Protect Yourself from Your Smartphone

The article below from CNN explains the risk to your personal and financial information if your cellphone is lost or stolen.  Depending on your phone, it is not too difficult to protect yourself.  First, install remote wipe software (it allows you to wipe all data from your phone even if you’re not in possession of it).  Second, keep your data backed up, otherwise you will be hesitant to wipe your phone’s data until you’re 100% sure you’re not getting it back.  Backing up to your microSD or SIM card is not enough, a thief can restore your data from the memory card; to be effective, the remote data wipe has to wipe your data card also.

Here is some information of the software you need depending on your phone:

Android:  In the event of a phone wipe, the apps should reinstall from the market.  I suggest using appbrain.com to have a handy list of your apps.  All email and contact information will sync back on your phone OTA (Over the Air) when you sign back into your phone.  However, unless you do a real backup, your settings will be lost.  To do a thorough backup, you have to root the phone.  Then get Titanium backup, which backs your phone up to your microSD card.  If you buy Titanium, it allows you to back your phone up to your Dropbox (see Wednesday’s ToTD) account.  In addition, once your phone is rooted, you can install ROM Manager and do complete backup images of your phone that you can/should save to your PC, and restore your entire phone in minutes looking exactly as it did when you backed it up.  There are many apps in the Market that will do a remote lock and wipe, for example: Lookout, Norton and Webroot.

iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPodTouch):  Backup with iTunes software.  The MobileMe service will allow you to find your device (using the built-in GPS) and to remote wipe the data if you wish.  It costs $99/year to use its other features, but Find My Phone is free for iOS 4.2+. See Inside iPhone's Remote Wipe feature

Blackberry:  How To: Backup And Restore Your BlackBerry.  Blackberry Protect will both backup your data wirelessly and wipe it if needed.  Read about Blackberry Protect here.

Windows Mobile:  The upcoming update to Windows Mobile will allow Zune to backup and restore the phone.  See article here.  Read this guide for remote wipe: How to remote wipe Windows Phone 7. 

 

Your most dangerous possession? Your smartphone

By Blake Ellis, staff reporterJanuary 11, 2011: 10:44 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Forget what's in your wallet -- beware your smartphone. It's becoming one of your most dangerous possessions.

If your phone was stolen a few years ago, the thief could make prank calls and read your text messages. Today, that person can destroy your social life -- you said what on Facebook?! -- and wreak havoc on your finances.

Now that smartphones double as wallets and bank accounts -- allowing users to manage their finances, transfer money, make payments, deposit checks and swipe their phones as credit cards -- they are very lucrative scores for thieves. And with 30% of phone subscribers owning iPhones, BlackBerrys and Droids, there are a lot of people at risk.

"It's crazy the amount of information on that phone -- it's like carrying a mini-computer around with you, except that more people know the settings on their computer than they do on their phones at this point," said Nikki Junker, social media coordinator and victim advisor at Identity Theft Resource Center. "People are incredibly at risk as technology improves."

And mobile banking use is expected to soar by nearly 55% next year, according to recent data compiled by TowerGroup, a research firm for the financial services industry.

They found that while 17.8 million consumers used mobile banking last year, 27.4 million are expected to use it this year, and 53.1 million consumers are forecast to adopt it by 2013.

"We're now past the early adopters and starting to hit the early maturity phase," said George Peabody, director of emerging technologies at Mercator Advisory Group. "So much of our screen time is shifting from PCs to smartphones, and the banks want to be there and know they have to be there."

Google to power your mobile wallet?

In addition, the volume of mobile payments -- buying boots via Zappos iPhone app, for example, or paying bills -- is expected to climb to $214 billion by 2015, up from $16 billion in 2010, according to Aite Group, another financial services research firm.

And pay-by-phone is only going to get easier as our devices come embedded with Near Field Communication (NFC) devices that allow you to pay for your morning latte by waving your phone at the cash register.

Companies like Blaze Mobile and Bling Nation already let you pay major retailers by swiping your smartphone thanks to a sticker adhered to the outside of your phone. Meanwhile, an app created by mFoundry brings up an image of your Starbuck prepaid card barcode and lets you scan it in lieu of a credit card.

