Tracking Cell Phones

This is interesting... Just click on the link, enter someone's cell phone number, and the satellite map will show you where they are. It's called 'mobile phone tracker' and was first put to use to aid 911 responders. Using a satellite map, track any connected mobile phone with coverage anywhere in the world. Use any cell phone number if you want but with no dashes.

To give it a try, log on to:

http://www.satellite-gps-locator.com

January 2008 News Below

CU InfoSECURITY News Providing a brief summary of news and information related to security issues for credit unions - Plus some interesting and fun web sites.(Click on photos to enlarge)

Do Americans Think Your Job is Prestigious?

Let’s admit it: We all need to feel special sometimes. Well, if you’re a firefighter, scientist or teacher, you should. After all, a new Harris poll indicates that plenty of Americans already think you are.

U.S. adults, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive, see firefighters, scientists and teachers as the most prestigious occupations while bankers, actors and real estate agents are the least prestigious occupations. The 2007 “Most Prestigious Occupations” poll measured the public perceptions of 23 professions.

Among the least prestigious occupations are real estate brokers, actors and bankers.

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/custom/msn/careeradvice/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1178&SiteId=cbmsnhp41178&sc_extcmp=JS_1178_home1&GT1=10785&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=cb16047a61fd4e4982980fefabea9ac9-254832416-JJ-5

or better yet, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2nbboc

Need Your iPod Repaired Fast?

RapidRepair is dedicated to the service, repair, and modification of ALL iPod, iPhone, Zune, and other small electronic devices. They we specialize in small electronics repair, we get the work done quickly and efficiently.
For more information: http://www.rapidrepair.com/

Need Free Help To Fix Your Gadget?

Fixya provides Free tech support and technical help for gadgets, electronic equipment and consumer products. Fixya's technical experts advise on fixing problems and provide instructions on proper usage of products either by chat or message posting. Fixya stores manuals and troubleshooting guides for over half a million products. Fixya's tech support community will provide a quick solution for your "how to" problem.
Click here for more information: http://www.fixya.com/

Solving the Weakest Link: Password Security - A Comprehensive Review

Ensuring the security and privacy of digital assets is one of the key concerns facing credit unions today. The need to safeguard these assets from both internal and external threats has never been more urgent. The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) reported over 70,000 security incidents in just the first 6 months of 2003. Passwords are still the most pervasive tool used to secure today's organizations. As the number of passwords per employee increases, the likelihood of them being forgotten rises. This paper proposes a new approach to improving security in today's organizations which involves eliminating the use of passwords among end-users.

For more information:
http://whitepapers.techrepublic.com.com/whitepaper.aspx?docid=156854
or
http://tinyurl.com/yplxv5

10 Things Your IT Department Won't Tell You

Admit it: For many of us, our work computer is a home away from home.

It seems only fair, since our home computer is typically an office away from the office. So in between typing up reports and poring over spreadsheets, we use our office PCs to keep up with our lives. We do birthday shopping, check out funny clips on YouTube and catch up with friends by e-mail or instant message.

And often it's just easier to accomplish certain tasks using consumer technology than using the sometimes clunky office technology our company gives us -- compare Gmail with a corporate e-mail account.

Here's part of the list:

1. How to send giant files
2. How to use software that your credit union won't let you download
3. How to visit the Web sites your credit union blocks
4. How to clear your tracks on your work laptop

To access the entire list and interesting comments, click here:
http://tech.msn.com/howto/articlewsj.aspx?cp-documentid=5983122
or
http://tinyurl.com/3576yt

More Scams Reported in Two States

Credit unions in Michigan and Pennsylvania have reported that their members have been targeted by vishing scams and fraudulent e-mails purporting to be from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Monroe Community CU and Monroe Area FCU, both in Monroe, Mich., reported that vishers have contacted their members, asking for personal financial information. Vishers contact victims by an automated phone dialer, with the intention of soliciting personal financial information from them by telling them that their credit cards have been used illegally or suspended (Michigan Monitor Jan. 22).

Some vishers have "spoof" caller identification, so members may see the name of their credit union on the identification, but there is no guarantee that the call is legitimate, said Todd Mason, CU Village president and chief operating officer.

