Purpose

Dedicated to helping people make themselves safe and their Homes harder targets,...or when James Bond meets Soccer Mom




Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Personal Security - Self Defense With a Gun

There have been a couple of news reports of people defending themselves against the bad guys with their guns! Personal protection and home security is very important! The following articles are examples of defending yourself and your home. Please keep in mind that with proper training and practice, you will become more confident with your weapon and will less likely have an accident. When the time comes to use it, you will be more likely to make a valid decision – saving and protecting yourself and or your family!


Police: Home intruder shot, killed by Midtown resident
Anchorage Daily News/adn.com, Published: August 30th, 2010


Anchorage police have identified the man who was shot and killed early Sunday during a failed home-invasion robbery attempt. Robert Kost, 23, of Anchorage died of his wounds after being shot by a tenant of a Midtown triplex in the 800 block of West 23rd Avenue , said police Lt. Dave Parker. Police believe two or more others were with Kost during the robbery attempt just after midnight Sunday, and homicide detectives are searching for them. The others ran away after the shooting, Parker said.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/08/29/1429906/police-intruder-shot-killed-in.html#ixzz0yDTtRRK0

69-year-old Ala. woman shoots home intruder, Decatur, Ala.

A pistol-packing 69-year-old woman in northern Alabama believes intruders will think twice before messing with her again.

Police say Ethel Jones shot an 18-year-old man in the stomach when she found him inside her bedroom at her home in Decatur .

Jones says she sleeps with her gun under a pillow next to her. She says she grabbed it after hearing a door rattle shortly before 3 a.m. Monday.

Police say the suspect removed a window air conditioner to get inside the home. He is in the hospital and faces a charge of second-degree burglary.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50195350-76/ala-decatur-woman-decaturdaily.html.csp


Police say man fatally shot alleged mugger in South Dallas
The Dallas Morning News, Monday, August 30, 2010,By Avi Selk


A Sachse man shot his alleged mugger to death in South Dallas early Friday morning, according to police records.

Nicholas Lewis, 22, who lived on Cleveland Street , died in the hospital a few hours after he allegedly held up Jeffrey Hall, 43, in the 1800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Lewis pointed a semiautomatic pistol at Hall and demanded his wallet, according to a police report. Hall told police he handed his wallet to Lewis, who started to ride away on a bicycle.

But Lewis then turned, according to police, and fired at Hall – missing him and striking his pickup.

Hall then pulled out his licensed pistol and shot Lewis multiple times, according to police. Hall shot Lewis in the torso, the buttocks and the head, according to Lewis' sister, who says she watched him die at Baylor Medical Center at Dallas a few hours later.

Lt. David Pughes of the Dallas Police Department said police so far had no reason to doubt Hall's claim that he shot Lewis in self-defense. But it would be up to a grand jury to decide whether to file any charges, Pughes said. Reached at home, Hall declined to comment.

Latasha Lewis said that her brother "had his shortcomings," but that she could not believe he fired at Hall.

"I'm not justifying him robbing," she said. "He was wrong if that's what he did. But if he drove off on his bicycle, the best thing you could have done was to call the police."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-shooting_30met.ART.State.Edition2.3583e60.html

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Cyber Security - Wi-Fi Security

This weekend I was talking to family about Wi-Fi and the security measure one needs to take when at a Wi-Fi hotspot such as a cyber cafe or even at home. Locking your router with a complex password is a start. However, I cam across an article By Jorge L. Valens, from the Sun Sentinel this weekend that touches the surface of this phenomena. Below are the key points he had:


Looking to set-up a Wi-Fi network at home or enjoy browsing the Internet in public? FIU Network Manager Eric Johnson offers this advice.

1. Protect your network with a WPA/WPA2 encryption and allow it to generate a password for you, rather than choosing something predictable like your last name or birthday.

2. Use common sense when connecting to a Wi-Fi network outside of your home. If you notice more than one network, ask someone at the location you are at, be it a coffee shop or an airport which network is the correct one.

3. Don't do things in public you don't want to be seen. Most public Wi-Fi hotspots are not secured, always assume someone can see what you are surfing on in these places.

4. Use different passwords for different services. Sites like social networking sites don't always default to a secure connection. Bad guys will try to use a password they collect from those sites

5. Be careful about signing on to social networking sites and forums. These sites typically don't use HTTPS protocols and require login/pass to get in. If your social network password is the same as the one for your bank account, hackers will use them.

The article also had more important points to remember:

Leaving the default security settings switched on in a home wireless router is never a good idea.

Elias Montoya, technology director for Abadin Cook, a Miami-based law firm, said users should make sure to stick to a strong password, such as the WEP 2 generated password, that mixes characters, numbers and letters rather than choosing something predictable like their home phone number or leaving the default password.

"The [Wi-Fi] user should be in the mindset that nothing is 100 percent secure. … If someone is intent on hacking you, they will," Montoya said.

Wi-Fi use in public places, such as coffee shops, is becoming increasingly popular, but these networks are typically wide open, said Johnson.

