p14, v7.02 — Business News & Trends

Business News & Trends

Mountain Views News Saturday, January 12, 2013

MVNews this week: Page 14

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

Mountain Views News Saturday, January 12, 2013

BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques

JAVA ALERT

By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA

Security researchers are advising Internet users to disable Java components in their browsers because
of an exploit that can allow remote attackers to execute malicious code on compromised systems.

Java is used by hundreds of millions of Windows, Mac and Linux machines along with mobile
devices and embedded systems around the world to access interactive content or Web applications
and services.

It’s being reported that cybercriminals are using a “zero-day” vulnerability in Java to attack computer
systems and this exploit has the ability to allow attackers to stealthily install malware on the computers
of users who visit compromised websites. A zero-day exploit is one that takes advantage of security
vulnerability on the same day that the vulnerability becomes generally known.

There are “zero days” between the time the vulnerability is discovered and the first attack. Fortunately
for most users with the latest versions of Java, users who need to keep it active can change a couple of
settings to help secure their systems.

Go to the Java Control Panel that is installed along with the runtime, and in the Security section
uncheck the option to “Enable Java content in the browser,” which will disable the browser plug-in.
This will prevent the inadvertent execution of exploits that may be stumbled upon when browsing
the Web, and is a recommended setting for most people to do. If you need to see a Java applet on the
Web, then you can always temporarily re-enable the plug-in.

The second setting is to increase the security level of the Java runtime, which can also be done in
the same Security section of the Java Control Panel. The default security level is Medium, but you
can increase this to High or Very High. At the High level, Java will prompt you for approval before
running any unsigned Java code, and at the Very High level all Java code will require such approval,
regardless of whether or not it is signed.

Since this threat is Java-based, it will only affect systems that have Java installed. Most platforms do
not come with Java, but if you have installed it and do not need or regularly use it, you might consider
removing it from your system. While Java is convenient for legitimate developers, its conveniences
also help malware developers spread their harmful practices to multiple platforms.

THE INSANITY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Most people think it would be insane to think
of starting a business, but then, it takes a certain
level of insanity to forgo the “security” of a regular
paycheck from an employer. Which is why most
people will never take the plunge into full-time
self-employment of owning a business. All
entrepreneurs are risk takers, however, there are
varying levels ranging from cautious, calculated
risks, to those who seem crazy enough to leap
from a cliff with the belief they have wings to fly.
You will find examples of extreme success at all
levels of risk, but the entrepreneurs who seem to
be wired to tolerate risks that appear illogical to
most of us, see life through a different lens.

To observers it may appear that an entrepreneur
willing to take risks has no fear, but that isn’t the
case. They have simply decided that the risk is
worth the anticipated reward. Most people can’t
relate to this because of the fear that prevents
them from ever moving beyond a pre-defined
comfort zone. The comfort zone of a 9-to-5
for the majority can feel like a prison to a free-
thinking entrepreneur. They think “outside the
box” and are therefore driven to venture, seek
and experiment outside of the boundaries of
what is normal to everyone else.

They would rather work 20 hours a day to build
their own enterprise, than to work 8 hours a day
to build for someone else. Seems odd, but one
of the trade-offs is a sense of relief, pride and
satisfaction knowing that they are doing what
they really want to do. Some of them find their
niche, build a business and operate it for decades
until they decide to sell it, pass it on to family or
close it after enjoying years as the creator of their
own livelihood.

Others are serial entrepreneurs, leaving a trail
of multiple business ventures. Some of the
ventures are successful, but some are relegated
to the collective heap of business failures.
But again, a difference in perspective – the
entrepreneur interprets each failure as a lesson
learned, information to help them make better
decisions the next time. Like the inventor and
entrepreneur, Thomas Edison, 10,000 “failed”
experiments to create the light bulb are simply
viewed as discovering all of the ways it didn’t
work.

The correlation of failure to success is evident
across the landscape of all accomplishments,
large and small. It is something we all understood
as children, but as we get older we forgot this
fact. How many times did you fall before you
learned to skate or ride a bicycle? Remember the
frustration you felt as the older kids whizzed past
you, and perhaps your mom, dad, or another kid
encouraged you to keep trying. Or, you simply
convinced yourself to try until finally, you were
skating and riding along with everyone else.

