G6 Nugget
Your close friend has posted on your wall saying ‘Amazing video” with a video link. What would you do? Ask yourself honestly.. And it is your close friend who has posted the link..
Ok.. Not really bad if you say ‘Yes, I would click on the link!’. Because, that is what people normally do.
But the webpage says that you must download a codec and run it in order to view the video properly. Will you run the installer for that codec?
Did you say ‘Yes’? Oh my God! How easy it is for the malware to infect your system! A worm called Koobface was infecting millions of Facebook users last year just because they said ‘Yes’ for that codec download.
This malware was infecting every user in Facebook and did nasty things like stealing information, displaying ads, redirecting the browser etc.
Remember this, When you are infected with a malware that targets social networking sites, it can do whatever you can do in Facebook!
It can send friend requests, comment and post things on other people’s wall etc and the people who see those comments and posts will think that they were posted by you!
Koobface was just an example. There are a lot of malware which can do this. Just search for ‘Facebook viruses’ in Google and you will be shocked.
Applications which are developed for bad intentions
Applications with good intentions but has a lot of vulnerabilities and can be easily hacked.(9700 apps were discovered to be vulnerable, including Farmville!)
Many applications of type 1 have been reported to be pushing rogue security software or sometimes even more dangerous things to the computers. If you suspect that an application is not secure, simply remove it from your PC.
What should you do to prevent against these viruses?
(Wherever Facebook is mentioned here and throughout this article, please remember that it applies to all social networking sites.)
- Always make sure that you have an updated antivirus software and you have all the Windows updates installed
- Log out from Facebook when you don’t use it.
- Avoid using Facebook in public computers.
- Don’t click on any application or link which asks you to ‘like’ it first!
- Don’t add an application before checking in Google if the application is safe to use
- Be careful about the gifts, ads and links! Don’t click on them unless you know for sure that your friend posted it
- Don’t use a common password; Have a unique password and make it difficult to guess
- Don’t run any scripts in the address bar
- Avoid links that claim to get you more fans, friends or followers
- Don’t enter your Facebook credentials in any other websites
- Don’t believe anything that claims to reveal hidden information from other profiles
- Avoid posting any sensitive information publicly.
Now the scariest thing!
In May 2010, a 18 year old girl Nona Belomesoff of Sydney, Australia went to meet two men that she had befriended in Facebook. Her dead body was found two days later.
Family Readiness
Family programs such as commander’s responsibilities, FRG operations and activities, mobilization training, and volunteer management.
Additional Family Program Trainings in the works:
-Family Program Academy (FPA)-April 2012: This training is directed towards FRGs and includes the basics to help establish and maintain a viable, functioning FRG at the unit level. Commanders and FRLs are welcome to attend as well. This training improves family preparedness; which in turn, enhances overall Army readiness.
Attendees will be provided with the tools and guidelines of how an FRG should operate. This training also provides a forum for exchanging information, networking and learning from others. After this FPA training the unit FRG will be able to increase unit/command, Soldier/individual, and Family readiness and promote the goal of resilience, especially during periods of military separation. The 108th Family Programs will fund those in attendance.
Army Family Team Building
Army Family Team Building (AFTB) is a volunteer-led organization with a central tenet: provide training and knowledge to Family members to support he total Army effort. Strong Families are the pillar of support behind strong Soldiers. It is AFTB’s mission to educate and train all of the Army in knowledge, skills, and behaviors designed to prepare our Army Families to move successfully into the future.
AFTB online courses and further information are accessed through www.arfp.org/aftb.
Additional Resources/Programs to Support Families/Soldiers
Army Reserve Employer Partnership Initiative (EPI) is a joint public-private venture that gives business leaders tangible benefits for employing and sharing their Soldier-Employees.
For more information regarding EPI, go to www.employerpartnership.org
Army Spouse Employment Partnership (ASEP) provides Army spouses the opportunity to attain financial security and achieve employment goals through career mobility and enhanced employment options.
For more information regarding ASEP, go to www.myarmyonesource.com and click on “Army Spouse Employment Partnership.” The Military Spouse Job Search website is also available at www.msjs.org, and provides resources or job searches, resume building, and interview skills.
Yellow Ribbon I would like to encourage Family members to attend all Yellow Ribbon (YR) events during times of military separation. Please note that the YR program falls under the G1/S1 and not Family Programs. The following are the points of contact for YR.
The goal of the YR Reintegration Program is to prepare Soldiers and Families for mobilization, sustain Families during mobilization, and reintegrate Soldiers with their Families, communities, and employers upon redeployment or returning from deployment. The program includes information on current benefits and resources available to help overcome the challenges of reintegration.
