Another Phishing Scam

So the other day a family member contacted me about a strange email, here is the start of it, 

It looks pretty offical, the problem is that this family memeber lives in Canada.  USAA is US based and works exculsively with US clients.   Here is where the phishing is, 

That is correct, the website redirects you to a non USAA Server that then captures your log in information and contact details.  Be aware, if something does not look right, it probably is a scam of some sort.  Here is a link to more information on this one.

New Email Scam Targets USAA Members

If you do receive one of these emails, or another email that you think is a scam, please report it via this site.

Report Phishing Sites

What is password protection secure?

Your at the coffee shop, some one calls your name, you turn and spill coffee on your lap.   As your rush up to get some napkins to clean your pants, a person grabs your computer and takes off with it.

Luckily you password locked it and you have a back up.  The question is what could that person do with the data that is on that laptop, because you have client records, financial information, personal documents, and other confidential information on it.

Most people believe that password protection means that their Windows computer is secure and people can not get access to your files and information, this is not necessarly true.  The reality is that easy access to your files and information is disrupted, but there are many, many different ways that people can access your information.  

On many occasions I have unlocked password protected computers, and while it takes a little while to get done, it is fairly straight forward (I always verify ownership prior to unlocking).   The only true way that you can secure your computer is through disk encryption.  

Disk encryption is defined as, 

"Disk encryption is a technology which protects information by converting it into unreadable code that cannot be deciphered easily by unauthorized people. Disk encryption uses disk encryption software or hardware to encrypt every bit of data that goes on a disk or disk volume. Disk encryption prevents unauthorized access to data storage."

Wikipedia

There are multiple ways and software packages that allow you to encrypt your disk, the key is to ensure that you are using it.

Again many people believe that their data is protected, but are not aware of the full risk.  If your unsure of your level of protection I am more than happy to provide a free 15 min assessment of your security and possible risks.    

Why are computer Viruses called Viruses?

There are a lot of malicious things that can be done to your computer, unfortunately one of the worst is a virus.  There are many other types of malware, such as computer worms, ransomware, trojan horses, keyloggers, rootkits, and spyware, but a virus typically has a moderate to severe impact.

Why are computer viruses called viruses? Simple, just like viruses infecting biological organisms, these programs replicate, thus leading to them being called viruses.  There are many other types of malware out there, but in order for a virus to be a virus, it has to replicate.

This results in the virus having a benign effect on the device or computer, and in other cases a catastrophic effect on the device or computer.   More often than not, because a computer virus is created by human beings, there is a malicious intent behind their creation and distribution.

In addition due to the inherent nature of a virus replicating, these types of malware spread quickly.  The worst, and most publicised computer malware infections are viruses.

The obvious question is, "How do you stop computer viruses?", simple anti-virus software.  Well the answer is not always that simple.

Because of the malicious intent behind viruses,  the virus programmers / designers adapt their programs to avoid detection by anti virus programs.   Just like biological viruses,  teams of people work to prevent the virus propagating by updating anti virus programs, quarantining infected computers, and tracking infections.

Sometimes your computer can get infected even though you have anti virus software, this is when you should find a professional, such as Collaboration Lab, to help remove the infection.   You best bet is to avoid the infection by using common sense, 

1) Use a reputable antivirus program, I suggest Microsoft Security Essentials.

2) Ensure that you update your computer operating system software, programs, and anti virus software.  Updates on most anti virus programs come out twice a day and usually update automatically.

3) Use common sense.  If you go to a possibly disreputable website and it asks you to download software, do not do it.  If someone you "might" know sends you a file, used caution.   If there is a link to expensive software or free items, think twice about clicking it. When in doubt, don't do it.

Why I suggest not using Yahoo email

A lot of my clients use Yahoo email, but now is the time for you to change.

Last year there was a large security breach at Yahoo email,  details here.

Unfortunately things have gotten worse.

In the last 3 months it has become clear that there is a major exploit in Yahoo emails.   The flaw with Yahoo's coding allowed the email and password on a Yahoo email account to be compromised, see the report from TNW.  

The flaw appears to be fixed, but at what cost? I receive about one hacked email a week from different Yahoo users, up from once a month end of last year.

My suggestion is to move from Yahoo email to another provider, such as gmail or Outlook.com.  With that being said, here is a great tutorial from How To Geek on switching you webmail provider.

One other option is to start to reduce your chances at getting spammed by taking some proactive action to ensure you are less vulnerable.   Allspammedup.com  has another great listing of what not to do, in short, 

1. Stop giving out your email address on social networks

2. Stop listing your email address on your personal or company website

3. Stop replying to spam emails

4. Stop using your good email address to register online

5. Being an educated user

You can find the whole list here.

A quick tip on rouge software

In the past month I have received several calls about a pop up security message, similar to these, 

DO NOT CLICK ON THESE POP UP WARNINGS.  

If you receive a message in a popup dialog box that resembles this warning, press ALT + F4 on your keyboard to close the dialog box. Do not click anything inside the dialog box, and do not click on any subsequent dialogue boxes that may pop up.  If a ongoing warning keeps appearing when you try to close the dialog box, it’s a good indication that the message is malicious.

If you see this message, do not purchase the software it promotes, do not install any program it suggests.

One tool that can provide you an oppurtunity to remove the software is Microsoft Security Scanner.  It is an excellent tool and works in the majority of infections.  If for whatever reason this program does not work, feel to contact me and we can get your system recovered.