Online stores offer a convenient, easy-to-use way of shopping, especially for those busy individuals. Shopping an item is so easy; it’s just within a few clicks and then voila, it’s done!
This is why online shopping gains its popularity every year. Almost everything can be bought online! You name it, the internet has it. However, it's important to take note that you'll still need to take some precautions when purchasing items online. Remember, cyber criminals are always on the prowl.
Identity thieves use low-tech methods such as stealing your wallet or even eavesdropping at key moments as well as sophisticated Internet scams to rob people of their sensitive personal data. That's why it's critical to closely protect any documents, banking cards, or sensitive numbers that can be used by thieves for their personal gain — whether you're at home, out and about in public, or surfing the Web.
Below are basic guidelines we have compiled to help you reduce the risk of identity theft, whether you are online or offline:
Password breach was the most talked about topic in the internet security arena in June. The hysteria began when a user on a Russian forum claimed that he gained access to 6.5 million passwords to the professional networking site, LinkedIn. And as the week went on, the scope of the leak grew significantly to affect both eHarmony and Last.fm.
Adobe have published a security update addressing a critical vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.235 and earlier versions.
The vulnerability could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.
Windows users of Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.235 and earlier are advised to upgrade to Adobe Flash Player 11.3.300.257
LinkedIn have confirmed that a number of user accounts have been compromised. While they have not published the amount of compromised accounts, a Russian forum user uploaded around 6.5 million encrypted user passwords to demonstrate the security breach took place. While the user names have not been included, it's a pretty good bet that they have also been stolen. You can check this site to see if your password was amongst those stolen.
What can you do to stop the spread of rogues and save your hard-earned cash for genuine programs that protect your PC and personal information? Armed with a little knowledge and awareness of the problem, users will be able to stop falling for these fakes and help to make sure that rogue software vendors stop profiting from their unscrupulous business.
Never pay for malware! Here’s how you can tell what's real and what's not when it comes to security software, so you can keep from buying bogus products.
By: Andrew Browne, leader of Lavasoft Malware Labs Team
Pop-up windows are a common form of online advertising and often appear so quickly that users are caught off-guard. However, some pop-ups, when clicked, trigger spyware that can cause serious damage to computers. That's why it's important to never click "agree" or "OK" to close a pop-up window, and only click on the red "X" in the corner or Alt + F4 to close it safely.
We have added a few sections under our malware lab blogs! This means that you will have more helpful tips, insights, facts and figures about all things malware!
Here are the new sections:
The latest Flash update patches two security vulnerabilities - the first (CVE-2012-0772), resolves a memory corruption vulnerability related to URL security domain checking that could lead to code execution on Windows 7 or Vista. The second (CVE-2012-0773) fixes a memory corruption vulnerability in the NetStream class that could lead to code execution.
TLDR; vulnerable Flash player, exploits patched.
However, this time around, Adobe have introduced an automatic updating mechanism for Flash Player.
In Microsoft's Security Bulletin Summary for February 2012 a number of updates have been released including four "critical" and five "important" severity updates.
The holiday shopping season is right around the corner and 'tis the season to be safe. These 5 tips will help you to safely shop online and to stay away from hackers, identity thieves and scammers.