SEARCH CLINIC

The Apple iPhone, one of the most popular mobile phones in Britain, is not safe from electronic snooping, government security experts have warned MPs.
Ministers in the Coalition have been told that they should not use iPhones for sensitive official communications.

Many ministers and advisers are devoted fans of the fashionable devices. But the touch-screen phones, used by about 4 million people in Britain, have not been approved by information security experts for use in Whitehall.

Whitehall departments have been advised not to issue iPhones to staff because of the risk that they might be vulnerable to hacking or other interference — a suggestion Apple denies.

Instead, ministers and staff have been advised to use BlackBerry devices and other approved phones.

The third part of Dr Search’s lecture focused on  Website Focus= Customer Focus

The content of the third video explains why brand names aren’t enough, Keyword phrases explained, Tips to find where your customers are, why optimisation is at heart of online marketing,
What’s Good for your customers=good for search engines=good for social media=>profits
Similarities between icebergs and websites and Google’s UK database current key optimisation requirements

Dr Search the Principal Consultant at the Search Clinic’s lecture at the University of Gloucestershire on online marketing to to businesses, professionals and students at the 5th annual Gloucestershire Professionals conference in June 2009.

More than 300 people attended the conference with over 60 attending Dr Search’s lecture on Online Marketing Tips, Strategies and how to use the most cost effective tools for your online marketing business.

Of the 12 seminars during the day Dr Search received the top rating with 93% of the attendees saying that he was relevant to their needs and 86% of attendees rated the content as highly rated.

Please let me know what you think of the video. Have you found it useful? Was there anything else that you would like to learn about? Please contact Dr Search by clicking here now.

Please have a look at the other videos as they become live on the Search Clinic YouTube Channel

Visitors to porn sites are at serious risk of being exploited by cyber criminals, new research has shown.
It found that many sites harboured malware or used “shady” practices to squeeze money out of their visitors.

By creating their own porn sites researchers found that many consumers were vulnerable to known bugs and loopholes.

Competition among porn sites makes the online adult industry ripe for abuse by hi-tech criminals.

“They have almost inadvertently created a whole ecosystem that’s easy to abuse for cyber crime on a large scale,” said Dr Gilbert Wondracek, a computer security expert from the International Secure System Lab, which led the study.

Dr Wondracek said the team embarked on the study to find out the truth of the widely held view that porn sites are dangerous to visit.

“There are studies looking at the profitability and economics of the industry but we are the first to come at it from a security and more technical point of view,” he said.

Statistics suggest that approximately 12% of all websites offer pornography of one sort or another and that 70% of men under 24 browse these sites.

As a first step the researchers trawled pornographic sites to classify what they found and how the industry was structured.

The big distinction was between free sites and those that charge for access. Typically pay sites produce content they give to free sites to drum up traffic.

More than 90% of the 35,000 pornographic domains analysed in the study were free sites.

The researchers analysed the 269,000 websites hosted on the 35,000 domains to see which hosted malicious software.

About 3.23% of these sites were booby-trapped with adware, spyware and viruses.

Many others used “shady” practices to keep visitors onsite. These included javascript catchers that made it hard for people to leave a page.

Others use scripts that re-direct visitors so when they click on a link they do not see the video or image they were expecting but are passed to an affiliate site.

As most sites were free, the only resource they could exploit as a revenue source was this traffic.

“It’s cut-throat competition,” said Dr Wondracek. “Everybody tries to get as much traffic as possible.”
Finding victims

Traffic is used in many different ways. Popular sites sell it to those looking for an audience, some is used to direct visitors to affiliates who provide content and sometimes it is used to boost rankings in search engine indexes.

It could also be a great way for hi-tech criminals to get a ready source of victims, said Dr Wondracek.

“As an attacker you want to make your life easier,” said Dr Wondracek. “If you can have these 20,000 people come to a place instantly, why not?”

With many porn sites appearing in the top 100 most popular sites on the web this could mean that huge numbers of people are caught out when they browse for adult content.

