[AlanD]

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this - mods, please shift it if you feel it doesn't belong here.

Over the past few weeks I've been receiving a new kind of spam - emails with titles  like "Chinese people are horrified by new earthquake" and  "The massive disaster leveled the center of Beijing to the ground". Naturally I haven't opened any of these to find out what's going on but I did look up a few internet security sites and they seem to fall into two categories.

One is the typical, please send me some money begging letter but the other is more dangerous, purporting to be a news item (like above) which asks you to click on a link which exposes you to malware, which can then use your computer to generate more spam or even steal your personal details. Most of you are probably aware of this already but for those who aren't, please be careful.

Also in the last few months I've received two emails from friends in India that somehow seemed a bit impersonal. Basically they were from social networking sites where the friend was asking me to click on a link to the site involved. I didn't and decided to get in touch with one of the friends and sure enough her whole address book had been spammed with the same message without her knowing about it. She was a little upset, to say the least and I believe she has now closed her membership on that particular site. Reading up on this, it seems that some social networking sites are employing these tactics to boost membership and that countries like India and China with rapidly rising computer ownership are being particularly targeted. This spam may not be dangerous but many regard it as unethical and yet another major contribution to the vast amounts of unsolicited emails being generated every day.

Edited by AlanD, 27 June 2008 - 02:29 PM.

[cyberhippie]

A timely reminder Alan, as you worry about internet security, as you should, I think you'll need to download our old Mate Midnite_toker's security package for surfing in the cybercafes of India otherwise know as cafeKlysm
You'll find it HERE a very useful tool for safety in public internet cafes.

Edit now provided the correct link to the download, Sorry Toker old pal.

[AlanD]

Thanks for that. I'll definitely load up Midnite Toker's package before I head off to India this coming October

[digital drifter]

Yep, that's a new social engineering approach by spam and malware companies.

The thinking is more akin to, you'd be more likely to open mails that pique your curiosity than the usual meds/body part spam mail.

Here's an example

http://www.theregist...e_malware_ruse/

[noflylist]

I got the spyware by clicking on antispyware product instead of the usual porn route they use They know people!

[dzibead]

I'm afraid to click on dd's link.

[noflylist]

I am a long lost cousin (name your dictator, celebrity, rich) and wants to dump 50million in your account...

[digital drifter]

dzibead, on Jun 28 2008, 02:19 AM, said:

I'm afraid to click on dd's link.

total control achieved!

Even the news that tells what this is all about is ALSO thought as spam.

[cyberhippie]

Sorry for the confusion, I've now given the link that will  take you directly to the download page for cafeklysm.

Nice package toker, (the download I mean    )

[Midnite Toker]

Quote

Nice package toker, (the download I mean)

Something of the package to d-r-o-ol over...


NB: always practice safeHEX, especially with a new cybercafe partner  

[noflylist]

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'
There was spam to worry 'bout
do not drop accidentally
on the keyboard while eatin'
spam sandwich while typin'

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'
There was also keyboard lurker
in the form of female anatomy
lurkin' behind my shoulders  O! O!
figurin' out who am mailing to

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'
there was also malware to worry 'bout
had ordered new printer matrix dot
did not work as prescribed in the ad
malware malware malware malware

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'
There was also spyware
in the form of brother-in-law
when I went to public library supposedly
he sometimes tagged along

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'

do do do do dodododo
he he he he hehehehe

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'
one last hoorah O folks
wooing someone with text mail
was a great social 'dvancement!

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'
all these strange characters
this new language
had to learn all of a sudden

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'

la la la la lalalala
la la la la lalalala

I miss my golden nineties
early days of computin'

[cyberhippie]

  

NFL and Toker Ji, WWSA, jjacquemain , AlanD and a host of other great people go back a lot longer on the net than me. My first forays were on........... Jeez where was it now MCNBC, or somthing like that, a poor attempt at a webbi page. My heart was in it though.
Met a few good people from that first baby step.
By then Iwas already being bombarded with millions of Dollars, even got duped much to the chagrin of other e mail pals................................

The year was 2002 ( I think, or have I been her WAY longer than that      )

Myspace, Hyves and Facebook are just amazing tools compared to those days when I started, never mind the more experienced cyber junkies.

But yeah I miss the 90's

[noflylist]

In the eighties, I had ordered make your own computer kits, for 30 dollars I think, never worked though!

[WonderWomanUSA]

In the 80s, I took a class called "Build A Computer" and built one!

Edited by WonderWomanUSA, 29 June 2008 - 06:14 AM.

[Midnite Toker]

Quote

In the 80s, I took a class called "Build A Computer" and built one!

Were they up to the 386 by then?

I was a regular visitor to the Net in the 1970s. Ha - I beat you all!

The Net in question was a Monday night on-air meet-up of radio amateurs in my area (I was 16) - yes, some might call us "radio hams." I don't have the license now - I found it quite a boring milieu...

[noflylist]

I am jealous, always wanted to be a ham operator, there was certain aura in that skill...

