How to safeguard our personal and financial data?

Saturday, February 7, 2009

First and foremost, why we need to safeguard our personal and financial data?
I believe many people the use internet don't know why they need to.

The reason why is because if we do not protect ourselves while we surf net, we might fall into identity theft. So, what is identity theft? To make it simple, identity theft it is a crime in which a person steals personal data and uses it to get either credit or service that only the real owner is entitled to through internet.

This is especially a serious concern for all computer users. Personal data needs to be guarded jealously by both businesses and private individuals using the internet for any service or utility.
There is currently a battle between hackers and companies attempting to keep their information safe.

However, protection from internet identity theft primarily falls on your hands, as there are a few things you can do to help keep yourself safe.

HOW???

There are many ways to safeguard our personal and financial data from the hackers. The most basic and effective ways are to us use of secure website and having up to date computer security.


Use of Secure Websites

Secure websites

• One of the most basic ways of ensuring protection of sensitive data is using a website that is secure. Many websites are now protected by the data sent between your computer and the site being encrypted. Such websites are difficult for hackers to attack.

Insecure websites

• On the other hand, there are websites that are easy targets for hackers, those websites that are not secure and do not guard the data of its users. Secure websites encrypt your personal and credit data so that there is no way of gaining access to them even by the greatest of hackers.

• If the site is of questionable content, such as adult websites, music sharing sites and casino sites, then the higher the risk is. Many of these sites attempt to install programs that track your personal data, then sells the information to those who look to do you harm.
  

Having Up to Date Computer Security

• Having the latest computer security program is another measure that can ensure protection against fraudulent use of personal data or ensuring identity theft protection.

• Programs like spyware and viruses seize private data and allow it to be accessed by hackers so computer security is a necessity that guarantees protection against this sort of misuse.

• Crooks and felons can use this sensitive data for a range of misdeeds, they can open accounts, get goods and services in your name and use up all your money.

• Thus, identity theft protection software becomes a necessity in modern day life because it encodes all data stored in the computer so that others cannot retrieve and use it.

Internet identity theft protection should be one of your top concerns when using the internet. There is a much great risk of someone stealing your private data than someone breaking into your house.


Related information:
CRUCIAL PARADIGM - Business solution hacking prevention
Greater Manchester Police - Internet help and guidance (Hacking prevention)
Definition of a hacker

Additional information:
The only way to truly keep your information safe is to enroll in an identity insurance These services are designed to do whatever it takes to protect your identity, and are backed by a $1,000,000 guarantee.

If you want to protect yourself and your family from financial and personal ruin, click here for guaranteed - Identity Theft Protection

The application of 3rd party certification programme in Malaysia

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Digital certificate usually attach to an e-mail message or an embedded program in a web page that verifies that user or website is who they claim to be. The common functions of a digital certificate are user authentication, encryption and digital signatures. User authentication provides other security than using username and password. Its session management is stronger. Encryption can make the data transmission secured by using the information encrypted. The intended recipient of the data is only person to receive the message. Digital signatures are like the hand signature in the digital world. It can ensure the integrity of the data.
By using the digital certificate, the users will be able to make transaction on the internet without fear of having the personal data being stolen, information contaminated by third parties, and the transacting party denying any commercial commitment with the users. Furthermore, the digital certificates can assist the development of greater internet based activities.

The most famous application of 3rd party certification program in Malaysia is provided by the MSC Trustgate.com Sdn Bhd. MSC Trustgate.com Sdn Bhd was incorporated in 1999 and is a licensed Certification Authority (CA) under the operation of the Multimedia Super Corridor. Certification Authority is the body given the license to operate as a trusted third party in the issuance of digital certificates.

The objective of MSC Trustgate is to secure the open network communications from both locally and across the ASEAN region. Trustgate provide digital certification services such as digital certificates, cryptographic products and software development. The products and services of Trustgate are SSL Certificate, Managed PKI, Personal ID, MyTRUST, MyKAD ID, SSL VPN, Managed Security Services, VeriSign Certified Training and Application Development. The vision of Trustgate is to enable organizations to conduct their business securely over the internet, as much as what they have been enjoying in the physical world.

The Website of MSC Trustgate:http://www.msctrustgate.com/

Phishing: Examples and its prevention methods.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Based on the wikipedia.org, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication such as email or attractive advertisment or web site.

