This is something for Xbox Live gamers to think about, especially if they also have computers connected to the home network. If the Xbox Live users at your house are particularly feisty or contentious, they could get booted out of games by hackers who have figured out how to get the offending gamer's IP address. They then use that address to launch a kind of denial-of-service attack that blocks … [Read more...] about Xbox Live hackers, Koobface worm
Security
Scams aimed at social networkers
It's the digital version of boy-cries-wolf, and it's a shame, because social network sites via computer or cellphone are a great way to broadcast a friend's (or one's own) real call for help. I remember a story a year or so ago about a journalist who was jailed in Egypt, shortly thereafter to be released because his text messages mobilized friends to get the US Embassy involved. I'm sure most … [Read more...] about Scams aimed at social networkers
New PC worm infecting millions
The New York Times called it the newest "digital plague." "Known as Conficker or Downadup, it is spread by a recently discovered Microsoft Windows vulnerability, by guessing network passwords and by hand-carried consumer gadgets like USB keys," according to the Times, adding that experts are calling it the worst worm since the Slammer of 2003. Microsoft says there's no single solution to the … [Read more...] about New PC worm infecting millions
Data breaches way up
Whether or not age verification would help keep kids safe online, as state attorneys general suggest, it would require the collection of children's personal information into some database(s) somewhere. Consider that possibility against the news of where we are with the security of personal information in databases right now. "Businesses, governments and educational institutions reported nearly 50% … [Read more...] about Data breaches way up
Patch those family ‘puters
The latest critical security patch from Microsoft was all about the Explorer Web browser, and this is an important patch for the computers of avid Web users at your house. "That doesn't mean that Firefox and Chrome are exempt from other vulnerabilities, writes my ConnectSafely co-director Larry Magid in Yahoo's "Connected Parent," but if your family uses Explorer, here's the scoop on that: "The … [Read more...] about Patch those family ‘puters