A Breakthrough in Planet Discoveries - NASA Science

Source:  A Breakthrough in Planet Discoveries - NASA Science

A Breakthrough in Planet Discoveries

Feb. 26, 2014: Years ago, before the launch of NASA’s Kepler spacecraft, astronomers were thrilled when they discovered a single planet.

Today, the Kepler team announced 715.

Kepler has always been good at finding planets. Even before the announcement, the observatory had confirmed 246 new worlds outside the solar system. The latest discoveries almost quadruple that number.

A new ScienceCast video explores the 715 new worlds just confirmed by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Play it!

Kepler works by looking for the slight dimming of starlight caused when a distant planet transits its parent star.  Any dip in stellar brightness attracts the attention of the Kepler team, and can prompt them to declare a planet candidate. Verification of candidates can be a laborious process, proceeding slowly, planet-by-planet.

Now, however, a research team co-led by Jack Lissauer of the Ames Research Center has figured out a way to speed the process up.

"We've developed a procedure to verify multiple planet candidates in bulk to deliver planets wholesale, and have used it to unveil a veritable bonanza of new worlds," says Lissauer.

The technique is called "verification by multiplicity," which relies in part on the logic of probability. Out of the 160,000 stars Kepler has observed, a few thousand have planet candidates.  But not all candidate systems are equal.  A subset of the total, numbering in the hundreds, have not just one but multiple candidates.  By concentrating on those busy systems, the team found 715 planets orbiting 305 stars.

The method of multiplicity can be likened to the behavior of lions and lionesses. Suppose that Kepler’s stars are like lions, and the planets are lionesses. If you see two big cats it could be a lion and a lioness or it could be two lions. But if more than two cats are gathered, then it is very likely a lion and his pride. Thus, through multiplicity, the lionesses—or planets—can be reliably identified.

Click to visit the Kepler home page.

All of the newly-discovered worlds are located in multi-planet systems. Nearly 95 percent of the planets are smaller than Neptune—that is, less than four times the size of Earth. This is a marked increase in the known number of relatively small planets.

“This study shows us that planets in multi-systems tend to be small and their orbits are flat and circular, much like the inner parts of our own solar system,” says Jason Rowe a co-leader of the research at the SETI Institute.

Four of the new planets are less than two-and-a-half times the size of Earth. Moreover, they orbit in their sun's habitable zone, where the surface temperature of the planets may be suitable for liquid water, a key ingredient for life as we know it.

"The more we explore," concludes Rowe, "the more we find familiar traces of ourselves amongst the stars that remind us of home."

For more information about the discovery of these and other new worlds, visit PlanetQuest

Credits:

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

Share the National Consumer Protection Week video | OnGuard Online

Source:  Share the National Consumer Protection Week video | OnGuard Online

Share the National Consumer Protection Week video

February 26, 2014by Lisa Lake


Consumer Education Specialist, FTC


Tagged with: resources


Blog Topic: Avoid Scams, Be Smart Online

National Consumer Protection Week — March 2-8 this year — is a time to highlight free consumer resources that help people avoid scams, prevent identity theft and make more informed buying decisions. Just in time for this 16th annual celebration, here’s a new video, available in theNCPW Toolkit, to help you get the word out about the week to your network of colleagues, neighbors, friends and family.


This 60-second video provides an overview of what the week is all about. It is ideal to include on your website or social media page or to download and show at any event — community or club meetings, school gatherings, conferences… you name it! There are lots of other items you can use to build awareness of your consumer education activities during NCPW or any time of the year.

US Tax Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns | US-CERT

Source:   US Tax Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns | US-CERT

US Tax Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns

Original release date: February 26, 2014

In the past, US-CERT has received reports of an increased number of phishing scams and malware campaigns that seek to take advantage of the United States tax season. The Internal Revenue Service has issued an advisory on its website warning consumers about potential scams. Tax season phishing campaigns may include, but are not limited to:

• Information that refers to a tax refund,
• Warnings about unreported or under-reported income,
• Offers to assist in filing for a refund, or
• Links to counterfeit e-file websites.

