I Can’t Support Hacktivism- But When The Targets Are Pedophile Websites I Really Want To…

October 26, 2011

A ZDNet article reports that the Anonymous hacktivist[i] group has turned their focus to pedophile websites and will, according to sources, target anyone hosting, promoting or supporting child pornography.

Though Anonymous has yet to formally claim their role, the ZDNet article says those associated with the Anonymous say the group takes credit for “taking offline over 40 websites used for sharing pedophilia – and for exposing the names and identifying information of more than 1500 alleged pedophiles” all were active members of a site called Lolita City.

Apparently some of Anonymous’ came across the child pornography websites when some members were browsing a darknet[ii] site private network of computers used for file sharing site called Hidden Wiki.

Here’s a post on Pastebin.com relating to their cleanup under the name “operationdarknet”

#OpDarknet Press Release – 10/15/2011

————————    Timeline of Events   ————————

At apprx 8:30 CST while browsing the Hidden Wiki we noticed a section called Hard Candy which was dedicated to links to child pornography. We then removed all links on the website, within 5 minutes the links were edited back in by an admin. For this reason, we will continue to make the Hidden Wiki unavailable.–

At apprx 8:45 CST we noticed 95% of the child pornography listed on the Hidden Wiki shared a digital fingerprint with the shared hosting server at Freedom Hosting.–

At apprx 9:00pm CST on October 14, 2011 We identified Freedom Hosting as the host of the largest collection of child pornography on the internet. We then issued a warning to remove the illegal content from their server, which they refused to do.–

 At apprx 11:30pm CST on October 14, 2011 We infiltrated the shared hosting server of Freedom Hosting and shutdown services to all clients due to their lack of action to remove child pornography from their server.–

 At apprx 5:00pm CST on October 15, 2011 Freedom Hosting installed their backups and restored services to their child pornography clients. We then issued multiple warnings to remove all child pornography from their servers, which Freedom Hosting refused to do.–

At apprx 8:00pm CST on October 15, 2011 despite new security features, we once again infiltrated the shared hosting server at Freedom Hosting and stopped service to all clients.

————————      Our Statement   ————————

The owners and operators at Freedom Hosting are openly supporting child pornography and enabling pedophiles to view innocent children, fueling their issues and putting children at risk of abduction, molestation, rape, and death.

 For this, Freedom Hosting has been declared #OpDarknet Enemy Number One.

 By taking down Freedom Hosting, we are eliminating 40+ child pornography websites, among these is Lolita City, one of the largest child pornography websites to date containing more than 100GB of child pornography.

 We will continue to not only crash Freedom Hosting’s server, but any other server we find to contain, promote, or support child pornography.

 ————————        Our Demands   ————————

Our demands are simple. Remove all child pornography content from your servers. Refuse to provide hosting services to any website dealing with child pornography. This statement is not just aimed at Freedom Hosting, but everyone on the internet. It does not matter who you are, if we find you to be hosting, promoting, or supporting child pornography, you will become a target.

The takedown and exposure of websites and users dedicated to hosting, viewing, sharing, selling, swapping, trading or otherwise exploiting minors is a cause I can really support, though I still can’t condone hacking or vigilantism.

While these activities make for great stories they generally destroy the opportunity to prosecute rendering these pedophiles immune from prosecution.

I have personally worked with law enforcement agencies to help take down child predator rings in the past and have found law enforcement to be remarkably keen to prosecute and in need of top technical skills. I’ve also seen how the wildly popular ‘To Catch a Predator’ exposé series made prosecution of many of the men caught impossible.

If Anonymous really wants to make a positive impact by bringing these perverts to justice and rescue the children being exploited – and God Bless them if they do, –  they need to volunteer their services to an international law enforcement body so that the world can truly benefit from their unquestionable skills and from the prosecution of these child abusers.

Linda

[i] Hacktivists are activists who hack websites to further their agenda

[ii] A darknet is a private network of computers used for file sharing that cannot be searched or reached by other computers on the internet

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Sexting Trauma – Read this Month’s Redbook Article

October 24, 2011

A new article  by Sandy M. Fernández for Redbook provides excellent insight into a sexting incident’s long-term impact on a young girl. Covering a three year time period, the article delves into the life of a young girl who felt pressured into sexting, and the emotional, legal, and educational aftermath.

Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of the article:

Sexting Trauma: “I Was Naked Out in the World”

“Can I have a video?”

When the message flashed on then-13-year-old Taylor Sullivan’s* cell-phone screen late on a Saturday night in February 2009, she didn’t understand the question. It was midnight, and Taylor…. was in her pajamas, watching That’s So Raven and texting a boy from school, a class clown type who, she hoped, “might want to be my boyfriend.” She’d never dated anyone before.

“Video of what?” she typed. Everyone else in the house had gone to bed. But Taylor — kept awake by the pinging messages — had come back to the living room.

“You stripping,” came the answer.

Taylor’s immediate response was “No, no way.” …. Taylor had friends who’d sent some, … She had even tested out a couple shots herself. She knew the risks: Guys rarely kept these to themselves. Still, she liked this boy. And he swore it would be just between the two of them. “I didn’t know what to do,” Taylor says. “So I’d say, ‘I don’t know. I don’t feel good about this.’ And he’d be like, ‘Please?’”

It’s two years later, and we’re sitting on the back porch….. read more on http://www.redbookmag.com/kids-family/advice/teenage-sexting

It’s a thoughtful article that should be read not only by every parent but by every teen as it helps take a topic that is often discussed very 2-dimentionally and brings forward the complexities of dealing with the aftermath as the sender/victim, among friends, at school, and at home.   I am honored to have been interviewed for this article, and help drive greater awareness of the issues rather than the sensationalism that frequently accompanies these stories.

What’s missing from the article are suggestions for how to help your child build up defenses so they don’t feel pressured to send sexual images or video, what to do  if they already have sent images of themselves to others, and how you as a parent need to support your child through this kind of event. To learn more about these aspects of dealing with sexting see my blogs:

Linda

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Double Check those Daily Deals

October 19, 2011

If you are among the legion enamored with the ‘great deals’ delivered to your inbox every morning, pay attention: Those deals may be inflated to look better than they really are.

A story on Thumbtack.com found that 80% of the daily deals quoted ‘standard’ prices that were higher than what you’d get by visiting or calling the stores to inflate the sense of getting a good deal.
While the sample size was small – 5 from Living Social and 5 from Groupon – the false spin on the discounted rate should raise eyebrows; and maybe a lawsuit or two for misleading advertising.

 

The urge to inflate is understandable, but not acceptable. In order to promote your services on daily deal sites, a company has to offer a steep discount. If the discount is too steep, and there isn’t a cap on the number of users accepted, a company may not recover from their generosity.

This tale makes for an excellent lesson in digital literacy and savvy shopping for teens and tweens just getting into online shopping – and maybe a remedial lesson for a few who have been shopping online for some time.

Just because a site offers a ‘deal’, doesn’t mean it is a good deal. Do your homework. Is the price really the best price? Is the offer from a company with a great reputation? Are you so excited by the ‘deal’ that you purchase something you don’t actually want? In cases, where you end up working directly with the company, do you end up giving more information to the company than they should have about you? Beyond the terms and conditions of their ‘offer’ do you know their terms and conditions for maintaining your privacy?

There is nothing wrong with using daily deal sites, in fact I’ve made several purchases from these sites myself. The problem comes if you assume that the offer is as good as the deal says it is. Take a few moments to check it out before you click that link. Because not all things that glitter are gold.

Linda

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Immigration Official Arrested for Child Pornography

October 5, 2011

The Department of Justice has announced the arrest Anthony Mangione, of the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for South Florida, on child pornography charges, proving once again that the stereotype of the creepy trench coated stranger is no measure of perversion.

Charged in a three-count indictment for transportation of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, Mangione, a 27-year law enforcement veteran, will face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

What makes this case particularly sickening is that ICE has a specific mandate to target and investigate child pornographers, child sex tourists, and human traffickers, and the agency holds one of the most comprehensive databases of child pornography on the planet. As head of the department Mangione presumably had access to everything in that database.

