DDos Protection

Reconciling Parental Control Software with Internet Security Principles

2011-12-10T02:55:00.000-08:00

Parental control software remains a useful tool to monitor your child's online activity and at the same time block inappropriate content. The fact that you are an adult does not necessarily mean you like to view offensive content, so the software can also be utilised to block offensive content on sites you often visit. Unfortunately, with the monitoring part of the software comes an inherent security risk of sensitive information that may fall into the wrong hands.

If you want to use parental control software, you need to use it responsibly, especially if you install it on a computer that is shared by several members of your household. The trustworthy members of the family need to be aware of the software and the need to have administrator privileges to disable the software before working on the computer. Parents often forget to disable the software before doing online shopping or banking, effectively allowing the key-logger component of the software to log important information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers and passwords.

Many Internet monitoring software packages take screen shots at certain intervals to capture the contents of the screen at a specific point in time. This is also dangerous if you forget to disable the monitoring part of the software, before logging into a secure area of a website. Screen shots can be taken of sensitive information that's normally only accessible behind a secure login area. All this information (keystrokes and screen shots) is stored on your hard drive, exposing it to possible exploits from crackers or spyware.

Well-written parental control software will obviously encrypt the information it logs, but crackers often decipher the encryption code in next to no time. The last thing you need is a spyware infection or an intruder on your system that can bypass the encryption of the parental control software. You don't want a stranger going through your logs if you accidentally forgot to disable the software before entering sensitive information on the Internet. So the most important thing to remember is to disable the monitoring software before you use the computer and remember to enable it again when you're done, otherwise there is no point in having the software on your computer in the first place.

Some parental control software allows you to create different profiles for different members of the family. You can for instance have a "Child" profile that blocks inappropriate content and monitors your child's activity on the web, a "Teen" profile that does not block any content, but only monitors your child's activity and a "Parent" profile that does not monitor your activity or block any content. The "Teen" profile can be activated when your teenager wants to use the computer, or you can activate the "Parent" profile if you are present while your children surfs the Internet. The "Child" profile should be used to limit Internet access while you are not at home to keep an eye on your children's Internet activity.

Kaspersky Lab recently integrated a parental control module into their Internet Security suite. It does not log keystrokes or take screen shots, it only monitors HTTP traffic. To know what your child is doing on his or her computer, you only need to monitor their Internet use. It is easy to see which games they are playing and which software they are using by examining certain areas of your system, like the Program Files folder and the Add and Remove Programs section of the control panel. Clever kids will know how to wipe this information, but most programs make connections to the Internet these days, so just by examining the HTTP traffic generated by these programs, you can easily tell which programs your child is using and which websites they are visiting.

The parental control module of Kaspersky Internet Security logs all the websites visited by your children, all the remote images loaded from e-mails that they read and all the servers they connect to for online gaming and software updates. If the logs contain entries from winamp.com, then your child is probably using Winamp to play music or movies. Entries from ea.com, might indicate that your child is playing some games developed by Electronic Arts. Your children will also download software from certain sites, which will give you another indication of what kind of software they are using. The fact that the software monitors HTTP traffic, means that you are not only limited to the traffic generated by a web browser or e-mail client, it monitors all Internet activity from any application.

The way that Kaspersky Lab approaches parental control and monitoring software, does not compromise your online safety like your conventional child monitoring software, because there is no security holes created by keystroke logging and capturing of screen data. The logs of your HTTP traffic may still contain tracking information that you may not want to reveal to advertising companies (and their spyware programs), but the beauty of this module is that it is integrated into an Internet security suite, so you are automatically protected against unauthorised access and malicious software infections, thanks to the firewall the anti-malware shields of the software. Traffic through secure servers (HTTPS) is normally encrypted, so the monitoring software only sees the encrypted data during a secure online session like Internet banking or online shopping. I still recommend that you turn of the parental control module before transmitting sensitive information over the Internet.

Up to know I basically discussed the monitoring part of parental control software. The control part allows you to block indecent content as well. Blocking inappropriate content minimises the risk of malware infections. Porn sites are often loaded with spyware, so keeping your children away from these sites, does not only protect them from exposure to harmful content, but it also protects your computer from dangerous infections. Your child's porn surfing may be the cause of a dangerous spyware infection, something you may not be aware of (especially if you don't have any spyware protection installed). You could easily log into your online banking account or enter sensitive information on the web, without realising that there are spyware lurking on your computer, watching your every move. Parental control software is not designed to protect your computer against malware infections, but preventing your children from accessing inappropriate websites, helps them to stay away from potentially dangerous websites, which is the number one rule in malware prevention.

Proper parental control software should allow you to set up filters to block specific inappropriate content, giving you complete control over what you allow your child to access on the Internet. Kaspersky Internet Security allows you to do exactly this. Lets say you want to block access to sites containing the word "murder" in the URL. You simply add the filter "*murder*" to the Parental Control Blacklist and it will block all websites containing the word "murder" in the URL. You can also blacklist specific URL's to prevent access to certain online chat rooms, web mail services or social community websites. Websites that carries your approval can be added to a white list to prevent the software from accidentally blocking it, or you may want to allow only specific pages from a site that's currently on the blacklist. The flexibility of the software allows you to fine tune the parental control software to your own specific needs, enhancing the online safety of your children.

So what is the message I'm trying to get across here? As I said at the beginning of this article, parental control and monitoring software remains a useful tool to keep an eye on your children's Internet activity when you are not present. As a parent you need to understand that parental control software poses certain security risks of you do not manage the software in a responsible way. I feel that developers of parental control software should move away from keystroke logging and screen capturing and focus on HTTP monitoring instead. Parental control software developed by a company who specialises in Internet security, gives you peace of mind that the software was designed with security as a top priority. The next step for Kaspersky Lab may be to make the module optional. Not everyone wants parental control software, but if I want to add this functionality to my computer, I'd rather buy it from a developer who has been in the Internet security industry for years, than buying the software from a developer who does not have a clue about Internet security.

About the Author
Coenraad is webmaster and founder of Cyber Top Cops, leaders in Internet security and analysts of Cyber Security Software Read our review of Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 for an in depth look into one of the most comprehensive Internet security suites in the security software industry.

What Is Multi-Factor Authentication?

2011-11-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

Multi-Factor authentication, or sometimes called strong authentication, is an extension of two-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication involves two or more factors whereas two factor authentication only involves exactly two factors. There are three basic "factors" in existing authentication methodologies. These "factors" would be something the user knows, something the user has and something the user is. An example of something the user knows is a password or a personal identification number (PIN). Something the user has would be an item like an ATM card, smart card or cellular phone. Something the user is would be a biometric characteristic such as a fingerprint or iris scan.

An example of this kind of authentication is requiring that the user insert something the user has such as a smart card or using a cell phone (something the user has) and entering in a password (something the user knows). This authentication can be taken a step further by adding a third factor such as requiring a valid fingerprint or iris scan (something the user is).

When you are sending your personal information over the internet or over a server, are you confident that these are so-called "secure" networks? Although internet fraud has reportedly dipped in 2010 consumers are still skeptical while doing anything online that involves their personal information. In fact, in 2009 online fraud doubled from the year before.

There was a time when email passwords could be any password you choose, but even now email providers require you to have minimum length keywords and they even rate your password strength. Security is an important concern for most people and as people have needs for stronger passwords, stronger authentication is developed to meet this demand. Passwords are becoming more complex and now require minimum lengths, have symbol requirements and have restrictions to help increase security among users, but that still isn't enough.

Beyond creating more difficult passwords for someone to hack, crack or steal, there are even higher forms of security available. Multi-factor authentication is now being used by major corporations to protect your confidential information online or over their networks. Multi-factor authentication is the solution to data and identity breaches and is much more secure than just a simple one time password.

Two-Factor Authentication

With multi-factor authentication stealing a username and password is not enough. Usernames and passwords are only a single factor authentication method. In a two factor authentication system, the user provides a dual means of identification, one of which is typically a physical token such as a card or cell phone, and the other of which is typically something memorized, such as a security code. The security code is usually a one-time password sent through an SMS text message to your mobile phone, but sometimes two-factor authentication solutions provide proprietary devices that will produce an OTP for you.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi factor authentication uses a combination of two or three different ways to authenticate your identity. The first is usually a password (what you know), but can also include your response to a challenge question, known as knowledge based authentication. The second is what you have which could be a physical device such as a smart card or a hardware token that generates one time only passwords. The third is who you are, as indicated by a biometric such as a fingerprint or an iris scan. Almost ever factor approach uses a password, and then combines this with the second or third factor or both. Two-factor authentication is a multi-factor authentication, but not vice versa. With technology growing by leaps and bounds there are not only more ways of stealing your information, but more ways of combating it.

There are three independent factors to multi factor authentication: Something you know, something you have and something you are.

Something You Know
This is the traditional username and password system that we have been using for decades and still use today. This could also be your response to a challenge question, known as knowledge based authentication. With the possibility of being hacked or having your password stolen these days there had to be a more secure way of accessing confidential data. There is key logging software and other types of hardware devices to that have compromised the security of login credentials and personal logins like usernames and passwords.

Something You Have

Something you have consists of utilizing an outside network such as a mobile phone for SMS text messages or a proprietary token that creates one time passwords. Also, still used in some cases is a piece of paper that contains lists of passwords. Have you ever been sent a one-time password to access some sort of personal information such as online banking records or maybe an important account you were locked out of? That would be two-factor authentication through something you have.

Something You Are

Once you have your username, password and OTP there is only one thing left to identify you. With today's technology we can now measure our biological differences. Since everyone is unique like a snowflake utilizing biometrics to obtain access to confidential information is the most secure form of identification. Measuring parts of your body like an iris scan, fingerprints or even the spacing between fingers a security system can now authenticate a user.

Many technology vendors claim to be offering "multi factor authentication solutions" are, in fact, providing single-factor authentication approaches. Most notable are these approaches of the challenge/response approach which is often paired with a shared secret image. These kind of approaches are not true multi factor authentication solutions and are not compliant with the U.S. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, which is the formal interagency of the United States government that is empowered to prescribe uniform principles, standards and reports forms for the federal examination of financial institutions.

A true multi factor authentication requires the use of solutions from two or more of the three categories of factors. Using multiple factors from the same category does not constitute multifactor authentication.

Maybe our society in this day and age is being paranoid, but it does not seem that way when everyone knows someone who has been affected by fraud. Trusting our personal data to a simple username and password is like protecting a pile of gold with a chain link fence. This type of authentication is the most effective way to authenticate a user and protect data as it is much harder to compromise combinations of something you know, something you have and something you are.

Mitchel Smith is a authentication security expert who has been in the industry of information technologies for over a decade. He provides authentication information about Two Factor Authentication and Multi Factor Authentication.

Anti-Phishing - Several Different Techniques to Combat Phishing

2011-10-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Phishing is a term used to describe the activity through which personal particulars like usernames and passwords and financial information like credit card details are tactfully retrieved from unsuspecting Internet users. Unlike hacking where the hacker breaks into a computer system or network and steals information, phishing is most often done with the full cooperation of the victim. This is probably what makes phishing all the more dangerous.

Phishers normally masquerade as trustworthy entities by impersonating popular organizations and websites. They would send a message to thousands of unsuspecting people asking them to confirm their username and password, threatening that their accounts would be terminated if they fail to do so. Most people never check the authenticity of such messages and immediately comply with the request. Especially when the message is written in an authoritative tone, people respond immediately to avoid any disruption in their service. This often forces them into sharing sensitive information which they would otherwise have never shared with anyone else online.

The term Phishing was first used in 1996, and is a variant of the word fishing. Just as bait is thrown in fishing to catch unsuspecting fish, Phishers send a message hoping that their victims would be "hooked" by responding to their message. Phishing initially started in the AOL network and then slowly moved to financial institutions as E-Commerce gained popularity.

Anti-Phishing Initiatives

Technological improvements and stricter legislation have been enforced to contain phishing as far as possible. Public awareness is probably the most effective weapon against this menace. Phishing is successful mainly due to the ignorance of the general public. Once they become cautious of these activities, phishing would lose much of its potency. There have indeed been massive efforts to educate the public and make them aware of this online menace. As a result, more people have become aware of phishing threats and are more cautious than they were just a year ago.

Improved browser design has made identifying phishing attempts a little easier. Most of the latest Internet browsers contain anti-phishing capabilities. Internet Explorer 8 for instance displays the domain name in black, and the rest of the URL in grey, making it easy to identify fraudulent URLs. Firefox for its part lets users create their own labels for their favorite sites. If a phisher tries to redirect them to a similar-looking fraudulent site, the browser would immediately warn the user or simply block access to the site. Most browsers also maintain their own lists of known phishing sites which they immediately block if the user tries to go to one of them. Email is another victim of phishing. Fortunately, powerful spam filters are in place these days that identity and block phishing mails from reaching the users' inbox.

Banks and other prime phishing targets have started using the services of dedicated technology groups which monitor and shut down phishing websites whenever they find them. Individuals and the public can also help by reporting phishing sites to these groups. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and equivalent bodies in other countries have taken legal action phishing offenders. Anti-Phishing Working Groups like FraudWatch International, PhishTank and Millersmiles publish the latest information on phishing scams to warn the public.

Phishing needs to be tackled using a multi-pronged approach. Cutting edge technology, stricter legislation and better user awareness are some of the defenses that can contain this online menace.

For more information about phishing, identity theft and cyber crime please visit www.callercenter.com

Norton Internet Security Protection - The Leader on PC Protection

2011-09-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

People are more dependent that ever on their computers these days. Not only do most people have a computer at work, but they also have at least one compute at home. In fact, an increasing number of families have computers that are truly personal; meaning each person in the family has their own. Norton Internet Security is a program that helps computer users to safeguard against internet security breaches.

The fact is that as computers have become more omnipresent in businesses and homes, the thieves, con men and criminals have become better and better at finding ways to circumvent internet safety protocols so that they can invade your computer and access your personal files and your personal data. Because of this, there is a flourishing computer internet security software industry that is designed to help computer users stay one step ahead of the bad guys who would like to take advantage of people who are not as internet savvy and who are not aware of the internet threats out there.

The Norton Internet Security brand of software has long been rated as one of the best programs for internet security protection. Norton has been in business for over 20 years and has been providing some of the best quality and most innovative software packages to help computer users keep their machines running in tip-top condition.

As the internet came along, along with the many internet threats, such as computer viruses and spyware, Norton kept up with internet security trends and as a result, the company developed their security package. Because of their long history in making excellent software utility programs, Norton has quickly become one of the most trusted names in the software publishing industry and is considered a leader in protection internet security these days.

The most popular version of the Norton software for internet safety is the package that retails for about $60 and that will protect up to three computers in a household. This package includes both antivirus functions, as well as spyware detection. These are two of the most basic and most important functions that should be included in internet security systems.

In addition, this reasonably priced Norton internet safety utility package also included a two-way firewall. This firewall software can boost and enhance any other firewall software that might be on your system and it is important because it can detect and prevent any kind of unauthorized access to your computer from potentially harmful websites.

The Norton security package also includes an anti-spam module, as well as parental controls that give the parents the ability to lock access to certain internet sites so that youngsters do not have access to inappropriate material or content online. This feature can also be used to protect specific files or folders on the computer so that they are not inadvertently deleted or changed by a curious child.

Similar to most of the other internet security software packages on the market today, the Norton Internet Security program is constantly being updated, improved and updated to keep up with new internet threats and to improve performance. Regularly using Norton's internet safety program will allow monitoring of email and instant messaging, assuring that viruses don't sneak into your system through these functions, thus providing an even better degree of security for your computers.

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Keep Your Website Secured

2011-08-19T03:23:00.000-07:00

When you start an online business, you need something more than just a website with goods and services. If you plan to sell merchandise on your website, it's your duty to see that the transaction is done safely. When customers use their credit cards or any mode of payment, they are always worried about the security. As the owner of the website, you have to make your customers feel safe and secure. Getting SSL is very important. It will help you appear trust worthy and protect your customers. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is an encryption technology that was created by Netscape. It is a type of protocol that helps to protect online transactions. You get a security certificate known as SSL certificate. It preserves the authenticity of your website. Internet security is an issue of worry these days. It is therefore important to take all safety measure to secure your website.

Socket Secure Layer helps to protect the personal payment information that customers enter on your website. When the customer enters information for payment, it is sent over the internet to be approved by the bank. It is possible for the information to leak during the transaction. Credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers are used every day over internet. It raises the risk of identity theft. The SSL certificates are issued from certificate authority. Certificate authorities are entities which issues digital certificates to organizations or people after validating them. Vrisign and Thawte are two such CAs. There are special types of SSL certificates. AlphaSSL Wildcard or Wildcard SSL certificate secures an unlimited number of first level sub domains on a single domain name.

The number of internet crime is increasing day by day. Most internet shoppers want to know that their information is safe. If their money is stolen or they become the prey of identity theft, then the website owner may have to blunt the blame. As customers, people want to know that the website owner values their privacy and their security. As a website owner you have to make sure that their trust remains intact on you. If your website consists of SSL certificate, the customers will feel secure and won't worry about internet security. It will ensure the customers that you send encrypted information through secure sockets layer (SSL); it will make them more comfortable to shop on your website. Secure sockets layer also verifies your identity. Many scam artist set up websites that look legitimate, but they are not. These websites steal information when the potential customers try to make payments.

With the help of SSL certificate your website is verified as secure. It is a relief for you as well as your customers. You can either buy these SSL certificates online or purchase them from certificate authorities. There are many websites that provide you with the variety of such certificates. It is more cost effective to buy them online.

S Jensen is the author of this article on AlphaSSL Wildcard. Find more information, about Verisign here

How To Monitor Employees' Computers To Protect Your Business

2011-06-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Many employers don't know how to monitor employees' computers to protect their own business interests, and that's costing them up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost productivity a year, in addition to putting their business in grave danger of the online threats that are out there. Identity and intellectual property theft are huge costs that threaten to cripple any business whose owner does not know how to monitor employees' computers, regardless of how trustworthy the employees in question are thought of. Here's why every employer must know how to monitor employees' computers to protect their business.

Why You Must Know How To Monitor Employees' Computers To Protect Your Business

Like it or not, not every employee that you hire into your business can be regarded as infallible. The severity of the risk to your business may range from your employee surfing the internet and chatting with friends while your back is turned, all the way to him or her stealing proprietary business secrets and selling it to your competitors or keeping it for their own advantage. You won't know until it is too late, unless you have the training of how to monitor your employees' and the software you need to do it discreetly and effectively.

