Internet Privacy Information To Be Aware Of

Posted on by ccsretail

Original Posted by Alejandro Martinez-Cabrera

Web users are vulnerable to being identified and profiled by Web sites they visit, even if they employ common measures to keep their browsing habits private, according to new research from the privacy advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Most browsers today provide users with a number of options to personalize their privacy settings and control the information third parties learn about them. A common practice, for instance, is to configure browsers to notify users every time a site wishes to install a cookie — a bit of code that remembers a user’s interactions with a site for convenience and site personalization but that can be used to track the user’s Web surfing habits.

But in a recent experiment, the EFF found out that these measures might not be enough to remain anonymous on the Net.

The EFF collected information from hundreds of thousands of participants who visited the EFF site Panopticlick.eff.org to learn how much Web sites could learn about users from details like their time zone, browser’s version, browser plug-ins and operating system’s version — information that Web sites commonly receive from their visitors.

The EFF found out that Web sites can connect 84 percent of their visitors to unique computers. That number went up to 94 percent if visitors used common plug-ins like Flash or Java Script.

While connecting a Web site visit to a specific computer cannot pinpoint specific details about a user’s identity, the information can be cross-referenced to do so, said EFF senior staff technologist Peter Eckersley.

"The important thing is that these facts alone would not be uniquely identifying, but taken together, combine all this stuff and just about everyone is a beautiful snowflake. But that’s not a good thing. That means any Web site could track you by recognizing that combination of characteristics."

For example, a user’s actions in two separate Web sites that work with the same ad network — like logging into a social network in one site and buying a book in another — could be potentially cross-referenced by advertisers to learn more about the user and create a profile about his or her online habits.

Authoritarian governments that can monitor visits to any site within their country’s network could also cross-reference information in a similar way and identify dissidents and detractors, Eckersley said.

"Everything you search and look at is potentially connected to that one time you typed in your name. Suddenly everything you’re reading or searching for is one big file with your name on it," he said.

Eckersley said some Internet traffic analysis firms already use these fingerprinting methods to inform Web sites about their visitor’ demographics and habits. Financial institutions also use them for well-meaning purposes like trying to prevent fraudsters from accessing a person’s online bank account.

But the biggest concern is that most Web sites’ privacy policies do not explain if this kind of information is collected and, if so, how it’s used or shared.

Web surfers can use fingerprinting protections like the Firefox add-on Torbutton tool, but they are far from perfect, Eckersley said. And while disabling Java Script and Flash can reduce the risk of fingerprinting, doing so more than likely means trading Internet usability for higher privacy.

Eckersley said the EFF has brought up the issue with Web browser companies, which seem to have an interest in taking steps to address this problem, but didn’t commit to any specific actions.

He added government officials also needed to get involved and make sure privacy laws encompass this kind of information.

"Privacy regulations need to start treating this kind of data in the same way we think of a phone number or a social security number as personally identifying information," Eckersley said.

Privacy is a big concern today, make sure you read websites privacy statement to determine if your information will be kept as private as it can be on the Internet.  If you have any concerns or questions about a site, most have a link to an email address where you can ask questions.

How do you feel about Internet privacy?  Write about it on the CCS User Forum, registration is free!!!!!

If you have any questions feel free to email the CCS Retail Systems Support Department or call us @ 800-672-4806

Have a great week
-Bryan alt

Running Your Server by “Cow Power”?

Posted on by ccsretail

Here’s your smile for the day!  Computerworld reports that a research team at Hewlett Packard Company has presented a paper suggesting that the use of cow manure from dairy farms and other "digested farm waste" could be used to generate electricity  The paper hypothesizes that 10,000 dairy cows could power a 1 MW data center.  This equates to power needed for about 1,000 servers.

Organic matter is already being used by farms to generate power through anaerobic digestion, a method that produces a methane-rich biogas.  HP’s research investigates how this process might be extended.

