February 20th, 2008
Hot on the heals of the Valentine Storm Worm e-blast are more emails spoofing well-known e-card services. These spoof emails pose as e-cards but actually attempt to install trojan virus software on your computer. (Read more…)
February 6th, 2008
Over the past few days, a number of people at Smith have received emails that claim to be from an organization soliciting feedback on ‘campus’ related software development. Users who visit the website are prompted to submit personal information that could lead to additional phishing attacks.
Please remember that Smith will never send you emails asking for personal information, and if you are unsure about the source or reliability of an email, call ITS at (413) 585 4487 (or email us at 4its@smith.edu) before responding to the message or following any links. (Read more…)
December 11th, 2007
A little over a month ago, I wrote about a new kind of malware for Macs (Mac Users, be wary!) — a DNS-changing trojan posing as a codec (used for watching videos online). The same tactics are used by malware designers to infect PC computers; read this post from McAfee Avert Labs for an example of a fake codec: More Malware-Laced Codecs
For technical information from McAfee: Puper.dldr
Edit: for more information on DNS-changing trojans: DNS attack could signal Phishing 2.0 [MacWorld.com]
December 5th, 2007
Q: I haven’t been visiting any sites that I hadn’t at the beginning of the year, but I’ve been getting a lot of pop up ads recently that significantly slow down my computer. How can I fix this?
A: As you’ve probably guessed, keeping your computer free from malware (which include viruses, adware, spyware, and annoying popups) isn’t easy — but it can be done if you have the right tools. (Read more…)
November 1st, 2007
You may have heard of a trojan known to install itself on Windows computers by exploiting security holes in MySpace pages. This type of malware belongs to a family called Puper, which has been affecting computer users since 2005.
Yesterday, McAfee Avert Labs announced that the authors of Puper have unleashed a similar piece of malware that affects Mac OS X. (Read more…)
October 15th, 2007
This is the third in a series of posts on Digital Security from TechNotes.
Setting up an account password for your personal computer protects you from two kinds of “snoops”: hackers who try to login to your computer remotely; and curious roommates, friends, neighbors, or strangers who have physical access to your computer. For further protection, don’t set your computer to auto-login and have it prompt you for a password when the computer goes to sleep.
If you share your computer with roommates, friends, or siblings, consider setting up multiple user accounts, each with their own passwords. This will protect your information and allow you to control how much access other people have to your computer and what they’re allowed to do. (Read more…)
September 26th, 2007
This is the second in a series of posts on Digital Security from TechNotes. Stay tuned for more information about securing your digital life.
When you post anything online, remember that everything is, in effect, public. Think of your family, friends, teachers, school administrators, future employers, and admissions officers; as well as potential identity thieves and predators. To put it directly, don’t put anything online that you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see – and also don’t put anything online that someone could use to impersonate or stalk you.
So, what should you keep private? (Read more…)
September 19th, 2007
You can keep your information and yourself safe with two things: good passwords and common sense. Passwords will keep private information private – while common sense should keep you from making private information public.
This installment of the Digital Security series on TechNotes explains some “best practices” for choosing passwords. (Read more…)