For example, There were some CIMB bank customer receive an email indicate that their account has been notify that recently suffered a DDos-Attack on one of their Internet Banking server. So the customer must complete the steps had mention in the email to verify the integrity of their online banking account. If they fail to complete the verification their account will be suspended. The fraudsters are try to cheating the user ID and the password that allow them to log in to the victim's account and use the money to buying things or etc.

There were some methods that help to prevent phishing happen

1. Do not respond to e-mails requesting for your personal information. Legitimate companies do not ask their customers for confidential information, such as passwords and account numbers, though e -mail, as the customer will receive the letter from the bank if their account really have any problem. If really worry about that just call to the bank and comfirm it.

2. Do not click on links provided in e-mails. If you are not sure about the website address that appears in an e-mail, go to your browser and find the legitimate address manually because the fraudsters can use the links to point recipients to another site that using an address similar to a real bank's URL.

3.Do using the antivirus software to secure the computer such as the anti-spyware and firewall program that is popular and well supported by the vendor. Ensure the programs are always up-to-date and frequently updated.

4. Read and understand the privacy and policy information of that website clearly, before conducting any transaction.

The method mention above are really can to prevent the phishing happen, but the internet user also have to use internet smarter.

The threat of online security: How safe is our data?

Nowadays, internet is become common in our life because many people use it to search the information, chatting, transferring the file, read the news and so on. Internet is a global system of interconnected computer network that interchange data by using the standard Internet Protocol(IP).

With the advancement of technology today, the web-based service including Facebook and MySpace are becoming prime target for hacker to seeking your personal information. This is the reason why in the market occur many type of online security system and software but there also a numerous of online threat attack our computer or data. Below is few type of internet threat that appears in the internet:-

i) Malware
It is a software design to damage a computer system. This software also can describe it as a head of all type of malicious software which is include worm, Trojan horse, spyware, computer virus and unwanted software. For example we can see that numerous of computer in 2000 attack by “I LOVE YOU” virus. This particular malware only simple subject “I LOVE YOU” and an attachment “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs.” causing widespread outrage, making it the most damaging virus ever.


ii) Worm& Trojan horse
A worm can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a file that appears harmless. Worms and Trojans may cause harm to a computer system's hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when executed. These will caused computer becoming slow even the computer is high performance. That is why our computer needs a internet security system such as antivirus software to protect our computer. Without this software Trojan or warm will track into the computer and steal the important data or personal information such as password of your email account.


iii) Spyware
Spyware is software that install to the computer to take partial control over the user interaction with the computer without user inform consent. Generally, it used for programs that covertly monitor your activity on your computer, gathering personal information, such as usernames, passwords, account numbers, files, and even driver’s license or social security numbers. Spyware is installed in many ways such as most often spyware is installed unknowingly with some other software that you intentionally install. For example, if you install a "free" music or file sharing service or download a screensaver, it may also install spyware. Some Web pages will attempt to install spyware when you visit their page. As a result, all the computer setting is change, slow connecting speed, different home page, automatic pop up website and loss functionality of other program.

how E-Commerce can reduce cycle time, improve employees’ empowerment and facilitate customer support.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce, consists of buying and selling products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. A wide variety of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the transaction's lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well.

Cycle time means the amount of time taken to complete a process. For example a process of purchase order, delivery goods and reach customer. Digitize enable the supply chain save time from internal to external needed process to the transaction such as traditional of book keeping are upgraded to digitize. Every transaction proceeds under a standard and consistency form of transaction process.

Reducing time-cycle:

E-commerce can reduce cycle time by eliminating the time taken to process in between supplier, intermediaries and customers. Through e-commerce, the customer can directly order the material needed no matter in what time zone and wherever they are with an access to the internet, because the e-commerce website is operate 7-24-365, hence the customer no need to wait until the shop is operate. E-commerce reduces time taken from shipping, inventory level, it also shortens the time taken to verify registration, account entry and transaction authorization.

Furthermore, e-commerce fully utilizes the internet to facilitate the communication with strategy suppliers and internal customer. Enhance the interaction between firm and customer to enhance the understanding between the two parties. E-commerce reduces the traditional phone calling and snail mailing that used to be ways to process transaction. However it is lack efficient and slow in progress and take time. Electronic data exchange through online allow the company to communicate with their customer even in public holidays. Eventually, it affects the whole transaction process and increase the efficiency.