There are a few good quality software programs that will allow you to be able to master how to monitor your employees computer to protect your business. These software programs will allow you to block certain popular "time wasting" sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as private email clients like Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. With certain monitoring software products, you'll also be able to filter their emails for sensitive keywords and/or attachments and in very extreme cases, monitor every action they do on the computer.

How To Monitor Employees' Computers - Is It Legal?

Yes, installing monitoring software on computers that you own is 100% legal, and as a business owner, it's your right. Your employees are at your workplace to perform work related tasks, and unless you specifically allow them to take "internet breaks" to send private emails and chat with their friends and family, they should not do so. To take it one step further, you may want to require every employee to sign agreements that make it clear that they are not allowed to do so on company time.

Just the fact that your employees know that you know how to check your employees' computers and are actively taking steps to do so will provide a strong deterrent to any one of them attempting some kind of prohibited or damaging activities. So what's the best way of how to monitor employees' computers? You'll definitely want to use a good software program, and the best program in terms of both functionality and price is NetSpy Pro.

With NetSpy Pro, you'll be able to learn how to monitor employees' computers with ease.

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Protecting Your Virtual Private Network

2011-05-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

The virtual private network (VPN) has opened up a wide range of possibilities for remote network access to files from almost any geographic location. Using VPN software, computer users can access the files on their home or office computer anywhere they can get a reliable Internet connection. Unfortunately, this easy access to files has also created a new threat in the form of data thieves, criminals who steal personal or sensitive information for personal gain or malicious use.

To protect your information and enhance your network security, you should incorporate a few simple protocols into your system. The first step in virtual private network protection is the creation of a secure password. Data thieves, commonly called hackers, use a variety of tools to discover the passwords used to access a private network. Security experts tell us that common passwords, such as words found in the dictionary or numeric sequences, can be broken very quickly, sometimes within a matter of minutes, using a brute force attack tool.

By making your virtual private network password more complex you can protect your network security and ensure that your private files remain private. Secure passwords include both letters and numbers, as well as special characters. For the best possible protection, these passwords should be randomly chosen alphanumeric and special character sequences, rather than dictionary based words or calendar dates that could be easily guessed. Longer passwords of at least thirteen characters further enhance your private network security.

One great tool for virtual private network security is the password generator and storage program. Many free or low-cost options are available for these tools which ensure your passwords are unique and secure. The storage area of the program should be encrypted and locked with a master password as well in case your laptop or remote computer is ever stolen. By doing this, it protects your passwords from theft and misuse while making them easy to retrieve for your own personal use. It also makes it possible to create a different virtual private network password for every network you connect to regularly to ensure that your other virtual private networks remain private even if one is compromised.

In addition to using secure passwords, you can also choose to enhance your VPN security by using encryption. Encryption is a method of scrambling the data into an unrecognizable stream and then reassembling it properly on the remote machine that has the correct decryption software. By running encryption software at both ends of the virtual private network, security is maintained and communications remain safe from data thieves.

Finally, adding a warning system to your VPN security arsenal can further protect your privacy. These systems are software based and range in price from freeware to the very expensive, depending upon the level of protection you need. In most cases, this software logs the Internet protocol (IP) address of the remote computer, the time the connection was made and the files accessed. High end software may even send alerts to the system administrator when an unknown IP address accesses information or if the wrong user account or password has been entered multiple times, alerting you to the possibility of a brute force attack on your network.

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Is Your Website Being Hacked? Here Is How To Secure Your Website

2011-03-30T05:33:00.000-07:00

Your website is one of the most precious commodities that you own as a small-, medium-, or large-sized business. When functioning properly, it can help to support your clients and customers and also garner new business for your organization. Some sites are even revenue generators directly, through concepts such as advertising and eCommerce. In order to keep your site functioning smoothly, you want it to have the best protection available, but hackers these days are pretty good at working the system and getting to you even when you think that you are fully protected. When your site deals in credit transactions, they could even be siphoning money directly from your account. How do you know (before it's too late) whether or not you are being hacked, and what must you do to protect your website from these Internet lowlifes?

First of all, you need a quality hosting provider that you can trust. The better ones will offer you the ability to set up secure shopping carts in order to give your customers peace of mind. These are distinguished typically via the "https://" designation. When you run things securely, the types of visitors that you get, as well as the types of advertisers, will be of better reputation, and so you can avoid certain hassles right there. While there is often a temptation to chase the money when you are trying to generate advertising revenue, you want to investigate the people that you do business with. Just because someone is willing to pay your asking price for a banner ad, that doesn't mean they are completely on the up-and-up. One site felt a direct impact from indirect hacking via a disreputable advertiser, who used their site prominently on spyware that was then distributed throughout the Internet leading to a blacklist from Google that took weeks to clear up. Some site owners are not so fortunate.

Staying on top of hackers and the tricks they use to hurt your reputation and your site revenue can be a lot more difficult with a poor hosting provider. Most of the bigger names in the industry, such as IX Web Hosting, keep their systems on the cutting edge of Internet security. Ideally, as a site owner, you want this aspect of your business to be on autopilot, but you must still safeguard your information by routine maintenance and awareness of the protections that are out there for you.

Your best defense against the Internet predators out there today is to stay apprised of the content management systems and software technologies that are available to you through your hosting provider. When you know how a hacker can strike and what the latest safeguards are, it becomes easier to protect your site.

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Do You Have Internet Security Issues?

2011-03-04T01:53:00.000-08:00

Each and every day, people just like you are targeted and their Internet security is breached. The unfortunate truth is that you usually don't know it has happened until it is too late. Now you may think that the people targeting your Internet transmissions are cyber thieves and hackers. They may very well be, but there are also others who may be targeting you who are not quite such obvious suspects, including your friends, boss, co-workers, and even your very own family. If you aren't using the highest level of encryption software around, you can bet you probably have Internet security issues!

So what can high-level encryption software do to prevent Internet security issues from happening to you? The top-of-the-line software products allow you to gain access to sites you normally don't have access to, protect your data as it is transmitted over the Internet, and can even make it appear as though you are connecting from a location outside of the U.S. Such software programs also have other benefits as well, including the ability to un-ban yourself from boards and forums where you may currently be banned, and the ability to fully prevent anyone from breaking into or viewing your Internet communications. Essentially, such software takes back all of your privacy on the Internet and even adds additional benefits that allow you to freely use the Internet at your leisure.

Internet security issues can be more than a real pain. They can, in fact, cause you financial grief and sometimes legal issues, too. If you have been watching your step on the Internet and have been afraid of others watching you, you can rest assured that with the right encryption software, they won't be able to see your transmissions or censor your Internet experience in anyway. Take a look at some of the top software options available to you today!

John Garber is a writer and researcher on products for households such as a solution to Internet security issues. Save time and money by getting a FREE in-depth review of this product, including discounts and best prices, at this blog: internetsecurityforyou.com

Tips on Improving Internet Security

2011-02-13T03:53:00.000-08:00

A main concern of those who have come to think of their computer as their lifeline to the world is Internet Security. Many programs have been designed to prevent hacking and identity theft, but for many the solution comes too late. However, there are many things individuals can do to ensure their safety while working and playing on the worldwide web.

The compromise of, supposedly, secure websites is an ever-growing problem. During such times personal data is often stolen and accounts are vulnerable to theft. However, this is not as common as one might think. More common occurrences are attacks by sites like spyware or look-alike sites that end up collecting personal data such as email addresses and login information. Since it often happens to individuals rather than groups, it makes many people extremely nervous when putting personal information online.

Internet security can be vulnerable to today's high-tech crackers, but it's important to remember that there are laws in place to protect individuals. Additionally, individual web-based companies are working overtime to protect those visiting their sites. Hackers test the vulnerability of systems and then find ways to overcome weaknesses. Although they have gotten a bad reputation over time, in actuality they are hired by companies to ensure software is hack-proof prior to release.

Crackers are the ones that need to be caught. These are the people who find the backdoors in systems and then exploit these weaknesses for personal gain. Their access is usually covert and illegal and they are usually professionals that specialize in creating viruses that eat security systems. For the most, few get caught until they get greedy. This new type of hacker took the industry unprepared and, although originally with the goal of just seeing if they could access highly protected systems, it wasn't long before they started attacking individual users. Since they first appeared, many anti-hacking laws have been implemented, yet catching them has become a full-time job that generates few results.

Although protecting personal data is difficult, there are several things individuals can do to protect themselves. First and foremost is to limit the amount of information that's input into web-based systems. Additionally, unless a site is well-known, don't trust it. It's better to make a phone call than to order something online and give so much information that identity can be stolen. Finally, one of the most blatant errors people make is not reading the fine print before they hit "I agree." If the contract has grammar and spelling errors it's probably fraudulent.

There are many other ways to improve Internet Security and knowing the laws and how to protect one's self is important. The web has created many opportunities, but it has also made everyone online vulnerable to identify theft. The best way to increase protection is to become knowledgeable about weaknesses in the system as well as to always use caution.

For more information on Internet Security, visit one of the many different portals for internet security that can be found on the internet. Many of these contain databases with listings of security software solutions.

Internet Cafe Safety - Protect Your Online Identity

2011-02-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

This article is primarily intended for travellers on their round the world trip, Gap Year or Sabbatical. Travellers are often the most vulnerable, being in a foreign land with limited funds with only the use of public internet facilities to contact family and friends. They are often advised by travel websites and fellow travellers to take copies of their itineraries, photo copy of passwords, emergency contact numbers, travellers cheques numbers, etc. in their email accounts so in the case of an emergency these details are available.

Internet Cafe's are often frequented by travellers and normal folk alike to update their blogs, pay bills and keep in touch with friends and family. Hopefully over the course of this article, it will educate the traveller and other users of public internet services about some of the possible risks associated with using these services.

so what are the potential risks?

Hackers can easily exploit public internet facilities where the desktop machines are not hardened (i.e. not fully patched with the latest security updates, anti-virus products, firewalls, unrestricted admin access etc).

In vulnerable environments hackers can install keylogging software / hardware keyloggers to capture keystrokes typed on a keyboard. If you enter credentials to log into email, the keystrokes entered into the keyboard whilst entering the credentials are logged. This allows the hackers to review the keylogger logs to extract your credentials. The hacker can then log into you email and peruse at their leisure sifting through your emails for sensitive data that can be used for criminal activity (identity theft etc). There is a suggestion that using a virtual keyboard can be used to defeat keyloggers. Whilst this may be true for hardware keyloggers, sophisticated software keyloggers can still capture the keyboard input of virtual keyboards.

Another tool hackers can install are Network Sniffers / Protocol analysers. This software will capture data packets to and from the workstation (data on the wire!). Therefore if you are using Instant Messaging / Email and are sending and receiving messages, the sent messages is converted to data packets if sent, and converted from data packets to messages if received (simplified view of what happens). This happens as the messages leave or enters the computer. Network sniffers capture the data while they are in the form of data packets. Anything not encrypted can be read by the hacker. Therefore a email / Instant messaging conversation that exchange sensitive information can be captured and sifted through by the hacker (to glean information to support criminal activities).

The non technical scam used by the the hacker is shoulder surfing, where your the hacker looks at your keyboard while you are entering your credentials when logging into a website or bank to uncover the password.

These are just some of the many techniques used by hackers to extract sensitive data. Some practical countermeasures are discussed in cyber cafe safety. Also accompany this with safe travel advice to ensure you are safe both online and offline whilst travelling.

Virtual And Physical Security For Your Business

2011-01-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

If you want to succeed in your business, security is a basic concern you must address from the start. Whether you're online or in a physical office, you should be able to safeguard both your information and equipment so you can keep them running for a long time. How can you continue to transact with your customers if your database is constantly being hacked? How can you sell your goods when your store is constantly being ransacked? There are many ways that a security breach can happen, and there are many ways that it can compromise the security of your business. Hence, you should take the time to apply measures to prevent it from happening.

There are two aspects that you must look into when you consider the security of your business - virtual and physical. The virtual aspect is all about your information and keeping it safe from abuse. For example, if you own a supermarket, you're going to maintain an inventory list of all the items you sell alongside their prices. There can be other pertinent information that you need to keep in order to operate your business in an organized manner. When this information is compromised by unauthorized access, you could have your business in disarray which will inevitably affect customer experience. Thus, it is necessary for you to impose information security measures in order to avoid this scenario. Some of the basic precautions you can take are the following:

• Define employees' roles in dealing with high-risk data - who gets to print, read and connect to the Internet?
• Make it a company policy for all employees to log out of their database accounts in order to prevent unauthorized access.
• Install anti-malware or programs that control the entry and spread of viruses, bugs and other contaminants into your local area network.
• Use encryption when sending confidential data over the local area network or the Internet.

Aside from virtual security, you also need to protect the physical equipment that you house in your office or warehouse. The machines and devices you use are vital in your business' success, so make sure only those whom you trust and those who will need to use these use these things are the ones who can actually touch them. The dangers of unauthorized access are not only limited to thefts or robberies. Those pieces of equipment could actually be damaged when handled by untrained personnel. To secure them, consider the following measures:

• Assign a person or a team who will take turns in opening and closing the premises every day.
• Make sure everyone used an ID.
• Install security cameras for large work spaces.
• Provide lockers for employees so they can keep their valuables away from their place of work.
• Regularly conduct an inventory of all office equipment.

Boost your office security by providing an access door where you can regulate the entry of employees into your premises. Drywall access door and duct access door are other options for your other on site security needs.

Remove TSPY ZBOT XXT in Order to Restore System Security

2010-12-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

While accessing social networking sites like Facebook you might have received message or an attachment promoting a freeware tool FB IPsecure.exe to reduce the user spamming. Most of the people unknowingly download this tool which further poses threat to their system. Basically this tool is a malicious file that spread malware into your system. Recently this tool is identifies as TSPY_ZBOT.XXT. It is spyware not a Facebook tool that badly affects your operating system including Windows 7. So, if you have unintentionally downloaded this fake FB tool then remove TSPY_ZBOT.XXT immediately to prevent your system from damages.

This harmful spyware uses social engineering methods to generates malicious routines and perform harmful actions to ruin the system performance. Once the spyware enters your system it modifies Windows registry and changes system settings. TSPY_ZBOT.XXT spyware attack your system during Facebook visit via spam emails and attachments. So, take proper care while accessing any emails or opening any type of attachments.

Impacts of TSPY_ZBOT.XXT

It alters windows registry by creating malicious keys and entries
The spyware changes system settings
It inserts JavaScript code in the Web pages
It executes malicious routines in the affected system
Adds additional malware to the system
Hijack web browser and redirect it to remote sites
Monitor user web-browsing habits
It sends browsing history to remote server
It downloads configuration file from remote URL
It steal personal information
It disables Firewall and Windows security updates

With the help of JavaScript code and keyloggers it attempts to steal confidential data like user names, password, security codes and other information. It automatically gets started after each login to Windows and executes its malicious codes in the system. It terminates other application and degrades the performance of system. So, you should quickly remove TSPY_ZBOT.XXT in order to restore your system security.

Steps for Removal

You can remove this spyware manually as well as automatically. In manual removal process you should take proper care as minor mistake leads to serious problems. To remove it manually you should follow the following steps:

Delete browser cookies and caches
Stop running process of spyware
Delete its registry keys and entries
Delete hidden files and folders from every location of your system

In order to remove TSPY_ZBOT.XXT automatically use should use effective Registry Cleaner. It will repair the damaged registry and clean up infected files and folders.

Ken kiara is experienced computer technician who has done numerous research on malware programs and related errors. After continuous research she has developed effective antispyware programs to fix the error and remove the threat. You can get the required information about such programs through this article. For more information you can visit: Remove TSPY_ZBOT.XX
For Details visit: http://www.windows7errors.net

Immediately Remove Vista Guard From Your PC

2010-11-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

Vista Guard is a bogus anti-spyware program which ensures about the system security but actually demean the system performance. This fake application belongs to the family of XP Guard program which is really very hazardous. It is basically designed to cheat computer user so that they can buy its fake license. It automatically installs in the system whenever you visit any blocked or unauthorized sites. This application will make your desktop cluttered as it creates shortcuts of several files and also generate several strange icons. It shows several errors, warnings or alert messages which indicates that your system is infected. One such warning message is as such:-

Internet Explorer alert. Visiting this site may pose a security threat to your system!

Once this rogue application installed in your system then it means that your system is unsafe. With the aim of making your system secure you will have to remove Vista- Guard as soon as possible.

Harmful impacts of Vista Guard:-

Displays annoying pop ups and warnings
Creates shortcuts of several files and folders
Redirects your browser to any malicious sites
Hijack web browser
Leads to system crash
Steals your confidential data
Slow down the system speed
Violates system security
Degrades the system performance
Modify registry entries
Halts several executable processes or applications

How to remove Vista Guard:-

To get rid of the above mentioned issues you will have to remove this hazardous program quickly. You can remove this program by following the below cited manual steps:-

Delete all its related files and programs
Stop all its executable system processes
Remove all the registry entries related to this fake program

But, manual steps are not at all safe as any single mistake or fault can cause a big problem. Any slip-up during manual process can crash the system which is really irritating. In order to remove this fake program safely you will have to use genuine Anti Spyware software. This software completely scans the system, detect all available malicious programs and then remove it within a short duration.

It has been said earlier that this rogue program modify the registry entries, creates several infected files etc. which degrades the system performance and makes PC slower. To overcome these awful situations, you will have to use PC maintenance tool which is very much influential in increasing the system performance. This tool instantly deletes the corrupted registry entries, remove infected files and thus make your PC safe and secure.

Samaria Kallie is one of the experienced technicians and has done a long research about various virus and malware attacks. In this article she is giving the relevant information about Vista Guard and also suggesting effective ways to remove Vista Guard. For getting more information,visit:- http://www.howtofixerror.com

Cloud Computing: Do You Want So Much Data Online?

2010-10-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Cloud computing has enormous potential, and is already changing the way that we think about the Internet. For those involved in web design, in particular, the ability to access shared resources and software applications on demand is incredibly enticing. Offering access to up-to-the-minute applications and packages on a pay-as-you-go basis, the Cloud model's ability to provide that access without the need for capital expenditure is one of its most attractive features.

The ability to access and work on files irrespective of where you are and what device you're using is also hugely appealing. Not only does it mean you can work from anywhere and on any web-enabled device, but also that if your computer dies your data won't be lost.

But Cloud computing isn't trouble free. Criticised for not being sufficiently secure, it begs the question of whether you want all your data stored "in the Cloud".

Companies hosting Cloud services can easily monitor all the data they store, and third parties providing services to them have access to the data, too. This raises obvious concerns about privacy and security, especially for those who handle data protected by legislation - and for any business or individual with information and trade secrets that need protection.

