that will allow you to select a few options to choose your feed source and display formatting parameters. You will then be presented with some javascript code that you can cut and paste into your website.

Now before I give you the address of the sites that offer this service freely there are a few points I need to clarify with you. Although you will achieve your goal of displaying dynamic content on your site in a few short minutes there are some downsides to this method.

Javascript is not search engine friendly.

As you may or may not already know, javascript is not visible to search engine spiders. They will not see the RSS feed you have parsed into your site and so this will not benefit you if you are doing this to better your search engine rankings.

You are using a third party service.

The second potential downside is that although the javascript is on your site you are actually calling a script on another server. This could lead to a couple of potential problems. If the server is busy it will mean the news feed will take longer to display on your site. The other point is if the third party server fails or disappears altogether then your feed will not be displayed at all.

In summary there are a few downsides, but if you do not code and want some feeds on your site quickly then this is the way to go. Ok, so now you understand what is involved here are the links to the sites that provide the free RSS to javascript service. All you need to do is follow the on site instructions.

• Feed2JS
• RSS2HTML
• RSS-to-Javascript
• FeedSweep
• RSS Xpress Lite

Allan is the webmaster at http://www.newsniche.com an RSS resopurce for webmasters. Learn how to use RSS to attract and retain visitors to your site.

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The RSS promise for end-users is simple:

–> a unified one-stop-shop to consume online content, without having to visit dozens of sites every day to see what’s new and without having their online subscriptions interfere with their personal and business e-mail communications;

–> complete control over their content consumption, including a quick, easy and reliable mechanism to unsubscribe from content they do not wish to receive;

–> the ability to receive breaking news as it becomes available, without having to wait for a monthly, weekly or daily recap sent to their e-mail addresses;

–> the certainty of actually receiving the content they want, without the fear of it being stopped by spam filters on the way;

–> the ability to receive rich-media content directly to their desktops, including audio and video content;

–> the promise of providing the tools to make their lives easier, including receiving critical content updates as soon as they become available.

These points are not simple enhancements, but important advancements that can fundamentally change how internet content is consumed. Furthermore, these points themselves prove why marketers need to start implementing RSS now!

To bring the point home, let us inspect some of the content services already powered by RSS.

LIBRARY ELF: MAKING THE LIBRARY EXPERIENCE EASIER (http://libraryelf.com/)

Library Elf helps you keep track of your library accounts in one place and received reminders, such as what library material is due, overdue and ready for pickup. Library Elf uses the power of RSS to help you forget about your library accounts and instead be directly notified of the changes you’re waiting for, directly to your desktop.

INDEED: HELPING YOUR FIND THE RIGHT JOB (http://www.indeed.com/)

Indeed.com provides its visitors with job seeking results from hundreds of sites and then makes the search results accessible via RSS feeds. Users can subscribe to individual search results, pertaining directly to their search keywords to be notified immediately new jobs are available.

FLICKR: SHARING YOUR LIFE IN PICTURE (http://www.flickr.com/)

Flickr is the most popular photography management and sharing service on the web, enabling end-users to upload their photos and then make them available to their friends, associates and family through a wide assortment of content delivery channels, including RSS. By subscribing to individual Flickr feeds from their users, everyone can have direct access to the latest life experiences from their friends.

RSSCALENDAR: SHARING YOUR EVENTS (http://www.rsscalendar.com/)

rssCalendar.com allows individuals and companies to share their personal or group calendars with the rest of the world, letting everyone that matters know of where and what they are doing next, delivering this information via individual RSS feeds.

COUPONS.COM: SAVINGS TO YOUR DESKTOP (http://www.coupons.com/)

Coupons.com brings the best deals and coupons to internet end-users, helping them save money by discounted shopping. As of late, they also started delivering coupons through RSS feeds, giving their subscribers direct access to their latest offerings.

PUBSUB.COM: TRACKING THE WORLD (http://www.pubsub.com)

PubSub.com is an amazing service that allows you to track practically everything going on around the world by matching your keywords with tens of thousands of online content sources, and enabling you to subscribe to your customized search results through customized RSS feeds.

RSSAUCTION.COM: TRACKING YOUR PURCHASE INTERESTS (http://rssauction.com/)

If you’re a regular eBay user, you certainly want to keep track of new products available, which precisely match your interests. rssAuction.com helps users keep better track of eBay by giving them a tool to first create a comprehensive list of product requirements and then delivering the search result through an RSS feed. As soon as new products matching individual interests appear, the user is notified of that through his RSS aggregator, giving him the ability to start bidding immediately and without having to visit eBay every day to find the right products.

