The Real ID Act of 2005 would turn our state driver’s licenses into a genuine national identity card and impose numerous new burdens on taxpayers, citizens, immigrants, and state governments – while doing nothing to protect against terrorism. As a result, it is stirring intense opposition from many groups across the political spectrum. This Web site provides information about opposing Real ID.

Real ID Act Will Increase Exposure to ID Theft
by Beth Givens, Director of Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

If you think identity theft is bad now, wait until something called the Real ID Act goes into effect. This law federalizes and standardizes state driver's licenses for all 50 states, and it will result in something that has been resisted in this country for a long time -- a de facto national identity card.

The Real ID Act is a law signed by President Bush in May 2005, which, if it is accepted by and carried out by the states, would turn state driver’s licenses into a genuine national identity card and impose numerous new burdens on taxpayers, citizens, immigrants, and state governments.
What would the Real ID Act do?

Real ID would force the states to standardize driver’s licenses cards across the nation into a single national identity card and database. It does this by stipulating that state driver’s licenses and state ID cards will not be accepted for “federal purposes” – including boarding an aircraft or entering a federal facility – unless they meet all of the law’s numerous conditions, which include:

A “machine readable zone” that will allow for the easy capture of all the data on the ID by stores or anyone else with a reader
The construction of a 50-state, interlinked database making all the information in each person’s file available to all the other states and to the federal government
A requirement that states verify the “issuance, validity and completeness” of every document presented at motor vehicles agencies (usually called “DMVs”) as part of an application for a Real ID card

The Real ID Act has been passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush. But its acceptance in the states is far from assured. And the states have just three years – until 2008 – after enactment to come into compliance, or their citizens’ driver’s licenses will no longer be accepted for federal purposes. But the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must first complete work creating regulations that spell out in more detail exactly what the states must do to make compliant IDs. Those regulations are not expected until the summer of 2006 at the earliest – leaving the states even less time to complete the complex and gargantuan overhauls the legislation requires.
If the battle in Congress is over and the legislation has been passed, why is it still controversial?

1. The Act was not passed through a true democratic process. It was slipped through Congress in May 2005 in a “must-pass” Iraq War/Tsunami relief supplemental bill, as part of a deal reached between the powerful Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R, Wis.) and the Congressional leadership. There was no time for sufficient consideration of the Act and its sweeping implications; in the Senate, there was not even a single hearing held on the Act. The result is that Real ID lacks the legitimacy that comes from having been studied, debated, considered, and directly voted upon by Americans’ elected representatives.

2. The game is not over, it has just moved into the states. Although the Act was passed by Congress, Real ID cannot go into effect without a multitude of actions in the states. State legislatures must appropriate money and, in most cases, change state laws. State executives must remake or build anew all the administrative machinery required to comply with the Act’s numerous mandates. And a lot of people at the state level do not like what they see.

3. Broad interest-group opposition. Opponents range from privacy and civil liberties organizations like the ACLU to conservative groups to immigration groups.

4. It’s a bad Act. Most fundamentally, the Real ID Act has sparked opposition because it would not be good for our country.
The opposition to Real ID is broad and deep, and despite its passage by Congress, there remains an excellent chance that it will be reversed in part or in whole.

Simply put, Real ID would offer significant costs and disadvantages without any corresponding advantages:

By definitively turning driver’s licenses into a form of national identity documents, Real ID would have a tremendously destructive impact on privacy.
The Act would impose significant administrative burdens and expenses on state governments, and would mean higher fees, longer lines, repeat visits to the DMV, and bureaucratic nightmares for individuals.

Yet, it would not be effective at increasing security against terrorism or bring any other benefits which would justify those costs.
What burdens would it impose on state governments?

Real ID would significantly strain state governments. Among the most significant burdens:

It would require the states to remake their driver’s licenses, restructure many of their computer databases and other systems, create an extensive new document-storage system, and considerably expanded their security measures.

It would require the states to set up an interstate data-sharing network, which would also require complex administrative, technical, and security measures.
It includes a devilishly difficult mandate that states verify the “issuance, validity and completeness” of every birth certificate, immigration document, utility bill, and any other document presented at DMVs as part of an application for a Real ID card.

Yet, it leaves the DMVs with no way to compel utility companies or other document issuers to cooperate with that verification.
It would require states to expand their DMV payrolls, initiate or expand employee training in such areas as security, document verification, and immigration law, and initiate or expand security clearance procedures for their workers.
Many in state government are saying that it would be simply impossible to comply with Real ID by the Act’s deadline in 2008.

Real ID would mean higher fees, inconveniences, and bureaucratic nightmares for individuals.
Higher fees. Because the Act’s mandates would cost states billions of dollars that Congress is not paying for, fees on individuals applying for driver’s licenses would inevitably rise, perhaps steeply. State taxes might also go up.

Worse service. Because of the new document requirements for individuals, the labor-intensive complexities involved in verifying those documents, and the need for DMVs to reprocess the bulk of the population that already has driver’s licenses, individuals would be likely to confront slower service, longer lines, and the need for repeat visits to the DMV.
Bureaucratic problems. The complicated yet often ambiguous maze of requirements created by the Act would throw many unlucky individuals into a bureaucratic quagmire as they try to overcome inflexible verification requirements, bureaucratic errors or mismatches, lost documents, unique circumstances, or other problems. Some individuals, inevitably, would find themselves unable to obtain these new identity papers.

These kinds of problems would be significant for anyone. In addition, for many low-income workers for whom taking off time from work is difficult or expensive, the need for repeated trips to the DMV (and to other agencies such as registrar’s offices in search of birth certificates) would be an even greater burden.
What about people who don’t have driver’s licenses?

