Web: Links to Live News Streams–New York and Philadelphia

During bad weather one of the things that can be affected is your TV signal. With the current Hurricane Irene (8/27/11) hitting the East Coast, if you lose your signal and want to keep up with the latest news, here is a list of LIVE (web) Streams from the major TV stations in New York and Philadelphia.

Philadelphia

CBS 3 Philly (http://video NULL.philadelphia NULL.cbslocal NULL.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer NULL.asp?vt1=l&d1=0&ClipId1=mms%3A//a986 NULL.l10239840985 NULL.c102398 NULL.g NULL.lm NULL.akamaistream NULL.net/D/986/102398/v0001/reflector%3A40985&LiveURI=mms%3A//a986 NULL.l10239840985 NULL.c102398 NULL.g NULL.lm NULL.akamaistream NULL.net/D/986/102398/v0001/reflector%3A40985&h1=Live%20Event&at1=News&LiveURITitle=Live%20Event&LaunchPageAdTag=News&fvCatNo=undefined&secure=undefined&akPort=undefined&akProfile=undefined&rnd=22734607)

6 ABC Philly (http://abclocal NULL.go NULL.com/wpvi/livenow?id=7129670)

NBC 10 Philadelphia (http://www NULL.nbcphiladelphia NULL.com/news/local/Hurricane-Irene-Barrels-Toward-Philly-Jersey-Delaware-128468208 NULL.html???)

My Fox Philly – Fox 29 (http://www NULL.myfoxphilly NULL.com/subindex/video/live_news)

New York

CBS 2 – New York (http://video NULL.newyork NULL.cbslocal NULL.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer NULL.asp?vt1=l&d1=0&ClipId1=mms%3A//a634 NULL.l10239830633 NULL.c102398 NULL.g NULL.lm NULL.akamaistream NULL.net/D/634/102398/v0001/reflector%3A30633&LiveURI=mms%3A//a634 NULL.l10239830633 NULL.c102398 NULL.g NULL.lm NULL.akamaistream NULL.net/D/634/102398/v0001/reflector%3A30633&h1=Live%20Event&at1=News&LiveURITitle=Live%20Event&LaunchPageAdTag=News&fvCatNo=undefined&secure=undefined&akPort=undefined&akProfile=undefined&rnd=20398627)

NBC 4 – New York (http://www NULL.nbcnewyork NULL.com/video/#!/news/local/Operation-Santa--Behind-the-Scenes/135281358)

ABC 7 – New York (http://abclocal NULL.go NULL.com/wabc/livenow?id=8330259)

My Fox New York – Fox 5 (http://www NULL.myfoxny NULL.com/subindex/good_day_ny/watch_live)

Alert: New Android Malware Mimics Google+ (from Phandroid)

There is a New Android Malware that Mimics Google+ And Spies On Your Phone Calls. The Malware is called Google++. See the following information on the Malware (from phandroid) http://phandroid.com/?p=60957 (http://phandroid NULL.com/?p=60957)

Web: Twitter having issues this evening 7-18-11

Seems that Twitter is having some technical issues this evening. The issues appear to have started about 8:30p (EST).

Not only will people not see any current tweets but things like followers seem to have all disappeared. (Thanks a lot Twitter, it took a lot to get what little I had).

Updates to follow as more information is known……

UPDATE: As of 10p (EST) Twitter now has the follow post

UPDATE: 7-19-11

Twitter now reporting that issues are now resolved.

Alert: 2 New Facebook Scams (July 2011)

One of the most common tricks the bad guys use to trick people into infecting their computers involve using current events. Since the beginning of the internet “Social Engineering” has always been the easiest way to get around any pc security.

We have 2 new tricks making the rounds on Facebook.

1st Scam –

Just a few days ago Facebook announced a new feature (that will be coming soon) allowing Facebook users the ability to do Video chat (http://articles NULL.cnn NULL.com/2011-07-06/tech/facebook NULL.announcement_1_mark-zuckerberg-facebook-spokeswoman-facebook-users?_s=PM:TECH) with others on your Facebook list. Security firm SOPHOS is now reporting that the bad guys have started using that announcement to trick Facebook users into infecting their machines (LINK) http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/07/08/facebook-scammers-spread-app-pretending-to-be-video-calling/ (http://nakedsecurity NULL.sophos NULL.com/2011/07/08/facebook-scammers-spread-app-pretending-to-be-video-calling/)

The FAKE app will show on someone who has already been tricked into clicking the link. The idea being that if you see if the link on the page of someone you know, “then it must be safe”. If you happen to click on the link from someone “someone you know”, then the link appears on your page and the cycle continues.