Protect your child from sexual exploitation in both physical and digital forms

  1.  Talk, Talk, Talkto your children about appropriate and inappropriate conversations, pictures and touching. Start when kids are young, talk frequently, and make the conversation’s focus practical, not scary.
    1. Keep your perspective. Yes, there are sexual predators online, and yes they are trawling for targets, but they are not stalking every child every moment of the day or night. Only a fraction of youth will experience full blown solicitation, but all children should be forearmed.
    2. Warning kids about ‘creepy strangers’ is off target. Predators look like anyone else.
    3. Instead of saying don’t let strangers talk to you about, or touch you… (which implies it’s ok if others do), say no one – not mommy, not daddy, not brother, not uncle, not family friend, no one – is allowed to make you feel uncomfortable, talk to you about your body,  touch you in private places, or take photos of you undressed or barely dressed.
  2. Leverage Family Safety Tools, and do your own checking in.Depending on the age and maturity of your child/teen, use family safety settings and tools (also called parental controls) that are transparent (so your child knows what’s being monitored) that can help detect potentially at-risk communications.
    1. Though Facebook is the most popular social networking site, it isn’t the best site for young teens – and it does not allow access for users under 13.
    2. Instead use one of the social networking sites that was actually designed with safety as a core principle from the ground up. You want a site that uses moderators and screening as these vastly decrease the likelihood that your child will be solicited by a predator – whether that be a sexual predator, an emotional predator, a physical predator, or a reputational predator.
    3. Help tweens and teens understand that sending a sexual image of themselves to someone else can have far reaching consequences. There is a whole segment of the population beyond their boy/girlfriend who is very interested in seeing these pictures, touching the pictures, kissing the pictures, and masturbating to the pictures. Should their photo fall into the hands of a person interested in child pornography, it is likely to be traded and shared my thousands of times.
  3. Listen, Listen, Listen to your children. Your kids won’t tell you about risks if you aren’t listening and being thoughtful.
    1. If you have a history of freaking out, taking away their internet access, etc. when they come to you about something, then you’ve taught them not to come to you. This increases their vulnerability as the very people they should be able to turn to have made themselves unusable.
    2. Build trust that you will be calm, listen, and find the right solution no matter what they bring to you.
  4. It is never the victim’s fault.  God-forbid that any child should be abused, but statistics say a percentage of kids will experience sexual exploitation instigated either online, or offline. It is never their fault. As with all sexual crimes, there is only one person at fault— the predator.
    1. Sexual acts with minors are illegal and exploitive, and as a society, everyone must be committed to protecting minors, even when they act against their own best interests. Yes, they might have done things that put them at greater risk, but they are the victim, not the abuser.
    2. Understand that sexual predators frequently try to make a child believe that the abuse was the child’s fault or something they wanted because if the child feels guilty or ashamed they will be much less likely to report it. Predators may say, “You wouldn’t have contacted me if you didn’t want it,” or “I only did this because I thought it was what you wanted.”
    3. If a parent or authority figure says to an abused child or teen something like “What were you thinking?” or “What was your part in this?” the child or teen may see that as siding with the predator. If the adult in any way reinforces the predator’s message of guilt, they remove the last shreds of hope from the child that they will be believed, nurtured, and protected by those they need support from the most.

 For more information on how to protect kids and teens from online exploitation see my instructions for Protecting Kids.

If you believe a child is being abused, or know an child abuser, don’t hesitate. Call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline 1-800-THE-LOST, use their website’s reporting tool or call your local law enforcement agency.

Linda

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74% of Consumers Concerned about Security when Making Mobile Payments

October 4, 2011

New research by the Ponemon Institute paints a sobering picture of consumer concerns when conducting transactions via a mobile device.  In addition to the 74% who are concerned about their online security when making mobile payments, 72% were worried about becoming the victim of online fraud.

Other findings:

  • Of those polled, 29% said they used their phones to engage in mobile banking, while 67% believe they are either completely or partially protected when engaged in mobile banking.
  • 51% use mobile transactions for the convenience it offers, and 25% do so because they believe it provides increased security.

