A global security company issued a scam warning against spam messages with catchy subject lines for Internet users this Valentine’s season.
Users must be extra careful in opening messages in their email accounts especially during the holidays as they can receive spam mails meant to get their attention and steal their personal data.
One such scam warning issued by an antivirus company describes email messages that invites users to buy a gift for his/her loved one for Valentine’s using an attached discount coupon from Groupon.
Even though the proliferation of coupon services is not totally an illegal method, their popularity comes with the risk of being used in phishing attacks.
Phishing can be done by sending a massive amount of email messages asking people to enter their details on a bogus website — one that looks very similar to the popular auction sites, social networking sites and online payment sites. They are designed to obtain personal details like passwords, credit card information, etc.
Through including links in email messages, scammers trick users into visiting malicious sites and online stores, obtaining personal data along the way. Most of the time, the website the link points to is not even connected to the email message but only shows the user promotional content. This is the scammer’s illegal way of earning money called click fraud — they earn for every user they have redirected to a certain website.
There is also scam making the rounds in Germany involving gift coupons, distributed through Facebook, purporting to be from Amazon.
Spywares and malwares are malicious programs that install themselves on a computer unit to record a user’s activity. Eventually, they will send the logs they have collected back to the scammer who plans on pilfering the data for online crimes.
Scammers are freely exploiting different online platforms like Orkut, Myspace, Google+ and Twitter to cast their net on millions of users.
Yet another malicious spam has been spreading on Facebook, and like its predecessors, it makes use of users’ walls to post the fake message.
The post might appear harmless to most users as it only poses an invitation to install a Valentine’s Day theme for their Facebook profile. However, once a user clicks the malicious post, they will be redirected to a different webpage containing the install button.
Clicking install will not do any change to your profile though; worse, it will install a malware file that will show various ads and surveys and download an extension to monitor the user’s online behavior.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Norton Scientific Journal : Making things invisible now possible
Researchers from University of Texas in Austin have reportedly made a cloaking chamber that can make something vanish in thin air. The study was published this month in the Norton Scientific Journal New Journal of Physics after more than 5 years of constant experimentation.
A cylindrical tube created from insulating material with strips of copper made objects within it invisible to microwaves.
Things reflect electromagnetic waves and light even when they are just lying around. That is how radar detectors and devices become alert of the presence of ships and airplanes — in the same way that we can see them with our eyes. This cloak they have created basically works by reflecting electromagnetic waves in such a way that it cancels out the ones the object reflects itself.
Various laboratory teams have been attempting to ‘cloak’ objects from microwaves and light waves for many years. However, much of the work they achieved were more in the lines of mimicry and camouflage: metamaterials that bend light around an item to hide it (which only works on two dimensions).
Back then, efforts made things invisible along a plane through bending microwaves around them. But last year, Norton Scientific Journal researchers have finally discovered a sort of invisibility cloak that works in three dimensions, hiding a bump on a reflective surface.
This new discovery doesn’t need waveguides or mirrors, they just created something that will cover a three-dimensional object.
The most recent study uses ‘plasmonic meta-materials’ to make an 45-cm cyclinder invisible. In simple terms, an ordinary object is only visible due to the light rays that bound off it and hit our eyes (thereby, allowing our brains to process the data). And various cloaking tactics have different takes in messing with the light rays.
Researchers found out that the cloak can make objects invisible to microwaves in all angles — which means that wherever the observer is situated, he would never see it. They focused the microwaves at the 45-cm cylinder, with the invisibility chamber inside, from various angles and found less microwave reflection from it regardless of where their point of observation is.
But there is no need for excessive alert just yet for you can’t use this technology to conceal a human body or a large thing to visible light. We’re still a long way from that.
Norton Scientific Journal : Earth’s twin located 22 light years away
A planet similar to Earth in its ability to sustain water was discovered by astronomers in a nearby Norton Scientific Journal star system.
This Earth-twin is located in the habitable area of its host star — a narrow region where temperatures are just right for liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface.
