Coenraad De Beer - EzineArticles.com Expert Author

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Coenraad started as a part-time web designer back in September 2005. In April 2006 he founded Cyber Top Cops and has focused on Internet Security since then. His main goal is to empower the general Internet community with the knowledge to stay safe and secure on the Internet and to take a stand against spam and cyber fraud. He often reviews security applications like anti-malware products, firewalls, spam filters, etc. With experience in spam and scam ... [More]

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How to Spot a 419 Scam
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] 419 scams come in different forms and flavours but they all have their sights on one goal only, your money. In this article we will take a look at the importance of spotting a 419 scam and what to look for in a 419 scam.

Streetwise Guide to PC Security
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Proper PC security demands common sense, vigilance and responsible Internet use. Failure to meet these demands will leave you exposed and vulnerable in the war against cyber crime.

Is There Still a Future For Anti-Virus Software?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] More and more people are starting to support the idea that people should stop using anti-virus applications, because they are basically useless against today's fast evolving malware threats. If your only line of defence becomes ineffective, is it really that wise to break it down?

I Need A Proxy, Everybody Wants A Proxy!
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Everybody is looking for proxies these days. Do a search for the phrase "I need a proxy" and you'll see what I'm talking about. Requests for the latest proxies are normally encountered on Q&A communities like Yahoo! Answers, WikiAnswers and Answerbag, but you will also find people on forums, constantly asking for the latest proxy to bypass Internet filters at school or at work. Unfortunately, these people fail to realise that firewalls and Internet filters are there for a reason.

How Did They Get My Email Address?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Spam-Blocker] Unsolicited commercial e-mail, more commonly known as spam, can be seen as another form of e-mail fraud. Spammers use clever and misleading techniques to collect and verify e-mail addresses, yes, that 'innocent' spam e-mail, advertising the next technological breakthrough, uses misleading marketing techniques to entice the reader to click on a link, buy a bunch of junk or some dangerous substance or even infect your PC with malware. No matter what the spam e-mail is trying to market, the only goal of the spammer, aside from making money, is to take the recipient for a ride.

419 Scammers Using Google Search to Find New Victims?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] I've heard of phishing scammers using Google Maps to reveal the location of a victim, but I haven't heard of scammers using Google Search to find the e-mail addresses of possible prospects for advance fee fraud. However I was surprised to find such a search when I browsed through the visitor statistics of my website the other day.

Spam - Report it or Prevent it?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Is there any merit in reporting spam? Should we rather focus on prevention of spam? Fact is, we should focus on both.

Reconciling Parental Control Software with Internet Security Principles
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Conventional parental control software is a security risk on its own. Parents often fail to identify the underlying risks of Internet monitoring software, but what do you use if you want to monitor your child's activity on the Internet?

PC Security DIY Part I - Malware - The Most Wanted Cyber Criminal
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] During September 2007, several anti-scammer websites fell victim to DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks by the Storm botnet. The comments made on blogs and news sites about these attacks, made it clear once again that cyber security experts are well aware of the dangers of malware infections, which are the backbone of any botnet, as well as the impact these infections have on the online industry. The fact that security experts realise these problems is all good and well, but it does not really help addressing the problem. Normal computer users need to understand the implications of malware infections as well, but more importantly, they have to carry the consequences of their actions if they refuse to take appropriate preventative measures against malware.

Choose Your E-mail Address Carefully
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Did you know that it is important to choose the right name for your electronic mailbox? Very few people realise it and therefore expose themselves to things like identity theft, phishing and yes you guessed it, annoying spam.

Fighting Spam - Is It A Loosing Battle?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Spam-Blocker] A loyal reporter of spam asked me the other day whether we are fighting a loosing battle against spam. He goes out of his way to report several spam e-mails every day, not the normal routine of spotting a spam e-mail and forwarding it, no this guy did his homework before he went out on a crusade to battle spam. Because I know what hard work it is to take action against spam, I can understand why he asked this question. After a hard day of fighting spam, you come to the conclusion that all your attempts are in vain. Abuse departments never reply to your reports and the volumes of spam hitting your mailbox seem to magically increase as you report more spam. So you are left with only one unanswered question, are we fighting a loosing battle?

