Update!

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First of all, happy new year and welcome in 2014! The staff of deviantARTvsScammers has once again changed in the near past if you didn't notice for some reason. eternanyx has decided to leave the group, and who is in charge (partially) for the admin post now... is ME!
The group is still alive! It has been a silent time here recently. I am happy if there is no threat to report, but if you notice any troll/spammer or other adversary, don't hesitate to alert us.

A few points of interest, that are not directly related to deviantArt, but virtual security in general:


Windows XP

If you are still using Windows XP as your operating system for one reason or another (and many people do), you should already know that, after 13 years, Microsoft will shut down support for Windows XP on 8th of April. As they say:
"If you continue to use Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP. "
This means no more updates and patches from there on, thus your trusty old system will be quite vulnerable against hackers and new malware. Rumors say that hackers are preparing for the date so they can exploit the security holes on the numerous Windows XP machines that are still connected to the internet, and they can do it unlimited if those holes are not patched until that day. Antivirus programs and firewalls do not solve this problem.


Web of Trust

I would like to have a shootout for the Web of Trust. This is, "a website reputation and review service that helps people make informed decisions about whether to trust a website or not". They have a web browser add-on you can download. This puts a new icon somewhere onto your web browser application window, which changes color according to the reputation of the website you are currently visiting. You can also set the add-on to prevent to load the website if it has poor ratings. This can you save a lot of hassle if you accidentally click on a dangerous link or a website is redirected by hackers.

Please notice that this works based on community feedback and rating. WOT has a forum where you can rate and review websites in the perspective of security. It does NOT automatically detect malware for you. Thus, it also can be a subject of mistakes or manipulation, some sites could get away unnoticed, it is not a 100% infallible and absolute protection. Also, it is another organization which can track your online doings, if you are concerned about privacy.

So look around here if you would like to: www.mywot.com

A similar, add-on-less alternative is here: safeweb.norton.com/
but to my experience, it is less accurate.

(These are not the only services that do these kind of things.)


Keep safe in 2014 too!
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