PR

A couple of days back, the Debka.com claimed to have picked up an Osama Bin Laden message calling for an electronic Jihad against western and anti-Muslim websites.  

This so called news has caused a storm in the water glass as it passed around the news channels.

Personally, I find it highly unlikely that such a Jihad is on its way now. And I list several reasons (not conclusive list, feel free to add your own!):

• Debka.com is a military intelligence news website, which have a strange way of coming up with news no one else have heard about. True, they do have a (large) network, but equally true – they do have their own agenda.
• The so called cyber terrorism or cyber war has been going on for years. You may even download your own Jihad tool and start hammering away right now. It is nothing more than a hacking tool, branded as a weapon.
• It is highly unlikely that a publication like this is ONLY picked up by one source. In the past, when Osama has something to say, he calls Al Jazzera. Why not this time?

I call this to be a hoax – a poor attempt by war lovers and anti-Muslims to “prove” the dangers of the Muslims. A PR stunt.

Some links:

The original Debka story

Analysis by PC World

Oh, the TJX. No, I guess I never get tired of it!

This time, I will just point you to this important message from the president and CEO they made oct. 11.

There, Carol Meyrowitz, the President and CEO, says:

"To learn more about steps you can take to protect your credit and debit card information, I encourage you to access the information we are providing on this website or to contact our special customer helplines listed below."

Sorry Carol, I do not think I trust TJX enough for your advices about CC information. At least not MY CC information.

Need I remind you that it never was your CUSTOMERS who messed up? Your customers decided to TRUST you and your companies to handle the CC information. I bet the customers did take necessary precautions and common sense - how could they be expected to be prepared for YOUR breach?

I advice you to do the right things - learn from your own mistakes and fix them - not divert the attention by teaching your customers how to do things they do much better than you ever did.

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Due to the nature of the document, I have pasted the text below too:

LETTER FROM TJX’S PRESIDENT AND CEO October 11, 2007 To Our Valued Customers: At TJX, our first priority always has been and continues to be, our customers. I want each of you to know how much I personally and, on behalf of the Company, regret any difficulties you may have experienced as a result of the criminal attacks on our computer systems announced earlier this year. Importantly, we truly appreciate that you have continued to place your trust in us with your loyalty and patronage. We remain committed to providing our customers a safe shopping environment as you shop for great values, fashion and brands. TJX has been working diligently with some of the world’s best computer security firms to further enhance our computer security. We have also continued to work with law enforcement and government agencies and very much want to see that the sophisticated cyber criminals who attacked our computer systems are brought to justice. We have worked diligently to reach a settlement, which we believe would offer an excellent resolution for our customers, addressing the different ways that they have told us that they have been impacted by the computer intrusion(s). (Like all class action settlements, our settlement is subject to Court approval and other conditions, and therefore, customers cannot yet seek benefits.) We have provided a separate link, below, to additional information regarding the proposed settlement. To learn more about steps you can take to protect your credit and debit card information, I encourage you to access the information we are providing on this website or to contact our special customer helplines listed below. Once again, we sincerely regret any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of the attacks on our computer system. We are deeply grateful for your continued trust and patronage. Respectfully, Carol Meyrowitz President and Chief Executive Officer     INFORMATION ABOUT PROPOSED CUSTOMER CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT Click here to view Additional Information about Proposed Customer Class Action Settlement; Subject to Court Approval and Other Conditions. INFORMATION ABOUT INTRUSION(S) View Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Click here to view the 2/21/07 Press Release Click here to view the 1/17/07 Press Release Helpful Information for Customers: TJX has special, toll-free helpline numbers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland, to assist customers with concerns about the computer intrusion(s) and to answer questions about the proposed customer class action settlement, which is subject to court approval and other conditions. In the United States: Toll-free help line: 866-484-6978 Available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern time. Click here to view Recommended Steps Click here to view Other Resources Haga clic aquí para obtener información en español. In Canada: Toll-free help line: 866-903-1408 Available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern time. Click here to view Recommended Steps and Other Resources Cliquez ici pour des renseignements en français. In the United Kingdom and Ireland: Toll-free help line: Callers in the UK* should call 0800 779015 Callers in the Republic of Ireland should call 00 44 800 779015 * (England, Wales, Scotland, N Ireland) Available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern time. Click here to view Recommended Steps and Other Resources Any customers who would like to contact TJX Customer Service: Please email TJX Customer Service at: customerservice@tjx.com

I share a LinkedIn group with Scott Allen, the co-author of the Virtual Handshake. I must admit, I have never read the book, but I have learned to respect Scott through his contributions to the LinkedInnovators group.

In a discussion this week, a mob was forming against a LinkedIn user, who had been rude in an invitation process. The only problem is that the story was told by the guy who had received the rude answer, and not the other party.

The gang soon wanted to hang the rude guy high, when Scott enters the discussion with a calm "I would like to hear the other guys side of the story before I judge". Now, that takes courage!

Of course, the heat is now on Scott - how can you take the rude guys side? He did not - all he said was he wanted to hear both sides before choosing his side. Imo, that is a true gentleman. And I support Scott all the way.

As the heat is now on Scott, he turns us to his own story of a smearing campaign against him - back in 2006. Someone started to spam blog comments in his name, and pointing to his website.

Why is this important?

1. you should always seek to gather as much information and knowledge as possible before judging other peoples actions and behaviors. Seek to understand.

2. ID-theft happens all the time. And technology makes it easier every day (you should think technology makes it harder, huh?) You need to make sure that the guy/gal in the other end is the right party - and not an impostor or a fraud.

3. Smearing campaig. Imagine your competitor (or a spammer, a bad employee, your mother-in-law - anyone) decides to paint a bad picture of you. It is extremely easy - it only takes some (not even much) time, and depending on the scale, perhaps some money.

How does he do it?

He will start questioning your services in newsgroups, in mailing lists, on blog comments and other places. Using different names, the operation soon looks like a large number of people having a thorn in your side. After all, no-one is making a real effort to identify the source of comments, now are we?

After a while, some blogger will pick up the story. And soon, very soon, your partners, clients and shareholders begins the questioning too.

This kind of story makes it very important to learn by Scott Allen - not only to make sure to check both sides of the story, but also understand how important it is to leverage your own network and profile to counter such attacks.

One fact remains - these kinds of attacks is not over!