Do you know what’s on the computer you are about to throw away? With identity theft on the rise, you don’t want to make it any easier to become an ID theft victim. I know for me, I have quit a bit of sensitive personal information on my computer. I’m sure you do too. Even if you don’t realize it, there is more than likely something on your computer that a criminal adapt at stealing someone’s identity can use.
If you are replacing your computer and are going to be getting rid of your old computer, you should completely erase the hard drive on your old computer before you trash it. You should know that it takes more than just deleting the files to erase your hard drive.
How To COMPLETELY Wipe The Data From Your Computer
Since, just deleting the information doesn’t really make our personal information gone, how does one remove their personal data from their computer so that it can’t be used for identity fraud purposes?
I’m glad you asked. There is software available that you can use to completely erase your computer’s hard drive. I should warn you though, if you use this software, you will lose this information FOREVER. If you want to save any information, make sure that you back it up to something before you use the software. You can buy this software at any computer store or you can go to http://www.dban.org and download a free version.
My husband used the free software and said that it worked like a charm. Of course, my husband is a computer guru of sorts and this sort of thing is pretty easy for him to do. But if you are like me and find yourself a little computer challenged, you can check out this video that explains how to use Darik’s Boot and Nuke software to erase your hard drive.
You have to love computers, they can make your life so much easier that is until they don’t. I have to thank a friend of mine, Connie Kiser, for bringing this to my attention. I had never heard of this before.
What is a Botnet
“Botnet” isn’t something from a science fiction movie, even though it sounds like it. Botnet is short for “robot network” . Basicly what it is a collection of computers that have been compromised to foward spam or viruses to other computers on the Internet.
Botnet and Cybercrime
Botnets are controlled by criminals whose motives are to sell products, operate financial scams, and cripple websites. Should you be concerned about botnets? Absolutely, because botnets can affect your computer whithout you ever even knowing about it. For the most part botnets are all about spam but Botnet attacks are increasing and they are getting more vicous.
Botnets and Identity Theft
Botnets also do more harm than just sending out massive amounts of spam. They are also used to collect unsuspecting user’s passwords, banking information, and credit card information. Cybercriminals use botnets to collect personal information and then that information can be used to build fake identities. Using these fake identities, the attackers can obtain access to your personal accounts or perform various operations (such as buying a car or committing a crime) and put the blame on the identity theft victim.
How to Avoid Botnets
There are some good computer practices that you should do in order to avoid botnets.
Update your computer regularly with security updates
Use a good spam filter
Install and use firewall protection
Do Not click on questionable links in emails or on websites that you are not sure of
Botnets are out there and you have to be careful not to get caught up in the cybercrime web. Use good computer security practices and avoid suspicious email. Watch out for phishing scams and never click on anything that you aren’t sure of. If you are in doubt, just don’t click.
Botnet attacks are increasing, as cybercrime gangs use compromised computers to send spam, steal personal data, perpetrate click fraud and clobber Web sites in denial-of-service attacks. Here’s a list of America’s 10 most wanted botnets, based on an estimate by security firm Damballa of botnet size and activity in the United States.
No. 1: Zeus
Compromised U.S. computers: 3.6 million
Main crime use: The Zeus Trojan uses key-logging techniques to steal sensitive data such as user names, passwords, account numbers and credit card numbers. It injects fake HTML forms into online banking login pages to steal user data.
No. 2: Koobface
Compromised U.S. computers: 2.9 million
Main crime use: This malware spreads via social networking sites MySpace and Facebook with faked messages or comments from “friends.” When a user is enticed into clicking on a provided link to view a video, the user is prompted to obtain a necessary update, like a codec — but it’s really malware that can take control over the computer.
No. 3: TidServ
Compromised U.S. computers: 1.5 million
Main crime use: This downloader Trojan spreads through spam e-mail, arriving as an attachment. It uses rootkit techniques to run inside common Windows services (sometimes bundled with fake antivirus software) or in Windows safe mode, and it can hide most of its files and registry entries.
No. 4: Trojan.Fakeavalert
Compromised U.S. computers: 1.4 million
Main crime use: Formerly used for spamming, this botnet has shifted to downloading other malware, with its main focus on fake alerts and rogue antivirus software.
No. 5: TR/Dldr.Agent.JKH
Compromised U.S. computers: 1.2 million
Main crime use: This remote Trojan posts encrypted data back to its command-and-control domains and periodically receives instruction. Often loaded by other malware, TR/Dldr.Agent.JKH currently is used as a clickbot, generating ad revenue for the botmaster through constant ad-specific activity.