Pay Close Attention To The URL's In Your E-mails
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] More and more phishing scammers are starting to use clever eye-deceiving techniques with the URL's in phishing e-mails, making victims believe that the URL belongs to the real company portrayed in the fake e-mail. If you receive e-mails from your bank or other financial institutions, look twice before you click on any links.

Security Flaw Announcements - The Wrong Way Of Doing The Right Thing
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] The latest security flaws in the world of software are always popular topics for online discussions, newsletters and articles. Discovering the latest security flaw in a popular application is still the most favorite pastime for many freelance journalists and technical gurus. The problem does not lie in the disclosure of the flaws as such, the problem lies in the approach towards the disclosure as well as the timing of the disclosure.

Adult Related Content - Fuel For Spyware And Spam
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] People can’t thank you enough when you helped them to get rid of spyware from their computer. But this gratefulness soon changes to disgruntlement when you tell them they need to stay away form their favourite porn websites, 3d sex games, sexy desktop mates and screen savers if they do not want to fall victim to another spyware attack. For these people it is too much to sacrifice, but what they don’t realise or don’t want to accept, is that all these things are not worth the damage they may cause.

Internet Security Is More About Prevention Than Disinfection
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Almost everywhere you go on the Internet, you come across victims of malware, hackers, phishing attacks and e-mail scams. These victims turn up like wounded civilians at all the malware removal forums and the security divisions of community driven web sites, seeking for help and advice to recover from the damages caused by these malicious threats. It is like a war ground, claiming casualties everyday. As with any war, you suffer a lot of casualties when you allow the enemy to get past your defences and it is even worse when you have no defences at all

Scammers With A Death Wish
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Scammers come up with the craziest ideas these days. It is hard to believe that people still fall for the ridiculous e-mail scams in circulation all over the web. It is even harder to comprehend how scammers think they are going to swindle people into believing their devious lies and unbelievable stories. Unfortunately, online scams are a harsh reality. On the one side you have innocent, uninformed victims walking into the traps of merciless con artists and on the other side you have scammers following a "shoot in the dark with a shotgun" approach to claim as many victims as possible.

Spammers Replying To E-Mail You Did Not Send
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Spam-Blocker] Spammers are always on the lookout for ways to bypass our spam filters. Lately they have been very successful at this, because many people are complaining that tons of e-mails are getting past their spam filters. Spammers are combining old techniques with new ones, making it hard for even the most advanced and best trained Bayesian spam filter to keep junk mail out of our mailboxes.

United Against Cyber Crime
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Two heads are better than one. This is true and this is what we need to combat cyber crime effectively. There is much collaboration between organisations fighting cyber crime and it is important that these organisations work together to make the Internet a safer place for everyone. But there are still a lot of organisations that prefer to work alone and the abuse departments of well-known service providers are ignoring reports from the public and anti-cyber-crime organisations.

The Mental Dysfunction Of A Hoaxer
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] A hoax about the death of former South African president Nelson Mandela has been in circulation among South Africans since last week. This has caused waves of panic and shocked the nation. Mr. Mandela is a role model for many people, not just in South Africa, but worldwide and has always been an icon for peace, so it is understandable why so many people were shocked about this news. But was it possible to prevent the confusion caused by this hoax?

Green Means Trust-But Does It Mean Security?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Green means "Trust," the catchphrase for EV SSL certificates, the new authentication standard for secure web sites. Lets be clear on one thing. SSL encryption is a necessity for any web site collecting sensitive information from its visitors and it is great to see that certificate authorities are making it harder for swindlers to obtain these certificates. But does it mean that an already trustworthy web site, owning an EV SSL certificate, is now even more trustworthy and an already trustworthy web site, not owning an EV SSL certificate, is no longer trustworthy?

