‘; var fr = document.getElementById(adID); setHash(fr, hash); fr.body = body; var doc = getFrameDocument(fr); doc.open(); doc.write(body); setTimeout(function() {closeDoc(getFrameDocument(document.getElementById(adID)))}, 2000); } function renderJIFAdWithInterim(holderID, adID, srcUrl, width, height, hash, bodyAttributes) { setHash(document.getElementById(holderID), hash); document.dcdAdsR.push(adID); document.write(”); } function renderIJAd(holderID, adID, srcUrl, hash) { document.dcdAdsAA.push(holderID); setHash(document.getElementById(holderID), hash); document.write(” + ‘ript’); } function renderJAd(holderID, adID, srcUrl, hash) { document.dcdAdsAA.push(holderID); setHash(document.getElementById(holderID), hash); document.dcdAdsH.push(holderID); document.dcdAdsI.push(adID); document.dcdAdsU.push(srcUrl); } function er_showAd() { var regex = new RegExp(“externalReferrer=(.*?)(; |$)”, “gi”); var value = regex.exec(document.cookie); if (value value.length == 3) { var externalReferrer = value[1]; return (!FD.isInternalReferrer() || ((externalReferrer) (externalReferrer 0))); } return false; } function isHome() { var loc = “” + window.location; loc = loc.replace(“//”, “”); var tokens = loc.split(“/”); if (tokens.length == 1) { return true; } else if (tokens.length == 2) { if (tokens[1].trim().length == 0) { return true; } } return false; } function checkAds(checkStrings) { var cs = checkStrings.split(“,”); for (var i=0;i 0 cAd.innerHTML.indexOf(c)0) { document.dcdAdsAI.push(cAd.hash); cAd.style.display =’none’; } } } if (!ie) { for (var i=0;i 0 doc.body.innerHTML.indexOf(c)0) { document.dcdAdsAI.push(fr.hash); fr.style.display =’none’; } } } } } if (document.dcdAdsAI.length 0 || document.dcdAdsAG.length 0) { var pingServerParams = “i=”; var sep = “”; for (var i=0;i 0) { var pingServerUrl = “/action/pingServerAction?” + document.pingServerAdParams; var xmlHttp = null; try { xmlHttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); } catch(e) { try { xmlHttp = new ActiveXObject(“Microsoft.XMLHttp”); } catch(e) { xmlHttp = null; } } if (xmlHttp != null) { xmlHttp.open( “GET”, pingServerUrl, true); xmlHttp.send( null ); } } } function initAds(log) { for (var i=0;i 0) { doc.removeChild(doc.childNodes[0]); } doc.open(); var newBody = fr.body; if (getCurrentOrd(newBody) != “” ) { newBody = newBody.replace(“;ord=”+getCurrentOrd(newBody), “;ord=” + Math.floor(100000000*Math.random())); } else { newBody = newBody.replace(“;ord=”, “;ord=” + Math.floor(100000000*Math.random())); } doc.write(newBody); document.dcdsAdsToClose.push(fr.id); } } else { var newSrc = fr.src; if (getCurrentOrd(newSrc) != “” ) { newSrc = newSrc.replace(“;ord=”+getCurrentOrd(newSrc), “;ord=” + Math.floor(100000000*Math.random())); } else { newSrc = newSrc.replace(“;ord=”, “;ord=” + Math.floor(100000000*Math.random())); } fr.src = newSrc; } } } if (document.dcdsAdsToClose.length 0) { setTimeout(function() {closeOpenDocuments(document.dcdsAdsToClose)}, 500); } } }; var ie = isIE(); if(ie typeof String.prototype.trim !== ‘function’) { String.prototype.trim = function() { return this.replace(/^s+|s+$/g, ”); }; } document.dcdAdsH = new Array(); document.dcdAdsI = new Array(); document.dcdAdsU = new Array(); document.dcdAdsR = new Array(); document.dcdAdsEH = new Array(); document.dcdAdsE = new Array(); document.dcdAdsEC = new Array(); document.dcdAdsAA = new Array(); document.dcdAdsAI = new Array(); document.dcdAdsAG = new Array(); document.dcdAdsToClose = new Array(); document.igCount = 0; document.tCount = 0; var dcOrd = Math.floor(100000000*Math.random()); document.dcAdsCParams = “”; var savValue = getAdCookie(“sav”); if (savValue != null savValue.length 2) { document.dcAdsCParams = savValue + “;”; }
Small business
Date
March 14, 2013
- (0)
Take a peek in your spam folder. Unless you emptied it recently, you will likely find at least one “phishing” message.