So too, is the plight of risk-taking entrepreneurs
who may find themselves, low on funds with
bruised credit ratings, watching other whiz past
them with the comfort and security of a steady
paycheck. Those destined for success will get up
and try again, knowing that they need to move
beyond this latest lesson of what didn’t work to
keep searching until they discover what does.

We’d like to hear from you!

What’s on YOUR Mind?

FACEBOOK PREDICTIONS FOR 2013

When we teach a Facebook class, we let the room know two things; we don’t work
for Facebook and we are not Facebook experts. The reason? I believe there is no
way anyone can claim to be an expert on a tool with 900 million users because
everyone has their own way of using it! However, there are some of us who study it more than most.

With that in mind, here are four things I predict that “might” happen on Facebook this year.

1. Facebook will make another change to the timeline layout. It’s actually already being tested
in New Zealand. It looks like they are bringing back tabs and converting the two-column timeline
layout to one.
2. People will complain about this change. Some will threaten to leave Facebook and try to
convince all their friends to join them on Google+. They’ll leave for two weeks and realize their
friends won’t move. They will come back.
3. I think more businesses will explore social ads especially on Facebook. Just like newspapers,
magazines and television, Facebook is a content provider. If a business is trying to reach a certain
audience, chances are they might find them on Facebook.
4. Facebook will continue to beef up their private messaging feature. They recently added a
voice-message feature to their Mobile Messenger app. With this addition, Facebook’s messaging
center is now voicemail, video chat, live chat, texting, document and photo sharing all in one tool.
Brilliant! Did you know we all have our very own Facebook email address that works with this?
(yourname@facebook.com)

I recently read a statistic that said “one out of every seven minutes spent online is on Facebook.” It’s
where the people are. It has become a mainstream communication tool we simply cannot ignore.

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, a creative services business that specializes
in Internet Marketing strategies and Social Media Education for businesses and non-profits. “Like”
them on Facebook for trending news in social media, internet marketing and other helpful tips, www.
facebook.com/hutdogs. Sign up for their upcoming classes and presentations at: www.hutdogs.com/
workshops/schedule

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PRESIDENT SIGNS REP. SCHIFF DNA
BILL INTO LAW

Legislation Would Award Grants to States to Implement DNA

Collection for Felony Arrestees

Washington, DC – Today, President Barack Obama signed Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-Burbank) legislation,
the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2012 (H.R. 6014), into law. Originally introduced
in 2010 by Schiff, Katie’s Law bears the name of Katie Sepich, a college student who was raped
and murdered in 2003 in New Mexico. Her attacker was arrested several times over subsequent years
but was never linked to Katie’s murder, as his DNA was not collected until 2006.

“I’m so pleased that President Obama today signed this important legislation – Katie’s Law is a vital
tool for law enforcement to help save lives and prevent future crimes,” said Schiff. “By improving our
DNA system, we will make sure that more violent and serious crimes are solved, and we take more
felons off the street every year. This legislation – now law – is another tool in law enforcement’s toolkit.
Just as we fingerprint arrestees and those convicted of crimes, it makes absolute sense to collect a
DNA profile when someone is arrested for a violent felony, and this bill will encourage states around
the nation to join California and other states that have adopted arrestee testing.”

“We are so grateful for the support of our primary sponsors, Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. David Reichert
and Senator Charles Schumer who worked so tirelessly to support this bill and see it enacted,” said
Mrs. Sepich.

The Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2012, also known as Katie’s Law, establishes a
program to provide grants to states which implement DNA collection programs for arrestees of
murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, and aggravated assault. States are authorized to collect
DNA for a larger subset of crimes but must do so for those felony crimes. The bill uses funding
sources within the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Reduction Act and specifies that up to $10 million in
each fiscal year from 2013 to 2015 may go to grants to states under Katie’s law.

An example of the power of arrestee testing comes from a case in Los Angeles. In 1987, Chester
Turner was arrested for assault in California, but freed due to a lack of evidence. DNA technology
was in its infancy at the time and Turner’s DNA was not taken upon arrest. Turner continued to terrorize
a Los Angeles community and was arrested nineteen more times before being convicted of
rape in 2002. Only then was his DNA profile taken, and it matched evidence found on twelve rape
and murder victims, the first murdered only two months after his 1987 arrest. Had California taken
his DNA when he was first arrested, as is now required under state law, his decades long crime spree
could have been prevented or cut short.