Subscriber,

Welcome to the December edition of the UTS Newsletter.

Owners Corner

Holiday season is upon us, and with all that joy and cheer there is also scammers out to take advantage of the large amounts of money spent this time of the year. McAfee has released a great article titled the "The Twelve Scams of Christmas" I have copied in its entirety below in the hopes it will help all of you be a little safer, I hope you will share it with the people you care about too.

We would like to wish all of you a Safe and Happy Holidays!

It could happen to you.

Every month I comb through hundreds of news articles trying to keep up to date on technology. I take the most relevent ones you might be interested in and put them on our news feeds and monthly newsletter. This month the most interesting article I found really isn't that interesting on the surface.

Hackers steal credit-card numbers from Restaurant Customers - A Downtown restaurant in Columbus, Ohio had between 30 and 50 customers who's credit card info was stolen by russian hackers and used for fraudulent charges so far.

So whats that have to do with you?  Hackers will go for the weakest security, large companies with thier IT Staff have thousands to spend securing thier networks, so that means your non-firewall router designed for home use with the default settings and no security software are prime for an attack. How much time, effort, and experience do you think the local Police have to chase international hacking rings? Only basic security measures and almost no chance of them getting caught make you a giant bullseye, now do you see why you are a target? Do you want to be front page of the local newspaper because this happened to you?

First Smartphone Virus

Internet worm is going around infecting Apple iPhones.

As our phones get more like pocket computers, and with the fact they are always online this was bound to happen. But do you need to worry? The short answer is if you have not "jail-broken" your phone you are safe. If you don't know what "jail-broken" is you are probably safe unless you let a techy friend play with your phone to make it do "cool things". And if you have "jail-broken" your phone then you need to change the SSH password to a strong one, and you should be technical enough to do this.

99% of those reading this E-mail will be confused at all the weird technical terms I used above,  but thats good news because it means you are safe so you can relax.

Interesting Articles

Here are some of the best articles we have posted in the past month to our website and news feeds, for more up to the minute news visit our website, Facebook page, or twitter feed.

• How to Avoid Malware on Facebook and Twitter: 8 Best Practices
• Pop-up warning? Be careful what you're clicking
• Small firms more susceptible to cyber crime

You can have your own Newsletter

One of my clients was so excited about our newsletter that she wanted to know how she could have her own newsletter to notify clients about important news, and let them know when deadlines were approaching.

So I opened up the system we use for newsletters to clients, it allows you to easily make your own newsletter while allowing you to track who has opened it and what links they followed. The system does not require you to be a techy, if you can use Microsoft Word you can make a newsletter. And best of all it is inexpensive, you can send a newsletter to 500 people for less then the cost of a steak dinner.

Give us a call at (772)539-7667 if you would like to learn more.

Featured Client - Gwen Landers, E.A.

Gwen and the staff of Gwen Landers, EA have been serving the accounting/tax needs of Vero Beach and beyond for the past 15 years.

Our bookkeeping division is equipped to handle all your business needs such as QuickBooks data posting, payroll services, bill pay and then on to monthly financial statements. We then are ready to take you through the gamut of preparing and e-filing your Federal Tax Returns.

Gwen is a licensed IRS Enrolled Agent and qualified to assist with all your tax needs.

Currently our office is expanding into technology via quarterly e-mails to our clients with the help of Unified Technology Solutions. We are excited about our targeted first mailing in January, 2010. Watch for yours in "The Mail"!

"UTS has been using Gwen's Services since we opened for business and have always found her staff to be both helpful and knowledgeable."
- Brian Cook

"The Twelve Scams of Christmas", Popular Online Attacks This Holiday Season

Cybercriminals Take Advantage of the Holiday Season, Aiming to Steal Consumers’ Money, Identities and Financial Information

SANTA CLARA, Calif., November 19, 2009 - As cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee, Inc. (NYSE:MFE) today revealed the “Twelve Scams of Christmas” – the twelve most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season. According to Consumer Reports’ 2009 State of the Net Survey, cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past two years, and McAfee warns consumers not to fall victim to the top scams this year.

“Cybercriminals’ use their best schemes during the holidays to steal people’s money, credit card information, social security number and identity,” said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. “These thieves follow seasonal trends and create holiday-related Web sites, scams and other convincing e-mails that can trick even the most cautious users.”

McAfee’s Twelve Scams of Christmas

Scam I: Charity Phishing Scams – Be Careful Who You Give To

During the holiday season, hackers take advantage of citizens’ generosity by sending e-mails that appear to be from legitimate charitable organizations. In reality, they are fake Web sites designed to steal donations, credit card information and the identities of donors.

Scam II: Fake Invoices from Delivery Services to Steal Your Money

During the holidays, cybercriminals often send fake invoices and delivery notifications appearing to be from Federal Express, UPS or the U.S. Customs Service. They e-mail consumers asking for credit card details to credit back the account, or require users to open an online invoice or customs form to receive the package. Once completed, the person’s information is stolen or malware is automatically installed on their computer.