"You should always treat any Internet activity you do at these locations as if it's being monitored," he said.

Johnson added that people should stay away from doing anything that they would not want to be seen, such as online banking.

Many coffee shops offer free, secure Wi-Fi to customers.

For the complete article, click here.

Stay safe out there in cyberspace!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Personal Security - Protect Against Cell Phone Cloning

This week, we discovered that our Sprint cellular phones were cloned. This is usually done to make fraudulent telephone calls. The BILL for the calls goes to the legitimate subscriber – us! I am finding out that this cloning phenomenon is very popular in areas with large immigrant populations. The cloner or THIEF is also able to make effectively anonymous calls, which attracts another group of interested law-breakers. Thanks to my wife for checking our account periodically, the anomaly was caught early.

As a reminder to everyone, check your cell phone bill each month, whether for plan features or charges you didn’t ask for, all the way to issues like what my wife found on our account – anonymous long distance charges and unknown phone numbers. It is especially important because many people opt for auto pay on a cell phone bill, and given that these issues generally take a couple of weeks to research and resolve, auto pay could be triggered before the bill is fixed, prompting other issues in your bill paying lifestyle.


Speaking with a family member that works in a Sprint call center and with the Sprint customer service representative, they have a fraud department, which is where we were directed to once we called Sprint initially. Their sole job is to research issues like this cloning fraud case. They are generally responsive. In our case, it was obvious that our accounts were tampered with. I can only assume the fraud department analyzes the cell phone usage pattern. The fraud department works well with us and will work well with you if it is obvious.

Cloning required access to ESN and MIN pairs. ESN/MIN pairs were discovered in several ways:

Sniffing the cellular network
Trashing cellular companies or cellular resellers
Hacking cellular companies or cellular resellers
Cloning still works under the AMPS/NAMPS system, but has fallen in popularity as older clone-able phones are more difficult to find and newer phones have not been successfully reverse-engineered. Cloning has been successfully demonstrated under GSM, but the process is not easy and currently remains in the realm of serious hobbyists and researchers. Furthermore, cloning as a means of escaping the law is difficult because of the additional feature of a radio fingerprint that is present in the transmission signal of every mobile phone. This fingerprint remains the same even if the ESN or MIN is changed. Mobile phone companies can use the mismatch in the fingerprints and the ESN and MIN to identify fraud cases.


The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines cellular fraud (cell fraud) as the unauthorized use, tampering, or manipulation of a cellular phone or service. At one time, cloning of cellular phones accounted for a large portion of cell fraud. As a result, the Wireless Telephone Protection Act of 1998 expanded prior law to criminalize the use, possession, manufacture or sale of cloning hardware or software. Currently, the primary type of cell fraud is subscriber fraud. The cellular industry estimates that carriers lose more than $150 million per year due to subscriber fraud.

BOTTOM LINE:

Remember, to prevent subscriber fraud, make sure that your personal information is kept private when purchasing anything in a store or on the Internet. Protecting your personal information is your responsibility. For cell phone cloning fraud, the cellular equipment manufacturing industry has deployed authentication systems that have proven to be a very effective countermeasure to cloning. Call your cellular phone carrier for more information.

For more information on protecting your personal information, see the FCC’s Protecting Your Privacy consumer fact sheet at www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/protectingprivacy.html. For information about other communications issues, visit the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Web site at www.fcc.gov/cgb, or contact the FCC’s Consumer Center by e-mailing fccinfo@fcc.gov; calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to:

Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington , DC 20554

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Home Security -Master Lock Weakness

The Master Lock 175D

It is easy to open up a Master Lock 175D. I use to use them to lock up my firearms in their pelican cases and my gate doors to my backyard. Please be aware of how thieves can pick these locks.



Take a look at the youtube video below. It is easy and fast to pick this lock.



There is another lock I have yet to see if there is a way to pick this one…the Shrouded Padlock No. 177D.


Best Used For:

* Residential Gates and Fences
* Sheds, Workshops and Garages
* Storage Lockers
* Tool Chests and Tool Boxes

There will always be people who figure out how to pick/ by pass these locks, but it is good for you to always be on top of the weaknesses of the locks you use…it makes you situational aware and keeps you from falling complacent and not give you a false sense of security.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Personal Security - Choosing to Own a Gun for Protection

Whether you are looking to carry a firearm to protect yourself or your family, choosing a handgun or rifle for protection requires the open eyed decision to commit to the training and responsibility that comes with gun ownership. Do not take this lightly.

It requires some research as well. I knew someone who was in the military for a while and never owned a gun. Now married and with a family, there are at least two guns in that household. The following are just a few checklist items that were followed:

Check 1: Research your state gun laws. A good place to start is your local law enforcement department, whether it’s the Police or Sheriff’s department. You can check online, but things in cyberspace sometimes are not updated – local law enforcement is your best bet!

