Thursday, October 27, 2011

Sims.xxx

Notes taken by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC.
Also featured on WBTV's Protecting Your Cyberturf with Kristen Miranda and Theresa Payton, in episode airing November 3, 2011
We have told you before to monitor what your kids do online. We have even encouraged you to wait as long as possible before letting them have a Facebook profile. Now add this to your list - a game could be encouraging your kids to have cybersex. We have probably stooped to a new all time low on the internet. The Facebook game, Sims, actually rewards players when they engage in cybersex. Cyber Expert, Theresa Payton, explains how this works.
HOW IT WORKS:
  • Sims Social encourages you to build romantic relationships to any of your connections within their game.
  • The more you play Sims Social by taking care of your neighborhood, the higher rating your profile has. That alone might be okay but there’s a disgusting twist.
  • In addition to the more mundane activities of life, the more you “advance” your relationship on the game, which can include cybersex, the more e-currency and rewards you receive on your Sims Social account.
WHY THIS CONCERNS US:
  • It is estimated that there is a large population of Facebook users under the age of 18 - recent estimates say it could be as high as 9 million US Facebook users are between 13-18 and that assumes they all told the truth about their age!
  • Kids on Facebook admit that they friend people they don’t actually know
  • It can potentially damage your kid’s reputation forever with friends, loved ones, potential job searches, and college applications
  • It condones this behavior as socially acceptable
  • It opens children up to sexual predators


WORD OF THE WEEK:
TEXT BOMBING: This is something that you don’t want to have happen to you! It’s when someone sends the same text message repeatedly to the same smart phone and eventually overloads the phone.

100th Protecting Your Cyberturf Episode

Notes taken by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC.
Also featured on WBTV's Protecting Your Cyberturf with Kristen Miranda and Theresa Payton in October 27th's episode

Did you know that today is our 100th segment of Protecting Your Cyberturf? Our 100th segment focuses on the 10 things you can do in 10 days to have a healthier, safer digital life. According to security firm McAfee, every 39 seconds a computer connected to the internet is attacked by hackers. Cyber Expert Theresa Payton is on your side and wants to protect you from the cyber bad guys.

Please do these 10 tips, one a day, for 10 days to a healthier digital you.

1. Search, Surf, and Alert: Use several search engines and variations of your name to understand what it posted by you and about you online. Set up alerts in search engines to alert you when your name is posted online.

2. Privacy Please: Check your settings on your social media accounts. Use the Grandmom rule for all posts: If she shouldn’t see it, don’t post it on the internet.

3. Updates: Update your operating system, your software packages, and browsers. They help a lot.

4. Strong Passwords: A great way to look at it is to think of a car’s vanity plate. The saying is short and unique. You need a different one for every important account that you have.

5. Auto Lock and Wipe: auto lock your computer, phone, and tablet after a few minutes. Where possible, enable a “wipe” function in the event your device is lost or stolen (ask your manufacturer for details)

6. Anti virus and anti malware software: Use software to help you fight against malicious software. Versions are now available to protect smart phones too.

7. Backup Files: Have you recorded the last several years of your life on digital cameras? Back them up to your computer and then create a back up of those photos to make sure if your computer crashes, that you have easy access to those digital images.

8. Location, Location, Location: Have young kids, tweens and teens at home? Have a digital divide in your house. All things digital stay in common areas and no digital devices allowed in bedrooms. Would you let your kid hang out with someone they just met in their room? The same rule applies on the internet.

9. Be a Skeptic: Trust but verify. Watch what you click on, files you open, and devices that you attach to your computer. Even birthday and holiday greeting cards could be infected! If you have a note from someone you know and it sounds too good to be true, call them. Double check those amazing offers first by typing in the name of the offer + scam into your favorite search engine. Use the Better Business Bureau as a resource to make sure you do not become the next victim.

10. WiFi and Bluetooth: If you have a new phone, tablet, or computer these options are ready to go! These handy tools that make life easier can also allow cybercreeps to snoop on you. Turn these functions off when you are not using them. Set your security settings to high so you receive alerts. Avoid free WiFi unless you can verify that it is safe.

