New GPS Cell Phone Tracking Helps Parents Keep Track Of Their Trick-Or-Treaters

This month, everyone’s gearing up for a little Halloween fun (aside from Christmas, it’s the biggest revenue-producing holiday of the year). If you’re like most parents, you want your little trick-or-treaters to be safe while out gathering the goodies, so here’s a cool “high-tech” way to go beyond the glow sticks and reflective costumes: a GPS-tracking phone.

Three major carriers let you track the actual location of your child: AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Verizon’s Chaperone service and Sprint’s Family Locator use GPS to pinpoint your child’s location (which means you need a GPS-enabled phone), and even let you set up zones where your child is allowed to go – giving you an automatic alert (to either your cell phone or computer) if they leave that zone. Verizon can even send a text message to both parent and child if that child strays too far out of pre-set boundaries.

AT&T’s FamilyMap service will use GPS, if it’s available, or triangulation based on the location of the cell phone tower. The latter isn’t quite as accurate, but works better indoors.

Security Alert! Ads For Fake Anti-Virus And Anti-Spyware Programs Are Multiplying

Not long ago one of our clients was browsing the web when a warning popped up on his computer screen, alerting him that his PC had been infected with a virus. Although the alert looked real, he was skeptical and closed the alert by clicking on the “X” in the upper right hand corner of the notice.

Can you guess what happened next? His browser was hijacked, pop up ads started sprouting up everywhere, and he couldn’t get any of his programs to work even though he rebooted his machine. Although this is an extreme example, the number of fake anti-virus software scams has increased tenfold in the first quarter of this year. Court records one instance of when this has become a hot new trend with hackers: One company (Innovative Marketing) took in more that $160 billion worldwide last year “selling” fake anti-virus programs.

Here’s How They Nail You:

Online scammers simply create and place fake ads under the name of well-known anti-virus corporations without their permission, and without the knowledge of the site selling ads. But instead of installing a legitimate anti-virus program, it installs a virus that either instantly infects the PC or creates a warning that then sells the user a fake clean-up program.

How To Avoid Getting Tricked

• Use Firefox as your browser rather than Internet Explorer.
• Keep your computer updated with the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and be sure to use a good firewall.
• Never open an e-mail attachment unless you are POSITIVE about the source.
• Do NOT click on any pop-up that advertises anti-virus or anti-spyware software. If a virus alert appears on your screen, DON’T click on it, even to “close” it. Instead, hit control+alt+delete to bring up the Task Manager. From there, delete the “rogue” from the list of running programs, and call us immediately: 408.483.1881.
• Do not download freeware or shareware unless you know it’s from a reputable source. Many freeware and shareware programs come bundled with spyware, adware, or fake anti-virus programs.

Sould You Really Trust Every App You Install On Your Phone?

Nope – some of them are plundering your personal information and beaming it to potential bad guys. (Do hackers ever sleep?) Two researchers revealed that they’d researched one seemingly benign wallpaper app and found that it was sending phone numbers and subscriber information (like names and addresses) to a remote computer.

The app in question came from Jackey Wallpaper and it was uploaded to the Android Market, where users can download it and use it to decorate their phones that run the Google Android operating system. It includes branded wallpapers from My Little Pony to Star Wars.

Essentially, these apps collect your phone number, subscriber identification, and even your voicemail phone number as long as they are programmed automatically into your phone. It sends the data to a website, http://www.imnet.us. That site is evidently owned by someone in Shenzhen, China. The app has been downloaded anywhere from 1.1 million to 4.6 million times.

“Apps that seem good but are really stealing your personal information are a big risk at a time when mobile apps are exploding on smartphones,” said John Hering, chief executive, and Kevin MaHaffey, chief technology officer at Lookout, in their talk at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. “Even good apps can be modified to turn bad after a lot of people download it.”

The Single Biggest Cause Of Computer Crashes, Data Loss, Hacker Attacks, Viruses, And Other Computer Problems

Want to know how to eliminate close to 80% of the computer problems you experience AND get more life, faster speed, and better overall performance from your PC? This answer is simple…

The vast majority of computer problems can be solved with one simple step: regular maintenance. That’s right; nearly 80% of all computer problems stem from neglecting to perform routine maintenance such as cleaning your registry, installing security updates, and monitoring performance.

Why Do PCs Have So Many Problems?

Your computer is not a simple appliance like a TV. Once connected to the Internet, it’s exposed to a barrage of sophisticated hacker attacks, viruses, spyware, and other programs that can instantly install themselves to gain access to your data and take control of your machine. Plus, adding new programs and other general use of your system will gradually slow your computer’s performance over time; that’s why that brand-new PC you just bought a month ago is suddenly not loading programs as fast as it used to. Regular maintenance will not only keep your computer network running like new, but it will also help you avoid crashes, downtime, and data loss resulting from faulty hardware or corrupted software.

The Smart Way To Avoid These Issues

Given the fact that no business can operate without access to e-mail, the Internet, and other important systems and files, it often puzzles us why so many people cringe at spending money on maintaining their PCs. Trying to do it yourself is never a good idea (unless you happen to be a very savvy computer expert) and waiting until something breaks to bring in a technician is like putting on a seat belt AFTER the accident. That’s why we recommend outsourcing the care and maintenance of your computer network to a professional. Not only will they do a better job, but over time a well maintained computer network will significantly reduce your overall IT costs AND allow you to focus on more important issues like sales, profits, management, and customer service. (For other ways to save time in your business check out these 5 tips from a prior post!)

For more information, call us at 408.483.1881