These messages, which can appear to be from the IRS, may ask users to submit personal information via email, or include links to sites that request personal information or host malicious code.

To protect themselves against these types of phishing scams and malware campaigns, users and administrators are encouraged to take the following measures:

• Do not follow links in unsolicited email messages.
• Keep antivirus software up to date.
• Refer to US-CERT's Security Tips on Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams and Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for additional techniques and recommendations.
• Visit the IRS page for instructions on how to report suspected tax season phishing messages.

This product is provided subject to this Notification and this Privacy & Use policy.

How to Use Indistinguishability Obfuscation: Deniable Encryption, and More

Source: How to Use Indistinguishability Obfuscation: Deniable Encryption, and More 

When Windows XP Dies, So Does Its 'Microsoft Security Essentials' | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Source:  When Windows XP Dies, So Does Its 'Microsoft Security Essentials' | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

When Windows XP Dies, So Does Its 'Microsoft Security EssentialsBY DAVID MURPHY

You won't be able to download Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows XP after April 8.



Bad news for those still planning to cling to their legacy Windows XP systems after the operating system's official "death" on April 8, 2014: While the OS will certainly work come April 9, you're going to start heading into the wild, wild West of viruses, exploits, and other unfriendly computer hijinks.

Not only is support for the operating system ending, but you will also lose your ability to benefit from Microsoft's free antivirus and anti-malware app, Microsoft Security Essentials.

Microsoft's official, end-of-support date for Windows XP shouldn't come as news for anyone who has touched a computer in the past five years or so. In fact, we can recall a pledge the company made back in 2008 that it would support Windows XP all the way through 2014.

Complete article: When Windows XP Dies, So Does Its 'Microsoft Security Essentials' | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Cashing in on Digital Information: An Onslaught of Online Banking Malware and Ransomware

Source:  TrendMicro Cashing in on Digital Information: An Onslaught of Online Banking Malware and Ransomware

Cashing in on Digital Information: An Onslaught of Online Banking Malware and Ransomware

PDF Contents

CYBERCRIME AND THE CYBERCRIMINAL UNDERGROUND


Malware that went straight for victims’ money not only rose in number; they also targeted users in more regions.

MOBILE

Mobile threats grew both in terms of volume and sophistication, made possible by the PC-to mobile shift.

TARGETED ATTACK CAMPAIGNS AND CYBER ATTACKS

Targeted attacks showed no signs of abating though they no longer gained as much attention.

EXPLOITS AND VULNERABILITIES

Java exploits highlighted the known problem of using old, unsupported software versions.

DIGITAL LIFE SECURITY ISSUES

Although digital life and privacy threats, especially concerning social media, “personal cloud,” and online account use, remained constant, the discovery and eventual ebb of state-sponsored monitoring into mainstream awareness may pose further risks to user data.

Tags: CyberCrime, #CyberCriminal, #Malware, #CyberAttacks, #CryptoLocker

What Second Life? Digital Natives’ Lives Revolve Around Being Online - Trend Micro Simply Security

Source:  What Second Life? Digital Natives’ Lives Revolve Around Being Online - Trend Micro Simply Security

What Second Life? Digital Natives’ Lives Revolve Around Being Online 

• Posted on:February 21, 2014
• Posted in:Security
• Posted by:JD Sherry (Technology and Solutions)

0

I recently enjoyed a blog post by Brian Solis that discussed the blurred lines between the current physical dimension that our social lives have historically been comprised of to the digital personals and lives we lead within those social communities. Many, including the millennial generation have accumulated massive hours interacting socially and now professionally online. Sage advice is given about the need to appreciate that the kinetic and digital worlds have completely collided.  There is reason to embrace and applaud this phenomenon but there is also reason to proceed with caution as we move forward with an increasing pressure to share and do more online.

