How to Protect Your Social Network Accounts from Hackers

First order of business for today: Setting up two-factor authentication for Google. To do that, you’ll need to go into your Gmail Settings (it’s the icon that looks like a little gear in the upper right corner of your inbox). From there:

1. Select Settings, then Accounts and Import.
2. Under Change account settings select “Other Google Account settings”.
3. That will take you to a Web page for your Accounts. Select Security from the left-hand menu. You may be prompted for your password again.
4. Under “2-step verification” you’ll see “Status: OFF.” Click the Edit button next to that. That will take you to a Web page wizard that will walk you through the process of having a six-digit verification code sent to you via text or a robo-call.

ATM Skimmers Get Wafer Thin

It’s getting harder to detect some of the newer ATM skimmers, fraud devices attached to or inserted into cash machines and designed to steal card and PIN data. Among the latest and most difficult-to-spot skimmer innovations is a wafer-thin card reading device that can be inserted directly into the ATM’s card acceptance slot.

That’s according to two recent reports from the European ATM Security Team (EAST), an organization that collects ATM fraud reports from countries in the region. In both reports, EAST said one country (it isn’t naming which) alerted them about a new form of skimming device that is thin enough to be inserted directly into the card reader slot. These devices record the data stored on the magnetic stripe on the back of the card as it is slid into a compromised ATM.

Wafer-thin skimmers like these are showing in ATMs in one European nation. Images courtesy EAST.

Top 20 Android Security Apps

Protect your Android device against malicious apps, mobile malware, and theft with these essential security solutions.

By Jeff Goldman  | 

Android security issues make the news just about every day, from malicious apps appearing in the Google Play app store to mobile malware spreading via SMS. While Android is a flexible and easy-to-use mobile operating system available on a wide variety of great devices, the mobile threat landscape has now made it essential for users to install additional security options.
Keep in mind that the most basic security precautions, like password-protecting your device and setting it to auto-lock after a specified period of time, don't require an app – both of those features can be accessed within Settings > Location & Security. And most Android devices offer a variety of unlock options, including a numeric PIN, a password or a graphical pattern.
But don't stop there. From anti-virus apps (crucial at this point) to enhanced password protection, it's worth taking a look at several more advanced options. The vast number of security apps available for the platform makes it impossible to cover them all here, but what follows should give you a good sense of the options available when seeking further protection for your Android device and the data that resides on it.

Lookout Security & Antivirus (free) blocks malware, spyware and Trojans, with user-schedulable daily or weekly anti-virus scans as well as automatic scanning of new apps and files when they're downloaded. Additional features include the ability to locate a lost or stolen phone on a Google map and activate a loud alarm to help find the device, and the ability to back up and restore the user's contact list. Lookout Premium ($29.99/year or $2.99/month) adds phishing protection, privacy protection, remote lock and data wipe functionality, and the ability to back up and restore the user's photos and call history in addition to contacts.

avast! Mobile Security (free) provides a wide range of functionality, including a Virus Scanner that enables on-demand scans of all apps installed on the device and SD card, along with scans of any newly installed apps upon initial execution. The Privacy Advisor displays the access rights and intents of installed apps, identifying any potential privacy risks. The Application Manager shows a list of running apps along with their size, CPU load, used memory, and number of threads and services, and enables the user to stop or uninstall any app as needed. The Web Shield scans every URL loaded on the device, and warns the user if a malware-infected site is being accessed. The SMS and Call Filter can be used to filter calls and/or messages from the user's contact lists. The Firewall, usable only on rooted phones, can disable an app's Internet access when on Wi-Fi, 3G, and roaming networks. Finally, Anti-Theft features include the ability to disguise the app with a custom name, to hide the app icon in the app tray, and more. If a device is lost or stolen, it can be remotely prompted to sound a siren, lock, display a custom message, be located on a map, be wiped remotely, and more.

AVG Antivirus Free scans all apps, settings, files, and media in real time; guards against phishing attacks; blocks access to malicious Web sites; kills tasks that slow down or freeze the device; and allows users to locate a lost or stolen phone via Google Maps, lock the device remotely, display a custom lock

Flame virus linked to Stuxnet: researchers

The Flame computer virus which has been raging in the Middle East has strong links to Stuxnet, a malware program widely believed to have been developed by the United States or Israel, a security firm said Monday. Kaspersky, the Russian computer security firm credited with discovering Flame last month, said its research shows the two programs share certain portions of code, suggesting some ties between two separate groups of programmers. Kaspersky researcher Alexander Gostev said in a blog post that a first examination made it appear the two programs were unrelated. "But it turns out we were wrong," he wrote. "Our research unearthed some previously unknown facts that completely transform the current view of how Stuxnet was created and its link with Flame." Gostev said Flame, even though it was discovered just recently, appears to predate Stuxnet, which was created in 2009. "By the time Stuxnet was created (in January-June 2009), the Flame platform was already in existence (we currently date its creation to no later than summer 2008) and already had modular structure," he said. "The Stuxnet code of 2009 used a module built on the Flame platform, probably created specifically to operate as part of Stuxnet." This, he said, points to the existence of "two independent developer teams... (each) developing its own platform since 2007-2008 at the latest." Kaspersky, one of the world's biggest producers of anti-virus software, said the Flame virus was "about 20 times larger than Stuxnet," the worm which was discovered in June 2010 and used against the Iranian nuclear program. High concentrations of computers compromised by Flame were also found in Lebanon, the West Bank and Hungary. Additional infections have been reported in Austria, Russia, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. Compromised computers included many being used from home connections, according to security researchers who were looking into whether reports of infections in some places resulted from workers using laptops while traveling. Stuxnet was designed to attack computer control systems made by German industrial giant Siemens and commonly used to manage water supplies, oil rigs, power plants and other critical infrastructure. Most Stuxnet infections have been discovered in Iran, giving rise to speculation it was intended to sabotage nuclear facilities there. The worm was crafted to recognize the system it was to attack. Some reports say US and Israeli intelligence services collaborated to develop the computer worm to sabotage Iran's efforts to make a nuclear bomb. Johannes Ullrich, a researcher at the Washington-based SANS Technology Institute, said the relationship between the two viruses remains unclear. "Flame did initially appear very different, and I still think it wasn't written by the same group or individual that wrote Stuxnet," Ullrich told AFP. "However, this doesn't mean that the two groups didn't coordinate or share code with each other. I do think this may have been the case with Stuxnet and Flame... the code could have been written by two different contractors who worked for the same government and as a result had access to each other's resources."

