10 Comments

1. 

   Barbara on December 14, 2009 at 9:54 am

   Oooh…….I just love tech talk!!! Dan, I’m an ex IBM’er and loved your podcast!!!! Thanks so much for the succinct, clear information!!! I’m downloading the Microsoft Anti Virus software now and am eager to install and run a legitimate program.

   My concern is not identity theft but rather email hacking. I can open most any Hotmail, Yahoo, etc., account by using common sense and nothing more….want to know how???? I’ll share my secret if you’re interested (or anyone reading this!)

   I’ve looked at encryption email but find it tedious and more trouble than it’s worth at this point. What is your answer to secure email? My daughter’s friend downloaded a keystroke logger on my desktop. Without knowledge, he watched every letter I typed via his laptop. While I had antivirus and malware software active, he bypassed it completely. Any ideas or suggestions to address these issue? thanks!!!

2. 

   Barbara on December 14, 2009 at 10:00 am

   HOW TO HACK AN EMAIL ACCOUNT OF SOMEONE YOU KNOW. Easy….so pay attention! It’s all about your secret question. If you send an email to me, I simply go to Hotmail, etc., and log on as YOU. I make up a password, but a window will open saying, “need password hint?” I say, YES! Then a silly question, “Mother’s Maiden Name, First Pet, City of Birth,etc.” will pop up. I simply answer the question and I’m in. However, if I don’t know the answer, I can casually ask you over the course of a few days….then take your answer and slip into your webmail account without a trace. Scary. So….your answer should NEVER be obvious. Mother’s Maiden Name? Strawberryshortcake. Make sure you do not ever give the RIGHT answer to your secret question!!!!!!!!

3. 

   Barbara on December 14, 2009 at 10:16 am

   Ok, one more thought. I use the On-Screen Keyboard to type in my password on bank sites or when entering my VISA info. It a silent way to keep your info from showing up to others. Do you agree? To use: START – ALL PROGRAMS – ACCESSIBILITY – ONSCREEN KEYBOARD.

4. 

   Jennifer Sage on December 14, 2009 at 12:17 pm

   Holy Cow Barbara, I never realized how easy this was to do. Thanks for the tips. This is why I don’t use Hotmail or other general email accounts.

5. 

   Dan Macgowan, MCSE on December 15, 2009 at 10:26 pm

   Hi Barbara and all.
   Wow. Getting quite a welcome on this podcast. Glad so may of you are enjoying and learning from this.

   OK for the rest of the people out there, keystroke loggers come in two types. One is a hardware device that is placed between the keyboard of a computer and the computer. It stores what ever your type. They are rare since someone would have to PLACE one on your computer. The second one is a software program that does the same thing.

   Please note that there are legitimate keystroke logging programs used to monitor children chat and email programs. Not all are malicious.

   Currently Microsoft Security Essentials finds numerous keyloggers that are labled as malicious. I can’t get a current count at the momment.

   If you believe your machine was infected by someone you would be wise to have it scanned by a professional.

6. 

   Dan Macgowan, MCSE on December 16, 2009 at 12:26 am

   Barbara that is what a young enterprising political operative did last year to Gov Sarah Palin.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin_email_hack
   By guessing the answers he was able to look at her Hotmail account.

   Your suggestion to use unrelated answers to safety questions Barbara is a good idea, I only wish more people would use it. The drawback is that normally when people need the answers to those questions, if they gave unrelated answers they might have forgoten the answers.

   Guessing someone elses password to their Gmail or Hotmail account is usually not a Good Idea (TM).

7. 

   John on December 16, 2009 at 11:51 am

   On the subject of computers. Day two with Windows 7 on my new Dell. This thing rocks! No waiting, everything works like I think it should. Maybe now I can get over my infatuation with Macs.

8. 

   Barbara on December 17, 2009 at 8:09 am

   John,you’ve been holding out on us by keeping your brother under lock and key! Thanks, Dan, for the reply. Can you now explain where “deleted” email/posts go after the Delete key is pressed? I use a Voice Recorder app on my phone to record songs, notes to self, and even voice email. But what happens to those VNs and emails if they are returned (DEMON failure) or the recipient never receives? Is there a virtual graveyard for lost email? Where do the posts we write at ICI/PRO go after John removes them? Inquiring Minds Want to Know!!!! Thanks!!!

9. 

   Dan Macgowan, MCSE on December 20, 2009 at 6:55 pm

   There is graveyard where unwanted posts are tormented by deamons, worms and crashing hard drives. It’s not a pretty place. Most of avoid it.

10. 

    Dan Macgowan, MCSE on December 20, 2009 at 7:20 pm

    On the case of Hotmail Yahoo email…..

    On Thursday I got an interesting email from an employee at one of my clients. He was desperate for money as he was stuck in London England. He needed $2500 to get home. The email came from his Hotmail account.

    He was standing right next to me as I was repairing one of the machines in the office. Which made this kind of interesting.

    Hopefully no one actually sent any money to the fraud overseas.

    Now ask yourself, who in your family would have responded to this email and sent money? We ALL have someone who would send, $20-$50 to help us out.

    Good passwords, security answers that incluse case sensetive and punctionation.

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