Archive for the ‘Privacy’ Category

Newer Entries »

“Stupid Company” Procedures

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Part of my job at HITman Services is researching software at our Clifton Park office.

Over the weekend I was trying out some new BlackBerry apps.  One which I thought was very interesting was Visible Vote.  I signed up for an account and started using the application.

Shortly thereafter I received an email from the company with my user name and password in the email.  I was under the impression that the practice of sending passwords in emails ended years ago, but obviously I was wrong.

When I sign up with companies I am not familiar with or whose security procedures I am unsure of, I use a throw-away password.  Which in this case turned out to be the right thing to do.

I sent the company an email regarding their antiquated security methods, and have yet to hear back.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in BlackBerry, Business, Privacy, Security, Smartphones, Software, Technology, email | No Comments »

Cybercrime On The Rise

Friday, March 26th, 2010

It doesn’t seem that a day goes by where there isn’t some new virus, hacker attack or exploit in the news.

We see a lot of computers come in to our Clifton Park computer repair center, loaded with spyware.  Many times it is from children or guests using the computer to surf the Web.

When the computers come in we strongly recommend that every password the user has get changed.  While this may be quite a bit of work, the ramifications for not doing so are great.  They include impersonation in social media sites, financial ID theft, money transfers and more.

If you find yourself in the position where your computer has been compromised, do not change the passwords from that computer.  Make sure you change them from a computer you know is safe.Preview

For more tips, please download our free security guides at HITmanServices.com.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Life Management, Privacy, Security, Software, Technology | No Comments »

Security Breach Patched – Sort Of

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Yesterday I wrote about a software package I was reviewing and that I stopped before going too far because of some security issues.

A little after 5:00 yesterday, I received a call from the company.  The regional manager explained why they sent out the password in clear text and stated they turned that “feature” off and it will not appear again.

We discussed some of the other concerns and I hope to hear back later today because their system has some nice features.

Tags: , ,
Posted in CRM, Privacy, Security, Software | No Comments »

Don’t Look Now, But I Can See Right Through Your Clothes

Monday, March 8th, 2010

It seems we’re always reviewing new software.  This morning it was a new CRM system.

One of the major concerns I have with any information being stored on the web is security. A businesses customers are one of its most valuable assets and trusting that information to anther entity is not done lightly.

So on to the review from this morning.

On the surface the software appeared to have potential as it not only worked on the web, but BlackBerry’s also. It started out when I subscribed for a trial account. The next thing I see come into my inbox is a link to the log in to the website which was not secured and my password which was sent in clear text. And this is from a company interested in holding customer data! To say I was shocked by such a blatant disregard for security procedures is an understatement.

I sent the company an email with my thoughts and concerns, and as of yet they have not answered. Another sign that this would not be a company to recommend.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in CRM, Privacy, Security, Software | No Comments »

Facebook, twitter and Privacy

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

This past week a bug in Facebook’s regular update process, private messages from a user were inadvertently sent out. There are many privacy concerns which each of us needs to take into consideration before we signup and use free services. Facebook, twitter, and other such companies offer superb tools for communication. But they are just that, tools. It is up to us to determine what should be posted or sent. Corporate accounts are generally the safest, but the company usage policy needs to be read to make sure email can be used for personal business. Also some companies may routinely go through a users email box for compliance reasons or to make sure there is no inappropriate or illicit material. Some people simply don’t care about privacy while others may not fully understand the possible ramifications of a message, email or photo getting into the wrong hands.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Life Management, Privacy, Security, Technology | No Comments »

Newer Entries »