What is More Dangerous Than Malware? - Comments Page 2

Good reminder to use common sense.

I never click a link in emails, I check the site directly, especially if the site is one that I do go to, if I suspect it. If the email is bogus, I report it.

As for Facebook, I will never join, and no need to.
I get too many adverts already!

I'm sorry...did you say something?

Bob, unfortunately, you're preaching to the choir...

Bob, I have been saving all those Nigerian emails for over a decade. I had planned to contact the senders when I retire and live in all the luxury of a prince myself. Now you are telling me these contacts have about the same value as my Bear Sterns Stock. I am shattered. Nigerian riches were my last hope for retirement.

I recall several years ago patiently explaining to my mother for the hundreth time that she need not live in fear of getting a virus on her Mac as long as she avoided clicking on links passed in emails or opening attachments from folks she did not know. Within moments, while checking my own email, I got a notice that there was a problem with my credit card and my account was frozen. "Why, that can't be!", I said to myself as I clicked the link to get to the bottom of it. Of course, the website the link took me to was just sitting there waiting for suckers like me to receive their malware code onto my Windows system.

The lesson for me is that everybody has a "hook". Yes it might be free money from a Nigerian prince. But your hook might be something that creates an sense of urgency that you must quickly correct some error.

and since you sound so nice, here is my SS#, birth date, & mother's maiden name

EXCELLENT ARTICLE!

I wish that people DO PAY ATTENTION to your sensible warnings. Such warnings should be reiterated often. Unfortunately, the villains can find enough gullible victims to make profits and get away with it.

A related problem is that of legitimate businesses that do not take sufficient measures to protect sensitive data they collect from their customers. E.g., regardless of all warnings, some businesses still keep passwords on their servers. This becomes evident when in response to “I forgot my password”, some businesses send the password by mail.

BTW, you were absolutely right when you wrote “bandits in the Ukraine”.

The name of the country in the vernacular is УКРАЇНА (pronounced as OO-KRA-I-NA”) which means periphery (of Russia). Thus, “the Ukraine”, which has been the common usage in English for centuries and means “the periphery”, is correct! Referring to that country in Russian, one says “на Украине” (on the periphery) rather than “в Украине” (in the periphery), which sounds awkward.

Yeah, I've been gotten twice-a few years back I was phished for my Ebay/Paypal info, and here's a tip: don't surf while 'impaired' (it was cold medicine, and yes, I had a nasty one). Fortunately, I got my cash back because my cc provider didn't think those purchases were typical for me, boy were they right!.And you gotta doublecheck even legit emails-I have an account with a shipping company, and somehow someone billed me for shipping something through their website! I got that cash back too...

I have been receiving your letter for quite some time and this is probably the best advice you have given. I update my anti virus and don't click on links but depending on the mood I am in,there are times when you just want to believe. It is too unfortunate that most times (especially on the net) that we can't. Keep up the good work.

"No one ever went broke underestimating the stupidity of the public" someone once said...

When I go clean out the spam file from a business account I monitor, I am often rather surprised to see so many different Nigerian businessmen (or similar). with exactly the same sob story promising me the moon for just a small fee... Not to mention credit card or account alerts from financial institutions we never used...

Never ceases to amaze me.

(Also reminds me of that "foistware" problem you've talked about where if you don't READ the fine print and check the "decline" option you get stuck with who knows what clogging up your computer.)

i try to be safe all of the time when on the internet. the problem is trying to teach my wife and son to do it also. they both have facebook accounts and twit accounts and my wife also has a linkedn account. i check their computers weekly and always find malicious software on them. i tell them to be careful what they download and be careful what sites they visit and to run security scans weekly but to no avail. people just will not listen. i have seen this time and again. my doctor, doctors are supposed to be very smart, was having problems with his email. apparently he was sending out spam to everybody he knew. i suggested he change his password to something stronger because someone had figured his current one out. when i saw him the following month he thanked me because he had been having the problem for over a month and that one thing stopped it in its tracks. so you are right. people think they are safe and become lazy about taking care on the internet. i have been trying to teach my family for years now and have had very little success. this is why i scan their computers every week when they are not here. fortunately, they do not have access to anything like bank information. my son has a bank account and only i have access to it because, invariably, he always has an infection on his computer and it is usually a java exploit. it is a never ending war and i am always worried that i will someday not be able to keep up with it. even as alert as i am, i get nailed with an infection occasionally. fortunately, i do stay on top of it and nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. but even as security aware as i am, even i get hit. it is a little unnerving.

Banks on their own, can make a big difference, on your internet security.
I have a Chase account. They could care less what you use for a password, but require you to use a digit or symbal in your username, nice touch.
They also leave a cookie in your browser for future logins. If that cookie isn't found when you log-in they will call me at a pre-determined phone number I gave them to use. Then they will give me a code to access my account.
All banks should do something like this.
I enjoy reading all your articles and find that you have a sense of humor much like my own. Keep up the good work..........Alan