Thanks to all the laptops, tablets and smartphones we use, phishing – the practice of tricking someone into giving bank or credit-card information – is rife and unlikely to go away, especially now that research from the security company AVG shows that pre-teens are writing malware designed to steal login details.
Don’t assume you could never be tricked by some creep who slips past your filters. Phishing messages can be slyly convincing. The corrupt come-ons contain links to persuasive fakes of real firms’ home pages, stamped with life-like logos. Sign-in to a fake website that asks you to “update security”, say, at your peril – you could lose lots of money. To boost your safety, here are seven tips on countering the slippery threat through protection, detection and correction.
1. Take a cross-platform stance As criminals grow smarter, you need to raise your game too, says the cyber safety expert for the security company Trend Micro, Aman Chand.
Attend to all the internet-connected gadgets you have because you need multi-device protection, Chand says.
2. Remember your mobile Ensure you do not leave your mobile unguarded, Chand says.
Just locking up your mobile with a password will no longer do. Mobile devices need proper security software because mobile is “the new frontier” for cyber-criminals, according to Chand, who explains what has happened to the popular mobile platform Android.
During its first three years, Android has faced the same number of global threats it took the personal computer platform 14 years to rack up.
Three-quarters of attacks are spoofs of well-known banking sites. So, Chand suggests, when banking on your mobile, manually type the address of the bank you want to visit. Ditto if you are using a laptop, netbook or ultra-book – whatever device you use.
3. Shun that attachment Three-quarters of all spam attachments are malicious, Chand says. So, he adds, if you have doubts about an attachment, do not open it, because it could be the gateway a hacker seeks.
Carelessly click an attachment and, if you are lucky, you may just be deluged with spam. Worst case: your computer could become an open book to a shyster intent on stealing your information.
4. Don’t believe the hype If a generous financial offer that comes in an email sounds too good to be true, it probably is, says the security advisor for AVG Technologies AU, Michael McKinnon.
“The taxman isn’t going to refund you money this way; the bank will never ask for your password by email; you haven’t inherited millions unexpectedly; and you certainly don’t want to help the finance minister from a third-world country siphon millions of dollars from a bank account,” McKinnon says. “So don’t click that link!”
5. Run scanners While old-school phishing attacks get your credentials under false pretences, others just infect your computer by exploiting any detected vulnerabilities, McKinnon says.
Stop that happening, he advises, by running an anti-virus scanner.
Vitally, it will ensure that any known malware is detected before a rogue program executes and takes hold of your computer.
Another vital tool, link-scanning software, gauges web pages’ content before you click on them, checking if they have been compromised. If so, the software alerts you and blocks you from visiting the shady pages, which may carry code designed to exploit your machine.
6. Build an arsenal Be thorough – combine multiple layers of technology that are always turned on and updating automatically. Your defensive arsenal should include a firewall, antivirus detection and anti-spam capabilities.
Together, your defences will shield you from harm by addressing different and sometimes overlapping areas of concern.
If you have a clunky computer that cannot run all the safety mechanisms you need, you know what to do.
Upgrade, McKinnon says. “Don’t forsake your own security just so you can squeeze the last drops from your old computer.”
7. Change your passwords If you still stuff up and, falling prey to a phishing attack, betray your login details, you must change them as soon as possible. Take action instantly, McKinnon says.
Make your new passwords complicated, he adds – there is just no excuse for laziness. The password you choose should be strong, long and secure. Use a mix of upper and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers.
For information on link scanning software, click this link.
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