One practical problem that surfaces is that a farm of 10,000 dairy cows is unrealistic, as the average dairy farm in the United States has less than 1,000 cows.  And how do you connect the data center to the cows?  Another problem is that farmers who now use the anaerobic digestion system usually get some funding from state and federal grants with a payback of four years or less on the technology.  The payback can be about 10 years without grants.

Still, an estimated 290 million kWh were produced by 125 operating digester projects at commercial livestock facilities in the U.S in 2008.  Maybe those "cow patties" will be powering your server in the not-too-distant future!

Email Marketing’s Top 2 Tips That Work

Posted on by ccsretail

                 The #1 and #2 TIPS for Keeping Your Email From Being Deleted Before It’s Read
                             Take the time to think how you can make these tips work for you.

So Simple but So Important: The name that you use in the "From:" field plays a crucial role in a person’s decision about whether to open your email or hit the delete button.  Many emails are deleted because recipients don’t recognize the name of the sender. To avoid this problem, use a name people will recognize.

Examples:
– The name of your company – From: "Santa Fe Boats"
– The name of a newletter or bulletin you send out – From: "Santa Fe Sailing" 
– A "list" name – From: "Santa Fe Boats’ Frequent Buyer Club"

You may use your own name if it will be instantly recognizable. Don’t use it if it won’t – and certainly don’t assume that it will be recognized.

What’s That You Say? Use the "Subject:" field to list a benefit for the reader. "Free boating class every 3rd Saturday". "Special Sale on Life Jackets for the Family". "Call Our Hotline for the Latest Puget Sound Weather Advisories".

The subject line should tell readers a little about the content of your email and give them a reason to open it. When you write the subject line it should be:  -Interesting to the reader  -Useful  -Fun  -Funny  -Urgent -Pick an adjective….In other words…it should "grab" the reader.
 
With a recognizable From and a "grabber" Subject Line, count on increasing your email open rates and giving your customers a reason to shop your store. 

4 Common Errors That Cause You Loss

Posted on by ccsretail

LP in a Box User Community, a website for loss prevention training and awareness, outlines four of the most common errors that cause you loss in your business.  Most of these errors are correctable if you have an awareness of what is happening and the insight for dealing with them.

Areas to Correct/Check
 

  1. No Written or Updated Policies and Procedures.  Actions of your employees are most often the cause of many errors.  If they have no guidelines for policies and procedures, you’ll often hear, "I didn’t know what to do".  Written policies (not verbal ones!) provide employees with something to reference when there is a question that needs an immediate answer.
  2. Miscounting of Merchandise and Goods.  From the initial receipt of merchandise through inventories, transaction handling and everything in between, accurate counting is essential.  If employees understand that accuracy is far more important than speed, fewer errors will occur.
  3. Damage and Waste.  Your cost of goods sold may be at greater risk from damage and waste than from theft!  Once you own the inventory, your team is responsible for its proper care.  Guidelines for this are essential.
  4. Handling of Point of Sale Transactions.  Errors in check or credit card acceptance, deposit preparation, handling voids, refunds, loyalty and gift cards, discounts and other sale transactions, can result in inventory, monetary or margin losses.  Increased bank or credit card fees can also come from incorrect handling of POS transactions.

CounterPoint Point of Sale Software can help you solve many of these problems that can reduce your profits.  We’re here to show you how!  Call us at 800-672-4806 or email us for further information.
 

Top 5 Reasons Why Remote Support Benefits You

Posted on by ccsretail

Anyone who has ever experienced remote hardware/software support knows how convenient it is. Letting a qualified tech access your system to fix a problem is faster and more practical than either an on-site call or being "walked through" a repair over the phone.

5 Benefits Of Remote Support:

It’s Cost Effective. Remote support is clearly less expensive than the on-site alternative. There is no scheduling, no travel time, no minimum on-site charge.

