Crooks Hijack Online Brokerage Accounts

People are overreacting...
And the Uber-Geek solution...
Is always to get average people to switch to Linux.. where they will be hopelessly lost.

It's simple...
A key-logger or trojan has to ** access the internet ** to send info back to the crook.
Any good firewall will make this all but impossible.

Simple solution:

(1) Disable Windows Firewall. (I can't believe ANYONE would trust their computer's security to Microsoft).

(2) Install FREE Sygate Personal FireWall.
Read the documentation... and ** learn how it works **.
You create a list of all programs allowed to access the internet.
The trojan will not be on the list... unless you put it there.

(3) Good idea to uninstall Norton/Macfee antivirus...
And replace with FREE Avast antivirus... at avast.com
Avast and Sygate work very well together for me on 10+ computers for 3-4 years.

(4) Optional... get at least 2 FREE spyware scanners.
Go to download.com and try out the most popular ones... sort by popularity and read the reviews.
But problem is spyware scanners produce many ** false positives **... so you have to be experienced.

(5) Ignore people pushing Linux. You do not want to be one of those people.
The main reason Linux is more secure... is that it's 2% of the market... and no one can be bothered to crack Linux.

But most important thing is a good software firewall.
 
OK all you experts, I can use some help on a slightly different topic. I "click to accept" virtually everything, and end up with 100 emails a day for everything from viagra to nigeria, and I have "clidk here to remove" and put up spam blockers and all the rest...but to no avail.

I need to allow public stuff (from all the traders and new people), so I can't have a "must be on the approved list" type of thing via a return.

I get about 120-150 "legitimate" emails daily, and I need to keep them coming in of course.

I must "allow pop ups" (but that's another whole thing) for Dow Jones and other news services.

Any input will be appreciated....I don't want someone to take over my computer and think that I'm Rush Limbaugh or something, LOL.

Don :confused:
 
I believe this is the first online brokerage to admit that hacking is hitting the financials with losses. Or at least put a dollar amount to it anyway.

Fwiw


Hackers cost TD Ameritrade millions in last quarter
By Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch
Last Update: 4:07 PM ET Oct 24, 2006

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Leading online financial-services firm TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. said Tuesday that it took a $4 million charge in the fourth quarter because of identity-theft fraud, highlighting the financial cost of a growing problem plaguing such businesses.
While no clients lost assets thanks to the company's reimbursement policy, the loss underscored a thorny issue for online brokers and retailers: how to safeguard the identities of their clients, especially from suspects overseas.
TD Ameritrade is not alone. Last week, E-Trade Financial Corp.

reported that thieves in Eastern Europe and Thailand cost their customers $18 million in losses in the third quarter.
"This seems to be something happening overseas. People are traveling and allowing their log-ins and their user IDs to be obtained. It mostly seems to be through wireless systems," Chief Operating Officer Randy MacDonald said on a conference call Tuesday.
Omaha, Neb.-based TD Ameritrade made the disclosure as part of its fourth-quarter earnings report.
Ameritrade executives say that they and other firms are working as an industry to protect people's passwords and log-ins.
In an interview Tuesday, Ameritrade Chief Executive Joe Moglia said that hacking would be an ongoing problem for online brokers, and that the fight against it is a priority for his and other companies.
"I think this is with us forever," Moglia added. "It will continue to go on."
But he said that it's the company's job to hire people "that can stay one step ahead of the thieves."
On Tuesday, the online broker, which is the country's third largest, reported that fourth-quarter profit rose 36%, driven by a large acquisition made earlier in the year. Trading results, commissions and net income were a bit weaker than expected. See full story.
Shares of TD Ameritrade closed 4.8% lower on Tuesday, falling to $15.84
 
Quote from Don Bright:

OK all you experts, I can use some help on a slightly different topic. I "click to accept" virtually everything, and end up with 100 emails a day for everything from viagra to nigeria, and I have "clidk here to remove" and put up spam blockers and all the rest...but to no avail.