While relatively few porn sites were infecting visitors, it is difficult to spot good from bad, he said.

Dr Wondracek recommended that anyone visiting porn sites keep their security software up to date and use the “safe browsing” modes found in many browsing programs.

The researchers presented their results at the Workshop on the Economics of Information Security held at Harvard from 7-8 June.

The email addresses of around 114,000 Apple iPad owners who subscribe via America’s second largest mobile phone provider AT&T have been hacked by an internet security group.
Among those believed to have been affected are filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. The New York Times Co. also told its staff to shut off iPad wireless access after learning of the breach, according to a memo confirmed by the company.

The attack, by a group of hackers named Goatse Security, exposed a weakness in a part AT&T’s website used to prompt users’ of their email addresses, making it easier for them to log-in via their iPad. It holds information on all iPad users subscribed through the telecoms company’s 3G network.

Each of the accounts has an associated ICC code – an internal code used to link a subscriber with their SIM card. The hackers bombarded the AT&T website with fake ICC codes in the knowledge that, by chance, some would inevitably match genuine patterns. When they did, the website thought it was being contacted by a real iPad user and released the associated email addresses.

The breach is being interpreted as a major embarrassment for both Apple and AT&T and comes just weeks after a member of Apple staff lost a prototype of an iPhone in a bar, which was promptly taken apart, photographed and published online by a technology blog.

It also provoked fears that iPad users, subscribed via AT&T’s 3G network could be at risk from phishing scams. Armed with a valid email address and the knowledge that their target may be expecting emails from Apple or AT&T, criminals could send emails that plant malicious software on thier victims’ computers.

A Goatse Security spokesman said the group contacted AT&T and waited until the vulnerability was fixed before going public with the information. It also released the information to media website Gawker Media.

AT&T admitted the breach and said that the problem had been fixed on Tuesday. But it claimed that it was alerted to it by a business customer. In a statement, an AT&T spokesman said: “The only information that can be derived from the ICC IDS is the e-mail address attached to that device.

Apple has sold more than two million iPads since they went on sale two months ago. Some models of the iPad tablet work with AT&T’s third-generation wireless network, and other versions only work on Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi-only models are not affected by the breach. It is believed only users within the United States have been affected.

Google is “almost certain” to face prosecution for collecting data from unsecured wi-fi networks, according to Privacy International (PI).
The search company has been under scrutiny for collecting wi-fi data as part of its StreetView project.

Google has released an independent audit of the rogue code, which it has claimed was included in the StreetView software by mistake.

But PI is convinced the audit proves “criminal intent”.

“The independent audit of the Google system shows that the system used for the wi-fi collection intentionally separated out unencrypted content (payload data) of communications and systematically wrote this data to hard drives. This is equivalent to placing a hard tap and a digital recorder onto a phone wire without consent or authorisation,” said PI in a statement.

This would put Google at odds with the interception laws of the 30 countries that the system was used in, it added.

“The Germans are almost certain to prosecute. Because there was intent, they have no choice but to prosecute,” said Simon Davies, head of Privacy International (PI).

The revelation that Google had collected such data led the German Information Commissioner to demand it handed over a hard disk so it could examine exactly what it had collected.

It has not yet received the data and has extended the original deadline for it to be handed over.

According to Google, the code which allowed data to be collected was part of an experimental wi-fi project undertaken by an unnamed engineer to improve location-based services and was never intended to be incorporated in the software for StreetView.

But PI disputes this explanation.

“The idea that this was a work of a lone engineer doesn’t add up. This is complex code and it must have been given a budget and been overseen. Google has asserted that all its projects are rigorously checked,” said Mr Davies.

“It goes to the heart of a systematic failure of management and of duty of care,” he added.

Search Engine Optimisation SEO tips, tools, tutorials guide and techniques Part 2 YouTube VideosContinuing the series on online marketing today Dr Search publishes his second video on search engine optimisation (SEO) tips explaining organic listings and guiding the pros and cons of organic listing- a long term great value but seldom instant results process.

