Cyber Security and Identity Theft

Today’s biggest cyber security concern is Identity Theft. Cyber thieves use all kinds of methods (hacking, use of spyware for intercepting information, etc.) in stealing personal or financial information from their victims, mostly from the computers.

The latest of these nefarious activities even sports a name: phishing (pronounced like ‘‘fishing”). The thief sends a simple e-mail that looks like it came from a genuine site (mostly from financial institutions as Citibank, eBay, PayPal, Best Buy and others), telling you there is a problem with your account.

They would then ask you to click on a certain link in the e-mail, and you are taken to a site that looks exactly like that of your bank.  Here, they will ask you to fill out again your Social Security or credit card numbers, and/or other confidential numbers.

The following are some ways to minimize the risk of your identity being stolen:

Do business with reputable companies
Some attackers may try to trick you by creating web sites that appear to be legitimate.
Don’t visit any site that is using third party links. Open a new browser and type the address yourself if you want to visit a site.

You can also check privacy policies to see how the company in question use and distribute information. Many companies allow customers to request that their information not be shared with other companies.

Maintain a security mindset – always be skeptical of unfamiliar sites and links, suspicious e-mails and IM messages.

Anti-virus software and firewall
As standard practice, use and maintenance of an anti-virus software and firewall will protect your computer from attacks that may steal or modify data in your computer.
Make sure to keep your anti-virus program and firewall up to date.

Fighting identity robbery
As precautionary steps, regularly check your credit reports for strange transactions or transactions you don’t recall, unusual charges on your bills, bills for products and services you don’t have, or worse, unexpected denial of your credit card.

Once the identity robbery has been confirmed, calls to appropriate companies and agencies have to be done immediately. Have your credit card accounts closed right away so future charges will be denied.

Contact the Social Security Administration if your SSS card number has been accessed or the DMV if your driver’s license or car registration papers were stolen. This is to warn these agencies for possible unauthorized use of your personal ID information. Of course, you need to file a criminal report with the local police.

For U.S. citizens, you need to contact the main credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to see if there had been any unexpected or unauthorized activity.  Have fraud alerts placed on your credit reports to prevent new accounts from being opened without verification. File a complaint with the FTC and IFCC.

A website, IdentityTheftActionPlan.com, had been created to help citizens prevent, detect, and respond to identity theft and fraud. Within the site is information on how identity theft occurs, the latest prevention tips, what to do in case you are victimized and pertinent information of law enforcement agencies that investigate these crimes. Two other sites to learn more about phishing and ID theft are the following: consumer.gov/idtheft/ and
idtheftcenter.org

Vigilance, information and action
Cyber security dictates that every cyber citizen (those using computers and the Internet in most of their activities) needs to be vigilant at all times.

Everyone is enjoined to keep up with the latest information, so that they can do the appropriate action by themselves.

Anxiety and Suicide

Anxiety disorders affect millions of people across the country, and one of the most dangerous things about these disorders is that they can lead to thoughts of suicide if left untreated. If you are currently having thoughts of suicide, even on an occasional basis, ask for help. You can do this by calling a doctor or just talking to friends and family members who may be able to help you. Anxiety disorders are not the end of your life—you can overcome them.

If you’re having thoughts of suicide, there is nothing other people can do to make you feel better about yourself. However, they can give you the tools needed to do that. Lots of people kill themselves every year using suicidal methods like hanging, shooting, cutting, and overdosing, but these deaths are a real shame, since every single person has value in the community. You may feel hopeless right now, but there are people who can show you how to feel better. Although it is very difficult to deal with anxiety, others have gone through the same thing and can teach you methods for overcoming.

Call 9-1-1 or your local suicide hotline immediately if you are having thoughts of injuring yourself, for whatever reason. You are not alone in this ordeal, or else these phone lines would not exist. You can call anonymously in order to simply talk to someone about your problems. There is no pressure to do or not do anything—it is simply a tool to talk to someone and hear new ideas.

Pain and sadness is normal in every single person’s life, although many people hide it very well. However, if you find that your anxiety disorder is causing too much pain for you to bear, you can do one of two things: work to reduce the pain or work to increase your skills and resources for dealing with the pain. Although you may feel alone right now, millions of people are getting the help they need and living happy lives.