The research concludes that consumers attitude regarding their security in online transactions more to do with how active they are online – the more frequently they make online transactions the safer they feel when doing so. Yet the researchers admonish companies that they are not off the hook; noting that the best way to increase consumer confidence is to increase company spending and oversight on providing rigorous security.

6 things you can do to be safer when transacting online:

  1. Secure your computers and smartphones with anti-virus, anti-spyware, and tools.
    Keep them current and use them unfailingly-as automatically as locking your door when you leave the house. A computer that does not have security software installed and up-to-date will become infected with malicious software in an average of four minutes. That malicious software will steal your information and put you at risk for crimes.
    1. You must have anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed and up-to-date. If your computer or phone isn’t protected from Trojans, viruses and other malware, your financial information, passwords and identity will be stolen. This concept is so basic, yet only 20% of the US population adequately protects their computers. If the cost of security software is prohibitive, use a free service.
    2. Secure your internet connection – Make sure your computer’s firewall is on. If you use a wireless network it needs to be encrypted so someone who is lurking outside the house can’t collect your information. If you need a free firewall, click here. Never use a public WiFi service for any type of financial transaction or other type of sensitive information transfer.
    3. Use added protection on sensitive financial information with passwords or store on a flash drive, CD or external hard drive For added protection all year, keep your finances inaccessible to anyone who uses (or hacks into) your computer. You can do this by password protecting individual files or folders on your computer, or choose to keep this information on a flash drive or CD that you keep in your safe or other secure location.
  2. Use caution on public WiFi hotspots. Do not log onto sensitive sites (banking, shopping…) from an unsecured connection.  When using a public computer, uncheck the box for remembering your information.
  3. Use strong, unique passwords for every site. Creating strong memorable passwords is easy and can actually be fun – and the payoff in increased safety is big. The key aspects of a strong password are length (the longer the better); a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols; and no tie to your personal information. Learn how with my blog Safe passwords don’t have to be hard to create; just hard to guess
  4. Watch your surroundings. Pay attention to who is around you so that they do not see you type your passwords, credit card numbers, PIN’s, etc., or read sensitive information you may be sharing.
  5. Put a credit freeze on your accounts. Block ID thieves from opening new accounts under your name by freezing or blocking access to your credit files. Learn more about creating a credit freeze here.
  6. Check your credit reports. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to one free credit disclosure in every 12-month period from each of the three national credit reporting companies: Experian – http://www.experian.com/consumer-products/triple-advantage.html, Equifax – http://www.econsumer.equifax.com, TransUnion – http://www.truecredit.com/?cb=TransUnion&loc=2091
    1. Request a free credit report from one of the three companies for yourself, your spouse, and any minors over the age of 13 living at home to check for credit fraud or inaccuracies that could put you at financial risk. (Although exact figures are difficult to get, the latest data shows that at least 7 percent of identity theft targets the identities of children.) The easiest way to do this is through AnnualCreditReport.com.
    2. You can also pay for credit monitoring services that will alert you to any suspicious activity or changes in your credit scores.

Linda

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Back-to-School and Internet Safety

August 19, 2011

The phrase back-to-school conjures up thoughts of trying on clothes to see what fits and what doesn’t, and purchasing the notebooks, pens, and other paraphernalia your student needs for the year ahead.

However, new to most parents is the realization that an Internet safety checkup also falls into this seasonal rhythm.

The beginning of school is an excellent time to review your current Internet safety guidelines and see if they are still a good fit for your family and your child. It may be time to expand online privileges and reinforce the added responsibilities and expectations that come with age and with any new devices your child may be using.