If you see a wall post referencing "Enable video calls.", don’t click it! Send your friend a message that they have been tricked.

Keep in mind 2 things, (1) The Facebook Video chat will not be released as an add-on app on Facebook, It will be built directly into the site. (2) It isn’t out for general public use yet.

2nd Scam –

With the Not Guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony verdict causing so many emotions within the general public, the bad guys have figured that emotion will override common sense.

As SOPHOS is reporting (LINK) http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/07/10/leaked-video-of-casey-anthony-confessing-facebook-scam-spreads-quickly/ (http://nakedsecurity NULL.sophos NULL.com/2011/07/10/leaked-video-of-casey-anthony-confessing-facebook-scam-spreads-quickly/) , there is now a FAKE story showing up in posts claiming to be a confession video.

For those who wonder why would anyone bother to do this there is a simple answer, MONEY…….

Because you’ll ultimately be taken to a page which pretends to be YouTube, but is really designed to trick you into taking a survey that earns commission for the scammers.

The page you will be taken to is FAKE and of course before you can see a video THAT DOESN’T EXIST, you need to fill out a survey. In addition, if you click on the link, it will then appear on your wall and in your likes, with the hope that your FB friends will click see them and click on the links from you.

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As always, here are a few reminders

1 – Do your “homework” before clicking on links, even if they appear on the Facebook page of someone you know. Please understand, JUST BECAUSE ITS LISTED ON THE INTERNET, DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT’S TRUE

2 – Make sure you are updating your pc software. That includes Windows/Office Updates, Mac Updates (Yes Mac is starting to get the attention of the bad guys), in addition to Adobe Software Updates (Acrobat, Flash), Oracle Software Updates (JAVA), Your Antivirus maker software (you should be running something, a number of free choices, so there is no excuse), and your Anti-malware software (Superantispyware, Malwarebytes, etc.)…..

Alert: HP Battery Recall Expanded

HP has expanded its voluntary recall and replacement program for batteries sold with its HP laptops. This is a continuation of a recall that started in 2010. If your model is verified to be on the affected list HP will send you a replacement battery pack and no cost.

From the HP recall site (LINK) http://bpr.hpordercenter.com/hbpr/M14.aspx (http://bpr NULL.hpordercenter NULL.com/hbpr/M14 NULL.aspx)

We are taking this action as part of our commitment to provide the highest quality of service to our notebook customers. We are proactively notifying you of this issue and are prepared to replace all verified battery packs.

The batteries in question can overheat, which could cause a fire and burn hazard.

If you need to find the product / serial number information, look for a tag that looks like the following

The affected list of laptops is as follows

In addition, you can use the following HP link http://bpr.hpordercenter.com/hbpr/default.aspx#1 (http://bpr NULL.hpordercenter NULL.com/hbpr/default NULL.aspx#1) to have your pc scanned to see if it is an affected model. Even if you checked your laptop during the initial recall, you want to check it again, with the expanded recall to make sure it wasn’t recently added.

Software: Removing Skype Add-On EasyBits Go

Numerous users have reported that when they were installing the latest version of Skype, that a 3rd party program called EasyBits Go installed itself, even if you said No during the install process. EasyBits Go software is what is called “trial ware” for games they will try and get you to buy.

Its not unusual for 3rd party software to try and install during the install of major software packages (toolbars come to mind), however, legit software will not install if you say no. That is what has so many people upset, as seen in the Skype forum (LINK) http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=821535 (http://forum NULL.skype NULL.com/index NULL.php?showtopic=821535) and (LINK) http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=821491&st=20&gopid=3413723&#entry3413723 (http://forum NULL.skype NULL.com/index NULL.php?showtopic=821491&st=20&gopid=3413723&#entry3413723) . Even worse than a program that you said No to installing, is that the uninstaller for this program doesn’t work so you cant easily remove it.