If nothing else, take some time to think about things. Even if you’ve had a horrible day, give yourself a few hours or days or even weeks to make a decision on ending your life. In that time, consider all of the options available to you and think about the other people your suicide will hurt. Suicide is not the answer to relief from pain in most cases, so by truly examining your feelings, you can work towards happier days.

Adoptions can go wrong and what you should do…

Even though there are many things that you might become concerned about adopting, you will want to make sure that you understand everything that could go wrong.

One of the most commonly things to go wrong is that you didn’t complete all the paperwork that is necessary for you to adopt. You will find that this is going to be consuming and annoying and that you just don’t take the time to do correctly. If you haven’t finished these things correctly, you are going to run into problems when you begin the adoption process. This is why you should take your time to fill out all of the paperwork and information correctly.

Also, the birth mother, at last minute, can try and get their child back. If you haven’t signed the forms, or if you haven’t completed the waiting periods, it is always a realistic fear that the birth mother is going to change her mind and that she will want to keep the baby for herself, or go with another person to adopt her child. If this happens to you, there is nothing you can do about it. However, you shouldn’t allow this to stop you from adopting, because it can be normal part of the process. When this happens to a couple or parent trying to adopt, you are put back into the potential adoptive parent pool.

However, you may end up at the bottom of the list and others will adopt before you.  In some agencies, you are then given first priority when a new baby becomes available.

A lot of people feel very low when they are placed on the waiting list, because it can feel like you are put on waiting list forever. You will also find that the waiting is long because the agency is trying to match the children with the best homes possible. However, you can avoid the long waiting and try to adopt a baby from another country, since you might be able to get a child sooner form the foreign market. It’s a great idea because there are children in need all over the world. You will want to give any child in the world a good home. But, the foreign market can take some time too. You will find that it might be less than adopting from your country, but sometimes it may not, depending on what your requirements of the adoption are and the requirements of the foreign country.

Why Do We Need Cyber Security?

Why do we need cyber security? There a number of reasons. The cyber community changes in an unbelievable pace. Unfortunately, along with these changes are equally unbelievable threats. The nature of the Internet as a tool for communication and education has been used and misused for personal gain, which resulted in cyber attacks and unprecedented rise in cyber crime rates. These rates are expected to increase more rapidly in the coming years if cyber security is not put in place. So, why exactly do we need cyber security? Let us count the reasons.

1.) Hackers are everywhere. He can be your business rival, your neighbor, or simply a person out to take over your computer. He makes use of software loopholes and hijacks your computer through backdoors, usually installed programs, or through cracking software. When he finally marches into your computer, he can gain access to possibly all your personal and confidential information such as bank accounts, credit cards, or top trade secret. He can also use your computer to attack other networks, with you apparently oblivious to all his malicious operations.

2.) Internet scams and frauds are rampant. These include phishing, a very organized cyber crime, which deceives people into giving their banking details. Cyber criminals, pretending to be representatives from legitimate financial institutions, send e-mail messages and ask unsuspecting people to verify their passwords, account numbers, and other vital information. According to a report, in 2006 alone, phishing attempts increased by 81%. These attempts could effectively be counterattacked if they weren’t too sophisticated to actually deaden spam filters.

3.) Cyber theft is a common cyber crime. In fact, it is the most reported. Over time, it has increasingly become so easy for cyber criminals to steal information from computers, not only from individuals but for companies, banks, and other organizations as well. Though they hardly report the case, big companies lose large amounts of money.

4.) Virus can slow down your computer. Worse, it can cause system crash. Virus reaches your system through a number of entryways. One is through unsecured and unknown websites from which you download files, programs, applications, or tools for free. As much as it can infect home computers, virus can leave damaging effects to companies, both big and small. For instance, Melissa virus hit Microsoft and other big companies in 1999, which led them to temporarily terminate their e-mail systems.

5.) Spyware, as the name hints, can spy on you. A computer program automatically installed on your computer, spyware tracks personal information you entered and sends it to its creator. In most cases, spyware is used to steal big sum of money. Unlike computer viruses, spyware leaves the computer owners totally unaware of its presence. A study revealed that 92% of users with infected systems don’t know that spyware has broken into their computers.

6.) Adware can keep unwanted ads to show up. Like spyware, adware penetrates the system through shareware. On its own, it downloads ads and allows them to run and pop up. This proves to be quite annoying for computer owners. But what’s even more troubling is that adware can sometimes contain spyware. This increases the risk for cyber threats.

