Michael Gracie

One of the benefits of using a standalone MovableType install over a hosted solution is the substantial amount of control you get over comments and trackbacks. The bad thing about it is all the spam you get, but with additional tools such as MT-Blacklist and SpamLookup the job gets a lot easier very quickly.

Now, Typepad users are about to get some additional additional features to manage comment and trackbacks as well.
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According to a recent report out of McAfee, the average web user has 3 adware applications on their machine. The data was gleaned from McAfee’s VirusScan Online user statistics, and since the service is for Windows machines, “average web user” of course excludes everyone running OS X and Linux.

While it usually takes a few different anti-spyware tool installs to ensure you are rid of the nasties, you may be best off sticking with some of the bigger names. There are some lesser known anti-spyware apps floating around that claim to be ridding you of spyware, but are really just a ploy to get you to buy a subscription. As if figuring out the difference between spyware, adware, and malware wasn’t already hard enough (thanks in no small part to all the babble coming from the purveyors), we now have “ransomware” to ad to the list.
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Timely and not unexpected, the summer months are ringing in waves of bikini buying, and a pack of spam aimed at women trying to slim down into them.

Ladies, watch out for headlines like “No Room For Thunder Thighs In a Bikini,” and pitches for dietary supplements and fat absorbing body wraps. They don’t work, and you know it.

According to a recent report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, developing nations cannot make any headway in the fight against spam.

Short on bandwidth, money, and know-how, developing countries are get pummeled much easier than places like the US. It [spam] is inhibiting unfettered internet use, and attracting spammers to set up shop in their lands. And entire ISPs in some countries are getting blocked by RBLs, like in the case of Costa Rican ISP Radiografica Costarricense S.A. (racsa.co.cr). Ouch.

Hot on the heals of handing a pile of data over to crooks, Bank of America is launching a new identity theft protection initiative targeting users of their internet banking services.

The new service, dubbed SiteKey, uses a combination of an image, user-created phrase and three challenge questions to authenticate both the customer’s identity and the authenticity of Bank of America’s Web site when customers log on.

Techdirt called the reaction to identity theft misguided, and I have to say that this latest from Bank of America seems right in line. Create some spin around the lack of internet security and how you are going to solve that, while customer data flies out the back door.

I have been fretting for weeks about computer storage. While I tend to get rid of any physical items I don’t need anymore, I am a total pack rat when it comes to data. I have saved every company and client file I ever produced, as well as digitized every document back to my kindergarten report cards. So my office is obsessively neat, but I consume hard drive space like Chevy Suburbans consume gasoline.

Yesterday, I decided to do something about it (again), and when I saw a post on eBay for a new Acomdata 160 GB firewire/USB 2 combo external hard drive, at $90 shipped, I had to jump on it.

Then this morning, I received an unexpected email that made the effort seem oh so worthwhile.
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First off, I hope everyone in the US has a great Memorial Day Holiday. I will be stuck in the office, cranking down Spamroll’s email filters, awaiting the inevitable.

I figure that if a fraud expert running a fraud website can fall victim to credit card crime, then why can’t an idiot (like me) running a spam site, well, wind up getting a bunch of spam?!

The fact is, that if you are running Windows, don’t have firewall, anti-virus, and a couple of anti-spyware packages running, don’t have much of an anti-spam filter, and are connected via broadband, chances are that zombie PC is right in front of you.

But just in case you do loose it, there is hope.

Along with the FTC’s push to get ISPs to shut down zombie machines, there is now a new tool available in the latest rendition of Dawn of the Dead.
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As it is turning out, the authorities in New Jersey are all over the huge scam to steal bank customer data that recently took place.

The good guys are saying that they have now apprehended more at least 10 individuals involved in the operation, including several present and former employees of the bank victims.

An inside job, eh?