Guidelines for Parents, Teenagers and Children

(who surf the on the Internet)

[ FreeWareRocks.com ] Freeware Website Navigator!

"A fool (with his personal info) on the web and his identity are soon parted!"

Find out what really happens when people reveal their name; address, birth date, and Social Security number over the web (more than enough to steal someone's identity - and ruin their credit for years to come!)

Seriously, though... Check out this article:

Data-gatherers make their names by knowing ours

The number of “shills” on the WEB never surprises me – What amazes me is just how gullible people are while they use the internet. A pretty good rule of thumb is not to give any information that you wouldn’t want in GIANT letters on a billboard that towers over a highway or scribbled onto a public rest room wall...

 

ESPECIALLY – never ever give out your social security number and birth date at the same time to the same site. Also, if that ever happens to you and any site asks for both of those numbers (for whatever reason) try to delete everything you have filled out prior to clicking EXIT.

 

Many so-called “Birthday Reminder” sites ask for WAY personal info, which could easily be hacked for a malicious purpose. A lot of these sites don’t mention it (of course) but anything that you typed in remains on the site and accessible to a crooked site masters – unless you can highlight and delete whatever information that you type in prior to clicking SEND or DELETE.

 

Sometimes you click NEXT and the site tells you: "We're unable to verify your credit card - please enter another!" again and again until you have handed over every card in your wallet! This is a SURE sign of trouble...

 

Some sites even use the ‘fly-fishing’ method… like teasing a fish by yanking the pole in the water; they get you to fill out info ONE page at a time and clicked NEXT. By the time you time you get to the last page (and change your mind – or figure out that the ‘deal is bogus) – all the info that you handed over is available to the crooked site-master and his den of identity thieves.

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So-Called "Anonymous Surfing" Capability

 

There are a few sites available which "claim" to be web-based anonymous proxy services which allow anyone to surf the Web privately and securely to allow users "Anonymous Surfing" capability. Some offer tools [or software suites] which may require some type of installation on your PC and some do not.

beHidden.com [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about beHidden]

The-Cloak.com  [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about The-Cloak]

Hujiko.com  [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Hujiko.com]

Megaproxy.com  [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Megaproxy]

Proxify.com  [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Proxify]

TOR.freehaven.net [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ ) about TOR]

Anonymizer.com  [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Anonymizer]

Mixminion Anonymous Remailer - send and receive anonymous mail

 

Note: The free services and tools offered on most of these websites are somewhat restricted. The free services on most of these sites offer the user only very basic functionality. Several of these offer "paid" services claim to offer far more functionality. Some offer tools [or software suites] which may require some type of installation on your PC and some do not.

 

I believe that Hujiko.com and Proxify.com are the only ones that are offered completely free of charge; meaning that (1) No registration is required (2) No software downloads or installations required and (3) No limit to the number of websites you can access [at least they were FREE the last time I checked!]

Think that site where you gave your personal or financial info is SAFE?

You REALLY Think So?

Think AGAIN!

Another 'little known' but revealing fact about  'filling in' personal info on the WEB...

Another ‘little known’ or talked-about fact about ‘filling in’ personal info on the web is that even if the site's owners are supposedly "clean" [meaning that they're not really crooks], their site could always be hacked by someone outside of the company – as well as any crooked employee of their company who has access to the site.

Even if the crooked employees are caught doing this by the company  – that company is NEVER going to reveal this fact publicly for the simple reason that they would be out of business in a heartbeat.

 

Giving your name; address, birth date, and Social Security number over the web (all at the same time while visiting a site) would be as crazy as making copies of a loan application and leaving them in every gas station on every rest stop on that same highway with the billboard I mentioned earlier.

'I won 50 dollars… I won 50 dollars…'

Not so FAST!

This topic reminds me of earlier in the year when a student of mine started doing cartwheels during an “Intro to the Internet” course I taught for disabled students at a local college...

 

“I won 50 dollars… I won 50 dollars…” she shrieked.