Why do we need cyber security? Cyber criminals are smart beings. They find ways to get into our systems and create havoc in less time than we expect. And because they don’t cease to innovate and produce more sophisticated threats, we should always put our guard on and reinforce whatever cyber security measures we have these days.

Cyber Security Threats

Cyber security is about protecting your computer from any threat that may use you data and information without authority, protect you machine from different threats like viruses, worms, spyware, and malware.  When these threats are blended together, they can overload and shut down systems and resources.

Everybody seems to rely on computer nowadays,  bill payments can be done online, communication, transportation, entertainment and other aspects of our lives depend or influenced by computers.  This is why computer or cyber security threats are important to be dealt immediately.

There are different kinds of cyber security threats, for example, our browsers are not that safe anymore.  Browsers have vulnerabilities where expert hackers can exploit codes and passwords.  Hackers would use even our trusted websites to make these attacks.  This is why software manufacturers are investing on security to setup tools that would protect users even on trusted sites.

Another alarming security threat is that there are an increased number of incidents where national records are extracted.  Economic data of a nation or state can fall victims to cyber theft. National and state governments are not the only victims,  in the United Kingdom cyber theft is recognized to be among the biggest crime in the country.  Cyber theft could include credit card fraud, illegal bank transfers and phishing attacks.

Phising attacks are fraudulent processes where sensitive personal and financial information are asked from an individual.  People would fall victims to phishing scams since they pose as legal and trustworthy institutions, they are normally send out through emails and instant messaging.

Computers are not the only targets of cyber threats, mobile phones are also being attacked by worms, viruses, and malware.  Mobile phones are very susceptible to hackers and also viruses.  Old cellphones  can be immune to viruses, but new cellphones, the smart ones, because of their standardized operating system are now in risk of viruses.

Multimedia messaging services or MMS can send multiple copies of the phone address book or copy the phone book into a new handset just within a couple of minutes.  Aside from that it could also infect other phones within the area and disrupt communication protocols.

Cyber-terrorism is also another increasing cyber security threat experienced by users.  Some experts would say that cyber terrorism is just the same as hacking.  But experts would agree that it is intended to create or start fear, physical harm or death by using electronic methods.

An example would be the case in Romania, where terrorists were able to control the life support systems in an Antartic research station, putting 58 scientists in danger.  This kind of attack can affect a great deal of people, weaken the economy and even make the country vulnerable to military attacks.

Another common cyber security problem would be the attacks of people themselves, like disgruntled employees.  In a survey conducted by the Nucleus Research and KnowledgeStorm, 1 out 3 workers would jot down their passwords.  This is not the best security practice since jotted down passwords can be lost and used by unsatisfied workers.

There are increasing number of cyber security threats that needs to be addressed immediately.  Long-term plans and solutions should be created to address the increasing number of victims.  While we wait for government and organizations to come up with long-term solutions, it is our individual responsibility to make sure that we keep our personal and work-related information safe.

The Absolute Simplest And Easiest Way To Get Started!

There are many ways you can get started, you can set up your own website, create a viral e-book…and those are all pretty easy, but still not the absolute easiest!

I would say that the easiest way to get started is Blogging.  Running a blog that you can install via fantastico is a new webmasters dream.  One click installation, and then all you have to do is add content.  Wordpress is a great choice for a new Blogger, but even if you can’t afford to get hosting or domain names yet, you can still get started Blogging.
Do a search for free Blogs, but chances are you will end up wanting to use Blogger.com – they are free and the Blogs are quite nice.The best part about using Blogs is that they actually “ping” services to tell them that you have added new content.  Many of those places then syndicate your content and that brings you back links and plenty of public awareness.
Blogging isn’t for everyone.  I know I struggle with it, because I don’t really like talking about what I am doing – I would just rather DO IT.  But a Blog is a great way to both accomplish something and DO something all at once. Give it a shot – remember you can start a Blog up for free.  You will want to add revenue streams into your blog by customizing. What to base your web sites on?
Many experts on the subject of Niche Sites will tell you that you have to pick high paying keywords only.  There are so many searches on so many topics every day that you really can get traffic and interest in just about any “sub” category you want.
What I am saying is – don’t make your sites about fishing – make them about Walleye fishing instead.  A great free way to pick your topics a little easier is:  http://www.nichebot.com.  Just enter in a major keyword and it will spit out some other suggestions and help you find your competition.
Your first site should be about something you enjoy.  Writing for the Keywords isn’t any fun, so pick a topic you know something about and just do it.