It’s Scalable. Think about taking your car to a dealership for service. If a dozen cars are ahead of yours, you simply have to wait your turn. Likewise – if you only use an in-house support tech you have to wait your turn. In-house support techs – like auto mechanics – are a fixed resource. Meanwhile, companies like CCS can prioritize their techs and switch techs to an area that needs additional help. Techs who are doing remote support are there if a company has a crisis situation that requires an immediate response.

It’s Timely. In the business world, when equipment or software goes down, revenue and profits are lost. Time sensitive, transaction-based businesses like retailers are especially vulnerable to delayed repairs. Remote support will get the up and running in the shortest time.

It’s Extremely Secure. U.S. based remote support is typically the most secure service alternative there is. Reputable providers use highly encrypted Web connections and record the service performed for auditing purposes. They also make it a policy to ensure they hire only technicians with a good background and confirmed qualifications.

It Ensures Broader, Deeper Service. This may be the most powerful reason of all. When an on-site technician arrives to make a repair, the customer is limited to the expertise of that one individual. Remote support, by contrast, allows problems to be routed to a person with training in that area. And if the problem needs to be escalated, it can be done immediately. There’s no waiting until another appointment can be scheduled.

Remember these points the next time your service provider suggests accessing your system remotely.

Testing Your Antivirus

Posted on by ccsretail

When malware gets onto your system, one of the first things it may do is disable your antivirus scanner.

An EICAR test file will help you determine whether your antivirus scanner has been disabled. EICAR is a non-viral string of code that most antivirus software have included in their signature definition files specifically for this purpose.

An EICAR test file can be easily created using any text editor, such as Notepad. To create an EICAR test file, copy and paste the following line into a blank Notepad file:
 

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

Save the file as EICAR.COM. It is now ready for testing. In fact, if your active protection was working properly, the simple act of saving the file should have triggered an alert.

Zeus Botnet threat

Posted on by ccsretail

Zeus is a malware application that is aimed primarily at stealing your on-line banking details. It is one of the most widespread malware applications available today. There is even a Zeus Builder Toolkit which allows cyber criminals to customize Zeus to provide any functions they want.

Zeus Botnet normally reaches a user’s system via spam emails that are apparently from legitimate websites. These emails contain links to malicious websites which will ask the user for their credentials and also tell them to download a particular file. Of course, the file contains a variant of Zeus Botnet. Recently, social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace have also been targeted by variants of Zeus Botnet. These variants send messages to users of these social networking sites claiming that they need to download and install an ‘update tool’ to update their user profiles. This ‘update tool’ of course contains the variant of Zeus Botnet.

Once installed, Zeus waits until the user connects to the Internet and downloads a configuration file which contains a list of web banking websites to get the user’s information for. Whenever the user visits a website on the list, Zeus Botnet will initiate a key logger function and save all the keystrokes of the user. Zeus also has an agent in the web browser which may also inject false fields into web forms which the user will unknowingly fill, thereby submitting even more personal information to the developer of that Zeus variant. Zeus Botnet periodically sends the information it has gathered to the malware developer.

What makes this worse, is that many anti-virus and anti-malware applications do not detect the Zeus Botnet.  Check your computer for a folder with the name WSNPOEM, as this is a common sign of infection for the ZEUS Trojan.

Changing ISP’s? Some Things to Consider.

Posted on by ccsretail

With all the specials ISPs are giving, you may want to change Providers. But just changing your ISP may not be as simple as having the tech come on site and install their equipment. Here are some things to consider BEFORE having the service tech switch out equipment.

Do you have any networked devices?  Printers and Storage devices are the most common networked devices. Normally they have been setup a certain way to work with your network.  Most of the equipment that ISPs install at your site use default settings.  These rarely match the settings of what is currently in place.  The result may be that you can get to the Internet and send email, but can you print?  If the new equipment is not configured properly your network devices may not work.

