Cyber crime and more data breaches in 2011
Its been a really bad year for companies that have experienced cyber crime or have had serious data breaches. Most recently the Sony Corporation has been in the headlines for failing to properly secure its PlayStation Network which allowed hackers to steal hundreds of millions of users details and possibly credit card information. In April WordPress reported that hackers had gained access to their servers and had access to passwords and source codes of up to 25 million blogs, but no specific details were given. In march Epsilon one of the largest communication companies had a serious data breach that left its major clients which include JP Morgan, TiVo, Walgreens and Best Buy to name a few worried that their customer data had been stolen.
Continuing on, RSA, a company that makes SecurID authentication tokens, recently reported that alot of their data had been stolen after their networks were breached. This was a severe loss for the company causing them to re-issue security tokens of more than 40 million customers including the US Government. Voice of America which is a government website which posts official government news was hacked by a pro Iranian group and edited to denounce the US involvement in the Middle East protests. You can also add Google into the mix which has been facing huge cyber attacks from the Chinese for the last 6 months.
And just announced yesterday Citi Group one of the worlds largest financial institutions said that personal information on more than 200,000 of its customers had been stolen including account numbers and email addresses which would probably be used for phishing attacks.
There is no doubt that attacks and cyber crime will keep happening, and while you can try to protect your own personal data at home, just remember that you also have personal data stored on servers located around the world. Weather it be medical information, video rental history, frequent flyer miles, or the membership card at your local grocery store. All these companies keep records and are susceptible to being hacked.
So what can you do to prevent it? Well unfortunately not much. Keep up with the news and keep changing your details, emails, passwords etc. Check your bank balances frequently, use prepaid credit cards and hope for the best because cyber crime is here to stay. To protect yourself we have alot of information on Hide Yourself Online so spend some time to go through our website.
Is internet privacy impossible?
Internet privacy is becoming more and more of a topic of discussion these last few months as issues with Google, Apple and Sony are in the headlines. Privacy advocates are going as far as saying that privacy does not exist, it can’t exist and on the internet privacy is virtually impossible. In some way they are right, people don’t take the time to read privacy policies, terms of use and any agreements when they sign up to services that they really have no idea where their data is going or what its used for.
Here at Hide Yourself Online we dont agree with this assumption. There are several steps users can take to protect their privacy both online and offline, if you play it smart you can remain totally anonymous by following some simple rules.
It all starts with being smart, if you really need to use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Myspace etc than don’t put all your personal details in your accounts. Don’t use your real name, it is well known that employers are now searching Facebook to find out more about the people they hire. Don’t list your address or phone numbers and don’t go posting private pictures that can be viewed by the whole world. Better yet you should just stay away from these services all together.
There are other steps to take such as privitzing emails, not keeping the same password for all your accounts, forum privacy, instant messaging, wireless internet protection and several encryption methods. The most important factor when protecting your privacy online is a VPN to hide your IP address.
All these things can be explained on our webpage but a good start can be found by reading this page on Internet Security. One important thing to remember though is you must use your brain, most of this is just common sense.
Google Chrome update fixes 15 bugs
If you are using Google Chrome than you need to update to the latest version as Google as fixed 15 bugs including 5 high severity vulnerabilities. Along with these new bug fixes the new version allows users to delete flash cookies just like they can do with web cookies. Another new feature will prevent the spread of malicious files when the private browsing feature is turned on.
Google Chrome is one of the top rated browsers by users who are fans of the speed of the browser and the streamlined style. If you are still stuck using Internet Explorer than we recommend you upgrade to Google Chrome. Alternatively you can use Opera or Firefox 2 other internet browsers that are alot better than Internet Explorer.
All of these browsers are also available in portable editions which we recommend for security and data protection. For more information view our page on Portable Apps.
Internet Privacy Bill rejected in California for the 2nd time
Bill SB242 also known as the internet privacy bill was rejected 19-17 by lawmakers in California for the 2nd time after coming under heavy opposition by those pesky social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook who want the bill abolished because it will defeat the purpose of their website which is to exploit internet privacy.