 

I put the site on the projector screen and we went step-by-step through the ‘winning’ process (I filled in bogus info of course)

Name: Sir Homer Simpson

Address: 1313 Shmad-ress Ave.

SSN: 000-00-0001

(Etc....)

The site even asked for a credit card number - "for age-verification only"

(yah right!)

By the time we got to the end of the “winners circle” the site had asked for everything necessary to start a nice identity fraud for someone (including the site asking for my childhood pet’s name – which I filled in Godzilla the VIII – lol)

 

The last window gave the prize: A $50 dollar rebate for a 'prepaid' cellular phone (which would be mailed to the sucker in 8-12 weeks, of course). The whole exercise was worth it, as I believe most of the students got the point of how ridiculous and intrusive such ‘YOU’VE WON!!! - pop-up’ windows can be… J

 

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Some common tips regarding

Scams people need to avoid:

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(1) No "reputable" company is going to call or e-mail you to verify an account, ask for your Social Security number, or any bank or credit card numbers, PERIOD!

 

Think about it for a second: If the company that has contacted you already has your phone number (or e-mail address), they should KNOW your account number as well.

 

Account verification scams look very real, but are ALL scams. Do not answer them no matter how convinced you are that it is a real company.

 

This is called "phishing."

 

In computing, phishing, short for password harvesting fishing, is the luring of sensitive information, such as passwords and other personal information, from a victim by masquerading as someone trustworthy with a real need for such information. It is a form of social engineering attack.

 

The term was coined in the mid 1990's by crackers attempting to steal AOL accounts. An attacker would pose as an AOL staff member and send an instant message to a potential victim. The message would ask the victim to reveal his or her password, for instance to "verify your account" or to "confirm billing information". Once the victim gave over the password, the attacker could access the victim's account and use it for criminal purposes, such as spamming.

 

Today, online criminals put phishing to more directly profitable uses. Popular targets are users of online banking services, and auction sites such as eBay. Phishers usually work by sending out spam e-mail to large numbers of potential victims. These direct the recipient to a Web page which appears to belong to their online bank, for instance, but in fact captures their account information for the phisher's use.

 

Typically, a phishing email will appear to come from a trustworthy company and contain a subject and message intended to alarm the recipient into taking action. A common approach is to tell the recipient that their account has been de-activated due to a problem and inform them that they must take action to re-activate their account. The user is provided with a convenient link in the same email that takes the email recipient to a fake webpage appearing to be that of a trustworthy company. Once at that page, the user enters her personal information which is then captured by the fraudster.

 

Checking the URL in the address bar of the browser may not be sufficient, as, in some browsers that can be faked as well. However, the file properties feature of several popular browsers may disclose the real URL of the fake webpage.

 

If you are contacted about an account needing to be "verified," you should contact the company directly, or type in the address for their webpage.

 

(2) You have NOT won a lottery in the Netherlands, or Canada, or anywhere else, if you didn't first buy a ticket here in the U.S.A.

 

(3) Question any company that offers you a prize, but asks for a fee or your Social Security number, and verify the existence of that company through the Better Business Bureau, and confirm independently that the prize is real.

 

(4) A stranger did not die and leave you money.

 

(5) The Nigerian scam has now morphed into a creative writing exercise about all kinds of people needing your help to transfer money from one account to another. This practice is called money laundering, and it is illegal.

 

(6) You may also be telephone-scammed with similar offers. Be on the alert for suspicious callers, and never give out your Social Security number or a credit card number to anyone who calls you.

 

The only safe way to deal with a scam is to either hit the "delete" key, or forward it to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov and THEN delete it. As tempting as it may seem, do not engage any of the scammers in a dialogue.

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Will Web Blunders EVER Cease?

(It never ceases to amaze me!)