No. 6: Monkif
Compromised U.S. computers: 520,000
Main crime use: This crimeware’s current focus is downloading an adware BHO (browser helper object) onto a compromised system.
No. 7: Hamweq
Compromised U.S. computers: 480,000
Main crime use: Also known as IRCBrute, or an autorun worm, this backdoor worm makes copies of itself on the system and any removable drive it finds — and anytime the removable drives are accessed, it executes automatically. An effective spreading mechanism, Hamweq creates registry entries to enable its automatic execution at every startup and injects itself into Explorer.exe. The botmaster using it can execute commands on and receive information from the compromised system.
No. 8: Swizzor
Compromised U.S. computers: 370,000
Main crime use: A variant of the Lop malware, this Trojan dropper can download and launch files from the Internet on the victim’s machine without the user’s knowledge, installing an adware program and other Trojans.
No. 9: Gammima
Compromised U.S. computers: 230,000
Main crime use: Also know as Gamina, Gamania, Frethog, Vaklik and Krap, this crimeware focuses on stealing online game logins, passwords and account information. It uses rootkit techniques to load into the address space of other common processes, such as Explorer.exe, and will spread through removable media such as USB keys. It’s also known to be the worm that got into the International Space Station in the summer of 2008.
No. 10: Conficker
Compromised U.S. computers: 210,000
Main crime use: Also called Downadup, this downloader worm has spread significantly throughout the world, though not so much in the U.S. It’s a complex downloader used to propagate other malware. Though it has been used to sell fake antivirus software, this crimeware currently seems to have no real purpose other than to spread. Industry watchers fear a more dangerous purpose will emerge.
Cybercrime is any crime committed using a computer and the internet.Cybercrime covers everything from fraud, identity theft, to stealing millions from people’s bank accounts.Even downloading music and movies illegally is considered to be cybercrime.
Cybercrime is becoming more common today because so much information can travel over the internet.Computers and the Internet have made our lives easier in a lot of ways but we have to be a lot more careful with our personal information today than ever before.
Possibly the most common form of cybercrime is identity theft.Cybercriminals use the Internet to steal or illegally obtain personal information from others.The two most common ways cybercriminals obtain this information is through “phishing” and “pharming”.
Phishing is usually done by sending an email that claims to be from a legitimate organization, such as a bank, and directs the user to an “official looking” website where you are then asked to provide your personal information.
Pharming is a where malicious code is unknowingly installed on your computer and it misdirects you to fraudulent websites.Pharming has become a major concern to businesses hosting ecommerce and online banking websites.
Identity thieves operate in very ingenious ways and with today’s technology; it’s easier for an identity thief to get the information they need.
How to protect yourself from Phishing and Pharming Scams
Don’t respond to any email that is asking you for personal information.Just delete it.Legitimate organization may send you offers via email but they do NOT send emails asking for your personal information.
Check the spam filter on your email account to make sure that it is set to remove these types of emails.CAUTION: some will probably get through anyway.
If you don’t know for sure if it is legitimate, pick up the phone and call your customer service representative before you do anything foolish.
Use anti-virus protection and keep it up to date.It’s may not be 100% effective but it will stop most cases.
What to do if you’ve been scammed
If you think you may have given your login and password information away in error to a service or financial institution, contact the institution immediately and inform them that you were a victim of identity fraud.Change that password everywhere you may have used it.
If you gave your personal information such at credit card or Social Security number, ask the 3 major credit bureaus to place identity theft fraud alerts on your credit file.Close any accounts you think may have been tampered with and report the incident to your local police department.You will also need to complete an ID Theft Affidavit and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
I guess that I am a little biased when it comes to burglar alarms, after all I have been in the burglar alarm industry for more than 17 years. I think that if you have a good security system, you will be safer in your home for a few reasons. So, today I would like to share with you the benefits that having a home security system can provide you, your family, and your property. I also would like to help you determine what equipment, protection, and service you may want to have in place for security and fire protection.
First let’s talk about the benefits of having a home security system
A burglar alarm is the number one deterrent for crimes against property.
Many insurance companies provide premium discounts up to 20% for homeowners with burglar alarms.
Having a burglar alarm installed in your home can increase the value of your home.
Peace of mind. Consider the financial loss, days lost from work, and the dramatic decrease in the quality of life when your privacy is invaded, and your home no longer being regarded as a safe haven, having a burglar alarm can give you a lot of peace of mind.
