Cyber threats in 2010

[Philidor]

Twitter, Chrome, and Acrobat reader look like the soft targets for 2010. Twitter's shortened urls are a particular problem:

McAfee also warns that URL shorteners, like those used to accommodate Twitter''s 140-character limit, make the cyber criminal''s task even easier.

Symantec said in its recent report on 2010 threats, URL shortening services will "become the phisher''s best friend."

"Because users often have no idea where a shortened URL is actually sending them, phishers are able to disguise links that the average security conscious user might think twice about clicking on," the company said.

Source

[periodinstrumentfan]

yikes !!! good thing i lost interest in twitter 2 months ago

[marquis66]

Once again, cyber criminals prey on those who don't know how to protect themselves properly.

n my home computer, I keep a personal firewall and version control software running at all times, and I still run cleansing tools once a week or so, and it isn't just as simple a virus scan any more.

[Florestan]

Ban this criminal pervert interweb thingy now!

[maureen]

i can drive one but sometimes i just want to put er in drive and go...
computers...i just want to turn it on and go...

[acundy11]

With all of the threats that we have now, we are not so sure about what's safe anymore. All what's left for us to do is to be always vigilant and extra careful...

Arthur Cundy

[Eric the Aardvark]

Short urls are just asking for trouble, I'd never click on one.

Adobe Reader is always going to be a prime target as long as it is so widespread. For that reason alone, I've removed it completely and now use Foxit to open pdfs - it's not necessarily more secure, but won't be subject to attacks like Adobe Reader is.

[Florestan]

Originally Posted by Eric the Aardvark

Short urls are just asking for trouble, I'd never click on one.

Adobe Reader is always going to be a prime target as long as it is so widespread. For that reason alone, I've removed it completely and now use Foxit to open pdfs - it's not necessarily more secure, but won't be subject to attacks like Adobe Reader is.

I will check out foxit - thanks. I will click on public short urls on Twitter from trusted sources but never in DMs as there is massive phishing going on.

[GrahamLynch]

I use AVG (free version) and I've been told I should also install the free Zone Alarm firewall. Is this, by today's standards, hopelessly inadequate?!? Should I beef it up a bit, get some sort of 'Schwarzenegger sized' anti-anything programme? If so what?

Any thoughts gratefully received!!!

[Philidor]

Originally Posted by GrahamLynch

I use AVG (free version) and I've been told I should also install the free Zone Alarm firewall. Is this, by today's standards, hopelessly inadequate?!? Should I beef it up a bit, get some sort of 'Schwarzenegger sized' anti-anything programme? If so what?

Any thoughts gratefully received!!!

It's a while since I checked free AVG but it always used to arrive without a firewall. So if you're on a PC, switch on the Windows firewall. You'll probably find it's already on. If auto-update is also switched on you should be fine. If you run both Windows and Zone Alarm firewalls - a double firewall - you'll risk slowing everything down and using up all your memory. On a Mac.... The main thing is to have the following turned on and on auto-update:

• Firewall
• Anti-virus
• Anti-spywear
• Identity theft protection