Scam III: Social Networking – A Cybercriminal “Wants to be Your Friend”

Cybercriminals take advantage of this social time of the year by sending authentic-looking “New Friend Request” e-mails from social networking sites. Internet users should beware that clicking on links in these e-mails can automatically install malware on computers and steal personal information.

Scam IV: The Dangers of Holiday E-Cards

Cyber thieves cash in on consumers who send holiday e-cards in an effort to be environmentally conscious. Last holiday season, McAfee Labs discovered a worm masked as Hallmark e-cards and McDonald’s and Coca-Cola holiday promotions. Holiday-themed PowerPoint e-mail attachments are also popular among cybercriminals. Be careful what you click on.

Scam V: “Luxury” Holiday Jewelry Comes at a High Price

McAfee Labs recently uncovered a new holiday campaign that leads shoppers to malware-ridden sites offering “discounted” luxury gifts from Cartier, Gucci, and Tag Heuer. Cybercriminals even use fraudulent logos of the Better Business Bureau to trick shoppers into buying products they never receive.

Scam VI: Practice Safe Holiday Shopping – Online Identity Theft on the Rise

Forrester Research Inc. predicts online holiday sales will increase this year, as more bargain hunters turn to the Web for deals. While users shop and surf on open hotspots, hackers can spy on their activity in an attempt to steal their personal information. McAfee tells users never to shop online from a public computer or on an open Wi-Fi network.

Scam VII: Christmas Carol Lyrics Can Be Dangerous – Risky Holiday Searches

During the holidays, hackers create fraudulent holiday-related Web sites for people searching for a holiday ringtone or wallpaper, Christmas carol lyrics or a festive screensaver. Downloading holiday-themed files may infect one’s computer with spyware, adware or other malware. McAfee found one Christmas carol download site that led searchers to adware, spyware and other potentially unwanted programs.

Scam VIII: Out of Work – Job-Related E-mail Scams

The U.S. unemployment rate recently spiked to 10.2 per cent, the highest level since 1983. Scammers are preying on desperate job-seekers in the poor economy, with the promise of high-paying jobs and work-from-home moneymaking opportunities. Once interested persons submit their information and pay their “set-up” fee, hackers steal their money instead of following through on the promised employment opportunity.

Scam IX: Outbidding for Crime – Auction Site Fraud

Scammers often lurk on auction sites during the holiday season. Buyers should beware of auction deals that appear too good to be true, because often times these purchases never reach their new owner.

Scam X: Password Stealing Scams

Password theft is rampant during the holidays, as thieves use low-cost tools to uncover a person’s password and send out malware to record keystrokes, called keylogging. Once criminals have access to one or more passwords, they gain vast access to consumers’ bank and credit card details and clean out accounts within minutes. They also commonly send out spam from a user’s account to their contacts.

Scam XI: E-Mail Banking Scams

Cybercriminals trick consumers into divulging their bank details by sending official-looking e-mails from financial institutions. They ask users to confirm their account information, including a user name and password, with a warning that their account will become invalid if they do not comply. Then they often sell this information through an underground online black market.

McAfee Labs believes cybercriminals are more actively scamming consumers with this tactic during the holidays since people are monitoring their purchases closely.

Scam XII: Your Files for Ransom – Ransomware Scams

Hackers gain control of people’s computers through several of these holiday scams. They then act as virtual kidnappers to hijack computer files and encrypt them, making them unreadable and inaccessible. The scammer holds the user’s files ransom by demanding payment in exchange for getting them back.

McAfee advises Internet users to follow these five tips to protect their computers and personal information:

1. Never Click on Links in E-Mails: Go directly to a company or charity’s Web site by typing in the address or using a search engine. Never click on a link in an e-mail.

2. Use Updated Security Software: Protect your computer from malware, spyware, viruses and other threats with updated security suites. McAfee® Total Protection software provides fully-featured protection from current and emerging threats. It also comes built in with McAfee SiteAdvisor® technology, a safe search toolbar to warn consumers of a Web site’s safety rating as well as phishing protection. It uses intuitive red, yellow and green checkmarks to rate potentially dangerous Web sites when searched on Google, Yahoo! or Bing.

3. Shop and Bank on Secure Networks: Only check bank accounts or shop online on secure networks at home or work, wired or wireless. Wi-Fi networks should always be password-protected so hackers cannot gain access to them and spy on online activity.

Also, remember to only shop on Web sites that begin with https://, instead of http://, and seek out Web sites with security trustmarks, like McAfee SECURE™.

4. Use Different Passwords: Never use the same passwords for several online accounts. Diversify passwords and use a complex combination of letters, numbers and symbols.

5. Use Common Sense: If you are ever in doubt that an offer or product is not legitimate, do not click on it. Cybercriminals are behind many of the seemingly “good” deals on the Web, so exercise caution when searching and buying.

If you think you may be a victim of cybercrime, visit McAfee’s Cybercrime Response Unit to assess your risks and learn what to do next at www.mcafee.com/cru.