[AlanD]

cyberhippie, on Jun 28 2008, 09:38 PM, said:

  

NFL and Toker Ji, WWSA, jjacquemain , AlanD and a host of other great people go back a lot longer on the net than me. My first forays were on........... Jeez where was it now MCNBC, or somthing like that, a poor attempt at a webbi page. My heart was in it though.
Met a few good people from that first baby step.
By then Iwas already being bombarded with millions of Dollars, even got duped much to the chagrin of other e mail pals................................

The year was 2002 ( I think, or have I been her WAY longer than that      )

Myspace, Hyves and Facebook are just amazing tools compared to those days when I started, never mind the more experienced cyber junkies.

But yeah I miss the 90's

I'll have to correct you on that cyberhippie - I'm a relative newcomer to the delights (and otherwise) of the net. I've really only used it in the last seven years or so, though I've had a computer much longer but that was for the business - ordering online and contacting suppliers and so on. My knowledge is fairly basic which is why I'm keen not to come a cropper with viruses and mercenary people. I wouldn't know what to do about it other than to shout HELP!

As far as social networking sites are concerned, for many people they have their uses and the ones you mention above probably don't behave in the way I mentioned. The site I was writing about in the original post was in fact hi5, which claims to be expanding at an incredible rate - no wonder when they spam people's address books!

MT If you're reading this, I wonder if you could please explain what I actually do with the package to protect myself in internet cafes.

EDIT Just realised, did you mean hi5 when you wrote Hyves?

Edited by AlanD, 07 July 2008 - 07:25 PM.

[Midnite Toker]

AlanD, on Jul 7 2008, 03:28 PM, said:

MT If you're reading this, I wonder if you could please explain what I actually do with the package to protect myself in internet cafes.

Hello, AlanD, good to meet you again (in the virtual world). It's been some time, hasn't it?

The type of spam you mention is often an opportunistic mass mailout of Internet "worms" or viruses, intended to turn the affected computer into a "zombie," that is, under the control of an operator who may herd the thousands of computers under his command into something called a botnet.

Whatever claims I can make for cafeKlysm, directly protecting you from general spamming probably isn't one of them, unless you count the spam filter built into the portable Thunderbird email client contained in the full version of my little package. What I was aiming to offer was something which gave protection against an infected Internet café machine, which might have snooping software capturing any passwords entered for email and online banking. You'll be able to check your email attachments for viruses in this version, using the portable anti-virus application.

Using it is pretty easy - you just copy one file and a folder to your USB flash drive and click on "cafeKlysm" to start the bundle launcher. As you can see from the screen shots of the basic version, there are buttons to launch Firefox and a safe onscreen keyboard. You also have assistance with cleaning the computer at the end and electronically ejecting the drive. You get an encrypted password store that allows a secure copy-paste routine directly into the password field of the webpage. Your only problem might be finding a 'Net shop which either has a USB outlet on their computer or will allow you to use it for a reasonable fee.  

You can also separately download the PDF version (presently 323 kB) of the help file contained within each version of cafeKlysm. This might help you decide if you need the full version of if the basic one will do the job for you.

Edited by Midnite Toker, 09 July 2008 - 06:28 PM.

[AlanD]

Midnite Toker, on Jul 9 2008, 01:48 PM, said:

Hello, AlanD, good to meet you again (in the virtual world). It's been some time, hasn't it?

The type of spam you mention is often an opportunistic mass mailout of Internet "worms" or viruses, intended to turn the affected computer into a "zombie," that is, under the control of an operator who may herd the thousands of computers under his command into something called a botnet.

Whatever claims I can make for cafeKlysm, directly protecting you from general spamming probably isn't one of them, unless you count the spam filter built into the portable Thunderbird email client contained in the full version of my little package. What I was aiming to offer was something which gave protection against an infected Internet café machine, which might have snooping software capturing any passwords entered for email and online banking. You'll be able to check your email attachments for viruses in this version, using the portable anti-virus application.

Using it is pretty easy - you just copy one file and a folder to your USB flash drive and click on "cafeKlysm" to start the bundle launcher. As you can see from the screen shots of the basic version, there are buttons to launch Firefox and a safe onscreen keyboard. You also have assistance with cleaning the computer at the end and electronically ejecting the drive. You get an encrypted password store that allows a secure copy-paste routine directly into the password field of the webpage. Your only problem might be finding a 'Net shop which either has a USB outlet on their computer or will allow you to use it for a reasonable fee.  

You can also separately download the PDF version (presently 323 kB) of the help file contained within each version of cafeKlysm. This might help you decide if you need the full version of if the basic one will do the job for you.

Also good to see you are still out there in the Tokezone, MT - classy website BTW!

I'm still not sure I understand what you have written above, so I will either get someone to actually run through this with me on the computer or try to divulge as little info as possible in internet cafes. Thanks!

[Midnite Toker]

Quote

I'm still not sure I understand what you have written above, so I will either get someone to actually run through this with me on the computer or try to divulge as little info as possible in internet cafes. Thanks!

Alan - PM me if you need any further help or explanation.