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Telecommuting Woes???

27 July 2011 By Saran

telecommute.jpgResearch has shown that a survey conducted within a large company shows that although telecommuting is very much productive for many firms it tends to be on the downside for those employees who do stay within the physical office itself. This can be in the areas of personal assistants/secretaries and other office workers who are left to run the office in the absence of their counterparts/coworkers. This leads to dissatisfaction in the workplace hence lowering productivity and encouraging home-bodies to engage in dangerous liaisons from within and outside of the office.

The hatred felt is seen in the rising occurrences of these same people becoming the entry point for attacks on corporate networks when they visit social sites to pass on the otherwise boring day. This is also counterproductive for their attention to work and the other nuances such as physical security and IT security is so much a threat that it is under study on how to improve the working conditions for these people. They are distracted and left to do almost anything they please which is where the security gap seems to be, using the corporate network to access social sites to which they are members of. Even the installation of hardware and software security measures cannot guarantee security coverage at all angles for the main security risk is still the human behind the keyboard who does the typing and not on the structure of the system itself. It might be helpful to get them out more often to allow their facilities more practice letting the steam and pressures/boredom to dissipate. Role rotation may be a key but is not always feasible for there are certain knowledge associated issues that have to be addressed to be able to do that. Training and re-training people allows them to sharpen skills and add new knowledge to their already bored lives.

Filed Under: General, Instant Messaging, IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Physical Security, Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues, Security Policies Tagged With: Mobile-Workforce, Telecommuting

Protect Yourself Against Malicious Calling Card Providers

16 February 2011 By dave

The business of calling cards has certainly been highly lucrative, judging by the number of companies opening up on the market by the month. Consumers seem to be enjoying the situation as well, as the benefits a good calling card holds for those who use it are certainly considerable, if the card is picked correctly. However, as a security-conscious consumer, you must always bear in mind the risks associated with using a phone card. Don’t let the attractive-looking benefits rob you blind even if you’re actively protecting your other weak spots.

For one thing, be extremely cautious with your personal information – something which should be of second nature to you if you’re a seasoned consumer already, but still, in some cases, it can be very difficult to distinguish between a legitimate business asking for your details and a phony one. Never go beyond the most basic details, and if you’re ever asked to divulge more than that, make sure you inquire why this is being done – it’s very important for you to be aware of the terms of that company’s business.

Something else to keep in mind when choosing your phone card is the payment method – it’s preferable to make your payments in cash whenever possible, as phone cards open up a whole new layer of vulnerability that thieves could exploit to get to you. It’s certainly not wise to pay with an online payment provider to companies that aren’t very well-known.

Filed Under: General, Instant Messaging

Careful of Unknown Links in Messaging

6 July 2010 By Saran

Trojans hacks and worms can easily enter a person’s computer by a mere click of a link. Instant messaging, the new trend in adhering towards faster and easier communication anywhere in the world has been enhanced thoroughly, going to the extent of allowing links to be followed, sometimes generated automatically from infected computers. Such are done even when offline messages are left, such as in Yahoo Messenger issues.

Instant Messages

The best way to avoid such links is to refrain from clicking on links without prior notice from the actual user. While most people would rely heavily on the level of relationship that they would have with their online buddy, it is still best to double check and verify before proceeding on the site link.

Being infected is quite painful that it leads to even formatting the entire system. This holds true for people who are not aware or have the time to clean it manually and methodically. Hence, the best way is to be more cautious, especially when peculiar links are met.

Filed Under: IM, Instant Messaging, IT Security Basics, Malware, Spyware, Wireless Security Tagged With: hijack, Instant Messaging, trojans, worms, yahoo-messenger

Yahoo Messenger Acai Berry Virus

24 May 2009 By Saran

acaiWhat in the world is an acai berry? If you are into fad diets, then you probably have heard of the acai berry. It is purported to be the next wonder drug, which is all natural by the way. It is supposed to make you lose weight like no other substance in existence. It is also supposed to make you feel better and younger because of its curative properties.