Symantec Corporation - Symantec Intelligence Report :: JANUARY 2014

Source:  Symantec Corporation - Symantec Intelligence Report :: JANUARY 2014

Executive Summary

Welcome to the January edition of the Symantec Intelligence report. Symantec Intelligence aims to provide the latest analysis of cyber security threats, trends, and insights concerning malware, spam, and other potentially harmful business risks.


A number of large data breaches were reported during the month of January. The largest new data breach included the exposure of 105.8 million identities in South Korea. (It’s worth noting that many individuals in the country had more than one account exposed in this breach.) Another large data breach, previously reported as including 40 million identities, has since had its numbers adjusted upwards and is now estimated at 110 million identities exposed. These two breaches contribute significantly in bringing the total number of identities exposed to over 500 million for the last twelve months.

Targeted attacks are up to their highest level since August of last year, after what appears to be average-to-low attack numbers over the last four months. Manufacturing is the most targeted industry, making up 21.3 percent of attacks. The non-traditional services category, which includes hospitality, recreation, and repair, is a close second at 20.6 percent.

The number of vulnerabilities reported is also up in January after lower numbers reported in 
November and December of last year. However, at 555 vulnerabilities, this number is still well 
below October, which reported a high of 663 for the month.

In other news, spam and phishing rates are down slightly in January, while email virus rates are at their lowest levels since October of last year. 

We hope that you enjoy this month’s report and feel free to contact us with any comments or 
feedback.


Ben Nahorney, Cyber Security Threat Analyst
symantec_intelligence@symantec.com

Tags: #Cyber Security, #Targeted Attacks, #Data Breaches, #Mobile Malware, #Vulnerabilities, #Spam, #Phishing, #Malware, #Endpoint Security

Start-Up Site Hires Critic of Wall St. - NYTimes.com

Source:  Start-Up Site Hires Critic of Wall St. - NYTimes.com



Matt Taibbi, who made a name as a fierce critic of Wall Street at Rolling Stone magazine, has joined First Look Media, the latest big-name journalist to leave an established brand to enter the thriving and well-financed world of news start-ups.

QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll

Click the QuickBooks image for more details and pricing.


Eagle Business Solutions highly recommends QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll software for your small business!

Everything you need to manage your payroll

Create paychecks

We calculate your paychecks instantly. Pay employees with our free direct deposit, or print checks & stubs on your own printer, directly from our system.

Manage Taxes

Federal & states taxes are calculated for you. Just click to pay and file your taxes or print completed forms on your printer. Unlike other payroll services, we let you keep your payroll tax money until it's due.

Low monthly fee covers everything

The regular monthly fee is $25 $20 for Basic or $35 $28 for Enhanced. This fee covers everything for the business & the first employee, including:

·         Run payroll an unlimited number of times each month

·         Direct Deposit

·         Electronic tax payments

·         Quarterly & year-end tax filings

·         W-2s

·         Live support by phone, chat, & e-mail

·         Guaranteed accurate tax calculations

Each additional employee is just $2 per month.

If you file taxes in more than one state, each additional state is $12 per month.

Click the QuickBooks image for more details and pricing.

Description: Buy Enhanced Payroll Unlimited and Save 20%
Keywords: #QuickBooks, #QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll, QuickBooks Pro, #Simple Start, Enterprise Solutions, #Online Edition, QuickBooks Point of Sale, Customer Manager, POS, #QuickBooks PayrollPro, #QuickBooks: Premier Editions, QuickBooks Pro for MacDiscount QuickBooks, #Discounted QuickBooks, #Quicken Books, #Quikbooks, #Quick Books, #Accounting, #Small Business Software, #Financial Services, #Bookkeeping, #Accounting for Macintosh, #Free Shipping.

 

QuickBooks Online with Payroll

Eagle Business Solutions highly recommends QuickBooks Online software for your small business!
Click the QuickBooks image for more details.