"A lot of players are now pushing to drive the contactless technology," said Gwenn Bezard, research director at Aite Group specializing in banking and payments. "While you're not going to wake up tomorrow and everyone is going to be using mobile payments, it's going to grow over the next years -- and from a very low base."

0:00 /1:13Microsoft's latest smartphone move

Watch your phone! Security attacks on smartphones climbed to an all-time high in 2010, according to AdaptiveMobile, an international mobile security firm. Specifically, attacks on Google's Android smartphones quadrupled, and smartphones running Java-based applications jumped 45%.

"Bad guys are following where the people are going -- and people are going to smartphones," said Peabody. "As smartphone prices continue to decline and even more people get them, that's definitely the new place for bad guys to go."

While storing a password and keeping your phone locked is a good start, it's not going to protect you from professional fraudsters.

"Don't think that having an initial password set on your phone can stop people from getting in there," said Junker. "It's a very low level of protection -- you can even find 30-second videos on how to crack smartphone passwords on YouTube."

Web: More dangerous than ever

If you use mobile banking or make online payments frequently, you should invest in anti-virus protection and check with your bank about any security or identity theft protection features that you can enable.

Most smartphones also offer remote wipe-out services -- like MobileMe for the iPhone -- that automatically erase the information on your phone if you claim it as lost or stolen.

If you bank with your phone by accessing its website rather than opening an app, be extra careful when typing in the address. Some identity thefts create domains with the same address as major banks with two letters switched in hopes a consumer will accidentally land on the site and enter their username and password, said Junker.

And make sure you immediately log out of any bank apps or sites where your financial information is stored as soon as you're finished. While your identity is still at risk if your phone is stolen, this will buy you time to wipe out your information as soon as you realize it's gone.

Your smartphone could be your most dangerous possession - Jan. 11, 2011

Dropbox - Online backup, file sync, and sharing made easy

For an illustrated guide to DropBox, go here.

Click here to signup for Dropbox.

Sync

Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.

• 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.
• Sync files of any size or type.
• Sync Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
• Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.

File Sharing

Sharing files is simple. It takes only a few clicks.

• Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on the same files.
• See other people's changes instantly.
• Use your "Public" folder to link directly to files.
• Control who has access to your shared folders. Kick people out and remove the shared files from their computers in the process.
• Automatically create shareable online photo galleries out of regular folders.

Online Backup

Dropbox backs up your files online without you having to think about it.

Web Access

A copy of your files is stored on Dropbox's secure servers. This lets you access them from any computer or mobile device.

Security & Privacy

Dropbox uses military grade encryption methods to both transfer and store your data.

Mobile Device Access

A free application for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and Android that lets you access and manage your Dropbox on the go.

Dropbox - You're invited to join Dropbox! - Online backup, file sync, and sharing made easy.

Lookout Backs Up & Protects Your [Android/Windows Mobile/BlackBerry] Smartphone's Data

Lookout Remotely Backs Up, Protects, and Manages Your Smartphone's Data

Android/Windows Mobile/BlackBerry: Nowadays, a lot of us store our whole lives on our smartphones. If your phone gets lost or stolen, free web service Lookout can back it up, locate it, and wipe it all from a web interface.

If you keep valuable or sensitive information on your phone, it's nice to have a plan in case it gets lost or stolen, and Lookout can help you manage your data if that ever happens. Even if you don't have sensitive information on your phone, though, Lookout can still be useful—just like on your PC, anti-virus and backups are always important in case anything happens.

You'll need to download a quick app to your phone, which gives Lookout access to it (as well as displays the status of your backup and anti-virus on the go). Most of your work with Lookout will be done on your computer, though, from Lookout's web interface. From any browser you have access to all of Lookout's features: you can back up your phone, find it if it's lost, wipe your data, and run virus scans remotely. It's super easy, requires very little setup, and is an invaluable safety net if and when your phone falls into the wrong hands.

Currently, Lookout works with Android, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry devices, although an iPhone version is also planned for the future.

Lookout

Lookout Remotely Backs Up, Protects, and Manages Your Smartphone's Data

Microsoft’s Free Sync Service

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/microsofts-free-sync-service/

Last week, I wrote about an underpublicized gem in Microsoft’s Windows Live suite of free online and offline services and programs: SkyDrive. It’s a free, 25-gigabyte virtual hard drive on the Internet, accessible from any computer.