Check 2: Your gun of choice. That is a personal preference. Revolvers are almost always reliable alongside shotguns. In this day and age there are semi-automatic handguns and different type of caliber guns! Getting comfortable and knowing the pros and cons of the weapon is a plus! Revolver picture at upper left.

Check 3: Training and gun safety. Taking a gun course that covers everything from your state gun laws, gun safety, and shooting is the right way to go to cover your basis. If your State allows concealed carry, this is a good course to take knowing gun laws, and a good capability to have - carrying concealed or even in your vehicle. Plus these courses puts you in good contact with other like minded gun owners and exposes you to training opportunities. Semi-Automatic pictured at upper left.

Check 4: Maintenance. This requires proper cleaning and storage of your gun.

Check 5: Firing your weapon. Go to a local gun range and fire your gun! The more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel with it and become better equipped to handle a dangerous situation like a home invasion. Some gun clubs have rental guns so you can "test drive" different guns. And, I have not ever been to a gun club that id not have people willing to give you advice and let you fire their guns. You have to be safe and comfortable with the gun(s) you own. Shotgun pictured at upper left.

There are many programs and to start visit the NRA website or its blog site, http://nrablog.com.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

13 Things An Identity Thief Won't Tell You

Courtesy of of Reader's Digest Magazine

Former identity thieves confess the tactics they use to scam you.

1. Watch your back. In line at the grocery store, I’ll hold my phone like I’m looking at the screen and snap your card as you’re using it. Next thing you know, I’m ordering things online—on your dime.

2. That red flag tells the mail carrier—and me—that you have outgoing mail. And that can mean credit card numbers and checks I can reproduce.

3. Check your bank and credit card balances at least once a week. I can do a lot of damage in the 30 days between statements.

4. In Europe, credit cards have an embedded chip and require a PIN, which makes them a lot harder to hack. Here, I can duplicate the magnetic stripe technology with a $50 machine.

5. If a bill doesn’t show up when it’s supposed to, don’t breathe a sigh of relief. Start to wonder if your mail has been stolen.

6. That’s me driving through your neighborhood at 3 a.m. on trash day. I fill my trunk with bags of garbage from different houses, then sort later.

7. You throw away the darnedest things like pre-approved credit card applications, old bills, expired credit cards, checking account deposit slips, and crumpled-up job or loan applications with all your personal information.

8. If you see something that looks like it doesn’t belong on the ATM or sticks out from the card slot, walk away. That’s the skimmer I attached to capture your card information and PIN.

9. Why don’t more of you call 888-5-OPTOUT to stop banks from sending you pre-approved credit offers? You’re making it way too easy for me.

PLUS: 13 Things Your Financial Adviser Won't Tell You

10. I use your credit cards all the time, and I never get asked for ID. A helpful hint: I’d never use a credit card with a picture on it.

11. I can call the electric company, pose as you, and say, “Hey, I thought I paid this bill. I can’t remember—did I use my Visa or MasterCard? Can you read me back that number?” I have to be in character, but it’s unbelievable what they’ll tell me.

12. Thanks for using your debit card instead of your credit card. Hackers are constantly breaking into retail databases, and debit cards give me direct access to your banking account.

13. Love that new credit card that showed up in your mailbox. If I can’t talk someone at your bank into activating it (and I usually can), I write down the number and put it back. After you’ve activated the card, I start using it.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Exterior Doors and Locks

Good information from State Farm Insurance, regarding door and locks.

State Farm recommends Grade 1 (ANSI designation) deadbolt type locks on:

Exterior doors:
Doors between attached garages and living spaces
Garage man doors (even if the garage is not attached to the house.)

Although many people assume their local building codes require a minimum level of quality and security for the door locks installed on their homes, most building codes don't even require a lock on exterior doors, let alone a minimum level of quality.

Most contractors select the locks based on price. Make a better selection by knowing what to look for.

Door Locks From a Burglar's Perspective:

Burglars prefer to break into a home through a door because it is quick and easy. A good quality lock is a deterrent. When intruders are interviewed about the selection of a target, many say seeing quality deadbolt locks will cause them to move on to another house.

A burglar can enter the home through a door using several methods:

The door can be left unlocked.

Doors can be kicked in.

Door locks can be picked.

Door locks can be hammered until they fall off.

Doors can be pried open.

Door frames can be spread apart with a spreader bar.

Door locks can be "drilled out" using a power drill.

Locks can be pried off with pipe wrenches or pliers.

Panes of glass in or beside doors can be broken so the intruder can reach in and unlock the lock.

Sometimes thieves obtain a copy of the house key from an acquaintance.

Remember, the intruder will select the door that looks easiest to break into and that offers the least chance of being seen.

Doors going into the garage and going from an attached garage into the house many times offer an intruder the opportunity to hide from view while they are breaking in. Extra thought should go into the security at these locations.