Here is a checklist for this change of season:

  1. Begin by reviewing your student’s current privileges and responsibilities. Ideally, kids should take on new privileges and responsibilities each year so they can learn to become more responsible, and eventually grow into independent adults. Is it time to increase the level of access you provide to them?
  2. Reinforce the basics. Internet Safety has four basic principles – protect yourself, respect the safety of others, be kind, and act responsibly by following family rules and the terms and conditions set by services.
  3. Address new areas of potential risk – For example, if your child is starting to use social networking, it’s time to have a discussion about which service to use, what information he or she should share, what privacy settings should be in place, and so on.
  4. Review your school’s Internet usage guidelines. Permission slips for using the Internet in school are sent home during the first week of school. These require parents and students to agree to the school’s guidelines and they provide another great opportunity to address acceptable online usage and actions.
  5. Talk to each child, tween, and teen every year about Cyberbullying. Cyberbullying, online harassment, and cyber stalking are all terms for ways in which those who wish to hurt others, for whatever reason, use online tools to do so. This form of bullying is incredibly damaging both to those who are victims, and to the bullies themselves. It is critical that you establish an environment that makes your children feel safe in coming to you to report any problems.

Linda

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When Parents Rank Internet Safety and Sexting as More Concerning than Alcohol Abuse and Driving Accidents, We’ve got A Problem

August 18, 2011

As a mother of four, I’m acutely aware of all the things parents worry about when raising kids, but I’m concerned when research again tells us that parents are more worried about online actions than risks like teen pregnancy, alcohol abuse and driving accidents.

We simply have to stop the fear mongering.  Yes there are risks online, and I’m among those who are quick to point out the risks – but not for people to panic over. The goal of helping consumers identify risks to their online safety, security and privacy is to help them make informed choices about how they use tools, how they pressure companies to step up, and how they let their elected officials know what they want to see regulated.

A quick look at the results of a new poll by the University of Michigan shows how concerns trend by parent and ethnicity.   To make comparisons easier, I’ve used background colors to show where different concerns fall by group, and put those related to online safety in red text (while not all bullying is cyberbullying, I chose to include this in the internet category given all the news cyberbullying has generated in the press).

While every parent will have their own priority ranking of concerns, the likelihood of death or permanent physical injury is dramatically less in online risks than with the other items listed here.

Yes, your child could meet a sexual predator online, and some do with tragic consequences. But the risk is minor compared to the 7% of young women aged 18–24 who had had sex before age 20 and reported that their first sexual experience was involuntary – in most cases the exploitation is from someone they know[i].

Yes, a hefty percent of youth are sexting (so are their parents) and it can have enormously embarrassing consequences – and in at least a few cases led to suicide.  But compared to the fact that each year almost 750,000 U.S. women aged 15–19 become pregnant, it pales by comparison.  Add to that the fact that young people aged 13–24 made up about 17% of all those who received a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS in 2008 and hopefully perspectives become more nuanced[ii].

Yes there are real risks and even deadly consequences with extreme internet ‘addiction’ – but it is irrational to place these risks side by side with the 10% of teens using ecstasy, or the 25% of kids who begin drinking alcohol at age 12, or other drugs.

The poll led my curiosity into taking a hard look at other teen risk data, which is valuable to any larger risk discussion.  Consider the following:

  • Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.[iii] In 2009, eight teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.

In 2009, about 3,000 teens in the United States aged 15–19 were killed and more than 350,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes. [iv]

Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14% of the U.S. population. However, they account for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.[v]

  • Drug abuse is up. In the last three years ecstasy use among teenagers has jumped 67%. One in 10 teens now uses it. Marijuana use is up 22%, with 40% of teens now smoking pot, according to The Partnership at Drugfree.org.

Nearly 25% of high school seniors reportedly using illicit drugs in the last 30 days,[vi]  more than 33% have used drugs in the past year, and over half have tried illegal drugs at some point.

For the first time since 1981, more 12th graders have used marijuana than cigarettes in the previous month – that equates to more than 1 in 5 seniors.  1 out of every 16 seniors smokes pot daily.

In 2008, an estimated 20.1 million Americans ages 12 or older (8.0%) were current (past-month) illicit drug users[vii].

  • Alcohol abuse is up. This April, the Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation conducted research that indicates alcohol abuse is again increasing among teens.  25% of teens have had a drink by age 12, though the average age to start drinking is 14 years old.  A whopping 71% of teens have tried a drink before leaving high school[viii].

The research found that weak perceptions of risk and a perceived “normalization” of underage drinking were behind the increase in adolescent alcohol use[ix].