The bill would have prevented any website from displaying users personal information publicly and any request to remove personal information would have had to be done within 96 hours or they face a fine of up to $10,000 per offense. It would also allow parents to control the accounts of their children and remove anything personal such as phone numbers or addresses which had been posted publicly online.
The bill has been wildly supported by the Child Abuse Prevention Council, California State Sheriffs’ Association and the Consumer Watchdog association.
It seems that companies such as Facebook are paying off lawmakers in order to reject these bills, because we cant think of any reason why anyone with a child would reject such a bill, it seems insane…
Gmail users – beware of fake login pages
Google sent a warning yesterday about targeted attacks on Gmail users that use phishing attacks to trick users to login to fake Gmail pages. The attackers thought to be Chinese seem to be targeting US officials that use Gmail (who would have thought they even do!?) and also political activists, journalists and military personnel.
To improve your online security Google recommends taking some steps if you are Gmail or Googlemail user.
1. Enable 2-step verification which uses a second password sent to your mobile phone to be able to login.
2. Use an extra strong password with numbers and characters to improve security. See our post on creating a password.
3. Only login from the from the Google domain and never on a 3rd party site or click a link in an email.
4. Check your account for suspicious forwarding addresses and see if there is anything there that you don’t recognize.
5. If Google detects suspicious activity with your account it will display a red message at the top of the page after you login, be sure to check out these messages and change your password immediately if you see them.
Also you can see below the difference between a fake Google login page and the real one, you need to be careful when logging in. For extra security we recommend the use of a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic also.
Google Wallet payment system
Google has announced the release of their long awaited new payment system Google Wallet. This revolutionary new payment system allows users to pay at certain stores by swiping their mobile phones instead of their credit cards.
The technology is fairly new at the moment so it only works on the Nexus S 4G by Google and with only 1 type of credit card the Citi MasterCard but in the coming months we should see it available on several phones and credit cards. Google are calling it “The future of commerce”.
So how does it work, well just like paying with your credit card you will see the “PayPass” logo at select merchants and they will have the special payment boxes that you will swipe your phone on. Your phone will send the payment and subtract it from your credit card. Why people would use these instead of credit cards is anyone’s guess, but technology advances and possibly soon we may not need for paper money and coins at all.
The only concern we have is consumer safety. With so much news about networks being hacked and this technology to be used wirelessly there is a big concern about the safety of peoples information and payment details. Once the system has been used for a while we will provide a full review on the new Google Wallet system. For now you can learn more by visiting their website Google Wallet.
Inside Strong VPN – World class VPN services
One of the best Virtual Private Network services around at the moment is Strong VPN which is owned and operated by a Reliablehosting.com, one of the best hosting companies. In business for over 12 years, with 24/7/365 support its easy to see why people go with Strong VPN for their VPN needs. With over 900 servers under their control we would like to show you some pictures of their facility located in sunny California USA.
To visit Strong VPN please click here. Virtual Private Network plans from just $7 per month.
New Private Browsing feature for mobile Firefox users
Mobile phone users with the Android operating system can rejoice today as Firefox releases a new version of its popular mobile web browser that includes the “Do Not Track Privacy Feature” which is already used in its desktop browser. Firefox for Android is currently the only mobile browser that us the do not track feature.
This feature can be turned on in the setting tabs as pictured below. Android users can download the beta application for free from Android.com
Ant Video Downloader addon for Firefox a privacy concern
If you are a user of Firefox and have the Ant Video Downloader add on installed than we strongly recommend you remove it ASAP. The app which has recently been removed from the Firefox website has been found to be secretly collecting data about every website you visit and combines it into traceable data even when Private Browsing is enabled. The add on which had over 7 million downloads with more than 7000 new downloads daily was very popular.
A researcher found the problem in the middle of developing web applications. He discovered that every single HTTP request his computer made was being sent to Ants servers which is owned by a company called Reality Check Network Corp.
