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Slightly O/T - too many idle beings

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/24/2011 : 11:42:51

Placed a couple items on Craigslist only to receive e-mails from parties whose only interest was to lead to me to another site that had a virus. Thank goodness for virus protection software.

Too many idle beings on this earth . . . . .

Edited by - OJ on 02/25/2011 07:23:11

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2011 : 15:34:29

I beg to differ...

It's too bad THOSE beings, who live in a sludge bucket and crarwl out to suck money out of their victims, aren't MORE idle!

Edited by - JohnP on 02/24/2011 15:35:42

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2011 : 16:19:24

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JohnP
 I beg to differ...

It's too bad THOSE beings, who live in a sludge bucket and crarwl out to suck money out of their victims, aren't MORE idle!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Tell us how you really feel John!

Have I opened a wound here?

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3462 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2011 : 16:39:49

Hey John ! Very tactfully put !

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2011 : 20:53:38

Have you received a "bank check" for an amount significantly above your asking price, with a request to return the "excess"? I've gotten that when selling a boat... If I had deposited the check and sent back the balance, the "bank check" would've bounced in Nigeria or wherever, several months later--and my check would have long since cleared. I'm sure they really didn't care about me shipping the boat, except to make the deal look legit. So the boat would've been gone, too--or maybe it'd be a fishing skiff now.

Our local police are warning the populace of this scam, which seems to be accelerating.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 02/24/2011 21:09:16

Admin
Forum Admin

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460 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2011 : 22:54:15

If it sounds too good to be true, you're probably right!

Paul

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 02/25/2011 : 07:21:12

What I find so unproductive about the e-mails is they don't even offer monies . . . they simply direct me to a website that contained a virus - which my virus protection software won't let me open!

What's the objective here - to simply to place a virus on my PC???

Even if they gained access to my PC - I have a different password for every account - even the password for my password list is unique.

Edited by - OJ on 02/25/2011 07:23:42

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/25/2011 : 08:26:16

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OJ
 ...Even if they gained access to my PC - I have a different password for every account...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">...which they will obtain by recording your keystrokes.

Just remember one thing--they're smarter than you and I. Keep your antivirus software up-to-date and your firewall on at all times. Never, ever use and e-mail link to log on to anything. And never open an attachment, even from a friend, unless you knew in advance it was coming. (A good friend had her e-mail account hyjacked, and "she" sent me an e-mail, greeting me by name, with an attachment that probably would have caused the hyjacking of my account, and who knows what from there...)

I use on-line banking, but I don't keep my password written down anywhere--not in my desk, in my PC, or anywhere. I'm thinking about the suggestion of buying a little netbook for doing banking only--no e-mail, no browsing, no nuthin'. I would strip out every other kind of pre-loaded software except a non-Microsoft browser--no audio-video systems, no download utilities, no Java,... and then load it up with full protection.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 02/25/2011 08:38:40

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2011 : 10:01:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">What's the objective here - to simply to place a virus on my PC???<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Nope, the point is that is is a step in the direction of hacking. If you're going to be a pain in the ass, might as well go all the way and learn it all.

Edited by - on

jerlim
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1484 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2011 : 14:32:48

As my eldest is so fond of pointing out at times like these - MACs are pretty non-affected by attacks, hacking, phishing, etc...on another note, one of the things I recently learned to do is (after having all important files backed-up, and having copies of your softwares and OS) periodically re-install your OS (and programs, files, etc...) best way to keep the machine clean and running well...

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2011 : 15:42:08

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by jerlim
 As my eldest is so fond of pointing out at times like these - MACs are pretty non-affected by attacks, hacking, phishing, etc...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">It's not that they're not vulnerable... In a recent hacking contest with Windows and Mac machines, the first to fall was the Macbook, inside of two minutes. Just be glad you're in a minority that's small enough that you're not worth the effort.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 02/27/2011 15:43:41

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2011 : 18:16:29

True that hackers go for Windows to get more bang for their efforts, but it is also true the Mac's Unix underpinnings are more challenging to hack. A pimple faced teenager can't just go to a hacker website and download a couple of snippets of code, add a front end, and send it out. There are also a lot of things besides viruses out there - some programs use your computer and thousands of others to send attacks on servers, some use idle cycles on connected computers as massively distributed computing services. In addition to a firewall, password protected network, and "stealth mode" web activity, I also use 1 Password that uses 128 bit encryption to generate and store passwords that can be automatically inserted and submitted to prevent key stroke logging. It also means that I only need to remember 1 extremely strong password to activate 1 Password. It is usually rated as the best of the password manager, and I'm sure there are comparable Windows programs if they don't have a Windows version. As for the 2 minute hack - they had 3 months with detailed information about the particular Mac to develop the hacking program, physical access to the Mac, and no log on password. Macs are certainly hackable, but 2 minutes was a headline with little substance. There have been a few proof of concepts that were quietly plugged, but no viruses in the wild to date.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2011 : 22:09:57

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave5041
 ...As for the 2 minute hack - they had 3 months with detailed information about the particular Mac to develop the hacking program, physical access to the Mac, and no log on password. Macs are certainly hackable, but 2 minutes was a headline with little substance. There have been a few proof of concepts that were quietly plugged, but no viruses in the wild to date...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Every hacker has unlimited time to figure out a strategy, and their community has spent way more time on Windows. By most accounts, the contest was planned to show the relative fragility of Windows, and the tables were unexpectedly turned. Mac has never been tested as Windows has because a Mac vulnerability has no big payoff. What--you can break into a page layout designer for Vogue?? Wow.