  • Almost half of teens (45%) reported they do not see a “great risk” in heavy daily drinking.
  • Only 31% of teens strongly disapprove of teens and peers their age getting drunk.
  • 73% report having friends who drink alcohol at least once a week.
  • While the primary reason teens reported drinking alcohol is “fun” (60%), a significant number of teens reported using alcohol to “to forget their troubles” (32%), to “deal with problems at home” (24%), or to “deal with the pressures and stress of school” (20%).

The survey underscored the finding that teens that begin drinking before the age of 15 are much more likely than other teens to develop problems with alcohol as adults.

According to the CDC, about 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 occurs in the form of binge drinking, which, experts say, peaks at age 19. Approximately 200,000 adolescents are hospitalized each year for drinking-related incidents, and more than 1,700 college students die from them[x].

Despite declines in the number of young people involved in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, more than 3 people under the age of 21 die each day in alcohol-impaired driving crashes[xi].

Teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases don’t appear to be rising (in some cases they are dramatically lower, but the statistics are nevertheless sobering. 

 

  • 13% of teens have had vaginal sex by age 15[xii].
  • Seven percent of young women aged 18–24 who had had sex before age 20 report that their first sexual experience was involuntary[xiii].
  • Young people aged 13–24 made up about 17% of all those who received a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS in 2008[xiv].
  • Although 15–24-year-olds represent only one-quarter of the sexually active population, they account for nearly half (9.1 million) of the 18.9 million new cases of STIs each year. [xv]
  • Each year, almost 750,000 U.S. women aged 15–19 become pregnant. Two-thirds of all teen pregnancies occur among 18–19-year-olds[xvi].
  • Eighty-two percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned; they account for about one-fifth of all unintended pregnancies annually[xvii].

Internet risks are real, and it is critical that we educate consumers of all ages on the opportunities, the risks, the tools, and the responsibilities they have when online. But it is absurd to imagine that internet risks are placing children at more risk than driving accidents, alcohol abuse, pregnancy, child abuse, school violence, and so on.

Media hype leads to fear. Fear leads to kneejerk reactions and misplaced focus. Parents, pay attention to online risks but don’t take your eye off the biggest issues teens face.

For the most part the internet is a safer place than the streets.

Linda

[ii] Weinstock H et al., Sexually transmitted diseases among American youth: incidence and prevalence estimates, 2000, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2004, 36(1):6–10.

[iii] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2010). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [Cited 2010 Oct 18].

[iv] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2010). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [Cited 2010 Oct 18].

[v] NHTSA[2009]. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2009. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis.

[vii] SAMHSA

[xi] Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2010

[xiv] 12. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HIV Surveillance Report, 2008, Vol. 20, 2010, <http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports>, accessed Oct. 26, 2010.

[xv] Weinstock H et al., Sexually transmitted diseases among American youth: incidence and prevalence estimates, 2000, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2004, 36(1):6–10.

[xvi] Kost K, Henshaw S and Carlin L, U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, 2010, <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/USTPtrends.pdf> accessed Jan. 26, 2010.

[xvii] Finer LB et al., Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2006, 38(2):90–96.

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Banks Blame Businesses When Hackers Empty Their Bank Accounts

August 18, 2011

“If every [business] knew their money was at risk [from online fraud] in small and medium-sized banks, they would move their accounts to JPMorgan Chase,” said James Woodhill, a venture capitalist who is leading an effort to get smaller banks to upgrade anti-fraud security for their online banking programs. “That’s because JPMorgan Chase is the only major U.S. bank that insures commercial deposits against the type of hacking that plagues smaller banks.

There is an excellent article in BusinessWeek titled Hackers Take $1 Billion a Year as Banks Blame Their Clients that is a must read piece. It provides a clear explanation of the insurance loophole that is wiping out businesses, school districts, churches, and local governments bank accounts, when and how cybercriminals strike; why small banks aren’t stepping  up,  why law enforcement is struggling to deal with  the issue; the role of malware in these exploits, and what led to the creation of the yourmoneyisnotsafeinthebank.org website.

Read it.