But I think that it’s a mistake just to install any kind of burglar alarm system. If you are going to go the time and the expense of having a home security system installed, then you should know what is available and how best to protect your property from home invasion, burglary, and fire. Everyone is different and everones needs are different, with that in mind I want to make sure that you get a burglar alarm system that is right for you.
In my professional opinion, you should have EVERY door and window to your home protected with something to alert you to an intruder.
There are many ways to protect your doors and windows.
The most common method is using magnetic contacts. These work by setting off the alarm/siren when the door or window is opened with the burglar alarm on. These only set off the alarm/siren when the door or window is opened and the magnet is pulled apart from the contact.
Another thing you may want to consider is that an intruder/burglar may just break the glass in order to gain access into your home. In order to be alerted when your glass breaks, you may want to consider adding either “sound discriminators” or “shock sensors” to your burglar alarm. This work by setting off the alarm/siren when they pick up the sound and/or vibration that occurs when glass breaks.
Please Note: If you have high impact glass, you DO NOT need to install any sort of glass beakage detection.
Most burglar alarm company will pretty much insist that you add a motion detector to your system. And while I like the idea of a motion detector because it can cover a pretty large area, I have cats and cats and motion detectors just don’t work well together. Of course, if you don’t have pets, then by all means get a motion detector.
Something else you may want to consider adding to your burglar alarm system is smoke detectors. The reason I am a big fan of adding smoke detectors to the burglar alarm is because it not only is a safety feature that shouldn’t be scrimped on but when the smoke detector connected to a burglar alarm goes off, is will send a fire signal to the cental station monitoring company and they will call the fire department for you.
Of course that means you will have to have your home security system monitored in order to have that feature and I would urge you to get monitoring. Think about it. Why install a burglar alarm system into your home just to have it set there and do nothing when it goes into alarm. Sure you may have a siren and the noise will bug your neighbor but in today’s world is your neighbor going to check out your house to see if everything is ok?We are all used to hearing sirens and alarms going off all of the time, most of us don’t even register the sound anymore.
Okay, that’s it for today. A burlar alarm can keep you safe if you have the right system installed. I tried to keep things pretty simple for everyone. Frankly, there are a lot of options when it comes to what you can do with a burglar alarm today but I wanted to keep things to the basics. Until next time, stay safe.
Closed circuit television is commonly known as CCTV. CCTV camera allows us to monitor and keep track on every activity. We can view and record high-risk areas to prevent theft, control inventory, increase productivity. CCTV allows remote monitoring of parking lots and building exteriors to improve employee safety.
CCTV is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It is different from normal broadcast television in which signal is openly transmitted. CCTV is often used for surveillance in areas that may need monitoring such as banks, airports, major government institutes military installations, and convenience stores. CCTV is generally used for continues monitoring or only as required to monitor a particular event.
Below are some of the applications for CCTV
• Monitoring traffic at traffic junctions
• Keep watch on people at railway stations, airports etc
• Production control in a factory
CCTV applications are endless. Now a days more and more places covered by CCTV surveillance.
Now days different types of CCTV cameras are available in market. Below are some of major types of
CCTV cameras
• Dome Cameras
• Standard Box Cameras
• Day/Night Cameras
• Hidden Camera
• High Speed Dome Camera
• Wireless Control Camera
The benefits to the installation of CCTV systems are both numerous and practical, and include:
• Reducing potentially insurance premiums upon installation
• Increasing staff productivity
• Identifying criminals
• Monitoring various areas at which you can’t reach
• Deters theft, malicious misbehavior and wreckage
• Constant and consistent surveillance 24 hours a day, every day
CCTV UAE security systems are available for your indoor, outdoor, and even underwater surveillance needs, and one system can be expected to last at least five years. For a small amount of pocket change per day, you can protect your business and know that should anything happen, you can always rely on the evidence from your camera.
Author is related with security camera system CCTV UAE at avi-infosys.com. Find many more information on different CCTV cameras in CCTV Dubai.
Sioux Falls police say the complaints are piling up against door-to-door sales people trying to sell home security systems around Sioux Falls. The companies involved go by the names AMP, Monitronics and Pinnacle.
They are legitimate businesses with proper city and state licenses, but police say “pushy” sales tactics are spurring complaints.
“I’m always hesitant to let anyone into the house,” said homeowner Lang Bretzman. “So I came out on the front porch and spoke with him initially.”
Bretzman says he did not feel pushed during that conversation with an AMP salesman on Friday. In fact, he ended up letting the man into his home and buying a security system.
