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Greetings from
Polar's E-Connections Team
We think
you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable
tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to
receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE. |
E-Mail
Scam - New Phishing Attack
Reported On Banking Customers
E-mail
con artists have frequently masqueraded as banks in an effort to collect
personal information such as account numbers. One of the latest such scams,
first reported last month, takes a slightly different approach. These e-mail
messages are being sent to customers of Bank of America and various other
financial institutions, but claim to be promoting a new security program called
SFN (Stop Fraud Now). That's right - they're committing fraud by
pretending to be an organization that fights fraud.
The bogus SFN program offers to provide you with protection against cloning of
credit cards and asks recipients to register by supplying their Social Security
Number, credit card number, and ATM Personal Identification Number (PIN). Keep your eyes out for an e-mail resembling this one:
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Remember, you should always be suspicious of an e-mail requesting personal
financial information, even if it appears to be from a financial institution
with which you have a relationship. Legitimate banks will never send you an
e-mail asking you to disclose your credit card number or online banking
password. Do not reply to this type of e-mail or click on any link included in
the message. Just hit "Delete."
Protect
Your Computer - From Spammers!
One of the ways that
Spammers find to deliver their message around the world is through your
computer with Trojans and zombie emailers. Yes, that's right, they want to use
your computer for free to send thousands or millions of advertising messages to
people who don't want them.
That is bad, it is unethical, and it is plain stealing resources you have paid
hard earned money for. So why do they want to do it? The simple answer is
money. If only one person in a million falls for their scam, and they send out
five million advertisements, then they make money from those five people, and
it didn't cost them anything because they did it with your computer.
Now the question is how do they get it on your computer? The most common way is
to hide their program in something you want and let you come get it. Tricking
you into installing bad programs or revealing information is called
"Social Engineering". This is a tactic that has been around for
centuries, in tales as old and popular as the "Trojan Horse". In fact
that is where the Trojan viruses got their name, because the evildoer will hide
his "zombie" program in a "Trojan" gift like a nifty game,
toolbar, or program that will let you "download music for free". Then
when you install what looks like and innocent program it actually sneaks a
zombie program on your computer to send out Spam messages when your aren't
looking. The spammer may even go so far as to display a huge user agreement
when you install the Trojan. When you click to agree it makes the use of your
computer "legal" because you agreed. They are betting that you either
won't take the time to read the agreement, or won't understand the wording in
the agreement.
A running email zombie will slow your computer, and make your web pages open a
little slower and your games play badly. While the spamming program is running
it can search your computer for passwords and financial information. By
allowing (even unknowingly) the spammer to have access to your computer, they
may be emailing themselves copies of financial & personal information you
have on your computer. With this information they could be able to access your
bank accounts. They could also use your computer to store and deliver things
like child pornography, leaving their computers safe while letting law
enforcement track you.
The email zombie programs act as their own email server, running without the
computer owner being aware that they are there delivering email to other email
servers. One of the things that Polarcomm has done to make it harder for the
Spammer to do his job is block port 25 on outgoing connections from all of our
customers with dynamic IP addresses. Blocking that port prevents the zombie
from delivering Spam.
If a customer wants to run an e-mail server, this is perfectly fine, but you
will need a static IP address from us. If this is something that you would like
to do, contact Polar and we will be happy to help you.
If your computer is infected, the fact that we block port 25 means the zombie
is unable to accomplish its intended task. The best way you can get rid of it
is to have a good updated anti-virus and anti-spyware program running on your
computer. These security programs will root out and destroy the Trojan
programs. It is extremely important that you keep these programs updated weekly
and run scans daily.
Polar's Internet and Helpdesk staff works each day to ensure that you receive
the quality Internet services that you pay for. Because we know you value the
safety and integrity of your computer, we recommend you invest in a program or
security vendor to assure it remains virus free.
Ask
The Help Desk - What
Is A Buffer?
Question: I've heard someone mention a
"buffer" when referring to listening to music online. What is a
buffer?
Answer: When you download an audio or video file from the Internet,
your media player software, such as Windows Media Player, saves portions of the
file in temporary memory during the process. This is called buffering.
The media player uses buffering technology to begin playing the clip before the
entire file is downloaded. This means the clip will be played much sooner than
if the entire file had to be completely downloaded before playback.
A buffer is also used to speed up a computer's performance by holding
information in temporary memory (random-access memory [RAM]) until it's
committed to a permanent location or task.
When you use a word processor, for example, your changes are held in temporary
buffer memory until you save the document to your hard drive. Buffers also are
used to transmit data between hardware devices, such as a computer and a
printer. This buffer is needed when one device can transmit data much quicker
than another can receive it.
