Phishing on AOL was closely associated with the warez community that exchanged pirated software. Those who would later phish on AOL during the 1990s originally used fake, algorithmically generated credit card numbers to create accounts on AOL, which could last weeks or possibly months. After AOL brought in measures in late 1995 to prevent this, early AOL crackers resorted to phishing for legitimate accounts.

A phisher might pose as an AOL staff member and send an instant message to a potential victim, asking him to reveal his password. In order to lure the victim into giving up sensitive information the message might include imperatives like “verify your account” or “confirm billing information”. Once the victim had revealed the password, the attacker could access and use the victim’s account for criminal purposes, such as spamming. Both phishing and warezing on AOL generally required custom-written programs, such as AOHell. Phishing became so prevalent on AOL that they added a line on all instant messages stating: “no one working at AOL will ask for your password or billing information”.

After 1997, AOL’s policy enforcement with respect to phishing and warez became stricter and forced pirated software off AOL servers. AOL simultaneously developed a system to promptly deactivate accounts involved in phishing, often before the victims could respond. The shutting down of the warez scene on AOL caused most phishers to leave the service, and many phishers-often young teens-grew out of the habit.

The capture of AOL account information may have led phishers to misuse credit card information, and to the realisation that attacks against online payment systems were feasible. The first known direct attempt against a payment system affected E-gold in June 2001, which was followed up by a “post-911 id check” shortly after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Both were viewed at the time as failures, but can now be seen as early experiments towards more fruitful attacks against mainstream banks. By 2004, phishing was recognized as a fully industrialized part of the economy of crime: specializations emerged on a global scale that provided components for cash, which were assembled into finished attacks.

Not all phishing attacks require a fake website. Messages that claimed to be from a bank told users to dial a phone number regarding problems with their bank accounts. Once the phone number (owned by the phisher, and provided by a Voice over IP service) was dialed, prompts told users to enter their account numbers and PIN. Voice phishing sometimes uses fake caller-ID data to give the appearance that calls come from a trusted organization.

The damage caused by phishing ranges from denial of access to email to substantial financial loss. This style of identity theft is becoming more popular, because of the readiness with which unsuspecting people often divulge personal information to phishers, including credit card numbers, social security numbers, and mothers’ maiden names. There are also fears that identity thieves can add such information to the knowledge they gain simply by accessing public records. Once this information is acquired, the phishers may use a person’s details to create fake accounts in a victim’s name. They can then ruin the victims’ credit, or even deny the victims access to their own accounts.

Internet has come up as an excellent source of marketing for businesses; be it small sized or large sized. This allows them to sell their products and services. This has pushed a fierce competition among online vendors.

Good Internet connection is very reasonable nowadays for just starting out entrepreneurs. Small online businesses earn right away in a month or so and no need to worry about other expenses that are difficult to handle.

You must be aware of the dangers that can happen to your online business on the Internet, particularly those relevant to computer security such as hacking your computers. There can be a high risk of virus, spyware and other online malware as Internet is their main breeding place. It can affect your business for such a long time. Most online business owners do not consider the fact that their small business can fall prey to internet and external computer security threats.

According to industry connoisseurs, most online businesses failed to follow the basic security measures required to run their businesses. This comprises virus removal software and spyware removal into the computer systems.

Online businesses should pay attention to the new strategies employed by different hackers. Their strategies are hard to tackle these days. These hackers use advanced techniques essential to push through these internet security installed on the PC. Your business could scatter to pieces if you don’t pay attention to the threats in creeping into your system. This can make your investment a complete waste if you will not put up a security measure in your system.

Computer and Internet security should be the top priority when establishing an online business. You can consider availing help from technical support companies to have an idea about how to keep your PCs safe and avail online data backup. Some technical support resources have come up with exclusive business service packs to help businesses learn how to maintain their server and kill server errors as your online operations will hinge on the proper working of your Internet.

These services have termed server support which is highly useful for small businesses as they have lesser funds to recover from a mishap and thus should be more careful in their Internet and server security measures.

The cost of cybercrime to small, mid-sized and large companies across the globe has risen dramatically in the past several years, reaching new heights in 2008 and 2009. In fact, a recent report of approximately 800 CIOs from a variety of companies in the United States, Dubai, Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom, China, Japan and India tallies the total figure of losses at roughly one trillion dollars. Of course, this is a rough estimate and may not fully encompass all the “hidden” costs associated with losing a computer system or experiencing a breach of data.

To combat these types of dramatic losses, especially for small or medium sized companies that have little infrastructure or budget to rely upon should they become the victims of cybercrime, Secure Resolutions has developed a unique line of independent, integrated IT security management products.

Based out of Mesa, Arizona, Secure Resolutions was formed in early 2001 and has risen as a leading security company. The Secure Resolutions team includes numerous highly-qualified engineers and a bevy of educated personnel who dedicate their time to developing state-of-the-art software that enables enterprises of all sizes to secure their IT programs. Additionally, the company is led by visionaries who have years of expertise working within Fortune 500 companies.