Millions of Americans do not have driver’s licenses. Out of a population of 290 million residents, there are only 194 million licensed drivers. In addition to millions of children and teenagers, the elderly are particularly likely to lack licenses. An estimated 36 percent of Georgia residents over age 74, for example, lack driver’s licenses.[1]
By creating strict new identity requirements for federal identification and, inevitably, expanding them over time to cover a growing list of purposes, Real ID would force the people in this population to figure out a way to jump through the bureaucratic hoops required to get compliant identity documents – and leave DMVs struggling with how to process them.

In some cases, individuals would not be able to obtain birth certificates, or the documents they have in hand upon arriving at the DMV would not be able to be verified.
Over the decades, records are lost through fires, floods, and disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

Documents can be rendered suspect due to fraud or malfeasance. In 2004, for example, thousands of Hudson County, NJ residents received word that their birth certificates had been declared invalid because of an ongoing fraud investigation at the County Clerks’ office. [i]
Over 30 million people in the U.S. are foreign-born, and many of them were born in remote undeveloped nations or other places where no birth records are kept, or in places (such as what is now North Korea) where any records might be difficult or impossible to obtain.

It is far from clear what would happen to such people. Real ID is silent on how such individuals should be handled, so DMVs would need to figure out if they would simply be denied identity papers, or if their applications could be processed in some other way consistent with the Act.
What effect would Real ID have on legal immigrants?

Real ID specifically targets immigrant drivers, and that group would be among those hardest-hit by the Act. The Act bars states from issuing a Real ID to any non-citizen who cannot prove that they are in an enumerated lawful immigration status through verified documentary evidence; fails the database check; or cannot prove their identity because they rely on foreign documents other than an official passport.

Real ID would turn DMVs into sub-branches of the immigration service, forcing clerks to try to decide who can and cannot be given a license – despite the complexity of our immigration laws, which rivals that of our tax code, and the numerous legal categories that allow an individual to obtain legal status in the United States, and the even greater number of documents that verify that status. Training for motor vehicles employees could not possibly cover all of the technicalities of the immigration laws. And immigration databases are notoriously incomplete and error-ridden and might fail to verify the status of people who are in fact legally present. And many non-citizens who have lawful status, particularly refugees, might be unable to obtain federally-qualified licenses simply because they do not have official passports from their home countries.

It is unclear, but life would become tougher and tougher for them.
Some states might create a “second class” driver’s license that they can provide to those who can’t meet the requirements for getting a Real ID. These licenses would likely be viewed as a badge of real or suspected illegal-immigrant status, and trigger suspicion by law enforcement officers, government agencies, employers, landlords, financial institutions, utilities, and others who demand ID.

But whether or not they obtain second class licenses, those who cannot get Real ID-compliant identity documents could in theory be left unable to fly on commercial aircraft, enter federal facilities such as courthouses or office buildings, or even possibly get a job legally.
Furthermore, the list of activities for which these IDs are required is sure to expand, if the current mindless trend of seeking security through identity papers is not reversed. In fact, the Real ID Act explicitly says that Real IDs shall be required not only for activities like boarding aircraft, but also for “any other purposes that the Secretary [of Homeland Security] shall determine.”

The short answers is that at this point, no one knows.
The ACLU has produced a template that outlines many of the factors that must be taken into account by a state in estimating the costs it would face in coming into compliance with Real ID. However, existing technology standards, state administrative structures, and laws within the different states vary widely, with the result that Real ID would prove even more expensive for some states than for others, and no one has actually performed a comprehensive national study of those costs.
However, state officials in Washington State have put together an estimate for the Act’s 5-year cost in their state, which they estimated to be $251 million. Virginia officials also did an estimate, which they put at $232 million. By extending those estimates to the rest of the states, we can obtain a ballpark estimate for the national expense of implementing this legislation.

That basic estimate indicates that Real ID’s total cost to the states would be between $9.1 billion and $12.8 billion.
This is of necessity a crude estimate of the Act’s costs, but until a detailed, comprehensive study is performed that looks closely at the full range of known factors, this is the best we have.

The legislation that was rammed into law provided no money to pay the states’ costs to comply, so those costs would ultimately be borne by the residents of each state – if not in the form of higher fees at the DMV, then in the form of higher taxes.
That is why Real ID is for all intents and purposes a hidden tax increase. If Congressional leaders want to impose a multi-billion-dollar “security tax” on the American citizens, they must do so only through well-established mechanisms and after a proper period of open debate and exploratory hearings that examine the costs and benefits of such a measure. Congressional leaders must not impose an enormously expensive (and dubiously effective) security scheme while trying to weasel out of paying for such a scheme by sneaking its costs along to taxpayers through higher license fees and/or state tax increases.

Real ID would become a key infrastructure for, and dramatically accelerate, the surveillance society that is already being constructed in the United States. Once put in place, it would be used more and more for the routine tracking, monitoring, and regulation of individuals’ movements and activities, it would be exploited by the private sector, and it would expose individuals to greater risk of identity theft and other security risks. Its centralized database would inevitably, over time, become the repository for more and more data on individuals, and would be drawn on for an ever-wider set of purposes.
How would Real ID create security and ID-theft risks?