UPCOMING.ORG: KEEPING TRACK OF LOCAL AND SOCIAL EVENTS (http://upcoming.org/)

From the Upcoming.org website: “Upcoming.org is a collaborative event calendar, completely driven by people like you. Enter in the events you’re attending, comment on events entered by others, and syndicate event listings to your own weblog. As Upcoming.org learns more about the events you enjoy, it will suggest new events you never would have heard about.”

FEEDBEEP: THE ULTIMATE “TIME-TO-INFORMATION” TOOL (http://www.feedbeep.com/)

Depending on who you are and your current life situation, many content alerts are critical for you. If you’re looking for a job, you want to know immediately when a new one matching your precise interests is available, and so on. While RSS brings this information to your desktop, that might not be fast enough. Feedbeep.com takes internet content delivery one step further, by empowering users to have their critical content updates delivered from an RSS feed directly to their mobile phones via SMS.

RSS EMPOWERS CONSUMERS

The one thing all of these RSS-based or RSS-empowered services have in common is that they empower consumers.

They empower them by getting the content that matters to them delivered directly to their desktops or online content aggregators, but still giving them the power to unsubscribe within moments of not being satisfied with the content they are receiving.

Even more so, these services empower consumers to create social networks and easily share their information with their friends, family and associates on a large scale.

Copyright 2005 Rok Hrastnik

Rok Hrastnik is the author of Unleash the Marketing & Publishing Power of RSS, acclaimed as the best and most comprehensive guide to RSS for marketers by leading RSS experts. The complete guide on RSS for marketers: http://rss.marketingstudies.net/index.html?src=sa11

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I am not one to have New Year’s resolutions, but I do plan ahead. As we reached the last quarter of 2004, I decided that 2005 would be, for me, the year of article writing and RSS.

I have kept to my plan, but what has been happening on the RSS front? I have dutifully been using Blogs and RSS throughout 2005 to date. What about everybody else, though? Has this been the year when RSS has taken off?

One thing for sure is that there has been a lot of activity amongst internet marketers. According to Overture, they had 43,947 searches for RSS in April 2005. Out of interest, that compares to 825,674 for internet marketing. It is unlikely that an ordinary consumer would search for RSS; they are interested in the subject rather than the technical delivery term. Over 40,000 searches is high, and I think it is a fair bet that a majority of those will be marketing people trying to get up to speed and trying to understand what all the fuss is about.

One thing that does seem apparent is the over supply of information on the internet about RSS; in other words, the number of websites trying to push RSS is way out of kilter with the number of searches. Those 43,947 searches, according to Keyword Analyser, will bring up a staggering 275,000,000 results; that is a Results/Search ratio of 6258. That is very high, and indicates a tough market to penetrate and make money out of, at least on that search term. Do you think there are a lot of people looking for RSS tutorials? Well, in April 2005 there were just 272 on Overture. Results brought up by the search? 108,000,000! That’s a R/S ratio of 397,059. Big supply, and little demand. If that were the gold market, the price of gold would be falling through the floor.

I admit that none of those figures mean a great deal, and nothing about the prospects of RSS becoming mainstream. Whether we reach the stage where many millions of consumers use RSS feeds as a matter of course will depend very much on the likes of Google, Yahoo, and MSN. All three are working away, beta testing various aspects of RSS. My Yahoo has been beta testing subscription to RSS feeds for some time now, and if I start a new feed, My Yahoo is my first port of call to subscribe to my own feed. That way, Yahoo know about it and the Yahoo search engine robot will dutifully go and check it out.

In due course, it will be up to the likes of Yahoo to convince their users that there are good reasons to subscribe to RSS feeds. To achieve that, the user interface for RSS will need to be seamless from their normal daily online activity. Things are gradually moving in that direction, but it remains to be seen whether RSS will ever become part of the every day online life of the average consumer.

Much of the interest surrounding RSS has been as a Spam Avoidance System. However, last week I was doing some research on RSS feeds through My Yahoo, and it was evident already that in some topics spam is beginning to rule the roost as far as the search results go. Let us hope that Yahoo and the other key players find ways to filter out the spammers, so that if RSS feeds do become mainstream, all is clean, welcoming and useful for the average user.

Roy Thomsitt is the owner, webmaster and author of http://www.change-direction.com and http://www.routes-to-self-improvement.com

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