Cyber Crime – A Look Behind The Scenes
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] When you reply to an e-mail scam, you may expose yourself to more dangers than you may realise. Most people are under the false impression that they are dealing with one scammer only, but for all they know, they may be dealing with a whole syndicate of cyber criminals. The scammer trying to swindle you out of your hard earned cash may only be a pawn in a much bigger picture.

The Obstacles Facing Cyber Law Enforcement
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] I recently had an interesting encounter with a specific individual while following a lead on a money laundry scam. I am not going into any details of this encounter but this person completely misunderstood my intentions as a pursuer of law and order in the digital world and jumped to all kinds of conclusions. Once again this made it clear to me that many people is under the false impression that fighting cyber crime is an easy task.

Designing IE Exclusive Sites Is Counterproductive And Puts Your Visitors At Risk
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Ever came across a notice reading: "This site has been optimised for Internet Explorer" or "This page requires Internet Explorer?" Did you ever have trouble opening a specific page and when you sent a complaint to the web master, you got a blunt answer: "Please ensure that you are using the latest version of Internet Explorer when visiting our site." So many web designers still use this outdated practice of designing web sites exclusively for Internet Explorer (or any other browser for that matter).

The Key To Beating Spam
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Spam-Blocker] Unsolicited junk mail is one of the biggest problems faced by Internet users everyday. We have spam filters keeping spam out of our mailboxes, but these filters are far from perfect and many legitimate e-mails are filtered as spam because of this. So what exactly is the true key to beating spam?

The Top 10 Culprits Causing Malware Infections
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Viruses and spyware is no strange thing to computer users these days. Everyday we need to update our anti-virus and anti-spyware programs to keep our computers protected against these threats. A scan once a week or more is required to reveal any nasty pests, which infiltrated your system without being detected. While it is imperative to have software protecting our computers against these threats, is it just as important to know how these infections occur and where they come from.

Online Safety Of Your Children Starts With You As A Parent
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] We teach our children not to talk to strangers on street, not to accept any gifts from them or give them any personal information. We teach them not to watch unsuitable movies and television programmes. Still we neglect to teach them how to stay safe online while browsing the Internet. No, we rather get parental control software to do our parental jobs for us. Do not allow a computer to teach your child what is right and what is not.

Strange E-mails Without Attachments Are Not Necessarily Harmless
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] A couple of years ago it was safe to assume that e-mails without attachments are completely harmless, whether from a trusted source or not. Computer criminals became more advanced over the years, causing this simple rule to become less applicable to e-mail security. Spam is more than just senseless e-mails cluttering your Inbox, whether they have attachments or not.

The Perfect Password Practice
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Our lives are filled with passwords, security questions, personal identification numbers (PINs) and security codes. Almost every digital device and software package has some security feature involving a password. We have hundreds of shopping accounts, email accounts, banking accounts, you name it and each and every one of these accounts has a user name and a password associated with it. Sometimes you feel you are loosing your mind keeping the security of all your accounts and devices together. Here are a few tips to make the job a bit easier and your accounts more secure.

Safe Online Shopping Tips For Late Christmas Shoppers
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] If you have not done your Christmas shopping yet, then you fall into the category of the late Christmas shopper. This is the part of the year when retail shops make buckets full of money, because they know people are desperate for gifts and will pay anything just to get something for their loved ones before Christmas day. Online shops are no different, but online shoppers need to be on the lookout for scammers trying to exploit these conditions.

Why EV SSL And The New Breed Of Anti-phishing Filters Won’t Work
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Microsoft is planning to implement a feature in Internet Explorer 7, which will make the address bar turn green when the user visits a legitimate web site. Sounds good doesn’t it? But there is a catch, to make the address bar turn green when people visit your site, you will need to have an EV SSL certificate. The new EV SSL certificate technology will have a negative impact on the small Internet business that cannot always afford such a luxury. Once again it is a case of everyone getting hit over the fingers because Internet authorities can’t control the waves of computerised crime raging on the Web.

