Malvertising: Not All Browser-Based Security Warnings are Legit

This is NOT a real Security Warning; It is an Ad!

If this suddenly popped up while you were browsing, would you think it is legit?

Several days in a row, I have had the Bradenton Herald open in another tab, reached by following a link to read an article. By the time I switched over to the tab, I actually had to use the "Back" button to read the article.

Folks, this is just an ad in disguise. DO NOT be fooled and click on the actual link. This is why so many of us surf using ad-blockers. And in fact, my ad-blocker is being re-enabled on this site, as I am sick of scam ads interupting my news reading.

I do not even use McAfee or recommend it to others. I am not sure if clicking the link would actually bring you to a legit security product. More likely, it would lead to malware, the exact opposite of software that protects your PC.

Do NOT fall for this adware scam!

Data Breaches: What Do They Mean For You?

How to Safeguard our Information
in a World of Security Breaches

What Can We Do when Our Data Gets Out?

Yesterday, all of the tech publications were warning of another major data breach.  Another popular Facebook App exposed users' personal data, and this time, over 120 million users were possibly affected.    Who was careless with our data this time? Nametests.com, a site Techlaurels warned users about over a year ago.

In a nutshell, Nametests had this hole where if you knew the right JavaScript commands, you could potentially access any users' personal information.  A website could exploit this, or any individual who knew how to grab and use a "token."  The "good guy" who discovered this used the flaw to set up a data mining program and subsequently reported the bug to Facebook. The security hole was supposedly closed.

And of course Nametests wanted that hole closed as soon as it was discovered. Who is going to buy a candy bar if there is a bowl sitting next to the register that says "Yours for the taking."  Or to borrow from an old cliche, if you're in the business of selling cows, you don't want to be giving the milk away for free.

No Microsoft Refunds, No Camera Hacks: New Scams

The Latest Attempts to Scam You
By Email and by Phone

Microsoft Has NOT Been Ordered to Issue Refunds, No One Has Hacked Your Webcam, and No One is Coming to Arrest You

It has been a while since we've looked at e-mail you should just ignore and voice mail phishing attempts.  A couple of new attempts to separate you from your money have cropped up lately, all involving scare tactics designed to make you act without thinking.  First comes a junk call scam, telling you you're owed a rebate, next comes an e-mail that reports someone is spying on you, and last comes an arrest threat based on a non-existent debt.  Keep reading to find out the details of each, so you'll recognize them and not panic should they come your way.

Facebook Changes to Better Protect your Personal Data

Facebook Outlines Plans to Restrict Data Mining Through Facebook

Facebook is Making Changes in an Attempt
to Restrict Data Mining through their Platform

Bonus: How to Tell if Cambridge Analytica Has Your Information

By now, everyone has heard about  the Facebook Data Mining Scandal.  Third-party apps have been mining our Facebook data for years now, and Facebook made it very easy for them to do so.  When the extent of what was being shared became public, users were incensed and started leaving the platform in droves. #DeleteFacebook began trending on Twitter.  To prevent becoming the next "MySpace," Facebook promised to make changes to prevent apps from mining your data so freely.  These changes will start rolling out today.

What Types of Data were Apps Collecting Before?

Part of what makes Facebook so popular is the amount of third-party content and the ease of sharing. Anyone can create a "Facebook Page," invite followers, embed apps, and invite users to like and share.  When a user interacts with page content in any way, that page can access personal data related to that user.  In addition, anyone can create a Facebook App, independent of any Facebook Page.  Popular apps include quizzes, profile picture frames, games, and sweepstakes.  

To help developers create content and apps, Facebook provides many developer APIs.  API stands for Application Programming Interface, and it is basically a set of tools that make it easier for third-parties to develop apps and content that work with Facebook.  Facebook provides several APIs, including ones for groups, pages, events, search, and games.  They also offer the Facebook Login API, which makes it easy for users to create accounts on third-party sites without having another username and password to remember.  

Disconnect Your Facebook Apps to Protect Your Personal Data

Facebook Apps May Treat Your Personal Information Like a Commodity

Remove Facebook App Connections to Protect Your Personal Data

We are still reeling from the fallout of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.  Cambridge Analytica purchased data from Facebook App Developers, and then they used it to try to influence us politically.  If you are interested in reading more about the hows and the whys of this breech, please see our previous post, The Facebook Kerfuffle and What it Means For You, as well as all of our previous articles on privacy and protecting your data.  Your data was compromised because you trusted the wrong apps with it.