My readers gently pointed out that I managed to miss an equally spectacular feature: Windows Live Sync. It’s another very good, very free Windows Live service, for Mac and Windows, that everyone should know about.

The problem: you have a work machine and a home machine. Or a desktop PC and a laptop that’s frequently out of the house. Or a family. Or a small business.

In any case, you find yourself having to copy certain important files back and forth after each trip: when you return home with your laptop, when you get to the office after doing work at home over the weekend, and so on.

The solution: Windows Live Sync. You designate one folder on Computer A, and another folder on Computer B. Then Sync keeps them synced with each other, magically, over the Internet, with no effort on your part. Add, change, or delete a file on your laptop; you’ll find it added, changed, or deleted on your desktop. Edit some chapters or spreadsheets on your Mac at home; you’ll find them edited the same way at work.

There are plenty of services like this online-SugarSync, for example-but they’re not free. I’d venture that they’re not even as simple.

Here’s how to set it up. Suppose, in this example, that you have a PC at work and a Mac at home. Suppose, furthermore, that you’ve already signed up for a free Windows Live account (www.live.com).

On each computer, visit https://sync.live.com/clientdownload.aspx. Download and install the little Live Sync app. It puts a tiny Sync icon on your menu bar (Mac) or system tray (PC).

Now sit at the PC and sign into the Sync Web site (http://sync.live.com). Click “Create a personal folder.” Navigate to the folder on your hard drive that you want to sync; select it by opening it, right there on the Sync Web page, and then clicking “Sync folder here.” (You can also create a new folder at this point.)

You’re shown a list of the computers on which you’ve installed the Sync program (and that are turned on and online). Click the one you want this folder to sync with, and then, on the “Select a folder” screen, specify which folder on the Mac you want synced with the PC folder you chose. Finally, choose either Automatic or On-demand synchronization, and click Finish.

And that is all. When you add, change, or delete anything in a synced folder on one machine, it’s automatically updated on the other, over the Internet. It’s totally great for keeping the latest versions of everything accessible at all times. And it has a lot of fans among my readers.

As a handy side effect, Live Sync lets you grab files from any of your computers, from the Web site, even from folders you haven’t set up for syncing. Left the Smithers presentation at the office, and now you’re on-site at the client’s place? No problem. You’re covered.

You can also make certain folders available to family members and coworkers, making the whole thing even more useful.

The fine print: You can synchronize up to 20 folders, each containing up to 20,000 files, max. Files can’t be larger than 4 gigabytes each. Files can be synced with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Macs. Microsoft recommends that you don’t sync your Outlook mail stash, because it’s an enormous file that’s constantly changing.

This, by the way, isn’t even the end of the story. The next-generation Microsoft free sycning software is called Windows Live Mesh. It’s roughly the same idea, but it’s even more powerful and complicated. It creates a Web-based “desktop” with 5 gigabytes of storage-and your Macs, PCs, smartphones, and even authorized friends can sync up to it.

Details are at www.mesh.com

Clearly, Microsoft is aiming to be the leader in giving away that syncing feeling. And it’s doing a darned good job.

10 dumb things users do that can mess up their computers

10 dumb things users do that can mess up their computers

We all do dumb things now and then, and computer users are no exception. Inadvertently pressing the wrong key combination or innocently clicking OK in the wrong dialog box can change important settings that alter a computer’s behavior or even crash the system.

Nervous newbies are often fearful that one wrong move might break the computer forever. Luckily, short of taking a sledge hammer to the box, the consequences aren’t usually quite that dire. Even so, users often do create problems for their computers and for your network. Here’s a description of common missteps you can share with your users to help them steer clear of preventable problems.

Note: This article is also available as an article and as a PDF download.

#1: Plug into the wall without surge protection

Here’s one that actually can physically destroy your computer equipment, as well as the data it holds. You may think your systems are in danger only during an electrical storm, but anything that interrupts the electrical circuit and then starts the current back again can fry your components. Something as simple as someone turning on an appliance that’s plugged into the same circuit (especially a high voltage one such as a hair dryer, electric heater, or air conditioner) can cause a surge, or a surge may be caused by a tree limb touching a power line. If you have a power outage, you may experience a surge when the electricity comes back on.

