Friday, May 22, 2009

New Scam, this time it is in the E-Mails

Just pulled this out of the OCSO web site....

Cyber-Security Tips


IRS Phishing Email



This one references the IRS stimulus checks that you may have received last year. The email tries to get a user to click on the link because ‘you didn’t get all of the money you were entitled to’ on the last round of checks. (I’ve pasted a copy of the email below and removed the link so no one can ‘accidentally’ click on it) J The spelling and grammar are very good on this one (usually, bad spelling/grammar are a dead give way with these type emails) but when I dug deeper into the ‘www4irs.gov’ link, it actually went to a computer in Sweden. So unless the IRS has a field office in Vasteras, Sweden; I’m betting it is malicious.

I attempted to visit the site via a ‘hardened’ computer that I keep around just for these occasions and found that the website is currently down. Many times this is the case because a hacker will compromise a computer, set a fake site up, it gets discovered pretty quickly and then the site is shut down. The hackers will then just compromise another computer and repeat the process again. They are attempting to collect personal or account information so it doesn’t take too many successful hits for them to reap a profit.

Anyway, this is just a heads up if you see one of these in your email boxes. As always, as long as you don’t click the links or open any of the attachments that may be included, you’ll be fine.

With all of the Rain

Today while I went for a short drive I noticed that there were several sprinklers going, even with all of the rain. I don't know if anybody from Orange County would send out a ticket or a warning on using the sprinklers or not. I just want to let everybody know that even with all of the rain we have been getting we are still in bad shape with our water supply, so please check your sprinklers so you do not get the notice, this is just a friendly reminder..... thank you, Dave

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Crime Stats for April 2009

Crime Case Number Address Inc Date
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090042635 3000 CLARCONA RD 2009/05/01
STRONG ARM TO PERSON 090041274 E 15TH ST 2009/04/30
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090040916 1623 SUNSET VIEW CI 2009/04/29
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090040306 1647 SUNSET VIEW CI 2009/04/27
STOLEN VEHICLE 090040119 1551 FOXDEN RD 2009/04/26
AUTO BURGLARY 090039494 2209 ORCHARD DR 2009/04/25
AUTO BURGLARY 090039495 2209 ORCHARD DR 2009/04/25
AUTO BURGLARY 090039993 712 JEFFCOAT ST 2009/04/25
AUTO BURGLARY 090040140 1511 ABIGAIL DR 2009/04/24
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090038883 6 PATMORE ASH WY 2009/04/23
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090038825 46 W 13TH ST 2009/04/23
AUTO BURGLARY 090038293 617 HERB HUDSON CT 2009/04/21
STOLEN VEHICLE 090037971 553 MARDEN MEADOWS DR 2009/04/20
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090037505 3000 CLARCONA RD 2009/04/19
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090037502 3000 CLARCONA RD 2009/04/19
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090038354 213 E 15TH ST 2009/04/19
AUTO BURGLARY 090037081 513 E MC CORMICK RD 2009/04/18
AUTO BURGLARY 090037082 513 E MC CORMICK RD 2009/04/18
AUTO BURGLARY 090037199 1568 SUNSET VIEW CI 2009/04/18
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090037094 12 W 17TH ST 2009/04/18
AUTO BURGLARY 090037083 513 E MC CORMICK RD 2009/04/18
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090037070 1302 S CENTRAL AV 2009/04/17
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090036812 717 CHEETAH TL 2009/04/17
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090036384 1718 GAYLE RIDGE DR 2009/04/16
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090036498 236 W 17TH ST 2009/04/16
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090036548 2128 ORCHARD DR 2009/04/15
STOLEN VEHICLE 090036743 5 S AURORA DR 2009/04/15
ARMED TO PERSON 090035704 E 11TH ST 2009/04/14
STOLEN VEHICLE 090034824 36 E 13TH ST 2009/04/11
ARMED TO PERSON 090034607 148 E 12TH ST 2009/04/10
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090034384 7317 COUNTRY VIEW TR 2009/04/10
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090035333 240 MAINE AV 2009/04/10
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090034373 1463 S HAWTHORNE AV 2009/04/09
AUTO BURGLARY 090032725 W 17TH ST 2009/04/04
STOLEN VEHICLE 090032395 3000 CLARCONA RD 2009/04/03
STOLEN VEHICLE 090032197 3000 CLARCONA RD 2009/04/02
AUTO BURGLARY 090031859 1724 IMPERIAL PALM DR 2009/04/01