According to a study by the California Crime Technological Research Foundation, the most common techniques used by burglars to enter single-family homes are (from most often used to least often used):

32.00% Through unlocked window or door

26.64% Forced entry by impacts

24.02% Prying or jimmying

6.79% Use of pass key or picking the lock

5.10% Entry attempted, but failed

5.45% Other or unknown

Learn more about how to protect your home from intruders:


1.) Install locks with deadbolts. In residential construction there are basically two types of bolts used on exterior doors: latch bolts and deadbolts. Some locks combine the two bolts into one.

2.) Install locks with an ANSI Grade 1 classification. There is a grading system that measures the security and durability of door locks. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has standards, developed and maintained by The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association Inc. (BHMA), that comparatively measure the security and durability performance of door locks. Not all Grade 1 locks are equal. Different types of door locks are tested differently under ANSI standards. But the grade designation system is the same.

3.) Install locks with key control. Key control is simply controlling who has copies of keys to your home. Many door keys can be copied at a local hardware or retail store. However, many manufacturers now offer locks using keys that cannot be copied except by certain locksmiths or only by the manufacturer themselves. There are burglaries where the unlawful entry can be traced back to a key that was either knowingly or unwittingly provided to the burglar.

Key control can help protect your from the following scenarios:

In-home help has been fired or quit, but they made their own copy of your house key.

In-home help may have acquaintances who burglarize homes; they might try to acquire a key through them

Mechanics may try to make copies of your house key while working on your car.

Key control may require extra effort, such as a letter to the lock manufacturer or a trip to the locksmith to get a key made. Also, there is an additional cost due to record keeping by the manufacturer or locksmith (between $10 and $50 per key). The additional cost and inconvenience should be weighed against the security benefits.

Other Door Lock Features to Look For:




Security Strike Plate -- A strike plate comes with every door lock. Many times these strike plates are cosmetic and not intended to provide much security. The strike plate's attachment to the doorframe is usually the weakest point in the entire door/door frame/lock system.

High security strike plates are available. They sometimes come with a heavy gauge metal reinforcing plate that mounts under the cosmetic strike plate and come with 3" long screws that secure the strike to the wall framing, not just to the door frame jamb.

The screw holes are staggered so the screws don't penetrate into the same grain of wood. The concept of screwing into different wood grains in the door frame and wall framing is to make it more difficult to split the wood door frame or wall framing when the door is impacted. This feature should be considered at every exterior door and at those doors coming from attached garages.

Long Screws. 1" Minimum Throw on Deadbolt -- The throw of the deadbolt is the length that the deadbolt extends out of the door edge. A minimum throw of 1" is recommended. Longer throws makes it more difficult to gain entry by spreading the door frame.

Saw-Resistant Bolts. Some deadbolts come with internal anti-saw pins. The pins spin freely inside the bolt. If someone tries to break in by sawing off the deadbolt, the pin will make this difficult because it spins back and forth with every movement of the saw blade.

Captured Key Deadbolt. Burglars can gain entry through a locked door by breaking the glass in the door light or sidelight, reaching in, and simply unlocking the door. Many homeowners, in an effort to prevent this, install double cylinder deadbolt locks with keyholes on both sides of the door.

Don't let Double Cylinder Deadbolts create a fire safety danger to your family. In the case of a fire when the family needs to get out of the house quickly, you don't want to be wasting time looking for the key to unlock the door. Most building codes do not allow this type of lock on doors that are used to exit the house for this very reason.

To solve this conflict between family safety and security, one manufacturer has developed a deadbolt lock with a feature called a captured key. On the interior side of the door the deadbolt lock has a thumb turn that can be removed from the lock, leaving a keyhole. The idea is when no one is home, there is no need for the thumb-turn. The last person to leave removes the thumb-turn and creates a double cylinder deadbolt condition.

Captured Key Thumb-turn -- The thumb-turn cannot be removed without having a key to the lock. Therefore, small children cannot remove the thumb-turn from the lock. Also, the thumb-turn can actually be used as a house key. It is important that whenever anyone is in the home that the thumb-turn is left in the lock at all times.

Hardened Cased Steel & Beveled Casings -- On a typical deadbolt lock the outside housing of the lock is called the "casing" or "case." Many lock manufacturers make their casings out of hardened steel and many make the casing beveled. The hardened cased steel makes the casing more resilient against blows from a hammer. Beveling the casing makes it very difficult to get pliers or pipe wrenches to stay on the lock when trying to twist it loose.

Anti-Drill Feature -- Some intruders know how to drill out a lock. Some manufacturers combat this by installing hardened steel chips within the lock housing. When the drill bit hits these steel chips, it tears up the drill bit.

Dropbolts and Rim Locks -- If a dropbolt or rim lock is selected, make sure the lock is mounted on the door with through bolts.

Dropbolt with Through Bolts and Without -- If not, a forced entry can cause the lock to separate from the door. The typical dropbolt and rim lock should not be considered as secure as a deadbolt lock.