You can protect your systems against damage from power surges by always using a surge protector, but it’s important to be aware that most cheap surge protectors will survive only a single surge and need to be replaced afterward. An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is better than a surge protector; it has a battery that keeps power flowing smoothly even when there’s an outage, to give you time to gracefully shut down.

#2: Surf the Internet without a firewall

Many home users plug their computers right into their spiffy new cable or DSL modems and hop onto the Internet without realizing that they’re putting themselves at risk from viruses and attackers. Every Internet-connected computer should be protected by a firewall; this can be a firewall built into the broadband modem or router, a separate firewall appliance that sits between the modem/router and the computer, a server at the network’s edge running firewall software, or personal firewall software installed on the computer (such as ICF/Windows Firewall built into Windows XP or a third-party firewall program like Kerio or ZoneAlarm).

One advantage of personal firewalls on laptop computers is that they’re still with you when you take the computer on the road and plug into a hotel’s DSL or cable port or connect to a wireless hotspot. Just having a firewall isn’t enough, though. You must also be sure it’s turned on and configured properly to protect you.

#3: Neglect to run or update antivirus and anti-spyware programs

Let’s face it: Antivirus programs can be a royal pain. They’re always blocking some application you want to use, you often have to disable them to install new software, and they have to be updated on a regular basis to do any good. Seems like the subscription is always expiring and prompting you to renew it — for a fee, in many cases. But in today’s environment, you can’t afford to go without virus protection. The malicious programs that AV software detects — viruses, Trojans, worms, etc. — can not only wreak havoc on your system but can spread via your computer to the rest of the network. In extreme cases, they can bring down the whole network.

Spyware is another growing threat; these are programs that install themselves on your computer (usually without your knowledge) and collect information from your system that is then sent back to the spyware program’s author or vendor. Antivirus programs often don’t address spyware so it’s important to run a dedicated spyware detection and removal program.

#4: Install and uninstall lots of programs, especially betas

You like to be on the cutting edge, so you often install and try out new software. Beta programs are usually free and give you a chance to sample neat new features before most people. There are also many freeware and shareware programs made available as Internet downloads by their authors. We know you’d never do it, but some users even install pirated software or “warez.”

The more programs you install, the more likely you are to run across ones that either include malicious code or that are poorly written and cause your system to behave improperly or crash. The risk is greater with pirated programs.

Even if you install only licensed, final-release commercial software, too many installations and uninstallations can gunk up the registry. Not all uninstall routines completely remove program remnants and at the least, this practice can cause your system to slow down over time.

You should install only the programs that you really need, stick with legitimate software, and try to minimize the number you install and uninstall.

#5: Keep disks full and fragmented

One of the results of installing and uninstalling lots of programs (or adding and deleting data of any kind) is that it fragments your disk. Disk fragmentation occurs because of the way information is stored on the disk: On a new, clean disk, when you save a file it’s stored in contiguous sections called clusters. If you delete a file that takes up, for example, five clusters, and then save a new file that takes eight clusters, the first five clusters’ worth of data will be saved in the empty space left by the deletion and the remaining three will be saved in the next empty spaces. That makes the file fragmented, or divided. To access that file, then, the disk’s read heads won’t find all the parts of the file together but must go to different locations on the disk to retrieve it all. That makes it slower to access. If the file is part of a program, the program will run more slowly. A badly fragmented disk will slow down to a crawl.

You can use the disk defragmenter built into Windows (Programs | Accessories | System Tools) or a third-party defrag program to rearrange these pieces of files so that they’re placed contiguously on the disk.

Another common cause of performance problems and application misbehavior is a disk that’s too full. Many programs create temporary files and need extra free space on the disk to operate. You can use Windows XP’s Disk Cleanup Tool or a third-party program to find and delete rarely used files or you can manually delete files to clear space on your disk.

#6: Open all attachments

Some folks just can’t help themselves: Getting an e-mail message with an attachment is like getting an unexpected gift. You just have to peek inside to see what it is. But just as that package left on your doorstep could contain a bomb, that file attached to your mail message could contain code that will delete your documents or system folder or send viruses to everyone in your address book.

