There have been "a number of reports over the past few weeks about an anti-virus scam that goes by a number of aliases, including MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity," reports Larry Magid, my ConnectSafely.org co-director, at the San Jose Mercury News. He says he's been religious about protecting his Windows computers against malware but only just tried out some anti-virus software on his … [Read more...] about Attacks on Macs
Security
Phishing seriously on the rise in social sites
You know what phishing is, right? Tricking Net users into clicking on bad links and sharing sensitive info like passwords and credit card numbers by pretending to be someone the users trust (a friend, their bank, etc.). Well, Microsoft says the number of phishing attacks in social network sites increased 1,200% last year, eWeekEurope.co.uk reports. Phishers "get a higher return on investment … [Read more...] about Phishing seriously on the rise in social sites
Helping Japan with our brains as well as hearts
It's important for us to point out to our children that millions of people are looking for ways to help survivors of Japan's earthquake-related disasters. This is the social norms approach that encourages everybody to take positive action. This is also an opportunity to teach media literacy, as we look at how people are helping via social-media tools and how they can be vulnerable in doing so – if … [Read more...] about Helping Japan with our brains as well as hearts
E-shopping security for gift-givers of all ages
If your kids are anything like mine, they realize kind of late that it's time to do their holiday shopping and they like to do that shopping online. So this is a great "teachable moment" for a family conversation about smart online shopping. Here are some talking points: Don't be socially engineered. Click carefully – phishers and other scammers like to trick people into clicking on bad links … [Read more...] about E-shopping security for gift-givers of all ages
Families, be on high alert this ‘Cyber Monday’
You may've heard about how the Monday after Thanksgiving tends to be the biggest online shopping day of the year. Great bargains are to be had. Therefore by definition, it's also a big day for online fraud, so somewhere between now and then, you might have a family chat about being extra alert when shopping on "Cyber Monday." MacWorld suggests that you be extra cautious about deals that are too … [Read more...] about Families, be on high alert this ‘Cyber Monday’