Best suggestion? Remove your resume and profile from Monster completely. Being the largest career site on the internet, Monster is&n...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:00:00 CST The goal of phishing is theft of money and personal information. E-greeting cards have become a popular way to reach out to friends and family at holiday time and on special occasions. Cyber-scammers also take advantage of the growing popularity of e-cards by duping consumers into downloading malware.

You can safeguard yourself, your friends, and your family against e-card scams by following the tips below.

1. Don't open attachments: Most legitimate e-card...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 CST As the number of people conducting online job searches, the Consumer Protection Board warned consumers to be very suspicious of e-mail job offers looking legitimate but containing multiple grammatical and spelling errors, asking for personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account information and requiring upfront processing fees for things like background checks as these can lead to identity theft.

Particularly troubling for job hunters is a "Phishing sc...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST A new malware outbreak is being spread via USB keys. The US Computer Emergency Response Team (US-Cert) is warning users and administrators to be on the lookout following a rise in incidents. USB drive attacks are on the rise again...

The Defense Department has banned the use of removable flash media and storage devices from all government computers, at least temporarily, according to messages that were sent to department employees informi...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST In the great melting pot that is our America, there are many people whose speech is accented and don't sound like "typical" Americans. As a security clearance holder, you have every right to be cautious about who you talk to regarding your credentials. If you get a phone call from a recruiter or HR representative and they have a non-U.S. accent, you should openly ask them if they are a U.S. citizen and not feel apprehensive about the line of questioning. As you will find, many people yo...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST A new phishing scam email is going around, this time targeted to look like it came from CareerBuilder.com. Using the CareerBuilder logo and colors, this is a phishing email that is more dangerous than others as it looks fairly authentic. Text is as follows:

Dear job seekers!
Apply for the job. We recommend this position.

JobDescription

We are looking for people who can control the payment of our customers from your state / region. The responsibilit...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT Similar to recent phishing emails purported to be from CareerBuilder.com, eBay.com, and Monster.com, there are emails floating around the internet claiming to be from ClearanceJobs.com. The emails have the words "job commander" in them, along with a URL weblink to an .exe file.

Phishing is the practice of luring unsuspecting Internet users to a fake Web site by using an authentic-looking e-mail in an attempt to steal passwords, account information or other sensitive data.
...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) presents some common myths that may influence your online security practices. Knowing the truth will allow you to make better decisions about how to protect yourself.

What are some common myths, and what is the truth behind them?

* Myth: Anti-virus software and firewalls are 100% effective.
Truth: Anti-virus software and firewalls are important elements to protecting y...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT Like everything else in this world...Google it! For example, I got this job offer (copy below) in my inbox. Try Googling a sentence from the letter.

I tried Googling the first sentence Our company is looking for permanent representatives within the ter...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 CDT Should a password be long and complicated, requiring it to be written down to remember it….or should a password be easy to remember, easy enough that you don't have to write it down.

Complex passwords - ones with lots of random numbers, punctuation, and letters are the best. And if you have to write it down, that's OK…because the biggest threat in defense contracting comes from the outside, especially hackers sponsored by a nation state or organized crime. The inside threat...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 CDT Recent articles highlighting the danger thumb drives (i.e. flash drives, key drives, usb drives) can cause in high-secure government facilities and in the corporate world. The greatest benefit and threat of a thumb drive is their portability....]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CDT The practice of 'spear phishing' has been known for quite some time. However, it doesn't seem to get it's far share of attention. We have all heard (or gotten) phishing scams using random services as bait (i.e. Paypal). Most daily internet users can identify those pretty easily as phishing scams. These new targeted phishing scams are far more sophisticated (i.e. relevent subject matter or offer). Keep a look out.

At West Point in 2004, teacher and National Security Agenc...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CDT As with previous email phishing scams shared on Security Tips, this one exhibits poor grammar and spelling, a free email account for contact, and to good to be true promises. Never click any links in an emails you think are suspicious.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? HOPE ALL IS WELL. MY NAME IS (SGT 1ST CLASS) GEOGE BROWN ; I AM AN AMERICAN S...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CDT A flood of e-mails pretending to be from CNN & MSNBC contain links to malicious software, security companies warned. Emails with subject lines always start with "msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS" then are followed with a variety of possible headlines, including: "Google launches free music downloads in China"; "Plane crashes into school, hundreds of kids killed"; "CNN.com Daily Top 10"; "Tropical Storm Edouard moving toward Texas coast"; and "Tehran says it launched nuke missile."

...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CDT Got an email today with one of the worst fake job offers we've ever seen. Don't fall for phishing scams like this. Key signs are "work from home", "a fixed salary", poor grammar and spelling, a free email account for contact, and essentially no skills required.

Hello!

We offer a part time job on your computer.

Job Description:
We will provide you with the texts for our employees with the important information and you will correct the texts as an engli...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CDT Interesting stuff from MessageLabs. They recently released year-to-date spam rates for each US state. The top 10 most spammed US states are as follows:

1. Illinois
2. South Dakota
3. Oregon
4. New Hampshire
5. Wisconsin
6. North Carolina
7. Indiana
8. Texas
9. Pennsylvania
10. Alabama

MessageLabs scans three billion email connections per day and in June 2008, the global ratio of spam in email traffic from new and previo...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 CDT From reuters news wire...

Personal data collected on military, civilian and contractor employees seeking federal security clearances between 1997 and 2005 could be at risk due to inaccurate record-keeping by the Pentagon agency that did the investigations, an audit showed on Thursday.

The Defense Security Service (DSS) was initially unable to account for 501 laptops used by its investigators and loaded with personal identity data, posing an undue risk to those people...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 CDT A few days ago the IRS released a report by the National Taxpayer Advocate, which concluded that tax-related identity theft rose 644% from 2004 to 2007.

