Amazon really is Confusing some times!

Your Amazon.com password has been changed!

Dear [First] [Last],

This is an important message from Amazon.com

As a precaution, we’ve reset your Amazon.com password because you may have been subject to a "phishing" scam.

Here’s how phishing works:

A scam artist sends an e-mail, which is designed to look like it came from a reputable company such as a bank, financial institution, or retailer like Amazon.com, but is in fact a forgery. These e-mails direct you to a website that looks remarkably similar to the reputable company’s website, where you are asked to provide account information such as your e-mail address and password. Since that web site is actually controlled by the phisher, they get the information you entered.

Go to amazon.com/phish to read more about ways to protect yourself from phishing.

To regain access to your Amazon customer account:

1. Go to Amazon.com and click the "Your Account" link at the top of our website.

2. Click the link that says "Forgot your password?"

3. Follow the instructions to set a new password for your account.

Please choose a new password and do not use the same password you used with us previously.

Thank you for your interest in Amazon.com

Sincerely,

Amazon.com

Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail. To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our website.

This Happened a Few Days ago, and I thought I would talk about the security implications of this email. Some users and people are thinking this is fake. Obviously, I was concerned like everyone else so I contacted Amazon to find out about this. I talked on the Phone, and talked to a Representative that didn’t really know why my password was changed. So they told me the she’d give my email address to a specialist and that was it.

Account Alert: Please Read

Greetings from Amazon.com.

Please take the time to read this message – it contains important information about your Amazon.com account.

After careful review of your account, we believe it may have been accessed and used by a third-party to attempt to make purchases without your permission. It seems that someone obtained your personal account and/or financial information elsewhere, and used it on Amazon.com to access your account. Please note that no unauthorized charges were completed as we were able to cancel the order(s).

We have taken immediate steps to secure your account. We’ve assigned a new, temporary password to prevent further access by the unauthorized third-party, and removed any credit cards or other payment methods from your account. Additionally, if any information was added to your account by someone other than you, it has been removed. Your account access has been restored and is available to use at your convenience.

You’ll need to reset your password when you return to our site. Just click “Your Account” at the top of our Home page and select “Forgot your Password?” in the Settings section.” Enter your email address as prompted, and once completed, we’ll send you an e-mail containing a personalized link. Click the link from the e-mail and follow the directions provided. Your new password will be effective immediately. Please note that you will need to re-enter your complete credit or debit card number during the checkout process.

It is important to know that Amazon.com accounts can only be accessed by those who know personal, specific information about you and your account, including your email address and Amazon.com password. As mentioned above, it appears someone obtained this personal account information elsewhere and used it on Amazon.com to access your account.

While it is not clear how this happened in your case, we do know that personal account information is often obtained by scam artists who send unsolicited email to unsuspecting users asking them to "update" their account information. The email usually contains a link to a website that is controlled by the thief asking the user to submit personal information including email address, password, credit card number, and other relevant information. Once the information is obtained, the scam artist can then gain access to numerous online accounts since many internet users frequently use the same user name, email address, password, and financial information at multiple web sites.

Please know that Amazon.com employees will *never* ask for your password, nor will we ever send an email asking you to verify personal information.

Although it appears someone did access your Amazon.com account, they would not have been able to view your full credit card numbers as they are never displayed on our site. However, it is possible your credit card numbers may have been compromised at the time your other personal information was obtained. Therefore, we suggest you carefully review recent credit card statements to check for any unusual activity or unauthorized charges.

In the future, you can protect your Amazon.com password and account by following some of these safety tips:

———————————————————————–

1. Choose a good password: Use at least 8 characters and a combination of letters and numbers. Do not use single dictionary words, your name or other personal info that can be easily obtained, or a password that contains part of your email address.

2. Password protection: Avoid using the same password at multiple sites or for your email account. Do not share your password with others.

3. Account protection: Be cautious of unsolicited emails that appear to come from reputable online shops or services that ask you to submit personal information such as your credit card number, email address, and password. Often these emails will look as though they come from the company you’re familiar with, and the email will ask you to click on a link and "sign in". You should never provide this kind of personal information in an unsolicited email.