Help in assessing the need for better security can be found with your local police department. Many departments have a crime prevention unit that will examine your home. Based on their experience with crime, they can see things that the average homeowner does not. Also, an experienced locksmith can help you select the right products.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Child Safety and Crime Prevention Tips

On a drive to the local store yesterday I saw two children that could not be older than 7 or 8, walking along the road at least 400 yards from the nearest house. This was on a road that was a few hundrd yards from a State Highway. Predators look for opportunities to kidnap kids where there is a easily access escape route. Time and distance are the predator's friends.

So as we gear up for the school season to once again start. Let's be mindful of the safety tips we need to take for our children.

Tips to Protect Your Children from Crime:

Never leave small children alone in a public place. Have young children walk to school with a brother, sister or friend. Don’t allow young children to roam the neighborhood, trick or treat, or sell things door-to-door without an adult.

Tell children not to answer the door if they are alone.

Teach children telephone safety. Children who are alone should tell callers that their parents are unable to come to the telephone. Warn them not to give their name or address to an unknown caller.

Talk to children about crime and safety. Warn them not to talk to strangers. Remind them not to enter a car or home of a stranger.

Teach your kids about some ruses that predators use to lure kids to a car....."Hey little buddy, want to see my puppies? Do you know someone who wants a puppy? I have to find a good home for my puppy,..do you know anyone who wants a cute puppy?

Teach them to make a commotation if someone trys to grab them; running and screaming if the best way to draw attention and either make the predator abort or get witnesses to the act.

Teach children how to use 911 or another emergency telephone number. Leave a number so that babysitters can reach someone in an emergency.

Teach children their home telephone number and address. Show them how to call home from a pay phone even without money.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Personal Security - Beware of Geo-Tagging on Photos

When Adam Savage, host of the popular science program “MythBusters,” posted a picture on Twitter of his automobile parked in front of his house, he let his fans know much more than that he drove a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Embedded in the image was a geotag, a bit of data providing the longitude and latitude of where the photo was taken. Hence, he revealed exactly where he lived. And since the accompanying text was “Now it’s off to work,” potential thieves knew he would not be at home.

Security experts and privacy advocates have recently begun warning about the potential dangers of geotags, which are embedded in photos and videos taken with GPS-equipped smartphones and digital cameras. Because the location data is not visible to the casual viewer, the concern is that many people may not realize it is there; and they could be compromising their privacy, if not their safety, when they post geotagged media online.

Mr. Savage said he knew about geotags. (He should, as host of a show popular with technology followers.) But he said he had neglected to disable the function on his iPhone before taking the picture and uploading it to Twitter.

“I guess it was a lack of concern because I’m not nearly famous enough to be stalked,” he said, “and if I am, I want a raise.”

Still, Mr. Savage has since turned off the geotag feature on his iPhone, and he isn’t worried about the archived photo on Twitter because he has moved to a new residence.

But others may not be so technologically informed or so blasé about their privacy.

“I’d say very few people know about geotag capabilities,” said Peter Eckersley, a staff technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco , “and consent is sort of a slippery slope when the only way you can turn off the function on your smartphone is through an invisible menu that no one really knows about.”

Indeed, disabling the geotag function generally involves going through several layers of menus until you find the “location” setting, then selecting “off” or “don’t allow.” But doing this can sometimes turn off all GPS capabilities, including mapping, so it can get complicated.

The Web site ICanStalkU.com provides step-by-step instructions for disabling the photo geotagging function on iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Palm devices.

A person’s location is also revealed while using services like Foursquare and Gowalla as well as when posting to Twitter from a GPS-enabled mobile device, but the geographical data is not hidden as it is when posting photos.

A handful of academic researchers and independent Web security analysts, who call themselves “white hat hackers,” have been trying to raise awareness about geotags by releasing studies and giving presentations at technology get-togethers like the Hackers On Planet Earth, or Next HOPE, conference held last month in New York.

Their lectures and papers demonstrate the ubiquity of geotagged photos and videos on Web sites like Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Craigslist, and how these photos can be used to identify a person’s home and haunts.

Many of the pictures show people’s children playing in or around their homes. Others reveal expensive cars, computers and flat-screen televisions. There are also pictures of people at their friends’ houses or at the Starbucks they visit each morning.

By downloading free browser plug-ins like the Exif Viewer for Firefox (addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3905/) or Opanda IExif for Internet Explorer (opanda.com/en/iexif/), anyone can pinpoint the location where the photo was taken and create a Google map.

Moreover, since multimedia sites like Twitter and YouTube have user-friendly application programming interfaces, or A.P.I.’s, someone with a little knowledge about writing computer code can create a program to search for geotagged photos in a systematic way. For example, they can search for those accompanied with text like “on vacation” or those taken in a specified neighborhood.

“Any 16 year-old with basic programming skills can do this,” said Gerald Friedland, a researcher at the International Computer Science Institute at the University of California , Berkeley . He and a colleague, Robin Sommer, wrote a paper, “Cybercasing the Joint: On the Privacy Implications of Geotagging,” which they presented on Tuesday at a workshop in Washington during the Advanced Computing Systems Association’s annual conference on security.

