Lets Go Fishing/Phishing?

Twitter has become so popular, there is a phishing scam going on right now. BEWARE!!! Phishing happens when a user clicks on a unsuspicious and authentic looking link from someone they trust, (usually in an email from a friend) and the unsuspecting and trustworthy user is unknowingly redirected to a site which has been created to duplicate the look and feel, “100% the same” as the original site. The fake website disguising itself as an authentic website, will request your username and password (pin #) in order to enter the site. Often financial institutions fall victim of such a scam. However, Twitter users all over the world are currently victims of such a phishing problem. The information provided by the user, is then used by the malicious phishing scam for unauthorized transactions.

The person sending the phishing link to their friends generally are unsuspecting of such an occurrence. A user which has been infected by this malicious phishing scam, sends out URL links to their friends containing the phishing scam with catchy verbage (”hay look at this funny blog”). Usually, the unsuspecting users e-mail contact list is distributed with the malicious phishing link. However, with Twitter it appears to be our “followers” distribution list that is being utilized in the form of a DM (direct message).

As with any phishing scam, preventative measures can be followed.

1. Clear your browser cache/history (Google it if you do not know how)
2. Make sure the site your logging into doesn’t have extra characters with it. Do not enter any information into the fake URL link (see below)

3. Do not click on links asking you to “go see.”

4. If you are feeling uncomfortable and insecure about the Twitter phishing panic created, it is advisable to change your Twitter password.

Does It Matter What Twitter Client I Use?

Currently I am using TweetDeck as a Twitter client, and do not see a choice within the application to clear the cache. TweetDeck uses Adobe Air application. On a side note; I have noticed when I delete (using the garbage can icon) a column in TweetDeck (ie: DM’s), after closing the application and opening at a later date - the column which I had deleted reappears. I am just saying… If the information is never really deleted, perhaps information is being stored somehow?

TweetDeck is not to blame!

This is not an isolated issue within TweetDeck. I have reported instances occurring through the use of the Twitter Website.
When I received my first phishing DM from a follower, I clicked on the link and noticed in the URL it had that person’s name as a referral link, which was then redirected to a bogus Twitter.com website (see above).

While visiting other websites, and clicking on their authentic (like ThemeForest.com) “sponsor” pages, I have noticed the same type of referral link being redirected. Although, this was not for a “sponsor” page, I believe this information is tied into how we will continue to receive more DM messages - if you do not clear your cache/history.

Don’t Stop Reading Your DM’S

I am noticing a large hysteria on Twitter. Individuals are refusing to read their DM messages, for fear of getting a virus or something worse. This is NOT the case. You will NOT be affected by the phishing from reading your DM messages on Twitter. The only way you will be effected is if you enter your Twitter username & password in the bogus website - which was created to steal your information.

UPDATED ALERT!!!

Since this post first was wrote, I have received another phishing link. It is from someone I would trust 100% and communicate frequently with, but have not talked to in about 2 weeks because they are unavailable. I am unsure if this is a factor in who is targeted or not. My point is, this phishing scam has made even me paranoid!

It is a shame, Twitter is a place filled with valuable information freely flowing in the form of a shortened URL. Now, there is this uneasy feeling when we wish to click on a link which may be informative - or may be a malicious link.

Firefox Plugin-in Helps Detect Phishing

Firefox has a plug-in to lengthen those shortened URL’s so you can see right through them. http://www.longurlplease.com/ is the website you can use to download the Firefox “LongURLplease” plugin from.

TWEET THIS AND SAVE A FRIEND-ASAP

Now that you have been educated on what not to do - do not let this phishing scam stop you from networking with your friends. If anything, DM them with this link and stop the panic! RETWEET -> RETWEET -> and RETWEET THIS ASAP

CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD- NOW

You should not only change your password for Twitter, but if your like some trusting individuals - they use the same password for numerous accounts. Change other existing accounts which correspond to the same password used on Twitter for security sake. Better safe than sorry. Don’t be foolish and careless. It is a gut wrenching feeling to be violated, but the control is currently in your hands, so go change those passwords!

Phishing Site Created 12/16/08

Domain registration information and other relative information can be found on http://think.alifr.com/phishing-is-still-spreading website.

Help Others by Commenting

If you have any further information which may be helpful, regarding the Twitter phishing delimma - please leave a comment and share with others.

Thank you for visiting and Happy Twittering!