To minimise the risks, educate yourself about privacy controls and levels of security available from Cloud providers. You should also enhance the security and privacy of your own data by educating yourself about appropriate security measures, and by choosing effective passwords.

Some security experts argue that shifting to Cloud computing will lead to better security, with opportunities to develop more rigorous controls and higher standards to ensure service providers offer a secure service. It remains to be seen whether this will happen, but hopes are high - although of course virtually every system that's ever been hacked has initially been believed to be impenetrable!

There are also concerns about whether putting all a company or individual's data in one place is good practice - especially if problems arise around the levels of performance and availability Cloud service providers can offer and maintain, and what happens if they shut down.

While Cloud computing is attractive to us here at Tomos Crowle, working on web design in Chester, we encourage everyone to consider all these issues when weighing up the pros and cons of Cloud computing, and how to make the most of it.

Getting Rid of a Trojan Virus - What to Do If Your Computer Is Infected

2010-08-26T05:54:00.000-07:00

Trojan Viruses are malicious programs that can cause a lot of problems for your computer and jeopardize your personal information. Trojans can overwrite data, shut your computer off randomly, download files on its own, install a backdoor so hackers can remotely access your pc, track your personal information and worse.

Run an Anti-Virus - if you have an anti-virus program installed (which you should) then run the scan and 'delete' anything it finds. Deleting is important because if you only quarantine or clean the found files the trojan can reinstall itself afterwards. There are a number of well respected and free anti-virus programs out there, but make sure they are on the level before you download them. Of course there are a number of security suites you can pay for as well that have a lot more bells and whistles. There are other programs you can find like HouseCall and Trend Micro that are specifically designed for trojan removal. Since these two programs operate from an online browser instead of your computer, it may be more difficult for a Trojan to fool them.

Manual Deletion - if your antivirus can't identify or remove the trojan you will have to get rid of it by hand. The scanner will have no doubt located a number of troublesome files and maybe can give you a clue as to what you are dealing with. Check your systems program adder/remover in the control panel to see if you can find any programs installed you don't recognize. You can also check the running process with CTRL/ALT/Delete to see if there is anything suspicious. If there is make sure to end the process.

Identify the point of origin - If you can pinpoint the way you got the trojan you may be able to find help. This is particularly helpful for viruses that are a little older and more well known. Google the name of the program it came packed in or the name of the email address, or even the exact text of the pop up add you clicked. Many times other people have been in the same situation and have posted their solutions online.

Message Boards - in a similar vein, you can often find people on message boards who post a lot about getting rid of trojans and other types of malware. There you can find information on tutorials and even executables that can uproot trojans from your computer. Never be the first person to try something, unless you are good with computers. Make sure that the process you find in the forums has been effective for a lot of people. While the process of removing this particular type of malware is find it, keep it from executing and deleting it, each trojan has its own idiosyncrasies and requires specific steps in order to be effectively removed.

Reinstall the Operating System - even though this is the most effective way to get rid of a trojan it is also the most drastic and should be considered a last resort when everything else has failed. While this is definitely extreme, even the most advanced users have to resort to this tactic every once in a while. Before you being it is imperative that you back up your data files. Even if your OS reinstall disc or program insists that they can reinstall without losing your files, back up your files. This is one area where safe is infinitely more advisable than sorry.

The reinstall process can take a few hours, but it is one way to get your computer back to functioning as well as it did the day your first turned it on, trojan and malware free. If you are uncomfortable with this step you can have a tech support specialist help you with the process.

Trojan removal isn't as hard to remove when you can speak directly with a virus removal specialist. With a Support Squad tech support service plan you will always have an ally in the fight against malware and other technical issues.

Identity Theft - The Risks Are Increasing

2010-08-05T05:59:00.000-07:00

Identity fraud is a very real threat with around 275 people each day being affected over the last 6 months in the UK alone. These figures are up on last year and they are expected to keep rising. This kind of crime continues to increase in popularity because it is faceless which makes it harder to find the people who are committing the crime.

What is identity theft?

Identity theft is when someone manages to get hold of your personal information and use your details to make financial transactions online. The cyber criminals can empty your bank accounts and run up debts by buying expensive products online. Trying to prove that you did not buy the goods or spend the money in your account can take a long time to put right. Unfortunately when it comes to id theft you are guilty until proven innocent and with this kind of crime increasing the banks can't keep picking up the bill.

When questioned, most people are worried about identity theft due to the financial devastation it can cause but people are less worried about internet security. This is irrational as quite often identity theft occurs online.

Taking the right internet security measures can greatly reduce the risk of you being a victim of identity theft. The World Wide Web is the fastest growing area for criminals and people have yet to connect that the acts they perform online can leave a trail for internet fraudsters.

Every time you purchase something online or update your Facebook profile you could be vulnerable to attack. This is why it is so important when you purchase goods online you use companies that are secure and use secure payment systems. One way to check you are in a secure area is to look in the address bar if the URL of the site you are on starts https:// then you are in a secure area which means the data you are entering is being encrypted.

Stay Safe Online

Criminals today are very clever they search the web for personal information and continuously come up with new ways to get hold of bank details and passwords. A very common technique used by cyber criminals are emails that appear to be from banks. They use very believable language, which if you are caught unaware get you to enter all of your account details. However these emails are not from your bank they are from a criminal who sends out millions of emails hoping that some people will fall for it.

By using a quality internet security product you can help keep your identity safe online so you don't end up a statistic.

An antivirus review can help to keep you safe and aware of the latest online threats.

Computer Viruses - What Are They?

2010-07-16T10:39:00.001-07:00

What is a computer virus? Most people have heard of viruses, but many people don't really understand what they are. Often "viruses" are confused with bugs, or spyware.

A computer virus is a piece of software that gains access to your computer and there replicates itself. From there it is able to spread and infect other computers that yours is linked to.

A common misconception about viruses is that they infect the actual hardware of the computer. This is not true; viruses only infect the software that is on the computer. Another misconception is that viruses are all designed to be destructive. Again, this is not true. Some viruses only display a message or sign, others cannot even be detected by the average computer user, the only sign they are in the computer is that the system is slower than usual as the virus uses memory and power to replicate itself.

While many viruses are not harmful, merely rather frustrating, others can damage and even destroy your computer. Some viruses can even destroy entire networks, or shut down the computers of entire companies. Examples include the Melissa virus, according to HowStuffWorks, in March 1999 this virus forced the shut down of many large company's e-mail systems, or the CIH virus which according to ChannelWeb caused 20-80 billion dollars damage worldwide.

In the days before the internet was widespread, viruses were mainly spread on floppy discs. This was because floppy discs were the way people were able to share information, and so if a virus got onto one of these discs it would quickly spread to the computers of all the people who used the disc, and from there onto the discs they write to from their computers and then further onto the computers that used those new discs... And so on and so on and so on.

Nowadays with the way internet is used for sharing so much information, viruses are mainly spread online. They can be hidden inside files attached to e-mails, or hidden inside programs you download.

There are ways to protect yourself against viruses however. Antivirus programs such as Norton's, and AVG can be installed to detect and destroy any viruses that are found either on your computer or in discs you use with your computer. These programs rely on connection to the internet in order to download updates that tell them about the newest viruses and how to destroy them. In this day and age when viruses can be so dangerous to your computer, installing antivirus software and allowing it to update often is an absolute necessity.

In this day and age, where so much of our important information is held digitally, it is vital that we understand what viruses are and how to prevent them.

Keep Your Cyber Space Secure

2010-06-22T06:38:00.001-07:00

Being secure, is a concept which most human beings want to experience in their everyday lives. It is something we no longer take for granted in our fast technological age. There are all types of security, including national security, public security, and in the physical realm we encounter airport security, school security, shopping center security and home security, just to mention a few. There is also financial or monetary security.

In the world of computing, there are also all types of security, whether it be, network security, computing security, data or information security and application security. You can try free antivirus programs for windows xp and free antivirus protection software download. There are some concepts which occur throughout varying areas of security.

1. Threat. This is a way of setting off a risk that is malicious.
2. Vulnerability. A weakness that can be exploited by a threat.
3. Exploit. This is a vulnerability which has been triggered by a threat.
4. Countermeasure is a way to stop a threat from triggering a risk event
5. Assurance involves the guarantee that your security system will deliver what you expect it to.
6. Defense insures you never rely on only one security measure. There are free antivirus programs for windows xp and free antivirus protection software download for you to try.

With all this in mind, it makes sense to ensure that you have countermeasures in place to defend your system from threats and vulnerabilities when on the Internet. Every user is continually at risk and is a potential target.

Take all the precautions necessary to keep your network, information and applications free from attack. While it should be remembered that no user is one hundred percent secure, the main objective is to keep your system as resistant as possible from attack.

All software should be the latest version. Site Advisor or similar software is recommended along with the latest version of WordPress. Your Java run time (jre.exe) also should not be forgotten.

Do all you can to keep your cyber space secure.

MaryAnn Hay
http://allfreeantivirus.com

Hack Proof Computers - How to Detect If You've Been Hacked

2010-05-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

Computer hacking, just like any other crime, is a serious issue. This illegal activity can lead to loss of crucial business information like client data and significant trade databases. These important data can be either lost or manipulated or copied by computer hackers and thus be used for their own personal profit. Even email addresses can pose significant threats to its users when these are exposed to hackers because these can be used to spam the victims' inbox and hinder their privacy.

Computer hacking is now being conducted side by side with identity theft. These two crimes have joined forces to claim more victims and gain more profit. Being two dangerous forces, they form a very huge threat against the privacy of individuals and businesses alike. Both can have grave consequences like loss of identity, misuse of funds, and even committing crimes without obligation. With the prevalence of both computer hacking and identity theft, one can say that the entire World Wide Web is not a very safe place anymore, no matter how virtual it can be.

There are various information that can be accessed by computer hackers that can pose critical threats to national security like confidential government data and other information that is related to national defense, and other societal issues like crimes. When these information are hacked, they can severe the entire nation and increase the risk of even the government, as a victim of identity theft crimes.

Which computer is prone to computer hacking? Every computer that is connected to the entire system of the World Wide Web is. As long as you have a cable going from your computer to your modem and your modem allows you to go online, there will always be chances that you will be a victim of identity theft crimes. When your computer is hacked, it can be transformed into a "zombie" computer. This simply means that your computer is being run by another individual (the computer hacker), thus even commands from its owner (you) will be ignored. This is very dangerous because in this situation, your personal data can be accessed and save on the hacker's computer.

Here are some signs which can indicate that your computer has been hacked:

1. Decline in computer performance. You will notice that the amount of space that your files occupy in your computer is either doubles or has made a significant increase although you have not made any downloads or transfer of huge files.

2. Unexplained modification of files. Your files are suddenly modified and when you checked the date when it was modified via properties, it shows a date that you can't remember that you did modify the file

3. Changes in network settings. Of course, computer will try to play with the settings of your network since they will try to gain access to other computers that might be connected to you.
The best way is still the most basic way to protect yourself against these computer hackers and minimize your risk of being victims of identity theft.

Tina L. Douglas is a skilled writer from California. With numerous experiences in the field of writing for several financial institutions, she is greatly qualified across a variety of economic issues. Her notable pieces of writing involve identity protection monitoring and id protection plan.

How to Stay Safe on the Web

2010-05-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is one of the largest growing criminal activities burgeoning in the world today and criminals are finding more ways of committing this crime without their victims even knowing it. The criminal element will always be there and your identity cannot always be guaranteed to be safe, but you can take some measures to try and prevent this intrusive crime from happening to you.

The history of identity theft

The actual term for stealing someone's identity goes back to 1964 before the domination of computers and the internet. Identities were often stolen by criminals rummaging through rubbish bags and finding old utility bills and bank statements. Armed with this information, criminals would take out loans and buy goods on credit; all at your expense.

Stores and services are strongly vigilant of this method of identity theft and will now ask for official picture identification like a passport or driving license to go along with any necessary paperwork. You can avoid this type of theft by investing in a shredder and dispose of all your paperwork carefully and in 1,000 small pieces to avoid it being legible.

Modern identity theft

The world we live in today is a world of technology and the need to protect yourself online is essential. Shopping is often carried out online, from the groceries through to a new car and many consumers will choose to carry out the transaction online by passing their security details over the internet.

On some occasions this information can be intercepted and used to commit fraud again and again over a period of many months. This can be avoided by taking care when you make purchases online that the page you use is secure.

Online protection

Identity theft is a nuisance and can cause extreme financial difficulties. To alleviate the problem and protect yourself online you should look into an anti-virus for your computer. This is the first step to take to protect yourself and one of the most commonly neglected ways in which you can fight identity thieves. Many different anti-viruses are available on the market and experts will be able to advice you on what is best for your personal online protection, which largely depends on what your computer is used for.

Scams

There are a number of scams out there where criminals trick unsuspecting members of the public into handing over their personal details. Emails, purported to come from your bank asking you to re-confirm your personal details like your address, date-of-birth and even you PIN, are just another form of identity theft. Banks will never ask for these details, they have them already and if you get this type of email forward it to your bank's security team.

Another popular internet-based scam is an email from someone who is in a third world country asking for your bank details so they can transfer in a large sum of money that you will then get half of. Delete it and ignore it as these are always part of a scam to get hold of your bank details. Above all, be very cautious and apply your common sense when you receive emails that seem too good to be true as they usually are.

To stay safe online make sure you always have the best antivirus software on your computer. Use a total pc protection program to fully protect your system.

Hide Your IP Address - IP Hiding and Protecting Your Identity Online

2010-04-24T08:48:00.001-07:00

In internet technology, there is a numerical marker assigned to each device connected to an internet network. This numerical marker is called the IP address. It can be used to track any computer in a particular internet network. As this address act as a locator and route to wherever your computer is connected to in the network, you might want to make yourself invisible from anyone who cares to find out where you are.

The way out in maintaining your privacy on the internet is by installing "IP hiding" software on your computer. This software can help you change your location as it appears on the computers of those trying to locate you.

It can also mask your identity from those websites that have previously blocked you from accessing their sites due to different reasons. The software will make you appear as another user before the website therefore allowing entry into the site. Even the security of sites that are country-specific (i.e. allow access to only users of specific countries) can be bypassed by using the software to change your location.

This software is cheap and easy to use. It can be gotten online or at software sale centres. Unlike using proxy servers to hide your activities online, IP hiding software is not slow and does not contain lot of ads. Also, pages are faster to load using this software than proxy servers because the software is not dependent on the number of people using it.

Therefore, with the advent of this hide your IP address software, it has been made possible to move through the cyberspace with stealth and without the fear of been watched by an unseen eyes.

Want to surf anonymously and protect yourself online? CLICK HERE!

For more useful tips and reliable tools to surf anonymously, visit http://anonymousinternetbrowsing.com

How to Safeguard Your Online Businesses

2010-04-07T08:10:00.001-07:00

With the increased popularity of web hosting services in enhancing and expanding one's online business, the number of web fraudsters has increased in parallel over the last few years. These web hosting spammers usually prey on those web hosting companies and websites which do not take the proper precautions to protect their sites against spam and frauds. This is because it is very much easier for them to intrigue websites which are vulnerable against fraud because of the lack of security measures and protection the websites have invested in.

One of the most common types of fraud is email fraud. This is where the scammer will send a mail to your web hosting address trying to convince you to enroll for their advanced services which also entitled you to participate in their lucky draw contests to win marvelous gifts. Some may even tell you that your hosting contract is about to expire and you may enjoy from up to 20% discount if you renew your membership now. Regardless of which reasons they used, there is a high likelihood that the website owners will act promptly and harshly because they are in great fear of losing out a great opportunity if they do not response within the limited period of time.

Once you given out your credit card information to them, they will spam and abuse your credit cards until you finally found out and cancel off your credit card. By then, the harm would have been seriously done. The only way to prevent you against this type of problem is to get yourself a highly reputable web hosting company that provides high protection against their email file transfer protocol accordingly.

Another way to identify potential email fraud is by checking and validating the origins of these email messages. If any of the email addresses are different than those that you normally received from your hosting company, then most likely it is a fraud attempt.

On top of everything else, you need to make sure that your web hosting company is well equipped with the necessary security notifications to keep you well alert should there are any incoming mails which are different than they normally look like.

Another security features which is highly important is the encryption service where all the important data such as the credit card information, bank account numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and other personal information which are transferred through your web server everyday should be encrypted to prevent any of these from being intercepted by hackers and criminals for illegal purposes.

It is very important to make sure your server is highly secured, it would be better to create one's own e-commerce server rather than getting them loaned from a third party hosting company. Servers should always be well protected by a strong firewall. One need to always validate that our security features offer by their web hosting companies are of the latest version. It is quite risky to you to continue using the older version as in a lot of situation, the hackers may have already found ways to exploit the security code of these older versions.

Having an e-commerce business for online selling is indeed a great way to gain profit for your business, and it is equally important for every one of us to avoid from being victimized by online fraud and charge back and spammers.

If you want a reliable web host, there is nobody else who can do a better job than Host Gator. Why? It is not only about their 99.9% uptime. They are much more than that. You should learn about it from Hostgator reviews.

Darren is a full time web developer for years. Due to the nature of his expertise he has accumulated great experience on web hosting. Do check out what he says about web host.

How to Monitor Children on the Internet

2010-03-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

As a responsible parent, you need to learn how to monitor children on internet. Although you may not fully understand the importance of this, you will soon realize that it is very important. You always keep an eye on smaller children, but teens need a much more watchful eye.

This is because teens usually hang around in chat rooms and social networking sites. Sure, social networking sites are a good place to meet friends, but they also contain a lot of predators, just waiting to connect with your teen.

A predator can pose as any person they feel your teen may be interested in. Once they befriend your teen, they can lure them to a location so they can assault them or worse, they may obtain personal information about your teen and arrive on your doorstep.

Knowing how to monitor children on internet can prevent this frightening scenario from happening to your teen. If you were aware of all of their activities, you would be "in the loop" and you could block certain websites or report suspicious conversations to the police if they are of a sexual nature.

Teens are not more intelligent because they are older than your small children. They still have a lot to learn. There is a lot of room to get into trouble on the internet. Not just from predators, but also from malicious spyware. Some websites contain a lot of these types of infections, which you can easily infect your computer with. What you need is a very good anti virus program and a monitoring program that work together.

Once you have a good idea about how to monitor children on internet, you won't have to worry and wonder about what your teens are doing online, because you will know and be able to review the logs from the monitoring program.

Confused about what sort of keylogger you should go for? There's a lot to choose from on the internet. Some are great but some, of course, should be avoided. 'Keylogger Downloads' is a website that helps with this, comparing keyloggers side bt side in an easy to read format. To See The website go to: http://www.keyloggerdownloads.com.