First thirty (30) days of using QuickBooks Online with Payroll, starting from the date of enrollment, are free. To continue using QuickBooks Online with Payroll after the trial period, you'll be asked to present a valid credit card for authorization. 

You'll receive a 20% discount on your monthly service fees for the first twelve (12) months of your subscription to QuickBooks Online with Payroll.  The discounted price during the first 12 months is: 

• $41.56/month which includes $10.36 for QuickBooks Online Simple Start and $31.20 for Payroll; 
• $52.76/month which includes $21.56 for QuickBooks Online Essentials and $31.20 for Payroll;
• $63.16/month which includes $31.96 for QuickBooks Online Plus and $31.20 for Payroll. 

Each employee you pay is an additional $1.50/month. 

If you file taxes in more than one state, each additional state is $12/month. 

After 12 months, you'll be automatically charged at the then-current fee for the service(s) you've selected, unless you cancel. You can cancel the service at any time by calling 866-272-8734 x111. 

If you add or remove services, your service fees will be adjusted accordingly. 

Offer is valid for new QuickBooks Online with Payroll customers only and is available for a limited time. This offer can't be combined with any other QuickBooks Online or Payroll offers.

Features

Track your income and expenses

Send unlimited estimates and invoices

Download transactions from your bank and credit card accounts1

Print checks and record transactions

Import data from Excel2 or QuickBooks desktop3

Back up your data online automatically4

Same security and encryption as banks5

Access your data from a tablet or smartphone6

Invite up to two accountants to access your data7

Integrate with available applications8

Set up invoices to automatically bill on a recurring schedule

Manage and pay bills from vendors

Enter bills and schedule payments for later

Compare your sales and profitability with industry trends

Control what your users can access

Create and send purchase orders

Track inventory

Prepare and print 1099s

Give employees and subcontractors limited access to enter time worked

Track billable hours by customer

Create budgets to estimate future income and expenses

Categorize your income and expenses using class tracking

Track sales and profitability for each of your locations

Number of people who can simultaneously use QuickBooks Online

Number of built-in business reports

Pay W-2 employees and file payroll taxes

Accept credit cards and bank transfer

Available with every plan:

Pay employees and file payroll taxes

You can run payroll within QuickBooks and file payroll taxes in just a few clicks. Simply turn on QuickBooks Online Payroll for an additional $39/month.

Get paid more ways, fast

You can accept credit cards and bank transfers in QuickBooks, on your mobile device, or online. Simply turn on Payments; additional fees apply.

Click the QuickBooks image for more details.

Description: Quickbooks Online: The Fast, easy way to do your accounting. Try it Free for 30 Days!

Keywords: QuickBooks, QuickBooks Pro, Simple Start, Enterprise Solutions, Online Edition, QuickBooks Point of Sale, Customer Manager, POS, QuickBooks PayrollPro, QuickBooks: Premier Editions, QuickBooks Pro for MacDiscount QuickBooks, Discounted QuickBooks, Quicken Books, Quikbooks, Quick Books, Accounting, Small Business Software, Financial Services, Bookkeeping, Accounting for Macintosh, Free Shipping

When your phone speaks volumes | OnGuard Online

Source:   When your phone speaks volumes | OnGuard Online

When your phone speaks volumes

February 17, 2014

by 

Nicole Vincent Fleming

Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

People share information about themselves every day by using store loyalty cards, internet search engines, social networking sites, and online coupons. Many people — like the character in this video — decide that the benefits of these services are worth sharing some personal information with businesses, ad networks, and others.

Read more at When your phone speaks volumes | OnGuard Online

Back, back, back it up | OnGuard Online

Source:  Back, back, back it up | OnGuard Online

Back, back, back it up

February 18, 2014

by 

Nicole Vincent Fleming

Consumer Education Specialist

You’ve heard it a million times: Don’t click on links in an email unless you know who sent it and what it is.