Now you are aware of why the data miners are creating all of these apps, it is time to disconnect them so that they will no longer have access to your personal information or the contents of your Facebook Profile.  Removing apps used to be quite a tedious process, so many of us just ignored it or put it off, until our Facebook Account was cloned, a rogue app started posting on our behalf, or friends started complaining of receiving messages we never sent.  Thankfully, in response to this catastrophe, Facebook has streamlined the process of app removal, making it much easier. They have also made it easier to see just what kinds of permissions the apps request, as well as to selectively remove permissions. Today, we're going to look at how to do this.  We'll guide you through finding your connected apps, purging those you no longer use or recognize, and examining the permissions the remaining apps require.

E-Mail Deactivation Scams

No, Your E-Mail Account Is NOT About to be Closed

Account Closure E-Mails are Another Form of Phishing

 

Account Deactivation E-Mails

Have you received an e-mail stating your ISP is going to deactivate your e-mail account? Did you panic?  Well, you can relax, as these "Account Closure" e-mails are just another form of phishing, and they can safely be junked.

To review, phishing is a form of spam. in which the bad guys try to steal your personal information by impersonating someone trustworthy.  We've talked about phishing many times in the past.  The Bad Guys use sophisticated tactics to try to separate you from your personal information, often so they can impersonate you and/or steal your identity.  E-mails threatening to close your e-mail account if you do not click on a link are no different.

Ask My Buddy and Alexa Can Summon Help in an Emergency

Alert Your Personal Emergency Network
Using Only Your Voice,
 with Alexa and Ask My Buddy

Turn Your Smart Speaker into an Emergency Alert Device

Alexa and other Smart Home technologies can make life a lot easier for people who live alone, people who have disabilities, and a lot of older people.   Smart Home technologies and Smart Speakers can automate a lot of tasks, and make physical tasks simpler for those with physical limitations.  Smart speakers and other assistive technologies can help a person continue to live independently, in his or her own home, for a longer time. But what these technologies cannot yet do is to call 911.  Wouldn't it be great if Smart Speakers, like the Amazon Echo or Google Home, could summon help when an individual needs it?  Well, now they can, thanks to a service called "AskMyBuddy.net."

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up

Most of us have seen the commercials. A senior citizen is in distress, but s/he cannot get to a telephone to summon help.  However, the individual wears a pendant, and by pressing a button, s/he can summon assistance from a personal emergency alert network.  And although these devices are marketed to seniors, I know a few women and people with disabilities who live alone and wish they had this "yell for help" capability, but they do not want another monthly expense, especially when they figure they will not use it often. Many people in this category have Alexa or a similar Smart Speaker.    However, despite the fact Alexa has limited calling abilities, she cannot dial 911, no matter how many times you ask her to.  Wouldn't it be nice if Alexa could summon emergency help with a voice command?

Our Top Post of 2017

Happy New Year from Techlaurels!

As the year 2017 draws to a close, TechLaurels would like to thank all of our readers for taking this journey with us.  Despite the fact we have been publishing for less than a year, our readership continues to grow, and new readers continue to find us every day.

This year, we've learned about Smart Homes, privacy issues, security scams, Alexa, gadgets, software, quick tips, how-tos, and a lot more.  We will continue to explore all of these topics in 2018, as well as anything our readers want us to explore.

Today, to celebrate the end of the year, TechLaurels is reprinting our most popular post of 2017, a quick tip on how to protect your e-mail address.  No, leaving a space in your e-mail address is no longer enough to protect it from harvesting.

If you have anything you'd like to see TechLaurels cover in 2018, please let us know in the comments, on Facebook (facebook.com/techlaurels), or on Twitter (twitter.com/techlaurels). We hope you'll continue to join us throughout 2018.

Delivery Notification Scams

Holiday Shopping Season Brings Out
the Delivery Notification Scammers

Do NOT Get Phished by a Bogus Delivery Notice

Black Friday and Cyber Monday set online ordering records this year.  US shoppers spent over $1.59 billion on Cyber Monday alone. Millions of online orders were placed during the past week. And of course, that means millions of packages will be delivered by UPS, USPS, and FedEx. That also means these companies will be sending out millions of delivery notification e-mails.  But does that mean all of these delivery notices are legit? Of course not. 

