This is a new web blog dedicated to on-line safety, security and privacy. A sheepdog was originally bred to protect the flock from predators, thus the reason for the name of this blog, The Digital Sheepdog (™)
Smishing Scams (SMS Fraud)
Many who are now using smartphones are utilizing this technology to notify us when any suspicious activity is taking place with any of our financiall accounts. Many banks offer this SMS service for free, as a way to protect ourselves from identity thieves who attempt to access our accounts. …
Phishing Scams
Two Great YouTude videos about phishing scams and how to recognize them and not fall victim.
Darren
The Digital Sheepdog
How Are Scammers Using Facebook
Great YouTube video on how modern scammers are using Facebook to steal your information or scam you out of your hard earned money:
Darren
The Digital Sheepdog
Free Parental Control Solution
OpenDNS is offering a free Internet filtering option called "Family Shield" that protects all digital interconnected devices that can gain access to the Internet, via the home router, from adut content sites. Unique in its approach to protection, OpenDNS protects at the router and provides easy step by step directions that anyone can follow to get their protection in place. …
Free Browser Security Check
Here's a link to a legitimate Internet company that offers a free scan of your Internet browser and if security issues are identified, offers fixes to these identified concerns. According to the company:
"Qualys BrowserCheck is a cross-platform and cross-browser SaaS service that scans the user's browser looking for vulnerabilities in the browser itself and its plug-ins. …
The Big Three Security Blogs
For those of us who use Facebook, Google, and operate the number one operating system in the world, Microsoft (i'm a Mac OS user :) ) here are their security blogs that provide much needed information on how to set their security settings and keep them updated:
Keeping Your Smartphone Information Safe
One of the coolest things about the Internet is how enabling it is to the user, and how you can find almost anything to read about on-line. The challenge however, this enabling capability is also something that the criminal element utilize to share information with one another on-line as well.
QR Codes... Be Careful
QR (Quick Response) codes are going to be very popular this holiday season and can be found in magazines, posted in store windows, in bus stops and even on advertising signs. A legit QR code is designed to take you to a website of a product being sold , provide more information on a product, offer discount coupons or even provide you with a map to find the product at a cheaper price at another store.
Recovering From a Facebook Hack
In an earlier posting I shared a new Facebook (FB) utility called "Trusted Friends" that can be very useful if you need to recover from a FB hack (account takeover) which is becoming more and more common.
Although Trusted Friends is a great utility, if we could make it harder for a person to hack our FB account, then using the Trusted Friends utility should be a rarity rather than the norm. …
LinkedIn Sharing Information
Earlier this year, like Facebook, LinkedIn announced that they would be using user's information (name and photo) in advertising. The good news is that there is an easy way to "opt out" of this and prevent LinkedIn from sharing this personal information with others, and here's a YouTube video to show you how:
Facebook "Trusted Friends"
Have you ever been locked out of your Facebook page, well now Facebook has created a program called "Trusted Friends" that will help you unlock your account.
According to Facebook:
"Trusted friends are friends you can reach out to if you ever get locked out of your Facebook account (ex: you turn on …
2011 WWW X-Mas Scams
Security Company McAffe, has just released their annual "12 Scams of Christmas" that everyone who participates in the digital echo-system should be aware of:
McAfee’s 12 Scams of Christmas
1. Mobile Malware: A recent National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, dated October 19, found that 52.6 percent of U.S. consumers who own a smartphone said they will be using their device for holiday-shopping related activities—whether it’s to research products, redeem coupons, or purchase holiday gifts. …
Mobile Banking Dangers
A fellow Internet safety expert by the name of John Silios, who specializes in the area of identity theft, wrote an article about why we shouldn't be using mobile banking on our cell phones just yet. Seven reasons that John outlines include:
…
Cleaning Your Facebook Page
A new app that has just come out on the Adroid platform (iOS soon to come) is a producted called "Exfoliate for Facebook". For those who have attempted to clean your Facebook page/walls of "embarrassing" information that is dated, but still viewable by all, you have probably found that it is not as easy process. …
How Facebook Is Helping Student
Even though there are some privacy and security issues with Facebook, this social network also offers several benefits to students. Here's an interesting infograhic that highlights some of these benefits:
Created by: Online PhD
Have You Been Compromised
A new website called "Pawned List" has been created to allow us to check to see (for free) if our email addresses have been stolen or compromised. Known as being "pwned" in the hacker's world, this site will advised if your personal information, including email addresses, logins for baking sites or social media passwords may be in the hands of hackers…
CTRL/Command +F
For those who use the Internet for research, we know about the CTRL +F (for PC) or Command +F for (Mac) function that allows the user to search a web page or on-line document for a specific word or phrase. Current research however, shows that approximately 90% of users (especially students) don't know about this handy search function.
Mobile Malware
I have reported in several past postings, about the increase in Malware specfic to mobile devices, especially cellphones. Well a mobile security firm called "Bullguard", have created an infographic that fully explains the real dangers associated with unprotected cellphones and why purchasing a mobile security app is so important.
The State Of The Internet 2011
Check out this "infographic" from "Online Schools" that presents, in a visual way, the mindblowing growth of the Internet, and the effects it is having on our everyday life. Make sure you click on the "Click To Lauch Inforgraphic" box.
Juice Jacking
How many of us have used “free charging kiosk’s” that are popping up in airports, hotels, conference centres and shopping malls; especially when our smartphone or laptop is about to run out of power. Did you know however, that these same kiosks can be configured by the criminal element…
Facebook To Release Clearer Privacy Settings
Isn't competition GREAT. Facebook has announced that they will be "revamping its privacy settings to increase their transparency and make it easier for the site's 750 million users to know exactly with whom they are sharing their online lives." …
Social Networks, Careful what You Post
Here's but yet another reason why we need to be carfeful about posting private information into our Social Networks. Remember that no matter what your privacy settings, NOTHING is private and everything you post becomes exploitable. …
"Supercookies" Yet Another Privacy Concern
“Supercookies” A Further Privacy Concern:
For those who are unaware, every time you type something into your browser (such as google) every word that you type is being tracked and used to create a digital dossier to target “specific” advertisement (things you like) to you.…
Children's Privacy On-line
Interesting article from the United States, where a company was fined over $50,000 dollars for collecting personal information in violation of the US's Children's On-line Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Of note, here in Canada, we have the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) "Code of Conduct" which driectly reflects the US based COPPA. …
It's Not Just Big Business Who's Watching
Very interensting article from "Retrevo" that looks into the fact that it may not just be big business who is spying on our on-line activities, but also someone who you maybe either know, love or trust.
http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2011/07/forget-big-brother-someone-closer-you-have-worry-about
Child Safety App
As a child safety advocate and a law enforcement professional, for those parents who carry a smartphone, such as an iPhone, I highly recommend this App. When a child goes missing, time is of the essence and the sooner that law enforcement can get the required personal information about your child, including a recent picture, the better; this app provides law enforcement with such information. …
WOW
Here's an article from Business Week that explains how:
- our banks are struggling to keep up with the cybercriminal
- how the cybercriminal operates
- how most law enforcement agencies are playing a game of catchup and struggling to keep pace with the cybercriminal
Risk Perspective
Some Perspective:
As an Internet safety advocate, I am the first to acknowledge the “real” risks when it comes to youth and young adults and their on-line activities specific to safety, security and their digital footprint. Having said this however, we parents and educators must put these on-line risks into perspective when compared to the following:
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