Articles: Internet Security

Ransomware Hacking

The latest hacking trend seems to be to hijack your computer, then encrypt your files so you can’t read them. Then demand a ransom to un-encrypt them. This can be from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

see http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11550094

And of course if you pay up once they may do it to you again or not fix them for you.

Regularly backing up your data is the best protection! Do you do that?

Also run reliable, regularly updated Antivirus and security software.

Search for “protection from ransomware” for information about how to prevent it happening to you.

AntiVirus etc, Passwords, Privacy, Scams & Dodgy Stuff, Tips & Tricks

Credit Card Security on websites

A number of people have been scammed and their credit card details stolen on a fake site offering KFC home deliveries. The card details are taken, the food never arrives, and by then the card details have been on sold to the crooks who empty it out.

If ordering anything online make sure that you know that the site is legitimate and that any purchase forms are secure – ie have https: in the url and the padlock symbol.

By the way – KFC apparently do not deliver in NZ.

View the article here

Passwords, Scams & Dodgy Stuff

Yahoo killing passwords?

Are you sick of having all those passwords? A new Yahoo app aims to get rid of those by sending a notification to a user’s smartphone.

Not sure if that will work well or not but it is aimed at making things easier for Yahoo mail users and attracting more customers to this.

Yahoo mail had 190 million users in August 2015 while Google Gmail had 411 million and increasing.
More market dominance by Google!

See the full article here

Email, Passwords, The future?, Yahoo

SEO spam emails

Because the core of our business (Net Action Ltd) is Search Engine Optimisation and other related web marketing services, it always concerns us how many spam emails we and others receive regarding SEO services. It confuses everyone about what they need..

There are one or two companies who are bad for that. I am constantly receiving similar looking emails from Brandroot Media PTY Ltd. Previously it was Page Port PTY Ltd, Booster Web Network and even Zeald (obviously pretending to be the NZ company of similar name).

They seem to have thousands of people working for them – Terry, Abigail, Tom, Ryan, Katie, Alan etc etc.. I get emails frrom many of them.

And they always say they have offices in Auckland and many other cities – Wellington, Hamilton, Hastings, Wellington, Dubai, London, New York etc etc. But try looking up the name or address in the companies office or on Google Maps etc and they obviously don’t exist, Or ask for their business domain name. You won’t get it from them!

So these guys are spammers clearly. Many of the others are quite probably legitimately looking for clients to do a good job for. But it is hard for you to see the ‘wood for the trees’ when you get so many emails.

So why do they bother? It is a numbers game. If you send enough emails out, someone, somewhere will respond.

Without doubt, every site needs SEO and the other services we provide. But the excess of spam pushing this just means information overload that turns some business owners from doing anything at all.

Our Services, Scams & Dodgy Stuff, SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Scams

You probably receive a number of emails every day offering SEO services. While many of these are genuine companies vying for your business, some really are scammers who will take your money and do nothing.

Every website needs SEO services (and more). There are some good reputable companies in NZ who provide great SEO services, including us.

It is therefore galling when we see overseas scammers pretending to be NZ companies and giving good SEO companies here a bad rap.

We have recently received numerous emails from Creative Zeald Ltd who claim to have an office at
Level 4, 147 Parnell Road, Parnell 1052, Auckland.New Zealand
with other offices in Christchurch | Wellington | Hamilton | Tauranga & Dunedin
and a global presence in Hong Kong & China | USA | AUS | UAE | Singapore

This is almost identical to numerous emails previously received from Page Port NZ Ltd. They were apparently headquartered in Napier with offices in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Manawatu-Whanganui, Wellington, Tasman, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast, Canterbury, Otago, Southland. Wow! Such a busy company that no-one has heard of!

Both of these are overseas companies and do not have the NZ representation they claim. They are passing off as something that they are not. If not a total scam, it is certainly spam.

Don’t touch overseas SEO companies unless you know something about them. Get references if you can. Some will just take your money or lock you into long contracts.

Scams & Dodgy Stuff, SEO

Facebook

Facebook went down this week sending many of their billion plus users into a tailspin. Some apparently even read books!

Facebook is also doing more with interpreting users’ psychological traits – trying to get even cleverer at measuring your personality based on your likes etc. They claim that they know users better than their friends do from 70 likes. More than 150 likes and they claim to know a user better than parents or siblings do. But it takes 300 likes before they know you better than your spouse. Users average around 227 likes so the spouse still wins!

You can do a free online test that will help them match their results and refine their methods for measuring everything about you (if you really want that or think it is a good idea).

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/internet/news/article.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=11392500

Facebook, Privacy