The scammers do not discriminate. They pretend to be from UPS, The Us Postal Service (USPS), FedEx, and even DHL.  They may claim to need more information from you in order to deliver a package, or they may claim to hold tracking information.  They may claim there is postage due, and you need to click on a link to arrange payment. They may use official looking graphics, or they may be sent in plain text.  And they may or may not be caught by a junk mail filter.

These scams are so ubiquitous that FedEx, USPS, UPS, and even DHL warn against them on their own websites.   UPS offers an 83 page PDF with examples of fraudulent e-mails.  Today, we're going to look at some of these bogus e-mails, so we can learn what to look out for and avoid getting scammed.

Black Friday: Don't Get Scammed

The Biggest Shopping Weekend Brings Out the Scammers

Shop Safely and Avoid the Cyber Shopping Scams

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and basically the whole Thanksgiving Weekend are some of the biggest shopping days on the planet.  Almost every cyberstore has some kind of special, and our Inboxes and Social Media Feeds are full of discounted offers.  And although there are many legitimate sales, there are just as many scammers looking to rip you off on this big shopping weekend.  Don't be a fool, and look out for the Black Friday Shopping Scams.  Here are a few of the more popular ways to separate honest folks from their hard earned money.

Bogus Order Confirmations

Bogus order confirmations are a form of spear phishing. Scammers send hundreds of fake order confirmations, hoping you will click through to cancel an order.  Basically, the scammer steals official looking logos and graphics from a major retailer, then uses them in an order confirmation purporting to be from that retailer.  These phishing attacks multiply on Black Friday, as many folks are placing online orders during that time.  The e-mail may spoof Best Buy, Amazon, Ebay, Target, WalMart, Costco, etc.  If you click through the fake e-mail, you will be taken to a cloned log-in site.  The scammers are hoping to steal your shopping log-ins, so they can go on a shopping spree with your money, and even lock you out of your own account.

A New Way to Phish: Survey Spam

Beware of Phishing Attacks via Surveys

Scammers Can Use Surveys to Steal Your Personal Information;
That Survey Invitation May be a Phishing Attack in Disguise

The Scammers just keep getting more creative, finding new, seemingly legitimate ways to steal and misuse your personal information.  Survey spam is one of the latest methods Spear Phishers are using to trap their victims.

Spear Phishing refers to a targeted e-mail attack.  Spear phishers send you personalized spam e-mail that usually appears to be from a trusted contact.  That e-mail is intended to trick you into taking an action that will open you to harm. A Spear Phishing attack may try to plant malware, steal your information, and/or trick you into revealing log-ins and passwords.  A Spear Phisher's intentions are never good.

As cyberspace wisens up, the Phishers find new ways to steal your information. One of these ways is through survey spam.

Folks love to participate in surveys.  Often, surveys contain a sweepstakes component to help entice users to take it. "Five survey  participants will be randomly chosen to receive a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate" is a common come-on.  Many companies use legitimate surveys for market research and quality assurances.

Avoid Phishing: Learn to Spot Sham Domains

Phishing Attacks Depend on Sham URLs;
Understanding the Parts of a URL Can Help You Avoid Phishing Attacks

To reiterate, phishing is an attempt to gain someone's personal data by pretending to be someone reputable. Phishing attacks are often carried out via e-mail or social media postings.  These attacks depend on registering domain names CLOSE to those of the real company or person, or by "spoofing" a familiar contact.  Learning to spot sham domain names and e-mail address is key, so you can avoid falling victim to phishing.

Today's article is going to review the parts of a domain name, as well as it's construction.  Then, we have a quiz on domain names: Is the URL Legitimate? If you can learn to spot a sham URL, you will be able to avoid most e-mail phishing attacks. And if you haven't read them yet, our previous articles on phishing can be found at http://techlaurels.blogspot.com/search/label/phishing.

Mail that Should NOT Be Opened

Not All E-Mail Should Be Opened

Avoid Malware by Avoiding Malicious E-Mail

The longer you have had an e-mail address, the more probability you'll receive spam. If you read any of our series on The Privacy Implications of Internet Quizzes, you know that there are many unscrupulous folks out there, eager to harvest your information. Facebook like scams, phony giveaways, and the like are all set up with the express purpose of harvesting your e-mail address. Once harvested, those addresses are often sold. That results in spam.

By definition, Spam means unsolicited commercial e-mail. It is usually sent to a large number of recipients.  It has come to connote scams and shams. It is actually illegal. The US passed the CAN-SPAM Act in 2003, regulating commercial e-mail. But the Bad Guys are not known for following the laws.  Legitimate companies always include opt-out information in order to comply with the law. Spammers use it to their advantage, often including links that look like legitimate opt-out links, but that only lead to malicious content. Additionally, unsubscribing from a SPAM e-mail only confirms to the bad guy that you read your e-mails, making your address even more valuable.