It never ceases to amaze me when people come into the web forums that I attend and post that they sent money to an eastern bloc country (via credit card) over the internet... Then complain that they didn’t get their software < – or because the software was a knockoff and didn’t work or the deal was bogus and then they cry foul and bemoan and lament: "I got ripped off – MAN!" I'll NEVER trust the Eastern Block software knock-off companies AGAIN! <g>

 

Bad enough to be so careless with their dough – but to come into web forums and actually ADMIT it and then ask “What do I do now?” is simply hilarious…

 

Three months later they're wondering why their credit report reveals that they recently bought a car in Leningrad or purchased a time share on a cozy condominium and a small 'Bar and Pub' in Romania... J

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Newsgroups, Forums, and Bulletin Boards

(These are great tools - but be CAREFUL out there on the WEB!)

The biggest risk is that you might post something that reveals personal information about yourself.

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Newsgroups (sometimes called bulletin boards or forums) are places where you can read and post messages or download or upload files. Unlike chat rooms, newsgroups are not live or "real time." If you post a message it remains on the newsgroup for people to look at later. Newsgroups can also be used to post files including computer programs, pictures, illustrations, and stories.

There are newsgroups on almost every possible subject, and they are often used as ways to get questions answered and share information about hobbies, musical groups, or any other subject of interest. Unfortunately, newsgroups, like other areas of cyberspace, have risks.

The biggest risk is that you might post something that reveals information about yourself. People who use Newsgroups, Forums, and Bulletin Boards SHOULD NEVER reveal their name; address, birth date, and Social Security number over the web (more than enough to steal someone's identity - and ruin their credit for years to come!)

Even if you are responding to a particular individual's posting, what you type, in most cases, is available for anyone to see. So, once again, remember the basic rules and never reveal identifying information about yourself. In many cases, the mere act of posting something makes your E-mail address public. Even if you don't say anything revealing, your address will be available for people to send you E-mail that could be bothersome, and newsgroups are a favorite place for people who send out junk mail ("spam") to gather addresses.

There are newsgroups that contain sexually explicit stories, illustrations, and photographs. In some cases, this material may be illegal, especially if it contains images of people who are younger than the age of 18 or certain other material that has been defined as "obscene." Some of this material can be disturbing and should be avoided. It is dangerous to post anything in these types of groups because anything you type reveals your E-mail address which could reveal your identity. Remember, anytime you post to a newsgroup you are broadcasting your E-mail address, even if you don't include your actual name.

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Do YOU actually HAVE a FIREWALL installed on your COMPUTER?

[These days; if you DO NOT have a Firewall installed - you're really asking for trouble]

The actual term “firewall” is a partition that was designed for real (hot) fire safety in tenement apartment buildings as a special wall that would keep a fire from spreading through all of the walls everywhere throughout the apartment building. This is the same process which is happening on the World Wide Web. When a “fire” is burning – (one of these malicious worms, trojans and virus’ spreading) – the firewall keeps those worms from spreading onto your computer. It’s really very handy and useful for computers – at home or at work – that is permanently on the Internet, like the DSL or cable modem customers. Even for dial-up modem users, we find that fast-spreading worms will infect your computer in the 10 or 15 minutes that you’re on checking your e-mail.

CLICK HERE to find out about installing a free Firewall called Zone Alarm Free (From "Zone Labs)

Note:
(When you get to the Zone Labs website, simply scroll down a bit) Zone Alarm "Free" is on the LEFT

Other "Surf's Up - Surf Safe" Sections:

Safely Bridging the Gap Between You and the World Wide Web!

Choosing an Internet Service Provider

Some general RULES for Online Safety

Tips about Software, Websites and Resources for Parents

Keeping Your Identity Private

Warning Signs Concerning Your Child's Online Activity

Internet Minutia and Etiquette

Essential Security Tools for Safety During Online Use

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What is a virus anyway?

What is a virus anyway?

• Virus: a file that is designed to copy itself, and sometimes do other things, like display strange messages or deletes everything on your hard drive.

• Trojan: a program that does something more than the user was expecting, but that doesn't replicate itself, relying instead on the user to pass it on.  This malicious program is concealed inside a harmless-looking package, like a game or joke program.