Credit unions with broad fields of membership, such as Monroe, are targeted because the odds of finding a real credit union member when making random phone calls are high. Credit unions need to reinforce and repeat the message to their members that they should not share personal account information over the phone or online, Mason said.

The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association (PCUA) also received calls from credit unions saying their members had received e-mails from the DOJ. The e-mails tell recipients they have been the subject of complaints filed with the DOJ and forwarded to the Internal Revenue Service. The e-mails contain an attachment with the alleged complaint, according to the association (Life is a Highway Jan. 22).

The DOJ is urging recipients not to open attachments because they may contain malicious software. The agency also has placed an alert on its website stating that the e-mail messages are fraudulent and should be deleted.

Sending Large Files Over the Internet

Move Big Files Across the Internet - It's considered rude--and rightly so--to e-mail someone a file larger than a few megabytes without permission. And you may not be able to anyway, since many ISPs place a cap on message size (often 10MB or less).

So what are you to do if you need to send an 18MB, an 80MB, or even an 800MB file to someone? Online services make the task much easier and more elegant than burning a DVD and dropping it in the mail. You have lots of options, and more new services pop up every day.

MediaFire.com is my favorite, and it's one of the best on the market now. The free service requires no registration, and it allows unlimited maximum file size, unlimited downloads, and multiple simultaneous downloads. It's just about perfect!

The other services below, however, also have certain unique features that may make them more suitable for you.

Files-upload.com: Handles 300MB files through a Web-based interface without registration; files expire after 45 days. Register, and you get your own FTP subdomain (yourname.files-upload.com) that's accessible with a standard FTP client. It has a 1GB file-size limit.

GigaSize.com: Has a 1.5GB file-size limit and stores files for 90 days. A $4 monthly fee gets you a 2.5GB size limit.

Pando.com: Has a 1GB file-size limit, but offers a peer-to-peer plug-in for various e-mail, Web mail, and instant messenger clients, so you don't have to go to the Web site to transfer files.

Xdrive.com: Gives you 5GB of free storage space, accessible through the Web or a Windows Explorer plug-in that also allows for sharing with others.

Everybody's PIN Number Revealed!

Everybody's PIN Number Revealed! Somewhat shocking just how accurate this really is.
(Check it out: yours is on here, too! Not intended for criminal use!)
http://www.positiveatheism.org/crt/pin.htm

Alert Issued about Fraudsters Targeting Credit Union HELOCs

Fraudsters are now targeting credit unions in a sophisticated attempt to secure wire transfers from members’ home equity line of credit (HELOC) accounts, according to the Credit Union Information Security Professionals Association (CUISPA). All credit unions should put their call centers and other member-facing staff on alert to the scam.
http://www.cutimes.com/article.php?article=35533
http://tinyurl.com/yseou2

Miami Firefighters Fed. CU Now Offers Mobile Service

Miami Firefighters Fed. Credit Union has moved to Mobile banking. Now, with web-enabled wireless device, members can access their accounts anytime, anywhere with MFFCU's Mobile Banking!

http://www.mffcu.org/

Time To Visit Bankers Spank Again

Bank and Credit Union get personal in this hilarious parody of the famous Mac/PC ads.
http://www.bankerspank.com/

2007 was the year of the data breach

Credit unions won't be surprised to learn that the loss or theft of personal data through data breaches soared to unprecedented levels in 2007. And the trend isn't expected to slow down anytime soon. More than 79 million records were reported compromised in the U.S. through Dec. 18, according to the San Diego-based Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). That's almost a fourfold increase from the nearly 20 million records reported compromised for the entire year in 2006.
http://www.cuna.org/newsnow/08/system123107-3.html?ref=hed
or http://tinyurl.com/3xbxb4

Guarding against identity theft

5-minute guide to protecting identity
Here are 16 steps to protect yourself and six ways to clean up things if you are a victim of identity theft.

> Your phone may be under attack
> Diagnosis: Identity theft
> Don't take your passwords to the grave
> Lock your credit away from ID thieves

Thieves may sell your information on the black market or use it to obtain money, credit or even expensive medical procedures. Unless you're vigilant in protecting your records, you'll have to work even harder to repair the damage to your credit. The average victim spends 30 to 40 hours rectifying the problem.
For more info: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/FinancialPrivacy/FinancialPrivacyDyn.aspx?cp-documentid=5083308
or http://tinyurl.com/2dhbku