Stalking and Cyber Stalking

Stalking has often been good subject matter for Hollywood movies, who could forget the evil character played by Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Stalking is also a nightmare for thousands of people worldwide who are victims of harassing behaviour, such as actress Uma Thurman (pictured left) who was stalked by a crazed fan.

These days Cyber Stalkers are also an issue for anyone who engages in social interaction online.

Whether stalking, or cyber stalking is the issue, it is about recurrent harassment that erodes another person‘s quality of life. The behaviour usually extends over a long period of time rather than a single incident or action and it could last a few weeks, or in some severe cases, several years. The stalker’s behaviour can be continuous over that period, or may stop and then start up again.

Time Won’t Heal a Stalker

A victim may feel that the stalker’s interest becomes more threatening as time passes. The stalker could become more violent, more daring, or just that the actions of the stalker become less lawful. This ascending behaviour could culminate in physical assault, destruction of property, defamation, even rape or murder.

Stalkers usually prefer a mixture of contact. Their interest may be shown by visual sightings and first-person contact, posting letters and/or cards, emails and/or messaging and phone contact. They might even attempt entry to an abode or contact in the workplace, and can make declarations of love or threats of aggression.

Phone Stalkers

Typical phone stalking involves heavy breathing or recurrent phone calls only to hang up. Extreme cases of phone stalking feature several hundred calls each week by the perpetrator. Victims can feel as though they are imprisoned, being forced to change their phone numbers, addresses, jobs and even their name.

Other Types of Stalkers

There are two types of stalkers: Those who are psychotic and those who are not. Many psychotic stalkers have severe depression, schizophrenia or personality disorders that compel them to engage in such behaviour. For the non-psychotic stalker, feelings of anger, dependency, jealousy or other emotions may drive them.

Stalkers are driven by rejection, resentment, intimacy problems or a predatory nature.

Avoiding Cyber Stalkers

Avoiding online stalkers is difficult, but the first step is taking control of what is already on the net about you. Social pages like Facebook and Myspace are a fantastic way to stay in touch with friends and family. Unfortunately, they are also a way for stalkers to gain personal information.
Google your own name and see what comes up.

Case Study :Man found guilty of stalking Uma Thurman

A former psychiatric patient sent the actress a series of disturbing letters and cards. He also turned up at Ms Thurman's home and film sets and sent harassing e-mails to her family.

The man, an out-of-work lifeguard and pool cleaner, was convicted of stalking and aggravated harassment.

Prosecutors said the man sent Uma Thurman 20 bizarre letters while in a psychiatric institution. The actress said she felt "sick" after receiving a picture drawn on a on a religious confirmation card that showed a razor blade and a gravestone marked RIP near what appeared to be an open grave.

The man was also accused of emotionally blackmailing Ms Thurman's parents by telling them he would kill himself unless he could see her. He tried to get into Thurman’s trailer during the filming of a recent film and once said his hands should be on the star's body "at all times", the court heard.

The convicted stalker said: "In a misguided way I was trying to give her an opportunity to meet me and give myself an opportunity to meet her.

"I was feeling distressed. I had this feeling of longing for Ms Thurman and I was trying to explain it. I was not trying to scare her in any way."

Apple iPhones, PDA and Phone Viruses

iPhone Updates

BOSTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc released 45 software patches on Wednesday to address rare security vulnerabilities in its popular iPhone and iPod Touch mobile devices.

The company released them as part of its widely anticipated iPhone 3.0 operating system.
"This is a large cluster of patches for the iPhone," said Dino Dai Zovi, a security expert who is writing a book on cracking the iPhone.

Apple has a stellar reputation when it comes to securing its devices. While it is unusual for the company to issue so many patches at once, analysts have yet to uncover any malicious software targeting the iPhone since Apple got into the mobile phone market two years ago. Wall Street analysts said they were not alarmed by the news.

Such vulnerabilities are not unique to Apple. Technology companies constantly battle to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated hackers. Every time a security flaw is identified, there is potential for hackers to exploit it.

Apple rival Research in Motion Ltd recently issued a security patch for its popular BlackBerry, addressing a glitch that had potential to let hackers use the device to break into corporate computer networks."Given the breadth of feature and functionality within the iPhone OS, it is not surprising that Apple would have security patches," said Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross.

Hackers have traditionally focused most of their time on writing programs that attack PCs running Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system because it sits on more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers.

Analysts expect that to change because sales of mobile devices are soaring as the PC industry slumps. Apple's iPhones and iPods are dominant players in the rapidly growing sector.