The most blatantly dangerous attachments are executable files — those that run code — with extensions like .exe, .cmd, and many others. (See this article for a list of file extensions for different types of executables.) Files that aren’t themselves executables, such as Word .doc files and Excel .xls files, can contain embedded macros. Scripts (Visual Basic, JavaScript, Flash, etc.) aren’t directly executed by the computer but are run by other programs.

It used to be that you could assume plain text (.txt) or graphics (.gif, .jpg, .bmp) files were safe, but not anymore. File extensions can be spoofed; attackers take advantage of the Windows default setting that doesn’t display common file extensions to name executables something like greatfile.jpg.exe. With the real extension hidden, it shows up as greatfile.jpg. So the recipient thinks it’s a graphic, but it’s actually a malicious program.

You should open attachments only when they’re from trusted sources and only when you’re expecting them. Even if the mail with the attachment appears to come from someone you trust, it’s possible that someone spoofed their address or that their computer is infected with a virus that sent the attachment to you without their knowledge.

#7: Click on everything

Opening attachments isn’t the only type of mouse click that can get you in trouble. Clicking on hyperlinks in e-mail messages or on Web pages can take you to Web sites that have embedded ActiveX controls or scripts that can perform all sorts of malicious activities, from wiping your hard disk to installing a backdoor program on your computer that a hacker can use to get in and take control of it.

Clicking the wrong link can also take you to inappropriate Web sites that feature pornography, pirated music or software, or other content that can get you in trouble if you’re using a computer on the job — or even get you in trouble with the law.

Don’t give in to “click mania.” Think before you click a link. Links can also be disguised in phishing messages or on Web sites to appear to take you to a different site from the ones they really point to. For example, the link might say www.safesite.com, but it actually takes you to www.gotcha.com. You can often find out the real URL by hovering over the link without clicking it.

#8: Share and share alike

Your mother taught you that it’s nice to share, but when you’re on a network, sharing can expose you to dangers. If you have file and printer sharing enabled, others can remotely connect to your computer and access your data. Even if you haven’t created any shared folders, by default Windows systems have hidden “administrative” shares for the root of each drive. A savvy hacker may be able to use these shares to get in. One way to prevent that is to turn off file and printer sharing — if you don’t need to make any of the files on your computer accessible across the network. This is especially a good idea if you’re connecting your laptop to a public wireless hotspot. You can find instructions on how to do so here.

If you do need to make shared folders accessible, it’s important that they be protected by both share-level permissions and file-level (NTFS) permissions. Also ensure that your account and the local administrative account have strong passwords.

#9: Pick the wrong passwords

That brings us to another common mistake that can expose you to attacks: picking the wrong password. Even if you don’t belong to a network where the administrator forces you to select strong passwords and change them regularly, you should do so. Don’t pick passwords that are easy to guess, such as your birth date, a loved one’s name, or your social security number. Longer passwords are harder to crack, so make your password at least eight characters long; 14 is even better. Popular password-cracking methods use “dictionary” attacks, so don’t use words that are in the dictionary. Passwords should contain a combination of alpha, numeric, and symbol characters for best security.

A long string of nonsense characters may create a password that’s tough to crack, but if you can’t remember it, you’ll defeat the purpose by writing it down (where an intruder may be able to find it). Instead, create a phrase you can remember easily and use the first letters of each word, along with logical numbers and symbols. For example: “My cat ate a mouse on the 5^th day of June” becomes “Mc8amot5doJ.”

#10: Ignore the need for a backup and recovery plan

Even if you follow all these suggestions, an attacker may crash your system or your data may be corrupted or get wiped out by a hardware problem. That’s why it’s essential that you always back up your important information and have a plan for recovering from a system failure.

Most computer users know they should back up, but many never get around to it. Or they make an initial backup but don’t update it regularly. Use the built-in Windows backup program (Ntbackup.exe in Windows NT, 2000, and XP) or a third-party backup program and schedule backups to occur automatically. Store backed up data on a network server or removable drive in a location away from the computer itself, in case of a natural disaster like flood, fire, or tornado.

Remember that the data is the most important thing on your computer. The operating system can be reinstalled and so can applications, but it may be difficult or impossible to recreate your original data. (See “10 ways to protect your data” for additional suggestions.)

Nonetheless, you can save time and frustration by backing up your system information too. You can create mirror images of your disks using popular ghost or clone programs. This will allow you to restore the system quickly instead of going through the tedious installation process.