WORD FOR THE WEEK:
TDL4: It’s the 4th generation of the TDL botnet that researchers believe is controlled by cybercriminals in Russia. It is very stealthy and delivers all those things we love to hate - fake antivirus, adware, and spam. It’s estimated that more than 4 million machines are infected with it. If you think you have it on your computer, there are a few tools out there that can help you remove it.


RESOURCES:

Over the past 100 episodes, we have received a lot of great questions. Here are just a few questions and answers that will help you have a healthy digital you.

Q: I think my computer is infected! Now what?

A: The best prevention is up to date browsers and antivirus software. However, some computer infections will prevent you from running those tools.
1. If you need help, contact your device’s manufacturer to see if they can assist you.
2. If you want to try fixing it yourself, there are free malware, virus, and botnet removal tools available at:
www.Microsoft.com
www.Kaspersky.com
www.BitDefender.com
www.AVAST.com

Q: How do I keep track of the latest scams?
A: Everyone is so busy this is not easy but you can definitely check a few places before you give out personal information or access to your bank and credit card accounts.

Track scams at:
www.scambusters.org
www.BBB.org
http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/internet_fraud
www.hoax-slayer.com

Q: If I want to read more on how to keep my family and loved ones safe from cyber creeps, what can I do?

A: WBTV.com posts all of the helpful tips on the Protecting Your Cyberturf page each week. You can also visit several websites set up to offer safety tips. We have highlighted a few of them here:

Tips for Digital Health and Safety (Businesses and Consumers):
www.fortalicesolutions.com
www.onguardonline.gov

A safe place for kids to surf:
www.yoursphere.com

Malicious software and internet tips:
www.sophos.com
www.mcafee.com
www.symantec.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Uptown Charlotte with Dr. Rice 10/25

Notes taken by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC.
October 25, 2011

Hello all!
I had the privilege of listening to Dr. Condoleezza Rice in Uptown Charlotte last night.

=======================================================
Summary:

Notable quotes from the evening:
"If you focus too much on the present, you will not achieve the future"

"A young girl was told by her parents that even though she could not eat a burger at Woolworth's in segregated Alabama, that she could be anything she wanted to be, including President of the U.S. That girl heard that and became Secretary of State"

"Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same"

"What today seems so improbable is inevitable in retrospect"

"If I could wave a magic wand, empower women. You kill a lot of ills."

In reference to the EU crisis..."Let's be honest, the Greeks were cooking the books"
=============================================================

Her talk covered the "Three Great Shocks" to our modern day world:
-The tragedy of 9-11
-The current global financial crisis
-The current Arab Spring

When things look bad in the present, she likes to turn and look at history.

She kept pictures of former Secretarys of State to keep focus.

One of her favorites:
United States Secretary of State William H. Seward and the "Alaska Folly" purchasing Alaska from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. Some felt he payed too much at the time but it was critical and strategic to our current success.

Not a fan of the BRIC concept and says it is really a BIC

Russia Considerations:
80% -- oil, gas and minerals make up 80% of the entire Russian economy

12/89 Romanian authoritarianism is not stable. Old woman yelling liar, the crowd joins in, then all that is left between a dictator and his people is what? Anger.

Look at countries around the world: A society that treats women badly is a dangerous place

Brazil and India: stable, multi ethnic democracies. It can be done!

China:
180,000 riots in China last year alone
When product quality and safety was not on par, consider what they did - they executed the head of quality
They censor the news and internet - if accessing the internet from China, you cannot find anything under "Jasmine revolution"

Ask yourself: Can a centrally governed China lead the global, knowledge-based economy?

Innovative creative risk taking are the private sector..not government

USA and the Log cabin: You can be born from humble circumstances and you can do great things.
We need to affirm quickly that we are a Nation of immigrants


K12 may be our national crisis
  • We will have a generation of people that are not employable which creates chaos
  • 30% military recruits can pass basic skills
  • Parents are our head start in life
  • Every child needs someone to invest in them. Some don't have great parents
  • The US has the shortest school day
  • Music and the arts should not be considered "extra-curricular"
  • Arts are a way to build confidence

The biggest danger to the U.S.A.
It is not China or Russia
It is not another country
It is ourselves
We must deal with our internal issues
When Martin Luther King wanted change, he didn't ask the US to tear itself apart, he just wanted the US to be what it says it is in the Constitution

Her family's path:
Her Grandfather was a sharecropper in AL. He sold cotton one year and decided he needed "book learning" and asked others how to get it. He found a college and attended one year. The cotton money ran out. He asked the college what he could do to stay another year. He then heard about scholarships and the head of the college said they offered scholarships to men that wanted to be Presbyterian ministers and her Granddaddy said, "That was exactly what I had in mind!" This started a generation of learning & Presbyterians.