Improve employees’ empowerment:

Employee empowerment can be described as giving employees’ responsibility and authority to make decisions about their work without supervisory approval. Good managers are expected to help employees refine their job achievements by encouraging, instructing, guiding and giving them advice. Employee empowerment can increase employees’ motivation, job satisfaction and loyalty to their companies. The power that managers should shared with employees is through trust, assurance, motivation, and support.

Electronic-Data-Interchange (EDI) enables the employees to have freedom and authority to access in transaction system, transparency barrier between employee and customer is clear cut. Employees in charge can have more understanding of the business and the transaction and providing relevance feedback to customer. Employees can do their job independently without supervision. On the other perspective, employees who work under these circumstances are more productivity rather than those who work under tight supervise. Nowadays, work stress is a significance issues that should be taken into consideration when dealing with employee condition. In other ways, employee can work from anywhere at any time whenever they like. Because through accessing the internet they can do everything online. It is more flexibility to employee. Productivity eventually increases in these circumstances.


Facilitate customer support:

Customer demands are more demanding nowadays. Traditional ways of doing business seem cannot be applicable for the current situation. They required more sophisticate and efficient ways of dealing with their daily demand. E-commerce is a place where the firm can fulfill every customer with different requirement. Quality of services is much more emphasize nowadays compare with the physical product. Ordinary customer required more than what the web page provide. They required immediate response for their request. Share database in between the employee is crucial for further follow up process where they can obtain customer profile and information in order to solve their problem.

Customization is an issues where the firm should highly emphasizing and concentrating, neglect this issues will cause a huge impact and change the whole picture of the business nature. Firms are encouraged to provide Graphic-user-interface (GUI) which enables the user to view and order product. Furthermore, firms can also provide some information and brief summary of their product through picture or video to clarify customers about the product. Firms might need to yearn for a better prospect therefore it is a must for firm to recognize the customer changing trends and demands. Hence, a well define feedback of the services and products are essential for the company long term improvement. They also can provide their company information to enable the customer to contact them and prepare a forum to customer to left their comment.

The causes of Alibaba.com Success

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Alibaba.com is an e-commerce or e-auction company which is specializing in global trading. It was founded in 1999 by Ma Yun（Jack Ma）. In 2008, alibaba.com has attracted at least 23 million visitors of which 65 percent were from China.

The alibaba.com is specializes in Business to business trades, especially for international buyers that trying to contact with sellers. It is an e-commerce ecosystem that allows consumers and businesses to do all aspects of business online. Manufacturer can publish their company profile at the Alibaba.com for free, so it can attract lot of low-cost manufacturer joining to their website and company who looking to partner with a low-cost manufacturer can easily search from Alibaba.com to find the suppliers of everything they need. It can help the new business to save some advertisement cost and easier for them to run their business.

Actually, Alibaba.com is just one unit of Ma's growing empire. Alibaba Group is made up of five sub-companies. His Alibaba Group also includes Taobao, which is an online auction web site for consumers like eBay or lelong.com; Alipay, an online payment system similar to PayPal, processing mainly payments within China; Alisoft, it provide the web services to the Chinese small and medium sized enterprise marketplace and the last sub-company is Alimama, which allows web publishers and advertisers to trade online advertising inventory.

So what cause Alibaba.com Success?
Jack Ma mention that one of the factor cause his company success is because of the company name- ALIBABA. When asked the people about alibaba, they all will answer that Alibaba--open sesame. The word 'Alibaba' is easy to spell, and globally known. So it can attract more people to search for the website as it is a simple word and easy to remember. In Jack Ma's mind Alibaba also can said as the opens sesame for small- to medium-sized companies.

Furthermore, Alibaba.com have their own online payment system. It is more convenience for the seller and buyer. The buyer can directly paid to the seller directly through the Alipay.com which is more secure to both the seller and buyer as the Alibaba.com and the Alipay.com are connected so it can reduce the fraud case happen. For example, once the fraud case had comfirm, the Alipay.com will block the transaction and return the money to the buyer.

