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E-Banking on a Locked Down (Non-Microsoft) PC
,----[ Quote ]
| In past Live Online chats and blog posts,
| I've mentioned any easy way to temporarily
| convert a Windows PC into a Linux-based
| computer in order to ensure that your
| online banking credentials positively can't
| be swiped by password-stealing malicious
| software. What follows is a brief tutorial
| on how to do that with Ubuntu, one of the
| more popular bootable Linux installations.
|
| Also known as "Live CDs," these are
| generally free, Linux-based operating
| systems that one can download and burn to a
| CD-Rom or DVD. The beauty of Live CDs is
| that they can be used to turn a Windows
| based PC into a provisional Linux computer,
| as Live CDs allow the user to boot into a
| Linux operating system without installing
| anything to the hard drive. Programs on a
| LiveCD are loaded into system memory, and
| any changes - such as browsing history or
| other activity -- are completely wiped away
| after the machine is shut down. To return
| to Windows, simply remove the CD from the
| drive and reboot.
`----
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/10/e-banking_on_a_locked_down_non.html
Recent:
Security Fix Live
,----[ Quote ]
| Upper Marlboro, Md.: Hi Brian. Thanks for
| all you do to help us deal with the "wild
| west" of the Internet. I was freaked out
| by your reports on the clampi trojan -
| especially since no security software
| seems to protect against it. The main
| solution offered up - use a second,
| dedicated computer for financial
| transactions - is a non-starter for many
| in this economy. Also, if the trojan
| infects a national bank, a home user can
| become a victim even if s/he does
| everything required for safe computing.
| Besides buying a second computer (not
| gonna happen) what are some realistic
| steps that home users can take? Help!
|
| Brian Krebs: Yeah, I hear you on the
| buying-a-second computer thing. But there
| are other options. A few chats ago, I
| recommended Live CDs as an option. The
| beauty of this approach is that you
| download a bootable Linux installation,
| burn it to a CD-Rom drive, and boot from
| the CD straight into linux. The only cost
| is the penny or so for the blank CD. The
| operating system is free, and when you
| close it down, all data/changes are
| wiped. Clean slate. Best part is you
| don't need a second computer. Take the
| CD-Rom out of the disk drive, restart,
| and you're back into Windows again.
|
| There are literally hundreds of these
| free Live CD distributions out there. You
| can install them as your main PC if you
| want, but by default they run striaght
| from the CD. The last chat, I think
| someone suggested Puppy Linux, and I have
| to say I hadn't tried it before then, but
| I have since, and it's extremely small,
| lightweight and very fast.
`----
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/10/08/DI2009100801148.html
NSW Police: Don't use Windows for internet banking
,----[ Quote ]
| Cybercrime expert endorses Linux, iPhone
| when banking online.
|
| Consumers wanting to safely connect to
| their internet banking service should use
| Linux or the Apple iPhone, according to a
| detective inspector from the NSW Police,
| who was giving evidence on behalf of the
| NSW Government at the public hearing into
| Cybercrime today in Sydney.
`----
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/157767,nsw-police-dont-use-windows-for-internet-banking.aspx
Nasty banking Trojan makes mules of victims
,----[ Quote ]
| A sophisticated Trojan horse program designed to empty
| bank accounts has a new trick up its sleeve: It lies to
| investigators about where the money is going.
|
| First uncovered by Finjan Software last week, the
| URLzone Trojan is already known to be very advanced. It
| rewrites bank pages so that the victims don't know that
| their accounts have been emptied, and it also has a
| sophisticated command-and-control interface that lets
| the bad guys pre-set what percentage of the account
| balance they want to clear out.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9138978/Nasty_banking_Trojan_makes_mules_of_victims
Saving a Billion Using Open Source
,----[ Quote ]
| A leading bank in India saved Rs 100 crore by moving from MS Office to Open
| Office. It is simple mathematicsâif MS Office costs Rs 11,000 per user, and
| the organization has 1,00,000 desktops, the company would save a cool Rs 110
| crore on licensing costs if it moved to Open Office. Even if we budget Rs 10
| crore for training and support costs, the company would end up saving Rs 100
| crore.
`----
http://networkcomputing.in/Saving-a-Billion-Using-Open-Source-Open-Mind-001Sept009.aspx
Related:
FNB switches 12 000 desktops to Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| With 12 000 desktops switching to Linux this is very likely the
| most significant Linux and open source implementation in South
| Africa to date.
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http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1562
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