IP Hiding Software - Hide Your IP Address and Protect Yourself From Identity Thieves and Hackers

2010-03-03T10:19:00.001-08:00

Identity theft can easily cripple a person's financial standing. A successful attack will cost anyone thousands of dollars as their personal financial records will be used without their permission. Attacks can even extent to services as hackers can gain services using the data of another person without their permission. Fixing the records caused by identity theft will require more money and the time frame to fix this problem could last for months.

The main factor why a person's personal information is hacked is the exposure of IP (Internet Protocol) address. This is a small piece of data assigned to every internet user. This data is used to trace the location of the internet user so that proper services will be provided. While this can be used for purely legitimate reasons, there are persons who might abuse accessibility of this data and use this privilege for stealing personal information.

That is why one of the best methods in protecting your personal information online is to hide your internet protocol address. There are two ways to cover this information: proxy servers and software.

The first method (proxy server) is a very simple service because it is a browser-based service. Users simply enter the URL of the website they want to visit and they will be taken to the site with their IP address hidden. This type of service usually does not ask for any payment but they are full of advertisements that the page is loading slower.

The second method (software) is the IP hiding software. These applications are often shareware (try before you buy) but their advantage is on the ability to load the website faster. The software doesn't require any websites or URL before your preferred website is loaded in the browser.

The first option is for those who do not use the internet for serious stuff. The second option is for those who do not want to fall victim to identity thieves and hackers.

Ever since my account was hacked because I used a free proxy to access it online, I have learnt to stay away from them. I now use IP changing software and I have not fallen victim to hackers since I started using them.

For a reliable tool to change your internet protocol address and protect your identity online, CLICK HERE!

For reliable and affordable tools to surf anonymously and protect yourself from identity theft, visit http://anonymousinternetbrowsing.com

Free Spyware Downloads - Are They Really Free?

2010-02-10T10:18:00.001-08:00

Is your computer driving you mad by running ridiculously slow? What do you think is going to fix it? Let me answer for you - a free spyware download ("anti-spyware" actually) is the first step to fix this annoying problem.

Spyware removers are the only defense you can have in these times of hackers and viruses. Spyware comes in all sorts of forms and no computer - no matter how fancy - is able to defend against most of it.

The only thing needed for spyware to gain access to your computer is by your computer being online. When it's downloaded, you aren't notified.

Identity Theft

Spyware is responsible for doing lots of bad things to your computer. If you are lucky, you have only had your computer's files damaged or hacked by spyware before. Some unlucky computer users have been the victims of identity theft.

Just imagine what it feels like being blamed for something that you are not even aware of. Some unlucky folks have had their bank accounts drafted hundreds or thousands of dollars without their knowledge. Something like this may go unnoticed until your debit card purchase is denied.

There is legal and illegal spyware, but the "legal" spyware nevertheless collects informaton that any reasonable person would consider private. This info includes practically everything about you and your computer, except for financial information.

Keyloggers Record Your Every Keystroke

The more malicious spyware, however, does not stop there. It will collect and store your passwords, account numbers, and anything that could help a crook gain access to your money. One of the methods that the malicious spyware does this is by logging (recording) your keystrokes on your keyboard with programs called "keyloggers."

These are just some of the examples of what spyware can do to your computer and to you. To avoid being a victim of computer crime, get a spyware removal software for your computer ASAP.

What Do The Free Spyware Downloads Do For Free?

In order to save money, look for one of the free spyware downloads online. Many of these free spyware detectors are pretty advanced. Are the free spyware downloads actually free?

The free downloads will only alert you to the presence of malicious spyware on your computer - they won't actually delete the spyware from your hard drive. In order to have any "malware" (short for "malicious software") removed, you'll have to purchase their software.

You shouldn't be surprised at this, though, because the manufacturers of spyware detectors and removal software are businesses that are not staffed by volunteers: Highly-trained programmers have to continuously update the anti-spyware software in order to keep up with the tireless hackers who continuously put out malicious spyware.

Continuous Updates

As a paying customer, you get the benefit of these constant updates to your software. But this benefit goes way beyond being merely convenient - it's a requirement for your personal information to be adequately protected from prying eyes.

It is awesome to have the peace of mind that your private information is safe. But it is also great that you get the anti-spyware software for a very low price, despite the extremely high cost of producing and updating it. This is because you get the benefit of volume pricing - with thousands of folks like you and me buying the service and thus lowering the cost for everyone.

My recommendation is to get your computer and personal info protected ASAP. Yes, you could save a few bucks now by not buying anti-spyware protection, but end up suffering a financial disaster of biblical proportions later!

Charles has been publishing helpful articles online for years. To discover which free spyware download is the best deal for you, go to http://freespywaredownload.org

Online Shopping - Security That You Need to Practice

2010-01-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

Online shopping now is a huge industry. We buy, we sell, we pay bills... the list is almost endless of what we can do online. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent worldwide shopping online every year. Unfortunately, with all the pluses of ease and speed of online shopping and transactions, come a few negatives. Here are a few tips to making online shopping more secure.

When using sites, always try to use well known and secure sites, so that your chance of being taken advantage of is greatly lessened, or eliminated. You can check with the department of consumer affairs to see if a particular site is not recommended.

There are a number of ways to identify whether an online site is secure or not (see notes below)

Some of the common types of online fraud

• Chain letters
• Illegal trading and investment activities
• Scams
• Pyramid Schemes
• Identity theft
• Dummy Auctions / Dummy Bidding
• Credit card theft
• False sale prices

Usually, an online company that states everything on their web page has nothing to hide. This includes;

• Privacy statements

• All information relating to what they sell, the conditions of purchases, and lines of communication should you need to talk with them.
• Testimonials

• Reviews

When using a secure site, many steps have been taken to ensure your security.

1. Advanced encryption and validation processes, are used to protect your credit card number. This stops others from identity theft and fraud. If your browser shows a locked icon near the web address, then this will show that you are on a secure site.

2. Secure sites can also have https:// instead of http://, the 's' means 'secure server'.
Other items that you can look for may include pop up windows that confirm your security. If none of these are in place, then it is probable that the site is not as secure as you need it to be.

3. Paying by credit card is actually quite safe compared to traditional beliefs. Encryption and credit card technologies have made most transactions very secure. In most countries, the credit card is limited to a certain amount (for example $50) to minimise the possibility of unauthorised use. Credit cards can be safer to use than money orders and checks.

4. You can also use an alternative - the single use credit card, one that is just used for online purchases. You can find this service from some credit card companies. These cards will expire immediately after their use so a potential hacker cannot retrieve any funds from you. Ask your bank about this service.

5. Keep all transaction records. These are proof and a trail that can be used as evidence that you made only certain purchasers. They will show order dates, delivery dates, and any other details that may be required in an investigation.

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Coast to Coast - An Incident Response Article

2010-01-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer:
The following is an account of an intrusion event that I handled many years ago. I am no long involved with any of the parties mentioned in this article.

The client targeted was a financial institution and, here, will be called "the Bank." Some techniques and details of this incident will be omitted, for obvious reasons. The names and specific locations have also been changed. There are different ways people conduct incident response and handling. That's why there are 31 flavors of ice cream.

Tuesday morning started off like any other day. I was sitting in my office with my morning cup of coffee when my phone rang. My boss stated that he had received a call from a client, the Bank, stating that they were being attacked by hackers. Until that day, I had no working knowledge of the Bank's infrastructure nor did I know if the staff had the experience or expertise to correctly identify an actual attack versus a port scan, probe, virus, etc. Through my experiences working in security, I have come to realize that a lot people use buzz words like "hackers" to identify events that they do not thoroughly understand.

The initial information I had was sketchy at best. I learned that the Bank had firewall on the front end along with a NIDS and were in the process of implementing the ASA solution into the infrastructure. I contacted the Chief Information Officer of the Bank as I grabbed my laptop bag and headed to their corporate office. I wanted to get a first-hand assessment of their current situation. The information he provided told me they were experiencing something more than just a simple port scan or viral annoyance.

The CIO stated that they were having trouble with an attacker continually modifying the Bank's customer login portal. They believed this modified page was allowing the attackers to collect the Bank's customers ATM information in order to create duplicate ATM cards. Branch transactions reports showed that the attackers were successfully withdrawing customers' funds. The Bank was initially alerted to the attacks when customers started reporting unauthorized ATM withdrawals from their accounts. The CIO said he had a "band aid" solution in place, but they really needed to identify the method of entry and stop the attack. The temporary solution had decreased the frequency at which the page was being modified but had not stopped the attack completely. As I pulled into the corporate office, I knew the next several hours were going to be interesting.

During a quick meet and greet with the staff and management in the conference room, I needed to start the flow of information quickly and begin delegating collection tasks. Since the staff had not identified the point(s) of entry, I requested a network diagram of the infrastructure including all branches and especially all network entry points into the network. Additionally, I requested a copy of the firewall logs and configuration, router configuration, access logs, IDS log, IIS log, event logs from the web server, and SQL logs. On the positive side, most of the logs appeared to intact and the history of some spanned back several months. I asked for two copies of each log, the first copy containing the last 12 hours of activity and the second copy, the complete log.

While the reports were being generated, I questioned the staff about the information they knew for fact. Speculation during the information gathering phase can cause more trouble than good, leading to a wild goose chase and a loss of focus on the facts. The M.O. described by management and the staff suggested this was a fairly complex operation that consisted of a group or multiple persons being involved.

The staff stated that they had experienced an identical attack the previous year that resulted in a reported loss of around $30,000 in unauthorized ATM withdrawals. This resulted in the staff making various changes to the firewall configurations, the introduction of IDS monitoring, and changes to other system and network devices. The attacks ceased after these changes were made so the problem was thought to have been corrected. The current attack cycle had resulted in the loss of approximately $25,000 and growing so time was a luxury that could not be afforded. The initial attack profile developed by the staff from the previous and current attacks showed that within 10-20 minutes of the customer's financial information being collected, the attackers were making an ATM withdrawal from their account. The withdrawals were in the amount of the maximum withdrawal limit set by the Bank of $400 per day. In the event there were insufficient funds in that account, the attackers repeated the process on the next forged ATM card. This method was verified via the ATM surveillance cameras. In order to slow the attackers, the Bank suspended all ATM transactions city-wide in Anyplace, Florida, where the unauthorized transactions were occurring. The unauthorized transaction began again shortly afterward in Anywhere, California. ATM surveillance cameras and transaction reports confirmed the attacker at that location was using the same M.O. that was used in Florida.

The staff installed an automated webpage publishing program that would monitor the content of the customer login portal periodically and republish the original when the modified page was found. The stop-gap measure worked for a couple of hours until the attack frequency changed. At this is point, the Bank decided to seek outside help, and I was called.

Presented with these facts, I began to sift through the growing pile of logs, documents, and diagrams. As it stood, the source of the attack could be coming from the Internet but could also be internally based or backdoor method. Several infrastructural changes had been recently added, that had not been documented on the master diagram and was being updated on the fly. A modem bank resided on the network but was ruled out because it was disabled and used for vendor remote access. The diagram showed that VPN tunnels connected each branch back to corporate. There were only two connections to the Internet, a primary and alternate for DR purposes. The backup connection was verified as being inaccessible externally. The web server was segregated on a network apart from the corporate network and fed by a SQL server located within the corporate network. Once all the requested logs were collected, I started a Nessus scan on the internal network to help locate any possible servers, services, or undocumented communication devices that could be the source. Multitasking and efficiency is the name of the game.

The firewall logs did not show any signs of malicious traffic coming through. Review of the IDS logs did not provide any finger pointing either. The reason for this will be covered later. Additionally, the firewall configuration did not contain any "ANY" source/services rules or configuration error. The router logs did not provide any useful information. Doing any type of event correlation was beginning to look bleak. The IIS logs were the largest and took the longest to acquire because they had to be burned to disc. I started searching through the web server logs looking for any instance where the customer login portal page was requested. Due to its function the search returned several thousand entries. Buried deep within the thousands of entries was a HTTP request containing "xp_cmdshell." Utilizing this SQL Extended stored procedure function, a FTP GET request was made to a remote server which published the modified page on the web server. This had to be addressed but it did not explain why the firewall or IDS did not log or alert on it. The source IP address of that HTTP request came from the external interface of the firewall. A follow-up status meeting was called to realign the response focus.

I disclosed my findings to the staff and was informed that one of the undocumented infrastructure changes made was that IIS and SQL resided on the same server. The SQL server was moved to the web server based on a recommendation made by their own "security" person, whom I later found out was fired for hosting a porn server on the Bank's network. (Go figure.) Now that the method had been identified, the next step was to see how bad the configuration was and fix it.

Reviewing the permissions on the IIS/SQL server revealed a host of default permissions both with system security, IIS, and SQL. Oddly enough, the permissions on the IIS log directory were set appropriately. I can only guess that either the attackers could not access the logs, did not know how, or did not care. I was able to separate the web server and SQL server fairly quickly using a secure build document and security checklist. There were also some required coding changes made by their developers. Once everything looked good and tested out with both servers, I began investigating the mystery questions.

Why did the web server show the source address as the firewall when it was on a separate segment? Apparently the IIS server originally resided within the corporate network, and when it was moved, the table of the router was never updated. Traffic destined for the web server was forwarded to the firewall, which in turn forwarded it to the web server. It was one of those weird routing situations that you'd think wouldn't work, but it does. Long story short, was that the routing table was updated.

Why the IDS system did not alert on any of these attacks? The IDS system was implemented upstream between the firewall and the router, a choice location. However it was connected to a switch which did not support spanning. The staff incorrectly "proved" the IDS functionality by attacking the device directly. As a temporary solution to having a network tap, the switch was replaced with a hub until an upgraded solution could be implemented. It's not the cleanest of solutions, but it worked in the interim.

Why the firewall did not show any signs of this traffic? The firewall was not configured to log successful inbound connections. It did log successful outbound traffic and I was able to rule out the source of the attack originating from within the corporate network. Connection logging can fill log space on a device very quickly, and this was the case here. I mitigated this by configuring a remote syslog server for the firewall and router logs.

In summary, I located the source of the attacks later that day. It turned out be a compromised server in Sweden owned by an excavation company. I notified them of the intrusion and asked if they would look into it. I tracked down the source of the modified customer login portal page, which was located on one of those "free hosting" sites based in of Tennessee. I sent them a similar request. The Bank stated that they were not going to pursue the attackers even though they had video from the ATM machines and lost over $50,000. They felt that the negative PR was not worth it. Management also said they had been told by the local FBI office in so many words that unless it was over $100,000, the FBI really would not get involved. That statement was never verified.

This insecurity could have been identified more quickly if I had received the web server logs in the beginning, but that was the hand I was dealt at the time. Hindsight is always 20/20. On the days to follow, the attackers attempted the same exploit and many other variants, scans, and probes but were never successful. It would have been nice if, given the opportunity, to identify and catch this group. However, it did make for an interesting day, fighting the bad guys.

Have questions or would like to find out more information, visit: http://www.idgsecurity.com
Intrusion Defense Group, LLC. Copyright 2010

Shawn Guins
CISSP, EnCE

A Guide to Protecting Your Wireless Network

2009-12-17T04:50:00.001-08:00

One of the best things about a wireless network, whether you are at home or at work is that you no longer have to watch out for trailing cables wherever you go. However this does come with its own associated risks, not least that a number of networks are completely unprotected, i.e. they don't need passwords or anything else for you to be able to hook up to that network.

Pubs and restaurants, even fast food places like MacDonald's, have what are known as wireless hotspots, that is to say they have a wireless network that anyone in the vicinity with a computer can log on to without any issues; this is because the network because it is not password protected. Although protecting a personal wireless network is not too difficult, in fact most providers will provide walkthrough guides with the installation drive they provide; however, when it comes to a business wireless network, you need professional support.

The two most important issues concerning wireless networks are how the network is configured and installed. Protecting your network is extremely important as it is too easy for hackers to get in and install a virus on an unprotected network, and that virus could cause considerable harm to your business and its associated data.

A professional internet security service will ensure that you have the right kind of computer protection program, for example MacAfee solutions. For a home computer something like AVG is perfectly adequate and identifies dangerous or suspicious sites before you enter them. Of course there are a huge number of other companies out there offering their own unique content, including Symantec and Norton, so home protection is remarkably straightforward and shouldn't cost you too much either.

If you intend to have a lot of computers on a network then the least problematic option is to have structured cabling installed as this helps communication and makes data available to all those employees who have clearance. Once the structured cabling is installed the routers and switches need to be configured and installed. The routers need to be in a central location so all machines are able to access it equally. The router is then connected to the power source and the internet source. Routers should have RS-232 serial ports in case dial up internet services are ever needed. You will also need to connect a wired router or hub. Modern computers have built in wireless adaptors.

Once you have sorted out the routers choose a name for the network the router transforms the data from the internet into a wireless form. The router manufacturer will already have set a generic name but you need to change that to one of your choice as it is safer - this is known as an SSID or service set identifier. These settings need to be the same for every computer on the network. Once that is done you need to install and configure the firewall and other security options such as a virus programme and a spam filter for the email. IP telephones (internet provider phones) need to be installed and configured.

Of course if your business does have its own IT or networking support, you can have them perform the full installation on your behalf. This will help ensure that it is done correctly and remove the risk of any future issues or breaches in security.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For information on Network Support Services, he recommends Network 24.

Change IP to Guard Your Privacy on the Internet

2009-12-05T04:20:00.001-08:00

To change IP addresses has recently become quite common in households and businesses. Because of a lot of problems which usually root from the internet, keeping your privacy in the cyberspace is very important. Of course, everybody would want to keep their confidential and personal records private. However, with the continuously developing technology, even simple IP addresses can be a way for other people to steal your identity.

Identity theft, as we all know, is something that we should consider with utmost importance. It has been damaging a lot of people's lives over the past years, stealing not only their names, but also their lives. Most of these identity theft cases start from the internet, which only shows that people should be cautious in using the cyberspace. In this case, to change IP addresses is one solution to keep your privacy in the Internet.
Why change your IP address?

Aside from keeping your privacy, changing your IP address has a number of benefits.

• It keeps your real location be hidden from other people. Since IP addresses reveal a certain geographic area, a change in the IP address will show other people that you are from another country, city or continent, effectively protecting your private location.

• It keeps your identity anonymous, which makes hackers bump a dead end should they want to access your personal information through the Internet.

• It keeps you safe and protected whenever you shop online and make transactions over the internet. With this, all your personal and financial information are kept safe since hackers won't be able to trace the real you in the real world, keeping you safe from the dangers of identity theft and preventing you from losing millions of dollars through your lifetime.