For more information go to
http://arfp.org/skins/ARFP/display.
Internal Review
The Office of Internal Review would like to congratulate Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Michael Williams on his recent retirement and Ms. Kerri Tadt on her promotion to the USARC IR office. Both Mike and Kerri have done an exceptional job as demonstrated in our recent USARC QA2 inspection where they exceeded the USARC standard and scored 98.5%. This could not have been accomplished without their hard work and dedication to the office and the 108th Training Command (IET).
The 108th Office of Internal Review has an AKO web page located at: https://army.mil/suite/page/594911
This page is a great resource that provides current IR information, references, web sites, files and folders. There is also a channel titled Report Suspected Fraud, Waste and Abuse. Reporting is anonymous and no personal information is captured. Issues submitted through this method will be forwarded to your respective Office of Internal Review for follow up.
Internal review conducted several audits pertaining to travel for those using the Defense Travel System (DTS). This system can be confusing for the average TPU Soldier who only occasionally travels. The opportunity is always there to make a mistake. The complexity of DTS also provides the opportunity for fraud.
Approving Officials (AOs) must ensure that expenses claimed are legitimate and authorized. Authorization comes from the Joint Federal Travel Regulation (JFTR) which applies to uniformed members and the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR) applicable to the civilian members of the government. If you want more information or training on DTS and the JFTR, go to the main page of DTS and click on the TRAX icon on the left side of the page.
It can also be found at https://dod.mil/Passport/.
As a closing statement to travelers, no matter whether it is two dollars or 2,000 dollars fraud is fraud. Be smart and claim only what you are entitled to and be exact and honest in your travel reporting.
AO’s, if it looks questionable, question it. Most errors you see are honest mistakes by uninformed or under-informed travelers. Regardless of the travelers rank or position, most things can be corrected by bringing it to the traveler’s attention and getting clarification. You have financial liability for all vouchers you approve and can be held personally liable. If you have further questions, feel free to contact Master Sgt. Lou Shaver at the 108th Office of Internal Review at lou.shaver@usar.army.mil.
Retired Army Col. Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Bribery Scheme Involving Department of Defense Contracts in Iraq
WASHINGTON — A retired colonel in the U.S. Army was sentenced today to 12 months in prison for her role in a scheme to pay bribes for contracts awarded in support of the Iraq war, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.
Levonda J. Selph, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of the District of Columbia. In addition to her prison term, Selph was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $9,000 in restitution.
Selph pleaded guilty in June 2008 to an information charging her with one count of bribery and one count of conspiracy. According to the information, in 2005, then-Lt. Col. Selph served as chair of a selection board for a 12 million dollar contract to build and operate several Department of Defense warehouses in Iraq. Selph accepted fraudulent bids from a co-conspirator contracting firm, and helped that firm win the contract award. In return for these actions, Selph accepted a vacation to Thailand and other things of value totaling approximately nine thousand dollars.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Richard B. Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Trial Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher and Emily W. Allen of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the Antitrust Division.
The case is being investigated by special agents of the Army Criminal Investigation Command; Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the FBI Washington Field Office.
Retention Office
The Individual Ready Reserve Affiliation Program
On July 1, the Army officially kicked off the Individual Ready Reserve Affiliation Program (IAP). The Army Reserve G-1 will provide oversight of the program and the Army Reserve Careers Division will serve as the program manager for the AR and will provide career and transition counseling as needed. The AR initiated a pilot IAP on 1 December 2010, to assess value added and affect on AR full-time staff. Several National Guard units will also participate in this program and plans are underway to include all NG units by year end.
Brig. Gen. Leslie Purser, Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve, said “IRR Soldiers and their Families don’t have easy access to military installations. Through the IRR Affiliation Program, they’ll be able to turn to fellow Soldiers living nearby for information.” The primary emphasis of the program is to provide communication and resources to IRR Soldiers and their families.
What exactly is the IAP? IRR Soldiers are assigned to the Human Resources Command at Ft. Knox, Ken. Each year HRC conducts an IRR muster to assess the readiness of IRR Soldiers. The IAP will validate the readiness of IRR Soldiers and assist HRC in their conduct of musters, while simultaneously affiliating a Soldier with a local AR unit.
Since September 11, 2001, approximately 538,000 Soldiers were members of the IRR. Of that population 31,885 Soldiers were mobilized and a total of 12,524 Soldiers deployed to the Central Command area of responsibility. Effective July 1, all IRR Soldiers will be affiliated with a local Reserve unit, but are not obligated to participate in training or maintain contact with the unit. Their only requirement is to acknowledge their affiliation in the program and an awareness of resources and support available to them while assigned in the IRR. HRC will notify each Soldier that they have been affiliated and the unit commander will send them a welcome letter. Beginning in December, Soldiers leaving active duty and transitioning into the IRR will be affiliated at the transition points.
