If you are, or ever were, a Yahoo user, read this

Please note the date. And also please note, many of your ISP’s use Yahoo as their ‘engine’/email provider.. such as SBC/AT&T.

* Data on 1B Yahoo users stolen in second breach

“Data on one billion Yahoo users was likely stolen by an unauthorized third party in a data breach that occurred in August 2013, the company said in a Wednesday press release that also noted the breach is “likely distinct” from a breach previously disclosed in September.” Read more..

RELATED: How to delete or protect your Yahoo account

“It’s time to seriously consider deleting your Yahoo account. Can’t? OK, here’s what you can do to protect it.” Read more..

* * *

I almost titled this article “Yahoo! Scores More Points”.. But didn’t as I don’t want people zeroing in their concern on Yahoo! This kind of thing happens all over the place, to most every company/organization sooner or later — because we’re using quite insecure technologies. You pretty much have to presume your ‘identity’ is already stolen. And you have to be darned reluctant (unwilling, as much as you able) to provide accurate information to any entity.

… it just keeps getting better and better ..

One billion people in a single hack.

New kind of Yahoo spying?

Folks, I am skeptical about this article published today..

* Yahoo’s spying billboard: It would ID you, watch and listen to your reactions to ads

“Yahoo is exploring a smart billboard that would use microphones, cameras and other sensors to bring targeted advertising to outdoor displays.” Read more..

I’m skeptical because I think companies are already doing this. They’re certainly doing it with our computers and game consoles…
Because dummies still think advertising works. LOL.
And it’s one of the few “industries” still making big money.

Today’s quote: “He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” ~ Winston Churchill

(Greatest put down ever?)

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Yahoo: Your Personal Info Stolen

If you use Yahoo! mail (or your ISP uses Yahoo Mail) you need to read this news item.

* Yahoo breach; at least 500 million accounts affected

“According to a company statement, stolen information may have included names, email address telephone numbers, birth dates, hashed passwords and, in some instances, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.” Read more..

[ I think it’s safe to mentally remove the “may have” from that.. ]

Please forward this on to your friends and loved ones who use Yahoo! Mail. Tell ’em they need to change their passwords, and beware of suspicious “phishing” emails that sound like they know you..

And if you don’t know what “phishing” is by now.. please stop using the Internet.

Today’s quote: “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” ~ Winston Churchill

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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12 Scams of Christmas (and Yahoo, too)

Folks, as we approach the Holidays, please be aware, and remind your friends and family, that we are now in the peak scam, ripoff, fraud, and – of course! – phishing season. The vermin are happily and busily creating phony online stores, and filling our Inboxes, Faceboook, and Twitter with bait and lures of all types.

“Holiday shoppers can expect cybercriminals to be out in force this season,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. “Shoppers should be alert to scams and other attempts to lure them to provide personal and financial information that could lead to data loss or the infection of an Internet connected device. We encourage everyone to STOP. THINK. CONNECT. and make sure they have taken security precautions, understand the consequences of actions and behavior and enjoy the benefits of holiday shopping online.”

McAfee has released a list of the most popular scams on the Internet during the holiday season. You can see them here: 12 Scams of Christmas

We should/can take steps to increase our safety, security and confidence online with these simple tips:

• Keep a Clean Machine: All the devices you use for shopping – including smartphones and tablets – should have up-to-date software including security software, operating systems and other key programs and apps.

• When in Doubt, Throw it Out: Links in email, tweets, posts, and online advertising are often the way cybercriminals compromise your computer. If it looks suspicious, even if you know the source, it’s best to delete it.

• Think Before you Act: Be wary of communications that offer amazing deals that sound too good to be true, implore you to act immediately – including indicating a problem with an order or payment—or ask you to view the website or an account via a provided link.

• Protect your Personal Information: Be alert to the kinds and amount of information being collected during transactions. Information requested should only be enough to complete the transaction. Only fill out required fields on checkout forms. Check the website’s privacy policy.

• Use Safe Payment Options: Credit cards are generally the safest option. They allow buyers to seek a credit from the issuer if the product isn’t delivered or isn’t what was ordered. Credit cards may limit the monetary amount you will be responsible if your account is compromised. Never send cash through the mail or use a money-wiring service.

• Make Sure the Site is Legitimate: This includes a closed padlock on your web browser’s address bar or a URL address that begins with shttp or https. Check reviews of sites you have never used before.

• Keep a Paper Trail: Save records of your online transactions, including the product description, price, online receipt, terms of the sale, and copies of any email exchange with the seller.

Yes, great deals can be found. I am not saying don’t shop online — but I am saying now is the time to double-up on your “paranoid common sense”. Nobody’s protecting you; there’s no “Internet police”. But there are *scumbuckets* intent (focused like a laser beam) on stealing from you. Thousands and thousands (and thousands!) of them.

This looks suspicious to me too

Um… But I don’t have an Am Ex Merchant Account…

There’s a whole stack of other depressing news, too. But I’ll spare you. I’ll just say – again – let’s be careful out there. Be well, at your earliest easement.

Update: I’m on my third day of Yahoo Mail uh, um, ‘technical difficulties’ (which they first called “routine maintenance”). I’m not alone. Yahoo forced to acknowledge Yahoo Mail problems in worst failure yet

“After a public UI and technical failure with its October redesign, Yahoo Mail miraculously gets worse as it goes. And then, Yahoo acknowledges delivery failures stretching back to November 25.” Read more..

Do you Yahoo? It’s a good (and valuable) read even if you don’t.

Today’s quote: “When the pupil is ready, the teacher appears.” ~ ?