• It keeps you safe from those annoying mailing lists and spam mails which flood your email accounts. By keeping your anonymity in the cyberspace, they would not have any way of tracing you and connecting your cyber information with real information.

Why surfing anonymously gives you peace of mind

To change IP addresses gives you the advantage of losing hackers and identity thieves away from you. As we all know, the Internet is now a repository of information all over the world. Although the chances of your identity being stolen by thieves, and your information being gotten by other people are slim, it is still better to be safe than to be sorry in the long run.

Identity theft has caused individuals and businesses lose millions of dollars each year, and it takes years to repair the damage that identity theft has caused to you. Surfing safely in the Internet gives you extra protection from causing lifetime damage from identity theft and other cyber crimes lurking nowadays. Moreover, you also get to protect not only your identity, but also your family's identities - just by simply changing your IP address. You get to have peace of mind knowing that your children won't have problems in the future because their personal information was stolen by somebody who has tracked down your IP address.

In order to learn more about Change IP and learn how you could try out a unique software solution free go to blog post http://www.change-ip-proxy.com/blog/change-ip/change-ip-and-protect-your-online-identity/

For Virus Removal Virus Protection is Essential

2009-11-19T09:14:00.001-08:00

There are many subtle signs of a computer virus that a casual computer user may not even notice at first. Some of those subtle signs can be like the computer starting to freeze up for no apparent reason or the screen appearing to blink all of a sudden. For many computer users these small clues can go undiscovered and the next thing they know the computer has locked up on them or is doing bizarre things. Programs closing without being prompted, screens popping up stating a specific removal virus program must be purchased to remove the virus they are saying the computer has and other bizarre and unspecified problems are just a few examples that may happen when a virus truly is infecting the computer. Some viruses are able to take control of the desktop locking the user out and taking away the control. Viruses of this nature can be very difficult to identify and even harder to remove.

Removal virus programs are available that can alert the user the virus has found its way on the computer and in addition to removal virus protection programs are recommended to prevent them getting on in the first place. Much of the time a new or refurbished computer when purchased will have a trial period for a computer security protection program giving the purchaser an opportunity to try out the software program and to realize the importance of having one.

Leaving a computer vulnerable to the internet and its capacity to pass viruses on to other computers undetected can destroy the computer and leave the owner wondering what happened. Protect your interest when getting a computer and make sure it has the same assurance of protection one would want for their automobile especially if running a business.

For more information on viruses and removing them, visit RemovalVirusHelp.wordpress.com

From J. Pal, a freelance writer on a wide variety of topics.

While Surfing the Internet, Don't Send Your Personal Data Out to Sea

2009-11-04T09:31:00.001-08:00

You're reading this article on the Internet, right? Probably been surfing for a while, checking a few blogs, maybe doing some online shopping. Fun stuff. Just keep in mind that while you're surfing the 'net, don't toss your personal data out to sea where it's available for anyone to view, or worse, use.

This article lists a few precautionary tips for keeping your private data private while using the Internet:

When you register for an email account, don't use your home address, private phone number, or other personal information. Instead, use a personal mailbox address, a work phone number, etc. Keep in mind there are online services that sell people's registration information to anyone.
It's a good idea to have a "throw-away" email address that you use for online shopping, forms that require an email address, etc. You can set up such email addresses at Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, others (although you're required to register your data at these sites, you can sign up as Mickey Mouse at 1234 Big Ears Circle for all they care). Hushmail is another option (check out hushmail.com).
Choose an e-mail account that does not reveal unnecessary information about you, such as where you attend school. For example, an e-mail address from a free Webmail service might be preferable to one with a .edu domain.
Choose unusual passwords and change them regularly. Make passwords at least 7 letters long and include numbers mixed with meta-characters when possible (for example, s*72wt#8%). Never share your passwords with anyone.
Don't open unsolicited or unknown email messages, and especially don't open any attachments from unknown users.
Consider using an anonymous web browser. This will make it impossible for your web-surfing to be logged by websites, thus preventing others to pick up any information on you. Information on this service is located at http://www.anonymizer.com.
When you register for a domain (your website address), don't use your home address or other personal information. Anyone can look up the owner of a domain name by using a service such as http://www.checkdomain.com or simply typing "whois" and the domain name. For example, use your personal mailbox instead of your home address. Better yet, for a small fee you can select an option to make all registration information private.
Use anti-virus software, a firewall, and anti-spyware software to keep your computer safe and secure.
Set your privacy settings on social networking communities (such as MySpace, Facebook, etc.) so your photos and personal data aren't viewable by the public. Set options that filter who can be added as a friend, etc., to your account. Remember, if you choose to be public on these sites, anybody can read anything you write.
Discuss your safety and privacy requirements with your Internet service provider (ISP) and enlist their help and advice. You're paying them to use their service, and you have a right to assistance.

By taking such steps to safeguard your personal data, you'll ensure your private data stays private. Now grab your virtual surfboard and hit the Internet waves!

Colleen Collins-Kaufman is a professional private investigator and multi-published author. She and her business partner run a Colorado-based private detective agency, Highlands Investigations & Legal Services, Inc., that specializes in asset/background searches, criminal/civil investigations, domestic relations, legal research/writing, financial fraud, personal injury, skiptracing, and surveillance. To read more about their services, go to http://www.highlandsinvestigations.com

Remove Soft Soldier - Perform a Soft Soldier Removal in Minutes

2009-10-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

Look out for Soft Soldier. Looks can be deceiving, it "pretends" to be an antivirus program but it is not. In fact it does the opposite. The rogue program will install a bunch of viruses and infections throughout your system.

Don't let it stay on your computer. Not only will it slow down your system and mess with your settings, it can also steal private information right off your hard drive.

Before learning to remove the virus you should know how it infiltrates your system. Knowing the source, will help you avert future problems.

The most common methods of infection are:

• You installed a fake "video codec" from a multimedia file downloaded off the web or P2P network. Never install codecs from files downloaded off the net.

• Downloading shareware or freeware programs. Be careful you only download things from trusted providers.

• Checking out a malicious website that hijacked your web browser and snuck the virus into your computer. This can happen pretty often without active antivirus protection.

Soft Soldier Removal

To get rid of the virus you need to access various directories and and do the following

1. Delete EXE, BAT, or other process files (example Soft Soldier.exe)
2. Delete DLL and LNK files that are silently operating in the background
3. Delete registry entries that have been infected.

Make sure you delete the entire virus at once. Otherwise these sneaky infections will just regenerate themselves when you reboot.

I only recommend manual removal for folks who have are computer experts. It can be quite challenging and dangerous to remove Soft Soldier if you do not know precisely what you are doing. Remove the wrong files from the registry and you can cause further damage to your system.

What you need is a Soft Soldier removal software. A program that can eliminate the infection automatically with a few clicks of the mouse. Not only have I found software that can remove Soft Soldier, it also offers real time defense against potential threats. You can try a free scan below and see what it comes up with.

Tired of viruses infecting your computer? Want to surf the web with the peace of mind that your computer is safe and secure? Get your free scan from the top virus protection and remove Soft Soldier.

Jim Marshall is an expert computer technician with fifteen years of experience in the industry. Since his own computer was destroyed by malicious software, he has been studying antispyware, adware, and malware systems for years. His website details the comprehensive results of this research, ranking the best antispyware and antivirus programs available.

http://www.spyware-fix.net

How to Protect Personal Information on Your Computer

2009-10-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

With more people using the internet everyday, there has been a significant increase in the threats of online criminals attempting to steal personal information. When you use email, surf the net, and provide financial information to retailers, you have to make sure no one can steal your information. Fortunately, technological improvements in computer security and implementing safety precautions can drastically reduce the chances of having your information stolen.

The following tips are designed to help you protect personal information on your computer:

• Acquire Security Software: It is important that you have the appropriate security software to protect your computer from viruses, hackers, worms, spyware, spam, identity theft, and Adware. A quality and renowned security software program will protect your computer from a variety of security risks. Some software provides a combination of protection methods while others provide just one security function.

• Implement Wireless Security Protection: If you access the internet through a Wi-Fi network, make sure you have the appropriate protection from hackers. With wireless networks, the radio waves travel in the surrounding area, so a hacker sitting nearby can access your connection and hack into your computer.

• Use a Firewall: A firewall adds a security obstruction between a personal computer and the internet. It helps prevents hackers from accessing your computer. It will block any suspicious and unauthorized entry into a computer system.

• Email Encryption: When you use email encryption, it reduces the chances of someone intercepting and accessing your information.

• Beware of Phishing Scams: Many online criminals will send fraudulent emails and use fraudulent websites to gather a person's personal information. Never provide personal information to unknown businesses. Confirm the site is legitimate by either checking with the Better Business Bureau or online sites that expose fraudulent sites and emails. Purchase products from sites that encrypt transaction payments. Encrypting payment information will code your personal and financial data after you submit the payment.

• Beware of Certain Free Download Programs: Some free download software can contain harmful programs. They can allow the person who sent it access to your computer. Security software can prevent these programs from installing. Adware and Spyware are software that can contain these malicious programs.

• Backup Information: Back up and store your information in case your security barrier is breached so you will not lose important information. Store it on a CD or an external hard drive.

• System Security Configuration: Configure your browser or operating system to manage pop-ups, delete cookies, and block specific web sites.

• Change Passwords Regularly: Change your passwords at least every 30 days to reduce the chance of a hacker accessing your online personal and financial information.

• Monitor your Credit Report: You should regularly check your credit report history. This will let you know if anyone has been using your financial information.

When you use the internet for shopping, banking, emailing, and sending instant messages, there are shady people who may try to access your computer to steal your information. Using the latest security software and practicing safe security practices, will reduce the chance of having your personal information stolen and used for illegal purposes.

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Internet meltdown threat: Conficker worm refuses to turn

2009-09-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

The brightest minds in technology and government are finding it "almost impossible" to defeat the Conficker worm, which has infected more than 5 million computers and, experts say, could be used to knock down the internet in entire countries.

The worm, first detected in November last year, spreads rapidly to computers through a flaw in the Windows operating system.

Infected machines are co-opted into a "botnet" army, which can be controlled and used by the hackers to launch unprecedented cyber attacks.

"The general agreement in the security world is that Conficker is the largest threat facing us from a cyber crime point of view ... it has proven to be extremely resilient. It's almost impossible to remove," said Rodney Joffe, a director of the Conficker Working Group formed to defeat the worm.

"The best minds in the world have not managed to crack the code behind this yet."

The scale of the threat has forced the world's largest computer security companies to join together with government around the world in an unusual alliance to pool their resources and solve the problem.

Microsoft has offered a $US250,000 ($290,000) reward for information leading to the identification of the individuals - or rogue governments - behind Conficker.

Those behind the worm can do anything they want with the infected machines including stealing users' banking details or flooding government servers to knock them offline.

"This could be used to launch the mother of all DDoS [distributed denial of service] attacks, it could be used as the basis of major financial fraud, it could be used for major spam runs," Joffe said.

"Even a small portion of the infected machines from Conficker have the ability to actually take away the usability of the internet in an entire country like Australia."

So far the international effort to find a solution has yielded few results, and the number of infected machines has remained fairly stable at 5 million. They include home, business and Government computers.

Joffe, who is also a senior technologist at US communications company Neustar, explained that the remarkable resilience was because Conficker had built-in mechanisms to prevent people from scanning their computers with anti-virus software. Even for those who wipe their computers clean and start fresh, if they back up any important data on a portable hard drive, the clean machine is reinfected when the drive is connected to the computer.

The worm also spreads automatically between computers on a network and infects machines without the user having to do anything other than switch their computers on.

"If you've been able to disinfect 99 machines out of 100 and one is still infected, it will begin to try to reinfect the others," Joffe said.

Most other botnets can be destroyed by disabling the server used to issue commands to infected machines, but with Conficker the location of this sever changes every day and state-of-the-art cryptography means it's almost impossible to crack.

Every time the security gurus feel they are on to a solution, the hackers send a new version of Conficker to the infected machines that stops them in their tracks.

"Conficker has proven to be the gold standard for botnets. It's rock solid, it's steady and it has mechanisms built in that have made it impossible for us to actually crack," Joffe said.

"As of today we have not been able to crack the cryptography behind it in order to disrupt it by authenticating ourselves as the command and control."

So far the "botnet masters" have been biding their time as the media buzz around Conficker dies down, but they have already sent malicious code to infected machines that co-opts them to send spam emails. Users of infected computers have also been conned with offers to buy fake anti-virus software.

In July, Manchester City Council in Britain was prevented from issuing hundreds of fines after Conficker knocked out parts of its IT system. The infection cost the council £1.5 million in total.

In January, the French Navy had to quarantine its computer network after it was infected with Conficker, forcing aircraft at several air bases to be grounded.

Joffe said that people who are not yet infected and have installed the latest Windows patches and anti-virus software should be safe, as long as yet another version of Conficker is not released.

But he said it was rare for people to have all the relevant patches installed on their computers, and anti-virus software would be of little use to those already infected.

"We're some ways away from being able to take any action, which is what is really concerning us," Joffe said.

Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/technology/security/internet-meltdown-threat-conficker-worm-refuses-to-turn-20090922-fzlh.html

I Haven't Done Anything to Be Infected With Spyware! Why is This Happening to Me?

2009-08-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

It wasn't many years ago that hardly anyone had heard of spyware. They vaguely knew that there were computer viruses out there, and that they could wreck your computer, but most people thought that it would never happen to them; as for spyware - the word hadn't entered their vocabulary. People would get very defensive if you suggested that their computer was 'infected'! It was as though it was a personal insult, or a suggestion that they had been doing something 'dodgy'!

One of my first customers when I started helping people with their computer problems was a lovely couple who ran a local church. Their computer was absolutely stuffed with viruses and spyware, and worst of all - for a church computer - they kept getting pop-ups of busty ladies with little or no clothing! They were in a terrible panic and felt that they would be blamed for this happening. They had teenage sons and were worried that their sons had been looking at adult content sites to cause this to happen. It was very hard to calm them down and explain that spyware can affect ANYONE who browses the internet or receives email. The only 100% guaranteed way to keep your computer clean is to never browse the internet, never send or receive email, never use a flash drive (or - as was more usual in those days - a floppy disk) or install software other than supplied by a reputable dealer in a sealed box! That would really limit your computing experience, wouldn't it!

It is absolutely vital to have an up to date virus detection/removal software - these are very good, and can also detect and remove some spyware infections. If you want to be really safe, though, you MUST also have spyware remover software. this will not only detect and remove existing instances of spyware, but will go a long way to preventing future infections.

Click Here Now for more information and advice on keeping your computer safe.

How to Prevent Computer Viruses from Attacking Your PC?

2009-08-08T08:01:00.001-07:00

Do you want to know how to prevent computer viruses attacking your PC? The first thing that you will want to do is to be careful when you use the Internet to surf various websites and download media files. The best prevention method would be to download and install an antivirus and antispyware software to run frequent scans on your system. It really is not as difficult to protect a computer from virus attacks as what most users would make it out to be.

1. Do You Really Need to Protect Yourself Against Virus and Spyware Attacks?

It is important that people know what these parasites are capable and how to protect against them. This is due to the fact that the majority of people today know how to use the web and their PC and personal information are constantly being exposed to the threats in the online world. Since research has shown that a majority of users who access the Internet have had their computers infected, it is crucial that you learn how to defend against them before it is too late.

2. What is a Computer Virus and What is It Capable of Doing?

A virus is a program that is capable of destroying folders, registries and files and finally aiming to wipe out the entire hard disk. It attacks and infiltrates the system without any knowledge from the user. Some viruses and spyware are also capable of deactivating any existing computer protection software installed to allow the hacker to use unauthorized means to access the system.

3. How to Prevent Computer Viruses from Attacking your PC?

The fastest and easiest way is to download virus removal software to run a scan and fix on your system. They are capable of reading signatures from all the files and registry entries in a system before finding all the erroneous and infected files. It is able to repair or remove them within minutes to leave your PC running like new again.

Want to learn How to Prevent Computer Viruses attacking your PC? Don't do it yet, because the author has found many bad spyware and virus cleaning software on the web. Read the author's review of the Top 5 Spyware & Virus Removal Software on the market now at http://www.review-best.com/spyware-virus-removal-software.htm first!

Learn to completely get rid of all the spyware and viruses on your computer in less than 5 minutes with a FREE PC Scan!

How to Remove Computer Virus Fast?

2009-07-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Do you want to learn how to remove computer virus fast? There are many different protection software available for download on the Internet today, but they can differ greatly in their capabilities. Therefore, it is important to research carefully first before committing yourself to using any antivirus and antispyware software. These programs are able to compare file definitions and detect signatures in order to find the potentially dangerous ones inside the system.

1. What is a Computer Virus and How Does It Affect Your System?

PC viruses are typically malicious software that is capable of stealing and destroying all the information in the entire system. It is capable of installing itself onto any Windows system without any knowledge of the user. The most common forms of infection are through online downloads of documents and other media files such as song, movie, games downloads etc. It can also get spread through visits to free download or other unauthorized websites that run malicious codes.

2. How to Remove Computer Virus from your System Fast?

The best solution that has been tested and proven to work would be to download a reliable piece of virus removal and protection from the web. A high quality program will ensure full PC protection that provides reliable scanning functions and also repair damaged or infected files quickly. The software that I have found has removed all viruses, spyware and adware from my PC system and made it run like new again.

3. How Do You Know if You Need to Download Anti Computer Virus Software?

Once you start seeing irritating pop up advertisements or slowing down of your computer processing speed, you most likely will need to download antispyware, antivirus software.

Are you looking to Remove Computer Virus from your PC? Don't do it yet, because the author has found many bad spyware and virus cleaning software on the web. Read the author's review of the Top 5 Spyware & Virus Removal Software on the market now at http://www.review-best.com/spyware-virus-removal-software.htm first!

Learn to completely get rid of all the spyware and viruses on your computer in less than 5 minutes with a FREE PC Scan!

Internet Security - Are We Ready For the Web?

2009-07-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried searching information about yourself on the Internet? You probably won't be disappointed. If you've been living online for a significant amount of time, this personal information will definitely be available. If you're wondering how or why, the answer is simple. With your personal information on your blogs, social networks, writing forums, and other publicly available databases, you won't be that hard to track.

Anybody who's ever had to substantially engage in Internet activity will have definitely made his online presence felt. In fact, companies and other organizations have been using this property of the Internet to turn up people's personal details easily for their legal ends. Once they get hold of job applicants' resumes, they may search these people up on the Internet as a way of narrowing down their choices on whom to hire. Landlords also benefit from this online feature which allows them to get to know their potential tenants before any contracts are signed.

