What Is Your Online Exposure?

      Is privacy in America dead? With all the camera phones, online tracking software and social media sites, you can pretty much bet on it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself.

     For starters, go to Google Maps and search on your name to see if they have a picture of your home mapped out. If so, you can request to be removed. Next, set up a Google alert for your name (and company name if you’re a business owner). Google will e-mail you any time something is posted about you with a link so you can keep an eye on reviews, photos, etc. Next, go to www.Spokeo.com and search on yourself – you might be shocked at how much information is posted about you, your home, your income and personal life. You can request to be removed from this site by going to www.spokeo.com/privacy.

7 Simple Ways To Keep Your iPad Secure

     Don’t leave it lying around. Although this is common sense, you’ve probably violated this rule more than once. iPads are easy targets for thieves, so don’t let it out of your sight when in a public place – and don’t leave it in plain view in your car or you might end up with a broken window in addition to a stolen iPad.

     Use a passcode. Although it’s not 100% hacker-proof, it will block unauthorized users from accessing your information.

     Consider enabling automatic data erasing. You can configure your iPad to erase your data after 10 failed passcode attempts. Clearly this is not a good solution for anyone who constantly forgets a password or those who have kids who might try to endlessly log in to use your iPad.

     Sign up for MobileMe. This software will allow you to locate a lost iPad and, if it’s not recoverable, you can remotely wipe the device of your private information.

     Limit its capabilities. You can set your iPad to restrict certain functions such as access to Safari, YouTube, installing applications and explicit media content using a passcode. In the corporate world, an IT administrator could set these restrictions for company owned devices. At home, you can use this to restrict what your children can do with your iPad.

     Install software updates. As with all software, make sure you have the latest security updates and patches installed to protect against hackers and viruses.

     Only connect to trusted WiFi networks. Public WiFis are open territory for hackers and identity thieves. Whenever you connect, make sure it’s a legitimate, secure connection.

How To Get A List Of Ideal Prospects For FREE

     With LinkedIn.com you can build lists of people who match your ideal prospect – and even get introductions – all for the cost of a few clicks.

     For example, if you want to reach the HR managers at companies in a certain geographic area, simply go to LinkedIn and follow these steps:

1. Set up an account and connect with your clients, friends and vendors. The more “connected” you are online, the easier it will be to get introduced to new prospects.

2. Click on the “Advanced Search” link located near the main search form.

3. Customize your search by entering in the industries, title, location and keywords that would be related to the prospects you are looking to find. For example, you could enter “HR” or “Human Resources Manager” in the title search and then narrow your results down using the “Postal Code” look-up and “Within X Miles” setting.

4. Unless you want a particular industry, leave that area unchecked.

5. When the list comes up, do a sort by “Relationship” so that those with the closest relationship to you or your contacts are tanked towards the top. If you find someone you want to connect with, look for people YOU know who can introduce you.

How Would You Like To Have This Corporate Embarrassment On Your Record?

     Back in April, the largest known e-mail security breach took place when Epsilon, an online marketing corporation, had their clients’ lists of e-mail addresses stolen by sophisticated cyber thieves.

     Epsilon was in charge of maintaining the e-mail databases and campaigns of some of the largest corporations in the country, including 1-800 Flowers, Best Buy, Walgreens, JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, and more. In fact, there’s a good chance that you’ve received multiple “apology” e-mails from these vendors.

     While some said the breach didn’t cause a whole lot of damage, we disagree. Essentially, these cyber criminals now have the ability to invent highly sophisticated phishing attacks by creating e-mail offers that look like legitimate promotions coming from companies they (the people whose e-mail addresses were stolen) buy from and trust.

     And though it’s already common for cyber thieves to impersonate credible organizations with what appears to be legitimate e-mail messages that seek to verify account information, this recent breach of security allows cyber thieves to be smarter and even more targeted with their scams.

Two Key Lessons

     First, you need to be a lot more wary of e-mail promotions and communications that ask you to provide your credit card information or to validate your account information (user name, password, social security number, etc.). No valid company will ever ask you to send important, confidential information in that manner.

     Second, this breach serves as a warning to all businesses that they must have the MOST up-to-date security systems in place for their computer network, especially if you handle client data such as credit cards, bank accounts, socials security numbers, passwords, client lists and more. Epsilon has responded to the security breach, apologizing to all those affected, but the damage is done to their organization, not to mention their clients.

     There are ways you can have your network’s anti-virus, firewall and security settings monitored 24/7 to make sure your network is fully protected against these damaging events. If you want to know more feel free to contact us.