Linda

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Responding to Spam Volumes, Hotmail Adds “My Friend’s been Hacked” Feature

July 21, 2011

Sending spam from legitimate user’s email accounts has become rampant as spammers switch from using botnets. This week alone, I’ve received spam sent via my mother’s and two friend’s email accounts – and received frantic calls asking how to fix the problem. Read more on fixing the problem later in this blog.

To address the nearly 30% of Hotmail generated through compromised accounts, Microsoft has launched a new feature in Hotmail. Called “my friend’s been hacked” and found under the “Mark as” dropdown, a simple click allows friends to report compromised accounts directly to Hotmail.

Microsoft’s Dick Craddock explains that “when you report that your friend’s account has been compromised, Hotmail takes that report and combines it with the other information from the compromise detection engine to determine if the account in question has in fact been hijacked. It turns out that the report that comes from you can be one of the strongest “signals” to the detection engine, since you may be the first to notice the compromise.”

Once Hotmail has marked the account as compromised, two steps are taken:

  • The account can no longer be used by the spammer
  • You (or your compromised friend) are put through an account recovery flow that helps them take back control of their account.

What’s really cool about the work the Hotmail team has done is that it can be used to report problems with accounts hosted by other email providers as well. So for example, Yahoo! or Gmail receives a notice from Hotmail if one of their user’s accounts has been compromised and can take action.

Additionally, the Hotmail team has recognized that weak passwords are a large part of the problem – it’s just too easy for spammers to hack flimsy passwords. To address this, the service will soon roll out a new feature requiring stronger passwords. If you’re currently using a common password, you may be asked to strengthen it in the future.

Changing spam tactics

The takedown of the Rustock botnet dealt a telling blow to spammers and dropped spam volumes by almost 30% overnight (see Kudos to MSFT for Strangling the Rustock Spambot) and highlights a vulnerability in the botnet approach. Not only did spammers have to pay to rent the botnets, their distribution method could be shut off in one well-researched swoop.

A report out this month by Commtouch explains this shift in tactics saying “The move away from botnet spam can be attributed to the use of IP reputation mechanisms that have been increasingly successful in blacklisting zombie IP addresses and therefore blocking botnet spam.

The blocking of spam from compromised accounts based on IP address is more difficult for many anti-spam technologies, since these accounts exist within whitelisted IP address ranges (such as Hotmail or Gmail).

One of the primary aims of the larger malware outbreaks and phishing attacks of this quarter is therefore to acquire enough compromised accounts to make spamming viable. The catch for spammers: While spam from compromised accounts is less likely to get blocked by IP reputation systems, the volumes that can be sent are lower due to the thresholds imposed on these accounts. This at least partially accounts for the lower spam volumes seen this quarter.”

What to do if your email account is hacked

  1. Check your security. Most hackers collect passwords using malware that has been installed on your computer or mobile phone. Be sure your anti-virus and anti-malware programs are up to date.  Also be sure that any operating system updates are installed. See my blog Are You a Malware Magnet? 4 simple steps can make all the difference
  2. Change your password and make it stronger – after your anti-virus and anti-malware programs are updated. Learn how to create stronger passwords in my blog Safe passwords don’t have to be hard to create; just hard to guess.
  3. Practice greater safety online.
    1. Learn to spot spam and scams
    2. Secure your home’s wireless network
    3. Avoid logging into accounts when using public wireless networks – you don’t know if these are safe or compromised. See my blog Like Lambs to the Slaughter? Firesheep Lets Anyone be a Hacker
    4. Validate the legitimacy of any program/game/app before downloading it.  See my blogs Windows Getting Safer, but Study Finds that 1 of Every 14 Programs Downloaded is Later Confirmed as Malware

Linda

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Smartphone Users Are Mostly Young, Minorities, or Wealthy; This Needs to be Reflected in How We Teach Net Literacy

July 19, 2011

If you don’t have a smartphone, chances are you are older, white, less affluent, and don’t have a college degree according to new research by the Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project. No longer primarily a status symbol, smartphones have become the primary internet access point for millions of users, but there are large differences between who uses these phones, and how they use them.