There's actually more to these public databases than what might be beneficial to employers. To understand this means to be aware that public database searches base results on anything with the name of the person being searched. When this name makes a hit, the search will immediately display birth and death certificates, court records, vehicle accidents, criminal records and who knows what else it may bring for the searcher.

This particular ability of the Internet to reveal information about a person with such ease has drawn conflicting reactions from different sectors of society. For example, when people act as employers or landlords looking up information on their potential employees or tenants, this is viewed as an advantage. However, when these employers or tenants realize that they, too, could be the easy subjects of the same search, the idea is suddenly objectionable or even evil.

This double standard in digesting the realities of the Internet raises the question of whether people are, in fact, ready for it. The issue is further compounded by the existence of hackers and other types of Internet cons who relentlessly work at turning an otherwise innocent technology into a weapon for cyber warfare which the general surfing public will simply want out of.

The last thing that we all want to happen, though, is wake up one day and no longer be the person we always thought we were because somebody has stolen everything we were supposed to be. Identity theft is certainly no longer a fantastic idea that we only used to see in the movies. It has become real because of our IP address which serves as our trail that hackers can use to track back to us.

If the Internet is, at all, going to be a great place worth visiting, visit it with an IP changer to simply enjoy anonymous surfing.

Why Pressing 'Accept' Could Cost You Thousands of Dollars

2009-07-08T01:50:00.000-07:00

We all know the dangers of malware, and we all try and avoid it with good protection and safe browsing practices. But what if in actual fact thousands of people every day -- people just like you -- were actually authorizing malware to be installed onto their computers, laying out the red carpet for spyware, keyloggers and adware to wreak havoc on your online and offline life?

Believe it. If you've ever had adware on your computer, chances are that you actually signed a disclaimer allowing this dangerous and annoying software to set up roost on your prized PC.

If you've ever downloaded software onto your computer -- or even signed up an account online -- you'll instantly recognise the End User License Agreement. That's that long, often capitalized and always boring panel of text that you have to accept before you can move to the next step in the installation process. Now that we know what the EULA is, let's have a reality check: can you honestly say that you've read every phrase in every EULA you've ever accepted? Maybe you've skimmed over the top of a few of them? Maybe you haven't read a single word before accepting?

If this sounds true, then don't feel too bad. Even though the EULA is in actual fact a legal document and by clicking 'Accept' you're basically inking your signature, the research tells us that very few people actually read the EULA in its entirety. Malware developers are keenly aware of this fact and a disturbing practice of actually stating the devious intent of the malware in the EULA has developed over recent history.

This practise is most commonly associated with advertisment supported freeware, from everything from game sites to browser add-on packs to adult orientated subscription-based websites. The trade is simple: we give you the software that you want, and you give us permission to serve you countless annoying popup ads that will test your sanity and suck the performance right out of your PC. Oh, and by the way: we'll also monitor your browsing history and send it back to a ex-Soviet bloc IP address.

Sounds like a fair trade?

The remedy to this is simple. Read every EULA before you click 'Accept'!

If the thought of reading every phrase in every EULA sends you to sleep, I don't blame you. That's why I want to give you access to a great free tool that analyzes every phrase in any EULA at a click of a button.

I'll share this tool with you, along with four other great security tools that you've never heard of before just by signing up to the Malware Threat HQ mailing list. Best thing is that these tools are completely free! You can sign up to the mailing list by clicking here.

Once you're signed up, you'll also receive great articles, free tools and the tips that the pros use to keep their online identities safe.

Malware infection is incredibly wide spread. Whether or not you think you may have been infected with malware, it is best practise to scan your computer regularly for malware threats. At Malware Threat HQ you can download the best malware scanner available on the Internet today -- for free.

To learn everything that you need to know about keeping you and your family safe from malware, please visit us at Malware Threat HQ.

Cheers, and Safe Surfing!

http://www.idthefthq.com

Chris Brown

What Happened to the Conficker Virus?

2009-06-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

Many of us were wondering that after all the hype generated from the media over the Conficker virus. For most of us, it was the exact same thing as new years day in January of 2000, lots of media attention with little to show for it. The truth is, Microsoft issued a patch for the Conficker virus back in January before the virus was even activated. The trouble is, many people ignore the updates or simply have no idea how to get them. Reports from Microsoft state that as much as 30% of users have not updated their systems yet.

The Conficker threat is still very real. The virus is estimated to be lying dormant on over 10 million computers and that's a very conservative estimate according to some sources. The biggest problem with this virus is that it has not activated yet. Some believe it is waiting for stage two commands to be given to allow it to do terrible things such as copying the personal information from your computer or holding your computer hostage and locking it up unless you purchase special software.

The most reported sign that you have been infected with Conficker, or many other viruses, is that your computer runs noticeably slower or if you can no longer update your operating system or your anti-virus software. Most of these programs target your antivirus software first to prevent them from being detected. Once they disable your antivirus program, they are free to run amuck on your system and spread throughout your entire system.

How do you know if you are protected from this virus? The first thing you should do is make sure your operating system is updated. On most Microsoft systems you can click on the START button in the bottom left side of the screen and then select the ALL PROGRAMS option to display a list of all the applications on your computer. Search through the list and look for the WINDOWS UPDATE or MICROSOFT UPDATE option and select it. You may have to do this several times to make sure you get all the updates. Some updates are dependent on others and will not show up unless the first update is installed.

Once you have your system updates it is time to make sure your anti-virus software is updated. If you do not have anti-virus software on your computer then I recommend you look at my website below for some good FREE anti-virus solutions and answers to your antivirus software questions. After you update your anti-virus program be sure to run a manual scan of your entire system. If you have updated your system from the Microsoft site and your antivirus software is up to date then you should be protected from most of the bad things going around the internet today. The trick is to keep your systems updated and schedule a scan several times per month just to be sure nothing slipped through.

Check out my website for a Free Virus Scan and Removal. It contains links to free antivirus programs as well as reviews of what is available and tons of other FREE help for your issues.

Use a Free Malware Remover Online to Keep Your Computer Safe, Fast & Clean!

2009-06-06T01:30:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty confident my computer is safe. I run an anti-virus program, and I really don't go to many strange places on the internet. Most of the sites I go to are perfectly safe. But sometimes, I still worry. What if I type an address wrong and I end up on a bad site that infects my computer. Or what happens if I am not paying attention, and download an attachment that is from a friend and it really wasn't sent from your friend, but something that is in their computer. There is cause for concern, the amount of malware, spyware, and other viruses are on the rise. Sometimes, it isn't too bad, and is more of a nuisance. But some programs are designed specifically to log every stroke you make on your keyboard, or even worse steal all your private information.

Even as sure as I am, that my computer is safe, I still take precautions. I have gone online, and found a few programs that help keep my computer clean. Some programs you can download will run in the background and work by keeping the malware off your computer in the first place. Other programs are meant to be run by the computer user and will find the infected files on your computer. Then it is as simple as checking the boxes, and deleting the files.

I run two preventative programs in the background all the time. I have an anti-virus program that is constantly scanning my computer. These programs use minimal resources, and will let me know the second something is suspicious. I also have three other programs that I use to scan my computer every few days. All of these programs were free online. Some programs say they will scan your computer for free, but in order to get anything fixed, you have to buy their software. In any case, you can do a basic internet search and read reviews of the different products that are available. The more you research, the better the chances that you will find what you need to keep your computer safe.

The best software I have found for removing malware is:

MalwareRemovalBot!

Internet Fraud and How to Avoid It

2009-05-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

Fraud on the internet is increasing, and in my line of business, I am shocked to discover the amount of people who do not know the basic things to look out for. They are hypnotized by colorful looking sites, the products they feature and the price. Fast delivery is important too.

So when you surf the net for a product, what are are you thinking? You browse a dozen sites, comparing the quality, the price and fast delivery. You think of nothing else. By now, you could be tiring of checking this site against another. All you want now, is to make your purchase. So you place your order in the shopping cart and make payment. Job Done !

Or is it?

You were totally focused on sourcing the website that best suited your needs in terms of quality, price and delivery. You never thought about the payment. It was just an action you completed. In most cases you never bought from a well known or branded retailer.

So who did you really buy from?

Here's some tips to check out:

1. Do they display an easy to find trading address? 2. Is there an easy to find contact number? 3. Is that phone number at a premium rate? 4. Are they based in your own country? 5. Do they have a returns policy? 6. Do they accept credit cards?

Here in the UK, for purchases in value of £100.00 or more, always use a credit card. You have buyer protection from your credit card company. I cannot comment for credit card holders in other countries. If you use a debit card or any other method, you will have no recourse.

So if your purchase is under £100.00, what should you do?

You are taking a gamble. Make sure you know who you are dealing with. You can go to WhoIs lookup and enter the website address to inquire who registered the site. This should give you their name and address, contact phone number and more details. If the information states the registrant is "by proxy" and no other details, they are hiding behind a smoke screen. Avoid this site.

A typical fraudster will not display their trading address, or if they do, it is either fictitious, or they do not trade from that address. In the UK, it is illegal to display a website without a trading address. There will be no contact number, only email. If there is a number, it may be at a premium rate. Avoid this site

A reputable trader will publish their address and phone number in an appropriate place for you to find easily. Remember: For purchases of £100.00 or more - Always use a Credit Card.

I hope this article will assist you for your internet shopping.

Free legal advice and legal representation at the fraction of the price a solicitor would charge you. You can contact me: http://www.smallclaims.uk.com

How to Protect the Investment You've Made in Your Website

2009-04-27T04:48:00.000-07:00

One night about two months ago I was on the phone with a client, discussing the content of a fundraising letter we were planning, when she glanced at her e-mail and saw a message telling her that her website was down.

She thought it must be a faulty connection on the part of her writer's ISP - of course her website wasn't down!

But it was. We both went immediately to check and found that it just wasn't there.

OK - she decided to take a deep breath and contact her "web guy." She hung up, telling me she'd call back in a few minutes.

When she called back the news was not good. Her web guy had decided he didn't want to work for her any more. The idea that she planned to solicit donations to help with the animal rescue work she was doing offended him.

And, since she had trusted him to "take care" of everything, he was able to take down her site, leaving her with nothing - not even control of her own domain name.

That happened 2 months ago, and she's still struggling to re-create her website.

Something similar, yet less drastic, happened to a friend of mine who let one of her trusted employees set up their web account. He was listed as the account administrator, because he was the one in the organization who knew how to take care of the site. All was well - until he passed away. She went through months of proving who she was in order to gain control of her own site.

So what can you do to protect your website?

First, and most important: own your own domain name. Do the work of purchasing it yourself and list yourself as the responsible party. You can give someone working for you access to your user name and password - and you'll have the ability to change those names should you and your web builder part company.

If you're thinking of buying into a "template site" check first to see that you'll be able to make changes to your title tags and other meta tags - and that you'll be able to add alt tags to your photo images. These can make a huge difference in your search engine optimization, so don't let anyone tell you it doesn't matter.

Next, even if you have hired a "web guy" to do all the work, learn how to access your site to make changes. Then set up a FTP program on your own computer, and download all your files for safekeeping. In addition, put them on a back up disk or an external hard drive, to protect against disaster should your own computer crash.

This is not only a smart move for protection - it will allow you to make small changes immediately without the expense (or the wait time) of calling in the web expert.

Host your site with a well-known, solid company rather than an off-shoot that may or may not be around next year. And before you choose, make sure that they offer solid customer support. I happen to love GoDaddy because I'm hopelessly non-techie. Their support people are on duty 24 hours a day and always willing to walk me through any problems I create or show me how to do something new.

Make sure the company you choose offers support for programs such as WordPress, so you're not limited in what you can do with your site. You may not want a blog today, but you could change your mind in 6 months. Keep your options open.

When you do choose that web expert, make sure he or she is willing to use copy you provide from any source. If he insists that only he or "his friend" can produce your copy, or if the price quoted includes all your copy, move on to another expert. Copywriting and website development are two different specialties, and one person is not necessarily going to be expert at both.

The bottom line: Maintain control of your site. If a programmer you interview has a problem with that, choose someone different.

Marte Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter who specializes in making people feel good about buying products or services, or donating to worthy causes.

She has extensive experience in writing search engine optimized web copy, direct sales letters, postcards, space ad copy, press releases, and more. She is also available for marketing plan creation and editing services.

You can visit her at http://www.marte-cliff.com. While you're there, sign up for one of her marketing ezines. She promises to gently nag you about ways to make your own marketing efforts more productive - whether you're selling a product or service, or promoting a non-profit organization.

How to Prevent Fraud While Shopping Online

2009-04-15T04:27:00.000-07:00

Internet has greatly changed the shopping habits of the people precisely because of the convenience it provides in terms of saving time and money. You do not have to travel from one shop to the other; you can simply sit in the comfort of your home and browse through the various websites, do a comparison shopping and buy the goods online using your credit card. That said, there is a catch and that is online frauds. Today, making money online is very easy and there are lots of opportunities available on internet. Online retailers have to provide safety measures to build consumer confidence. If you have an e-commerce business you must ensure that it is 100 percent secure and the sensitive information they provide is completely protected. Keep in mind the following points to prevent your E-commerce website against fraud.

Fraud Detection Service

There is a fraud detection service you can avail of to prevent fraudulent activities. The fraud detection service asks the consumer to verify an address and compares it to what is one file with the credit card issuer. It the address matches, the customer is given permission to go ahead with making a purchase.

Credit Card Verification Codes

The credit card verification code is the three important numbers found on the back of a credit card. As a consumer, you would be asked to insert those numbers when you shop on a site. In order for someone to place website fraud, they most acquire the credit card numbers and the credit card as well. So if you have the verification system is place, you can decrease the risks of fraud significantly.

Site Design

You website design can also help to reduce online frauds. For this, your website should be designed with the latest versions of scripting languages and programs to fight off hackers and protect the integrity of your business. You may have to shell out extra money to make sure fraud is not occurring, but it is well worth it in the long run. Having a secure site will save you money and protect your customers, which is perhaps the most important aspect of online business.

Go for a trusted web design company to ensure that your website is protected against frauds. ITRIX Technologies, http://www.itrixtechnologies.com is one such company providing neat, clear-cut secure web design services customized to their customers' unique requirements. Their certified web designers have extensive experience in web site design and graphic art. The company understands that your website represents your brand and can help design a solution that not only strengthens and creates brand awareness but also fulfils your business objectives. ITRIX Technologies can take care of your web needs from web hosting to web page design to online marketing.

Mark Alter, the author of this article, writes about the benefits of a trusted web design to ensure that your website is protected against frauds. Want to know more about ITRIX Technologies and web design? Still lots of things remain to explore.

The Best Web Hosting For Your Business is Easy to Find

2009-03-30T06:55:00.001-07:00

There's a massive amount of data out there on the Internet concerning how to choose the best web hosting. The really helpful thing is that there's really only a handful of absolutely crucial points that you genuinely have to have an awareness of. In this piece I will promptly run through a few of the the most important aspects that you should watch your step with.

Checking into the good reputation of the hosting service provider is a vitally key detail to make an effort to remember. Starting a business on the web is relatively straightforward. More or less anyone can have a go. In the context of these elements it is relatively easy to grasp why there are several shoddy companies around the Net. The quickest and best tactic for judging the dependability of the web hosting firm is to check how long they have been in business.

Make sure not to place too much focus on the headline figures. Some of the adverts you are going to see to do with web hosting are going to contain attractive headline numbers. What you're going to want is a sound and reliable hosting firm. These headline numbers will probably not expose a rounded picture of the offer. It's essential that you dig around a little deeper to locate the solid info that you will want before you make any commitments.

Please appreciate that what you're actually in need of is the best value. The-low-cost option will not necessarily produce very good value. The thing you actually need from a hosting service supplier is a superior mixture of various different components that ultimately, can give you excellent value.

As I mentioned during the opening of this article, this has been a brief appraisal of a few of the key details about the issue of how to choose the best web hosting. There is just a few other absolutely critical issues that you have to fully appreciate.

To learn about those other things right now please go to web hosting advice now. For the best tips http://info.answertrain.com/WebHostingAdvice.html

Can Google Chrome Help Secure Web Browsing?

2009-03-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

If you have to share a computer either at home, work or school then you'll soon realise that you leave a trace of your web history on the computer each time you use it - it's not exactly secure web browsing. This can be quite annoying at times, if you're trying to arrange a surprise, buy a gift then leaving a trail of web sites behind you can slightly give the surprise away.

There is of course even more serious side when so many of use the internet for lots of private stuff like banking, investments or research. Using a shared computer has alot of risks to it so most of the browsers are introducing features to deal with this.

Google's Chrome browser has probably the most advanced of these features at the moment although there isn't a lot in it with IE and Firefox both offering similar features. The privacy mode in Chrome is called Incognito mode and it can help your web browsing become a little more secure.

To enable Chrome's Incognito mode just select a new incognito window from the file menu. Then all your web browsing is slightly more secure , no cookies are stored, no logons cached and history maintained on the PC you are using.

If you want to start this mode automatically follow this procedure.

1) Right Click on the Chrome Shortcut on the desktop
2) Click on Properties
3) On the Shortcut - just add the following to the target line -incognito

(make sure you leave a space and add outside the inverted commas)

Then every time you start Chrome using this shortcut it will run in incognito mode. This will prevent any details of your browsing being left behind on your computer and all the cookies will be automatically removed. There are unfortunately many other traces of your web history so this is not totally secure web browsing but it is an important step.

Of course, it's a long, long way from real secure web surfing, we still use HTTP which means your browsing is in clear text. Your browsing history and IP address are also stored on the web site you visit, on the ISP logs. But it is a start and at least can keep your PC holding a huge list of your web browsing.

If you want the ultimate secure browsing, have a look here - Secure Surfing Protection

Try the new free demo of Identity Cloaker on the link below.

Anonymous Surfing Program

Take care and stay safe.
Jim

Where Does 50,000 Malicious Software (Malware) Come From Each Day?

2009-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

What is Malware, what is being done about it and why should you care? Malware is actually a combination of terms, malicious and software. Malware is software that is specifically designed to cause harm to your computer systems. There are different types of malware, which include Trojans, Spyware and Viruses.

Recent research shows that, "Anti-virus vendors are getting more than 50,000 submissions of new malware per day now," according to Larry Seltzer at eweek.com.

How is it that anti-virus provider's are getting so many submissions each day? Are there that many forms of malware out there or is more being "created" or written each day? Are all of them effective at harming our computer?