The creation of a single interlinked database (as well as the requirement that each DMV store copies of all the birth certificates and other documents presented to it) would create a one-stop shop for identity thieves. Nearly 10 million people, or 5 percent of U.S. adults, were victims of identity theft in one year (2002) alone, according to a U.S. Federal Trade Commission study. [2] The security problems with creating concentrated databases have been repeatedly demonstrated over the years – most recently in the rash of cases where information held by commercial database companies has fallen into the hands of identity thieves or others. (See The Choicepoint ID Theft Case: What it Means) The government’s record at information security is little better. And DMV employees around the country have repeatedly been caught in corruption schemes such as selling fraudulent licenses or data to identity thieves. [3]

The new identity system created by Real ID would accelerate a larger American trend toward a the construction of a public-private “Security-Industrial Complex.” Data aggregators like ChoicePoint, Acxiom, Lexis-Nexis and others make up an enormous, multi-billion-dollar industry that builds dossiers on individuals using a wide array of sources. And the government is increasingly turning to such companies for help with security functions. The FBI, for example, pays millions to ChoicePoint, and the TSA wants to use private-sector firms in performing identity checks on airline passengers. [4]

The “common machine-readable technology” on Real IDs would allow for easy, computerized transfer of the data on the cards not only to the government at checkpoints like airports, but also to private parties. Already, many bars already collect all their customers’ information (including such details as height and weight) by swiping driver’s licenses handed over to prove legal drinking age. [5] That might prove to be just the tip of the iceberg as every big-box retailer, convenience store, and liquor mart learns to grab that data and sell it to Choicepoint for a dime. The result would be that, even if the states and federal government do successfully protect the data, it would be harvested by private companies, which would then build up a parallel, for-profit database on Americans, free from even the limited privacy rules in effect for the government.

Although individual states’ driver’s licenses may continue to exhibit cosmetic differences, under Real ID they would contain a standardized set of information collected by all 50 states, in standard format, encoded on a standardized “machine-readable” zone. And although individual states would still maintain their own databases, by requiring them to be interlinked, Real ID would bring into being what is, for all practical purposes, a single distributed database. In short, underneath each state’s pretty designs they are really a single standardized national card. Local DMV offices may continue to appear to be state offices, but under Real ID they would become agents acting on behalf of the federal government, charged with administering what amounts to an internal passport without which no one will be able to function in America.

The true problem is not the piece of plastic itself, but the construction of a larger network of identity papers, databases, status and identity checks and access control points – in short, what has been called an “internal passport.” If the old driver’s license represented a license to drive – the government’s very specific permission to operate a vehicle on the public roadways – the fear is that the new documents will become tantamount to a license to leave your house.

National IDs would violate privacy by helping to consolidate data. There is an enormous and ever-increasing amount of data being collected about Americans today. One’s grocery store, for example, might use a “loyalty card” to keep detailed records of what you buy, while Amazon keeps records of what you read, the airlines keep track of where you fly, and so on. This can be an invasion of privacy, but our privacy has actually been protected by the fact that all this information still remains scattered across many different databases. But once the government, landlords, employers, or other powerful forces gain the ability to draw together all this information, our privacy will really be destroyed. And that is exactly what a national identity system would facilitate.

A national ID like Real ID would also facilitate tracking. When a police officer or security guard scans your ID card with his pocket bar-code reader, for example, it will likely create a permanent record of that check, including the time and your location. How long before office buildings, doctors’ offices, gas stations, highway tolls, subways and buses incorporate the ID card into their security or payment systems for greater efficiency? The end result could be a situation where citizens’ movements inside their own country are monitored and recorded through these “internal passports."

In fact, before Real ID, something was being done: a “negotiated rulemaking” process to update the nation’s driver’s licenses. That process brought together key stakeholders (from DHS to state officials to automobile interests to privacy groups like the ACLU). But Real ID included language shutting down that process and replacing it with a heavy-handed set of requirements for the states that leaves all the key decisions in the hands of ONE of the interests that was represented at the table: the Department of Homeland Security.

Ultimately, however, we should not place too much emphasis on trying to achieve security through improved identification practices. The fact is, identity-based security is not an effective way to stop terrorism.

ID documents do not reveal anything about evil intent.Even with a reliable list of terrorists, the authorities will miss anyone who is not previously known to be a threat.The only solution for that is improved intelligence and old-fashioned law enforcement techniques involving the investigation of known evidence.Even where a person is known to be a threat, determined terrorists will always be able to obtain fraudulent documents (either counterfeit or real documents bought from corrupt officials).Thousands of fraudulent driver’s licenses, for example, have been issued through bribed state employees and identity-theft rings that include such employees.

Yes. REAL ID would require DMV employees to decide whether someone is a citizen or foreigner before issuing a driver’s license – forcing them to distinguish among citizens, permanent resident immigrants – often by making difficult and subtle judgments about complex immigration issues. That would inevitably cause discrimination against U.S. citizens who may “look” or “sound” “foreign” to a DMV bureaucrat. Such citizens would likely be interrogated more, have their documents scrutinized with suspicion, be treated as suspect, and be denied a license or targeted for further questioning or investigation. Those who did not satisfy the DMV employee might be denied a license altogether or be told that they are eligible only for a license that is not compliant with Real ID.

State legislators, interested citizens, and other individuals can join with the many governors and interest groups who oppose this legislation and force Congress to repeal and/or rework it. In addition, if only a few states refuse to make Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses for their citizens (an entirely lawful option), the system envisioned by its sponsors will be thrown into crisis, further pressuring Congress to revisit the issue, this time with proper democratic consideration and debate. If this does not happen, this legislation will – in however a chaotic and delayed fashion – go into effect and reshape the power structure of this nation in the most basic ways.

[1] Statistical Abstract of the United States; online at http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/pop.pdf. For Georgia figure see “States Take Up Photo IDs at Polls Debate,” Associated Press, March 30, 2005; available online at http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0305/217092.html.

[2] “Identity Theft Survey Report,” prepared by Synovate for the Federal Trade Commission, September 2003; online at www.ftc.gov/os/2003/09/synovatereport.pdf.

[3] For a survey of press reports documenting problems see Center for Democracy and Technology, “Unlicensed Fraud: How bribery and lax security at state motor vehicle offices nationwide lead to identity theft and illegal driver’s licenses,” January 2004, pp. 5-7; online at http://www.cdt.org/privacy/20040200dmv.pdf.

