Take Back The Internet- April 18, 2005

IT'S DANGEROUS OUT THERE!
On March 17, 2005, BBC News issued an alarming report on the dangers that exist on the internet. ((Read the report here) That report shows how easily "zombie" nets can attack your computer and take it over, using it to promote viruses, spam, and malaware, (malicious software).

The FBI, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Earthlink have jointly issued a warning on how the growing ranks of Internet crooks are using new tricks called "phishing" and "spoofing" to steal your identity. In an FBI press release, Assistant Director of the agency's Cyber Division, Jana Monroe says, "Bogus e-mails that try to trick customers into giving out personal information are the hottest, and most troubling, new scam on the Internet.

The FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) has seen a steady increase in complaints that involve some form of unsolicited e-mail directing consumers to a phony "Customer Service" type of web site. Assistant Director Monroe said that the scam is contributing to a rise in identity theft, credit card fraud, and other Internet frauds.

"Spoofing," or "phishing," frauds attempt to make Internet users believe that they are receiving e-mail from a specific, trusted source, or that they are securely connected to a trusted web site, when that is not the case. Spoofing is generally used as a means to convince individuals to provide personal or financial information that enables the perpetrators to commit credit card/bank fraud or other forms of identity theft.

In "E-mail spoofing" the header of an e-mail appears to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. Spam distributors and criminals often use spoofing in an attempt to get recipients to open and possibly even respond to their solicitations.

"IP Spoofing" is a technique used to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby the intruder sends a message to a computer with an IP address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted source.

"Link alteration" involves altering the return address in a web page sent to a consumer to make it go to the hacker's site rather than the legitimate site. This is accomplished by adding the hacker's address before the actual address in any e-mail, or page that has a request going back to the original site. If an individual unsuspectingly receives a spoofed e-mail requesting him/her to "click here to update" their account information, and then are redirected to a site that looks exactly like their Internet Service Provider, or a commercial site like EBay or PayPal, there is an increasing chance that the individual will follow through in submitting their personal and/or credit information.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

1.) Protect Yourself With A Firewall!

Although hackers use very sophisticated methods, the majority of automatic attack tools seek out computers without protection. It's much easier to take over an unprotected computer than it is to attempt to get inside a firewall. So your first step is to GET A FIREWALL IMMEDIATELY! Firewalls do NOT seek out or eliminate existing spyware, Trojans, viruses or malaware on your computer. They are not designed to do that. What they DO do is protect your computer from any further infections by creating a block against them. They literally put up a "wall of fire" around your operating system. Our FIREWALL has been specifically engineered to give you the most sophisticated protection possible. Before you read any further into this report, go get it now! It is available for instant download and installs in just a couple of minutes from its own self-extracting file, so your protection is immedaite.

2.) Get A Virus Eliminator!

Your installed firewall will protect you from any further intrusions, but you STILL need to get rid of the dangers that are already lurking in your computer! Our XoftSpySE will automatically seek out, identify, and destroy Trojans, viruses and malaware on your computer. It will not only eliminate them, it works in conjunction with your firewall to allow you safe, secure internet browsing!

3.) Install a XoftSpySE

Most websites use "cookies"-small pieces of data that let them identify and connect with your computer. As soon as you visit a site, a cookie is usually installed on your system. While most of them are harmless, many are actually "data miners", designed to retrieve information about you without your knowlege! This is the true definition of "spyware", because they literally spy on you unaware! Install our XoftSpySE but don't stop there. Go into your Temporary Internet Files, and REMOVE ALL THOSE COOKIES! If it's a site you like to visit, you can always go back, and another cookie will be installed. But remember this- it was probably a cookie that caused all your problems in the first place!

4.) Keep Your System Updated!

Your software is constantly being updated, because the "bad guys" are constantly seeking ways to get around your protection. Last year's protection is no match for this year's problems! Since your software comes with automatic updates, usually free for at least the first year, take advantage of it- KEEP YOUR COMPUTER UPDATED!

THIS REPORT SHOWS JUST HOW RISKY IT IS TO BE UNPROTECTED! DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU! TOTAL PROTECTION CAN COST YOU LESS THAN $100.00! HOW MUCH WILL IT COST YOU TO BE UNPROTECTED?