I need to allow public stuff (from all the traders and new people), so I can't have a "must be on the approved list" type of thing via a return.

I get about 120-150 "legitimate" emails daily, and I need to keep them coming in of course.

I must "allow pop ups" (but that's another whole thing) for Dow Jones and other news services.

Any input will be appreciated....I don't want someone to take over my computer and think that I'm Rush Limbaugh or something, LOL.

Don :confused:
More...

As for the spam, it will depend on your setup. If you can, it's best to stop it at the mail server. It will depend on which mail server you use (i.e. Microsoft Exchange), and if you have the expertise on staff to maintain it. If not, you'll have to look for a solution on the client side (i.e. Outlook Plug-in).

As for the popups, you can tell your browser to stop popups, except for certain sites. I actually prefer the Google Toolbar, and have it configured to allow popups on certain sites, but not many. I'm not saying the Google Toolbar is best, but it's what I used. I'm sure Microsoft, Yahoo, etc. have similar settings.

Other things to look out for: Adware and Viruses. These are insidious. Make sure these things are not on your machine, and regularly run the utilities that check for them. Make sure those utilities are kept up-to-date.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Hope this helps Don.

BTW: Thanks for the valuable input I see from you on these boards.
 
FWIW <p>I saw Moglia's(CEO AMTD) interview on CNBC today. He stated that the problem that his firm encountered was from clients accessing their accounts from public computers.
 
Quote from Don Bright:

OK all you experts, I can use some help on a slightly different topic. I "click to accept" virtually everything, and end up with 100 emails a day for everything from viagra to nigeria, and I have "clidk here to remove" and put up spam blockers and all the rest...but to no avail.

I need to allow public stuff (from all the traders and new people), so I can't have a "must be on the approved list" type of thing via a return.

I get about 120-150 "legitimate" emails daily, and I need to keep them coming in of course.

I must "allow pop ups" (but that's another whole thing) for Dow Jones and other news services.

Any input will be appreciated....I don't want someone to take over my computer and think that I'm Rush Limbaugh or something, LOL.

Don :confused:
More...


http://www.microsoft.com/office/editions/prodinfo/junkmail.mspx

microsoft's guidance on how to do what you need....if you're using outlook that is.
 
Quote from Don Bright:

OK all you experts, I can use some help on a slightly different topic. I "click to accept" virtually everything, and end up with 100 emails a day for everything from viagra to nigeria, and I have "clidk here to remove" and put up spam blockers and all the rest...but to no avail.

I need to allow public stuff (from all the traders and new people), so I can't have a "must be on the approved list" type of thing via a return.

I get about 120-150 "legitimate" emails daily, and I need to keep them coming in of course.

I must "allow pop ups" (but that's another whole thing) for Dow Jones and other news services.

Any input will be appreciated....I don't want someone to take over my computer and think that I'm Rush Limbaugh or something, LOL.

Don :confused:
More...




Stop looking at porn at work Don and you won't get all that spam !


LOL
 
Quote from Don Bright:

OK all you experts, I can use some help on a slightly different topic. I "click to accept" virtually everything, and end up with 100 emails a day for everything from viagra to nigeria, and I have "clidk here to remove" and put up spam blockers and all the rest...but to no avail.

I need to allow public stuff (from all the traders and new people), so I can't have a "must be on the approved list" type of thing via a return.

I get about 120-150 "legitimate" emails daily, and I need to keep them coming in of course.

I must "allow pop ups" (but that's another whole thing) for Dow Jones and other news services.

Any input will be appreciated....I don't want someone to take over my computer and think that I'm Rush Limbaugh or something, LOL.

Don :confused:
More...

Simplest solution for email- Get a new email address, let everyone know of your migration to the new address. Logging out, configuring your browser to delete cookies automatically, and stopping untrusted website scripts will also lower your chances of some spammer's target or "take over" your computer.

Pop Ups- You can create a white-list of websites allowed for pop-ups with FireFox or Internet Explorer.
 
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