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

BOLO, New Scam

This BOLO,(Bent Oak Look Out) is a new scam that is around, please be on guard... Dave

Fake security guy
running scam
Last Edited: Wednesday, 29 Apr 2009, 5:22 PM EDT
Created On: Wednesday, 29 Apr 2009, 4:56 PM EDT

By SHAY HARRIS | FOX 35 News
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A bogus security guy is knocking on doors trying to rip people off saying he's with ADT but he's not.

For fifteen years Jeff Saeli has lived in the Waterford Chase community. He says it’s a nice neighborhood; but, not immune to crime. So he wasn’t surprised when a con-man came calling this week. “He came around right at the time we were sit down for dinner, he knocked on the door. He mentioned to me that he was here because of increased crime in the area and that ADT had sent them out and to write a service for us.”

Saeli says the stranger wore an ADT security uniform and went door to door pretending to make a sales and upgrades. “First of all there shouldn’t be any solicitation in this neighborhood I believe it’s on one of the signs on the subdivision; I don’t usually talk to people who come to the door.”

Saeli was not sure whether the man was able to convince anyone to give him money or access to their homes; but, the man didn’t get past his front door. “I’m suspicious of anyone coming to the door anyhow and I don’t like people coming to the door anyhow and I don’t let people in the house and I don’t previously set up so I told him I wasn’t interested, he was little insistent I told him no thank you he went on his way.”

FOX 35 has calls into the Orange County Sheriff's Office to find out what they're doing about the bogus security workers. Meanwhile, an ADT spokesperson says the company would never send someone to your home on a cold-call without making an appointment.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

NEW E-MAIL VIRUS

Hi Just got this from AARP.... Dave

E-mails promising Viagra discounts or dates with Russian models used to be the preferred way to get personal financial information from recipients. Now hackers have devised an ingenious way to unleash an identity-stealing computer virus from about the last place you’d expect an online attack: a parking lot.

Scammers place phony parking tickets on cars, which direct their owners to an “official” website that claims to have photos of the alleged violation. Once they go to the website, victims inadvertently download a nasty virus that can quickly cost them plenty.

Several drivers in Grand Forks, N.D., found tickets on cars they had parked at a shopping mall, hospital, grocery store or college campus. Some went to the designated website—and their computers were compromised.

“This very clever ploy bridges the [real] world with the virtual world, and I fear we’ll be seeing more of these types of attacks in the future,” says Lenny Zeltser, a computer security expert who uncovered the scam after a former student who lives in Grand Forks told him about a phony parking ticket.

After analyzing the virus website, Zeltser found that its potential dangers include:

Tricking you into buying fake antivirus software. The website instructs you to install a program to see photos of your car. The program then produces a message that announces your computer has a virus, and you’re offered worthless “repair” software for $50 or more.
Capturing user keystrokes to reveal your online passwords and account numbers. “If you do online banking,” Zeltser says, “this allows scammers access to your accounts, and they can remotely wire money from them.”
Enslaving the infected computer as a “bot” that can be used remotely to disseminate spam and gain access to other websites you visit. “You may never know your computer has become a bot, except that it might be slow or acting sluggishly,” Zeltser says.
Thus far, the parking ticket ploy has reportedly occurred only in Grand Forks, but Zeltser believes the scam will spread. Unlike other malware attacks, it doesn’t depend on you to open a corrupted e-mail sent by a stranger. Instead, it provides bait to lead you right to the virus, a gambit that he says “can be very lucrative for hackers.” How can you protect yourself?

