KISS Training – Keeping IT Simple
Posts tagged Internet Security
How to avoid Phishing scams!
Jul 26th
Ok – so what is phishing (NOT Fishing) anyway? Put simply, it is an attempt by criminals to obtain personal information from you, such as bank details, passwords, credit card details etc which they would then use to sell onto other criminals or use it themselves to commit fraud.
Phishing scams often take the form of a hoax SPAM email that looks very authentic and appears to have come from an official source such as the bank or building society. More >
Creating a ‘Terms of Use’ and Disclaimer Page – Protecting Yourself on the Web
Jun 14th
Let me first start with my own disclaimer here by telling you that I am not an attorney and not qualified to give any type of legal advice, so please proceed at your own risk. Legal protection has become extremely important these days as we live in a world of sue-happy people. On the flip side of this land of never ending lawsuits you also have an obligation to inform your readers that you are not personally liable for any misuse of information and that what you are providing is strictly for information (or entertainment) purposes only. In other words, you need to protect yourself.
At the bottom (or sometimes in other places) of most every web page you’ll find a ‘terms of use’ or some type of disclaimer. This is usually broken down into three major parts: a disclaimer, copyright, and privacy policy. Some have more or less, or worded differently. And some may have a separate hyper link for each while others may have it listed under one hyper link which will usually be named ‘terms of use’ or disclaimer. For my own website, I personally chose to go with one link naming it ‘terms of use.’ Depending on the nature of the content on your website, it’s not a bad idea to seek advice from an attorney who specializes in this area.
Preparing Your WordPress Website For Changes – How to Protect Your Blog
May 11th
There are a variety of reasons you might want to change your blog. Perhaps you want to update your WordPress to the newest version. When your blog is going to experience a major change, the potential to lose information if not your whole blog is possible. Knowing how to export and import your WordPress blog can come be your lifesaver, or at least a lifesaver to your blog.
When is my blog vulnerable?
While changing themes is very often a minor thing, it can cause problems. As long as you get your theme from WordPress you should be safe, same with plugins. However you could overload your blog with plugins or have two that conflict which could crash your blog. In addition if you do not upgrade your WordPress to the latest version at least somewhat frequently, then an upgrade could lock you out of your own blog.
Beware the Attachment
Dec 10th
Viruses can (and do!) come via email.
Isn’t email great? You can keep in touch with friends and family. You can quickly and easily send them a message, and even include photos, jokes, programs and viruses. Wait… viruses!??! That’s right, one of the most common ways that computer users get viruses is via email attachments. When you download an attachment you are in essence saying, “I trust the person that sent me this file, and I’m confident it won’t harm me.” The problem is, how do you know where that person got the file? If it’s simply a funny “thing” that they are forwarding you, it might have come from anyone – including a virus or spy-ware producer.
This article tells you how to stay safe when it comes to email attachments.
How to Avoid Getting Hooked by Phishing
Nov 27th
In the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Even when using server authentication, it may require tremendous skill to detect that the website is fake. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users, and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies.
Follow these simple tips to help you avoid becoming hooked.
