The anatomy of a Hotmail phishing attack

Phishing schemes have become increasingly more common these days and, as we have seen over the past couple of days, can come as a big shock to the general public who are not aware of the concept of these scams and therefore not aware when they are falling for one.

As has been confirmed today, phishing attacks are wide-spread across many different webmail services - such as Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail - but they can also be designed to fool users of social networking websites and even trick people into handing their bank details over to complete strangers.

The problem with most phishing scams is that they are so well designed that even the most web-savvy users can fall for them. The emails that are sent look genuine and the webpages that they link to also look legitimate, in both their design and URL.

Here is a real example of a phishing email recently sent to some Windows Live Hotmail users:




Obviously the main flaw with this email is that the encoding is set to Arabic and the text is therefore shown formatted right-to-left instead left-to-right. However, look closer and you will see many of the tricks of phishing emails.

The email says that it is from Microsoft Customer Support, something that many would easily believe. For those that might want further proof, the email says that it is from postmaster@live.com (the "postmaster" address is very commonly used to identify the administrator of any email server). Both of this tricks have been used to make the email appear genuine and, along with the subject of An important message for your email, encourage the recipient to open the message.

So now that you may have been tricked into opening the message, let's look at the content. The text is written in a very simple style to make it easy to read and to match the style of writing that an authentic message form Microsoft might use. The Windows Live logo is included as most Hotmail users will be familiar with it and the brand so will be more trustworthy of the writing that is to follow. The image itself is actually a file that is hosted on the Microsoft servers and used by the company in other correspondence. It can easily be embedded anywhere, as you can see below:


http://gfx1.hotmail.com/mail/w3/ltr/welcom...live_header.jpg

The message talks about how the reader "must configure" their account which will encourage them to follow the instructions included, making them subconsciously scared of any bad consequences - such as having their account closed or deleted - if they do not. The text says there should be a code included in the email and, because it is not there, many readers of the message will think there is some problem that can be solved by clicking the link - which is the only other prominent thing in the email - so will be more likely to do so.

The text of the link is the URL of Windows Live Account, a genuine Microsoft website where you do actually configure your account. The URL even has parameters attached to make it look more legitimate, with a standard mkt used on many Windows Live URLs (which in this case is defined as EN-EN, the English language being something that would apply to anyone reading the message as it is written in English) and a random alphanumeric string which looks like it would be a specific ID that applies only to the recipient and reader of the message.

To make the message look even more real, it ends with a jovial message and a standard copyright message, referring to Microsoft to again draw up any trust that you might have in the brand.

As with the vast majority of phishing messages, actually clicking on the link in the email loads up a different URL to that which is written out. In this case it leads us to:
http://login.live.com.login.srf.wsignin.act-939001820183093.8982190oieenue.default.aspx.id-1033.[domain removed].com/gin.live.com.login.srf.wsignin.act-939001820183093.8982190oieenue.default.aspx.id-1033/login.srf.htm

Compare this with the official login page for Windows Live Account:
https://login.live.com/login.srf?wa=wsignin1.0&rpsnv=11&ct=1254845799&rver=5.5.4177.0&wp=SAPI&wreply=https:%2F%2Faccount.live.com%2Fsummarypage.aspx&lc=2057&id=38936

At a quick glance they look very similar. Both contain the phrases login.live.com, login.srf, wsignin and aspx along with seemingly random strings of numbers. The thing to notice is that the official login page is on the login subdomain of live.com whereas the URL that the email pointed to features many subdomains, meaning that the actual domain that the page is hosted on is hidden in the middle of the address.

This is a problem that web browsers are trying to solve, with many including filters to warn you of when you are on a suspicious website. Internet Explorer 8 also introduced domain highlighting to make it a lot clearer which domain you are actually on.

Looking at the contents of the bogus page shows that the layout is exactly the same as a slighter older version of the current standard Windows Live ID login screen. As in the email, the images shown are actually hosted on Microsoft servers. Due to the familiarity of the page, people will not think twice about entering their login details as they would do on the genuine login screen. The difference here is that when you click the Sign in button, instead of logging you in to what you expect it actually submits your details to the phishers and then reloads the same page. Many will probably then just try again, which will actually allow the phishers to confirm your details and check that you typed your email address and password the same each time.

