BlockDelete for MSN - More Bad News

This is another spammers paradise to say the least.

The link that is being sent is dont-miss-this.com that will redirect people to BlockDelete.com

When you get to the site all you have in front of you is a window which states:

‘Quickly and easily learn who blocked you on MSN.

The longly awaited feature for MSN Messenger, completely for free!

Please input your MSN Messenger account information to learn who has blocked you. Our system will login with this information and learn who has blocked you.’

You are presented with a login box and password box. 

When you sign in using your passport credentials, they are stored on a server and they collect ALL of your contacts details and start spamming them with messages apparently sent by YOU - a trusted contact requesting that they also visit the site and register!

There is NO Privacy Policy, No way to contact them.  You also optin to receive emails from blockdelete.com

Other sites that redirect users to BlockDelete are as follows:

www.blockcheckeruk.com
www.BlockYell.com
www.clicktoforyou.com
www.kimengellemis.com
www.msnliststatus.com
www.offermanage.com
www.youareblocked.com

www.agirsilah.info
www.alfadenyei.info
www.allanit.info
www.anarsik.info
www.arapozitifi.info
www.arkanawebzine.info
www.boyamagucu.info
www.bukleli.info
www.cayirkurdu.info
www.cazli.info
www.etkinbasinc.info
www.filmealma.info
www.newmarketadditives.info
www.yedekiz.info
www.yidiztasi.info

www.msnstatus.net

These links are NOT live links, please do NOT go to these sites!

This list is by no means complete as more are being created. If you know of any please leave me a comment so that I can list it.

If you have been a victim of this scam, please change your  Live.com password immediately.

If this fails, uninstall MSN Messenger and re-install, sign in to Live.com and then change your password.

This is very similar to Meet Your Messenger which I wrote about previously.

Anti-virus programs and anti-spyware programs will NOT find this as you do not install anything.

Ensure that you Windows Updates are up to date and run the Malicious Software Removal Tool.

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software.

When you have got rid of this nasty piece of work, you must ensure that you inform all of your contacts, and in turn they must inform all of their contacts,  if you don’t then it continues to go around.  The more people who can clear this off their machines the better.

Please also read this page from The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

This is also targeting Mobile users, cell phones and PDA’s.

Let’s stop this idiot from wreaking more havoc….

© Free PC Security 2008
Technorati Tags: BlockChecker , Block Delete , dont-miss-this, You Are Blocked , PC Security, Free PC Security

 

Clearing Your Browser’s Cache

Clearing Your Browser’s Cache
Often referred to as the cache, the Temporary Internet
Files folder contains a kind of travel record of the items
you have seen, heard, or downloaded from the Web, including
images, sounds, Web pages, even cookies. Typically these
items are stored in the Temporary Internet Files folder.

Storing these files in your cache can make browsing the
Web faster because it usually takes your computer less time
to display a Web page when it can call up some of the
page’s elements or even the entire page from your local
Temporary Internet Files folder.

Your browser’s cache stores the contents of all the Web
pages that you have visited during a session. To safeguard
your information and prevent another user from viewing what
you have entered, you should clear the cache memory after
you have completed the application. To clear your browser’s
cache, follow the instructions below:

All those files stored in your cache take up space, so
from time to time, you may want to clear out the files
stored in your cache to free up some space on your
computer. This is called clearing the cache.

You can adjust your Internet Explorer 6 settings to
automatically clear the cache whenever you close Internet
Explorer 6. Go to the Tools menu, and click Internet
Options. Click the Advanced tab. In the “Settings” box,
scroll down to the section labeled “Security,” and click to
check the box next to the “Empty Temporary Internet Files
folder when browser is closed” option. Click OK to finish.
This option does not delete cookies, but it will clear your
cache of other files when you close your browser.

If you tend to go online a lot and have ample space on
your computer, you might want to increase the size of your
Temporary Internet Files folder. Why? Because Internet
Explorer 6 will read already-viewed files from the cache
first rather than take the time to download the same page
from the Web, thus saving you time and money.

Adjusting How Often to Update
While it’s true that the more files you can load from your
hard disk, the faster your browsing speed, it’s also true
that those pages on the Web might have changed since being
stored on your computer. You might not want to miss fresh
content just to save a little time. Fortunately, in
addition to the size of the cache, you can also customize
how often Internet Explorer 6 checks the Web for updated
content.

First you will need to go to the Internet Explorer 6
Settings box:

1.
 On the Tools menu, click Internet Options. The Internet
Options box should open to the General tab.
 
2.
 On the General tab, in the Temporary Internet Files
section, click the Settings button. This will open the
Settings box.
 
3.
 In the Settings box, there are four ways to check for
newer versions of pages that are stored in the Temporary
Internet Files folder:

• Every visit to the page: You’re assured of the most
current content, but it’s slower to browse previously
viewed pages.
 
• Every time you start Internet Explorer 6: On your first
visit to a page, Internet Explorer 6 will check for new
information, but not on subsequent visits in the same
browsing session.
 
• Automatically: Internet Explorer 6 will check
automatically for any new content.
 
