Safe and Secure

Home security expert Frank Fourchalk provides some tips for keeping your garage door from becoming the biggest, easiest entry for burglars to get into your home. Among other tips:

• Use a keyring remote instead of leaving the remote in the car
• Change the codes when you get a new opener or move to a new house
• Disconnect the power to the garage door opener and padlock the springlock on the inside when leaving on vacation.
• Make sure the emergency release is secured.

If you are guilty of leaving your garage door open overnight or forget to close your door on the way to work, you should purchase a monitor that senses when your door has been open for a set period of time. After whatever period of time you set the monitor for, the door will automatically close, assuring your home is secure.

This do-it-yourself product takes about 20 minutes to install and costs about $80.

Keep your overhead garage door safe and secure

Microsoft announced Saturday that its antispyware software and its malicious software removal tool will treat and remove the rootkit program issued on CDs from Sony. Late last week a virus was released which takes advantage of the hidden Sony file to infect host computers.

In December, Microsoft will automate that process through its malicious software removal tool, which is designed to help people clean up infections from some of the most pervasive bots, viruses, worms and rootkits.

Security Fix - Brian Krebs on Computer and Internet Security - (washingtonpost.com)

Holiday cooking and holiday eating mean the danger of food poisoning. General rules to remember include washing food thoroughly, cooking meat to at least 180 degrees, keeping hot food hot and cold food cold, avoiding foods with raw eggs and using pasteurized products whereever possible. When it comes to turkey and stuffing:

Turkey and stuffing: Cook stuffing and turkey separately. The bird cooks from the outside and the inside. When you stuff the bird, it reduces the heat penetration. If you choose to cook them together, make sure the temperature reaches at least 180 degrees F. in the innermost part of the thigh, while the center of the stuffing inside the turkey reaches 165 degrees. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that hasn’t reached that temperature.

And, of course, if holidays are a time to indulge in alcohol, drink in moderation and don’t drive.

Source: The Register-Herald–Child safety expert warns of holiday food dangers

The Albuquerque Police Department provides this excellent advice for parents on safety for kids home alone:

Being home alone can be a scary proposition for kids and parents. Many parents who work all day are faced with the daunting task of making sure their children are safe and protected before and after school. By following the tips listed below, parents can ease some of the anxiety associated with leaving their children home alone as well as general child safety advice.

* Regardless of age, make sure your child is mature enough and can comprehend rules to your satisfaction before leaving them alone.
* Can your child be trusted to go straight home after school, easily use the telephone, locks, follow rules and instructions, and stay alone without being afraid?
* Parents should teach kids basic safety rules and house rules. They should also know where their children are at all times, what they’re doing, and who they’re with.
* Instruct your child to check in with a trusted neighbor or call you as soon as they get home.
* Make sure they know how to call 911 in case of an emergency and post important numbers.
* Do they know their telephone number, address, and directions to the home?
* Establish a pre-arranged code word in case someone has to pick them up for you.
* o they know how to operate all doors and window locks as well as an alarm system?
* Install eye viewers at a level comparable to your children’s height.
* Explain to your children to never let anyone into the home or let them know that they are alone.
* Establish set rules about having friends over or going somewhere without your permission.
* Children should never carry their house/apartment key in full view. Place the key in a shirt pocket, sock, or other secure place.
* Teach them never to go into the home if signs of intrusion are noticed (broken windows, ripped screen, open doors).
* Establish a fixed route to and from school and walk that route with your children. Point out designated locations they can go for help including neighbors.
* Encourage them to walk with friends at all times.
* Avoid danger spots like alleys, wooded areas, construction zones, public restrooms, empty buildings and remain in well lit, active locations. Avoid locations where strangers are present.
* If a stranger (any one they do not know) attempts to follow or grab them, teach them to scream, +Stay away from me” or “This person is trying to hurt me,” and run to an established safe place.
* Regularly communicate with your child about unusual incidents, contact with other people, or any event that makes them uncomfortable.

Source: Albuquerque Police Department

Faced with security concerns and rumors swirling about privacy violations, hotels are exploring alternatives to the magnetic swipe card. Alternatives include fingerprint scanners, smart cards which contain more information but are harder to hack and proximity cards which automatically unlock the door as the card holder approaches. In the meantime, a few precautions will help keep you safe and your personal information secure.