After eventually giving up trying to login on the fake website, many people would still be none the wiser that they had just handed over their email address and its associated password to fraudsters. Not only does this allow them to access your emails or use your account to send spam, but - once in your inbox - they can get any personal details that you may have in your messages, such as your bank or PayPal accounts, and leaves you wide open to threats ranging from identity theft to credit card fraud.

If you are concerned that you may have been caught up in a phishing scam on your Hotmail or Windows Live account then take a look at the advice from Microsoft, or find out how to help protect yourself from these difficult to spot scams.

Via: Neowin

10 Cancer-Fighting Foods

Numerous studies following large groups of people, eating more vegetables and fruits have concluded to a lower risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer. The thinking behind these results points to antioxidants and phytochemicals, natural compounds found in plants.

What are antioxidants? As described by the American Cancer Society (ACS), the body seems to use certain nutrients in vegetables and fruits to protect against damage to tissues that happens constantly as a result of normal metabolism (oxidation). Because such damage is linked with increased cancer risk, the antioxidant nutrients are thought to protect against cancer. Antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and many other phytochemicals (beneficial plant compounds).

Studies aside, it’s really a no-brainer. Eat real food, stay healthier. So now you’ve got not only a host of government programs telling you to eat your 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day, you’ve got me hovering over your shoulder telling you to do the same! But I’ll go easy on you and offer up a few other plant-based suggestions as well. Here are ten super-duper cancer-fighting foods to add to your regime–these ten were chosen for their special cancer-kicking properties, as described on the Living Strong Living Well page of the Stanford School of Medicine Health Improvement Program.

1. Beans
Beans contain a number of phytochemicals, which have been shown to prevent or slow genetic damage to cells. While this makes beans beneficial for helping to reduce your risk of many types of cancer, specific research has suggested they are especially potent in preventing prostate cancer. As an added bonus, the high fiber content of beans has been connected with a lower risk of digestive cancers.

2. Berries
The two most widely studied cancer-fighting compounds in berries are ellagic acid (richest in strawberries and raspberries) and anthocyanosides (richest in blueberries). Ellagic acid is believed to help prevent skin, bladder, lung, and breast cancers, both by acting as an antioxidant and by slowing the reproduction of cancer cells. The anthocyanosides in blueberries are currently the most powerful antioxidants known to scientists and are beneficial in the prevention of all types of cancer.

3. Cruciferous Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale)
Cruciferous vegetables-like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale-are rich in a variety of compounds that have been shown to slow cancer growth and development in a number of laboratory studies. Other larger human studies have shown that cruciferous vegetables can help to reduce the risk of lung, stomach, colorectal, prostate, and bladder cancers.

4. Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
Leafy-green vegetables-like romaine lettuce, mustard greens, chicory, and Swiss chard-are rich sources of antioxidants called carotenoids. These compounds scavenge dangerous free radicals from the body before they can promote cancer growth. The vegetables are also rich in folate, a vitamin shown to reduce the risk of lung and breast cancer.

5. Flaxseed
Flaxseed in the form of oil and meal contains phytoestrogens believed to reduce the risk of breast, skin, and lung cancer. Research on the potency of flaxseed as an anti-cancer food is still underway.

6. Garlic (including onions, scallions, leeks, and chives)
Garlic contains a number of compounds believed to slow or stop the growth of tumors. One such compound, diallyl disulfide, appears to be especially potent in protecting against skin, colon, and lung cancer, though it is not known exactly how it functions.

7. Grapes
Grapes and wine contain a chemical called resveratrol, which has been shown to be a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Resveratrol is thought to work by preventing cell damage before it begins. Red and purple grapes are the richest sources of resveratrol.

8. Green Tea (decaf)
Green tea is a rich source of a class of flavonoids known as catechins. Laboratory studies have shown that the catechins present in green tea are able to slow or prevent the development of cancer in colon, liver, breast, and prostate cells.

9. Tomatoes
The anti-cancer compound in tomatoes, lycopene, has been shown to be especially potent in combating prostate cancer. This compound appears to be more easily absorbed if the tomatoes are eaten in cooked form-either as tomato sauce, paste, or juice. In addition to preventing prostate cancer, lycopene may also protect against breast, lung, stomach, and pancreatic cancer.

10. Whole Grains
Whole grains contain a variety of anti-cancer compounds, including fiber, antioxidants, and phytoestrogens. When eaten as part of a balanced diet, whole grains can help decrease the risk of developing most types of cancer.

By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Healthy & Green Living, via Care2

Benefits of Biking

Image: dailymail

Okay, we all know bikes are one of the few methods of getting there that doesn’t produce carbon dioxide emissions. But biking also offers far-reaching benefits to you.

