Merry christmas

Wishing you a merry Christmas and a prosperous new you!

Data and Bot-nets for sale cash in

There are many Bot-nets that are causing problems on Internet such as Kneber, Rustock and Koobface, Zues Trojan: these bots and infected systems send out spam and malware  compromising mail servers and web sites.  Cyber criminals use these tools / programs to make money spreading infectious programs as fast as possible to many victims.  Once enough system are infected and controlled, these systems are actually rented out for $9 - $65 per hour.

Kneber: has infected 75,000 systems around the world. This malware is used to steal passwords from Facebook, Yahoo, and other sites. The key piece of data being collected is log in credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites, and email systems.

Based on a security study, over a week period of time, 68,000 credentials were stolen from Facebook and Yahoo among others. Many times surveillance is conducted on victims to determine crimes committed.



Here is a listing of money making scams:

1. Bank scam – looking for users to provide bank account number to claim lost funds (Nigerian royalty, China, etc)

2. Stranded SOS message -- family member email address used to request money be sent via Western Union

3. Cyber Attack threat “DOS attack” threat to force you out of business bring down all communication, pay demand

4. Steal game assets online gambling attack while stealing credentials and assets

5. Fake Anti-virus software – pop up requesting users to buy A-V making crooks 160 million per year

6. Fake Pharmaceuticals – user buys drugs which are fake 3.5 million per year

7. Credit card theft user receives fake link as for credit card information, credit card number is used or sold

8. Bank Zeus Trojan clicking on malware link infect browser Trojan captures log in credentials and steal small amounts of money

Even though the scams are old, they still cause many problems on networks and over the Internet. Check my solution to these problems to come!

Ipad and the digital life

I win an iPad at the Celtics exective offices and I feel like won the NBA Title!

The end result is that I am looking at applications on all three major platforms, Blackberry, Android, and iPad.

Currently the toy of choice is the iPad:
I have been researching and testing the best free applications for the iPad.

The first application I have tested is:

1. Dragon Dictation from Nuance --  the application records speech and converts in to a word document.
   I have a iPad application that you uses to convert speech into text, Dragon dictation. I'm speaking in to the iPad and it is supposed to be writing down what I'm saying is. Trying to determine if the dictation software will actually save time eliminating typing the words. I just learned that the accuracy of the software improves if you speak directly in to the microphone or use a iPad head set. Seems to be a pretty cool application.
2. I am still working to incorporate video and sound into my blog so stay tuned!

Fall Colors -- Ivory Towers

As falls color burst and the weather cools, it time to reflect on aspirations and levity. The hard work in the spring and summer bear  fruit to a successful fall season.

The successful marketing plan, web development project, delivers new customers.  The well coordinated campaign brings victory at the polls. The new security protocol saves lives. Fund raising and volunteer work delivers a cure and ends suffering.

Some where in our hectic, busy lives, we find time to reconnect with a friend. Before the snow falls, we turn a leaf, renew the journey. The epic journey to the mountain top, ivory tower, in search of pristine condition. Enjoy the season and reflection.

Mobile development

As mobile devices become increasingly popular, opportunities to develope applications has increased.

Looking at developing applications to increase productivity!

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Programming and Development

The programming field has been in a state of fluctuation over the last few years due to out sourcing. Many companies have out sourced their programming functions to countries where the cost of labor is significantly cheaper than in the USA.

There still is plenty of programming jobs here in the USA related to mobile technology and social media design. So what are the hot programming skills in demand now?

The building blocks of  a good programmer starts which basic knowledge on C# and .net language.  A very good way to program is using design patterns. A design pattern allows you to reuse a solution to common problems.  The design template  can be used to solve many different complex problems which reduces the amount of programming work involved.

Developing good programming skills can be a valuable skill.