A critical piece of at least one spam gang's alleged cyber-crime infrastructure was taken down last week as San Jose-based hosting company McColo was disconnected from the internet. The impact? An instant and massive drop in the amount of spam being sent around the world. Learn more about the case, and the continuing story of McColo, in these blog entries by SophosLabs experts.
http://www.sophos.com/security/blog/2008/11/1970.html
http://www.sophos.com/security/blog/2008/11/1995.html
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In the last few days hackers have been widely distributing malware via email, posing as contracts from well-known companies such as Starbucks, Apple, Toyota and Google.  Learn more about the attacks, and how to avoid them in the blogs below:

http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2008/11/28/contract-of-many-disguises
http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2008/12/01/more-contract-malware
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Regardless of whether you are planning to go anywhere special this holiday season, cybercriminals are ramping up a new malicious email campaign, posing as an airline ticket from one of several well-known airlines. Would you open the attachment when they tell you that they have already charged your credit card?  Don't get scammed this holiday season!
http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2008/12/04/email-malware-flying-high
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If you're a Facebook user you should be wary of messages sent by friends requesting personal information or money. A Google Australia employee almost ended up out of pocket after she received messages from a "friend" of hers who claimed he needed money for an air ticket as he was stuck in Lagos. In fact, the fraudster had compromised her friend's Facebook account. Learn more from Sophos now.
http://www.sophos.com/news/2008/11/facebook-nigeria.html
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Do you know what Cramming means?  The following is the FTCs definition of cramming:

"Cramming" is the practice of placing unauthorized, misleading, or deceptive charges on your telephone bill. Crammers rely on confusing telephone bills in an attempt to trick consumers into paying for services they did not authorize or receive, or that cost more than the consumer was led to believe.

The University has an average of six cramming instanced a month on the University's telephone bill.  Each month university employees must deal with AT&T to have the cramming charges removed from their monthly bill.   The following are tips from the FCC:

Don't Get Crammed

Here are some tips to help consumers avoid cramming scams.

·         Be aware that your local telephone company may bill for services provided by
  other companies.

·         Carefully read the fine print before you fill out contest forms, especially if they ask
  for your phone number. Likewise, read the fine print before you place a call in
  response to a sweepstakes promotion.

·         Be cautious about calling unfamiliar 800 numbers. Be especially wary if you're told
  to enter codes, leave your name, or answer "yes" to prompts. Unscrupulous
  entertainment providers may use this ruse to send you a bill.

·         900 numbers cost money, even if you're calling to claim a "free" prize. All 900
  numbers that cost more than $2 must give you a brief introductory message about
  the service, the service provider, and the cost of the call. You have three seconds
  after the message ends to hang up without being charged.

·         Consider a 900 number block; it stops calls from going through to 900 number
  services. Blocks also are available for international, long distance, and local toll
  calls. Call your local phone company for details.

·         Check your phone bill every month for unfamiliar charges. Sometimes, a call
  placed to a toll-free number may be fraudulently billed as a 900 number, collect
  call, or international call.

·         Be cautious when you fill out online surveys or enter online contests. 

·         Be cautious when you close pop-ups as some pop-ups sign you up for services
  that you are not aware of.

·         Examine your phone bill for recurring monthly charges. These charges typically
  appear as "Miscellaneous Charges and Credits." They may be so small, or
  described in such general terms, that they're easy to overlook or to confuse with
  valid services you may have ordered from another provider.

Cramming can also appear on your home telephone bill, so each month review your telephone bills.  By reviewing your bill you can stop services you did not request and you can work with your telephone service provide to correct your bill.

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The Web Service team (Laura Reeves, Azalea Boehm, Sandy Boyd, Cynde Ferris, Robert Lewis, Regi Stewart, Valli Thiagarajan, Nick Villamayor, Xiaoman Wardell) helped 39 out of 51 departments maintain 80% or more of their content.  The news gets better;  21 departments have exceeded the minimum requirement, maintaining at least 90%!   Help us celebrate their achievement by giving these departments a pat on the back.

Percent of items tagged with authors and expiration date for each department, sorted greatest to smallest.

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Whether you're leaving the office for the holidays, going on vacation, or are going on a business trip, there are a number of things you can do to prepare your computer for your time away. Cancelling appointments and letting people know you'll be gone are just a few of the things you can do to make sure your responsibilities are covered and people aren't trying to meet with you. Here are some best practices to make sure your work goes on smoothly, even when you're gone.

View the entire article:  http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/getstarted/vacation.mspx

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One of the trends of 2008 has been the dramatic increase in the number of scareware or fake anti-virus programs, designed to fool people into believing they have a security problem.  Watch this free video which explains how these scams work.
http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2008/12/10/video-of-a-fake-anti-virus

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