RSSLexis Nexis, Identity Theft Worse Than Originally Thought
It appears that the numbers are much worse than first reported by in March of the Identity Theft of those who hacked into Nexis Lexis. Some 310,000 individuals are feared to have had their information stolen.
LexisNexis, which said in March that 32,000 people had been potentially affected by the breaches, will notify an additional 278,000 individuals whose data may have been stolen.
” … determined that its databases had been fraudulently breached 59 times using stolen passwords, leading to the possible theft of personal information such as addresses and Social Security numbers.”
We had originally posted on the identity theft story following the Choice Point breach. So far it appears than no one has reported a case of identity theft; however, the amount of people originally suspected to have been affected is alarmingly much greater than initially reported.
H/T: Drudge
Create your own South Park Character
Fun site to play with, create your own South Park Character.
.Scenes from a trip to Maine.
Hat Tip Michelle at A Small Victory.
EyeTrack, learn how to set up your site more effectively
This is an older article I had sitting up in the attic to post on. Years ago I studies Menu Design for restaurants. If you place your most profitable items in certain places on the menu, people would order them more often. When people look at a menu, they typically follow the same pattern. Top left, Bottom Left, Top Right, Bottom Right. And they tend to linger at top right the longest.
People also follow patterns when reading web pages.
This is the typically how people read a news web page.
Read the whole article here if you are interested in this combination of technology and psychology. If you have a business website, the knowledge may help you and your company.
My favorite quote from the article was this.
The Eyetrack III researchers discovered something important when testing headline and type size on homepages: Smaller type encourages focused viewing behavior (that is, reading the words), while larger type promotes lighter scanning.
Maybe I should shrink the type even more.
http://www.poynterextra.org/eyetrack2004/main.htm
Hat Tip Seth Godin
Do Not Open Microsoft Security Alert Email
If you get this email, just delete it.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A mass e-mail being circulated by hackers purporting to be a Microsoft Windows update alert directs computer users to a fake website where a Trojan virus is installed, security experts said.
AFP/HO/File PhotoThe security firm Websense said it began receiving reports this week of the e-mail claiming to be from Microsoft, coincidentally after the software giant announced it was making security updates.
“This e-mail spoofs users into thinking that they must update their Windows software,” Websense said.
“Upon clicking on the link, users are forwarded to a fraudulent website. This website is hosted in Australia, and was up at the time of this alert. The website appears very similar to the real Windows Update site.”
But when a user attempts to perform the update, a Trojan horse virus is installed that allows hackers access to the infected computers, the company said.
The British-based security firm Sophos also issued a warning about the scheme.
“This criminal campaign exploits the public’s rising paranoia about the security of their Windows computers. If users fall for it they may put themselves at risk of being spied upon or having their credit card and online banking details stolen,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.
“We have long recommended that computer users keep up-to-date with the latest security patches, as Microsoft vulnerabilities are often exploited by viruses, worms and hackers. But users must be very careful to be sure they are going to the official update websites, rather than just following links in emails which have been sent by hackers.”
Google Maps
Google Maps has to be one of the most enjoyable new toys on the internet. Make sure you are looking at the Satellite images.
For some areas you can see a much closer image than you could imagine, and also have the ability to drag the picture around to see what is not on the initial screen without having to reload the page.
Click on the image on the right to see where I was this past week. It is the East end of St. John in the Virgin Islands.
If you are looking for a great and relaxing vacation destination, there is no better place.
