Staff promised to keep the phone safely until [the couple came to retrieve it].

However, after Philip Sherman retrieved the phone, his wife began receiving threatening calls and messages from strangers. This caused the Shermans’ to become suspicious about what had occurred with the phone.

Soon afterward the Shermans’ found the private photos that Tina Sherman had sent to her husband’s phone published on the Internet along with their names, address, and phone numbers. Pictures of Tina Sherman were altered to contain McDonald’s franchise logos, along with slogans such as, “I’m lovin’ it,” and “Hot as McDonald’s coffee.” The photos were located on several different sites online, but have since been removed.

The Shermans are suing for over 3 million dollars in damages, along with relocation costs.

Read the full article here.

There are many weird things about the giant Humboldt squid, but here's one of the strangest: Its beak. The squid's beak is one of the hardest organic substances in existence -- such that the sharp point can slice through a fish or whale like a Ginsu knife. Yet the beak is attached to squid flesh that itself is the texture of jello. How precisely does a gelatinous animal safely wield such a razor-sharp weapon? Why doesn't it just sort of, y'know, rip off? It's as if you tried to carve a roast with a knife that doesn't have a handle: It would cut into your fingers as much as the roast.

Paper here.

1. I don't trust Google.
2. I don't trust the Internet.
3. The tools for creating private documents are so much better than the online ones.
4. I can get to my documents when I am offline.
5. The Internet is too slow.

• Security and stability
• Offline application mode
• Fast running and standards based application engine

Since its birth 12 years ago after a fatal kidnapping in Texas, Amber Alert has quickly become one of the best-known tools in the national law enforcement arsenal. The warnings are familiar to anyone who watches cable TV news, especially during the summer, when the drumbeat of abduction stories seems to increase. Last year, 227 alerts were issued nationwide, each galvanizing interest in the local community and flooding police with tips. While the particulars of the state systems differ, the goal is the same: to disperse news of a kidnapping as widely and quickly as possible, in the hope that someone will spot the kidnapper before a child is harmed.

The program's champions say that its successes have been dramatic. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, more than 400 children have been saved by Amber Alerts. Of the 17 children Massachusetts has issued alerts on since it created its system in 2003, all have been safely returned.

These are encouraging statistics -- but also deeply misleading, according to some of the only outside scholars to examine the system in depth. In the first independent study of whether Amber Alerts work, a team led by University of Nevada criminologist Timothy Griffin looked at hundreds of abduction cases between 2003 and 2006 and found that Amber Alerts -- for all their urgency and drama -- actually accomplish little. In most cases where they were issued, Griffin found, Amber Alerts played no role in the eventual return of abducted children. Their successes were generally in child custody fights that didn't pose a risk to the child. And in those rare instances where kidnappers did intend to rape or kill the child, Amber Alerts usually failed to save lives.

Changing Behavior

1. Educate yourself.
At least every 6 to 12 months, surfers should browse the educational information provided by their operating system and security vendors and subscribe to any security-related newsletters they might offer. According to David Perry, familiarity with the latest threats, dangers, and recommended safety tips will allow surfers to make safe choices. “Until you know what’s out there, you’re just flying blind. Without an education, you’re wide open”.
2. Avoid suspect sites.
While criminals can infect even mainstream Web sites, sites such as gambling sites, adult Internet sites, and illegal file-sharing sites are far more likely to carry malicious code. Web sites that offer “something for nothing” frequently recoup their losses by infecting visitors’ PCs.
3. Lose Your Comfort Zone.

Recommended Technology

4. Use an updated virus scanning suite.
The most important component of any threat mitigation system is a virus scanning suite. In addition to detecting and removing known viruses and malware, modern virus scanning suites provide additional protections against new attacks by disabling their known protocols. For example, Trend Micro™ Internet Security encrypts keyboard traffic, protecting personal data from keyboard logging programs that might go unnoticed. Users should update their scanner and virus definitions as frequently as possible to ensure the best possible coverage.
5. Upgrade your OS and browser.
In addition to offering more features, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer version 7 and the latest Mozilla Firefox are both substantially more secure than previous-generation browsers. Users of older browsers should upgrade immediately to take advantage of increased security. Similarly, Windows Vista and Mac OS X are more secure than their predecessors, and users of older operating systems should consider upgrading, as well.
6. Disable scripting and “widgets.”
Many Web-based attacks use various scripting languages to run infectious programs in a browser or use downloadable “widgets” to execute infections locally. By disabling scripting and avoiding downloadable widgets wherever possible, surfers disable these common attack vectors.
7. Rate your Web pages.
Some available services rate the risk of Web pages in search results, allowing surfers to avoid unwanted content and hidden threats before viewing the pages. Rating applications (e.g., Trend Micro TrendProtect™) consume few system resources and run unobtrusively, so they are suitable for any Web-enabled personal computer.
8. Ask your provider.
Commerce companies, banks, and credit card associations are all interested in computer security, and many offer additional features. For example, Visa’s Verified By Visa program requires cardholders to enter a second password to identify themselves during a transaction, while businesses in Poland require cell-phone confirmation of credit card purchases. While nothing will be 100 percent effective, any additional security measure provided by a trusted source will increase protection, and surfers should adopt as many as possible.

This article provided for your reading pleasure by Trend Micro.