Now much spam is actually harmless. By harmless, I mean it's just attempting to sell you something. That something is probably counterfeit, if it even exists to begin with. More spam actually tries to cause harm to you or your equipment. That spam is not as harmless. It may plant malware on your computer. It may try to steal your credentials, so the crooks can steal your money and/or pose as you and ruin your reputation.

Today's post is going to focus on e-mail you should not open. ALL of this mail landed in my inbox within the last week. Some of these were correctly filtered by my spam filter; others landed in my inbox, and I had to manually mark them as junk. All e-mails have been converted to screenshots, due to their malicious content. (Remember, you can click on the images to open them larger, in an "overlay.")

A Review of Polldaddy and a Quiz: How Facebook Savvy Are You?

Polldaddy: A Privacy Conscious Web Service for Polls and Surveys

If you have been following this blog, you will have read our series on the Dangers of Internet Quizzes.  The first articles discussed the dangers of taking these types of quizzes, as well as the privacy ramifications.  We then moved on to safe quiz sites, and the differences between the good hosts and the data miners.  Techlaurels promised to review two quiz hosts that were good for both bloggers and quiz takers.  Our last posts discussed one of these hosts: QuizRevolution.  Today, we are going to review the second site: Polldaddy.

To start, Techlaurels migrated the quiz from Part 2 of the series over to Polldaddy.  That quiz is embedded below. The review of Polldaddy follows.

Quiz: How Facebook Savvy Are You?

If you have read through our series, you should be able to ace this test with no problems!

This quiz is hosted at Polldaddy.  Polldaddy respects your security and does NOT collect or share your data.  It is perfectly SAFE to take this quiz.  NO data is being recorded at all, and you do not need to log in or register to take the test.  You do NOT need to connect any social media accounts either.

Quiz: What Type of Tech User Are You?

Are you a Power User or a Cyber Sucker?  

Take Our Quiz to Find Out

Are you a Power User, a Cyber Sucker, or something in between? Take this quiz to find out what type of user you are, and learn a little about internet safety in the process.

http://quizrevolution.com/ch/a251633

---

---

If you have any trouble viewing or completing this quiz, please visit:  http://quizrevolution.com/ch/a251633 to take the quiz at Quiz Revolution itself. 

You may receive a warning about "Mixed content" if you are viewing techlaurels.com vis https.  This is because blogger uses https: protocol, but Quiz Revolution does not. You will not need to give ANY personal information to take the quiz, so the https: protocol is not necessary.

If your browser is set to block mixed content, you may need to visit http://quizrevolution.com/ch/a251633 to take the quiz.  Clicking this link will open the quiz at Quiz Revolution's website, in a new tab or window.

---

Is it Safe to Take This Quiz?

This quiz is a part of our series on Privacy Issues and Internet Quizzes.  In previous posts, we have discussed the potential dangers of participating in these things, as well as some of the sites to avoid.

Tip: Convert That Old Computer to a Safer Internet Machine

Pre Windows 7 Machines are NOT SAFE for Surfing the Internet

Neverware's Cloud Ready is a Safer Alternative

If there's anything the recent ransomware attacks proved, older computers are just NOT the best choice for surfing the Internet.  Both Microsoft and Apple pushed users to upgrade their Operating Systems, due to security vulnerabilities that were currently being exploited.  Folks running Windows 10, and those who keep their Windows 7 systems updated had no worries.  The ransomware could NOT attack their systems.  However those running Windows XP and/or Vista were extremely vulnerable.  In fact, most viruses are designed to attack older operating systems and those that are not kept patched.

However, most older systems are unable to handle Windows 10.  Many users are stuck with 7, XP, or even (shudder) Vista, as their budgets do not allow for new machines.  Many people have older systems lying around they'd like to re-purpose for children or as spares.  Do you have to abandon all hopes of surfing safely with an older machine?  Heck no!  Neverware is here with a solution. It can convert that old computer into a much safer, Internet Machine.  Neverware will help you convert that dangerous old laptop into a Chromebook.