• Worm: a self-replicating self-contained type of Trojan.  Once installed, it corrupts certain program files to pass its package on as part of the program's normal operation, e.g. by trying to e-mail itself to all entries in one's address

How can I tell if my machine has a virus?

There are as many different symptoms as there are viruses, but common ones include:

• your computer running significantly slower than normal

• you are receiving memory error messages or freezing on start up

• sudden rebooting or unusual crashing

• unexplained files or sudden hard drive space decrease

• displaying strange messages, such as: "Your computer is stoned"

The only way to be certain whether there is a virus on your machine is to scan it with an up-to-date anti-virus program.

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What is the definition of a hacker or cracker?

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In the truest sense of the word, a "hacker" is a dedicated programming expert who believes in sharing his expertise and experiences with other hackers. A hacker does not believe in vandalizing or maliciously destroying data, or in stealing data of any kind.

On the other hand there is the "cracker", a cyber burglar or vandal, an individual or group intent on causing malicious harm to a network or computer, or to steal information beneficial to themselves like passwords, credit card numbers and the like.

For ease of use, the term "hacker" will be used here to refer to either a hacker or cracker, as someone who enters or tries to enter your computer or network without authorization.

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How can I detect if my computer has been "hacked" or broken into?

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• Some telltale symptoms are:

• Mysterious files suddenly appearing.

• CD drawer opening and closing by itself

• Runtime errors in MS Outlook/Outlook Express.

• Finding emails in your sent items folder that you didn't send.

• Files moved or deleted unexpectedly.

• Icons on your desktop or toolbars are blank or missing.

• Mouse feels sluggish, like someone else is trying to control it.

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.So what? (if my files are infected...) 

I've had a virus before, but I had no problems.

Many viruses have a "trigger" built in to their programming.  Nothing unusual happens until a certain date, or a certain number of copies of the virus have been made.  Until then, the virus is a time bomb, possibly infecting other files and systems until...

• It erases everything on your hard drive.  Or wrecks a friend's disk.

• It gives someone else access to your computer: all your personal files, your passwords, everything.

• It e-mails itself to everyone in your address book.  Automatically.

It can cause serious damage to your hardware.  You could lose everything and you have to buy new equipment.

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What is a Trojan?

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Commonly referred to as remote access Trojans or R.A.T.s. It is a program that gives a hacker or cracker more power over your computer than you may have. Trojans can be very small in size, as little as 8 kbs, and can be hidden inside other executables.

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How does a Trojan work?

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First the Trojan must be delivered to your computer.

This can be accomplished in many ways, through an email worm, or hidden in another executable program like an mp3 song or a free game or picture. Running the program installs the Trojan on your computer. The Trojan is really two programs in one. The first part is called the "client" and is used by the hacker to control the victim's computer. The client is not installed on your computer but on the hacker's. The second part is the "server" and it is installed on your computer. Once executed this "server program" will provide information to the client program upon request. This server program once installed hides itself on your computer and will run automatically every time you start the computer.

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How can I get a Trojan?

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Trojans can be embedded in any executable file.

The critical thing here is that the file must be executed to install the Trojan on your computer. Trojans can be sent via email, ICQ, mIRC or IRCLE, FTP, Freeware or Shareware programs, mp3 and even movies.

Personal information, names address, financial information, even the account information for your ISP and passwords, in short anything stored on your computer can be obtained by the hacker. The Trojan may even be able to record each and every keystroke you make, save the info to a hidden file and then when you go online upload the file to the hacker's computer. This means that even if you don't keep personal info or passwords on your computer the hacker can still obtain them from the keystroke log he uploaded.

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Here is a question that I'm often asked:

I just have a single home computer for my personal usage; Why would a hacker bother with me?

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There are a number of reasons why a hacker would want to "look" at your computer.

