Geekonomics

Facebook has announced its new email service which brings together Facebook messages, instant messaging chat and SMS messages in one place.

This geek was alerted to some of the security implications through an FAQ guide which Sophos has setup.

"Before signing up, users need to realise that these new features increase the attack surface on the Facebook platform, and make personal accounts all the more alluring for cybercriminals to break into," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. More from Sophos after the break.

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Norton Cybercrime Report is the First Study to Gauge Emotional Impact of Cybercrime on Internet Users and reports of victims feeling very ripped off and upset.

Singapore – September 9, 2010 – The next time you surf the Internet, consider this: you might just be one click away from becoming the next cybercrime victim. A new study released today from security software maker Norton, reveals the prevalence of cybercrime in Singapore where 70 percent of Internet users have fallen victim to cybercrimes, including computer viruses, online credit card fraud and identity theft. This silent digital epidemic is the result of consumers‟ apathy, which leaves them vulnerable and exposed in the online world.

The Norton Cybercrime Report: The Human Impact

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Club Penguin arrived in Singapore this week. This geek has always heard about Club Penguin making millions of dollars getting kids to dress up Penguins but never understood the reason behind their wild success until now. While I’m working on a story on my CNET Blog now, you can read the full press release after the break.

Singapore: 8th September 2010:

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This is interesting. First of all, to have boot camps sprout out all over China for “internet addicts”. I’ve seen TV reports of these addicts given jabs daily but nobody knows what is contained in the jabs. And now this mutiny. Makes me wonder if these boot camps will ever open in countries like Singapore and Korea?

Had an interesting and eventful Saturday where I was invited to share at the PAYM Policy Forum @ Hong Kah GRC & Chua Chu Kang SMC. The discussion eventually centered more around policy making for online dangers i.e. what we more commonly know as cyber wellness topics like cyber security, cyber bullying, etc. There was a fair bit of discussion around Facebook privacy issues, especially since I mentioned that last week I could actually see very private information about my Facebook friends like their chat conversations, etc. Some of the tech65 guys were there which made the conversation more interesting. Of key discussion was whether the onus of cyber wellness and safety rested on the individual, the parents, the education system, or for that matter, the government.

After that,

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So, this geek had absolutely no idea what to do when approached by Asia Pacific Breweries (APB)’s agency on hosting a party promoting savvy drinking. But they knew it was a cause close to my heart having seen my tweets and sure enough, I decided to host a party to promote this cause amongst my friends. To start off, I checked with some friends what date was best for them and then sent out a video invite along with my email invite:

Guests who signed up received this ‘e-ticket’:

(this ticket is Joe's, the dude who helped me take some pictures of the party)

This geek had many crazy ideas for my party, including Read more…

As the April 1 payload delivery date nears for W32.Downadup.C (aka Conficker) speculation continues on whether the payload will be one big April Fool’s joke, or the equivalent of a cyber Pearl Harbor. While we can’t predict the future with certainty, we can look at the motivations of past Downadup variants to postulate that the payload will likely be something between the two extremes.

According to the Security Response blog post, if Read more…

The economy continues to be the focus in spammers’ unique version of an economic stimulus plan in March 2009. With the worsening economic situation, unemployment figures have risen worldwide. This has led millions of people to search for jobs, using whatever resources they can find. One of the most common is online job search sites.

Malicious code writers are making use of this opportunity to distribute their malware. Symantec has recently Read more…

Today’s Internet surfers are feeling lucky in love with nearly seven in 10 adults reporting that the Internet improves their relationships, according to the second annual Norton Online Living Report. But it’s not all happy connections and relationships. Unfortunately, when it comes to the eternal worry— do you know where your kids are?— the answer is: not always. Parents are in the dark, with kids reporting spending nearly twice as much time online as their parents think.

The worldwide survey also found that a whopping 99 percent of online adults say they have Read more…

Norton just sent me this on one of my newfound FAVOURITE topics, internet safety and parental control :

Computers, Wii, Playstation, and Xbox. What do all of these have in common? They can connect to the internet and kids love to play games on them.

But what kind of games are your kids playing? Do they contain violence and pornography?

And are they at risk of being infected by viruses, malware, and other online threats?

There are various steps parents can take can be taken to make the gaming environment safer for your kids. Read more to learn about the parental controls that can help provide the protection that you want.

• How to check which games are appropriate for your child
• Parental controls
• Tips to broach the subject with you child
• How you can supply the parental wisdom, judgment, rules, and oversight

For more details, check out Ask Marian, Norton’s family-oriented blog here.