Q&A Session:

Talked about how she and George Schultze said Sec of State is the best job in government
Dream job? Used to say I wanted to be commissioner of the NFL.

Favorite books: King's Cross (About the Gospel of Luke). Likes John Grisham.

Leadership:
Tough times: the first challenge is how to get yourself out of bed, then inspire others.
Get others to think about things differently.
Refer to how the institution faced prior challenges
Example: During the cold war.. You wouldn't think about the Berlin wall coming down.
If you are in charge, do not have your "hair on fire". It's not good for your team.
Exercise. Get sleep.
Spend time with family and friends.

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Mighty Macs!


Taken from a note by TP:

So often movies are not appropriate for families or really anyone. Let's show Hollywood what we want.
Please support this movie, THE MIGHTY MACS, about my alma mater, Immaculata.

We broke through the glass ceiling in college basketball and put women's basketball on the map.

The movie starts TODAY in many cities.

We have been told the FIRST WEEK IS VERY important in determining what markets get the movie and how long it is available.

It is shot on location at Immaculata and many of today's students and nuns are in the movie as extras.

Please go see it! Appropriate for everyone but especially grab any young lady you know and take her.

There are many great messages in the movie.


Legal Landmines in Mocial Media

Legal Landmines in “Mocial” Marketing (Mobile, social, private, direct)

BIG Event

October 20, 2011

Notes taken by: Brittany Box, Fortalice, LLC.

Executive Summary: Social media platform-based and mobile app/device marketing from a legal perspective. How to use these tools effectively and legally.

Speaker: David Almeida, Partner, Sedgewick LLP, Chicago

Some Main notes:

· we need to be utilizing proactive data security in the legal sense

· Protecting yourself from opportunistic plaintiff lawyers

· Mobile (SMS, m-sites, apps, e-commerce):

o Laws, lawsuits, ways to defend, ways to avoid

o Increasing focus on privacy—not federal law (yet), 46 different state laws

· Protecting yourself from opportunistic plaintiff lawyers

· Video Privacy Protection Act, Robert Bork ex.

· Courts have rejected many mobile marketing class action lawsuits due to ill-fitting law lags on technology

· Laws either implicitly or explicitly regulate particular channels of marketing

o Ie. The FTC Act (Section 5), State Unfair & Deceptive Practices Act

· Be transparent: make informed disclosures as to what you will do with customer data

o Protect customers’ data

o Give choice in terms of timing and method of engagement

o Provide clear and conspicuous notice to customers of what will be done and how

Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA): passed in 1991, deals with direct marketing via calls, faxes, and text messages, class action lawsuits

o Claims pertaining to this are typically filed in state court

-SMS, MMS, etc…. mobile is “the new beast”

o Requires affirmative consent

o Lack of sufficient space for adequate disclosures (are hash tags good enough?)

o Absence of uniform national regulations or laws

Cost- consumers complain that unlike other forms of DM, SMS actually

NCLGISA Fall Symposium

TP & BB with "Mobi" the Dinosaur in Asheville, NC

North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Associations (NCLGISA)

Fall Symposium

October 19, 2011

Asheville, North Carolina

Notes taken by: Brittany Box, Fortalice, LLC.

Speaker:

· Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC. "Protecting Your Cyberturf"

Executive Summary: General overview of the rise and risk of Cybercrime as it relates to law enforcement officials and the citizens they are trying to protect.

Cyberterrorists & Cybercriminals Are in Our Community Cookie Jar…How to Avoid Getting Left with the Crumbs

· Question: How can we properly raise awareness on a citizen level? Proper funding, resources, etc. for IT?