Great
Sites To Check Out This Month
Survival Stories from
the
http://wtcmovie.com - Opening this month is World Trade Center, the
poignant and powerful 9-11 movie from Oliver Stone. It tells the true story of
two officers with the Port Authority Police Department, Will Jimeno and John
McLoughlin, who were buried under 20 feet of rubble inside the WTC but were
rescued 12 hours later. Their incredible tale of survival is brought to life by
a cast including Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Mario
Bello. A highlight of this movie site is the "In Their Own Words"
section featuring video interviews with Jimeno and McLoughlin themselves. Rated PG-13.
The Key to Free Typing Lessons
http://learn2type.com - Do the e-mail messages you write contain a few too
many typos? Or do your kids need better typing skills to master the homework
ahead? This site offers free interactive typing exercises (including new
Learn2Type for Kids) that automatically adjust to your skill level. Start by
taking the short typing test to instantly assess your speed and accuracy. Then
login whenever you like and complete the lessons at your own pace. Free,
convenient, and effective - that's our type of typing tutor.
Home Business How-To's
http://entrepreneur.com - August is officially "Home Business Month."
If you'd like to start a home-based business or expand the one you already
have, this site from Entrepreneur magazine is an excellent resource. It
covers all the basics, from marketing and sales to money and finance. You'll
also find low-cost startup ideas, stories from successful
"mompreneurs," and guides to starting the most popular businesses
around.
Listen to Your Elders
http://elderwisdomcircle.org - When you need advice, there's nothing more valuable
than the insights of someone older and wiser. This site provides free advice
from volunteer "cyber grandparents" between the ages of 60 and 103.
Elder
News on the Net -
http://www.usopen.org/home/default.sps - The 2006 US Open is August 28 to September 10 in
Short
Tutorial - Downloading
Mozilla's Firefox Browser
Web analysis firm OneStat.com
reports that global usage of the free Mozilla Firefox browser is growing. As of
July 2006, total worldwide market share for Firefox is 12.93 percent,
Downloading Mozilla's Firefox 1.5.0.4 When Using Windows XP SP2 Home
Edition:
- With Internet Explorer open, type
"www.Mozilla.com" into your browser's address bar and then hit
"Enter" on your keyboard.
- Click your cursor arrow on the "Download
Firefox" button.
- The file download security warning will open. Click
the "Save" button.
- In the "Save As" dialog box, choose where
you want to save the Firefox installer on your hard disk and click the
"Save" button.
- Once the installer has finished downloading, double
click on it.
- A security warning will ask if you want to run the
installer. Click "Run."
- When the "Welcome to Mozilla Firefox" screen
appears, click the "Next" button to start your Firefox
installation.
- After reading and agreeing to the licensing terms,
select the "I Accept the terms of..." radio button and then
click the "Next" button.
- Choose what type of install you want to do (Standard
or Custom) and click the "Next" button.
- Close all other open applications and click the
"Next" button.
- Under the "Install Complete" section, check
the "Launch Mozilla Firefox now" box and click the
"Finish" button.
- The Import Wizard will open. Select whether you want
to import your settings from Internet Explorer into Firefox and click the
"Next" button.
- Click the "Finish" button to exit the Import
Wizard.
- You will be asked whether you want to use Firefox as
your default browser. It is recommended that you click “No” until you’ve
decided whether you like it better than your existing browser of choice.
- Firefox will open and a shortcut will be placed on
your desktop.
Downloading
Mozilla's Firefox 1.5.0.4 When Using Macintosh OS X:
- With Safari open, type "www.Mozilla.com"
into the address bar of your browser and then hit "Return" on
your keyboard.
- Click your cursor arrow on the "Download
Firefox" button.
- Once the installer has finished downloading, double
click on it.
- The installer will launch and open to the license
agreement. To accept the terms of the license, click on the
"Accept" button.
- The Firefox disk image will mount on your desktop and
open. You will see a Firefox icon with a graphic indicating that you
should add Firefox to your Application folder.
- Drag the "Firefox" icon onto your
Application folder icon. Firefox will be copied to that location.
- Close the "Firefox" disk image window and
drag the disk image to the trash to unmount it. That's it. You can now run
Firefox as your browser.
We hope you found this
newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the
happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a
monthly basis, click HERE.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
The E-Connections
Team
Polar E-Connections
Polar Communications
110 4th St E
Park River, ND 58270
800-284-7222 
(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information
published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all
liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such
errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.)
©2006 Cornerstone
Publishing Group Inc.
Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are
trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.