An Inside Look at Creating Malware with Computer Expert Larry Seltzer:

First, it is important to understand that this software is being created every day in an attempt to circumvent any existing security systems you have in place. In order to quickly and easily generate malware, it can either be written (in computer language) or you can purchase a malcode generator. Next malware troublemakers submit this code to a public malware scanning service, like VirusTotal, however there are others available. This is done in an effort to "test drive" the newly designed malware programs and to determine exactly how much undetectable damage this software can do.

If the malware is a good one, it can take some time before it is detected or protection can be designed for it. The effective versions of malware programs are eventually reported and distributed among the many anti virus service providers so the window of opportunity is very small for use and distribution of malicious software.

Why are so many malware programs produced each day? Basically this is because you will catch more fish with a big net. The more malware programs that are submitted and found to be "effective" the more they can generate as well as the more damage that can be done. Many of the ones tested are ineffective, which is great news for consumers, but then malware designers are just back at the keyboard. The turnover is tremendous but yet identity thieves and scammers are vigilant in producing malware hoping to take advantage of uninformed consumers and hit pay dirt.

How can consumers protect themselves from malware? Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer recommends: "Anti-malware needs to be combined with other forms of defense, like a firewall, an intrusion prevention product, running your system with least privileged access and not clicking on links in e-mails (or at least being very careful about doing so)." There's no doubt that today there is more spam and more malware and consumers need to be both more educated and more protected.

Lisa Carey is a contributing author for Identity Theft Secrets - prevention and protection. You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitoring your credit as well as learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.

Expert in Email Tracing Can Use IP Trace to Stop Internet Scams

2009-02-07T03:49:00.000-08:00

Internet scams...we've all heard of them happening, and some of us have even been had by one or two. The simple fact remains that they do exist, and it seems that the masterminds behind them aren't getting tired nor are they slowing down anytime soon. So, we have to rely on the experts to catch them, the ones who specialize in email tracing.

A private investigator who is an expert in email tracing is able to use an IP trace to pinpoint the source of an internet scam. All that is needed is one single email that was sent from the internet scam site. The email will be stripped and the header extracted for thorough investigation.

Normally, an email trace will be performed to pull any personal details about the sender of the email, such as the full name, address and phone number when available. The ISP of the culprit is also determined, and can be used immediately to file an abuse report and at least temporarily stop the internet scam from continuing.

To take things a step further, a private investigator will also do an IP trace to determine the location from which the email was sent. So, if the scam artist is operating out of his home or somewhere else, you should be able to find out. Also, most experts will perform a header comparison to check for signs of previous related incidents. With a list of possible suspects on hand, it should be fairly easy for a private investigator to close in on the persons responsible...they will either rule out names or single them out for further investigation.

Email tracing can be a great time saver, especially when you have a first encounter with an internet scam. Most of these scam artists hide themselves so well that it's nearly impossible for you to be able to give any information about them and it actually lead authorities to them. So, you get a private investigator to do a little digging first.

You could certainly take on the task of doing these things yourself, using the free tools online. But, you won't get the results you want or need. You can attempt to find the identity of the person sending you the scam emails with a free email lookup, but you're not likely to get their real name. You can also use the IP lookup tools available and trace the IP from which the email was sent. Chances are this is going to give you a dead end too, only turning up the ISP and the location from which the IP was issued. Neither of these results will do you any good in putting an end to internet scams, and these scam artists are well aware of the fact.

The are many private investigators available to lend their services to you, but you must be sure they are an expert. More importantly, they should be an expert in email tracing and have experience with internet scams.

Ed Opperman, President of Opperman Investigations, is an expert in IP address tracing and has over 10 years experience in online investigations. For more information, visit http://www.emailrevealer.com now!

How to Surf Securely With Anonymous Proxy Surfing

2009-01-29T07:16:00.001-08:00

Any semblance of privacy we used to have on the internet is long gone, anonymous proxy surfing is becoming more common as people realise just how much of their personal data exists online. Do you have to be a technical wizard to protect your privacy online, well if you want to do it for free it definitely helps?

What are the Issues in Surfing Securely

The main areas of concern are usually the following:

ISP Logs which contain your IP address and every web site you visit.
Web Server Logs - which record your IP address
HTTP Transport - unfortunately the majority of web traffic is in plain text so can be intercepted and read easily.

So whats the Solution and will it cost me?

You can protect yourself to varying extents by using paid or free technology. The easiest part to protect yourself against is the Web server logs, if you use anonymous proxy surfing your IP address will not be recorded in the web servers you visit. Setting up a proxy server manually is quite simple in IE you will find it in Tools/Internet Options/Connections/LAN Settings - just input the address of the anonymous proxy and that's it. The problem is finding a free proxy to use as the majority are hacked or misconfigured servers and are nearly always painfully slow.

You can also use an Open source program called TOR which is more secure than selecting a random anonymous proxy and hoping it's not run by a Russian Hacking Club! TOR has the potential to be extremely secure but it is fairly difficult to set up and again can be extremely slow browsing using it unless you stick to text only sites.

To deal with the other points you'll need to use some sort of encryption protocol, try looking at Stunnel which enables you to encrypt TCP connections inside SSL (Secure Socket Layer). Again it's free but you'll need to pretty technical to get it all working, it's quite fun experimenting though if you have the inclination and time.

If you want to read about some of my thoughts on using free anonymous proxies and how you can surf without being spied on, try the link below, from there you can also try out a demo of the most secure, sophisticated anonymous web browsing product available anywhere.

Try the new free demo of Identity Cloaker on the link below.

Anonymous Surfing Demo

Take care and stay safe.
Jim

Secure Surfing Using Free Anonymous Proxies

2009-01-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

The credit crunch is hitting hard, the world financial institutions are in turmoil but one thing stays the same, people still delude themselves that they can protect themselves online using free anonymous proxies.

If you wanted to find a list of the most hacked, insecure and badly administered servers you'd find a pretty good candidate on the many free anonymous proxies lists that float around on the internet. It's true, a server usually gets on these lists by either being hacked, set up badly or deliberately set up to steal peoples personal information. Virtually none of these servers are set up on purpose to allow anonymous surfing, the only ones that are have identity thieves sitting on them running sniffers and installing various malware on the clients that connect.

You'd have to be crazy to send all your personal data, all your browsing via one of these servers unless you knew who was running it and why. Yet people do it all the time, find a list on the internet - read some line like -

{Ip Address } - Highly Secure Anonymous Proxy - Russia

Then send all their internet traffic via this one server, so just let me spell it out what that line probably really means

{Ip Address } - Insecure Hacked Server - Run by Russian Identity thieves

It's fantastic news for the hackers, instead of trying to intercept traffic, send phishing emails or bombard clients with malware to steal identities. All they have to do is load up a hacked server with a network sniffer, install lots of nasty trojans and viruses and perform the final act - install a simple proxy server and wait. Pretty soon network scans will pick up this open proxy server and it will appear in the lists, after that there will be a mad scramble as people send all their data down this 'anonymous proxy' . It's about as far from secure surfing as you can possibly get!

Try the new trial of Identity Cloaker on the links below.

Online Surf Protection

Anonymous Surfing

Take care and stay safe.
Jim

How to Protect Your Kid's Email Accounts

2009-01-05T03:39:00.000-08:00

Making sure that your kids' online communications are safe is not an entirely easy process. It takes patience, effort, and diligence. You need to begin by keeping your children educated regarding safe practices when communicating online whether via email or otherwise. But that is only the start. Even the most informed child is prone to making the wrong choices just from a lack of life experience and from innocence to the intentions of others. Children simply feel that they are invincible and no amount of warning will change that.

It's not that you want to instill a fear of the internet or of people into your children, but a serious level of caution is highly recommended. To backup this sense, it is advised that you always supervise the online activities of your children. It is something that should be taken very seriously, and at least until your child has reached into their teenage years, it is appropriate for you to limit the amount of time that your child is allowed online and that you should oversee any of his or her activities while there.

You will also likely want to invest in a parental guarding program to install into your computer that will block out sites that have a certain rating, and will let you have greater control over where your children can and cannot go on the world wide web, and will give you an accurate history of where they have gone and what they have done there.

Be sure that your child is well aware that he or she should never share any of his or her private and contact information with anyone or any site online unless you give your specific permission. You may want to look into any email addresses with which your child wishes to communicate, using a free email search. This lets you enter the address into a lookup field so that you can find out what other data has been registered to it such as a name and address or a company's info. This will help you to make your decision as to whether or not it is safe to use.

Online Personal Investigation

2008-12-25T06:24:00.000-08:00

If you have lost touch with old classmates or work colleagues, you may want to know how to contact them. Maybe you have to search through the phone book and found that many people with the same last name and initials as your friend. Maybe they have been married, you no longer know their names. If this is the case, then you may be pleased to know that you can search online and do a little bit of personal investigation.

Hiring a private detective appears to be a bit serious, all you want to do is find an old friend or companion. You just want to know their name and address please? You do not really want to further their personal life and to find information, will prove uncomfortable, such as criminal records or bankruptcy cases. If you want to find a little information about someone, then hiring a private detective is possible not the best option for you. However, if the person has assumed a new identity, either in a criminal sense or maybe as witness protection, then your investigations may have to delve slightly further. Either way, you do not need to resort to a private detective. Online personal investigation, with a little bit of thought and a little bit of time, will prove effective and cheaper than hiring someone.

At one time, you can only find this kind of personal information you are looking under professional help. However, in today's society, new technology is the future of the daily life. Doing this things are becoming a thing easier, cheaper way. You still have to pay for information finally, but certainly less than to pay someone to do your work. Fortunately, these sites allow you to carry out your own personal on-line survey, that is, you can choose according to your own contributions to the general plan If a site is too expensive, to find another one. If a site does not provide you with enough information, you are looking for, then move on and look forward to another. It will take time to find the best sites, but there is for your needs, but also your budget. All things take time, this is no exception.

How to Stop Data Leaks

2008-12-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about the Internets is that it provides universal connectivity between your desktop and the world. But that is also a tremendous weakness and security professionals often lose sleep over how easy it is for a rogue employee to email a friend - or even his private Webmail account - their entire customer list or other confidential information. There have been a number of products to try to track or block leaking data, and this week I was testing one of them called TrueDLP from Code Green Networks. The idea is fairly simple: you install their appliance on your network, point out your most sensitive data, and then it watches over your packets and sees what is leaving the premises. It doesn't take that long to setup and install, once you figure out what it is doing and what you are doing.

The tricky part is figuring out exactly what is your most sensitive data, and being able to focus in on it in a way that the product can identify. It comes with dozens of various templates to be able to recognize social security numbers, or names and addresses, or stock symbols, or other kinds of well-formatted data. But the real plus is being able to handle unformatted data, such as a memo about a customer's preferences that is just a Word document, for example. Code Green can connect to a SQL database and directly handle the query syntax to select particular data types, and it can also connect via WebDAV to Sharepoint servers or other document repositories too. Once you find your data, you create protection policies and tell the appliance what to do - whether to just log the violation or actually block the activity.

You also need to make sure that you are matching everything properly, because the last thing you want to have on your hands is a series of false positives that you have to chase down. You can also set up fancier things, such as automatically requiring emails between two places (such as your office and a partner) to go out encrypted. Speaking of encryption, they work with the Blue Coat Web proxies so that even if someone is using SSL connections to talk to their Webmail accounts they can take those packets apart and see what someone is doing. That is pretty spooky, but hey, you have been warned!

There are other things that the product does, such as being able to detect content on removable USB thumb drives, or even block their usage entirely. This is the way of the world: as these drives get beyond 64 GB (yes, gigabytes), they are more of a threat for someone to just literally take an entire database out the door in their pocket. I recently ran up against this when I was in my bank trying to provide documentation for a loan. I had brought a CD, a USB thumb drive, and had saved the documents on my Google account just for good measure. Because of the bank's endpoint security lockdown policies, I was 0 for 3 and had to send them the old fashioned way, by making paper copies, once I got home. At least it was nice to know that they had protected their employee's PCs.

The interesting thing is what happens after customers get their hands on this Code Green product. Lawsuits typically ensue, so to speak, because often the network administrator finds someone is doing something that they aren't supposed to be doing. One of the product managers I was working with told me that this usually happens within the first week of the product being put into production. Given that the basic price of the product is ten grand, I figure that is as close to instant ROI as you are going to get these days, considering the cost of most litigation.

So take a gander over at http://www.WebInformant.tv and watch the four-minute video of the Code Green appliance. It is a very innovative way to detect and prevent data leaks and well worth a closer look.

David Strom is a noted speaker, author, podcaster and consultant who has written two books and thousands of magazine articles for dozens of IT publications such as Computerworld, eWeek, Baseline Magazine, Information Week and Information Security magazine. His blog can be found at http://strominator.com - and he can be reached at david@strom.com

Are We Still Behind the Hackers?

2008-11-22T04:58:00.000-08:00

The recent developments regarding the Large Hadron Collider - a machine built to try and figure out how the Big Bang happened - were overshadowed not long after the experiment started by news that hackers had managed to access one of the computers being used for the experiment to register their distaste at what was going on.

While the experiment itself was unharmed the general public cannot now find out what is going on because the website related to it has been hacked and cannot be accessed.

So in answer to the question posed by the title of this piece, the answer would appear to be that we are still some way behind them.

Hackers act on all kinds of motives, and one of the reasons why they have so many opportunities to hack into websites is that some people think they are only at risk if their site takes payment information from others. That simply isn't the case, because some hackers do what they do simply to compromise internet security, or to make a point of how easy it can be to hack into a facility. There are numerous examples of hackers managing to get past the defences of government websites and those relating to parts of the law, so there is clearly no single reason why websites are continuing to be hacked into and exposed as being insecure as a result.

But there are services out there that use ethical hacking to expose and plug weaknesses in websites, and it is these services that should be used more and more if we are to keep on top of the hackers, rather than it being the other way around.

After all, wouldn't you rather pay the money to get an ethical hacker to try and break through your defences so they can remedy any problems you may have, than wait for someone who isn't so ethical to do it for you? In the latter case you won't get any help to make sure no one else gets through - all you will get is hassle and the problems they leave behind.

Just as people are coming up with new ways to break through systems, so the ethical hacking companies are developing ways to combat them, and if you want your business to be as secure as it can possibly be then you owe it to yourself, your staff and your clients to pay for the best knowledge out there today.

So in reality, it is perfectly true that a lot of companies are still behind the hackers and are running the risk of being hacked into and subjected to a lot of damage every single day. It is those businesses who have essentially invested the money in their future that will remain as secure as it is possible to be, as they have hired the best computer security company they can afford to make sure they are fully protected both now and in the future.

And why try and keep up with all the developments yourself when you can hire the professionals to do it for you?

Pure Hacking helps protect your Internet security by providing world-class penetration testing and ethical hacking risk management services. For a free consultation, please visit Penetration Testing.

Security on the Internet - KeePass For Your Computer

2008-11-13T04:13:00.001-08:00

Hectic schedules and fast-paced lives mean that more and more people are taking advantage of doing their business over the Internet. Everything from paying bills to running online businesses can be done at a person's leisure, when they are ready to get onto their computer. Along with so many trying to make use of the convenience of doing business online are those who want to take advantage of the system.

Computer hackers have been around just as long as the Internet. As soon as more technological advances in computer security are made, there are people who are trying to break through those measures. The one thing that usually keeps the bad guys from getting into a personal account is a password.

There are a lot of people who may use the same pass word for just about every account they have. Though this makes it easier to remember of course, think about what may happen if one of these hackers gets a hold of the "master pass word." Everything from work and bank accounts to social sites can be gotten into, and that type of damage can be almost impossible to control. Once your personal information has been tainted on the web, it can be past difficult to repair.

One solution to that type of problem is to use a different, creative password for every single account or login that a person uses. Most folks would think that is a crazy idea to try to remember a different password for every account, but there is a way to organize and protect personal information like this. That is where a password manager program comes in.

Out of the different password programs that are available, the public open source type would be more secure. One of these that come highly recommended is KeePass which is downloadable from their web site at www.keepass.info. The way that KeePass and other programs like it work is by holding all of the various passwords that a person uses in one database that can be unlocked by one "key" password.

Part of the reason why the KeePass program is a popular choice is because there is no installation required. It is a portable program that can actually be carried on a person via a USB stick. Another major consideration for using this particular program is that it is totally Windows compatible.

Since security is the major draw for using the program, it is good to know that not only the list itself is securely encrypted, but the whole working database is as well. Options of how to access this information is important as well. KeePass gives a couple different options such as burning the "master key" file onto a disc to use for accessing the information. Or, a person can elect to open it with just one main password. For anyone who is interested in very high security, both of these access points can be combined.

Anyone doing serious business over the Internet needs to be able to protect themselves. Being able to manage passwords is a crucial part of this protection. One last bonus of the KeePass program is that it can generate passwords at random. This can be helpful to come up with new passwords for all of a person's logins.

Andrew Green is part of the team behind A-Z Proxies, an attempt to list from A to Z all web proxies. Andy has been actively working in the web proxy field since 2005 and has built up a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

Challenges of Internet Security

2008-10-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

Have you had your share of challenges of internet security? It has gotten so that NO ONE is safe from virus attacks! Even the head honcho, Microsoft, has been hit a few times!

It wasn't long ago when the only way you could get a virus was if someone gave you a copy of a program or application on a floppy disk and that is what was infected. And because of the slow spread of physically handing disks around and the fact that most people who used computers were adept in how to use them, viruses were quite easily quarantined and eradicated. People knew about the viruses that were out there and made sure that they scanned each disk before they opened any files or activated any programs.

Now-a-days though, it seems that very few people in comparison have this knowledge and most are very impatient. They just want to put the disk in the computer and run it without doing any security checks. Even when they download things off the internet, they should by rights do a scan for viruses, trojans or any other nasties BEFORE starting up or opening the download. Even if it is just a picture!

Viruses now can infiltrate your computer as easily as just visiting a website and can be passed through the entire internet via the addresses in your address book without you even knowing about it!

As technology advances, the challenges of internet security increase. New types of viruses can now pass from computers to mobile devices, making this an ever increasing threat. Also with more and more people using their computers for online shopping and online banking, there is an even greater threat of personal information being compromised.

Protecting Your Computer

Lucky for us, Antivirus software has kept pace with the virus threats being released daily. Antivirus software has become an essential component to the challenges of internet security and your piece of mind. A good antivirus software package is designed to protect you against viruses that can access your computer through email, web browsers, file servers and copied disks. Also, these new antivirus are updatable and are centralized to aid in configuration and manual or automatic scanning any time you want or need.