I don’t know if this isn’t just an automated message because anyone who know me, knows I do listen to Security Now and other such security podcasts. So I know about phishing attacks and other such ways of how someone can get your password. I’ve recommended Lastpass in the past and still recommend it. I don’t get what happened but it looks like they were concerned with my account and decided it need to be restricted until I changed my password. I even like the fact that Lastpass now uses Yubikey as a second factor of authen
tication, which I am quite glad they have implemented this. Great Going Laspass guys.

Don’t Click Links in Emails!

I’ve talked about in the past but I thought it was something that we should at least remind people. If you get an email with a link to your account and you’re not expecting it then don’t click it. You can click links if your resetting your password but those are expected. I always tell people if your not expecting it, talk to the person who sent it to you because they might have a virus or some link that will compromise your account or get your passwords. Remember, surf safe and think about your security.

Security is #1

Paul Sylvester

Hostgator is best by far!

My experiences with Hostgator!

If you know anything about me, I’ve had several different hosting accounts with different companies like Justhost and Godaddy and I even talked about the websites that not really legitimate sites and are using affiliate links to make money off of people. So I do know several different things that most people might or might not know off. I thought this would be a good time to at least talk about some of them and share with you my coupons to help you save even more money! It is however a personal preference but I will discuss with you in length why I like Hostgator and have been with them for over a year without much a problem.

Reliability is my Priority!

If you are like me, you make your living off people coming to your site. This isn’t always easy for me because I do have 3 different sites all on one server. This is something that helps with me because I have been online for 99.9% of the time since I have been on Hostgator with my 3 domains. Very reliable is great resource. I remember when Justhost wasn’t as reliable and Godaddy was just slow loading, which made people not even try to visit my site.

No Credit Card Required!

This is something that has helped me because of my situation. I don’t have to worry about having a credit card and I can pay with Pay Pal which is something that has been a great value for me. I can go get a Pay Pal Gift card, which is available in several different stores and even in Wal-mart. So I can reload my Pay Pal account every 2 months and not have to worry about fraud with Pay Pal. This is definitely a great resource for those who don’t have credit cards or don’t want credit cards.

Great Customer Service!

I don’t say this lightly because I have my share of problems with my hosting account from problems with redirect and problems with speed. Each time I contacted them they were eager to fix the problem or help me upgrade my server. I even like the possibility to get help almost instantly with just typing to the customer service rep through a chat window. I even had to do some service tickets with them and it didn’t even take 24 hours for a answer from Hostgator. It was really a good experience with Hostgator, some of the reply emails were less than an hour. So I am glad that it didn’t take long to get stuff fixed if it was something that had to be done on the server side.

I could go on but I am really satisfied with Hostgator to the point of wanting to give out some of my domain coupons:

Hostgator Coupons:

Here are the Coupons that you can use to try Hostgator for yourself:

  • paulstechtalk25 — Get 25% off your purchase of an Hosting account using this coupon!
  • paulstechtalk994 — get 9.94$ off first months of hosting!
  • paulstechtalkr2494 — Save 24.94$ of a reseller package.

If I find out more you can bet I will post them so you can get the maximum savings on hosting.

Thanks Hostgator

Paul Sylvester

Change is never easy, but sometime is required!

A Fork in the Road!

Imagine that you are on the long winding road where there is nothing but problems and hardship. Each step you take is nothing but effort and you don’t see any end in site. I feel like I have walked in hail, rain, sleet, and snow barefooted and no umbrella. I’ve worked past few months but nothing really seemed to help. I’ve done everything in my power but it seems that nothing could of change the out come. I’m at a fork in the road and when I look right I see nothing but road that is hot and no cover, the left side I see a lush forest which will protect you from all the elements of the world. This is how I feel, the impossible choice that will make me stronger or destroy me forever.

A Once in a lifetime chance!

Would you take the once in a lifetime chance to be happy or would you be so scared of change that you wouldn’t do it? This is the ever ending question in today’s society. Most people would not want to get out of their comfort zones. I am like that also because I hate stepping out and making a change that is necessary, which will in my case make me a better person to everyone involved. Being a dad has been nothing but a dream with me and now I have three fantastic children who I do cherish and love every day. Today is Father’s Day and I am glad my children is safe and that I have been a father to them. Have you hugged your child today? Have they wished you a happy Father’s Day? These are somethings you should expect today.

It’s not to late to give your father a Gift?

IT isn’t like you have much chance of doing anything wrong but you should give your father something this year and even a kiss on the cheek will go long ways to brightening his spirit and making him smile. Why not give your dad a great Gift card from Amazon, at least then he can find what he might of really wanted and you can show him your love him.