Privacy Implications of Sweepstakes, Freebies, and Like-Farming Sites

Sweepstakes and Freebies are great for Marketing Purposes;
They're Also Great for Mining Your Information

Be Smart When Entering Contests or Requesting Freebies

Our last few posts have focused on the privacy implications of Internet Quizzes.  We are currently evaluating SAFE quiz sites, and that series will resume when we've had a chance to complete our research. (The bad sites are MUCH more numerous than the legit ones.) But quiz sites are not the only data miners out there.  You must be just as cautious when participating in sweepstakes and contests, as well as when signing up for freebies of any kind.

Playing the "Sweeps"

I have been an avid "sweepser" since the they went online.  (Those of us who enter contests and sweepstakes as a hobby affectionately call it "Sweepsing."  People who do this are "Sweepsters.") Before there was a World Wide Web, I returned the occasional sweepstakes card, figuring I might get lucky for the cost of a stamp.  I foolishly dropped my business card in bowls at restaurants, promising a drawing for a gift card or exotic vacation.  Then I wondered where all that junk mail and those time share calls were coming from.

More on Internet Quiz Sites and the Associated Dangers

What Are You Giving Up When You Use One Popular Facebook Quiz Engine?  Maybe More Than You Think...

A Review of Nametests.com

This is the third part in a series on what you also give up when you take an Internet Quiz.  Part 1 focused on General Dangers.  Part Two reviewed the terms of use for one popular Internet Quiz site. Today, we're going to look at nametests.com.  I think about 75% of the quiz results that come across my own Facebook timeline come from nametests.com.  I think few folks visit the sire directly.  Most click-through friends' shared results to take the same quiz.  While there, they often fall into a click-hole, taking other quizzes suggested at the end of the one they just took. How many readers have taken a test at nametests?  How many of you have actually looked at their terms of services?

A Review of Quibblo, a Quiz Creating Tool, and A Quiz: How Facebook Savvy Are You?

This is the second in a series of articles discussing the privacy implications of Internet Quizzes.  The first, The Dangers of Internet Quizzes, is available at https://techlaurels.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-dangers-of-internet-quizzes.html

Quibblo: A Review

WWW.Quibblo.com

NOTE: Our quiz  (see the bottom of this page) is hosted over on Quibblo.  Quibblo is supposed to be a free source for creating quizzes that can easily be shared on Social Media.  If you are following the "journey" of this blog, I originally headed over to Quibblo to investigate its use as a resource.  Supposedly, you can embed the finished quizzes on your blogs or Social Media Pages, and several sources touted it as a good resource for bloggers. My research does not necessarily concur.

Quibblo is supposed to generate content that is easy to share and easy to embed, either on your own web site or on one of the major blogging platforms.  And quizzes can be good traffic generators for Social Media. Before you start, Quibblo promises your creation efforts will be rewarded with a widget in the sidebar to help you share, embed, or promote your content. But alas, the promised code-generating widget is absent in all three browsers!  I have contacted Quibblo to see how to get the embed code.  I will update this post when I hear back.  In the meanwhile,  the quiz is linked from the bottom of this post.  That, of course is NOT the ideal situation. Generated content should be as easy to embed as the giveaway widget featured on our giveaway post.  It is not.

This post was going to be a fun quiz about Facebook Savviness.  But it evolved as I was developing the quiz and writing the post.  The quiz is no longer the highlight of this article.  Rather, the post transformed into a warning about these quiz generators, and a review of Quibblo specifically.  I am kind of sorry my research lead me to consider Quibblo as a good option.

The Dangers of Internet Quizzes

Are Facebook Quizzes Really Harmless?

People LOVE taking Social Media Quizzes.  Sites like Buzzfeed have entire sections devoted to quizzes.  Facebook timelines are filled with results shared from various quiz-hosting sites.  Quizzes and tests can be great traffic drivers, and from a marketing standpoint, they can be very beneficial to your site.  But what about from a user standpoint?  Are there any dangers of taking these internet tests and sharing the results?  The answer, unfortunately, is neither yes nor no.  There can be great dangers in taking these internet quizzes, or they may be completely harmless.  If you scrutinize before you click, you can easily learn the difference.

What Are Some of the Dangers of Taking a Quiz?

The dangers fall into several categories.  Again, a quiz site may be harmless, and none of these dangers may apply.  Or it may be a complete and total scam site, out to cause you harm.  Most quiz sites fall somewhere between these two extremes. The trick, as with any internet activity, is to be savvy.  You need to arm yourself with the knowledge to evaluate the risks of each individual quiz. This list is by no means inclusive.  It only describes SOME of the dangers you may encounter.