While fraud and identity theft concerns grow, customers of the online brokerage company E*Trade may now sleep easier, receiving full fraud reimbursement.

	WEEKLY REPORTS Solutions, Prevention & Remedies Top 10 Threats

In the past, consumers with debit cards and credit cards issued from some banks could be responsible for anywhere from $50 to the entire amount stolen based on how long it takes for a fraud report to be filed. Today, while many banks have already adopted a similar policy, E*Trade will be the first online brokerage company ever to offer full fraud protection for trading, investing, banking, and lending.

The occurrence of online fraud with this type of company is minimal but growing, and most consumers feel that their financial institution is primarily responsible for the safeguard of their funds.

Other online brokerage firms may eventually adopt this zero-liability policy to protect customers. Otherwise, the general feeling is that the Securities and Exchange Commission may soon pass regulations that require companies to adopt a similar policy.

Information, Protection and Prevention -- More Information About E*Trade?s New Policy

• E*Trade

Go back

* Reading: Solutions, Prevention & Remedies
Additional summary information related to a specific type of solution or prevention that you should be considering. Depending upon the week, this section may have:
• Recent Windows security releases from Microsoft
• Recent updates to widely used anti-spyware programs
• Recent updates to widely used anti-virus programs
• Recent updates to other security programs & devices (ex: Firewalls, routers)
• Recent updates to various applications in wide use

Go back

Read: Top Threats
These are viruses that are currently on the watch lists of major anti-virus software companies.

Name
What the threat is called. We use the name given each virus by Panda Software. Sometimes other anti-virus companies give the same threat a different name. Usually they use similar names.

Type
There are different characteristics associated with different types of threats.
• Virus - has the ability to replicate or infect computers or other programs
• Trojan Horse (or Trojan) - appear to be harmless programs when you get them. They unleash their payload when you double-click, open, or execute them.
• Phishing - a Web site or e-maill message posing as another company - usually one you know to fool you into giving the sender personal information.
• Worm - self replicates onto additional disks, computers or networks
• Spyware - installs on your system to collect information about your activity, preferences or interests
• Hoax - false messages sent by e-maill to mislead the recipient
• Backdoors - opens a security hole that allows outsiders to take control of your computer
• Dialer - uses your telephone to dial an outside number - sometimes a number that costs you money when dialed

Affects
Not all viruses affect all types of systems. Some, for example may affect only Windows 98 and 95, but not Windows XP or NT. Others affect all Windows systems, but not Macintosh. In this column, we show you the consumer systems that the threat is known to affect. We don't always include the servers that operate in your company's backroom.

Alert level
The level of awareness that anti-virus vendors suggest you need to have for each threat listed.
For each threat listed, we'll post a corresponding link here, so you can get more information to help you recognize, diagnose, prevent, and repair the problem.