The developer Simon Newton was quoted as saying
“”As there is this unique identifier, patterns could be built up about where I go — for example if I use my laptop at work, at a public wifi hotspot, at home or a friends house — that [UUID] and cookie can be tied to all of those IP addresses, building a picture of not only what I am doing online, but where I am doing it from.”
“What alarms me a bit more is that the data that is transmitted about me and my browsing (even anonymously) is going onto servers in New York, USA,” he continued. “What if I were visiting [a] site I did not want anyone to know about? What if the US government subpoena ‘Reality check network corp’ for all information stored on their servers about my IP address, cookie, or UUID?”
Another concern is that Firefox did not check this application carefully enough when it was approved to be listed on their site. Firefox currently has more that 5000 add ons listed and this could be the first of many secretly disguised applications that are tracking the movements and data of its users.
Should you get rid of Firefox? We don’t think that is necessary, but you should always be careful what add ons you are installing. The add on is also available for download on Internet Explorer. If you are looking for an alternative we recommend Download Helper with more than 91 million downloads.
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- Cyber crime and more data breaches in 2011 June 11, 2011Its been a really bad year for companies that have experienced cyber crime or have had serious data breaches. Most recently the Sony Corporation has been in the headlines for failing to properly secure its PlayStation Network which allowed hackers to steal hundreds of millions of users details and possibly credit card information. In April […]
- Is internet privacy impossible? June 10, 2011Internet privacy is becoming more and more of a topic of discussion these last few months as issues with Google, Apple and Sony are in the headlines. Privacy advocates are going as far as saying that privacy does not exist, it can’t exist and on the internet privacy is virtually impossible. In some way they […]
- Google Chrome update fixes 15 bugs June 8, 2011If you are using Google Chrome than you need to update to the latest version as Google as fixed 15 bugs including 5 high severity vulnerabilities. Along with these new bug fixes the new version allows users to delete flash cookies just like they can do with web cookies. Another new feature will prevent the […]
- Internet Privacy Bill rejected in California for the 2nd time June 5, 2011Bill SB242 also known as the internet privacy bill was rejected 19-17 by lawmakers in California for the 2nd time after coming under heavy opposition by those pesky social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook who want the bill abolished because it will defeat the purpose of their website which is to exploit internet […]
- Gmail users – beware of fake login pages June 3, 2011Google sent a warning yesterday about targeted attacks on Gmail users that use phishing attacks to trick users to login to fake Gmail pages. The attackers thought to be Chinese seem to be targeting US officials that use Gmail (who would have thought they even do!?) and also political activists, journalists and military personnel. To […]
- Hide My Ass VPN launches new website June 3, 2011Hide My Ass VPN, one of the premier virtual private network companies has just released a new version of its website complete with a new blog. They have also 10 more VPN servers to their already large list of available ip addresses to use anonymously. Hide My Ass VPN currently offers 13,000 unique ip addresses […]
- Google Wallet payment system May 30, 2011Google has announced the release of their long awaited new payment system Google Wallet. This revolutionary new payment system allows users to pay at certain stores by swiping their mobile phones instead of their credit cards. The technology is fairly new at the moment so it only works on the Nexus S 4G by Google […]
- Inside Strong VPN – World class VPN services May 27, 2011One of the best Virtual Private Network services around at the moment is Strong VPN which is owned and operated by a Reliablehosting.com, one of the best hosting companies. In business for over 12 years, with 24/7/365 support its easy to see why people go with Strong VPN for their VPN needs. With over 900 […]
- New Private Browsing feature for mobile Firefox users May 22, 2011Mobile phone users with the Android operating system can rejoice today as Firefox releases a new version of its popular mobile web browser that includes the “Do Not Track Privacy Feature” which is already used in its desktop browser. Firefox for Android is currently the only mobile browser that us the do not track feature. […]
- Ant Video Downloader addon for Firefox a privacy concern May 22, 2011If you are a user of Firefox and have the Ant Video Downloader add on installed than we strongly recommend you remove it ASAP. The app which has recently been removed from the Firefox website has been found to be secretly collecting data about every website you visit and combines it into traceable data even […]