With a mantra of “Better Security at Lower Costs”, Secure Resolutions has engineered key security products that can integrate with any company’s operating systems or software programs. Their line of products has been “intelligently” enabled, allowing those products to learn from their experiences. In essence, Secure Resolutions’ cybercrime solutions stay one step ahead of malware, spyware and adware by being flexible and independently responsive.

The impetus for Secure Resolutions’ desire to originate such innovative ways to combat cybercrime was their focus on reducing the Total Cost of Ownership for companies. For the Secure Resolutions team, increasing ROI for their clientele is a top priority, and eliminating cybercrime is a proven method to achieve that goal.

In response to Secure Resolutions’ years of dedication to their mission and vision, the organization has won several awards, including that from CRN and CompTIA. The former was given to Secure Resolutions in 2007, naming the company one of the 163 Emerging Tech Dynamos for the year; the latter was given to Secure Resolutions more recently for its innovative solutions, business model and sales strategy.

In addition to the accolades the company has earned over the years, Secure Resolutions has also obtained HIPAA certification from the HIPAA Academy. This certification ensures that all of Secure Resolutions’ products exceed the latest government and industry security standards required within the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (also known as HIPAA).

As Secure Resolutions moves toward its ninth anniversary, its entire team remains committed to helping small, medium and larger corporations around the world thwart computer viruses, invasions and cybercrime. With innovative measures already in place, Secure Resolutions expects to improve upon as well as expand its product lines to systematically strike out against web-based criminal activity.

For more information, please visit SecureResolutions.

Toddlers and preschoolers start to discover things from their limited capacity. Their brain has the ability to store lots of information acquired through their active senses. They may still be dependent on older people but are pretty much capable of harnessing their motor skills.

Internet threats to Kids Age 2-4 Years Old

Kids from 2 to 4 years old have the capacity to operate computers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 67% of kids of this age use the computer and almost 1 of 4 use the internet. Although online activities may not be very interesting to these kids, the sounds and images that the internet has add to their learning experience and can stimulate broader imagination.

Since they take sound and images they see on the internet at face value and don’t have the capacity to discern fiction from real, anything that they see and hear on the internet that may be disturbing can result in fear. They can take the portrayals of violence, danger, and threats as true and real. Thus, it is dangerous for kids at this age to be exposed to webpages with disturbing images and sounds.

To protect your kids from this, here are the internet safety tips you should know:

•    Don’t leave your kids alone in front of the computer. They may accidentally open hyperlinks that lead to unsuitable sites.

•    Keep a list of websites that are right for your kids’ age. Bookmark these websites for easy reference.

•    If you want to look for other sites, do it without your kids.

•    Keep the computer in an area where you can easily see it. Always sit with your kids or have an adult to guide them whenever they will use the computer or the internet.

•    Use filtering devices and security settings to prevent your kids from accidentally opening scandalous websites.

•    Download kids-friendly internet browsers.

•    Keep the popup blocker “on” to prevent unwanted sites from opening to your screen. Disable Java to ensure that the popup is neutralized.

•    This age is the best time to teach your kids about the importance of privacy. Teach them not to give any private information to anyone, online or offline.

•    Encourage all family members to act as a role model to the kids on the right use of the internet.

•    Encourage your kids to share with you their experience while using the internet.

Sen. Partick J. Leahy has introduced the Anti-Phishing Act of
2005 to Congress for consideration. The Act would allow federal
prosecutors to seek fines of up to $250,000 and prison sentences
of up to five years against individuals convicted for promoting
phishing scams. Online parody and political speech sites would
be excluded from prosecution.

“Phishing” is an online scam used to deceive computer users into
giving up personal information such as social security numbers
and passwords. Phishing scams usually involve email messages
requesting the verification of personal information from a
familiar business. Readers are provided a link that sends them
to what appears to be the site of the company in question. The
reader is then asked to verify their account information by
providing their name, address, social security number, account
number, etc.

In truth, the site is an illegal copy of the business in
question and the reader’s information is collected for later
fraudulent use including identity theft. Consumers are estimated
to lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year to phishing
scams. Undoubtedly, you have received more than a few of these
emails.

Phishing emails are most likely to use the sites of banks,
credit card companies, and large retailers. Online companies
such as Ebay, PayPal and Earthlink have had similar problems.
One particularly aggressive group even scammed the site of the
IRS.

In April 2004, the IRS warned consumers that scam artists were
sending emails purportedly from the IRS. Consumers received
emails claiming they were under investigation for tax fraud and
subject to prosecution. The emails contained language telling
recipients they could “help” the investigation by providing
“real” information and directed them to a website that was
derivative of the IRS site. Consumers were then asked to provide
detailed personal information to dispute the charge. Since most
people fear the IRS, one can assume that a large number of
people took the phishing bait.

Commentary

The Anti-Phishing Act of 2005 is a nice start to combating scam
artists that use phishing to pilfer money from consumers. The
Act, however, will not put an end to deceptive phishing
practices if it is passed. There reason involves jurisdictional
issues.

A large percentage of the individuals promoting phishing scams
reside outside of the United States. While they may take notice
of the law, it will have no discernible effect on their
fraudulent scams. Until there is an international response,
phishing scams will continue to be a problem. Nonetheless,
Senator Leahy should be commended for initiating efforts to deal
with this growing problem