I’m going to go out on a very sturdy limb here and assume that if you’re a reader of this blog, then your business probably has a Web site and risking it even more, I’m going to assume you sell your products and services through it.

If I’m wrong, shame on you!. If not, then I recommend you go and read this article on NFIB.com about why you need a Web site. After you read the article, I invite you to go to smSmallBiz.com and read about how to keep your Web site secure, especially against common threats that pervade websites. The article offers nine tips to help keep hackers at bay.

Employee education might be the best tool for fighting invasion of computer networks. While malware has dominated the security conversation in the past year, the growing strength of botnets — systems of thousands or even millions of personal computers networked together and controlled for cybercrime — has even the most experienced in the Internet security industry concerned.

An estimated 70 percent to 90 percent of the world’s spam is now due to botnets, and an estimated 11 percent of computers connected to the Internet contain botnet programs.

More abundant than ever, botnets are becoming sophisticated at quickly scanning a computer for important financial and corporate data. They often fly under the radar, because they rarely affect the performance of the computers they infect, and since they create a large network of computers, they can segregate roles-with some computers acting as “communicators” and others as “doers.”

While a botnet is usually complex, the best solution may be to educate users on best practices, combined with a defense-in-depth strategy. The battle against botnets may come down to ensuring that Bob in marketing knows not to click on an enticing e-mail link, while making sure that well-established security solutions such as intrusion-prevention solutions and firewalls are used correctly.

Employees need to be made fully aware of the possible consequences of clicking on a link regardless of how legitimate it appears. Hackers have the means of finding and using personal and localized information to convince the recipient that an email was addressed to him.

Malware can even spread unintentionally through e-mails coming from friends and colleagues. Therefore, users should not only know whether to trust the person sending the e-mail, they should also have certain knowledge that the person had a clear intent to include an attachment or link. The same rules apply for the use of…

As more Americans use wireless networks everywhere from coffee shops and airports to libraries, the FBI has begun warning that hackers are increasingly lurking nearby to steal identities and pilfer bank accounts through unsecured Wi-Fi systems.

Unlike wired systems, which use cables to transport information through the Internet, Wi-Fi uses radio waves that industry leaders say are inherently more vulnerable.

And with an estimated 68,000 Wi-Fi “hot spots” in the United States now, and many more on their way, users are unaware that some of those sites, including entire cities and towns, might be unsecured.

While there are no exact numbers of individuals who might have fallen victim to such scams, the FBI is warning that information exchanged over those waves can be intercepted. And that means cyberthieves will be waiting to pounce.

“Make sure you’re connecting to the town and not a guy who happens to be in town,” Bryan Duchene, an FBI cybercrimes supervisor in Los Angeles, said of towns offering free Wi-Fi service.

After setting up shop at or near Wi-Fi hot spots, criminals can access personal information from users of unsecured servers who don’t have adequate safeguards on their computers.

Another ploy takes advantage of the fact that some laptops, by default, will log on to the strongest signal when searching for a wireless connection. For a laptop user sitting at Starbucks, that signal might belong to a legitimate-looking, but bogus, server operated by a hacker, Duchene said.

“If the bad guy happens to be sitting two tables over and he’s broadcasting a (stronger) signal, it’ll override what you’re trying to get to,” he said.

Once in, a hacker can steal passwords and credit-card information and install viruses, worms and other malicious software or malware on a computer that can spread to other systems you run.

Duchene recommends that Wi-Fi users change their settings so…

Seems the hackers have found a way to work around CAPTCHA - the once great hope of stopping bots from spamming. SEW Forum member, Sitetruth, notes that there are now programs being offered that work around the filter.

So if you notice a lot of spam coming from Gmail accounts and hacks of Blogspot you will know why. Even the spam fight over at Craigslist is getting to be a major problem according to TechDirt.

Matt Cutts’ team over at Google must be working over time on this one. I have been noticing bounces off my Gmail account in my spam folder - hey this has always been a problem, but if bots are out there creating millions of “soon to be spamming” accounts - then Gmail may start getting blacklisted by various email filters.

Hackers have always been part of the internet landscape. Gaming systems is almost part of the lore of the web - at least in the regular media. No doubt many of the ‘Black Hats’ grew up with a steady diet of movies where the hacker is the hero’s sidekick. Virtually all the people I know begrudgingly admit the skills used to hack systems is impressive… but most also see them living in their parents’ basements.

Hey guys the weather is gorgeous today. Step away from the computers and go outside. Life in the light feels good and it is a lot of fun interacting with flesh.

Leave Craigslist alone. It is such a globally shared egalitarian resource - that it should be an “all hat colors free zone”.

Matt if you need any input or help from this community just let us know.

I don’t know if you have seen movies wherein hackers or some information technology thief before doing some intricate on-line attack sometimes scours for information from garbage bins. They are looking for vital information from electricity bills, phone bills, shopping bills, credit card statements, tax files, medical records, to mention a few. The purpose is to ultimately use them for hacking a person or a company’s bank account or web portal.

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