Net Nuetrality, and other tidbits

Feels like Monday…

* The FCC’s Net neutrality plan is much worse than it looks

“Under the new proposal, ISPs will be slower to upgrade their networks and will find it easier to exploit customers on both ends.” Read more..

I hope you’re not surprised… * China accuses Cisco of supporting US cyberwar efforts

“China is attacking secret surveillance programs of the U.S. government with harsh words from its state-controlled press, accusing Cisco of helping the U.S. in cyber espionage.” Read more..

* IE8 zero-day vulnerability unpatched for months, possibly millions at risk

“An unpatched zero-day use-after-free remote code execution vulnerability affecting Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) was publicly disclosed on Wednesday by the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) because it has been more than six months since the flaw was initially reported and Microsoft has yet to issue a fix.” Read more..

[Please understand, one shouldn’t get too sore at MS for this, as a better question is, “why is someone using an obsolete version?”] (Some might argue a better question is, “why is someone using Internet Explorer at all?)

Follow up: The eBay data compromise: What you need to know

“eBay has joined the elite list of companies that have lost members’ personal information. Learn how that affects you personally.” Read more..

Bah. That’s enough for today.

Today’s quotable quote: “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” ~ Jim Rohn

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Wrapping up the week

(And a fun video, for balance)

Here are a few interesting headlines, for your consideration.

The ‘Nemanja’ POS malware is being used to steal payment cards in a worldwide campaign.

* ‘Nemanja’ POS malware compromises 1,500 devices, half a million payment cards, worldwide

“As many as half a million payment cards used in hotels, grocery stores and other business around the world – including in the U.S. – have been compromised by ‘Nemanja,’ a recently discovered piece of malware that has infected nearly 1,500 point-of-sale (POS) devices.” Read more..

* For sale: alleged dump of 145M eBay user records

“An alleged dump of eBay user records has been made available for purchase, a day after officials at the popular auction and shopping website made the announcement that a breach occurred sometime between late February and early March.” Read more..

Apparently, a copy of such a list is worth $700.

* HP To Eliminate Up To 16,000 More Positions

“The additional cutbacks come on top of the 34,000 positions that HP was eliminating in connection with a multiyear restructuring plan that was outlined in May 2012.” Read more..

.. so.. you want a career in tech?

* Surface Pro 3: The tablet that can replace your laptop

“Microsoft has had some problems framing the marketing for the Surface tablets, but “The tablet that can replace your laptop” tagline nails it.” Read more..

[Just one problem.. it’s not exactly true. {More true than with an iPad, tho.}]

* State-Owned Chinese Firms Hired Military Hackers for IT Services

“The DOJ’s historic indictment provides some rare insight into China’s cyber espionage operations.” Read more..

Saving the best for last department: How to lie, cheat and steal like Snapchat — all the way to the bank

“Two weeks ago the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement agreement with Snapchat, formally acknowledging the app lied about user privacy and security, and took user data without consent.
The great thing about users is that you can do anything you want to them, and they can’t refuse. ¹

Snapchat collected the contents of user address books without their consent, and its privacy policy flat-out lied about collecting a user’s location information. Snapchat secretly collected the private user information and shared it with unknown parties. Snapchat promised users their photos disappeared “forever” — an impossible promise that exploits a populace not fully educated about mobile technology’s functions and implementations.” Read more..

Saddest part is (it sure seems to me), the people who use Snapchat couldn’t care less about such things.

¹ Anyone using, or thinking of switching to, a “subscription service” should think about that fact …

Today’s quote: “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” ~ Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

How To Remove Your Name From Search Engines and Social Networking Sites

Your Private Information Made Public

Folks, sometimes it is best to not reinvent the wheel; so today I am going to refer you to three excellent resources for the methods you need to know about if you are concerned about your personal information, and how websites (and the Gov’t) are collecting – and posting – it on the Internet.

If you are serious about protecting your identity and personal security, you should take actions now to block your personal information from public viewing.

Remove Your information from People Search Databases, Social Networks, and Search Engine Results— JessicaM

“Do you know what kind of personal information about you can be found from Internet? Do you know how to remove your name, address, phone number, pictures, bad comments and negative reviews from Google and other search engine results? Do you know how to delete your personal information from online people search database records?“

I am putting this one first as it is comprehensive and well researched. It is four pages long, and packed with good info.

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How To Permanently Delete Your Account on Popular Websites — Cameron Chapman

“What we often don’t realize when signing up for all these accounts, though, is how difficult it can be to permanently delete our accounts when we’ve had enough. Some require complicated, multi-step processes that can stretch over the course of days (or weeks). Others take less time, but still require multiple steps by the user.“

This article outlines the steps for removing your account/profile on:
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Google, Ebay, Wikipedia, Flickr/Yahoo!, Windows Live, StumbleUpon, WordPress, Amazon, YouTube, and PayPal.

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If you want to stay inconspicuous while online, here are some products, services, and best practices to put to use.
How to Stay Anonymous Online — Erik Griffith

“Some might say that the Internet was built on anonymity. Without it, the Internet might not have become what it is today—a place where free speech reigns supreme (maybe to a fault). However, as social networks prevail—and über-companies like Google do all they can to market to you more effectively—your privacy on the Web comes into question. The good news is that you can take back control of what others see and know of you online. Here’s how.“

Subtopics: Safe Surfing, Anonymous E-mail, Social (Network) Security

The article contains links to programs and tools you may be interested in.. if your privacy is a concern to you.

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Update: Here is another resource, brought to my attention by Rick Robinette:

“I came across a really cool site that, if anything, is a real education about online accounts and profiling. The site is called AccountKiller.

AccountKiller – Do you care about your personal data? We provide instructions to remove your account or public profile on most popular websites, including Skype, Facebook, Windows Live, Hotmail / Live, Twitter, MSN / Messenger, Google and many more. Want to create an account somewhere? Check our Blacklist first to see if it’s even possible to remove your profile!

What AccountKiller specializes in is collecting direct links and deleting instructions to make account termination an easier process.” Read more..

*     *     *

Bonus: additional recommended reading: Does a Blogger’s Opinion Really Matter?

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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eBay Phishing

But.. I do not buy or sell, nor have I ever bought or sold, a thing on eBay... Hmmm…

Ah! A link! (which reads, “View the dispute thread to respond”)
So, I hover my mouse over the link and see that it leads to…
http://190.xxx.xxx.xxx/icons/small/ps1.gif/signin.ebay.com/ws/ebayISPP.dll/SignIn/
index.htmlSignIn&co_partnerId=2&pUserId=&siteid=0&pageType=&pa1=
&i1=&bshowgif=&UsingSSL=&ru=http://www.ebay.com&pp=&pa2=&errmsg=&
runame=&ruparams=&ruproduct=&sid=&favoritenav=&confirm=&ebxPageType=
&existingEmail=&isCheckout=&migrateVisitor=

which traces back to “Cheap Web Hosting By Directi”.

Or.. I can just look at the WOT “red doughnut” warning.

Folks.. be suspicious of everything on the Internet. And then be suspicious again. Paranoid is good.

… another clue is, I think only spammers use “required” in e-mail subject lines..

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Ebay phraud– spam alert

There has been a wave of e-mails claining to be about items I’m selling on Ebay.. disputes and what not.
Only trouble is.. I don’t sell on Ebay. These are phishing attempts, ignore them (Even if you’re a Ebay retailer). If you must check your sales, log in normally, do not click the link.