Another thing to consider is remote support access.  Without remote support, the time it can take to resolve a problem may be twice as long or more.  Configuring the specifics of remote support is the same type of problem as configuring other devices in the point above.  If the new router is not properly configured, remote access for support and working from home can be lost in the change over.

Over the last few weeks, I have run into a few situations where the ISP has been changed, or a piece of ISP equipment has been changed, and loss of remote or device access has been a problem.  We try to ask our customers to coordinate with us when things are going to change.  This helps eliminate some to the issues that arise when switching an ISP.  Most ISPs are willing to make these changes for you, but if you are unaware what is needed, they may be as well.

If you are thinking about changing your ISP, or communications equipment, give the CCS Retail Systems Support Department a call.  You can email us to setup a conference call or review meeting with the tech on-site.  This facilitates determining the proper configuration for the new equipment and testing it before the the service tech leaves.

-Bryan alt

The $100 Tablet PC

Posted on by ccsretail

The $100 Tablet PC

A non-profit organization that for years has tried to produce it’s own $100 laptop PC for children has jumped ship and then jumped on the tablet PC bandwagon.

One Laptop Per Child’s next computer is intended to be based on Marvell Technology Group, Ltd.’s "Moby" tablet design. The recently announced prototype for the device is expect to be released in January of 2011 and is anticipated to cost around $99.

The key to lowering the cost is said to be in Marvell’s finding new ways to cut the cost of designing it’s chips.

The new tablet is intended to have:

  •  A least one, and possibly two cameras.

  •  Wifi Internet

  •  "Multi-touch" Touchscreens.

  •  Enough power to play high-definition and 3D video.

  • The capability to work with plug-in peripherals such as a Mouse and Keyboard.

  • The first generation is likely to run the Android mobile-device operating system. A later advanced version is intended to be available that will run a free version of Linux.


Should You Start Your New Business Now?

Posted on by ccsretail

Are you thinking of starting a new business, but fear that it may not be the best time because of the recession?  Think again!  According to Brad Sugars of Entrepreneur, recessions are among the strongest times for new business start-ups.

Successful companies like Disney, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft are a few of many who got their starts during recessions.  How could this happen?  Several circumstances play into this phenomenon.  Here are ten for you to consider:

1.  Everything is cheaper.  From land to equipment, commercial office space, personnel and labor, everything costs less than it normally would cost. 

2.  More and better-qualified people can be hired.  Some people will even work for nothing in order to keep their skills up-to-date.  This is happening now with tech workers in the Silicon Valley.

3.  People are looking to change suppliers.  Many companies are looking to form new partnerships with new companies who have different, better, or more innovative ways to deliver products and services.

4.  Ownership can provide tax incentives.  Business ownership offers a variety of tax benefits not available to employees.

5.  Suppliers are giving better credit.  When everyone is looking to survive when credit markets have virtually shut down, great deals can be had.

6.  Family and friends may be more willing to help finance your new venture.  Fewer people now want to risk their money in real estate and stock market investments.  They will have greater trust in someone they know personally, especially if that person has a solid business plan and great potential for success.

7.  You can get good PR by demonstrating your optimism.  The media will love you for going against the trend.

8.  At auction, you can find everything you need.  Large equipment, office furnishings, even fleets of vehicles for delivery services or construction can be acquired at great prices.

9.  You can find great deals now.  "Low money" or "no money down" deals can be negotiated by those business owners who want out at any cost.  From taking over a lease (along with all the equipment), you could turn around a very viable business.

10.  You’ve lost your job.  Maybe this is the incentive you need to do what you’ve always wanted to do.  A greater urgency to earn money often motivates one toward success.

By starting a new business, you will be helping to create the jobs that move the economy back on track.  And when the economy is back on track, your business will have the foundation laid for future profits.

At CCS, we know how to get you started in your new enterprise.  We can show you how CounterPoint POS Software features can be adapted to the business you envision.  Call us today for further information at 800-672-4806 or email us.