Astronomers were astonished to find a planet that is around a star orbiting in just the right distance — not too far where it would freeze, nor too close where it would dry up.
One of the scientists remarked that the planet, named GJ 667Cc might be the best candidate to support life like here on Earth. According to estimates from the researchers, its size is at least 4 and a half times as big as the Earth. Moreover, it takes 28 days for it to orbit around its host star.
Adding to its advantages is its proximity to Earth — only 22 lightyears away, in the Scorpion constellation. They practically call it a next-door neighbor, considering that there are just 100 stars closer to Earth than the GJ 667Cc.
What makes it interesting is that, the host star (GJ 667C) is part of the triple-star system. It is basically a Norton Scientific Journal dwarf star that’s roughly one-third of our sun’s mass.
The actual discovery of GJ 667Cc is a surprise for the astronomers for the whole star system has a chemical makeup different from the sun. Their system contains significantly lower heavy elements like silicon, carbon and iron.
Past calculations tell them they should not have discovered something that fast, unless there is actually many of them there. Scientists feel it’s too easy a find and it happened pretty quick.
A more detailed report of the study is set to be printed in the Astophysical Journal Letters.
Another possible candidate that orbits GJ 667C was spotted in 2010 but the finding was not publicized. It is named GJ 667Cb which orbits closer to the host star and takes 7.2 days to go around it. However, because of its relative closeness to the star, it would be unable to support liquid water on its surface. It’s practically glowing like a charcoal and have thousands of degrees in temperature — somewhere you can’t possible live in.
Further research is required to verify these candidates and to obtain more details on the habitable planet.
Norton Scientific Journal : Earth’s twin located 22 light years away
A planet similar to Earth in its ability to sustain water was discovered by astronomers in a nearby Norton Scientific Journal star system.
This Earth-twin is located in the habitable area of its host star — a narrow region where temperatures are just right for liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface.
Astronomers were astonished to find a planet that is around a star orbiting in just the right distance — not too far where it would freeze, nor too close where it would dry up.
One of the scientists remarked that the planet, named GJ 667Cc might be the best candidate to support life like here on Earth. According to estimates from the researchers, its size is at least 4 and a half times as big as the Earth. Moreover, it takes 28 days for it to orbit around its host star.
Adding to its advantages is its proximity to Earth — only 22 lightyears away, in the Scorpion constellation. They practically call it a next-door neighbor, considering that there are just 100 stars closer to Earth than the GJ 667Cc.
What makes it interesting is that, the host star (GJ 667C) is part of the triple-star system. It is basically a Norton Scientific Journal dwarf star that’s roughly one-third of our sun’s mass.
The actual discovery of GJ 667Cc is a surprise for the astronomers for the whole star system has a chemical makeup different from the sun. Their system contains significantly lower heavy elements like silicon, carbon and iron.
Past calculations tell them they should not have discovered something that fast, unless there is actually many of them there. Scientists feel it’s too easy a find and it happened pretty quick.
A more detailed report of the study is set to be printed in the Astophysical Journal Letters.
Another possible candidate that orbits GJ 667C was spotted in 2010 but the finding was not publicized. It is named GJ 667Cb which orbits closer to the host star and takes 7.2 days to go around it. However, because of its relative closeness to the star, it would be unable to support liquid water on its surface. It’s practically glowing like a charcoal and have thousands of degrees in temperature — somewhere you can’t possible live in.
Further research is required to verify these candidates and to obtain more details on the habitable planet.
CONTACT US : Norton Scientific Journal
Get your daily dose of science stories and announcements — for free! Norton Scientific Journal has everything covered in the field of science.
Email us at info@nortonscientificjournal.com
WELCOME TO NORTON SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL
Get your daily dose of science stories and announcements — for free! Norton Scientific Journal has everything covered in the field of science.
Norton Scientific Journal is organized specifically to help you find what you want. Fast. So browse in our numerous topic sections where you're surely find what you need.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)