Recent articles discussing the threats of malicious software that now threatens your computer.

Spyware, Adware, Virus, Etc
Selected News


Below is just a small sample of recent articles discussing the threats of malicious software that now threatens your computer. I've included a couple of excerpts that I found particularly alarming. We've also included a Live news feed to keep you current on Spyware, Adware, Identity Theft, Virus, Phishing and other security issues.

Zombie PCs: Silent, Growing Threat
PC World, Friday, July 09, 2004

  • The seemingly endless spate of worm infestations over the last year has left something even more troubling in its wake: armies of zombie PCs that can be used to send spam, attack Web sites, and generally wreak havoc over the Internet.
  • Besides relaying spam and launching DOS attacks, a zombie machine can be used to send phisher scams, spread viruses, download pornography, and steal personal information, says Carole Theriault, a Sophos security consultant.
  • "Basically, it is a complete invasion of privacy that can leave you penniless, can have your computer send out all kinds of nasties to innocent computers, and as part of the collective--sorry for Star Trek terminology--contribute to the cyberhavoc going around," Theriault says.
  • Sophos estimates half a million zombie PCs are operating worldwide; other sources put the figure as high as two million. A recent Earthlink study hinted of widespread malware installations. Those numbers are likely to climb even further, says Steve Gibson, president of Gibson Research Corporation and well-known PC security guru.

If Spyware's Watching You, Help Is A Click Away
Investors Business Daily, Thursday, July 22, 2004

  • According to Dell, McAfee and others, spyware is now a bigger problem than computer viruses in terms of customer complaints.
  • And some spyware programs seek to steal your personal data for identity fraud. According to the Federal Trade Commission in a survey last year, 27 million Americans have been victims of identity theft in the last five years, including 10 million in the last year alone.

Broadband Customers Not Playing It Safe
PCWorld, Friday, June 06, 2003

  • 91 percent of users have spyware on their home computers, often placed surreptitiously by file-sharing programs.
  • 97 percent of parents with broadband connections failed to use controls to keep their children safe from inappropriate contact or people.
  • Although three-quarters of respondents have antivirus software, only half of them updated it in the past month

Experts See Sharp Rise in Malware Attack Probability www.TechNewsWorld.com, 06/04/04

  • "Spyware is the perfect way to steal data the computer user thinks is protected and encrypted," said Jaffe. "Nothing is really secure anymore."
  • The British mi2g Intelligence Unit claimed this week that the malware risk has risen from 1 in 40 last year to about 3 in 10 for 2004. This reflects a jump from 2.5 percent to 30 percent risk.
  • "It is so easy for companies, tricksters and deviants to get spyware planted on a PC. Just post it on a download site and call it 'freeware.' People will download and install it. There are millions of naive users out there installing 'free' spyware daily," English said, calling spyware a national security concern.

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  • Point of Sale Systems (POS)  ( 2 items )

    One of the cornerstones of many businesses is a Point of Sale System. These systems can make business life much easier, but the wrong one can make things miserable with far more effort necessary to get even the most simple task accomplished. We've supported many different systems over the years and written several interfaces to POS systems.

    Retail Point of Sale

    Artisan POSFor small to mid sized shops we are an authorized reseller for Artisan POS by Certek Software. It is fast, versital, inexpensive and easy to learn. We can speed your setup process along by sharing our expertise including how to integrate it with accounting programs such QuickBooks and on-line shopping carts such as ShopSite.

    For larger or more specialized systems, we have other packages that we have successfully used that address geographically seperate locations or specialized operations such as Golf Course Management, Resort Club operations and others. Contact us if you would like to discuss these in more detail.

    Food and Beverage

    We have supported many Food and Beverage systems, if you need assistance or POS recomendations, please contact us.

    Custom Interfaces

    We've written custom interfaces for our clients to address specific needs such as credit card interfaces to First Resort Software Property Management system and member charging systems to accounting packages. please cotnact us with your needs or to discuss options.

     

    Artisan™ Point of Sale  is a trademark of CerTek Software Designs, Inc, QuickBooks® is a trademark of Intuit®

  • Viruses and Spyware  ( 1 items )

    Viruses, Spyware, Adware and Worms
    Oh My!

    As if you didn't have enough to worry about with Spam and Viruses! Spyware is now taking over all other malicious threats as the number one threat to personal computer users. Below we explain the problem in more detail and list some of the services we provide to help you win the battle. Please see the News and Glossary sections for more information.

    120x120 Square Button

    Panda Titanium Antivirus + AntiSpyware 2006

    Online Virus Check

    The typical user doesn't even know that they have been infected. I recently removed Trojan Horses from 3 of my clients that were feeding pornography to the Internet. These were businesses in the community whose livelihood depends on honesty, trust and impeccable reputations.

    As if that wasn't bad enough, these machines contained various other Spyware, Adware, Worms, etc that were watching what the users were doing, reporting on their activities, popping up windows of ads, significantly slowing down the PC's and much more. In each case, the clients contacted me because of slow PC performance and annoying Pop-ups, they had no knowledge that there were more sinister processes going on.

    One of the Hot Topics in the news today is Identity Theft. You see it in clever commercials by Credit Card companies and read about it in the newspapers. Spyware and Adware are designed with identity theft as their base. "According to the Federal Trade Commission in a survey last year, 27 million Americans have been victims of identity theft in the last five years, including 10 million in the last year alone."

    In short, what you don't know can hurt you.

    We can help you by performing the following:

    • Perform a Threat Analysis
    • Removing identified threats
    • Train you and/or your staff on proper Internet usage and threat prevention
    • Assist in writing a company Internet and Computer Policy
    • Install a Network Firewall
    • and more

    Call us today at 888-302-6635 for additional information or Contact Us using this form.

    See the postcard send to the Beaufort Area Businesses
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