How to avoid phishing

• If you receive an unexpected e-mail saying your account will be shut down unless you confirm your billing information, do not reply or click any links in the e-mail body.
• Before submitting financial information through a Web site, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar. It means your information is secure during transmission.

• If you are uncertain about the information, contact the company through an address or telephone number you know to be genuine.
  
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• If you unknowingly supplied personal or financial information, contact your bank and credit card company immediately.

Creating a replica of an existing Web page to fool a user into submitting personal, financial, or password data.
Phishing is the term coined by hackers who imitate legitimate companies in e-mails to entice people to share passwords or credit-card numbers. Recent victims include Charlotte's Bank of America, Best Buy and eBay, where people were directed to Web pages that looked nearly identical to the companies' sites. The term had its coming out this week when the FBI called phishing the "hottest, and most troubling, new scam on the Internet."It used to be that you could make a fake account on AOL so long as you had a credit card generator. However, AOL became smart. Now they verify every card with a bank after it is typed in.


The term phishing comes from the fact that Internet scammers are using increasingly sophisticated lures as they "fish" for users' financial information and password data.
Hackers have an endearing tendency to change the letter "f" to "ph," and phishing is but one example. The f-to-ph transformation is not new among hackers, either. It first appeared in the late 1960s among telephone system hackers, who called themselves phone phreaks.

The challenges of WiMAX service activation

On cellular networks, the operator retains primary control over the devices operating on its network, but WiMAX will change this.

In traditional cellular networks, the operator retains primary control over the devices operating on its network, with most devices being directly supplied to the subscriber through the operator's retail stores or partners, and pre-provisioned with the operator's software or SIM card.
WiMAX will change this. Subscribers buying a WiMAX-enabled device will be able to choose the device model they prefer and buy it from an operator-independent retailer. Separating the device distribution model from the service delivery model will result in a strong supply chain of devices needed for successful uptake of mobile applications.
This represents a new operating model for the WiMAX operator - one that reduces the pressure to subsidize devices, maintain extensive inventory, and sell non-core devices to subscribers.

A range of devices operating on the network can create complex challenges for customer support staff.
The ability to push firmware to the device enables users to keep their devices updated, reducing customer support workload and cost for the operator. Ideally, device management, including firmware updates and device configuration, should be tied to the plan preferences of each subscriber and to an automated identification of the device.

The ability to set different priority levels for subscribers becomes a requirement. Because WiMAX can support a range of applications such as VoIP, videoconferencing, or video on demand (VoD), the operator needs the ability to set QoS prioritization. Subscribers need to be able to change their profiles and seamlessly download the required configuration settings to their devices.

WIMAX

WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system intended for wireless "metropolitan area networks". WiMAX can provide broadband wireless access (BWA) up to 30 miles (50 km) for fixed stations, and 3 - 10 miles (5 - 15 km) for mobile stations. In contrast, the WiFi/802.11 wireless local area network standard is limited in most cases to only 100 - 300 feet (30 - 100m).



With WiMAX, WiFi-like data rates are easily supported, but the issue of interference is lessened. WiMAX operates on both licensed and non-licensed frequencies, providing a regulated environment and viable economic model for wireless carriers.


WiMAX can be used for wireless networking in much the same way as the more common WiFi protocol. WiMAX is a second-generation protocol that allows for more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and is intended to allow higher data rates over longer distances.

The IEEE 802.16 standard defines the technical features of the communications protocol. The WiMAX Forum offers a means of testing manufacturer's equipment for compatibility, as well as an industry group dedicated to fostering the development and commercialization of the technology.


WiMax.com provides a focal point for consumers, service providers, manufacturers, analysts, and researchers who are interested in WiMAX technology, services, and products. Soon, WiMAX will be a very well recognized term to describe wireless Internet access throughout the world.