[4] On the growing ties between the government and commercial data brokers, see the ACLU Report “The Surveillance-Industrial Complex,” p. 26; online at www.aclu.org/surveillance. On airline passenger profiling, see Transportation Security Administration, “Privacy Act of 1974: Notice to establish system of records,” Federal Register, Vol. 69, No. 185 (Friday, Sept. 24, 2004), p. 57345. See also the explanations of the government’s various plans at www.aclu.org/secureflight and www.aclu.org/capps.

Your child spends alone surfing the Internet, You find pornography on your child's computer.

Your child receives phone calls from men you don't know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.

Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room.

What Should You Do If You Suspect Your Child Is Communicating With A Sexual Predator On-line?

# Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions. Tell them about the dangers of computer-sex offenders.

If you don't know how, ask a friend, coworker, relative, or other knowledgeable person. Pornography or any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign.

# Use the Caller ID service to determine who is calling your child. Most telephone companies that offer Caller ID also offer a service that allows you to block your number from appearing on someone else's Caller ID.

Telephone companies also offer an additional service feature that rejects incoming calls that you block. This rejection feature prevents computer-sex offenders or anyone else from calling your home anonymously.

# Devices can be purchased that show telephone numbers that have been dialed from your home phone. Additionally, the last number called from your home phone can be retrieved provided that the telephone is equipped with a redial feature.

# This is done using a numeric-display pager and another phone that is on the same line as the first phone with the redial feature.

Using the two phones and the pager, a call is placed from the second phone to the pager. When the paging terminal beeps for you to enter a telephone number, you press the redial button on the first (or suspect) phone.

# Monitor your child's access to all types of live electronic communications (i.e., chat rooms, instant messages, Internet Relay Chat, etc.), and monitor your child's e-mail.

Computer-sex offenders almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms. After meeting a child they keep on continuing secretly chatting with them and convince your child not to tell anyone by promising them gifts to give them all of their personal information and possible setting up a meeting with them.

Kids Safe is an USB Thumb Drive you can insert into the USB Port of any Laptop or Desktop Computer, and Run the install the software for monitoring your childs surfing, Email, chatting online, through a special application that allows the parent to setup a return email address that forwards all information typed...this encludes instant messages, Email, and where they surfed.

A plus is with this cool gadget...you can set the USB device to only allow your children access to the internet or email, when the USB Drive is plugged into their latiop or any computer.

A security researcher has published attack code for an unpatched flaw in Mac OS X, the latest vulnerability in the "Month of Kernel Bugs" campaign.

The proof-of-concept code exploits a security hole in the way Apple Computer's operating system handles disk image files, the researcher wrote Monday on a blog devoted to the campaign, which promises to reveal details of a new flaw in low-level software every day this month.

"Mac OS X com.apple.AppleDiskImageController fails to properly handle corrupted DMG (disk image) image structures, leading to an exploitable memory corruption condition with potential kernel-mode arbitrary code execution by unprivileged users," wrote the researcher, who goes by the initials "LMH."

The vulnerability could be exploited remotely, as Apple's Safari Web browser loads DMG files from external sources, such as one found while visiting an URL, LMH wrote. That could let an outsider compromise a system.

Secunia rated the vulnerability as "highly critical" in an advisory on its Web site on Tuesday. In addition to being used to compromise a computer, the flaw could be exploited by malicious local users to gain escalated privileges to the system, the security company said.

In the blog, researcher LMH said people can prevent an attack by "changing the Preferences and deactivating the functionality for opening 'safe' files after downloading."

Vulnerabilities in the Mac OS have been rising, leading some experts to note that the Macintosh platform is not impervious to security problems. The vast majority of security vulnerabilities affect computers running Microsoft Windows.

Could two icons of aesthetics be on the verge of announcing a fruitful partnership?
Apple and Volkswagen are reported to be in talks about an "iCar" or car integration system, according to reports from German magazine Capital and the Associated Press.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Audi Chairman Martin Winterkorn, who heads the Audi brand group that includes Volkswagen, met recently in California to discuss ideas, but no concrete plans, a Volkswagen representative told the Associated Press.

"We wouldn't comment on rumors and speculation," said Tom Neumyar, senior manager for iPod and iTunes at Apple.
Volkswagen of America would neither confirm nor deny the reports.
Volkswagen has been concentrating on the development of its navigation and human interface, Frank Weith, technical strategy manager for Volkswagen of America, told CNET News.com in an interview last week.

Its customers can expect to see some interesting things in this space in the near to long-term future, said Weith.
"I look at the vehicle as being static in a sense where you can create an environment where the vehicle can be connected to your home system. You can download your iTunes. We have a navigation companion on our Web site. You can download your trip, where you're going and, eventually, depending on the access, to download a movie. You can create the environment that you would like to have but make it static, download a week of your Internet," he said

Does the iPhone Mean Business ?

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Computer Talk Radio @ http://www.tantalk1340.com

Because Apple aimed the iPhone first at consumers, the company made it extraordinarily easy to use.

It appears to have all the key core functions that most enterprise business customers are looking for: personal information management tools. However, Gartner, in a pair of research reports on the matter, flat-out says the iPhone "is not yet an enterprise mobile device."
What's Wrong With the iPhone?

For starters, the very reason that the iPhone is so easy to use and trouble-free for consumers is the same reason it's not friendly to enterprises. Even though it runs a version of Mac OS X, the phone is locked down, so customers can't install custom or third-party applications. Businesses can run Web-based applications, of course, but those are generally only marginally effective in a small form factor.

Businesses that want to roll out mobile applications don't necessarily want a Web-only approach.
In many cases they need native access to the devices themselves and in many cases need to be able to integrate new applications with existing native applications .

For example, to tie in a new app with, say, the phone's contact list," Tony Rizzo, a mobile software and device analyst for The 451 Group, told the E-Commerce Times.