If you have been one of the unfortunate Skype users who have had this Junk ware installed, Jeff Duntemann has put together a complete step by step on how to remove this Junk on his blog.

You can the complete step by step by visiting Jeff’s blog (LINK) http://jeff-duntemann.livejournal.com/281642.html (http://jeff-duntemann NULL.livejournal NULL.com/281642 NULL.html)

I have used his steps to clear 1 pc already, and as long as you follow the steps exactly as posted, you should be able to clear this junk off your pc.

Deal Alert: Amazon.com has Lady Gaga’s New Album on sale for 99 cents (Today 5/26 only)

I’m not a Lady Gaga fan but a sale is a sale….

Amazon.com has Lady Gaga’s New Album “Born this way” on sale for 99 cents but just for Today 5/26 only. The 99 cent offer is for the entire album as an MP3 download. Usually you get 1 song for 99 cents, not an entire album.

If you are interested here is the Amazon.com link http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b/ref=sa_menu_dmusic9?ie=UTF8&node=163856011 (http://www NULL.amazon NULL.com/MP3-Music-Download/b/ref=sa_menu_dmusic9?ie=UTF8&node=163856011)

Software: You should turn off Geo Tagging on your phone or camera.

There is a new site that shows you another reason why you need to turn off geo tagging on your camera or phone before posting pictures to the web. The site called “I can stalk u” (link) http://icanstalku.com/ (http://icanstalku NULL.com/) takes information the is publicly available on twitter and shows you the additional information that can be found from pictures with geo tagging enabled.

The site is attempting to raise awareness of how inadvertent information can make you more public than one might want to be. The site also has information about geo tagging and links to help you turn off geo tagging (look toward the middle of the page on the right)

For users of Android phones, you can open your camera program –> go to settings and look for “Geo-Tag photos” and make sure that is unchecked.

Alert: Another version of the “See who is looking at your profile” scam on Facebook

In todays edition of Facebook scams to watch out for, is a new version of the “See who is looking at your profile” scam. In the past, you would find messages like the following on your friends profiles….

If you clicked on the link, you risked compromising your Facebook account. Seems the average user has hear of this enough that those who try and use this scam have now changed tactics…..

This one just came to my attention a short time ago. Where someone on my list was tagged in pictures

As you can see the 3 pictures appear to be completely random. If you place your cursor over any of the pictures you see the “LOL!! Me cant believe that you can see who is viewing your profile!…………”

If you were to click on any of the pictures, they will open in the Facebook picture viewer and at the bottom of the picture you will again see the message.

So lets go over this again. If you see a message in Facebook that talks about “See who checks your profile” or anything even remotely like that.

DO NOT CLICK IT!!!!!

It is a scam, at minimum it will add messages to your profile that you don’t authorize, and at worst, it can compromise your Facebook account, allow for malicious use of your account and could even install other non-Facebook related malware/viruses on your pc.

Facebook does not allow in its terms of service for anyone to be able to give you the “see who checks your profile” information. If anyone person or company says they can help you see that, THEY ARE LYING / IT’S A SCAM.

Alert: A number of Major Companies suffer Data Breach via a 3rd party partner. Customer Names and Email Address exposed (Updated 4/4/11 @ 6:45p)

Updated 4/4/ @ 6:45p

Here are just some additional names that have now been confirmed are affected by this breach. (This is not a complete list, not all companies affected have become public). This list comes from NEOWIN.NET (LINK) http://www.neowin.net/news/consequences-of-the-epsilon-breach-spear-phishing (http://www NULL.neowin NULL.net/news/consequences-of-the-epsilon-breach-spear-phishing)

Abe Books
American Express
Ameriprise Financial
Barclays Bank of Delaware
Best Buy
Borders
Brookstone
Capital One
Citibank
City Market
CollegeBoard
Dillons
Disney Vacations
Food 4 Less
Fred Meyer
Fry’s
Hilton Honors
Home Shopping Club (HSN)
The Home Shopping Network
Jay C
JP Morgan Chase
King Soopers
Kroger
LL Bean
Marriott Rewards
McKinsey Quarterly
New York & Co.
QFC
Ralphs
Ritz Carlton
Robert Half
Smith Brands
TiVo
US Bank
Verizon
Visa
Walgreens