Bruce Stegenga down the street did not have the same positive experience.
“A guy came and rang my doorbell and knocked on my door,” Stegenga said. “I came and answered the door, and he gave me a spiel about a security system. He was kind of pushy, so I sent him on his way.”
Though the salesman got upset, Bruce says he eventually left. But Sioux Falls police say they took several calls which didn’t end as quickly.
“A salesman came to (a woman’s) door from this company,” said officer Sam Clemens. “He was pushing the alarm company, or the alarms on her. She said she didn’t want to. While they were there, some other installers came and actually put the alarm system in her home.”
Though Lang has had some technical problems with his system, he says he hasn’t had any problems with the salespeople he’s dealt with. In fact, one of them came to his home when our camera was there to fix that technical problem. The salesman wouldn’t talk on camera but said he wasn’t trying to push his product on anyone.
Sioux Falls police continue to investigate several complaints, but there have been no charges filed. If you have a problem with a salesperson, police say you shouldn’t hesitate to call.
Buying instructional self defense videos can ultimately save your life but can also be the most costly decision you ever make. Getting it wrong can literally cost you your life. This article gives an honest review of self defense videos, and gives you some free self defense tips you can use today in a street attack or self defense situation.
Any search on google for “instructional self defense videos” or similar phrase will throw up a plethora of results and choices which can be confusing at best. What google doesn’t tell you is that when it comes to self defense videos practically all of them will be useless in a street attack situation.
Why? Because most of these videos will show you hundreds of moves which when you are faced with an attacker, you simply will not remember. The videos also assume that the attacker will do certain things, attack you in a defined way, or react to your self defense moves in a certain way. That’s fine for the karate practice halls but on the street with your attacker high on drugs, or in a gang with 4 of his pals, those moves are useless.
So, which instructional self defense videos should you be looking for?
Quite simply, the best videos may not be hours long (we want straight to point info right?), and may not show you hundreds of moves (we want to remember them right?). What we do want is a self defense video that will save our life by showing us techniques that work to disable our attacker no matter how big, strong or high he is!
In a real street attack situation our self defense moves must be brutal and effective. Many civilised people looking for self defense information forget that there are no rules on the street and your attacker is deadly serious in his intent to harm you. You must therefore learn to do what is necessary to survive.
Even without watching an instructional video, as a bare minimum you need to be familiar with, and prepared to use, the following 7 deadly techniques that many videos simply will not teach you:
1) A kick to the groin instantly disables any man.
2) Pushing your fingers or thumbs into your attackers eyes renders him temporarily blind.
3) A firm punch to the front of his throat (Adam’s apple) will cause him severe pain.
4) A neck punch to the side of the neck will cause him to pass out.
5) ‘Clapping’ you cupped hands around his ears will pop his eardrums.
6) Sticking your fingers in his nostrils will be painful and cause him to bleed, but can also be used to pull his head away from you.
7) Giving him a kick to the side of his knee will break/ dislocate his knee.
The above self defense techniques are valuable to know as a minimum but a decent video will teach you similar techniques and have the added bonus of being able to demonstrate these visually.
I can only reiterate my warning to you that most instructional self defense videos are nothing short of useless. I know because I have paid for many of them only to be disappointed.
In my experience, the best self defense videos are made for street attacks, are short and to the point, and list just a few life saving self defense techniques. One such self defense system is called ‘Hikuta’. It is actually quite brutal but on the streets that’s what we want!
Remember, the best instructional self defense videos meet the following criteria;
1) Get to the point,
2) Are simple to use,
3) Are easy to remember,
4) Have a small number of techniques,
5) Disable any attacker quickly.
About the Author:
For more information on the brutal Hikuta instructional self defense videos follow this link http://selfdefensevideos.247info.us. Don’t waste your money on other so-called self defense videos. It may cost you your life.
The job reports were released today and once again hundreds of thousands of new unemployment claims. Some people will tell you that the recession is slowing because the new monthly unemployment cases have decreased over the last few months. Do these so called economists think the American public is a bunch of idiots? We are in the midst of the worst recession since the great depression. Even worse, we have more and more people turning to crime. Our streets are less safe, our homes are less safe, and the truth is it will get worse before getting better.
Let’s take a common sense approach to this. The US unemployment rate increased from 8.9% to 9.4% for the month ending May 2009. That’s 787,000 new unemployment claims in the month of May and a total of over 14,500,000 million total unemployed persons in the United States. Now add in the job losses coming as a result of GM and Chrysler. We will soon experience jobless rates that surpass 10 percent. The mere thought of this is staggering.