He may find your credit card number stored there from buying online, or use the information gleaned from your computer to use your ISP bandwidth for illegal activity, like distributing child pornography. One of the most recent uses of Trojans is to cause DDoS (distributive denial of service) attacks. In a DDoS attack, the client commands all of the "servers" located on individual PCs to attack a single website. Thousands of individual PCs can be commanded to access a website like eBay or Yahoo at the same time, clogging the site's bandwidth and causing an interruption of service.

How can I stop hackers from gaining access to my computer?

• Only download or accept files from reliable sources.

• Use a firewall (such as ZONE ALARM – Free Edition ) to block unauthorized access to your computer.

• Install a good virus scanner program and update virus information files at least weekly

• Do not keep passwords, bank or financial account numbers, social security numbers or other personal and confidential information on your computer's hard drive. Store this type of information on removable disks (floppies, CD’s or zip disks).

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3 new tutorials about Spyware

(and two of the more popular and prevalent tools)

All of which will all be very useful when dealing with Spyware.

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The first is a "Primer on Spyware and Hijackers."
(And is a good read if you don't understand their use).
It can be found at the following link:
Understanding Spyware and Browser Hijackers

The second tutorial is on "How to use Spybot" and can be found here:
Using Spybot to remove Spyware from Your Computer

The third tutorial is on how to use HijackThis a tutorial on the meanings of the different sections in HijackThis, for beginner computer users. This tutorial explains each section in layman terms, so that you understand what you are doing on your computer, instead of blinding following instructions.

This "How to use HijackThis" a tutorial can be found here:
How to use HijackThis to remove Browser Hijackers

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Tired of IE? Try Alternative Browsers

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  Try Out Firefox Browser - "Rediscover the web"

The Mozilla Organization's Firefox Browser has qualities which will allow users to browse faster, more safely and more efficiently than with many other browsers available on the web and it's provided FREE of charge here. I've been running Firefox 1.0 for about 2 or 3 months on four machines, three with XP Pro and one with XP Home. All have DSL with a router and SP2 with firewalls too. Firefox has worked [nearly] flawlessly on both machines; especially when I consider that I can’t really remember the last time I was worried about the numerous security issues that IE often brings.

 

Firefox and all other Mozilla-based products are more secure.

Why? Here is a list of the most important reasons:

• It is not integrated with Windows, which helps prevent viruses and hackers from causing damage if they somehow manage to compromise Firefox.

• There is no support for VBScript and ActiveX, two technologies which are the reasons for many IE security holes.

• No spyware/adware software can automatically install in Firefox just by visiting a web site.

• Firefox doesn't use Microsoft's Java VM, which has a history of more flaws than other Java VMs.

• You have complete control over cookies.

There are a few [thank god] functional or maybe I should really say: practical differences between the two browsers IE and Firefox. For example, Firefox [at least in its current form] does not support ActiveX or Browser Helper Objects (BHOs). This in part is exactly what makes Firefox safer [than IE] to browse the web with.

 

Another negligible and noticeable difference between IE and Firefox is in how they indicate you are on a secure web page. Both will display a gold lock icon on the status bar. IE displays the lock in the bottom right hand corner; Firefox appears in the bottom left corner.

 

One thing is for certain: Web sites that depend on ActiveX do not "play nice" with Firefox. There are two sides to this dilemma (1) the lack of ActiveX support is part of what makes Firefox somewhat safer to browse with [than Internet Explorer] (2) On the other hand, it means you must use IE for some potentially useful web sites.

 

I've run across a few problems [very few, actually] accessing web sites. Among the most highly trafficked sites that are actually useful but require ActiveX are: Windows Update [for fixes for Windows and IE] - Many of the free-to use online anti-virus scanners; such as PestScan.com[online Spyware scanner] 

 

Trend Micro HouseCall is a free online virus online virus scanner [the only one that I know of, at least] that supports multiple Operating Systems and multiple Browser architectures including Mozilla (1+) Firefox (all) and Opera (7.5+). A Java based version of Housecall is available here. Until now, it has been based on ActiveX technology, which was previously a problem if you're not using IE.