**PLEASE REMEMBER NO REPUTABLE COMPANY WILL EVER ASK YOU FOR PERSONAL, CREDIT CARD, or ACCOUNT INFORMATION, DO NOT RESPOND TO ANY EMAIL ASKING FOR THAT KIND OF INFORMATION or CLICK ON ANY LINK IN AN EMAIL THAT ASKS FOR YOU TO VISIT A WEBSITE TO ENTER THAT INFORMATION. IF IN DOUBT CALL THE COMPANY THAT THE EMAIL CLAIMS TO BE FROM DIRECTLY TO CONFIRM YOUR SITUATION.

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Update 4/4 @ 2p

The story just keeps getting bigger. AP (via yahoo news) is now reporting

Among the affected are financial-service companies such as Capital One Financial Corp., Barclays Bank, U.S. Bancorp, Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Ameriprise Financial Inc. and retailers including Best Buy Co., TiVo Inc., Walgreen Co. and Kroger Co.

The College Board, the not-for-profit organization that runs the SATs, also warned that a hacker may have obtained student email addresses.

Walt Disney Co.’s travel subsidiary, Disney Destinations, sent emails warning customers on Sunday. Hotel chain Marriott International Inc. issued a similar warning.

The complete AP story can be found at (LINK) http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110404/ap_on_hi_te/us_data_breach (http://news NULL.yahoo NULL.com/s/ap/20110404/ap_on_hi_te/us_data_breach)

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As reported in the Dallas Morning News (LINK) http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20110402-vendor-for-kroger-jpmorgan-chase-suffers-data-breach.ece (http://www NULL.dallasnews NULL.com/news/local-news/20110402-vendor-for-kroger-jpmorgan-chase-suffers-data-breach NULL.ece) , Epsilon who provides marketing services for a number of companies suffered a data breach, where someone was able to get unauthorized access into the Epsilon email system.

Epsilon themselves have released a press release (LINK) http://www.epsilon.com/News%20&%20Events/Press_Releases_2011/Epsilon_Notifies_Clients_of_Unauthorized_Entry_into_Email_System/p1057-l3 (http://www NULL.epsilon NULL.com/News%20&%20Events/Press_Releases_2011/Epsilon_Notifies_Clients_of_Unauthorized_Entry_into_Email_System/p1057-l3) , concerning the issue.

Originally in the Dallas Morning News story only JP Morgan Chase and Kroger Supermarkets were named. Since then it has been confirmed that US Bank and DVR manufacturer TiVo are also affected (Others possible but not confirmed so far). What is understood in all cases is that only the Name and Email Addresses of customers were compromised. The problem with breaches like these is that the “bad guys” can now send fake emails to customers making them look like they come from affected companies in an attempt to trick the end user into giving up more information.

For those who think, I don’t shop at Kroger’s below is a list of some of the names that Kroger’s operates under. (LINK) http://www.thekrogerco.com/ (http://www NULL.thekrogerco NULL.com/)

Here is the notice that TiVo is sending out to their customers.

***UPDATE 4/3

It can now be confirmed that Disney and HSN are included in the information breach.

This is the notice that Disney is sending out

and Here is what HSN is sending out

Dear HSN Customer,

HSN values your trust and wants to make you aware of a recent incident. We learned from our email provider, Epsilon, that limited information about you was accessed by an unauthorized individual or individuals. This information included your name and email address and did not include any financial or other sensitive information. We felt it was important to notify you of this incident as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience and have outlined below a number of email safeguards to help ensure your privacy online.

***What to look out for***

If you have given your information to one of the affected companies, you need to be on the look out for emails that look official and say things like

- We are updating our records and need to confirm the credit card on file

- Do to tax changes, we need to get your SSN# to update our records

Those are just possible examples, in any case if you get any email that asks for personal, credit card or account information, DO NOT RESPOND to any email asking for that kind of information. Keep in mind that NO RESPONSIBLE COMPANY will EVER ask you for that kind of information via a random email.

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