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Life in the slow lane

It is a summer Friday, and I’m putt-putt-ing along in ssllooww-motion. It is terribly nice to take a vacation once in a while. I hope you all have had some time off, to enjoy the longer days and warmer weather, too.

* I have had several clients call me recently after suddenly being no longer able to log in to their email accounts, or had received emails from friends saying, “Hey! Quit spamming me!“. In each case, a spammer had “hijacked” their email accounts. Affected were Yahoo! Mail, AOL, and Earthlink. (Yes, I have clients still using AOL..) All of those clients use AT&T as their ISP..
And AT&T uses Yahoo! Mail (and owns Earthlink)..
And Yahoo! has had several major “hacks” of the user database(s).

In the cases where they just suddenly could no longer log in, the service provider had shut down the account to stop the spamming, they (my clients) had to contact the service provider’s tech support, prove they were really themselves, and have their passwords reset. In the other cases, they had to log in and change their passwords to lock the spammer out.

Hacker spammers. A few bad apples really do spoil the whole barrel. It’s past time we put some teeth into CAN-SPAM, and made it international. Dontcha think? Day before yesterday, a woman told me she’s reverted to snail mail and the telephone. Doesn’t trust email anymore. Wonder how many others…?

* Changes are in the wind:

Do you remember Rehteah Parsons? Seems they changed a law.. Arrests made in Nova Scotia assault, cyberbullying leading to suicide

“Two were arrested Thursday in the case of Rehteah Parsons, 17, a Nova Scotia girl who took her own life after a sexual assault and cyberbullying, police said.”  Read more..

* Snowden’s privacy-oriented email provider shuts down under U.S. government pressure

“An American company that specialized in highly encrypted email suspended operations today. The abrupt shutdown of Lavabit, a small Texas-based company, is suspected to be related to a court order related to its best-known customer, NSA leaker Edward Snowden.” Read more..

* White House Proposes Cybersecurity Insurance, Other Incentives For Executive Order

“Goal is to provide financial and other perks for participation in voluntary cybersecurity framework.” Read more..

How ’bout some Friday Fun Video action.. a little “slower” than my usual..

Today’s quote: “I’m in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun
All I’ve really gotta do is live and die
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why….”
~ Roger Murrah and Randy VanWarmer

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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A few interesting items…

* An inside look at Internet Explorer 10’s mysterious Flash whitelist

“In Windows 8 and especially on Windows RT, your ability to run Flash programs hosted on the web depends on whether a site is included on Microsoft’s Compatibility View list. So what does it take to get added to that list? And what can you do if a favorite Flash-based site won’t work?” Read more

* Nine changes to the default Word 2013 settings (short slideshow)

“Some of the default settings in Word 2013 just don’t work for him, so before he does anything else Mark Kaelin changes them.” View on site

A lot of you had your Yahoo! Mail accounts hacked (and everyone in your Contacts list received an email containing a dangerous link…). If you haven’t done so in a while, you probably want to change your password. (And yes, you have to be suspicious. Just because a link seems to come from a friend, doesn’t mean they really sent it to you..)

* Yahoo Mail users hit by widespread hacking, XSS exploit seemingly to blame (Update: Fixed)

“Late last night reports started coming in suggesting that Yahoo Mail users have had their accounts hacked. While “hacked” is a very broad term nowadays, it does appear that Yahoo email accounts are being compromised after users click on a malicious link they receive in their inboxes.” Read more..

* Java zero-day infections pick up steam

“An exploit that takes advantage of a gaping hole in Java has exploded across the globe, according to security firm Kaspersky Labs.” Read more..

Related: Remove Java (+ A Friday Fun Video )

And this article seems a bit late to the game to me..

* Ditch the problem router and move to Wireless-N

“If you’ve been having problems with your Wireless-G Wi-Fi, it might be time to consider an inexpensive upgrade to Wireless-N.” Read more..

Well, I’m out of time. Have a great day, everybody!

Today’s quote: “What I just said is the fundamental, end-all, final, not-subject-to-opinion absolute truth, depending on where you’re standing.” ~ Steve Martin

Copyright 2007-2013 © “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.

Advice for hijacked Yahoo! mail

From the Reader Mail Department

A Reader wrote in with a question that might be pertinent to some of you..

Contact Tech Paul
Message:” I’m almost sure people have cracked my password to yahoo, because everytime I want to open my account, the password does not work
How do I find out who has gotten into my yahoo email?”

Sent by an unverified visitor to your site.

A: Unless it is someone in your own environment (with access to your computer) I doubt anyone could figure out who has “broken into” (and it sounds like, ‘hijacked’) your email account. In the recent past, Yahoo has been “hacked” and 100,000’s of email address/passwords stolen, many times. (for example, http://www.zdnet.com/yahoo-confirms-400000-accounts-hacked-less-than-5-valid-7000000812/).

But I wouldn’t worry about the “who” so much as I would worry about regaining control of your account; and the way to do that is through Yahoo!.
(Usually the process is started by clicking the “forgot my password” link.)

Try these methods, in order.
1) http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101007173522AAkWiz9

2) http://pctechnotes.com/how-to-recover-your-hacked-yahoo-account/

If you verify that you were indeed hijacked, you might have luck writing to Yahoo! and asking for an investigation… But since Yahoo! Mail is a free service, I doubt there is much they’ll do. But you can try.
And a computer forensics specialist might have methods I am unaware of, but they do not work cheap.

Good luck, and regards, TP

Today’s quote: “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” ~ George Washington

Copyright 2007-2012 © “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.