Why Distinguish Between Spyware And Adware?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] The difference between spyware and adware has been a heavily debated subject and has been the focus point of many laws and court cases. But it is more important to keep in mind that there should not be a distinction between the two. The whole idea behind the term adware was to confuse the general public and create loopholes in laws, conditioning the Internet user to care less about it.

The Dangers Of Chain Letters And Petition Lists
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Have you ever thought about the purpose of chain letters? Do you think petition lists ever promote the specific cause they were created for? Very few people ask themselves these questions when they receive chain letters and petition list spam, simply because they act like mindless zombies when it comes to responding to these e-mails. Instead of ignoring them, they follow each instruction within these e-mails down to the very last bit of detail. Have people forgot to question the purpose of their actions or are they deliberately exposing themselves to the dangers of these unsolicited e-mails?

Lara Fabian - The Nue Album - Honesty And Integrity In The Purest Form
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] Why do a review of an album that was released more than 5 years ago? When it comes to the music of Lara Fabian, there is never a time limit on the lifespan of her music. Lara Fabian's music is immortal, universal and never attached to trends. This allows her music to stay applicable to the listener, no matter when you listen to it, whether it is during the initial release or 5 years after. Nue (which is French for Naked) is a theme that can be applied to most of Lara's albums. It is always amazing to see how she exposes herself through the downright honesty in her music.

Internet Explorer 7 RC1 Flagging Sites Wrongfully As Phishing Sites
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Web site owners are in a state of panic because of the latest flaw in Internet Explorer 7. It certainly holds serious financial implications for online businesses, but how exactly does this concern the user?

Is My Anti-virus Software Bogus?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] The Internet is polluted with security software and most of them are ineffective useless software that does more harm than any good. But being bombarded with the millions of software packages promising to protect your PC, how do you differentiate the good ones from the bad ones?

Cyber Crime Made Easier Through Impersonality
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] When someone representing a well-known organisation, which you are a member of, knocks at your door asking you to give him your personal details, banking details and other private information, you won’t simply supply it even if he was wearing a company uniform. You will most certainly ask for some kind identification you can use to verify if he really works for the company. In fact you will be suspicious even if he can supply valid identification details, because this is not normal procedure from any company.

Firefox 1.5 vs. Internet Explorer 7 - It Is A Matter Of Trust
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] If you had to choose between two companies for the security of your home, Company A who has been doing things right from the start and Company B who took more than 10 years to get their equipment and security personnel up to the same standards as Company A (and after all these years there is still doubt if they really can deliver the same level of service as Company A). The obvious choice of course is Company A. If it is so obvious, then why can’t people apply the same way of reasoning when it comes to web browsers?

Mars Coming To Large View - Is This Hoax Amnesia Or Ignorance
[Reference-and-Education:Science] It is unbelievable how many people believe all the nonsense that is circulating the Internet these days. Last year, 30 October 2005, we had the occurrence of Mars being close enough to Earth so that you could be spot it with the naked eye. But many people complained the next day that they saw nothing. The reason was that they have been hoaxed to believe that Mars will be as big is the moon, while it was in fact a bright star in the sky. This year we again have an e-mail circulating the Net, propagating the same lies again and the best of all, the e-mail states that this will only happen again in the year 2287, but according to NASA, this happens every two years.

Don't Exchange Links - Exchange Articles
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Traffic-Building] Link exchanges are almost obsolete in today's world of Search Engine Optimisation and traffic building. True link exchanges are not about getting your links placed on some deserted, overcrowded page, but about getting them placed on pages where they actually mean something to the visitor and at the same time get enough exposure to drive targeted traffic to your web site.

Don't Become A Victim Of Identity Theft
[Legal:Identity-Theft] Identity theft can happen in many different ways. Some are out of your hands and you can do nothing about them, for instance when your information are leaked by institutions due to negligence. But your identity can get stolen in several other ways, ways that can be prevented.

Protocol Against Spam
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] There has been heavy debate over the effectiveness of the SMTP protocol in a world polluted with spam. There is an urgent need for a new protocol to replace this age-old technology to help battle the ever-increasing problem of spam. But is it really necessary to replace this trusted protocol, is e-mail protocol not the solution to spam we are seeking for.