"Symbian and Windows Mobile have to deal with allowing third party apps to run on the phone as clients. And they need to also be able to support huge numbers of different phones," he added. "They have a much more challenging effort. Apple took the easy way out -- no native third party apps on the iPhone. That makes it easy to do nifty things but leaves businesses out of the loop for developing real client-based apps."

In addition, the iPhone only works with AT&T (NYSE: T) , so enterprise customers that have contracts with other mobile providers are highly unlikely to switch carriers just for the iPhone.

The problem is, what you really want as an enterprise user is something that's fully synchronized, so that if you read and delete or respond to an e-mail message for work, you want to see the response in your sent items log, and you want to see the things you delete actually deleted and not have to do it twice.

Golvin said. "What enterprise users want is a fully-integrated experience, and you don't really get that with the iPhone."
Because so many businesses use Microsoft Exchange for e-mail, easy and secure integration with Exchange is critical to widespread business adoption.
"I think the main impediment is the inability to synchronize with servers inside the firewall," Charles Golvin, an analyst for Forrester, told the E-Commerce Times. "It can talk to Exchange servers, but only through the IMAP (Internet message access protocol) interface."

P2P File-Sharing: Evaluate the Risks

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Computer Talk Radio @ http://www.tantalk1340.com

Every day, millions of computer users share files online. Whether it is music, games, or software, file-sharing can give people access to a wealth of information. You simply download special software that connects your computer to an informal network of other computers running the same software. Millions of users could be connected to each other through this software at one time. The software often is free and easily accessible.

Sounds promising, right? Maybe, but make sure that you consider the trade-offs.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, cautions that file-sharing can have a number of risks.

For example, when you are connected to file-sharing programs, you may unknowingly allow others to copy private files you never intended to share. You may download material that is protected by the copyright laws and find yourself mired in legal issues.

You may download a virus or facilitate a security breach. Or you may unwittingly download pornography labeled as something else.

Set up the file-sharing software very carefully.

If you don’t check the proper settings when you install the software, you could open access not just to the files you intend to share, but also to other information on your hard drive, like your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, or other personal documents.

Be aware of spyware.

Some file-sharing programs install other software known as spyware. Spyware monitors a user’s browsing habits and then sends that data to third parties. Sometimes the user gets ads based on the information that the spyware has collected and disseminated.

Spyware can be difficult to detect and remove. Before you use any file-sharing program, get an anti-spyware program from a vendor you know and trust. Set it to scan on a regular basis — at least once a week — and every time you start your computer, if possible. And, delete any software programs the anti-spyware program detects that you don't want on your computer.

Close your connection.

In some instances, closing the file-sharing program window does not actually close your connection to the network. That allows file-sharing to continue and could increase your security risk. If you have a high-speed or “broadband” connection to the Internet, you stay connected to the Internet unless you turn off the computer or disconnect your Internet service.

These “always on” connections may allow others to copy your shared files at any time. What’s more, some file-sharing programs automatically open every time you turn on your computer. As a preventive measure, you may want to adjust the file-sharing program’s controls to prevent the file-sharing program from automatically opening.

Use an effective anti-virus program and update it regularly.

Files you download could be mislabeled, hiding a virus or other unwanted content. Use anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses you might pick up from other users through the file-sharing program. Not all anti-virus programs block files downloaded through file-sharing, so check your program’s capabilities and settings. In addition, avoid downloading files with extensions like .exe, .scr, .lnk, .bat, .vbs, .dll, .bin, and .cmd.

Talk with your family about file-sharing.

Parents may not be aware that their children have downloaded file-sharing software on the family computer and that they may have exchanged games, videos, music, pornography, or other material that may be inappropriate for them. Also, because other peoples’ files sometimes are mislabeled, kids unintentionally may download these files. In addition, kids may not understand the security and other risks involved with file-sharing and may install the software incorrectly, giving anyone on the Internet access to the family’s private computer files.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them.

To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.

The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

SPYWARE, ARE YOU BEING WATCHED?

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Computer Talk Radio @ http://www.tantalk1340.com

Click here to learn about spyware

Internet Connection Misuse & Abuse

For many years, the big problem has been software viruses written by malicious teenage hackers finding their way into our personal computers to set up shop with Their own agendas. But today we face a new and even more insidious threat:

SPYWARE /ADWARE NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT!

Internet companies, whose apparent "business model" is the exploitation of consumer trust and ignorance, are sneaking their spyware systems into our machines for their own purposes.

What is Spyware?

Spyware is a general term used for software that performs certain behaviors such as advertising, collecting personal information, or high jacking you web page to an unwanted site (Porn sites i.e.) without appropriately obtaining your consent.

You might have spyware or other un wanted software ( Porn Site Highjacker or Key logger that mirrors and copies every key stroke you type, exposing your user name and password from banking or stock markets and more)

You might have it if:

You see pop-up advertisements even when your not on the web
The page your Web browser (Internet Explorer) first opens (your home page) or your browser search settings have changed without your knowledge.
You noticed a new toolbar in your browser that you did not want, and find it difficult to get rid of.
Your computer takes longer than usual to complete certain tasks.
You experience sudden rise in computer lock ups and crashes.

Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements (Called Ad ware) of software that tracks personal or sensitive information.

Other kinds of unwanted Spyware will make your changes to your computer that can be annoying and can cause your computer to crash or slow down to a crawl.

These changes have the ability to change your Web Browsers Home Page or search page, or add additional components to your browser you don't want or need.

These programs make it very difficult for you to change your settings back to the way you originally had them.

HOW TO PREVENT SPYWARE WITH FIVE SIMPLE STEPS!

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Computer Talk Radio @ http://www.tantalk1340.com

Sometimes the truth hurts, but here it is anyway: You will struggle with spyware at work, home, and on family and friends' computers for the next several years. Spam will be choked down to a manageable stream this year, but spyware will fill the gap, costing you precious hours cleaning the infected (and re-infected) computers of your friends and family.

