WELCOME

I got phished yesterday.

An alarming notice showed up in my e-mailbox, informing me that someone had been making fraudulent purchases using my account on eBay.

I should immediately, the notice said, click the included link and verify my personal information with eBay. I was then reassured that when eBay asks for things like, say, my credit card information, only the most secure servers are used. So, the message said, I could click (and enter my credit card info) with confidence.

How nice.

Fortunately, I recognized the message could be a "phishing" expedition and forwarded it to eBay's security department. They verified this was indeed a scam.

Phishing is the act of sending an email claiming to be someone you're not, with intent of sending the user to a bogus web site to collect personal information. This personal information can then be used for identity theft.

Spoofing, another common fraudulent email tactic, is the act of forging the email header to make the message look like it came someone or somewhere other than the actual source.

If you receive an email from eBay or PayPal that asks you to "click here to verify your account information," whatever you do, DON'T click there! If you think the message might be legitimate, open a new web browser window and type in the basic web address, like www.ebay.com. Their site will contain any valid security announcements.

eBay has an excellent tutorial to help you recognize spoofed email messages. Take a few minutes to check it out and protect yourself from these e-pirates.

http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial/.

Happy Surfing!

Rod Clayton

CyberScribe Web Solutions

919-644-8279

Using your computer for good...

Easy Exploring

You can easily open Windows Explorer by holding down the Windows key (it has the little flying window on it and is usually located on the bottom row of the keyboard) and pressing E.

Highlighting the latest threats

The latest virus to hit the 'net is WORM_RATOS.A, a medium-risk worm that spreads by sending itself around as an email attachment. This worm is currently infecting systems running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP.

How does it spread?

WORM_RATOS.A (soon to be renamed WORM_MYDOOM.S) spreads itself by looking for email addresses on your computer and in your address book. It also manufactures its own addresses using a bunch of common names, like Bob or Mary, and the following suffixes:

- aol.com

- hotmail.com

- msn.com

- yahoo.com

Bottom Line

Even if you think you know the person sending the email message, DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT. Remember, this message could be sent from your friend's computer without their even knowing it!

To check on the latest virus threats, visit CyberScribe's Extras page at http://www.cybscribe.net/extras.php. That page is continually updated with the latest threats.

Save yourself!

If you don't currently have virus protection on your computer, STOP reading now and go to the CyberScribe Downloads & Utilities page at http://www.cybscribe.net/downloads.php -- we offer several anti-virus options there.

Then immediately come back and finish reading my newsletter.

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The CyberScribe Web Solutions Web Newsletter is (c) 2004 Rod Clayton and CyberScribe Web Solutions. All Rights Reserved. No part of this Newsletter may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. All guest articles are copyright their respective owners and are reproduced with permission.

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