Tags: Blogging, Graphic Design, Social Networking, Twitter, Virus by Chris Hebert
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From all of us to all of you…
Happy New Year!!

Tags: Blogging, Social Networking by Chris Hebert
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The primary purpose behind the creation of this site is to share and educate others in areas of weakness, or provide informative information which will in turn allow our readers to “make your websiteDazzling;” hence the name “WebDazzling.” With that said, there’s more to making your website “dazzling” than the content and graphics.

Brand Identity

It is important to think of yourself as a brand. What does that mean? Today’s technology allows anyone the ability to search the Internet for information. Potential employers/clients in today’s market are making use of Google and other search engines to find out information about you. Your name is a brand.

What is Your Online Identity Score

Online Identity Calculator  provides you with a quick rating of your name as a “brand.” Look to the right sidebar on this site for an example of their widget (put one on your site too if you like). It uses information proved through Google in order to determine if your “Online Identity” is positive, negative, or non existent. Credit to @marenhogan from Twitter and http://marenated.com/ for bringing this to my attention.

How to Create a Brand

Create a FaceBook account with your name. FaceBook, unlike MySpace seems to be where the “professionals” hang out. I have an account on both; however I use my FaceBook for more professional acquaintances and socialization. With that said, my advice to anyone on either of these two sites would be to use caution and be careful who you accept as a friend. I had a bad experience on one of these sites. Someone created a fictitious profile and decided to send horrible messages and make profound comments regarding my family. So, if you are always wondering why there is only 1 photo of Chris Hebert on any given site – this is the reason. I immediately pulled any personal information pertaining to my family and made all social media 110% professional.

Kicked to the Curb

The best advice I can give is this: do not make friends with people you may be embarrassed to expose to other potential employer’s/clients. In other words, if your 30 something years old and have a bunch of friends showing themselves naked and drunk on the floor passed out, you may wish to evaluate your selection of friends. I try to carefully research each person prior to accepting a friendship. Also, do not be afraid to terminate a friendship if they are potentially dangerous to your image. Put yourself in the employer/client’s shoes. Would you hire yourself giving the negative media exposure surrounding your name? If you answered “no,” it is time to re-evaluate and make some serious changes.

FaceBook Guru

@marismith on Twitter is who you should follow for exceptional tips & advice pertaining to FaceBook. Mari Smith, also quite a few wonderful sites as well:
http://whyfacebook.com/
http://facebook4pros.com
http://marismith.com
Mari Smith is recognized as an expert on giving helpful information pertaining to FaceBook, go ahead and subscribe to one of her blogs & tell her Chris Hebert said “hello.”

Put Your Face On

Basically, choose your photo (avatar) carefully – it is a representation of yourself. In addition, be cautious which friends you allow into your social media life. When creating social media accounts – try to use your name as a “user name,” in order to continue to create a brand for yourself. Lastly, make wise choices in life and use common sense. If it would embarrass you in front of your children later in life, DON’T DO IT NOW!

One final thought, go to http://www.godaddy.com and see if your name is available for a domain name. I didn’t jump at the chance when I was advised to, and now my name has been taken by a gentleman with the same name. The early bird gets the worm, as they say.

Continue down the brand identity path, and good things will follow.

Drop us a line and let us know what you have done to benefit yourself as a “brand.”

Tags: Misc, Social Networking by Chris Hebert
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There’s an infinite amount of information floating around the Internet. I have chosen a few sites to showcase, along with other information which you may find valuable too. I would like to share with you what you should know, but possibly don’t. Bare with me and continue on, to find out what you don’t know, but probably should.

Just in case you think your reading a programming language or I made a typo - let me explain. In the land of “Twitter,” a user can only communicate to another user through a Twitter client. In order to communicate with another user, the “@” symbol must be in front of the user’s name (for example @chrishebert). If this is still all Greek to you, take a peek at my previous post Do You Twitter?

Today’s WebDazzling Stars

@GirlinYourShirt on Twitter,  hosts an Internet TV show with a genius idea (wish I would have thought of it).  Girl.inyour Shirt.tv  ”introduces a daily tech start up while wearing the company swag shirt.” Wonderful diversity of ideas and trends on this site, that make you wanting to watch more. Featured on TechCrunch, among other blogs; see for yourself what your missing!

While surfing Girl.inyourShirt.tv, I found  this gem of a site TechieDiva.com. Wonderful site filled with great technology “Gizmo’s” and a female twist to boot (you know I love that part of it - being a female geek myself!).