The paper provides three examples of so-called cybercasing that use photos posted on Twitter and Craigslist and a homemade video on YouTube.

By looking at geotags and the text of posts, Mr. Sommer said, “you can easily find out where people live, what kind of things they have in their house and also when they are going to be away.”

“Our intent is not to show how it’s done,” he said, “but raise awareness so people can understand their devices and turn off those options if they want to.”

ICanStalkU.com, developed by the security consultants Larry Pesce of the NWN Corporation in Waltham , Mass. , and Ben Jackson of Mayhemic Labs in Boston , uses a more direct approach to warning about the potential dangers of geotags. The site displays a real-time stream of geotagged photos posted on Twitter; the person who posted the photo also gets a notification via Twitter.

“The reaction from people is either anger, like ‘I’m going to punch you out,’ or ‘No duh, like I didn’t already know that’ or ‘Oh my God, I had no idea,’ ” Mr. Pesce said.

In the latter category was Cristina Parker of El Paso , who sells appliances part-time at Kmart and also manages social media for small companies. ICanStalkU.com notified her last week that a photo she had posted on Twitter of her Chihuahua , Zipp, also revealed where she lived.

“I immediately tweeted back to find out what I can do about it,” said Ms. Parker. The site sent her a Web link to instructions on how to turn off the geotag function on her LG Ally smartphone. “It’s definitely good to know for me personally and because of my social media work, too,” she said

Because of the way photographs are formatted by some sites like Facebook and Match.com, geotag information is not always retained when an image is uploaded, which provides some protection, albeit incidental. Other sites like Flickr have recently taken steps to block access to geotag data on images taken with smartphones unless a user explicitly allows it.

But experts say the problem goes far beyond social networking and photo sharing Web sites, regardless of whether they offer user privacy settings.

“There are so many places where people upload photos, like personal blogs and bulletin boards,” said Johannes B. Ullrich, chief technology officer of the SANS Technology Institute, which provides network security training and monitors the Internet for emerging security threats.

Protecting your privacy is not just a matter of being aware and personally responsible, said Mr.Sommer, the researcher. A friend may take a geotagged photo at your house and post it.

“You need to educate yourself and your friends but in the end, you really have no control,” he said, adding that he was considering writing a program to troll the Internet for photos with geotags corresponding to users’ home addresses.

“I’m beginning to think there may be a market for it.”

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Home Security--Protect Your Firearms and Valuables!



A gun safe is a good measure to have when it comes to safeguarding your firearm(s), ammunition and valuables as well, even important documents (wills, birth certificates, passports, etc.) I recommend having the gun safe in a convenient location, preferably a relatively cool, dry place. Most of us have it in our bedroom, whether it is a rifle gun safe or hand gun safe by the dresser. The majority of burglars are not prepared or able to defeat a decent gun safe. A gun safe also demonstrates, in the event of a firearms related lawsuit, that you took all reasonable precautions to secure your gun(s).

Make sure your gun safe is locked whenever you leave the house and frequently if you have children. The last thing you want is to be surprised by a burglar and cause harm to you and/ or your family with your own gun(s). If it is possible to do so in your state, get a carry permit and make it a point to arrive home armed. If you surprise a burglar, you need to be able to control the situation immediately. Otherwise you become a statistic…a victim.


Most importantly, make sure that you and your family understand the proper and safe use of guns! You can never say this enough!

The majority of gun safes are fire retardant and one can buy them at your local sporting goods store like Academy Sports or your local Wal-Mart. Do a little research and you will get the best gun safe that suits you and your gun.

The push button electronic combination locks have a feature in case the battery goes dead, where you can use a key. All free standing safes will have the ability to bolt the safe to the wall. Some people think if they have enough weight in the safe, it can't be move. This is not true. Thieves will often have knowledge from day workers or maintenance people on the existence and location of gun safes and will enter with a hand truck (dolly) and move the safe. Another option may to be place in a closet and put a good dead bolt lock on the closet door.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Cell Phone Security

Your cell phone. It's your lifeline! It's your phone book! It's your portable photo album! So, okay, maybe it's time to invest a little time theft-proofing your cell just in case it gets stolen. While the best protection is commonsense stuff (for example, keep your phone in a zipped purse or the front pocket of your jeans) there are a bunch of other measures you can take.


1. Know Your Phone. Note down your phone number, SIM number and/or IMEI number, the make and model, and your provider name and 800 number. If your phone ever disappears, you'll have all the essential info at your fingertips for reporting it stolen (to the police, your provider) or advertising it as lost (via Craigslist, your local paper).

Remember: call your provider immediately that you realize your phone is missing. One cell phone thief can rack up horrible long-distance charges in just a matter of hours, so deactivate your account or have the number disabled as soon as possible!

2. Lock it With a PIN. Most cell phone thieves want instant but short-term access to your phone service, not so much the phone itself. After all, they know once you discover it's missing you will cancel service on the device, rendering it basically useless.

