Eight Ways to Defend Against Pretexting (acquiring of personal information under false pretences)

Pretexting (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) ...
Pretexting is the act of pretending to be someone who you are not, by telling an untruth, or creating deception. The practice of pretexting typically involves tricking a business into disclosing personal information of a customer, with the scammer pretending to be the customer.

The Ghost In The Browser -- Analysis of Web-based Malware
"As more users are connected to the Internet and conduct their daily activities electronically, computer users have become the target of an underground economy that infects hosts with malware or adware for financial gain. Unfortunately, even a single visit to an infected web site enables the attacker to detect vulnerabilities in the user’s applications and force the download a multitude of malware binaries. Frequently, this malware allows the adversary to gain full control of the compromised systems leading to the ex-filtration of sensitive information or installation of utilities that facilitate remote control of the host. We believe that such behavior is similar to our traditional understanding of botnets. However, the main difference is that web-based malware infections are pull-based and that the resulting command feedback loop is looser. To characterize the nature of this rising thread, we identify the four prevalent mechanisms used to inject malicious content on popular web sites: web server security, user contributed content, advertising and third-party widgets. for each of these areas, we present examples of abuse found on the Internet. Our aim is to present the state of malware on the Web and emphasize the importance of this rising threat."

TrueCrypt - FREE open-source disk encryption software for Windows XP/2000/2003 and Linux.

How Much Would Data Theft Cost You?
Calculate It online, using the Tech//404 Data Loss Cost Calculator
(a free, interactive tool designed to assess the impact of a data breach or identity theft data loss incident)

Is internet banking safe?
Each year online banking customers are being defrauded of millions of dollars. Can we keep the cyber crims from scamming us?

How to protect your cards and accounts online

10 Things Everyone Should Know About Bank Errors
Whether money is accidentally put in your account or taken out, this article can help you know what to do so your finances and those of others remain secure.

Fight Identity Theft Blog
100 Guides and Resources for Keeping Your Personal Information Safe

Identity Theft Protection Hub
Business Resources - Law Resources - Computer Security Resources - Background Checks Resources

ACCC - Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ...
Little black book of scams - The little black book of scams highlights a variety of popular scams that regularly target consumers and small business in areas such as fake lotteries, internet shopping, mobile phones, online banking, employment and investment opportunities. It also offers consumers tips on how to protect themselves from scams, what they can do to minimise damage if they do get scammed and how they can report a scam. >> The little black book of scams - PDF file direct download

Encrypt your files to keep them safe
When using a computer, privacy is paramount. And even more so if you run your own business. Discover how you can help protect private customer and financial information by using its Encrypting File System (EFS) with Windows XP Professional.

PC Flank's Tests ...
Browser Test - Trojans Test - Stealth Test - Advanced Port Scanner - Firewall Leaktest

Free Home Office/Personal Firewall Test and Free Business Server/Firewall Test
Firewall Leak Tester
Matousec's Comprehensive List and Analysis of Personal Windows Firewalls

Microsoft Strider URL Tracer with Typo-Patrol ...
When a user visits a Web site, her browser may be instructed to visit other third-party domains without her knowledge. Some of these third-party domains raise security, privacy, and safety concerns. The Strider URL Tracer, available for download here, is a tool that reveals these third-party domains, and it includes a Typo-Patrol feature that generates and scans sites that capitalize on inadvertent URL misspellings, a process known as typo-squatting. The tool also enables parents to block typo-squatting domains that serve adult ads on typos of children's Web sites.

Fundamental Computer Investigation Guide for Windows
This Solution Accelerator from Microsoft shows you how to use Windows SysInternals to investigate suspicious activity, and helps you determine when to turn over an investigation to law enforcement. The guide gives you best practices on how to collect, preserve, analyze, and report on key data using techniques that will stand up in a court of law.

Nessus
"The world's most popular vulnerability scanner used in over 75,000 organizations world-wide. Many of the world's largest organizations are realizing significant cost savings by using Nessus to audit business-critical enterprise devices and applications. The Nessus Project was started in 1998 to provide to the internet community a free, powerful, up-to-date and easy to use remote security scanner."

File Research Center -- Free File and Process Information
Provides a free scanning service to identify what is running on your computer, plus free information about safe and unsafe files, processes, services, spyware, adware, malware, trojans, and other programs that may be on your computer.

Safe online havens for kids
At a time when cyber stalking is daily news, it's no wonder parents are often confused about which websites they should let their children visit. But if you want to stay on top of what kids are doing online without being too intrusive, and be able to make occasional cool suggestions, read this article.

Microsoft's Windows Live Safety Center
(a FREE service designed to help ensure the health of your PC ... Check for and remove viruses, learn about threats, improve your PC's performance, get rid of junk on your hard disk)