Freedom Of Speech Is Not Exercised When You Mislead People
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 was passed into law this week by the US Congress. The law is aimed at protecting children from online predators and specifies how hyperlinks and domain names leading to sexual content should be presented. It prohibits "misleading" domain names and links. But so many people are complaining that this is taking away their freedom of speech? Since when is misleading people freedom of speech?

Making The Move From Microsoft Internet Explorer To Mozilla Firefox
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online] Internet Explorer is the preferred choice for 97% of my web site visitors. It was quite a surprise for me because since moving over to Mozilla Firefox a couple of years ago, I haven't used any other browser for any of my browser needs, including the testing of my website. Was this maybe a costly mistake?

Smelling A Hoax A Mile Away By Using A Little Common Sense
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] It seems like people in general have a problem identifying hoaxes, because our mailboxes are littered with e-mail hoaxes and scams. Most of the time these e-mails come from friends, colleagues and family. But isn't there a general rule of thumb that will help people to identify these e-mails? To be honest, no! But it may help if people start to use a little common sense.

Security Flaws, Hanging Them Against The Big Clock
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Buffer overflows, insecure browsers, remote code execution, all common terms in the world of software security. We are surrounded by insecure applications and the big guns are not doing a thing about it. It seems like they are more profitable with insecure software applications than reliable and secure software. Everyone is fed up with the ignorance of giant software companies, but is that enough reason to go public with every security flaw you find in their software?

Malicious Software - A Problem At A Deeper Level
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Everyday you hear people talking about the threat that malicious software poses to the everyday users of computers. But this threat is the result of a deeper problem...

Why Do We Love to Listen to Songs in Foreign Languages?
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] I love to listen French and Italian music, even though I don't understand a word sometimes. But why does music in a foreign language sound so attractive? Read more and find out.

Lara Fabian, The True Personification of Live Performances
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] There is a lot to be learnt from an artist like Lara Fabian when it comes to live performances. But what exactly makes her live performances so appealing?

Fighting or Financing Malicious Software?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] If there weren't a threat of someone stealing or hijacking your car, then you would never have needed a car alarm, immobiliser and anti-hijacking system in your car. If there wasn't a threat of someone breaking into your house and taking every belonging that you worked so hard for, then there would have never been any security companies on earth. If all these threats should disappear, then there would be quite a number of people without jobs. We all know that these threats will never completely disappear they will always exist. It is only how we control them that really matter. In the world of computers we have to face viruses, spyware, adware, spam and many other cyber threats. People should approach cyber security in the same way as they would approach a security system for a car or house.

Cyber World
[Computers-and-Technology] Computers are intended to make life easier for man, but when they give us problems we easily say that computers makes our lives miserable. But do we ever think of the Cyber World as threatening?

Music Videos - The Extension To Musical Expression
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] Music videos have made a huge impact on the music industry. They have become a great marketing tool for new artists, especially for the multi-talented artists who are also good at acting. Many people feel that music videos undermine the true art of music. Is this true, is it really an evil mechanism, solely used for marketing purposes?

Need For Speed Most Wanted - The Most Wanted Game of the Year
[Gaming:Computer-Games] The buzz about one of the most anticipated games of this year may be over, but the fact remains, Electronic Arts created a game that exceeded many racing enthusiasts' wildest expectations.

Need For Speed - The Evolving Racing Game
[Gaming:Computer-Games] Electronic Arts has done it again. The Need For Speed racing series is back with a vengeance, and it is thanks to the huge success with the Underground Series. Need For Speed came to life in 1994 with the title Road & Track Presents: Need For Speed.

Lara Fabian An Underrated Artist
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] Lara Fabian is a very talented artist, but yet she seems not to be that popular globally. In France and Italy it is clear that she is a great hit. Why is it that most European countries love her music but the rest of the globe does not seem to care that much about her music? How can she be ignored? Have a look into the talented world of Lara Fabian