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Cyber Criminals Haven't Retired - They've Just GonePhishing!

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The technological community is constantly being hit by waves ofcrime via the internet. Not so very many years ago, it was ratherrare to learn of someone who had been directly affected by acomputer hacker.

The technological community is constantly being hit by waves ofcrime via the internet. Not so very many years ago, it was ratherrare to learn of someone who had been directly affected by acomputer hacker. As time marched on, however, the phenomenonbecame more pronounced. Today, folks are so busy fortifying theirnotebooks with the latest anti-hacking tools that they seem tohave time to do little else.

Phishing (pronounced "fishing") - the act of using fraudulentwebsites and e-mail in an attempt to coerce the user to revealpersonal data, such as bank account, credit card and socialsecurity numbers - has become an epidemic in today's society. Asa result, major software companies, such as Microsoft, have beendeveloping and releasing a number of tools that are designed tobe used by the general public in order to protect themselvesagainst the ravages of those who would commit this type ofcyber-crime.

If you're the owner of a wireless laptop, there's a brand new threat on the electronic horizon:WiPhishing. This latest technology (pronounced "why fishing")enables hackers to position themselves outside of a building - oracross the street - and use their own laptops to create a clone (or twin) of the user's common network name (such as NetGear orLinkSys). Some may even clone hotspot names, such asT-Mobile.

Once hackers successfully duplicate the network scenario, theuser's notebook will automatically connect to the hacker's false network, enablingcyber-criminals to garner sensitive information about the user.This is accomplished by providing a stronger signal to the user'swireless laptop - and within closer range - than their actualbase station, and the user's none the wiser.

In order to mount a challenge against any form of phishing, thereare some precautionary steps that you can take when logging ontoyour laptop. While no specific action can guarantee the safety of your system, youcan significantly decrease your chances of becoming the nextvictim in the phishing pond.

Perhaps the most important precaution that you can take whenlogging onto the network or visiting an outside website is toensure that you're on a secure channel. Unless it specificallyindicates that it's secure, you're on a common channel and are atrisk for being electronically violated. When typing in the webaddress that you plan to visit, instead of beginning with,"http://," use "https://". Unless the "s" is included in the webaddress, you're not on a secure channel.

If you should receive e-mails that ask you for sensitiveinformation, such as a password, credit card number, etc, orrequesting that you fill out a particular form, don't be fooledinto providing such information by using the link that theyprovide - even if it looks official and carries the logo of abank or company that's familiar to you.

In order to verify that this is a legitimate request, log ontothe company's website through your main carrier, and not throughthe e-mail link. Then, you'll be free to check into the situationwithout becoming trapped in a snare that's been offered by ahacker. If, once you gain access to the company through anoutside means, you can't verify the validity of the message thatyou received, contact the company directly.

There are now web browser tools that will assist you inprotecting your laptop computer, by sending an alert when afraudulent website is encountered.

These and many other safety precautions for your laptop areavailable to users, a full list of which can be found by visiting Antiphishing.org.

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