By the way, another factor that cause Alibaba success is Jack Ma want his employees to belieave that Alibaba is a small company. So no matter how big the company get , they still need to continue innovate and grow. It only the reason that allow Alibaba to compete with other competitor like ebay, amazon.com and etc. So Alibaba will carfully seek for their employees, and each or them must with strong professional skill and good characteristic.

An example of an E-Commerce failure and its causes - Boo.com

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Boo.com’s history (Nov 1999 - May 18th 2000)

Boo was beaten by technology and the fickle fingers of those who shop for clothes on the web. From the day it launched technology was a problem for the online clothes retailer. Originally it was supposed to launch in May 1999 but technical hitches delayed the unveiling. When Boo.com finally went live last November its ambitious technology was there for all to see - if they could be bothered to wait for it to download. The graphics-heavy site took a notoriously long time to load.

The company stated that ‘their business idea is to become the world-leading Internet-based retailer of prestigious brand leisure and sportswear names’. However, after less than a year it launched, boo.com faced a critical moment. “Unless we raise $20 million by midnight, boo.com is dead”. The CEO of the boo.com Ernst Malmsten said, on May 18th 2000. Half the investment was raised, but this was too little, too late, and at midnight, less than a year after its launch, Boo.com closed because investor funds could not be raised to meet the spiraling marketing, technology and wage bills.

The headlines in the Financial Times, the next day read: “Boo.com collapses as Investors refuse funds. Online Sports retailer becomes Europe’s first big Internet casualty”. Although it happen 9 years ago, the boo.com case still remains as a valuable case study for all types of businesses, since it doesn’t only illustrate the challenges of managing E-commerce for a clothes retailer, but rather highlights failings in E-commerce strategy and management that can be made in any type or organization.

The causes of the e-commerce failure

There are several causes that makes Boo.com fall. Firstly, Boo.com full of technologies that cannot be view by all the internet users by that time. It could not be seen by people who use Macintosh computers which are heavily used by graphics, design and media companies. These companies surely are one of the key markets for a hip online retailer like Boo. Next, it used lots of graphics, pop-up windows and 3-D images that only those with a 56k modem could see it without waiting minutes for it to load. Getting the most out of the site required a high bandwidth internet connection. But according to Therese Torris, technology analyst from Forrester Research, only 1% of home surfers in Europe and 2% in the US have such high-speed connections by that time.

Although Boo.com looked great, anyone visiting it in November 1999 was confronted with a formidable array of windows. In one was Miss Boo, an animated helper who commented on the clothes people were buying. At the same time four other windows were open showing:

- The range of clothes a buyer was choosing from

- A detailed image of one item that could be spun around or magnified

- A Boo bag holding what was being bought

- A mannequin dressed in the clothes a shopper was buying

To do all this Boo used a technology called Flash made by US software company Macromedia that lets web page designers add animations and graphics to sites. But unfortunately at the time Boo launched, few people had installed the software program, called a plug-in, that let them see the funky graphics. Now Flash software is much more widely used.

According to Jim McNiven, chief executive officer of award winning web design company Kerb, he said that many companies stop workers from downloading plug-ins because of potential security risks. He said it was much better to use technologies that need no extra software and that everyone can see. Besides that, he says that Kerb always ensures that at least the last two full versions of browsers can see all parts of webpages designed for clients.

Furthermore, the site was very difficult to navigate around. Shoppers could get lost and find no way back to their starting point. In the web design industry, there is a “three-click rule” for site design, which simply means that the users should not need to click more than three times to find the information they seek. Customers prefer pleasurable, simple and quick browsing experience rather then complicated and full of animation that confusing and wasting their time.

In order to gain customer acceptance, Boo redesigned its website in January to make it easier to navigate and added a version devoid of pop-up windows and graphics. The changes gagged Miss Boo and a paper catalogue was printed for those who want to buy offline. However, the early bad experience scared off many online shoppers who did not go back to Boo.com, preferring to do their buying on the high street or on websites that were easier to use. Online shoppers are notoriously fickle and surveys have shown they are easy to irritate and hard to impress. Irritated shoppers tend to decamp for websites offering better service.

Additional information:

But some of the blame for Boo's demise can be put down to the fact that the e-commerce is in its infancy. Boo launched simultaneously in 18 countries and had to create an international infrastructure that could handle all the different currencies, consolidate orders and deliver clothes and shows across the world.