My home office lab is the spyware front line. I routinely download programs for testing, then run a combination of pop-up blockers, spam protectors, Registry rooters and cookie cleaners. I'll quarantine 635 Registry spyware droppings one day, delete 31 spyware cookies the next and start all over again the next week. I've tested dozens of new utilities and dutifully download the latest version of each.

The bottom line is they're all good; they all help. But they're all incomplete. Running anti-spyware utilities is just part of the solution. There are a slew of other things you can do, and have your users do, to curb the problem. Follow our handy 10-step guide to get started.

1. Know thine enemy.
If you define spyware as any tiny cookie left behind by an innocent Web site, your frustration will never end. Scum ware of all kinds will cause you grief, but the four major types are:

Spyware: an application surreptitiously gathering information about your computing habits that may send the data to some unknown site - aka "key loggers" or "keystroke capture parasites." (Not to be confused with "mal ware," which includes viruses, worms and Trojan horse programs.)

Ad ware: an application that pops up advertisement windows and banners randomly or based on current browser content - aka "pop-ups."

Hijackers: applications that change your browser home page, default search engine and even redirect you from sites you try to reach - aka "jackers" or "switchers."

Cookies: small files that track data such as Web site preferences and passwords for repeat visits. Spyware gathers and spreads this information without user knowledge - aka "tracking cookies."
Ad ware is the most annoying, but hijackers and spyware do the most damage. Scum ware purveyors claim we all "agree" to their garbage, but of course we don't. Yet, a lot of this stuff is harmless; teach your friends to tolerate a few cookies and save the 911 calls for aggressive pop-ups, browser home page redirects and suddenly sluggish systems.

2. Get off Internet Explorer
We can't charge Microsoft with a crime for creating spyware. But the design of Windows, and particularly Internet Explorer, certainly makes it an accessory. Encourage friends and family to switch to alternatives Fire fox or Opera, which both block pop-ups by default. Fire fox is free and available here; Opera costs a few dollars.

Need proof Internet Explorer is the problem? On my primary test PC running Windows XP Home, I use Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. There were 739 spyware threats found. On my personal PC, running Fire fox and Mozilla's Thunderbird e-mail application, there were 11 spyware instances. Each of those 11 was an Internet Explorer exploit or cookie that snuck in the few times I had to use Internet Explorer for certain Web sites.

But Microsoft is now making noise about anti-spyware tools (see "Giant Microsoft improvement?" next page), and XP Service Pack 2 has reduced the ability for most spyware to cripple a system completely.

Unfortunately, some sites demand Internet Explorer, and users who are heavily intertwined with Microsoft's Outlook e-mail client must use it. But there are ways to slow spyware using Internet Explorer. First, disable Microsoft ActiveX support. In Internet Explorer, click on Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, then click the check boxes that force ActiveX controls to ask permission before running.

Next, install the Goggle Toolbar, which also blocks pop-ups. It works on Internet Explorer 5.5 and higher, so you might have to upgrade the browser. Also, run pop-up blockers designed to work inside Internet Explorer, such as StopZilla, 123Ghosts Popup Killer, Ad Killer, Ad Muncher and Anti Popup Pro.

3. Deter downloads.
Walk this line carefully: Don't let friends and family - especially the tech neophytes like your grandmother - download anything. Then download and install the Google Toolbar for them. Explain why it's different from the weather station and smiley faces for their e-mails.

People want to download "free" programs from the Web, but teach them the difference between a site they visit for utilities (such as PCWorld.com or Tucows.com ) vs. sites that appear in pop-up ads and spam.

Resolve not to get frustrated; accept that education will only work halfway. Spyware purveyors do a wonderful job convincing innocents to download spyware daily. Explain how what looks like a Google ad on the side of a browser page, or the link their good buddy sent them, is really a social engineering masterpiece of spyware diffusion. Sensitize your users to the most obvious danger signs, such as banner ads popping up offering a free spyware check (a cruel abuse of trust).

4. Teach back-up and restore basics.
Because many users won't heed your warnings, teach them how to recover from download disasters. People have too much on their computers today to resist back-up options. An external hard disk, tape system or CD writer full of back-up data can ease the sting of a spyware-ridden system and put things right with a restore to an earlier, spyware-free back-up point.

Teach users how to create restore points in XP and to set one before every download from a Web site that's not a brand-name portal. Disk space shouldn't be a problem on newer PCs, but even if they fill up their hard disks, eliminating some restore points is much easier than cleaning a spyware infection.

5. Create a spyware removal CD.
Remember your Boy Scout days and be prepared for the next call for help. Make your own spyware tool kit by burning a half-dozen spyware utilities to CD. When you go to clean a spyware machine, finding and waiting for utilities to download wastes time that's better spent with your own family. CD-ROM disks are inexpensive, so make extra copies and give them to your users. On mine, I have three free utilities, with three trial versions of commercial utilities. The programs range from 2M to 10M bytes, so you'll have plenty of room on a standard CD.

If all else fails and you need assistance with Microsoft Professional Engineers, call Compu Tek's seasoned Certified Engineers for help or schedule a service call to get your computer back in the condition is was originally in.

CALL 866-408-9803 or local 813-818-9075, we would be glad to send our technicians out for any computer issue you may have.

Identity Theft, fastest growing crime on earth!

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Computer Talk Radio @ http://www.tantalk1340.com

In just the last 2 quarters, over 39 million people nationally have lost their identification to hackers & thieves, and this kind of crime is growing out of control, with no real help insight from our congress and the credit card company's!

Florida is reportedly the hot bed for thief's stealing your identity, 375, 000 (last 8 months) Thefts so far due to the Snow birds and other retirees coming to florida with money!

Recovery from this crime as a victim is painful, and takes seemly forever to clear up your name, or worse your client’s names.