Most hackers would rather get into the DOD (to play with flying some drones), or Fidelity (to play with your IRA), or BOA (to rip your accounts), or the electrical grid (to plan the shutdown of the Northeast)--where they can really have some fun. Macs are like Nintendos--they have nothing to do with the "real world" for people who want to disrupt it.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2011 : 06:10:43

For well over a decade I bought antivirus software and updates and whatever for my company and our network. Three years ago, I decided to see what would happen if I just ignored Norton's renewal warnings etc... I continued my normal habits which includes visiting some questionable sites, etc... Nada, nothing!!! I back up frequently to my IBook just in case and will reformat if neccessary and reinstall, but I am not going to give Norton nor McAfee money so that they can surreptitiously pay the hackers to create issues to begin with!

But then again I remember setting half of the computers in the office back one year when Y2K came around and then going in after midnight to see if the other half blew up.

sten

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2011 : 07:12:27

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> I continued my normal habits which includes visiting some questionable sites, etc... Nada, nothing!!! <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

And you may never have a problem Sten, or your computer could be toasted tomorrow. A friend of mine did the same thing and had no problems for quite some time but then got a bug and had to format. It's kind of like those sailors who blindly sailed into pirate territory, sure there's a good chance they'll make it through ............... And as I posted on another thread, you don't have to pay anybody. AVAST is top notch antivirus, Zone alarm is among the best firewall, Superanitspyware and Malwarebytes are exellent adware and virus removers. All are free for home users. Avast scans incomming mail and will catch that virus BEFORE you open it. Zone alarm not only stops stuff coming, it won't even let windows phone home without your permission. Firefox is a great browser where you can incorporate a master password so you aren't typing passwords, an add on (available for IE too) called "Web Of Trust" that alerts you of bad sites (not 100% but a very good tool) and many other protective aspects.

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2011 : 07:30:07

And don't forget Ccleaner, Another must have free tool.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2011 : 08:10:00

As I've said on another recent thread, I have trouble trusting freeware from "companies" I know nothing about to be meddling about in my system--much less to be "protecting" me from other stuff I know nothing about...

Sten, your computer could be part of a bot-net now, or a stalker could be collecting your passwords as you log into your bank......

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2011 : 08:31:24

ubuntu 9.10 and no worries.

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2011 : 14:00:13

Yup, CCleaner is very good also!

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2011 : 18:17:20

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 As I've said on another recent thread, I have trouble trusting freeware from "companies" I know nothing about to be meddling about in my system--much less to be "protecting" me from other stuff I know nothing about...

Sten, your computer could be part of a bot-net now, or a stalker could be collecting your passwords as you log into your bank......

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Agreed on the "Freeware". Norton is installed and does block stuff as does windows from time to time, just haven't updated it... I know a bunch of computer geeks and they will post any serious malware filenames to look for, but again, I have tested it and not had any problems.... I'll let you know how long I can go. Banking is best left to a netbook with a ever changing IP address and no email... Eudora is a safer bet than Outlook as a mail client....

I have more software and 'puters on my boat than the average 40 footer!

If I lose one, eh - it's just an experiment...

sten

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2011 : 08:33:02

You guys know your boats, I know my pcs. Do a little research on the freeware I've talked about. There's plenty of track record out there to prove it's reliability and worth. And of course there' a lot of freeware I haven't mentioned that's as good, I just have no personal experience with it. And as far as the Apple goes, as it get's more popular it'll encounter the same problems with malware that the pc has, it's happening as we speak.
[url="http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/02/26/mac-os-x-backdoor-trojan-now-in-beta/"]
New Mac OS X backdoor Trojan discovered[/url]
A new remote access Trojan for Mac OS X has surfaced, showing malware authors are actively developing malware for Apple Mac computers. Read on to learn the malware's capabilities and how it works.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2011 : 08:48:06

Last fall I went to a training session on cybercrime led by a local FBI agent who deals with it daily. He recommended what Dave B. mentioned above. Buy a cheap netbook to use ONLY for banking activities and never do banking on your other computers. Now, have I followed that advice - sadly, not yet.
P.S. He also said that if your router is over a year old, replace it. We did that last week. The netbook is next on our list.

Edited by - dmpilc on 03/01/2011 08:48:59

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2011 : 09:42:15

I use AVG Free, have for about nine years on all my machines and never had an issue. They even have a version for Android. It's effective and doesn't tax your machine with excessive bloat-ware like Norton or Mcafee. best of all, it's free.

http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2011 : 09:47:53

Some of the "Freeware" actually slows down your 'puter. Why? 'Cuz that's how they pay the bills. There is no free ride. Usually it's only spyware, but I have heard of programs that once installed require a credit card number to renew before even getting to the desktop... Happened to my mom and I had to send her a new computer... And uh, the FBI has their own geeks and they have a much stronger protocol than any of us will ever have...

sten

Edited by - on

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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1225 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2011 : 10:13:26

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by redviking
 Some of the "Freeware" actually slows down your 'puter. Why? 'Cuz that's how they pay the bills. There is no free ride. Usually it's only spyware, but I have heard of programs that once installed require a credit card number to renew before even getting to the desktop... Happened to my mom and I had to send her a new computer... And uh, the FBI has their own geeks and they have a much stronger protocol than any of us will ever have...

sten
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

AVG is good though, no ads or slow downs. Here is a review from CNET

http://download.cnet.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition-2011/3000-2239_4-10320142.html

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