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
computer security
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’
Beware ‘free public wi-fi’
Don't be tempted to use "free public wi-fi" when you or your kids want to go online waiting for a flight or in other public places. I certainly have been. But when I've yielded to temptation once or twice, I've closed right out of it, put off by the strange new symbol that turned up – different from the usual connected parallel curved lines where my MacBook's AirPort icon usually is. Turns out my … [Read more...] about Beware ‘free public wi-fi’