Anyhow, I have nothing against the acai berry fad per se. I mean, these fads come and do and it’s up to you if you want to try them or not. What is happening to me is another story, however. You see, I have somehow been victimized by the acai berry virus (or so I’d like to call it) on Yahoo messenger.

I didn’t have any inkling as to what was happening until I suddenly got this slew of offline messages last week. People on my contact list – even those with whom I had not spoken for months and months – suddenly started sending me offline messages. Their messages seemed to be in reply to something I had sent.

Yesterday, an old friend sent me an SMS saying that I might have a virus. He said that I kept sending him messages on Yahoo Messenger about this acai berry thing. Obviously, it was not me.

I am pretty sure that I am not alone in this thing. I have scoured the web for similar reports and have found a lot of other people complaining of the same thing! The solution? I scanned my laptop for malware using Spybot last night. I am about to scan again using Avast. Then I am changing my passwords. Let’s see if I can get rid of this thing.

Any suggestions?

Filed Under: IM, Instant Messaging, Malware, Real-World Issues

Be Careful of Hyperlinks in Messages

30 September 2008 By Saran

We all know that some people using the web for success are desperate and regardless if the message comes to you via email, comments or an instant message, do not click! It is easy to spot suspicious messages. For one, if there is no sane explanation on why you should check it out, refrain from doing so. The difference between clicking may make the difference as far as safety and security for your computer or workstation is concerned.

For most, this may seem redundant. Who in his right mind would click a link gone unsolicited? Well that is true but we forget to consider that not all people are aware of the benefits and dangers that await them on the web.

Just like in modern society, you can expect some tactics that can really deceive you. They are not obvious and in fact can come in any from. In fact, you can even get them from friends who may think that such links to site as harmless. Leading the pack for suspicious links would include:

1. Free software links
2. Files or Images
3. Money making scheme programs
4. Unsolicited Sign Ups

Of course, you would have to consider, to get people to click on links, it has to be entirely in their interest. For most, it is too tempting to resist. Especially if you have not encountered them or have been educated of these threats, chances are you may experience them first hand and may become a forgettable one for overlooking the value of security on the web.

Filed Under: Instant Messaging, IT Security Basics, Malware, Privacy & Anonymity, Spyware Tagged With: hyperlinks, identity-theft, messaging, phishing

Voicemail Spam on Your Mobile – Coming Soon

10 June 2008 By Saran


Came across the incident on InfoWorld and it seems quite interesting for it involves spam messages on your mobile. That might seem a long way from the world of IT but as more and more of us turn to the mobile workforce that may present a big problem that can rival spam in your email inbox. The incident has a user from a certain location who moves to a different location that didn’t have the best of service availability when it came to his mobile carrier. He was contacted by AT&T and was informed that due to some technical constraints that cannot guarantee their full range of services. So in the end he was forced to sign up with an alternate mobile provider (Sprint) from which he began receiving marketing mail and text messages that were on the same level as phishing scams out for your personal information.
Unsolicited marketing is banned (which led to the downfall of most off-site call centers) in the US and almost anywhere else if I got it right, so why does a leading provider allow such things to happen? Well, the marketing industry for one is one of the most aggressive when it comes to the utilization of new technologies to further their reach and mobile phones being almost part of everyday life (except for some far reaches of the Amazon or Africa) it is a ripe and well established area to focus on for marketing drives.
Communications is the key and mobile workforces being very dependent on it makes them prime targets as prey for such marketing drives. The poor fellow isn’t alone for millions of us do get unsolicited voice mail or text messages from time to time (some more than others) and there should be something done to correct such menacing and disrupting activities.

Source : InfoWorld

Filed Under: General, IM, Instant Messaging, IT Security Basics, Malware, Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues Tagged With: Marketing, New Arena, spam, Spam Menace

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