So here's a sure way to ruin a thief's day: keep your key pad locked with a security PIN number. They won't be able to make calls or access your personal information ... and in the meantime you'll have time to notify your provider of the theft and have your account deactivated.

3. Store Personal Info with Caution. Speaking of personal stuff, one way to protect against damaging -- or just plain embarrassing -- identity theft it to simply limit what kinds of personal information you keep on your phone. Think of it as the only no-fail, low-tech security option.

4. Consider Anti-Theft Software. Companies like Gadget Trak now offer software that aims to put you in control of your phone remotely should it be lost or stolen. Other software, like iHound, use GPS technology to help you locate your missing iPhone or iPod Touch. If you keep everything on your portable device, this is an option you should look into for peace of mind.

5. Don't Assume the Worst. Could be your phone is just lost and some fine citizen is out there wanting to return it to you. There's the downside to locking your phone with a PIN: said fine citizen can't access your phone book to track you down. Oops! Solution: consider programming your cell to display your email address or home phone number even when the keys are locked.

Friday, August 6, 2010

A New Kind of Credit Fraud

Identity theft: How to protect your kids. Identity theft that targets children is rising. By Alissa Figueroa, Christian Science Monitor Correspondent

Identity theft has grown into a multibillion-dollar problem. And it’s not only adults who are targeted.

At least 7 percent of the reported cases of identity theft target children. The number could actually be much higher, since many families don’t discover theft until a child applies for credit.

And the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better, the Associated Press reports, as identity thieves steal children's dormant Social Security numbers and use them to create phony lines of credit and rack up debt, sometimes for years.

The scam, which has popped up only in the last year, is difficult to guard against, says Linda Foley, cofounder of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), an organization that offers counseling and resources to identity theft victims. The ITRC has seen a notable jump in the number of children identity-theft cases in the last year, reaching about 9 percent of its caseload this month.

“There’s no way to protect your child completely,” says Ms. Foley. That’s partly because these thieves are likely using sophisticated programs that mine for dormant numbers through school or doctor’s offices databases, which often require that children’s Social Security numbers be provided. And partly because tactics for selling the numbers are constantly evolving, making this kind of theft difficult to track.

Since credit issuers do not keep track of the age of Social Security number holders, they cannot alert families when a child's number is being used. That's something Foley's organization has been trying to change since 2005, and a protection she considers vital for preventing child identity theft on a large scale.

There is some advice that parents can follow, though, to reduce the risk of identity theft:

1. Be cautious with your child’s Social Security number. Always ask why an organization needs the number and when possible, do not give it out. Be careful about which individuals, even friends and family, have access to your child’s number. Many identity thieves know their victims. Destroy extra documents that list your child’s number.

2. Talk to your kids about identity theft. Teach children not to divulge their personal information on the telephone and online.

3. Do not check your child’s credit report unless you have reason to believe there’s a problem. A minor should not have a report unless someone has applied for credit using that child’s Social Security number. To order reports unnecessarily can establish a credit report, opening a door to thieves, according to the ITRC.

4. Watch for red flags. If you receive pre-approved credit card offers or calls from collection agencies, run a credit report on your child immediately to see if there has been fraud.

5. Contact an identity theft specialist if you suspect a problem. There are several resources for families concerned with issues of identity theft. Visit the ITRC’s website for facts and information, or call its hotline at (888) 400-5530. You can also find information on the Federal Trade Commission’s identity-theft-prevention website.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

McAfee Family Internet Protection for Mac's

Anti-Virus for Your Mac:

Understanding that the majority of computer users are IBM type users, Apple’s Mac computers have seen an increase in viruses and malicious cyber “bad guy” crimes. McAfee Internet Security has released a pair of it protection products for the Mac: McAfee Internet Security and McAfee Family Protection.

The following is by Dan Moren, Macworld

McAfee Announces Internet Security, Family Protection

If you're just looking to keep your own surfing habits from getting you into trouble, McAfee Internet Security can protect you from dangerous Web sites and browser exploits as well as telling you if a particular online shopping site has been checked over by McAfee (unfortunately, McAfee's Site Advisor, which adds safety markings right inside your browser is only compatible with Firefox at the present time). It can also scan e-mail and IM attachments from Mail and iChat to make sure nobody tries to slip you a mickey while online, and can repair many files without damaging the contents.

In addition, a dedicated Secure Search tool allows you to make sure that phishing sites don't find their way into your results; a two-way firewall keeps an eye on all the traffic entering or leaving your computer as well as locking down outside access to protect from hackers; and all the while McAfee Internet Security can scan for both Windows and Mac malware.

McAfee Internet Security runs $80 and covers one Mac for one year-after that, you'll need to buy a new copy as there's currently no upgrade pricing available. That's all well and good for your own personal Web surfing, but if you're more concerned about what your kids might be getting up to, there's McAfee Family Protection (also available for the iPhone and iPod touch). Not only does it allow parents to filter searches by keyword and prevent access to Websites from 35 different categories of content, but reports provide parents an overview of all the Websites that their kids are visiting.