Hackers hitting Macs with virus: industry experts

The computer security industry buzzed Thursday with warnings that more than a half-million Macintosh computers may have been infected with a virus targeting Apple machines.

Flashback Trojan malware tailored to slip past "Mac" defenses is a variation on viruses typically aimed at personal computers (PCs) powered by Microsoft's Windows operating systems.

The infections, spotted "in the wild" by Finland-based computer security firm F-Secure and then quantified by Russian anti-virus program vendor Dr. Web, come as hackers increasingly take aim at Apple computers.

"All the stuff the bad guys have learned for doing attacks in the PC world is now starting to transition to the Mac world," McAfee Labs director of threat intelligence Dave Marcus told AFP.

BMW i8 Concept Spyder plug-in hybrid brings the future closer

What's most stunning about the BMW i8 Concept Spyder the German automaker revealed today isn't the 350-hp plug-in hybrid technology, the laser-powered headlights or the auto-show touches such as folding electric kickboards. It's that BMW plans to build something with most of these features, in a car looking much like this, within a few years. This is not a dream.

The latest evolution of BMW i-Series concepts expected at this week's New York auto show wears an exterior that while still futuristic, represents a viable look at what BMW will build in two years. When BMW chief designer Adrian von Hooydonk told us in Detroit the production i8s would strongly resemble the concepts, this -- the layered bodywork, the laser headlights and the tri-tone accents -- was what he meant. Even the i8 Concept Spyder's scissor doors look less showy than purposeful here.

Like most auto show concepts, the i8 Concept Spyder moves thanks to a combination of battery and engine -- namely a 96 kW electric motor tied to a 223-hp turbocharged three cylinder engine, for a total output of 354 hp. Unlike most concepts, BMW pledges hard performance targets of 0-60 mph in about five seconds, some 19 miles on electric power alone, a top speed of 155 mph and fuel economy of 94 mpg in European testing.

That kind of performance was made possible by BMW's engineering efforts around the body, mating a carbon-fiber passenger cell to aluminum subframes for the engine and battery. Doing so, BMW claims, allowed it to eliminate the extra weight a plug-in hybrid system usually carries while maintaining the 50/50 front-rear weight split for handling that BMW owners rejoice in. And BMW has programmed the system to choose front, rear or all-wheel-drive as it sees fit.

Inside, BMW's promising a welter of intelligent software advancements that would anticipate drivers' needs, such warming the batteries before departure or finding charging stations along a route. It claims the batteries can be recharged in under two hours from a standard household outlet, and while at your destination the i8 Concept Spyder has two folding electric kickboards -- essentially Razor scooters with mini motors -- which the automaker touts as "perfect for relaxed cruising along promenades and paths or around city squares."

Those won't make it off the auto show floor. But the rest of BMW i8 Concept Spyder appears tantalizingly close, although rumors from Europe suggest the i-Series will match their high goals with high prices, possibly above $100,000. Even then, if BMW can produce something with this performance and design, the future will have a new classic.

7 Popular Ways You Can Be Scammed ... And How to Stop Them

By Laura Moss, Mother Nature Network

Fraud and deception.

You're smart, you're financially savvy, and you'd never fall for one of those get-rich schemes. But that doesn't mean you won't get scammed. It's easy to assume that only the truly gullible are prey for con artists and scammers, but that's not always the case. Take a look at these seven popular scams.

1. ATM skimming
This type of crime has been around for decades, and as technology has improved, so have ways to duplicate ATM cards. Here's one way it works: Criminals attach a device on an ATM that captures information about your account when you swipe your card. At the same time, you're being videotaped or watched by a tiny camera that's hidden near the ATM's keypad. Within a matter of minutes, a thief has your bank account information and your PIN and is able to create a duplicate bankcard and empty your account.

Security experts will tip consumers to cyber fraud

(Reuters) - Internet security experts have set up a system to alert Americans when sensitive personal information such as social security numbers and online banking log-in credentials turn up in the hands of cyber fraudsters.

AllClear ID, an Austin, Texas-based company that provides identity theft protection, is offering the free service with help from the non-profit National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance.

The NCFTA collects information on identity theft cases from member organizations that include law enforcement agencies, big Internet retailers, banks and computer security companies.

NCFTA members will pass on information about fraud that they suspect, witness or prevent directly to potential victims who sign up for the service from AllClear ID.

Consumers can enroll in the service, which is available over the web as well as through an iPhone app, at www.AllClearID.com.

Microsoft India retail site hit by 'cyber attack'

Related Content

• Enlarge Photo

  Microsoft India's retail website was down after reportedly being hacked by a Chinese …

Microsoft said on Monday it was investigating an attack by hackers on its Indian retail website, reportedly carried out by a Chinese group called the "Evil Shadow Team."

The team struck at www.microsoftstore.co.in late Sunday, stealing login IDs and passwords of people who had used the website for buying Microsoft products, the Times of India newspaper said.