But sometimes the link in an email is just so darned convenient. For example, you ship a package to a friend, and then you get an email with a link to track the delivery. It’s safe to click that link, right?

Maybe not.

Scammers are sending emails that look like courtesy messages from legitimate companies — especially shipping companies — to spread a new ransomware called Cryptolocker. So what’s ransomware, and why should you care?

Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents you from using your computer until you pay a certain amount of money. It’s essentially extortion, with all the data on your computer at risk unless you pay.

Cryptolocker works by encrypting all the files on your computer — your photos, your documents, your tax refunds — anything you’ve saved to the hard drive or any shared folders. Once the files are encrypted you won’t be able to open them without the encryption key — which you can get only from the criminals behind Cryptolocker.

After Cryptolocker has encrypted your files, it displays a message like this:

The criminals demand payment through an anonymous payment type like Bitcoin or Green Dot cards, and promise to give you the key if you pay the ransom in time (for example, $300 to be paid within 72 hours).

Unfortunately, once Cryptolocker has encrypted your files, there’s no way to recover them. You could pay the ransom, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get the encryption key.

So what can you do?

Back up your files. Right now. And often.

An external hard drive is a good option, but be sure to disconnect it from the computer when you are not actively backing up files. If your back-up device is connected to your computer when Cryptolocker strikes, the program will try to encrypt those files, too.

What else can you do?

The best way to avoid downloading Cryptolocker — and other kinds ofmalware — is to practice good computer security habits.

• Instead of clicking on a link in an email, type the URL of the site you want directly into your browser. Then log in to your account, or navigate to the information you need.
• Minimize “drive-by” downloads by making sure your browser’s security setting is high enough to detect unauthorized downloads. For example, use at least the "medium" setting in Internet Explorer.
• Don’t open “double extension” files. Sometimes hackers try to make files look harmless by using .pdf or .jpeg in the file name. It might look like this: not_malware.pdf.exe. This file isNOT a PDF file. It’s an EXE file, and the double extension means it’s probably a virus.

For more tips about how to avoid, detect, and get rid of malware, watch our video:

Tagged with: computer security, malware, personal information

Blog Topic: Avoid Scams, Be Smart Online, Secure Your Computer

Point-of-Sale System Breaches - Threats to the Retail and Hospitality Industries

Source:  Point-of-Sale System Breaches - Threats to the Retail and Hospitality Industries 



PoS Systems in Retail/Hospitality Industry Networks

Point-of-sale (PoS) systems have been around in one form or another for decades. Businesses in the retail and hospitality industries use these systems not only to accept payment, but to provide other operational information such as accounting, sales tracking, and inventory management. These systems are also used to improve the customer experience through customer loyalty programs and suggestions.



From a security perspective, the most immediate risk to businesses and customers lies in accepting payments. The information customers hand over, if captured, can be used by cybercriminals to commit credit card fraud. Risk of exposure is the primary reason why the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCISCC) has established data security standards for organizations that handle the information of credit, debit, and ATM cardholders.1



PoS systems require some sort of connection to a network in order to contact external credit card processors. This is necessary in order to validate credit card transactions. How this connection is provided may depend on the store in question. For small businesses, this may be provided via a cellular data connection.



However, larger businesses that wish to tie their PoS with other back-end systems may connect 

the former to their own internal networks. In addition, in order to reduce costs and simplify 

administration and maintenance, PoS machines may be remotely managed over these internal 

networks.



Many PoS terminals are built using embedded versions of Microsoft™ Windows®. This means 

that it is trivial for an attacker to create and develop malware that would run on a PoS terminal, if 

he can gain access to that terminal and bypass or defeat any running security solutions present.



Sufficiently skilled and determined attackers can thus go after a business’s PoS terminals on a 

large scale and compromise the credit cards of thousands of users at a time. The same network connectivity can also be leveraged to help exfiltrate any stolen information. This is not just a theoretical risk, as we have observed multiple PoS malware families in the wild.