Second part of Dr Search the Principal Consultant at the Search Clinic’s lecture at the University of Gloucestershire on online marketing to to businesses, professionals and students at the 5th annual Gloucestershire Professionals conference in June 2009.

More than 300 people attended the conference with over 60 attending Dr Search’s lecture on Online Marketing Tips, Strategies and plan the most cost effective tools for online marketing business.

Of the 12 seminars during the day Dr Search received the top rating with 93% of the attendees saying that he was relevant to their needs and 86% of attendees rated the content as highly rated.

Please let me know what you think of the video. Have you found it useful? Was there anything else that you would like to learn about? Please contact Dr Search by clicking here now.

Please have a look at the other videos as they become live on the Search Clinic YouTube Channel.

BP is accused of trying to manipulate the search results on search engines like Google and Yahoo, as it attempts to salvage its battered image following the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico.BP is purchasing Pay Per Click (PPC) search engine keyword terms such as “oil spill”, “Deepwater Horizon” and “Gulf of Mexico”, so that when a searcher types these kewywords into search engines, the results prominently feature a “sponsored link” to BP’s official page on its response to the oil spill.

Critics have described BP’s move as unethical. Maureen Mackey, a writer on the Fiscal Times, an online news site, said: “What it effectively does is that it bumps down other legitimate news and opinion pieces that are addressing the spill… and BP are paying big money for that.”

The criticism comes as President Obama expressed unease at the amount of money the company was spending to counter the negative attention the company has received following the oil spill.

BP has confirmed that its digital teams based in Houston and London, together with the company’s marketing executives, are currently engaged in buying search terms.

The company sought to downplay the strategy, saying that it was aimed at helping those most affected by the spill, by providing accurate information on the correct forms to fill in and key people to contact.

Groups can bid pennies or thousands of pounds for a PPC search term, but the highest bid does not necessarily win. Google demands that adverts are “relevant” for Google’s “Quality Score”, that the link is proven useful as many people have clicked on it.

BP have not revealed how much buying search terms such as “oil slick” has cost the firm. Companies are charged “per click”, meaning the more people click on the adverts, the more it will cost the firm.

Other analysts say that the move is a legitimate tactic that has been used successfully by other organisations in crises.

As the importance of the internet has grown, companies have increasingly tried to control their public image through buying advertising on search engines.

Political parties across the world, include the Conservative Party during this years general election, have bought key search terms to ensure their messages are at the top of search engine results.

Yahoo and Facebook are to integrate their services closer together which means that people with a presence on both sites can have updates to one service mirrored to the other.It also means that it will get easier for users of Yahoo’s other services, such as Flickr, to share what they do with friends on Facebook.

Alongside the Facebook deal goes an overhaul of Yahoo’s Profile service to make it easier for people to control what they share.

The deal means that people who maintain profiles on Yahoo and Facebook can link the two pages and cross-populate both sites with just one update.

It will also mean that those who use Flickr, Yahoo Answers or the social site’s video and music services can pipe any media or data they create to friends who use only Facebook.

The account linking deal deepens the relationship that Facebook and Yahoo struck in 2009. That made it easier for people to build a contacts book that spanned both services.

The refresh of Profile will see it re-named Yahoo Pulse. It will also get improved privacy controls so users can fine tune who gets to see their updates or view the media they put on the web.

The deal with Facebook also builds on a variety of other steps Yahoo has taken to help its users make more of social media.

For instance, Yahoo has struck a deal with social game giant Zynga which will see hugely popular titles such as Farmville and Mafia Wars work with its network. The games are due to be available in late 2010.

Google “screwed up” after its Street Cars wrongly mapped every wireless network in Britain to use the information for commercial purposes, Eric Schmidt, its chief executive has admitted.In an interview at Google’s London headquarters, the search engine’s boss admitted the company had gained access to the personal details of millions of unsuspecting internet users including their bank details and personal data.