The IRS is attempting to educate taxpayers, warning them of a new wave of scam using the IRS name in identity theft (aka phishing) faxes, e-mails. These letters will often threaten taxpayers that they will lose money or a refund if they do not respond. These types...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDT It seems more and more are turning to the Internet as a key tool, noting that in 2007, 73% of job seekers reported using the online sources compared to 66% in 2005. While the Internet has made searching for jobs easier, it also provides an opportunity for ID thieves and scammers to take advantage of eager - and unsuspecting - job seekers.

Unfortunately, the search for a dream job can lead to becoming a victim of identity theft or other types of fraud. In 2007 alone, the FTC r...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDT Over the past five years, 43 US states have adopted data breach notification laws, but has all of this legislation actually cut down on identity theft? Not according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who have published a state-by-state analysis of data supplied by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

"There doesn't seem to be any evidence that the laws actually reduce identity theft," said Sasha Romanosky, a Ph.D student at Carnegie Mellon who is one of the paper'...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 CDT An e-mail, which had the Army's official MWR logo, appeared to be an attempt to obtain personal information from soldiers by offering promises of free or discounted tickets to theme parks and attractions.

The MWR Command eventually found out that the phishers were the Army's own Network Enterprise Technology Command.

The phishing scam e-mail listed a Web link with an online registration form asking for a name, e-mail address, phone, city, state and ZIP code. The e...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 CDT The latest Internet Security Threat Report was released in April 2008 by Symantec Corp. The report concludes that the Web is now the primary conduit of attack activity, as opposed to network attacks, and that online users can increasingly be infected simply by visiting everyday Web sites.

In addition, attackers are leveraging a maturing underground economy to buy, sell and trade stolen information. This economy is now charac...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 CDT A good article on MSNBC reviews why just about all work from home jobs are actually scams. These jobs include at-home sales, packaging, mystery shopping, and other classic scams. Definitely not real jobs, these crooks are hoping to lure you into providing them with your information for identity theft and/or bank information. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Related Resources
The Better Business B...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 CDT See the email below for a new take on an old phishing scam. Again, read the content. The job is too good to be true. 100% flexible hours and a free iPhone! Don't fall for junk like this.

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are happy to have your little time and paying our attention to this letter.Precious Metals incorporated company is looking forward to co-operate with you and provide you the vacancy of financial department employee in our company. We can definately say that after we...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 CDT Finding a new job can be difficult and frustrating. Having skills in high demand and a security clearance can make you a very attractive candidate. Those same attributes can also make you a target for overseas job scams.

When surfing the internet looking for your dream job overseas, beware of job firms listing sky-high salaries and a toll free number for you to call for more information.

Conduct research on the company at the http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 CST It appears that someone is spoofing ClearanceJobs.com in a spam email. The email has a link to a file on the LatPro.com job board, which is a real job board. DO NOT click, run, or download the file. We are contacting LatPro.com to tell them that someone has managed to add a malicious file to their service.
ClearanceJobs.com is in no way affiliated or related to LatPro.com.
Thanks]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 CST Emails are circulating around the internet claiming to be from CareerBuilder.com. While CareerBuilder isn't affiliated with our site in any way, we thought we'd warn people to not fall for this email.

The scam email is as follows:

Dear employer

Due to a recent security breach in the Careerbuilder computer system, a new set of terms and conditions has been issued. In order to guarantee the security of your Careerbuilder account , we need you to login ove...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 CST Here's another piece of spam, this time poorly disguised as a job offer:

Hello, I am Tanya I am manager of Russian reseller company: "Nix inc". htt://nix.ru/ Our company need US and Ca partners for dropshipping.
We buy staff in the USA and resell it to our clients in Eastern Europe (including Russia).
If you are interested in cooperation we offer the following conditions:
You recieve a package
Then we send you pre-paid shipping label (we have o...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 CST There's some debate as to whether a job seeker should provide clearance details on their resume. As a rule, the government suggests that you NOT make your clearance details known in a public forum. ClearanceJobs.com is not a public forum.

Our service has restricted access - only authorized government contractors and legitimate search firms are allowed access to your resume. We manually pre-screen each employer requesting access. All employers gaining access to ClearanceJobs.co...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:00:00 CST Here is an example of a phishing scam spam seen recently. The goal of the email is to entice potential job applicants to contact the fake company. During a fake interview, the candidate would be asked for various personal items like Social Security Number, bank account information for "direct payment of salary", etc.

TRX Group International Ltd.
95 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1BZ, United Kingdom
International head office phone: +4407092897500
US and...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 CST We wanted to post an example of a fake job offer here to give you ideas on what to look for. This is an actual email we received.

Unique career opportunity to reward your skills and talents Good afternoon,

My name is Jane Eshkova, and I'm a senior HR manager for Compass Group Corp. At the moment, our company has an open position for Remote Manager in the Department of Small Investment Projects. We have considered your application, and we believe that you are...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 CST With all of the spam on the net, it can be difficult to weed though fake job offers and scams to find the legitimate inquiries. Here are some tips:

• Fake job offers often originate from overseas. These emails contain broken English, unrealistic salaries, and almost always ask you to respond to a free, public email account like Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, or Hotmail.
• Fake job offers often ask for unnecessary personal data like contact information, social security number, phone...]]> http://www.clearancejobs.com/security_tips.php Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 CST Online data security is always important to ClearanceJobs. We would like to take a minute to remind you of some important tips:
  
  • Keep your machine up to date with the latest security patches.
  • Create a separate email specifically for job hunting, separate from your personal email account.
  • Make sure you have an up-to-date anti-virus product installed and running on your machine.
  • Avoid using a Social Security number on your resume.
  • Don't provide any non-...]]>