Future plans for the program include integration of IRR Soldiers and their Families into the unit, establishing and maintaining lines of communication with IRR Soldiers and their Families, providing information about benefits and opportunities, allowing IRR Soldiers to participate in unit events, allowing IRR Soldiers and their Families to participate in Family Program activities, and when necessary, units will serve as conduits between HRC and IRR Soldiers.
It is in the Army Reserve’s interest to make every effort to assist HRC in maintaining and improving the readiness of the IRR. The potential benefit of established communication between the unit and Soldier will enhance HRC’s ability to maintain accountability and reliable contact information on IRR Soldiers. Advantages to IRR Soldiers include the opportunity to participate in unit drills for retirement points, SRP annually, and use the unit’s support structure to assist the Soldier and Family as needed while in the IRR.
Staff Judge Advocate
Administrative Separations
“You’re fired!” Words that employees in the civilian sector dread. An enlisted Soldier though may hear those dreaded words in a little different terminology – “You are being ‘chaptered’ out of the Army.”
An enlisted Soldier may leave the Army by the way of several avenues. Most leave voluntarily upon completion of their contractual obligation, some retire after a career, some voluntarily request separation, however some are forced out. Army Regulation (AR) 135-178 outlines the guidelines and procedures for administrative separations of enlisted Soldiers in the Army Reserve. It provides the guidance for when the Army wants to “fire” a Soldier.
When the Army decides to discharge a Soldier before a normal ETS date, it must determine the characterization of the service rendered. A Soldier whose service is characterized as anything less than Honorable may encounter difficulty obtaining a job in the civilian market, and may be ineligible for several benefits that the Soldier would have been normally entitled to, including the G.I. Bill. Despite the advice of the “barracks’ lawyer,” there is no such thing as an automatic upgrade of a discharge. The upgrading of a discharge is a long, drawn-out process that requires application to the Army Discharge Review Board or the Army Board of Military Corrections and a showing of good cause. The practical odds of obtaining an upgrade are not good.
Administrative discharges are actually not a part of the military justice system; however they are intertwined since the same commander who has the power to court-martial a Soldier often has the authority to administratively discharge as well. Acts in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice are often the same ones that form the basis for an administrative discharge.
There are generally five different types of discharges a Soldier can receive. In declining order they are Honorable, General, Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct Discharge, and Dishonorable Discharge. The last two, the “Bad Conduct Discharge,” and the “Dishonorable Discharge” are considered punitive and given only at a court-martial. Pursuant to AR 135-178, an honorable discharge signifies adequate military performance, and not necessarily meritorious service. A General Discharge (sometimes referred to as “General Under Honorable Conditions”) may be issued when a Soldier’s record reflects inaptitude, defective attitude, and apathy.
The most unfavorable administrative discharge characterization is the Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge. This discharge results in the loss of most military and veterans’ benefits, and carries the worst stigma. Common grounds for a Soldier to receive this type of discharge are a pattern of misconduct or a single incident that represents a significant departure from the conduct expected of Soldiers. Examples of such conduct to include the use of violence for bodily injury or death, illegal drug use, abuse of a position of authority, disregard of customary superior-subordinate relationships, and acts endangering the security of the nation or the welfare of other Soldiers. This type of discharge may not be issued unless the Soldier is given due process and the opportunity to have the case reviewed by an Administrative Board that typically consists of at least three experienced commissioned, warrant, or noncommissioned officers. The senior member of the board serves as the president.
More Than A Job
Being discharged from the United States Army is quite different from being fired or quitting a civilian job. Service in the Army is more than just a job, it is a status. If the Soldier meets the enlistment contract obligations to the Army and receives an Honorable discharge, that Soldier will have not only the pride and satisfaction of serving the country, but will qualify for many military and veterans’ benefits. What many Soldiers do not realize is that an Honorable Discharge is required for them to receive their education benefits (G.I. Bill). Anything less than an Honorable Discharge, can cost a Soldier up to $40,000 in some cases in loss of educational benefits. Potential employers in the civilian sector often view the Honorable Discharge itself very positively. Soldiers with an adverse administrative discharge can jeopardize those veterans’ benefits and stigmatize themselves for years to come.
Lt. Col. Bobby Don Gifford is the Staff Judge Advocate for the 95th Training Division. In his civilian capacity, Gifford is a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice.