I am sure you have heard of Google, used it and loved the services Google provides. If you are one of those lucky few, you might have bought Google shares when they were a dime a dozen and are ready to retire now...well almost ready if not quite there. Now Google has found a new way to further increase the value of their shares, and it's called Google Cyberstalking, a.k.a Google Profile.
You can use Google Profile to show others and tell others what or who you really are and what you really do and where you really live and the endless list goes on. 
The only saving grace is that you control what goes on your Google Profile. You have the option of sharing all your life on there or just your A/S/L.
Lesson Learnt: There is no dearth of ways people can cyber stalk you and it is getting easier by the day to do just that. So look before you write online and see where you post it. An entry that is harmless and innocent in your view might in all reality be all that a person needs to cyberstalk you.
Google Helps You Cyber Stalk People
Alicia Keys My Space Page Hacked
Apparently someone who maintains Alicia Keys My Space Page put their username and password in a phishing email and Voila... Alicia Keys My Space page was hacked. When I say it was hacked, I do not mean someone just defaced her page, the hackers went to great lengths to hide malicious code on her page. Every other image on her site was hacked in a way that merely clicking on the images would install malicious code on the visitors computer. Click on Key's bare midriff and you would be taken to a site that would install a program on your computer that would trick you into buying anti-virus software and track your credit card number and log your username and passwords.
Luckily, MySpace identified the problem and scrubbed her page clean. Looks like her page was not the only one hacked. Some other pages were also hacked but MySpace is tight lipped about it.
Roger Thompson, a security expert at Exloit Prevention Labs, has posted the following video of the Alicia Keys Hack.
Read: Behind the Alicia Keys MySpace Scam
Lesson Learnt: The more famous you are the more badly hackers want to show you their might.
Earth At Night
Someone sent me a link to a full picture of the world as seen from space, at night. I am sure if you look closely you can see the New York, Miami and the LA area.
Click on the picture above to see the whole world lit up like a Christmas Tree.
How many people do you think are on their computers right about now trying to steal your privacy?
Admire: Earth At Night
Do You Trust People & Websites On The Internet?
We all have trust issues. Some people are quick to trust and others take their own time to trust people. I am one of those who trusts people at the drop of the hat. After all what will someone get by lying to me? Yea Right !
Lately, I have seen my trust broken a lot online and have come across some super weirdos who have nothing better to do in life than to harass people. Surprised? Welcome to the world of World Wide Web.
How do you start trusting people or websites you see on the Internet? You have no idea whether they are genuine people or stalkers, good websites or phishing websites. This is where a new website called TrustPlus comes in.
The site is trying to "Make the Internet the Safest Place on Earth". I am not sure how efficient will this site be in living up to its tall claim, but at least it is a right step in at least starting to make the difference. Hope the site works out.
Read: TrustPlus
Internet Superheros
Kids will be kids, no matter what adults tell them. Call it peer pressure, curiosity or just plane ignorance, they are bound to tread where no child or teen should be treading to begin with.
So how do you make them understand not to go where danger lurks? Do you make them sit in the corner? Ban their access to the computer? Watch them like a hawk? Have a decent conversation with them and try and explain things in their language? Nope...
You let the people who matter to them do the talking for you. Yes, the people who matter to kids and teens and no its not you or your uncles, aunts, friends or parents...
... its the super heros.
... let Spiderman or The Hulk or X-Men or Spider Girl or Daredevil or Fantastic Four do the talking for you and I bet you, kids will listen.
This is exactly what the Internet Super Heros do. Internet Super Heros is a website dedicated to providing guidance to the younger generation. It is an excellent site that uses Marvels Super Heroes to impart knowledge about the internet and the dangers that lurk in the dark alleys.
Must visit site for all.
Read: Internet Super Heros
Lesson Learnt: Impart education to kids and teens in the way they understand by the people they listen to.
STOP cyberbullying
Today I came across an excellent site that deals with the growing menace of cyberbullying. With the growing use of internet, instant messaging and email by kids, it looks like cyberbullying is on the rise and we all need to make sure we know the symptoms of such a menace before we can explain to the kids what it is and what to do to prevent it.
As per the stopcyberbullying.org website:
"Cyberbullying" is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. It has to have a minor on both sides, or at least have been instigated by a minor against another minor. Once adults become involved, it is plain and simple cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Adult cyber-harassment or cyberstalking is NEVER called cyberbullying.
Just like schools have a Drug Free Zone, they should have Cyberbullying Free Zone.
Read: Stop Cyberbullying
Lessons Learnt: Kids, cyberbullying is not a cool thing to do. Just like you do, other kids also have feelings and hurting them to get pleasure out of it is definitely not cool. Don't think that just because you are not giving the other kid a wedgie in school you are not bullying him by being mean to him online.
Website Dedicated To Demystifying Online Scams
I was reading the latest Newsweek and on the inside back cover was an advertisement for a website dedicated to demystifying the most prevalent online scams. Some of the scams prominently covered by the website broadly fall in the following categories:
Foreign Business Offers
Love Losses
Overpayments
Rental Schemes
Sudden Riches
Work-at-Home
The site is full of videos and interviews and also has a Fraud Test.
Did you know that if you happen to come across any online or telemarketing scam, you can report it to the National Consumers League's Fraud Center by filling an online form?
Read: FakeChecks
Lesson Learnt: There are resources available for users to learn about various online scams. They just need to find out where to read. That is the aim of this blog, to direct the users in the right direction.
Data Discrimination By Comcast
If you live in the United States, I am sure you use Comcast as your cable provider and / or high speed internet provider. Forgetting the fact that Comcast Customer Service sucks and that their technicians sleep on the job on customers couches, now comes news that Comcast discriminates on what data gets transmitted on their bandwidth and what does not. So basically Comcast is discriminating against data transmission.
As per Peter Svensson from AP:
"Comcast Corp. actively interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic equally."
So what does that mean for the general user?This means that when you share big files (movies, music, pictures or any big file) with friends and families, Comcast basically decides what gets transmitted first; your big file or someone's small file or Comcast might just block your transmission all together.
Read: Comcast blocks some Internet traffic.
Lesson Learnt: Comcast needs to adhere to Net Neutrality
Pew Report: Girls With Photos Online Get Contacted More
I was not aware that you had to conduct a study or be Einstein to figure this out. But, this is exactly what people at PEW Internet & American Life Project did. They conducted a study and found out that 32% of the teens online have been contacted by someone that was not part of their friends or relatives group (aka STRANGERS).
The study goes on to say that girls are much more likely to report scary contact than boys.
Lesson Learnt: Teens make sure you do not put your photos online, but if you must let the world see what you look like and attract strangers, please make sure you read the rules of posting photos online. Parents, make sure your teen is not putting something online that you would not want the world to see. If you think the picture of your teen in that red Speedo is worth showing the world (... and strangers), please by all means let them post it.
Read: Teens and Online Stranger Contact
Phishing Scam With Orkut Lookalike
Today, I got a crap ... oops ... scrap, in my Orkut account which read as follows:
^nk!t@...:
Hey im really apreciate yor work..!!!
will u moderate my community??
Just put yor request in moderator required topic!!
Hope to hear frm u soon!!
http://orkutfriend.freeweb7.com/community.aspx/orkut.html
Being, the curious cat I am, I clicked on the link and voila I was looking at a Phishing Site designed to make you feel you are looking at a real Orkut Site.
Here is a detailed description of what raised the alarm:
So here is what is wrong with this site and some telltale signs you should look for:
- When I clicked on the link that asked me to go to the community from my Orkut page, I was prompted for my username and password on the above screen.
- Why was Orkut asking me to enter my username and password again to look at one of its communities? That raised a flag.
- I looked at the URL and found http://orkutfriend.freeweb7.com/community.aspx/orkut.html and the first half in red raised an eyebrow. As a security professional, I could right away tell that the site was being hosted at an external hosting space and was being used to collect usernames and passwords.
4. Another thing to notice is Orkut written in various Hindi dialects. That was odd for an international site.
5. Finally the ? before Google confirmed my suspicion that this was a Phishing site. On the real site Google it says ©2007 Google.