Find out what biking can do for you and the planet:

Easy on the Earth
Rather than adding to the pollution problem, biking is a completely clean form of transportation. The only fuel it burns is your own calories!

Biking is also quiet, a huge plus for all of us suffering from the ill effects of noise pollution.

Fitness
Not only good for the atmosphere, biking is good for your derriere, and lots of other body-parts as well. Firming, toning, calorie-burning: Biking has it beat over driving any day of the week.

How many calories will you burn in a hour of moderate biking? Or 30 minutes? Find out with this handy biking calorie-calculator.

Boosting Your Mood
Even moderate exercise, like a leisurely bike ride, will boost levels of euphoria-producing hormones called endorphins. Translation: You can bike away your blues.

Enjoying the Scene
When we whiz past scenery in a car, we miss so much. The slower pace of biking enables ups to experience the beauty of locale. Avid bikers report the satisfaction of smelling newly mown grass, or flowering trees, or the fertile damp earth as one of the added bonuses of cycling.

Meeting Like-Minded Others
You can bet that fellow cyclers are probably health-and-environmentally-minded. Many bikers say that deep friendships often form among cycling enthusiasts because of their common ground.

Source: Care2 Make a difference

Obama Gets It: Changing Light Bulbs Alone Will Not Stop Global Warming

Newsweek has published a multi-part project called Secrets of the 2008 Campaign, where some very interesting behind the scenes tidbits are being made public. One particular comment about global warming from Barack Obama caught my eye, because it showed me that he not only gets it (which I already knew), but that he is human. When he was preparing a televised debate during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying:

“I don’t consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, ‘You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.’ So when Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that's green], and I say, you know, ‘Well, I planted a bunch of trees.’ And he says, ‘I’m talking about personal.’ What I’m thinking in my head is, ‘Well, the truth is, Brian, we can’t solve global warming because I f—ing changed light bulbs in my house. It’s because of something collective’.”

I couldn’t agree more. While important, changing your ‘f—ing light bulbs’ to the more energy efficient compact fluorescent ones is not going to solve global warming/climate change. Personal choice is part of what got us into this problem and collective action is what has to get us out.

Source: Ecopolitology

Awesome Images

There are some incredibly talented and creative minds in the field of graphic design. Combining 3D, photomanipulation, and digital painting can result in some pretty incredible effects. However, designers don’t always create serious images for clients, sometimes, they just like to goof off.

Today, we have a few epic, weird, insane, crazy, neat, confusing and just all around freakin’ awesome images that you have to see. If you glance at one and don’t get the idea, be sure to click and see the fullsize image, because there’s some hidden tricks in some of the images. A lot of these are a perfect wallpaper size, too.

I hope you all think this post is as cool as I do, and if you do, please Stumble, Digg and share it with your friends.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Enjoy.

Source: presidiacreative

Virtual life

Virtusphere, Inc. develops and markets a locomotion platform that allows users to be completely immersed into their interactive virtual experience How it works: Virtusphere consists of a 10-foot hollow sphere, which is placed on a special platform that allows the sphere to rotate freely in any direction according to the user’s steps. Wearing a wireless, head-mounted display the user is able to walk and run being immersed into virtual environment. The movement by the user is replicated within the virtual environment. The same hardware set can be used for different applications by changing only the software applications.
Markets and applications for Virtusphere include but are not limited to: • Military, law enforcement , and other dangerous occupations for safely training, practical skills of users preparing for dangerous environments • Gaming and entertainment • Health and fitness • Education and museums • Architecture and construction-site 3D model walk-through • Virtual travel and tourism • Events and Shows • Home gaming Source: virtusphere

Surprising potatoes

“Our potatoes are grown closer than you may think”

Beginning July 27 and continuing for three weeks, passersby in Chicago’s Jackson Tunnel will be greeted with an out-of-home message, “Our potatoes are grown closer than you may think,” along with an overhead installation of potatoes breaking through the ceiling tiles. It’s part of a nationwide campaign for Lay’s potato chips that broke in May and which celebrates the local potato farmers who grow potatoes used in Lay’s potato chips. The “Lay’s Local” 360 marketing campaign was created by Lay’s U.S. agency of record, Juniper Park. Other elements of the campaign, which debuted earlier, include TV, print, online, on-pack and in-store.

Source: The Ad Mad