Alerts can be sent to parents via e-mail or text message if a child tries to access a site that's not appropriate for them. In addition, parents can specify time limits to manage their kids' Internet use and block the use of specific programs on the Mac. Parents can also remotely modify a child's profile if necessary.

McAfee Family Protection covers up to three Macs for a year for $40. As with Internet Security, you'll need to shell out for a new copy after that due to any lack of upgrade pricing at present.

Both products available now and require Mac OS X 10.5 or later. They also come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 30 days of free support.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Home Security System - What to Look For

It is wise to consider a security system that will work for you. Try not to consider price when it comes to choosing a security system, but if you are cost conscience, then please question it, but most of all make sure that you own your alarm equipment, so that you can switch monitoring companies if you’re not happy with their service.



Most regular security companies will charge $300-$400 for what the “free” companies offer for no charge. After that, devices tend to be the same price, or slightly lower with the non-“free” companies. So for an extra $300-$400 upfront, you get a system that is a lot less vulnerable, is more reliable, lasts longer, is installed by the better technicians, and gives you the freedom to shop around for better service and/or a lower monitoring rate.

The following is from www.alarmsystemreviews.com

If you honestly think you’re going to get adequate security protection for “free”, you’re going to be disappointed. Let's set the record straight about the infamous "free home alarm system". When you’re offered a “free” system, it usually consists of the following:

An “all in one” wireless keypad, siren, control panel and dialer.

One wireless door or window contact, one wireless motion sensor.

A long term monitoring contract, that automatically renews (sometimes even up to five years).

Extra charges for additional contacts, motion sensors, etc.

Extra charges called “activation fees” or “police and fire registration fees”.

Especially sneaky: Some companies that use central monitoring stations that are out of your telephone area code will actually CHARGE you to use their 1-800 number, in order for your alarm to send its signal

So Why Is The System Wireless?

Most of these “free” alarm companies go with wireless because it takes virtually no skill to install. A lot of the programming can be done ahead of time, so the “technician” that installs the system can get the job done as quickly and easily as possible. Many of these employees have little to no skill, because their employers pay them as little as possible. Really talented technicians are paid well, because they are a surprisingly rare and valued commodity in the industry these days. These “free” alarm companies do not attract the best technicians.

What’s wrong with these “all in one” wireless units?

They’re extremely vulnerable. The best set up for your alarm is to have the keypad, control panel (the “brains” of the system) and siren installed in separate places. So for example if a thief rips the keypad off your wall, it doesn’t matter. The dialer that sends your alarm system’s signal to the monitoring station is located inside the control panel, which is most likely installed in your basement, and is not damaged. If you have an “all in one” system, not only is the keypad disabled, but so is the entire alarm system, including the siren!

No matter which company you go with, it is always best to have a hard wired alarm system. They are more reliable than wireless, last forever, and you don’t have to worry about batteries running out and compromising your security!



Here’s a scary fact about wireless alarm components: at one time, one of the bigger alarm equipment manufacturers produced wireless equipment that communicated using a 900MHZ signal. What’s wrong with that, you ask? The problem is/was that most cordless phones use the SAME frequency! These systems were vulnerable to interference (therefore false alarms) from not only the phones that belonged to the homeowner, but even the phones that belonged to neighbors! So now manufacturers are using different frequencies, such as 2.4 MHZ and 5.8 MHZ, to solve the problem. The only problem is, newer style cordless phones are now starting to use the same frequency! Will your wireless system be compromised by a cordless phone or any other wireless interference? The chances are slim, but not zero. All the more reason to go with a hard wired system, where there is NO chance of interference. Even better, hard wired devices generally cost less than their wireless counterparts.

They Cannot Be Monitored By Any Other Alarm Company.

It is important that you own your alarm equipment, so that you can switch monitoring companies if you’re not happy with their service, or want to shop around for a better monitoring rate. And there are dramatically different levels of service quality and monitoring cost between the various alarm companies! With a “free” system, it is almost certain that it is “locked out”. This means that no other alarm company can monitor it. These companies may also use software that can “remotely kill” your alarm system, rendering it useless in a matter of minutes.


They Give A False Sense Of Security.

Protecting your home with one motion sensor and one or two door contacts would not be even adequate protection for the average home owner. It will leave huge gaps in your security protection, allowing an intruder to easily enter your home, and stay a lot longer, before the alarm actually goes off.




The “Free” System Offer Gets Their Foot In The Door.

As explained above, you are definitely going to have to add more equipment to get to an acceptable level of security. Typical prices for a wireless device offered by any alarm company would be: $75-$95 for a door or window contact, $90-$130 for a wireless motion sensor, and about the same cost for a wireless smoke detector. If you decide to go with fire monitoring (highly recommended), or if you need a back up for your phone line using cell or radio, the (already inflated) monitoring charges will be much higher. The “free” offer is really a classic “bait and switch” tactic.