Archive for June, 2010

More on the Apple iPhone 4

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Boy I’m sure glad I bought Apple stock before release of the iPad and iPhone 4!  The stainless-steel-and-glass body in the iPhone 4 is just the start . . . there’s the super-high-resolution screen, a 5-megapixel camera, HD video capture, and much more.

For those of you who have interest in the iPhone 4 and haven’t made a move, PCMag.com has provided some additional resources for your researching pleasure.  First is Apple’s iPhone 4: What Buyers Need to Know.  It covers pricing and upgrade options.  Next is a well-produced Video: Hands On with Apple iPhone 4.  It takes just a few minutes to get the feeling of what it would be like to hold the slick product in your own hand.  Next, technical writer / reviewer Lance Ulanoff provides a more balanced viewpoint at Ulanoff: Apple iPhone 4 Razzles and Dazzles.   Finally, we have the article Apple’s iPhone 4 Attracting Big-Name Apps which was somewhat disappointing.  If you’re a gamer you’ll feel differently.  I was hoping by big-name apps they’d be talking about things useful from a business perspective.  Somehow, Guitar Hero doesn’t meet that standard from my perspective . . . oh well!

What holds most people back from thinking about switching to the iPhone is the switch from (for most of you) Verizon to AT&T.  I have to say that I switched from Sprint after many reliable years of service, to AT&T because they had the Blackberry smartphone I wanted.  (The Bold 9000)  AT&T isn’t horrible.  It’s not going to win any awards from my perspective, but it’s not horrible.  Reception has been reliable, although the portable WiFi card doesn’t work as reliably as my old Sprint one did.  but aside from that, no better or worse.  My husband is on Verizon, and there have been a few occasions when his phone found a connection, and mine did not.  He will be gratified to hear me admit it publicly.  Still, the less-than-a-handful of times when he had a connection and I didn’t is just not enough of a difference to keep me from getting the model smartphone I want.

What one still needs to consider seriously are the security issues.  The iPhone still  doesn’t have all the security most IT managers want for devices which link up to networks housing confidential client and firm information.  However, as the customer base continues to include greater number of business users, I have no doubt that software applications will follow.  The question is how long that will take.

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Posted in Technology, Telephony | Comments Off

Ready to Buy the iPhone 4?

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Here’s a great article from CNet News providing all the FAQ about your upgrade options and pricing.  The new iPhone goes on sale June 24th.

I don’t know about you, but the offer of a bigger battery that offers up to seven hours of talk time, six hours of 3G browsing, and 300 hours of standby time is pretty darn compelling. It also comes with a new 5 megapixel camera that can record video in high definition.

Hey, stop jostling and get in line! :-)

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Posted in Technology, Telephony | Comments Off

Who Uses iPad? Has AT&T’s Security Breach Left Them Vulnerable?

Friday, June 11th, 2010

The iPad is sellling like hotcakes.  Despite tepid advance reviews, the techno-users keep gobbling them up.  Sales are strong home and abroad.  But the recent security breach of AT&T’s web site devoted to iPad users, has most users feeling very uneasy.

A recent article in C-Net News regarding the AT&T security breach which exposed data of more than 100,000 iPad users, listed the following noteworthy users:   White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, journalist Diane Sawyer, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, movie producer Harvey Weinstein, New York Times CEO Janet Robinson, officials at the FBI, departments of Defense and Justice, federal courts, and NASA, as well as executives from Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan, among many others. 

As the FBI continues its investigation, and AT&T continues to apologize for the inadvertant security hole, iPad users wonder what their risks are. 

According to the article, they face exposure to external threats in the form of phishing emails and tempting links to phoney sites laden with spyware.  That’s nothing new in today’s world, but you can be sure, with the high profile potential targets identified above, that the best of the worst characters will be employed in the pursuit of creating more serious exploits.  Many iPad users will receive Emails will appear legitimate, in an attempt to compel users to willingly open attachments or click on links.

If you’re an iPad user (or even if not, but have an active email inbox) be extra careful about emails which appear to come from legitimate sources, and include attachments or links.  I’ve provided information previously, in a post entitled “How to Avoid Dangerous Web Sites,” about a web site which enables you to check another web site for malicious code before actually landing on it.   If you want to find out whether or not it is safe to click on a link, you can try testing it at LinkScanner Online. This free service allows you to visit the URL in a controlled environment on their servers.  LinkScanner Online will inspect the site in real-time to determine whether it is hiding any nasty exploit code and, if so, what exploit.

Let’s be careful out there!

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Posted in Security, Technology | Comments Off

Another Attorney Trust Account Hit By Online Fraud

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been more than two months since I’ve had a chance to post to the blog.  I want to thank those subscribers who wrote to me to inquire whether I was still alive and well, given my online absence.  Yes, I’m fine.  I’ve just been on the road a lot more than usual.

Is it coincidence that the last post concerned a fraud attempt upon an Oregon attorney, and I’m following up with another?  I don’t think so. 

The Florida attorney had her trust account hit for a significant sum.  She was willing to engage in online banking thinking that the several layers of security provided by the bank itself would be sufficient to protect her accounts.  What she did not take into consideration was the very real possibility and threat of scumware (a/k/a spyware) being installed on her computer — coming in hidden in an email — capturing her logon ID and passwords, which the criminals then used to access and make wire transfers out of her trust account.  The actual implementation of the transactions were done surreptitiously through her computer, so that the computer’s ID identification (e.g. IP address) would match that which the bank’s system recognized as legitimate. 

You should read this story which appeared in the June 15, 2010 edition of The Florida Bar News.  If you’re presently doing online banking, it will certainly give you pause.  It will also give  you some food for thought about how to tighten security.  I noticed that the victimized attorney stated she had anti-virus software, but did not acknowledge having anti-spyware software.  And that’s the culprit that breached her security. 

Anti-virus software alone isn’t sufficient protection.  It’s like brushing your teeth but never using dental floss or mouth wash.  Your dentist will tell you that the combination is what provides maximum protection.  Similarly, your firm should utilize a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and should keep all up to date.

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Posted in Financial Management, Insurance and Risk Management, Security | Comments Off