It turns out the phone you use says a lot about you, for example, you are likely to have a smartphone if:

  • You’re younger than 50 – more than half of 18-29-year-olds own smartphones, followed by 45% of 30-to-49-year-olds. For those over 50 there is a steep cliff; only 24% of 50-to-64-year-olds use a smartphone.
  • You earn over $75k – nearly 60% of American’s who earn over 75k own smartphones. The percentage drops to about 37% among those earning between $50 -$74k annually. Note: smartphone penetration is slightly higher (40%) in the next-lowest income bracket, those earning $30 – $49k annually; this may be due to this group using their smartphone more often as their primary internet connection.
  • You’re a college grad – nearly half (48%) of college grads own smartphones, compared to 38% of those with some college education, 27% of high school grads, and 18% of those with less than a high school diploma.
  • You live in an urban or suburban area – geography matters; 38% of both suburban and urban residents own smartphones compared to 21% of rural residents.
  • You aren’t white – 44% of both blacks and Hispanics have smartphones; nearly 50% higher than the 30% smartphone ownership rate found among whites.

How you use your phone also says a lot about you. You are more likely to use your smartphone as your primary means of connecting to the internet if:

  • You’re younger than 30 - 42% of 18-to-29-year-olds say they most often use their smartphone for web access, which is twice as often as 30-to-49-year-olds (21%) and more than four times as often as smartphone owners 50 and older (10%).
  • You are in the lowest income bracket – 40% of smartphone owners with a household income less than $30,000 a year use their phone as their primary internet access, compared to 29% of those earning between $30 – $49k  and 17% of smartphone owners with household income more than $50k
  • You belong to an ethnic minority – 38% of black and Latino smartphone owners primarily use their phones for web access, more than double the 17% of white smartphone owners who do so.
  • You are less educated – 33% of smartphone owners with only a high school diploma primarily use their phones for web access compared to 27% of smartphone owners with some college education, and 13% of smartphone owners with a college degree.

These findings have significant implications for how we teach and implement online safety, security, privacy and digital citizenship.

Beyond simply being interesting stats, the picture painted by the data has significant bearing on how companies need to display their privacy settings and terms of use, how proposed legislation is developed, the importance of mobile security tools, and how online safety, security, privacy, digital literacy and ethics are taught at school and implemented in homes.

For companies:

  • How are you going to ensure that mobile only users can easily read your terms of use and privacy policies, and select their safety settings? The small screen experience needs to be optimized to give users easy control.
  • If the least wealthy are the most likely to use the phone as their primary access, how does the cost of mobile security apps impact their ability to protect their devices, their identities, and their sensitive information? They will need free, or very low cost, mobile security apps. Should these be offered as a bundle in their service? How will you drive awareness of this need?

For Regulators:

  • Writing legislative proposals about internet safety, security, privacy or education that does not fully cover mobile internet experiences and risks is unacceptably shortsighted. Even when using the same technologies and services as computers, mobile devices bring their own set of risks and opportunities into play and these must be addressed simultaneously.

For parents:

For Schools:

  • Blocking technology is not the answer, yet far too many schools still think this is the best course of action. We need to teach students to be capable digital citizens on all internet devices to be prepared for the workforce environment they will step into. You must figure out how to embrace and incorporate technology.
  • Recognizing that the way youth use technologies, the amount of time they spend on technologies, and the economic divide in the use and access of technologies is critical in effectively incorporating technology as a learning tool – particularly for minority youth. To learn more, see my blog Minority Youth Spend 13 Hours A day With Media – 4 ½ More than White Youth – What Does this Mean for Their Future?
  • Kids can readily use technologies, but that does not mean they understand the real risks or consequences that can accompany these tools. It is absurd that teaching internet safety/security/privacy/digital literacy/ethics is not mandatory in every school. To help you address this shortfall, the LOOKBOTHWAYS FOUNDATION has begun creating the K-12 NetSkills4Life curriculum, made freely available to schools, families, organizations and the public. The first two online interactive lessons for 6th graders are in place, and we will be rolling out more lessons for all grades as quickly as we can and funding is available.

Linda

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