Phishing Pharming - Cookies Trojans
Thursday, 13. October 2005, 12:21:56
Restrict pictures to your Email, [they appear as a little box containing a red X]
Only click on those red xs that you personally know to be reliable. Otherwise you accept a download from a site you don't know and it could contain Trojan or worm code.
Engage *Cookie permission*: That's where anytime a cookie is going to be set. A box pops up and asks; [1]*Set cookie?* [2]*just for session* [3]*Refuse*.
Most often it is best to select *Refuse* or *Deny* You still get to see the page you want anyway. Very seldom is a page held back because you *Deny* the set of a cookie.
For sites you know are reliable, but you probably will not visit again, you could allow placing of a cookie *Just for session*. There is no need for that site to have a reference cookie on your computer if you are not going to revisit.
Finally, for websites you know to be rock solid and that you revisit, then yes , you can allow a long term cookie to be set. That cookie will ID your computer to the reliable website everytime you log on.
I'm no expert. Your own logic will decide for you whether these steps make sense or not.
Here is an [snippet] of interest buried in the sub-topics of CNet News.
=============== From C-Net News ================ tech ========
Spyware is becoming increasingly pernicious and sophisticated
according to security experts who are warning that users are still failing to take basic steps to protect themselves against the threat.
It's a problem that should scare big businesses as they face up to the fact that important data could be leaking out of their organizations daily. And yet too many organizations are failing to properly educate or protect their employees, one expert says.
<b> You'd be surprised at the amount of data these things collect </b>
said Eric Chien, a senior researcher at Symantec.
Chien said techniques such as screen capture, key logging, behavioral analysis and common word recognition are all methods employed by spyware applications to build a profile of a user. Presenting at the Virus Bulletin conference in Dublin, Ireland, Chien also detailed the ways in which spyware can get onto a machine.
At their most basic, they will be able to find your name, your gender, your age, the amount of time you spend online, what you search for, what you buy and what Web sites you visit he said.
Chien proved this point by showing the detailed data relayed by one piece of common spyware.
Such applications won't discriminate between personal and corporate data, though the latter tends to be of far higher value.
Chien also showed conference delegates a more advanced spyware application that is programmed to kick in when any one of hundreds of Web sites are visited and certain words encountered on the page.
Such an application, for example, was able to take and relay screenshots whenever the user was on particular retailers' Web sites where the word * confirm * appeared.
If you're hitting 'confirm,' then what information is going to be visible on that Web page? Credit card number, name, expiry date, billing address, shipping address.
Chien said.
http://news.com.com/Spyware+threat+escalating%2C+expert+warns/2100-1029_3-5893267.html?tag=fd_nbs_ent_tag=nl.e703
TG
WIDGETIZE