We all procrastinate, or have this belief this cannot happen to me.

Insurance companies understand this with health and death issues, you then buy insurance for possible sickness or UN timely death, leaving your family with some income recovery.

Don't Be a Google Dork

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Computer Talk Radio @ http://www.tantalk1340.com

There's a hacker tool out there sniffing around your network.

It's checked out your severs and the software they're running, compiled lists of usernames and email addresses to launch client side attacks, and may even have discovered unsecured web interfaces to your corporate routers.

It's probably even found the odd root password or two. The hacker tool's name is Google.

This giant search engine indexes the web very aggressively and often finds pages that no-one is meant to see.

It will reveal what it finds to anyone armed with the right search terms. As far as hackers are concerned it's ideal: since Google does all the dirty work there's no direct contact between the hacker and the machines being checked out.

The only fingerprints to be found belong to Google. It's a good bet that almost all concerted hacking attacks start with the hackers sniffing around doing reconnaissance via Google to find out as much as they can before they formulate their plan of attack.

How effective is Google hacking? Well, here's an example.

Red hat Linux has an unattended installation option, using a file called a Kickstart configuration file containing all the answers to questions that need to be answered during installation.

Once the Kickstart installation is complete, the configuration file is often left on the machine as an oversight.
Don't believe me? Try this search in Google:

Kickstart filetype:cfg
Have a look at the results you get. You'll find plenty of Kickstart files, which will look like this real example. (Some of the details have been changed to protect the organization concerned)
Kickstart file automatically generated by anaconda.
nfs --server linux.xxxx.com --dir /export/linux/901/i386
install
lang en_US.UTF-8
langsupport --default en_US.UTF-8 en_US.UTF-8
keyboard us
mouse none
skipx
network --device eth0 --bootproto static --ip xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --netmask 255.255.255.0 \
--gateway xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --nameserver xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --hostname linux1.xxx.com
rootpw --iscrypted $1$X0GpXMcA$J56^24filetype25^/E2nIwXtYHNPw7
firewall --disabled

Kickstart file automatically generated by anaconda.
The last few lines are very nice. A root user's hashed password and several potentially useful IP addresses. Not bad for a couple of milliseconds' worth of work retrieving it from Google's cache!

Whoever was responsible for this server was a "googledork" – someone who let sensitive information under his control leak out onto Google, thus revealing himself to be – how to put this nicely? – less than perfect.

Want a Frontpage password? Here's a more dramatic illustration of people being Googledorks. Try popping this search into Google:
ext:pwd inurl:(service | authors | administrators | users) "# -FrontPage-"
What you'll see is page after page of entries like this:
# -FrontPage-
webadmin:DnbRlEhLhcfAY
billr:^38usernames39^8C4FST

User names and passwords on a plate!
Most sensible webmasters make backups of their MySQL databases, but these shouldn't be available for the world to see. But amazingly, they often are. To find them, plus usernames, passwords, and all kinds of useful information that could make a penetration attempt successful, try Googling this:
mysql dump filetype:sql
It's a good bet that the admins responsible for these dumps have no idea that they're Googledorks, and have published their MySQL dumps on the Web.

So how do you avoid being a Googledork? The answer is to realize that Google is your friend. The search engine may reveal your misconfigurations and security breaches to the world, but it will also reveal them to you. In other words, it can be used to check if there's anything a search would reveal which you wouldn't want out on the web.

Remember, Google's cache is fairly persistent, so if you find you've left a Kickstart configuration file on a server then you'll need to change passwords and other sensitive information as well as removing the offending file: even if no-one has picked up on your mistake yet, the cache ensures that the Kickstart file will remain available even after you have removed it.

Aside from searching for files that have been unwittingly made available on the web, Google can be used by hackers for many other purposes. When a new SQL injection vulnerability is discovered in a particular web application or version of an application, hackers will often carry out a "powered by" search to identify hundreds of thousands of potential victims running that application. So don’t imagine you are in anyway safe because hackers won't know what software you're running.

The concept of Google hacking was brought to many people's attention by Johnny Long, also known as Johnny Hacks, a few years back, and he maintains a great security/hacking site at ihackstuff.com. In particular, check out his Google Hacking database at johnny.ihackstuff.com/ghdb.php. This is a repository or interesting searches which may reveal all kinds of information about your systems. As a basic security measure it's a good idea to run some of these searches and if necessary take the appropriate steps to rectify the situation. After all, you wouldn't want the whole world to see that your personal or clients data stored on your hard drive(s)

You've been hacked What now?

But what do you do, when your whole life is turned upside down when you no longer can prove you are who you say you are, or your credit is ruined, and you can not write a check without being told your checks are no longer approved due to some thief that has written bad worthless checks in your name.

Wake up to the world of high technology crime…Identity theft is the biggest fastest growing crime in the world today.

Identity theft is a serious crime. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years - and their hard-earned money in legal fee's - cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even are arrested for crimes they did not commit.

There is legal protection, preventive measures that may help you from becoming an Identity theft victim before and after the theft. Prepaid legal is one resource Legal Problems? -- Identity Theft Protection located http://www.legalproblems.org

They can help you with legal misfortune in identity theft and fraud.

For more information on preventing Identity theft, go to Federal Trade Commission - Your National Resource for ID Theft Federal Trade Commission - http://www.consumer.gov/id theft/

For your business and home computer, the following s information that should not go ignored, setting up security on your business computers, and home or business, is the same as locking up your car/ safety bank deposit box/ home and business.

In the next paragraph we will explain how to setup a firewall, what a firewall is, we also can assist you in doing so, with our technicians that are professional Microsoft engineers by contacting us at skennedy@computektb.com or calling the help line at 813 - 818 9075 requesting assistance in setting up a firewall.

WHAT IS A FIRE WALL

A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that creates a protective barrier between your computer and potentially harmful content on the Internet. It helps guard against hackers and many computer viruses and worms.