• Never: This option is fastest, but you could be viewing
old content from the cache. To refresh the page, press the
F5 button on your keyboard—this will connect you to the
page on the Web and download new information to the
Temporary Internet files folder. 
 

Try several combinations of these options and cache size
to find the best fit for your needs. You may need to use
the settings for a few days to fully gauge how they are
working.
Netscape 6.x, 7.x and 8.x users:

Select Edit, then Preferences.
Select Advanced from the Category listing.
Select Cache.
Select the Clear Disk Cache button then the Clear Memory
Cache buttons.
Select OK.
Internet Explorer 7.x:

Select Tools, then Internet Options.
Select the General tab at the top.
Under Browsing History, select the Delete button.
Select the Delete Files buttons next to Temporary Internet
Files.
Internet Explorer 5.x and 6.x users:

Select Tools, then Internet Options.
Select the General tab at the top.
Select the Clear History button.
Select Yes to confirm.
Select Delete Files.
Select OK.
Select OK to close the Internet Options Screen.
AOL 9.0:

Select Settings.
Select the Essentials tab.
Select the Internet (Web) option.
Select the General tab.
In the Temporary Internet Files area, select the Delete
Files button, and select OK.
AOL 8.0:

Select Settings.
Select Preferences.
Select the Properties option.
In the Temporary Internet Files area, select the Delete
Files button, and select OK.
AOL 5.0-7.0 and AOL Explorer 1.2 users:

Select System Information.
Select the Utilities tab.
Select the Clear Browser Cache.
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 users:

Select Tools.
Select Options.
Select the Advanced option.
Select the Network tab.
Select the Clear Now button.
Mozilla Firefox 1.5 users:

Select Tools, then Clear Private Data.
Select the Browsing History, Saved Form Information,
Cache, and Authenticated Sessions options.
Select the Clear Private Data Now button.

Use a “wipe” utility program, which overwrites the entire
hard drive and makes the files unrecoverable.  Use Ccleaner
available for free at
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/ and when
installed select ‘Options’ then select ‘Settings.  Under
the heading ‘Secure Deletion’ click the ‘Secure file
deletion (Slower)’ radio button and change the setting to
NSA (7 passes).

To your safety and security online
cotojo

Encryption And Making Your System Secure

What does encryption do for me?
Encryption and cryptographic software has been used in many
different ways to make systems more secure.  This article discusses
only a few ways that such software can make your system more secure,
including:  

1) Encrypting your email  

2) Encrypting your files

Two programs are mentioned that will help encrypt information. There
are many more programs out there that will help, but these programs
are good and a good place to start as any. They have the added
benefit of both being free with source code available. 

Will encryption stop people from accessing my information? 
Encryption simply makes it harder for people to gain access to
important information, like passwords or sensitive information in a
file. The first thing you should know about encryption is that the
algorithm that is used to encrypt can be simple or more complex and
that affects how securely what you have encrypted is protected.
Encryption systems have been broken when the method of encryption is
understood by hackers and is easy to break.  

Why bother to encrypt my email?
It should be noted that email is far less secure than paper mail for
two very good reasons:  first, electronic data can be accessed easily
over an Internet and secondly, electronic data is really simple to
copy. There is a very good chance that someone has snooped around in
your email despite your best intentions to stop it.  

How do I go about encrypting my email? 
There are many programs out there that can help you encrypt your
email.  A very popular one is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) or its Gnu
offshoot GPG.   

PGP (http://www.pgpi.org/) self-describes itself this way: This “is
a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise
doesn’t have: Privacy. It does this by encrypting your mail so that
nobody but the intended person can read it. When encrypted, the
message looks like a meaningless jumble of random characters. PGP has
proven itself quite capable of resisting even the most sophisticated
forms of analysis aimed at reading the encrypted text.” 

Why bother to encrypt my files?  
The answer to this boils down to what you store on your computer.
If you have financial data with important information like social
security numbers, email addresses, account numbers and passwords,
then you open yourself up to losing very valuable information.  Most
corporate Internet security employees will attest to the widespread
theft of very valuable information. As long as you are connected to
the Internet you are vulnerable. 

How do I go about encrypting my files?
 AxCrypt File Encryption Software  (http://axcrypt.sourceforge.net/)
Self-described as “Free Personal Privacy and Security for Windows
98/ME/NT/2K/XP with AES-128 File Encryption, Compression and
transparent Decrypt and Open in the original application.”

Securing Your Computer System

Today, more and more people are using their computers for
everything from communication to online banking and
investing to shopping.  As we do these things on a more
regular basis, we open ourselves up to potential hackers,
attackers and crackers.  While some may be looking to phish
your personal information and identity for resale, others
simply just want to use your computer as a platform from
which to attack other unknowing targets.  Below are a few
easy, cost-effective steps you can take to make your
computer more secure.

1. Always make backups of important information and store
in a safe place separate from your computer.

2. Update and patch your operating system, web browser and
software frequently.  If you have a Windows operating
system, start by going to www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
and running the update wizard.  This program will help you
find the latest patches for your Windows computer.  Also go
to www.officeupdate.microsoft.com to locate possible
patches for your Office programs.