1. Use the extra locks whenever in the room
2. Store valuables in the hotel safe
3. Carry travelers checks or credit cards as an alternative to cash
4. Keep an extra card or checks in a separate location (such as the hotel safe)
5. Your hotel room is your home for a day, so treat a key card just as you would a key to your home.
6. Return the card to the front desk on checkout or dispose of it as you would a credit card

Source: The Embattled Swipe-Card Hotel Key - New York Times

Shorter daylight hours during the winter season, mean increased security risks as many of us leave for work before daylight and return home after dark. Add to that the gift giving holiday season that means prime picking for burglars and security needs become especially important. Adequate outdoor lighting is one of the simplest security measures to supplement stout locks and motion detector lights can be especially effective. Timer lights inside the home can also help create the impression of someone home.

Motion detector lights also have another benefit for people returning home after dark. If you return home and see that the motion light is on, you’ll know that something, or someone, was recently on your property, and may still be there. This makes it harder for a potential attacker to lurk on your property and surprise you.

Source: CamdeNews.org - Other Local News

The latest FDA recalls since October 25:

Golden Eagle Smoked Foods Inc. Recalls Smoked Salmon Because of Possible Health Risk (November 2, 2005)

Drug Labeling Safety Information: Avinza (morphine sulfate extended-release capsules) (October 2005)

Salus Corporation dba ICP Medical Issues Nationwide Recall of Shampoo Caps (October 31, 2005)

Worthington Foods Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Egg And Milk in Worthington Choplets Vegetable and Grain Protein Patties (October 28, 2005)

Preliminary Public Health Notification: Vapotherm 2000i Respiratory Gas Administration Device (October 27, 2005)

Drug Labeling Safety Information: Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan) (October 2005)

FDA Provides Important Safety Information on Blood Glucose Meters (October 26, 2005)

Source: Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated minivans in side and front impact crash tests. The Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest, and Honda Odyssey earned a rating of “good” (the highest possible) in side impact tests. The Sienna and Quest earned “best pick” designations for side crashes and the Sienna also won a “best pick” designation for front impacts. Compared to the federal side impact tests, the IIHS tests used a barrier more comparable to today’s average vehicle to simulate a crash.

Federal test doesn’t reflect many real-world crashes: The federal government also conducts side impact tests for consumer information but uses a barrier that was designed in the 1980s when cars represented most vehicles on the road. The height of the barrier’s front end is below the heads of the dummies that measure injury risks in side-struck vehicles. The federal test doesn’t assess the risks of head injury from impacts with vehicles like SUVs and pickups.

IIHS News Release: November 2, 2005

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You may recall a couple of days ago the news of a worm spreading a “root kit” via AOL Instant Messenger. The root kit allows other software, such as a “backdoor”, to hide from antivirus and security software. Yesterday it was revealed that approximately 20 Sony music CD titles contained a root kit designed to hide anti-piracy software. Aside from the implication that one of the largest corporations in the home electronics business is itself engaged in an activity that would result in arrest and jail time if done by a teenager at home, the root kit installed by the CD reportedly has security vulnerabilities that make the infected computer vulnerable to other hacking attacks. So the latest security threat is - “shrink wrap” licensing agreements on CDs and DVDs and not from porn companies, but from mainstream major corporations.

The root kit can not be uninstalled using standard Windows uninstall and removing the files manually corrupts files so the the computers CD drive stops working. It’s also reported that removing the files manually completely breaks the new Windows Vista, the beta version of the next version of the Windows Operating System.

Sources:
Removing Sony’s CD “rootkit” kills Windows
Sony’s CD Copy Protection Problems

Miami businessman Joe Lopez lost $20,000 when someone used a Trojan, called Coreflood, to compromise his computer and learn the password to his Bank of America online account. From Trojans to phishing to much simpler methods like looking over your shoulder as you type your password, cyberthieves are hard at work gaining access to your credit cards, bank accounts and investment accounts online. This is why if you do any transactions online or even fill out online forms with personal information, you simply must use the best available security techniques and, as noted here often, regularly updated antivirus and firewall software are just the start.

In April 2004, moments after logging on to his online account at work, Lopez spotted an entry revealing that someone had executed an electronic transfer of $90,348.65 to Parex Bank in Riga, Latvia. Lopez knew no one in Latvia. “I thought I was going to vomit,” he recalls.

The next day, according to bank records, a mysterious figure named Yanson Arnold withdrew $20,000 in cash from Parex Bank, leaving $70,348.65 behind. Arnold has not been heard from since.

USATODAY.com - Cyber crooks break into online accounts with ease