Quote of the Weak (Trojan=Password)

I’ve been absent from the blog lately due to a number of pressing projects, one which was rebuilding a friend’s Windows XP box after a trojan massacre (and I thought only auditors stabbed the wounded — you should have seen the legions on that box).

When I delivered the newly minted OS and applications, my friend informed me that another set of email spam was sent from her Hotmail account at 3:20 am that morning. She asked me whether I was working on the PC at the time. I told her that not only was her PC turned off at that time, it was unplugged.

Don’t Lose Your Online Banking Records

Quinn McDonald cautions people about losing access to their online banking records when they close their bank accounts and flee across town for a better deal, or in her case, better customer service.

Major Bank Invites Hackers In?

A short while back, I attended a meeting in the basement of a branch of a major, national bank. The bank didn’t know whether I was a hacker or not, but I was allowed in (kind of invited) anyway.

What’s the Fuss?

Have you ever been asked:

• What’s all the fuss about computer security? I don’t have any sensitive data on my home computer, and at work, I don’t have access to any sensitive data.
• Why would anyone attack my computer?

How do you respond? Here’s how I handle it.

Clean Your Purse & iPod

When’s the last time you cleaned out your wallet or purse or secured sensitive data on your hard drives?  Many of us intend to practice good security and protect ourselves at home, and many others don’t even give it a grey cell.

It’s time again to:

• Change all your critical passwords for online banking, investment sites, email, password safe, etc. (see note #1 below).