Happy Father’s Day Everyone,

Paul Sylvester

Five Essential Packages for Ubuntu/Kubuntu!

Why do I need these packages?

There is no right or wrong answer but when I say it is needed, it is because us as a community should be ready. I know I already talked about people getting a Virus on Linux, and that some people think you can’t get a Virus. In all aspects, the Linux community is in a holding when it comes to security and viruses. I will not discuss this enough but for today we will discuss what packages you should have already installed when you first start using Linux. Even the Ubuntu developers have talked about viruses on their main website, so it isn’t something that I am not a little worried about when people start to use Linux.

The Packages I have installed!

While there is no right or wrong package for your Linux system, I thought I would at least recommend the ones that I did install not just for security but also for convenience. It will be your decision on which ones you will be install and which ones you think you’ll need. This list is for those who are serious about security and want to avoid any chances of being compromised.

  • VLC Media Player — Although this has nothing to do with security it is something that will prevent those nasty attempts, claiming your don’t have the right Codex to play this streaming Video. At least, if you have this installed you are one step closer to and knowing that this is a fake because I have found to be very affective having all the codex I will ever need.
  • AVG Antivirus — I have personally installed means I am a little more safer but not out of the woods just yet. Although, I am much safer having installed there is a long way to go before there is a good enough Antivirus program for linux and that I hope that changes in the future.
  • Firewall — Although this is your choice, I picked arno-iptables-firewall, which seems to be what I need right now. It however is something of a personal choice and probably even an OS choice.
  • Password Manager — Yes you heard it right, if you have a good Password manager then you are less likely to give out your password to sites that look like the real thing, which is called phishing attacks. With a good Password manager, you can go to right the right site with a click of the manager. I personally recommend Lastpass, but it is all up to your which one you want to use. I really don’t know if there are more linux based password manager but I am sure you can find them.
  • VPN — Although this isn’t really a package per say, but one that talked about in the past. How to get a VPN on Ubuntu/Kubuntu. I am sure there are others out on the internet. I just don’t want to make it to complicated for beginners, so I did make my own tutorial on getting a free VPN. You really don’t want anyone listening in while at a public hotspot do you?

Your one step closer!

As you can see these are what I call essential because of most of these will make you a little more security conscience and that in turn will make you a better Linux user. for the most part your be more ready than a lot of Linux user but that doesn’t mean your invulnerable, just more educated the rest. If you have a recommendation, I encourage you to leave a comment and let others know, but for the time being these are just what I have installed on my Kubuntu 11.04 right now and I’m really happy.

See you on the Flip Side

Paul Sylvester

Win 2 10$ Amazon Gift Cards!

Another chance to win!

Last month, I gave away two Pairs of eyeglasses. If you weren’t one of the lucky two winners, you can still enter this contest. So it is time to give away something else for this month. I’ve decided to give out two 10 dollars gift cards. This will be an easy to enter and you will also help me in the same process. Like last time, I will be using Random.org to find those two lucky people. So here are the rules!

Rules for entry!

First way to earn 10$ is a simple one. Just sign up for my Mailing List, nothing else is required. If your already signed up, your automatically entered into the running of the first 10$ gift card. Just sit back and wait!

The Second way, Is to tweet:

How to Win a 10$ gift card go to: http://bit.ly/iXi2iA #paulstechtalk #giftcard #free

You may only tweet this once per day, I will be watching the tweets if you start to spam people on twitter, I will know. So don’t do it to many times, or your will be disqualified for the 10$ gift card. The more you tweet the better your chances are at getting the prize, so tweet 30 times and you could be the winner, that is tweet from 06/14/2011 12:01am EST to 07/13/2011 11:59pm EST and I will be watching. Good luck to all the people who enter and We will see who winds next Month!

If you like me to give out even more from Amazon, please bookmark the Amazon link and use that anytime you shop at Amazon and that way I will be able to give away even more cards down the road.  For your convience, you can use this bit.ly url to buy from Amazon:

http://amzn.to/jCdF1y or http://www.amazon.com/?tag=paulstechtalk-20

Anytime you use that link, I will make a small amount off the sale of anything you buy that day.   So the more you use it the more I will make and in turn be able to give away even more stuff from Amazon!

 

Good Luck to All That enter

Paul Sylvester