Avoid unfamiliar websites. “Don’t visit a strange website simply because you get an e-mail or letter telling you to,” Zeltser says. “And if you do, never download or install new programs there unless you are sure you can trust the source.”
Be wary of dot-com cons. One giveaway on the parking ticket website: It ended in “.com.” Online addresses of most police and other official agencies end in “.gov.”
Consider a “security suite.” These newer protection programs—from McAfee and Norton—cost about $20 more than traditional antivirus and antispyware software, which may not find such malicious programs.
To learn more about online security, visit www.staysafeonline.org or www.onguardonline.gov. Report suspicious e-mails or websites to www.ic3.gov, and identity theft attempts to www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Up To Date Crime Stats

Crime Case Number Address IncDate
STOLEN VEHICLE 090032395 3000 CLARCONA RD 2009/04/03
STOLEN VEHICLE 090032197 3000 CLARCONA RD 2009/04/02
AUTO BURGLARY 090031859 1724 IMPERIAL PALM DR 2009/04/01
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090031164 42 W 13TH ST 2009/03/31
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090030887 1555 STEFAN COLE LN 2009/03/30
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090030289 1367 ORANGE ST 2009/03/28
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090030174 51 W 12TH ST 2009/03/27
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090029918 2462 CIMMARON ASH WY 2009/03/27
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090029088 50 W 13TH ST 2009/03/25
STOLEN VEHICLE 090028662 1922 HAPERON ST 2009/03/24
STRONG ARM TO PERSON 090027964 1812 PEGASUS DR 2009/03/21
COMMERCIAL BURGLARY 090028417 2 W 18TH ST 2009/03/20
COMMERCIAL BURGLARY 090028319 2601 LAKEVILLE RD 2009/03/20
AUTO BURGLARY 090029885 537 W ELLA J GILMORE ST 2009/03/20
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090032739 1030 E SANDPIPER ST 2009/03/19
HOME INVASION 090027297 1956 CLARCONA RD 2009/03/19
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090027416 710 SWAYING PALM DR 2009/03/19
AUTO BURGLARY 090026719 1327 PEACH ST 2009/03/17
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090025090 113 W 17TH ST 2009/03/13
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY 090025054 527 ROGER WILLIAMS RD 2009/03/12
AUTO BURGLARY 090024540 2110 S AURORA DR 2009/03/12

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

CONFLICKER WORM INFO

Here is some information on the new worm called CONFLICKER..... Dave


Personal computers and laptops already infected with Conficker could automatically be linked to the servers operated by the hackers.
By Mc Nelly Torres | South Florida Sun-sentinel
9:35 PM EDT, March 30, 2009
Cyber security experts are warning that a new variation of Conficker, a fast-spreading computer worm also known as Downadup, could attack millions of computers on Wednesday -- April Fool's Day.

Personal computers and laptops already infected with Conficker could automatically be linked to the servers operated by the hackers.

Esteban O. Farao, a consultant with Enterprise Risk Management, a Miami security consulting company, said the worm is not destroying files or stealing data, but it has the capability to do so.

"The main concern about this worm is that it is capable of downloading additional code from the hacker's Web site or through a peer-to-peer connection," Farao said. "Consequently it can bring more functionalities or receive instructions."

Experts say it's unknown whether the worm will cause havoc or merely turn out to be an April's Fool prank. But people can protect their computers by using security software.

Howard Schmidt, a former White House cyber security adviser, said computer users need to download an application of Microsoft software to detect and disable the worm. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AD724AE0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en

Experts also advise keeping your security applications and operating systems updated.
"The most interesting thing about this worm is that every time someone finds out a way to get rid of the worm, it reinvents itself with more rigor and better technology," Schmidt said.

Authorities have not identified the culprits behind the worm or their intentions. Microsoft has offered a $250,000 reward to bring the Conficker creator to justice.

The Conficker worm, which has infected 10 million computers outside the United States, is a program that exploits weaknesses in Microsoft's Windows operating system including Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

The worm surfaced last November in computers on weak networks such as those in coffee shops, airport or offices. The second variation can spread via shared networks, including removable drives such as USB devices.

This worm also blocks infected systems from downloading new security software or receiving updates for security software. After attacking, it connects to a server where it receives instructions to propagate and gather personal information. Conficker creates a back door in the system where the worm can download and install additional programs.

Albert Whale, owner of ABS Computer Technology Inc., a Pittsburgh company that offers computer consulting services, said experts think the hackers are making money by getting information to send spam or attack people they don't like.

"Hackers spend 24 hours a day perfecting their craft," Whale said. "People don't even spend an hour a week securing their computers."

Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.