"They are no longer dumb devices used only to make phone calls. They hold a wealth of personal information and in some cases are being used as electronic wallets," said Joris Evers, a spokesman for No. 2 security software maker McAfee Inc.

The Enemy at the Gate

With phones becoming so technical throughout the world the reality of a major virus attacking our mobile communication devices is getting closer and closer. Some minor attacks have already occurred, but the viruses have been too isolated and unable to cross the many different phone types.

The first known mobile or cell phone virus appeared in 2004 but crashed and burned fast. Cabir infected a number of Bluetooth-enabled phones and was the result of a group of malware developers creating Cabir just to prove it could be done.

Next was the slightly more aggressive Commwarrior- The first mobile phone virus capable searching through a phone and sending a copy of itself to uninfected phones of your contacts.

However, it is only a matter of time before a mass infection, as it’s probably been for lack of people wanting to try to create a large-scale virus that has prevented such a release. Of the viruses that are out there, most attack phones of the Symbian Series 60 breed like the Nokia 6620.

Scanning the many internet pages for freelance coders out there and it’s easy to see that people are requesting exploitable code for phones.

Authorities in Australia, together with the CSIRO, are trying to develop a virus for use in cases of stolen phones. The concept is simple; when a phone is reported stolen a text message containing the virus is sent to the phone by the police which renders it useless.

Some Words on Protecting Your Phone

When you think about the information that goes into a mobile phone or cell phone, it’s easy to see why they would be such a target for scammers. Identity theft perpetrators have everything they need in a lost phone so a misplaced mobile device should be given high priority by its owner.

Viruses can already be modified to enable people to listen in on conversations and monitor calls. As cell phones advance, so too does the information they carry. And information is gold.

Now consider the sort of information being carried in the average PDA or Apple iPhone!

ZDNET Article : Mobile Phone Viruses Infecting Car Onboard Computers

As seen in the motion picture 'Untraceable'.

Antivirus companies are researching reports that computer viruses have attacked the onboard computers of cars.

Moscow-based Kaspersky Labs was asked last weekend how to disinfect the onboard computers of several Lexus models: LX470, LS430 and Landcruiser 100. The security company was told that the infection likely occurred via a mobile phone.

Some mobile-phone viruses already exist, such as Cabir and Skulls, which spread by Bluetooth and infect handsets based on the Symbian operating system. Many Lexus cars include a navigation system that can connect to a mobile phone over Bluetooth to allow hands-free calls, and Kaspersky believes that Bluetooth could be used to transmit a virus to a car's GPS navigation system...

READ THE FULL ZDNET ARTICLE by Clicking Here

A Big Scam Doing the Rounds :Death Threats by Text Message

A generic death threat conveyed by phone text message and coming from unknown persons claiming to be hired hit men is fast circulating. The offenders try to extort thousands of dollars from their victims.

The text message is simple; it’s a warning that the recipient has been targeted for death- but will be spared if they pay up.

These death threats involve SMS messages arriving from what appears to be an international number (some say coming from Thailand or Asia in general). In many cases though the number is be blocked.

An example may read: "Someone paid me to kill you. If you want me to spare you, I'll give you two days to pay $5000. If you inform the police or anybody, you will die, I am watching you."

Some messages are long and contain much text, while others are shorter.

The requested amount can vary from between $1000-$50,000. The scam includes payment details and an e-mail address for their victims to contact them when payment is complete.

This scam is designed to frighten people into paying money and has already snared victims across many countries.

If you’ve received an e-mail like this don't respond under any circumstances. Most people think the people sending these are just guessing random numbers, but if you respond they will know the number is lead.

Don't send any money.

Don’t provide personal information, especially not your banking details- You risk being a victim of identity theft.

Report the incident to authorities as they may be able to trace the number.

If you are scared for your safety consult police.

Telegraph Article : Army Wives Receive Phone Death Threats

Wives and family members of soldiers fighting in Iraq have received telephone calls, believed to include death threats, from insurgents, according to military documents seen by The Sunday Telegraph.

The "nuisance" calls have been made with increasing frequency over the past few weeks after insurgents managed to obtain home numbers from soldiers' mobile telephones.

The growing number of calls has led to an investigation by the Royal Military Police, which has issued a warning to all soldiers in Iraq to take great care when using mobile telephones to call home.

The extent of the problem emerged in a restricted Army document issued to soldiers of the London Regiment, a Territorial Army unit, which has soldiers from its ranks serving in Iraq.

The document warns soldiers preparing to take part in operations that insurgents in southern Iraq have managed to obtain the home telephone numbers of soldiers by using electronic intercept devices to hack into mobile phone systems.

Read the full Telegraph Article Here