Defensive Shrubs prick Intruders

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Ever consider using plants to deter an intruder? No, not smashing a cactus into his face, (but that’s an option) but growing thorn-bearing tress, shrubs and vines outside your house. The reasons these plants have thorns is to protect them from predators. They can protect you from predators as well.

1SIf vulnerable areas of your residence have thorn-bearing plants, this can ward off intruders. Some plant varieties grow very fast and prolifically. It’s just a matter of finding out which type of plant grows best in your location. To determine your plant hardiness zone go here to search your zone and plant.

Thorn-bearing Trees

Nobody wants to climb a tree whose trunk is jutting thorns.

  • Honey locust. This tree sprouts sharp red thorns, but also provides edible sweet seeds that can be given to livestock.
  • Argentine mesquite. The thorns on this tree grow to two inches. No criminal will want to tackle these thorns to get to your second story window.
  • Black locust. These thorns not only prick, but cause swelling and additional pain.

Thorn-bearing vines

Here is security and beauty all wrapped into one. Check out the following varieties:

  • Climbing roses
  • Catsclaw creeper
  • Bougainvillea
  • Blackberry vines

Thorn-bearing bushes

Nobody’s going to want to get past these to access your window.

  • Cactus. If your climate permits, these spiked plants will scare off intruders. The chollas have two inch thorns.
  • Pyracantha (fire thorn bush). The thorns will produce a burning stinging that will last for hours.
  • Rogosa roses. These pretty flowers have plenty of thorns.
  • Catsclaw acacia. The thorns are hidden by flowers and leaves; a nice surprise for a burglar.
  • Washington hawthorn tree. It can be pruned into a bush and grow right under a window, displaying aesthetic red berries.
  • Oregon grape holly. This attractive shrub has two inch thorns.

An alarm system is a great way to deter a bad guy from coming in your home, but may not stop an intruder from making contact with a portal to your home. However, many different kinds of vegetation can make a criminal think twice before even getting close enough to put his hands on a window or other portal.

Beef up your home’s electronic security network by planting a network of beautiful but imposing greenery.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures

Guarantee your Customers’ Identity Protection

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The AllClear Guarantee is designed to protect a business owner’s customers from identity theft. Your customers are assured:
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  • Six months of automatic protection once they complete their transaction. Each new purchase means extended coverage with any merchant who displays the Guarantee.
  • Protection wherever customers go. Customers are protected by the Guarantee beyond your site, no matter where they go or how ID theft happens.
  • If a customer’s ID is stolen, AllClear will fix everything: restoration of credit report, recovery of financial losses, etc.
  • Zero cost to customers. Participating merchants pay for the Guarantee.

These points are extremely important to the merchant. After all, according to Forrester (2012), 66% of customers are most worried about getting their identities stolen while they’re online. But what’s their greatest online concern? Edelman (2012) says that 90 percent of customers name sharing financial information online as being their greatest concern—as in, for example, using a credit card to make an online payment to a retailer.

How does guaranteed protection benefit the business owner?

  • Increased revenue. Your customers will have more confidence when they complete transactions and will feel more secure about giving accurate information.
  • Customer retention. When consumers feel safe online, they’re more likely to return time and again. The Guarantee will provide this secure feeling.
  • Reduced risk. You’ll be able to respond faster to a data breach, thanks to the Guarantee.

With the AllClear Guarantee, you won’t hope your clients are safe online; you’ll know they are.

  • Consumers should seek out websites that show the AllClear Guarantee
  • Every purchase gets automatic identity protection.
  • The Guarantee is covered by participating merchants.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to AllClearID. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.

Why Should You Care About a Site’s Privacy Policy

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Most websites should have a privacy policy (although I don’t think it’s always the easiest thing to find). And then once you do find it, you’ll see a huge amount of what I consider to be legal mumbo jumbo. And because you really should care about this stuff, the question becomes how do you sort through all this stuff?

2PMost privacy policies usually begin with something around them collecting, using and sharing your personal information or data. For example, here’s how Google, Twitter and Apple’s privacy policies start out:

  • Google (http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/) – “There are many different ways you can use our services – to search for and share information, to communicate with other people or to create new content.”
  • Twitter (https://twitter.com/privacy) – “This Privacy Policy describes how and when Twitter collects, uses and shares your information when you use our Services. Twitter receives your information through our various websites, SMS, APIs, email notifications, applications, buttons, widgets, and ads (the “Services” or “Twitter”) and from our partners and other third parties.”
  • Apple (http://www.apple.com/privacy/) – “Your privacy is important to Apple. So we’ve developed a Privacy Policy that covers how we collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store your information.”

Here’s what you really need to understand about a website’s privacy policy as this can affect you

  • How it gathers information – sites usually use cookies to collect or track information.
  • The type of information it gathers – it is keeping track of your name, age, or email address.
  • What it is doing with the information – make sure you understand how the site is using your information, whether it’s just to provide a better experience for you when you return to the site or it is sharing your data with third parties.
  • Security measures it has in place – how a site is protecting your information that it gathers is critical. This should be not only when the data is being transmitted to them, but also once they have it.

And why is this important? Those factors above can affect you if the site is not taking care of your personal information. It could lead to unwanted spam, identity theft and financial fraud depending on what type of information they have gathered from you and how they are using it or taking care of it.

You should also know that the sites should provide options for you to opt in or opt out of how they share your information. Another key thing is to find out how long the site keeps your information. Some sites keep it forever, while others delete it after a certain amount of time. For instance, you should know what happens to your data if you delete your account.

Yes this is something else for you to check. But in our digitally connected world, it’s something you just gotta do.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.