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    February 4th, 2009

    ♫  It’s a heartache
    Nothing but a heartache

    Hits you when it’s too late
    Hits you when you’re down…

    Words and Music by Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, recorded by Bonnie Tyler.

    I received an email newsletter from PCTools today (the developer of the  Spyware Doctor anti-virus suite) that chilled my heart.  For the record, I have no relationship with PCTools other than being a satisfied customer.

    They relayed the story of  John who, on Valentine’s Day, clicked on an e-card link. This Valentine’s Day link caused his computer to shut down, but not before it infected his computer, stole his credit card and banking information and mailed itself to his contacts in his address book.

    As a result he had to cancel his credit cards, close his bank accounts and inform his contacts that he had been infected and telling them not to open the dangerous email.

    PCTools gives a list of how to stay safe this Valentines’ Day:

    • Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender and do not click on any links provided. Run up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software with behavioural protection – such as Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus.
    • Ensure your software is up-to-date and run Smart Updates regularly.
    • Keep the programs running in the background at all times.
    • Use common sense.

    Even if you run a Mac, if you are running Windows inside VMWare, Parallels, Crossover or other Windows emulator, you could be susceptible.  After all, no one wants a heartache at Valentine’s Day.

    This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 10:52 am and is filed under Fraud and theft, Issues facing Law Firms, Technology, Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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