 

HouseCall Browser support includes all major browsers that support the Java 2 Platform and Operating Systems currently supported are: Windows 9x | NT | 2k/XP | Linux | Solaris

 

PC Pitstop is a very useful web site that depends on ActiveX. Until recently, Internet Explorer has been required for any tests performed on the PCP site. Dedicated Firefox (and Mozilla and Opera) users can still use the site however, with the aid of the MeadCo's Neptune plug-in that can run ActiveX controls from non-IE browsers. Click here to read: PC Pitstop's explanation.

Thunderbird is the perfect e-mail client "complement" to Firefox [also FREE].

Thunderbird is the "standalone" e-mail and newsgroup client can be used as a companion to Mozilla Firefox or by itself. Lightweight, fast, extensible and featuring sophisticated junk mail filters, Thunderbird sets a new standard for e-mail software.

Other Mozilla Software

• Camino 0.8.2

• Mozilla 1.7.5

• Bugzilla

• All products

What's the difference between Firefox and Mozilla?
 

Mozilla (Application Suite, also known as SeaMonkey) is a complete suite of web related applications, such as a browser, a mail/news client, a chat client and much more. Firefox is just a browser, which makes it a better choice if you already have a mail client for example. Also, since Firefox is smaller than the whole Mozilla suite, it's faster and easier to use.

Note, though, that Firefox is not the standalone Mozilla browser. The user interface in Firefox differs from Mozilla in many ways. For example, Firefox has customizable toolbars.

Guidelines for Parents, Teenagers and Children who surf the on the Internet

If you think the online world is "safe" for small children and even adolescents - just try typing the two words "FREE TEEN" into any of the major into any of the major search engines (into say Google, or AltaVista) and then click on the tab in the search engine labeled "images."

There is much risk involved in allowing your child to use the internet without any restrictions or supervision whatsoever. By taking responsibility for your children's online computer use, parents can greatly minimize any potential risks of being online.

Make it a family rule to:

Never give out identifying information - home address, school name, or telephone number - in a public message such as chat or bulletin boards, and be sure you're dealing with someone that both you and your children know and trust before giving out via E-mail.

Think very carefully before revealing any personal information such as age, martial status, or financial information. Consider using a pseudonym or un-listing your name and (certainly your child's name) if your service allows it. If they do not allow this, promptly find another service.

Get to know the services your child uses. If you don't know how to log on, get your child to show you. Find out what types of information it offers and whether there are ways for parents to block out objectionable material.

Never allow a child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission. If a meeting is arranged, make the first one in a public spot, and be sure to accompany your child.

Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are:

Sexually suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make you feel uncomfortable. Encourage your children to tell you if they encounter such messages. If you or your child receives a message that is harassing, of a sexual nature, or threatening, forward a copy of the message to your service provider and ask for their assistance.

Should you become aware of: The transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography while online, immediately report this to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-843-5678. You should also notify your online service.

Remember that people online may not be who they seem. Because you can't see or even hear the person it would be easy for someone to misrepresent him-or herself. Thus, someone indicating that "she" is a "12-year-old girl" could in reality be a 40-yea r-old man.

Remember that everything you read online may not be true. Any offer that's "too good to be true" probably is. Be very careful about any offers that involve your coming to a meeting or having someone visit your house.

Set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use by your children (see "Some general RULES for Online Safety" as sample). Discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder. Remember to monitor their compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your children spend on the computer. A child or teenager's excessive use of online services or bulletin boards, especially late at night, may be a clue that there is a potential problem.

Remember that computers and online services should not be used as electronic babysitters!!

Be sure to make this a family activity. Consider keeping the computer in a family room rather than in the child's bedroom. Get to know their "online friends" just as you get to know all of their other friends.

Tips about Software, Safety & Websites

(and Other Resources  for Parents & Teachers)

Software

While there are some (actually few effective) software filtering solutions available to parents, it is crucial to remember that