If your computer is running Windows® 98/ME/XP Home orXP Pro/ 2000 Professional, Microsoft recommends that you get and install either a hardware or software firewall before connecting to the Internet.

Why you should use a computer firewall

Connecting to the Internet without a firewall is like leaving the keys in your car with the engine running and the doors unlocked while you run into the store. Although you may be able to get in and out before anyone notices, someone may take advantage of the opportunity.

On the Internet, hackers use malicious code, such as viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses, to try to find those unlocked doors—an unprotected computer. A firewall can help protect your computer against these and other security attacks.

So what can a hacker do? It depends on the nature of the attack. While some are simple nuisances that may play simple pranks, others are created with malicious intent. These more severe strains may attempt to delete information from your computer, crash it, or even steal personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.

Some hackers enjoy nothing better than breaking into vulnerable computers sending you viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses are scary. Fortunately, you can reduce your risk of infection by using a firewall.

How do I choose a firewall?

A firewall works by examining information coming from and going to the Internet. It identifies and ignores information that comes from a dangerous location or seems suspicious.

If you set up your firewall properly, hackers searching for vulnerable computers cannot detect your computer.
There are three basic types of firewall's available today.

The first step in choosing a firewall is to determine which one is best for you. Your options include:

1. Software firewall's
2. Hardware routers
3. Wireless routers

To get started, answer these questions (and record your answers):

1. How many computers will be using the firewall?
2. What operating system are you using? (This might be a version of Microsoft Windows®, Macintosh, or Linux.)

That is it. You are now ready to start thinking about what type of firewall you would like to use. There are several options, each with its own pros and cons.

Internet Connection Firewall (Windows XP only)

The Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) is built into Windows XP. It is not available as a stand-alone package, nor is it available for non-XP versions of Windows or other operating systems (e.g., Apple Macintosh or Linux).
ICF: Pros
ICF: Cons
It's a software package built into Windows XP You cannot use it with multiple computers; You do not have to install the software Only available for Windows XP

Software firewall's

Software firewall's work well with Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows 2000. They are a good choice for single computers but can be compromised by pro hackers. Other software companies make these firewall's. They are not necessary on Windows XP because XP has a built-in firewall.

Software firewall's: Pros Software firewall's: Cons

Does not require additional hardware Additional cost: most software firewall's cost money

Does not require additional computer wiring Installation and configuration may be required to get started

A good option for single computers One copy is typically required for each computer

· Black ICE PC Protection (Save 25%)

· Computer Associates (12-months free trial subscription)

· F-secure (6-months free trial subscription)

· McA fee Security (Save up to 35%)

· Panda Software (90-day free trial subscription)

· Symantec/Norton (90-day free trial subscription)

· Tiny Software: Tiny Personal Firewall

· Zone Alarm (Save $20)

Hardware routers

Hardware routers are a good choice for home networks that will be connected to the Internet.

Hardware routers: Pros Hardware routers: Cons

Hardware routers usually have at least four network ports to connect other computers together. Requires wiring, which can clutter your desktop area; Hardware routers provide firewall protection for multiple computers

Wireless routers

If you have or are planning to use a wireless network, you will need a wireless router. Only a few wireless routers come equipped with a built-in firewall, so you may need to purchase a firewall separately.

Wireless routers: Pros Wireless routers: Cons

Wireless routers allow you to connect computers, portable computers, personal desk assistants, and printers without using wiring Wireless devices broadcast information using radio signals that can be intercepted by someone outside of your home (with the right equipment)

Wireless routers are excellent for connecting notebook computers to the Internet and networks Using a wireless router requires you to use a wireless adapter in any computer that connects to it.

Therefore, you may have to pay for extra equipment
Not all wireless routers come equipped with a built-in firewall, so you may have to purchase one separately

Next step: Start using a firewall today

Connecting to the Internet can create dangers for the unaware computer user. Using a firewall can help reduce your risk. Installing a firewall is just the first step toward safer surfing online. You can continue to improve your computer's security by keeping your software up to date and maintaining a current anti virus software subscription. To learn more, visit our Protect Your PC section at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/security/default.mspx

Microsoft Security Updates (Virus Updates, Security Worm Patches)
Multiple security issues have been identified that could allow an attacker to compromise a computer running Windows and gain complete control over it. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Other critical security updates are available: To find the latest security releases for you visit Windows Update and click "Scan for updates." And visit the Protect your PC site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/security/default.mspx to learn how to have the latest security updates delivered directly to your computer.

All computer users, businesses, and homes alike need their systems checked for a safe and secure computing…. Don’t put false hopes into free firewall software, purchase a good commercial grade router with NAT firewall enhanced.

Second, call on any computer company that has certified "Microsoft System Engineers" to help you analyze and setup a secure firewall.

Most only charge a fee from $75 flat rate…. put your trust into seasoned "Microsoft Certified Engineers" they can save you from loosing possible $1000 in legal fee's & becoming a victim of identity theft personally or worse your clients information stolen.

My comment for today.

Kind regards,

John Penner CEO Producer of Computer Talk Show on http://www.tantalk1340.com

Compu tek of Tampa Bay
Email PC 2 Fix It Answer Guys Computer Talk Show

Kickstart file automatically generated by anaconda. The last few lines are very nice. A root user's hashed password and several potentially useful IP addresses. Not bad for a couple of milliseconds' worth of work retrieving it from Google's cache!

Whoever was responsible for this server was a "googledork" – someone who let sensitive information under his control leak out onto Google, thus revealing himself to be – how to put this nicely? – less than perfect.

Kickstart file automatically generated by anaconda.
The last few lines are very nice. A root user's hashed password and several potentially useful IP addresses. Not bad for a couple of milliseconds' worth of work retrieving it from Google's cache!