Avoid Work at Home Scams

Finally, someone took the time to critique all these too good to be true opportunities you see on TV or in the magazines. I admit, from time to time, I waste time thinking about the viability of some of these opportunities. to achieve my own personal financial freedom. Luckily I come to my senses before doing something stupid.

Check out The Work at Home Scam Blog

Maybe you’ll recognize something you’ve thought about and stay away from it.

-Roland

Article: Kevin Mitnick’s security tips

Wired published security tips by Kevin Mitnick. He was notorious in the 1990’s for exposing electronic security flaws committed by many businesses and was ultimately prosecuted for his actions. He attained cult status (“Free Kevin”) in the geek community and on his release from prison, was initially not allowed to use computers or access the Internet.

Mitnick’s actions raised awareness of security flaws and risks. Ironically, he now runs his own security consulting firm.

You’ve probably heard many of these security tips before, but he encourages more stringent steps than many of us probably take. It’s good advice. Definitely check it out.
-Roland

Some Video iPods shipped with Windows virus

Earlier this week it was reported that McDonalds had distributed virus infected MP3 players. Another example has come to attention that shows that any brand (even Apple) isn’t immune from viral nuiscances.

Geek.com reports:

Apple ships some iPods with virus - Apple took what should have been a very embarrassing situation for the company and turned it into an opportunity to bash Microsoft. According to the company’s Support website, some Video iPods totaling less than 1% of those available were found to be carrying the Windows RavMonE.exe virus. The affected iPods were those available for purchase after September 12th of this year.

As posted on Apple.com

We recently discovered that a small number - less than 1% - of the Video iPods available for purchase after September 12, 2006, left our contract manufacturer carrying the Windows RavMonE.exe virus. This known virus affects only Windows computers, and up to date anti-virus software which is included with most Windows computers should detect and remove it. So far we have seen less than 25 reports concerning this problem. The iPod nano, iPod shuffle and Mac OS X are not affected, and all Video iPods now shipping are virus free.

As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it.

If you suspect your iPod may be infected, visit Apple.com for advice on how to remove the virus.
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

Article: McDonald’s Promotion Serves Up Virus-Infected MP3 Players

Adrants.com reports:

McDonald’s Promotion Serves Up Virus-Infected MP3 Players
As part of a McDonald’s Japan promotion, the burger giant, along with Coke, gave away 10,000 MP3 players to those who purchased specially marked cups of Coke. Unfortunately, the MP3 players were infested with QQPass, a piece of spyware, that, once connected to people’s PCs, allowed hackers access to passwords and other personal information. McDonald’s issued a public apology and a recall for the infected MP3 players. It’s unclear whether the company made any restitution for any data lost by those who were infected.

Lesson learned: You really can’t trust anything you get for free. Even a seemingly harmless, generic MP3 player can cause chaos for you, resulting in much wasted time and frustration to fix the problem.

Be wary and pass on the “free stuff.”
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t open email greeting cards

Cnet News.com reports E-cards used in data-thieving scam.

The attacks involve e-mail messages that at first glance appear to be greeting cards from services like Yahoo or Blue Mountain. … Clicking on the link to view the card, however, first sends the target to a malicious Web site that tries to silently install software that logs the user’s keystrokes. … After that the card is displayed.

“It is really quick, nobody notices it.” … “Unless you actually look at the source of the e-mail and say, ‘Hang on, this is a redirect,’ you wouldn’t actually see it.”

Here are some ways to protect yourself:

• Change your behavior and use common sense. Resist the temptation to open such emails, especially if you can’t tell who the sender is.
• Hover your mouse over hyperlinks (without clicking) to reveal the click-thru url so you can examine if the domain at the beginning of the url seems authentic.
• Make sure your operating system is up to date and that you have the latest security patches installed.

Use caution. Stay safe.
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

Cell phone victim

Check out this story at News.com: The phone, the thief, his wife and a Chihuahua?

It’s another one of those stories of the victim watching in awe what the thief has done with a stolen cell phone. Enjoy. -Roland