How to Make The Most Out of Water to Gas

Now that is has been said and has already been done, there is currently the technology to fuel cars with water and here are some tips how to make the most out of water for gas.

Isn’t it good to know that cars can now run with water added to the current conventional fuelling process to help motorists save money on gas.

Running cars with water indeed has some very great advantages and it can actually save money.

Here are some basic and welcome developments with this technology.

First, it can practically cut gas bills in half every month, resulting to huge savings.

Another advantage is the effect on the environment, since using water to gas greatly reduces, if not eliminates, dangerous and polluting gas emissions released into the air during the fuel combustion process.

Since water is used, which is a stable and natural substance, water by-products make the air cleaner and safer for everyone to breathe, plus, also helps stop global warming.

But if many think that these are enough reasons to shift to this alternative process, there’s more.
 
Gasoline is currently the fuel of choice for cars and other vehicles, however, running it purely on gas causes carbon deposits to build up over time from unburned fuel.

Here’s a simple analogy, gasoline as fuel is like a piece of wood. After using the wood for fuel, the by product are ashes, which is primarily carbon. So is the process with internal fuel combustion in engines, where the end products are unburned gas and carbon emissions.

But by substituting water to gas, not only will it clean out the engine and remove these deposits, the engine becomes cleaner each time the car is driven, making it run much smoother and cleaner day by day.

Not only will one be able to notice a difference in the engine immediately since it runs smoothly, another noticeable change is that the engine stays cooler when water is used for fuel, since water is a natural cooling element.

The water will keep engines from overheating, resulting in fewer engine breakdowns and engine heat stress.
 
Another benefit to the engine is that using water to gas will make the engine run quieter and reduce knocking sounds caused by internal combustion, thus resulting to less vibration and provide less strain on the transmission process.

This will also result to smoother gear shifts and cleaner pistons and valves, resulting to wider torque range and faster acceleration.

In the end, these positive changes to the engine results in fewer operating costs and less repairs.
 
This is a picture perfect description of what benefits one can reap with using water to gas, however, there could be the worry about the cost of a water fuel conversion kit can have.

With the current fuel saving devices and water for gas kits in the market, this technology has allowed motorists to save on fuel, install the kits in their engines with no negative effects or damage parts of the car, unless it is installed incorrectly or inappropriately.

Most of these water to gas kits can be removed at any time without damaging the car or make any difference, except that it has become a cleaner engine.

So why not try water to gas? In the long run, it’s much cheaper and environmentally-friendly.

Converting Water to Gas Is Possible

For years, countries around the world have to depend on oil in order to operate their vehicles. With news that the oil fields in the middle east will soon be depleted which has driven the sale of oil prices, others are now thinking about the future and more are converting water to gas as an alternative solution.

One product that can make this happen is called WaterCarPro. By downloading the ebook from their site and buying the materials from the local hardware store, you will be able to enjoy huge savings which all translates to hundreds of dollars a month.

The e-book you get has detailed instructions which will guide you through the installation process. Everything is return in English so it is easy to understand and you can work on it in your own garage without having to call a mechanic or bringing the vehicle to a shop.

For people who have doubts about the system, you will be happy to know that this has been tested by a professional engineer to ensure that this is safe for the public. If you are still skeptical, the company challenges you to look online and read various reviews about their product.

The setup makes it possible to convert water into gas called HHO or hydroxy that improves the vehicle’s fuel economy.

The price for the ebook is $47 while the materials from the hardware store may range from $150 to $200. This doesn’t mean that your vehicle will run totally on water because it still needs to be supplemented with gas or diesel.

When you buy the system, you get free product updates from the manufacturer. For those who buy in the month of August, you get the two downloadable ebooks that aside from teaching you how to assemble the system will also tell you various ways to save money at the pump and tips which you should know when you are buying a car.

Aside from saving money by using this system, you will also be able to get tax incentives from the IRS. This can be $1,000 for an ordinary car and much more if you are driving an SUV or a truck when it is time for you to file your tax return.

You can still avail of your vehicle warranty because you can remove the system before bringing it to the shop and then put it back when it has been returned to you.

When you buy the ebook, there is no limit to the number of vehicles you can install this system. This means you can install the system to your other cars or even help a neighbor set it up in theirs.