History implies that if income levels decline crime rates in general go up. I am concerned for the safety and well being of our citizens. Many are predicting that we will see spikes in crime that have never been experienced before. If history is an accurate indicator violent crimes will increase nearly 2 percentage points for each 1 percent increase in unemployment.
If other factors are added in the crime rates increase even more.
A community with a young population and ones that have drug abuse problems
Where gangs exist, violent crime is substantially higher
Nearly 15,000,000 people in America are jobless and less than a year ago the majority had good paying, long term jobs. These people have families. The have husbands, wives and children. Bills still need to be paid, food still needs to be placed on the table. Think about this for a minute, if you were in this situation how would you handle it. I don’t know that you can answer the question, unless you’ve experienced the stress and pressure of being in this type situation.
Some will turn to crime as a means of attempting to provide for their families. The end result means more homicides, more burglaries, more home invasions, etc. How will you defend your home and family. In today’s society self defense in crucial, it is a necessity. Non-lethal self defense products can provide an excellent line of defense. Best of all, they are non lethal; meaning no long term injury or effects.
Yes you can go get a handgun and the training necessary to effectively use it. The problem is, if you own one you have to be willing to use it and except the potential consequences that come along with pulling the trigger. Now consider instead buying a TASER device or a good pepper spray? The effects of both are almost instant and your intent is not (or should not) be to kill anyone; only to stop them long enough to get to safety.
Chances are good that the community you live in is suffering from tough economic times. As a direct result your community will see more criminal activity. How do you plan to make yourself and family less appealing crime targets. This can be done easily and involves awareness and preparation. At your residence or business, how secure are your entry points. Are your doors and windows secured with an alarm device? Do you have security stickers on the windows. If you door or window were opened would you be alerted with so type of “chime” or “beep” notification?
Ever considered starting or joining a neighborhood watch organization? This is a great way to create a safe community. Involvement with police or sheriffs offices are a great idea. First, you are letting law enforcement know that they have a partner or ally in you. Second, the resources available thorough these organizations is “priceless”. Ask them to come out and speak to you or organization a safety. All of these are awareness builders and smart ways to increase community safety and deter criminals.
Bryan Buckner is a top self defense & surveillance consultant and business owner. He opened Guardian Self Defense & Security Products LLC in 2005. Since that time Guardian has successfully helped over 19,000 (and counting) people and small businesses improve their security situation. Proud members of the South Louisiana Better Business Bureau.
Putting your cash under your mattress may not be the safest place to hide your life savings but you don’t have to put it in a safety deposit box at the bank either.Keeping your valuables at home can be an excellent idea, provided they are actually hidden in really secret places. That means you can’t tell anyone that I told you about these hiding places.
Best Hiding Places For Your Valuables
The following ideas will offer you security against theft of your valuables.Check them out, see which ones you can do yourself (some require construction modifications) and which places you might work better for you to hide your valuables.
Baseboards – this one is pretty easy to make.Because baseboards are so common, no thief would give them a second look.Choose a short section of baseboard and carefully remove it.Cut out a hole in the drywall behind the baseboard and then replace it.
Walls – because walls are hollow, you can easily have a hiding space and any room.If there is a wall that looks like it could or should have an outlet but doesn’t, you can easily purchase a hide a safe that looks like a wall outlet but it’s really a safe hiding place for your valuables.
Empty laundry soap box – when you have finished with your laundry soap, hide your valuables there and put it back on the shelf.This won’t work too well if you share the laundry area with a roommate and you are trying to hide your stuff from them as well as any would be burglars.
Inside a shower curtain rod – have you ever noticed that the inside of your shower curtain rod is hollow?It makes a great place to hide valuables.
Fake can safe – also known as a diversion safe. Search the Internet for all types of food containers that can store your cash, jewelry and other valuables in a container that looks like the real thing.
Never wear it shirt – choose a long sleeve shirt that you never wear and sew one of the sleeves shut.If you are not good at sewing (like me), then get some of that no-sew tape and it will do a nice job.Hide your valuables in the sleeve and put hang the shirt up in the closet.
There are a good number of secret hiding places that you can use in your home to help prevent burglary.Not all of these methods will be right for everyone and although these hiding places may not be as effective as a real safe, they are cheaper and less noticeable.Be creative when you are creating your hiding place and make sure that you keep it a secret. It only works if noone knows about it.
A burglar alarm is the number one deterrent for crimes against property.