· 1/3 of the room has seen an increase in cybercrime and fraud in their industry

· role you play in the community

Agenda

o Serious and complex

o People are ground zero- building the culture to know when things don't seem right

o Q&A

o Checklist

Serious and Complex

o Security focus has evolved

o Current reality: You are compromised and/or will be compromised

o Assume all devices you connect to are "dirty"

o Black Hat themes 2011

o paradigm shift- not because of incompetence, everyone is a target

APT

o "This threat is increasing in scope and scale and its impact is difficult to overstate…Some of these are what we define APT, which are difficult to counter."

o Annual Threat Assessment

o Advanced: not the point of intrusion (ie. infected thumbdrive, link in an email, social engineering), advanced= how sneaky they are now

o Persistent: continues to infect and steal IP

o "Sensitive information…"-DHS, creating difficult situation for first responses

4 focuses:

1. Govt. protection: Situational awareness

o Evolving threat vector

o ie. Robin Sage experiment, fake social media profiles, connected a few people to them, extended trust networks because of mutual connections, people were tricked, photos and geocodes leaked

o similar situations occurring within communities

o proactive research and information gathering

o citizens at risk

2. Business protection

o old-fashioned social engineering with a twist, manipulating information

o How did they get in?

o Spear phishing

o Infected hard drives, laptops, smartphones, pod slurping, man in the middle

o Checking in via Foursquare

o resumes via LinkedIn leads to discovery of 80% network infrastructure in 6 man hours via LinkedIn profiles, etc.

Who? DIfferent players on DIfferent teams?

o organized cybercrime

o state sponsored

o unscrupulous competitors

o IP**

If you have credit card data or SSN info ANYWHERE on your computers then that is worth something to someone (commerce items make you a target to cybercriminals A/V catches 33% of KNOWN signatures of viruses**

bad guys can run their own code against antivirus so as to not be detected

Businesses are not prepared 87% of breaches were preventable, 60% # of incidents that resulted from ignoring a social media policy

Businesses are losing: American biz. losses due to cyber attacks hit over $1 trillion worth of IP (Infragard thinks this is actually a low estimate)

Most businesses are not aware that they are not protected from a cyberheist if their computers are infected

Banks will do their best to help stop the loss of funds but they do not have to refund the money, based on about 50 current court cases, typically rule on the side of the banks

3. Internet crimes against children

  • kids are the evolving threat vector
  • they are at risk

  • "net generation"
  • A Generation of Eve (Wall-E reference): raise security awareness within this group, keeping sensitive information confidential including their own bodies and identities
  • October is Cyber Security Awareness month: How can we engage consumers/citizens from the ground up during this month?
  • NC state law, cyberbullying misdemeanor

4. Consumer protection/education/awareness

· Consumer/business/govt. threats are evolving

· Money laundering scams via email

· Favorite topics for cybercriminals to include:

o UPS

o DHL

o FedEx

o NACHA

o IRS

· Criminals themselves think that they are heroes in their village because of larger fish creating the fraud scheme

Top 10 Cybercrime hosts:

  • USA
  • France
  • Russia
  • Germany
  • China
  • Canada
  • Netherlands
  • South Korea
  • Romania
  • UK

Building a Cool and Hip Security Culture

An informed citizen is Key to Preventing

· How can we make it easy for suspicious behavior notification (cyberbullying instance, email, etc.)

· How can we resolve these issues

What works?

· citizen and employee involvement

· scenario based training

· edutainment ie. with the S.A.F.E kids program

· competition

· Disaster recovery and business continuity

Checklist

· Stop-Think-Connect (DHS website, ACTION ITEM: get websites to attendees)

Q&A

Q1: We win the argument with a risk versus reward approach, sell the scenarios, modern day breach examples, leverage these, best practices?, be focused in your requests

Q2: Typically cybercrime are considered not victimless but not necessarily a priority ($ to put cops on the street vs. cybercrime realm)-- How do we make this a priority? Don't want to "take boots off the ground", but internet crimes do create opportunity for physical world crime. Need to create internet savvy portion of our work force- ie. Cyber crime watch?- volunteer basis by community members? Demonstrate efforts' successes and adapt.

Q3: How can we encourage teens to use resources that ARE available? Peer influence- don't want to be judged in a negative way- adapt the mindset of the culture, until we can do that- encourage kids to be safer and use safe social networks ie. YourSphere, human monitors- don't have to go directly to mom and dad

Links to consider tracking:

· our website and blog J

· uscert.gov

· cccert.gov- current global threats

· sophos.com- threat information