@calebkimbrough  is from the Lost and Taken site; posting a flood of textures for free. 2008: The Year of the Texture was a dream come true for anyone sick of hunting down textures on the internet. “Lost and Taken” is a depository of copyright-free stock photographic textures that you can use however you please…whether it be for a graphic design project or as a texture in a video game you’re designing.”  Say “HI” on Twitter, or stop by and collect a few textures for yourself (I did).

@bittbox bittbox strives to offer exceptionally useful “FREE” fonts.  The site is not just full of free fonts; there are tutorials, software, news, rants, and software. Something I was not aware of as a WordPress plugin, but is free for download on bittbox ”Customize Your WordPress Login Page.”  

@thinkdesign One of my all time favorites, I even have a designated “Tab” in my browser for it - ThinkDesign has a very unique feature you can download. I would recommend ANYONE to download the WordPress Test Pack. If you are unsure what your new theme will look like, prior to making it 100% your own - this download is for you. On the other hand, if you are a designer and would like to test your site, this test pack makes life so much easier - this is also for you. “Included categories, sub-categories, pages, sub-pages, 30 test posts, tags, thumbnails via custom fields, and a “Testing the Elements” post so that you can test html elements, such as <h2>, <blockquote>, etc.” Don’t forget to look-up the free WordPress themes too.

@princesstimetoy Have you ever wanted to feel like a princess? Do you already have a princess in your home but lack the wardrobe? PrincessTimeToys has a cute array of dress up “full line of quality and educational wood toys and children’s furniture.”

Free Custom Twitter Background - Yep you heard me all right, “FREE“ @princesstimetoy is having a special if you mention this post & give some link love to her site. Small price to pay for her very professional looking back grounds. Take a look at her portfolio. The site also has a quick tutorial on How to install your backgrounds on Twitter.  

http://www.sneakysunday.com/  Very fun to play with. Try this interactive City Guide for “Restaurants, Bars & Clubs, Entertainment, and Lodging.”  I found this site by accident, and fell in love with graphics. Now you go play with it…

File Sharing

MediaFire:  Free Hosting of files, photo’s, etc. for your blog. I have noticed a growing number of blogs which permit downloads, .zip (compressed) files - are coming from this free hosting site. Thought I would pass on the love and let you decide. I did sign-up for free, however I have not utilized the service yet to give you a 100% good/bad opinion. Please comment and let me know (if you could be so kind).

Web Hosting

By no means am I getting any compensation for my posting. I am passing on information from other sources. It has come to my attention this week, MediaTemple.net has a “Grid-Service” which provides reliable, and most importantly secure service. In addition, they specialize in WordPress 1-click installs, for as little as $20.00 per mo. http://mediatemple.net/webhosting/gs/ Give me a shout and let me know what you think of their service, once you sign up.

Do You Remember Your First Love?

Cute little feature - find out who was your “First Tweet” on Twitter (I couldn’t remember that long ago, can you?) http://dcortesi.com/tools/my-first-follow/

My Secret Sites I am Addicted To:

http://designm.ag/ Designm.ag - Great design online magazine (articles & resources for designers)
http://lifehacker.com/ LifeHacker - Don’t let the name fool you “Tips and Downloads for Getting Things Done”
http://www.netmag.co.uk/ .NET Magazine from the UK. “Develop/Discover/Design” Great ideas & articles.

Pet Peeve - For Today

I just had to sneak this one in there. Aside from individuals who talk at a movie and eat with their mouth open; I dislike designer’s who do not design their site to open a new browser window, when a user clicks on a link. Doesn’t it defeat the purpose of keeping traffic on your site if a user leaves your site once they select a link? Just saying….

Just an FYI, thank you for listening… (Pssstttt - You won’t hurt my feelings if you want to “Stumble” this <wink>)

I would love to hear your comments on any information you may have found interesting and/or useful. Your voice is important, please feel free to share.

Tags: Blogging, Graphic Design, Social Networking, Twitter, Wordpress by Chris Hebert
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Currently, there are many individuals down and out, financially and emotionally. Many of us are struggling to make ends meet in today’s society. While families struggle and business owners want to give up, this empowering video just may change how you feel about “giving up.”

Thank you WhiplashDesign.com for sharing this on your site, I would like to Pay it Forward:

Tags: Misc, Social Networking by Chris Hebert
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