Google is currently at the centre of a global privacy storm after it admitted that its Street View cars had collected information sent over unencrypted Wi-Fi networks.

He appeared to blame a Google engineer who inserted a rogue computer code in the Street Car software system in a “clear violation” of the company’s code.  The engineer, who has not been named, is currently facing disciplinary action.

The company has faced a series of embarrassing questions over its harvesting of the data, which UK authorities said appeared to be in breach of the Data Protection Act.

But in a desperate attempt to diffuse the growing row over its latest privacy blunder, Mr Schmidt said officials would begin handing over to the rogue data to European regulators within the next two days.

It will initially hand over the data to German, Italian, French and Spanish data protection authorities.

It will also publish the results of an external audit into the practice, where the private information it obtained over families’ use of the internet.

His comments contrast with those he made recently at a round table meeting at the Zeitgeist conference in London. “It’s highly unlikely that we’ve captured any useful data in that,” he told the conference.  “And nothing has been done with that data.”

He insisted that despite the series of controversies the company culture, which allows engineers freedom to create new products and services, would not change.

He said the so called “20 per cent time”, where employees could pursue personal projects would continue. “It would be a terrible thing to put a chilling effect on creativity,” he said.

“You are better off having a company operating on a set of principles, that you can at least model, than a political process, which clearly does not produce rational outcomes.

“Google is big and Google is disruptive by design. We are trying to do things that are new and when you disrupt things, the people who are being disrupted complain.”

He then tried to deflect critisism by adding “We are in the information business and everyone has an opinion about information. But the laws covering these areas are inconsistent.”

“The arrogance comes across because we try to do things for end-users against organised opposition from stakeholders that are unhappy – and they paint us as arrogant.  But I am sure that all successful organisations have some arrogance in them.”

The company will not, however, face any action in the UK because the Information Commissioner is satisfied with the company’s promise to delete the data “as soon as reasonably possible”. The ICO has ordered Google to destroy all of the personal data.

Google is ending the use of Microsoft’s Windows operating systems claiming security concerns.
The directive to move to other operating systems began in earnest in January, after Google’s Chinese operations were hacked, and could effectively end the use of Windows at Google, which employs more than 10,000 workers internationally.

“We’re not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort,” said one Google employee.  “Many people have been moved away from Windows PCs, mostly towards Mac OS, following the China hacking attacks,” said another.

New hirees are now given the option of using Apple’s Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system. “Linux is open source and we feel good about it,” said one employee. “Microsoft we don’t feel so good about.”

In early January, some new hires were still being allowed to install Windows on their laptops, but it was not an option for their desktop computers. Google would not comment on its current policy.

Windows is known for being more vulnerable to attacks by hackers and more susceptible to computer viruses than other operating systems.

The greater number of attacks on Windows has much to do with its prevalence, which has made it a bigger target for attackers.

Employees wanting to stay on Windows required clearance from “quite senior levels”, one employee said. “Getting a new Windows machine now requires CIO approval,” said another employee.

In addition to being a semi-formal policy, employees themselves have grown more concerned about security since the China attacks. “Particularly since the China scare, a lot of people here are using Macs for security,” said one employee.

Employees said it was also an effort to run the company on Google’s own products, including its forthcoming Chrome OS, which will compete with Windows. “A lot of it is an effort to run things on Google product,” the employee said. “They want to run things on Chrome.”

The hacking in China hastened the move. “Before the security, there was a directive by the company to try to run things on Google products,” said the employee. “It was a long time coming.”

The move created mild discontent among some Google employees, appreciative of the choice in operating systems granted to them – an unusual feature in large companies. But many employees were relieved they could still use Macs and Linux. “It would have made more people upset if they banned Macs rather than Windows,” he added.

Google and Microsoft compete on many fronts, from search, to web-based email, to operating systems.

While Google is the clear leader in search, Windows remains the most popular operating system in the world by a large margin, with various versions accounting for more than 80 per cent of installations, according to research firm Net Applications.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d2f3f04e-6ccf-11df-91c8-00144feab49a.html