If you are not happy with the product, you can get a full refund together with an additional $10. Just remember to include your return receipt number if you choose to pay using credit card and not through a PayPal account.

Converting water to gas is growing because it has also been used in other industries and it is only a matter of time that automobile makers will switch to this medium. After all, water is a renewable energy which is cleaner for the environment in a time when we are faced with climate change as a result of global warming.

Disability Insurance

We all know how important typical health insurance is, but did you know that disability insurance is just as important? In the event that you are hurt on the job, and cannot work, disability insurance will give you peace of mind—you will still able to provide for your family. While we would like to think that we always work safely, accidents do happen and you need to be sure that you have every angle covered in the event of an accident. If you become ill or injured on the job and as a result you are unable to return to work, there are a couple of options that will replace lost income. These types of disability insurance are not going to fully replace your income because they want you to have an incentive for returning back to work once you get well.

Social Security benefits are paid to you when your disability is expected to last for at least 12 months. Most of the time this is when no gainful employment can occur and you must remain out of work for the entire duration of your leave. Employer-paid disability is required by almost every state in the United States. This type of disability insurance is deducted from your paycheck, and is there for you in the event of an accident. When you are looking at disability insurance policies, it is important to understand what they mean. While the two available policies are both for disability, they both cover a different amount of time you will be covered, and when you will start receiving your compensation.

A short-term disability policy means that you will be covered for no longer than 2 years. With this policy you may have to wait up to 14 days before you start receiving compensation. A long-term disability policy is a little different. The disability compensation will not kick in for several weeks, sometimes a couple of months. However, long-term disability will cover you for a longer period of time, and sometimes for the rest of your life.

Along with having the two different types of insurance policies, there are also two different protection features. Protection is offered to you to ensure that you are not going to be treated unfairly due to your inability to work. Non-cancelable means that for no reason other than not paying your premiums can your policy be canceled. With this type of policy you will lock in your premium and will not risk a decrease in the benefits. On the other hand, a guaranteed renewable policy means that the same benefits will be available every year. The only way that your premium will be increased is if every policyholder within the same rating class as yourself increases also.

While there are many options when choosing disability insurance as well, these are the most popular selections. It is important to discuss all available options when choosing a disability insurance policy to ensure that you know what you will receive in the event of an accident or illness. Research your options to find the best choice for you and your family.

The Basics of Reading a Forex Quote

The foreign exchange market can be a baffling place for newcomers, and one of the sources of confusion is the forex quote. A forex quote is a small bit of information, yet it’s packed with numbers that may not make sense to someone unfamiliar with the forex system. Here’s a basic explanation of how it works.

A forex quote consists of a currency pair — forex deals always involve simultaneously selling one currency and buying another — a bid price and an ask price. For example, one quote might be this:

USD/JPY 118.71/75

The first currency is the base currency, and the other one is the quote currency. The value of the base currency is always 1 — in this case, 1 U.S. dollar. The number tells you how many of the quote currency (the Japanese yen, in this case) you can buy with $1.

But what kind of number is 118.71/75? It’s actually forex shorthand for two numbers: 118.71 and 118.75. The lower number is the bid price, the other is the ask price. The bid price is the price that dealers will buy the base currency for. The ask price is what dealers will sell it for.

So if the above were the current quote, it would mean right now, you could SELL U.S. dollars in exchange for 118.71 yen per dollar. Or, if you preferred, you could BUY U.S. dollars at a rate of 118.75 yen per dollar.

The difference between the bid price and the ask price in a forex quote is called the “spread,” and those tiny units are called “pips.” In our example, the spread for USD/JPY was four pips. The spread is usually that small for the most commonly traded currencies, which means anything involving the U.S. dollar, Japanese yen, Great British pound, the euro, Swiss franc or Australian dollar. In fact, thanks to the great competition in the forex trading market, some quotes will have spread of as little as one pip.

Of course, for less commonly traded currencies, the spread can be much greater. And even when the quote delivers a small spread, it adds up when you’re trading hundreds of thousands of units. If you were dealing with 100 U.S. dollars, the difference between selling them for 11,871 yen and buying them for 11,875 yen wouldn’t be much at all — just four yen. But if it were 100,000 U.S. dollars, suddenly that four-pip spread means a 4,000-yen difference. So the spread in a quote is more important than its smallness would suggest.