3. Install a firewall.  Without a good firewall, viruses,
worms, Trojans, malware and adware can all easily access
your computer from the Internet.  Consideration should be
given to the benefits and differences between hardware and
software based firewall programs.

4. Review your browser and email settings for optimum
security.  Why should you do this?  Active-X and JavaScript
are often used by hackers to plant malicious programs into
your computers.  While cookies are relatively harmless in
terms of security concerns, they do still track your
movements on the Internet to build a profile of you.  At a
minimum set your security setting for the “internet zone”
to High, and your “trusted sites zone” to Medium Low.

5. Install antivirus software and set for automatic
updates so that you receive the most current versions.

6. Do not open unknown email attachments.  It is simply
not enough that you may recognize the address from which it
originates because many viruses can spread from a familiar
address. 

7. Do not run programs from unknown origins.  Also, do not
send these types of programs to friends and coworkers
because they contain funny or amusing stories or jokes.
They may contain a Trojans horse waiting to infect a
computer.

8. Disable hidden filename extensions.  By default, the
Windows operating system is set to “hide file extensions
for known file types”.  Disable this option so that file
extensions display in Windows.  Some file extensions will,
by default, continue to remain hidden, but you are more
likely to see any unusual file extensions that do not
belong.

9. Turn off your computer and disconnect from the network
when not using the computer.  A hacker can not attack your
computer when you are disconnected from the network or the
computer is off.

10. Consider making a boot disk on a floppy disk in case
your computer is damaged or compromised by a malicious
program.  Obviously, you need to take this step before you
experience a hostile breach of your system. 

To your safety and security online

cotojo

Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Identity theft is an very real problem and you need to actively protect yourself from it!
 
If your identity is ever stolen, it can be used in Fraudulent or Criminal activities, to obtain a job where you end up liable for the taxes, to make purchases of products and services that you WILL end up having to pay for, can completely devastate and destroy your credit, and take literally many years for you get it all straightened out.
 
Never give out personal information on the phone, through Postal Services, through e-mail or over the Internet in any other way, unless you’ve initiated the contact and you are sure you know who you’re dealing with.
 
Identity thieves can be skilled liars, and may pose as representatives of banks, government agencies, owners of a company, and yes, they can even pose as Internet service providers (ISPs) to get you to reveal identifying information. Before you divulge any personal information, confirm that you’re dealing with a legitimate representative of a legitimate organization. Double check by calling customer service using the number on your account statement, listed in the telephone book, or obtained via a Telephone Operator.
 
Your computer can be a goldmine of personal information to an identity thief. Here are some points on how you can safeguard your computer and the personal information it stores:

· Update your virus protection software regularly. Computer viruses can have damaging effects, including introducing program code that causes your computer to send out files or other stored information.
 
· Regularly check for security repairs and patches you can download from your operating system’s Web site.
 
· Don’t download files from strangers or click on hyperlinks from people you don’t know, especially when it comes to e-mail where the e-mail contains an attachment. Clicking a link or opening a file could expose your system to a computer virus or a program that could hijack your modem like a Trojan.
 
· Use a firewall, especially if you have a high-speed or “always on” connection to the Internet. A firewall allows you to limit uninvited access to your computer. Without a firewall, hackers can enter your computer remotely from anywhere in the world and even take over your computer and access sensitive information without you even knowing it.
I recommend the use of ZoneAlarm free firewall which can be found at  http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

· To guard the safety of your online transactions always be sure the Web site you are on uses a secure browser software that encrypts or scrambles information you send over the Internet. When you’re submitting information, the address of the Web page should start with “https://” (apposed to the normal surfing address of http://), and also look for the “lock” icon on the status bar. It’s a symbol that your information is secure during transmission.
 
· Try not to store financial information on your PC or laptop unless absolutely necessary. If you do, use a “strong” password that is a combination of letters (upper and lower case) and numbers.
 
· Avoid using an automatic login feature that saves your user name and password; and always log off when you’re finished working in a password protected entry area. If your PC or laptop ever gets stolen, the thief will have a hard time accessing sensitive information if they need to enter usernames and passwords to access something.
 
· Delete any personal information stored on your computer before you dispose of it. Use a “wipe” utility program, which overwrites the entire hard drive and makes the files unrecoverable.  Use Ccleaner available for free at http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/ and when installed select ‘Options’ then select ‘Settings.  Under the heading ‘Secure Deletion’ click the ‘Secure file deletion (Slower)’ radio button and change the setting to NSA (7 passes).
 
· Read Web site privacy policies. They should answer questions about the access to and accuracy, security, and control of personal information the site collects, as well as how sensitive information will be used, and whether it will be provided to third parties.
 
· Never provide personally identifiable information like a username and password, a government issued number that identifies you, financial details, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, or your home address in areas like chat rooms, forums, instant messengers, e-mail, or any other area over the Internet that gives others access to the information.

Remember, always back-up your system before making any changes.  If using ccleaner make sure you know your passwords.  I suggest you open a spreadheet or word processor, enter the site url, username and password and save it to floppy.  Do NOT save this information on your hard drive.

To your privacy and safer surfing

cotojo