A computer user should remain diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the threat of a virus:

1. Evaluate your current computer security system.

Because of the way that new viruses have been programmed to attack your computer, it has become necessary that we fight back with more than just one way of protection. Our antivirus must have more than one way of stopping these viruses from slipping past our defenses. Your antivirus should have some or all of the following:

antivirus,
firewall,
content filtering,
and intrusion detection

2. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known company.

Due to the fact that there are constantly new viruses being released to raise havoc on the internet, you want to make sure that you have an antivirus from a company that has been around for a while. You need to have the ability for your antivirus to update regularly and if you get one from a new company or a company that is not that well known, then you risk that when you need to get that update, they might not be there!

3. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they come from.

4. When opening Word, Excel or binary documents from unknown sources, be careful! Scan them before opening!

5. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.

Following these 5 simple steps are a start to making your computer a safer place for your information.

Your computer is not a safe place to keep your valuable information unless you find out more at Antivirus Software Review. Don't wait until it is too late!

Essential Tips For Secure Online Trading

2008-10-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

The internet has caused a sensational boom in the business world by allowing individuals and businesses to conduct online trading with customers all over the world. The most exciting aspect of doing online trading is that it can be done from the comfort of your home. Unfortunately, just as in real life, unscrupulous minds have soured the fun for everyone by engaging in the criminal activities of internet fraud and theft of sensitive financial information of customers. Doing online business seems like a daunting prospect to the uninitiated who has little or no knowledge of the basics of secure trading. However, things are not as grim as they might seem. It is very easy to protect ourselves from internet fraud by taking care to follow certain precautions when doing business online. One of the first things to do before going ahead with a trade deal on the internet is to perform a background search on the business you will be dealing with. Such information can be gleaned from the various credit agencies and trade institutes. If still in doubt, you can also seek out information from the chambers of commerce.

It's always an excellent idea to ask as many questions as possible. Legitimate traders will be quite eager to answer all your queries pertaining to their business and will even provide references on demand. Since appearances can be very deceptive, don't be fooled by a really attractive website into believing that the company is honest. Be especially wary if the company provides only a fax number and an email with no further contact information. Although scammers are found everywhere, be especially suspicious of companies based in third world countries. Promises that seem too good to be true are usually a sign that the company is very interested in getting their hands on your money. Only go through with the deal after carefully verifying such a company's authenticity from third parties. Scammers usually try to entice buyers by posting items in great demand at ridiculously low prices.

Buyers should request a sample to judge the quality of the product and ensure that it meets their needs. Sellers shouldn't send samples to unknown buyers without asking for a small fee. If a buyer requests to complete the transaction using multiple credit card numbers, it's usually a sure sign that the numbers are stolen. If you suspect that you have become a victim of fraud, try contacting your trading partner through telephone to resolve the situation. Most traders are honest and may inadvertently have given you the wrong information due to language and cultural differences. Beware of traders who want to rush the trade. Legitimate traders are usually very patient and can wait a long time before the deal is finalized. You can use this time to verify the true identity of the trader and ask around to see if anyone has had bad experiences in dealing with this particular trader. If you get defrauded even after following all the aforementioned tips of secure trading, it is best to notify the relevant law enforcement authorities and hope that justice is served.

Liam Derbyshire is the founder of http://www.miraclesformen.com.The site is dedicated to helping individuals to improve their health and fitness. This site is based on Secure Trading.

Internet Banking Security Now More Enhanced

2008-09-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

Guarantees against online fraud are what most consumers look for in internet banking services. As money is a major consideration here, they just want the best protection for their savings and investments. Regardless of whether they're banking in a brick and mortar institution that has gone online or an online-only bank, consumers demand security.

Banks are working hard to convince customers to try internet banking. Security features of internet banking services are now more advanced giving customers every reason to bank through the internet for added convenience and a lot more benefits. With the ever improving internet technology, anybody today can perform all sorts of financial transactions online in the comforts of their home or office. Apart from the security and convenience, internet banking is also cost effective with less or sometimes no fees at all.

Research experts say that while some consumers see no benefit in eliminating paper when doing transactions, going paperless is actually protection in itself. As an example, a bank's website can now allow you to view your bills and statements online in an instant instead of waiting for several weeks. This means that there's no chance that your credit card and telephone statements will be taken from your mailbox or your trash can.

The encryption technology is the most commonly used to secure websites. As data pass through shared systems or networks wherein a large number of people have access to the information, this tool plays a vital role. It is in this light then that confidential information notably passwords needs to be encrypted to prevent them from leaking to other people and from being changed. The use of a digital signature is another security technique that also involves encryption.

While encryption remains to be used, several large banks now use the latest web-based security system known as SiteKey. The tool uses a new kind of authentication process with the main goal of avoiding phishing, an online fraudulent activity. However, only a few are using this technique because of the system's weaknesses.

The use of usernames and passwords as well as personal identification numbers or PINs is among the standard security features provided by most banks. It is, therefore, highly recommended that the confidential information should not be shared with anyone to avoid the so-called identity theft.

Email alert is another safeguard that banks use. With this feature, customers are alerted via email or text message whenever suspicious transactions occur on their account such as withdrawal of large sums, when they get emails from phishers or when someone attempts to access an account with an incorrect password.

Many major banks also provide scanned images of canceled checks. The check's image not only shows the front side but the back side as well. This will help a customer in verifying the check number, amount and the payee in case he or she forgets the information.

Banks are committed to providing their clients with the best online security in an effort to protect their hard-earned money. It is not surprising then that internet banking customers are now growing in number.

Learn more about Internet Banking Security by visiting http://www.webinternetbanking.com/internetbankingsecurity.html

Protect Yourself From Cyber Criminals

2008-09-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Don't you like to protect your money and keep your private information safe? Are you frightened by the possibility an Internet criminal will steal your credit card and do things with your name after stealing your identity? Guess what! You can prevent this mess from happening. Let's go over the steps you can take to prevent identify theft and loss of your money while you are online.

Take precaution with storing information and passwords on any computer you use. You might be thinking, "I am the only one who uses my computer; therefore, I can store the password I use to log into my computer and any accounts I have with different websites." If you believe this and act accordingly, you could be in trouble. Someone might rob you of your laptop or break into your home and steal your computer. Furthermore, you will probably have to recycle or throw away your computer eventually.

Choose passwords wisely. Do not choose a password that has any part of your name or other information that identifies you. Choose an unusual password or a password you think others will have trouble guessing. If you open an online banking account or PayPal account, create a password that contains numbers and capital letters. Never reveal your passwords.

Be careful when reading E-mail messages from PayPal. The real PayPal site only addresses you by your name and it does not provide links for you to click or ask for your password. If you get a "PayPal" or "eBay" message saying you must verify your account to avoid suspension, ignore it. If you are ever tempted to respond, it is safer to copy and paste the link into your browser. If you ever believe an account of yours has been breached, immediately change your password and report the breach to the site holding your account.

Ignore E-mail messages in which you are asked to submit a form to claim a tax refund. The IRS does not actually contact people online unless they are returning a message.

Ignore messages from Microsoft and others that try to get your personal or financial information by claiming you have won the lottery or that you are a beneficiary of a huge sum of money. Also ignore messages in which each letter for the sender or subject line is capitalized.

Take precaution when sending messages online. A cyber criminal gained access to my debit card after I revealed my new debit card number on a web site's contact message form as a result of not being able to get their system to recognize my new debit card.

Handle your social security number with care. Do not provide it when you use a web site or submit a cover letter, resume or other form of communication online.

Be careful when making online purchases. Make sure the site has a padlock symbol that represents a secure purchase. An https site is highly encrypted to prevent others from seeing your credit card.

Use these tips to prevent identify theft and loss of your money!

Todd Hicks owns Skill Development Institute, an enterprise that provides a keyboard typing lesson and academic study guide. To become a great typist or student, visit Skill Development Institute.

http://sdinst.blogspot.com

Dealing With Distributed Denial of Service Attacks

2008-09-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Distributed denial of service attacks are frustrating -- they're frustrating for the company under attack, and frustrating for the web host. They can also be costly in terms of business and goodwill lost. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with them, if you are willing to prepare for the possibility of a DDoS before it happens. You may not have seen them very much in the news recently, but distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) have not gone away. If anything, these attacks - or at least their potential - have become scarier over time as malicious hackers have worked on improving their methods. The increase in home-based broadband Internet connections, for example, means that hackers can now more easily infect a larger number of machines with fast, powerful connections to the Internet and make them do their bidding. Let's back up a second and define what we mean by a distributed denial of service attack. A DDoS attack is an attempt to disrupt the service of a computer network and/or company website by overwhelming the processing capacity of the system or by flooding the bandwidth of the business. It is a blatant attempt to consume the system's resources, to the point that genuine, legitimate users (i.e. website visitors) are denied access. Hackers engage in DDoS attacks via a two-step process. First, they infect computers with viruses and Trojans that allow them to control the machines remotely. They will then use these computers, known as "zombies," to overwhelm other systems. These zombie networks can become quite large. In October 2005, Dutch police arrested three people who'd created a zombie network comprising at least 100,000 computers. Some reports estimate the network was more like 1.5 million machines strong. The three who had created the network were using it to extort money from U.S. companies. It must have worked something like a high-tech version of the classic cliché of the mob protection racket: "Nice company website you have there. Be a shame if it crashed and all your customers couldn't get through." Since many commercial websites now rely on a constant Internet presence, this threat carries a real bite behind it. And with that many machines at a hacker's command, even a hardened company such as Microsoft is not immune to a DDoS attack. It's just the thing for the technology wizard with "different" morals who wants to make some money or a political statement. Dealing with the problems raised by DDoS attacks often requires lots of communication between the company being victimized and the ISP. If you're hosting a website that is under attack, that's you; if you're a web hosting reseller, you're still that company's line of communication to the folks who are handling the servers. Needless to say, it helps to know what you're up against.

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Which Internet Providers Are Watching You Surf the Internet?

2008-09-04T23:36:00.000-07:00

It's one of the first rules of Internet 101: visiting questionable websites leads to viruses, which entices hackers to access your hard drive and monitor your every click. But can someone still be monitoring your web activity even if you're extra careful when selecting online destinations? The answer may just depend on which Internet provider you use.

A few months ago, The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent out an open letter to 33 companies inquiring about their online targeting practices, or in other words, the extent to which the web activity of their customers is being monitored.

The letter was sent amidst reports that several Internet service providers, including Charter Communications, were planning to sell the web-surfing data of their customers to an online advertising company called NebuAd. (Source: nytimes.com)

The responses to the letter showed that most ISPs, including Comcast, Verizon and AOL, never monitor the web activity of their customers. Some, however, do have targeting systems in place to monitor the online behavior of their customers when logged on to their own web sites.

AT&T was the only company to give "careful consideration" to monitoring the web activity of their customers on ALL web sites.

Although it seems like a dirty trick to pull on their customers, AT&T promise that their approach will not be so deceptive. The company is promoting an "opt-in" approach to web tracking, which will require customers to affirmatively agree to have their surfing monitored. (Source: arcane.org)

In the past, most companies favored an "opt-out" approach to web tracking, which required customers to decline being monitored. Those who failed to refuse monitoring were assumed to be compliant with the system.

Most people agree that the best thing AT&T can do in this situation is to leave the Internet experience to their customer's eyes only.

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Zombie Networks (aka Botnets) - A Serious Little-Known Threat

2008-08-26T06:25:00.001-07:00

What is a zombie computer?
A zombie computer, also known as a bot, is a computer that has been infected by a malware, often a trojan, allowing an attacker to take control of the compromised PC and use it to serve malicious purposes like sending spam, hosting illegal websites or launching DDoS attacks.

DDoS what?
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks are launched with the aim of crashing a server by flooding it with packets of data. DDoS attacks are effective and dangerous because the traffic can rise from hundreds of thousands of zombies; users are not even aware that they participate at an attack. Imagine your server being bombarded by so much zombies!

Those who are not worried should reconsider their position: an expert estimated that zombie networks count between one million and two million infected machines! And, each day, this number increases dramatically! Yours could really be in!

Another side effect of zombie networks: SPAM!
Who never received spam in their email box? Did you ever wonder why spammers almost never get arrested? Reasons are numerous; however, remember that they often use stolen resources, such as zombie computers, or get protected by corrupt Internet service providers (ISPs) in some foreign countries. That, and many other tricks to obfuscate their traces, makes it a challenge to catch them.

My personal privacy could be at risk?
In fact, not really. Contrary to popular myth, most of attackers are not interested in your latest secret trip with your boyfriend; what they want is your Internet bandwidth and sensitive data like your passwords to commit their crimes!

Maybe you ask yourself: "I have no important accounts and I don't care about my bandwidth being stolen. So, what's the deal?"

Hypocrite and selfish question: on the Internet, what you do affect everyone. And, as you can see, botnets are a major danger poisoning the entire network. Will you let a complete stranger "borrow" your car for a hold-up? No. Same goes for your computer.

My computer is fine; it's not slow at all!
Attackers do not want you to know that your machine fell under their control. Yet, if you are severely infected, you can notice symptoms like unwanted pop-ups, hijacking of your browser, slow-downs, etc.

In all cases, be sure to scan your computer every week with an anti-virus and an anti-spyware. Do not forget a firewall or you will be infected in less than 30 minutes.

It is possible to avoid being infected?
Sure thing! Spend a bit of time to learn how to use a computer; scan emails, web pages, downloads and your hard drive for nasty stuff; resist the temptation to revise your human anatomy on doubtful sites; think before clicking and you should be in business!

If you do not put the effort, you will get infected each time.

Webmaster of DesinfectPC: http://desinfectpc.com
Loves computers, writing and politic.

Free Spyware Removal - Don't Believe the Hype!

2008-08-15T01:58:00.000-07:00

Are free spyware removal tools really effective? Do they keep your computer clean and protect you from the constant threat of spyware and adware all of us as Internet users face?

Unfortunately, and contrary to what most people believe - the answer is absolutely not.

Industry experts estimate that over 90% of all Internet users will get infected with spyware while online. Given that fact, it is becoming extremely important that we properly protect ourselves and unfortunately, the reality about free spyware removal tools is that they are not nearly as effective as software that might cost you a mere $30 to download.

Most Internet users unfortunately do not understand the difference between free spyware removal tools and the tools that are not free because if they did, they wouldn't think twice about getting their hands on paid software versus thinking they get enough protection from the freebies. The reason I say this is because there is a very large difference between the scanning methods that free and paid spyware removal tools use.

Free spyware remover tools depend on observing the history of your computer's operating system and registry to find spyware infections. In other words, it scans common locations where spyware installs itself and then examines the files and entries to conclude if any changes have taken place and then analyzes those findings to determine if an infection is present.

The issue with this type of detection is twofold. First, the software often reports false positives - which means that it can report authentic files and registry entries as spyware and in some cases if these files are removed this can cause even more damage to your computer and can even make it unusable.

The second problem is that free spyware removal tools neglect to detect a fairly large number of spyware infections, including much of the newest spyware that has been written primarily because of the ever changing nature of programming and hackers exploiting more and more security glitches in software and applications. This results in many of the most dangerous spyware ignored and left running on your computer. With paid spyware removal tools, you rarely see this at all because the method in which they detect and remove spyware is very different.

Most paid spyware removers are more effective than the free tools because they depend on a database of known spyware programs when scanning your computer. In other words, instead of simply looking for changes in files, the software will compare each file scanned against a database to determine if it is a legitimate file or if it is spyware. This is important because it minimizes the amount of false positives but even more importantly, it significantly increases the accuracy of spyware detected and removed which means a greater level of protection for users.

Another important factor to consider is that paid spyware removal tools reinvest much of the money they take in from sales back into research and development of their spyware database and many of the top vendors update their databases at least a couple of times per week and allow you to download those updates for free so you are always current in being protected from even the newest of spyware programs.

So the next time you have a spyware infection, and you undoubtedly will, you'll want to think about whether it is worth the $30 price tag to get a proven and effective spyware removal tool or just use the free tools. If you choose the second option, be prepared to fight an infinite spyware battle where you'll always be fighting pop-ups, always suffering from a slow computer, and constantly putting yourself at a higher risk for identity theft.

From my perspective, the choice is a no-brainer.

Paul McDonald is a Computer Professional that specializes in teaching people about spyware. Visit his info packed website today, the Best Spyware Removers to get a no holds barred review of the absolute best spyware removers available and download your free report "PC Protection :Keeping Your Computer Clean and Your Identity Safe"

Don't forget to get your free copy of his report "PC Protection" by submitting your email when visiting his site.

The Importance of Encryption Over Public Networks

2008-08-07T04:42:00.000-07:00

Public Wi-Fi networks are everywhere today. The nearest hot-spot in your city is probably only a block away. With so many employees on the road and working out of the office today, IT departments are finding the need to provide external access to network resources. The need to stay productive while out of the office is crucial.

Anytime an end-user is accessing corporate data on a public network, security is a big concern. You never know when your confidential data may be compromised. If your company provides access to data from outside of the corporate environment, you must make sure that you take the necessary steps to ensure that data is secure.

When on a public network, any data that is sent to and from an end-user's laptop is generally visible to anyone else that is on that same public Wi-Fi network. What this means is that those traffic streams are open to what is called a man-in-the-middle attack. A man-in-the-middle attack utilizes a natural security flaw in the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). The flaw allows an attacker to secretly respond to an ARP request of a computer initiating a connection with another node. The attacker then makes private independent connections with the two nodes. Once this is done then all traffic is relayed through the attackers computer and the end-user will be unaware that this has occurred. If this attack is done between a laptop and an internet gateway, then that attack is able to sniff every packet that the end-user sends out to the internet, including confidential corporate data.

So how do you protect your private data from attacks like these? Encryption is one of your biggest defenses. However you decide to provide access to network resources to employees on the road, whether it be via a VPN or a web portal, encryption is a must. If your company uses VPN software to provide access to the network from outside it, then once the VPN tunnel is negotiated all traffic that is passed between the laptop and the corporate network is encrypted. This means that even if the attacker were to sniff out those packets sent, they will be encrypted and the attacker will find it nearly impossible to gain access to that data without knowing the key used to encrypt it.

If your company uses a secure web portal to provide access to network resources, then there are a few things that should be known. First off, most web portals that are secured using the HTTPS protocol use certificates to authenticate the encryption process. If the attacker is using the right tools, he or she can send a spoof certificate to the end-user. If the end-user accepts this certificate, then they will be opening secure communications with the attacker. The attacker then sends the real certificate request on to the corporate web server and opens secure communication with the web server. Once this is done, then the attacker is able to see all traffic that the end-user sends before it is encrypted and sent on to the corporate web server. To prevent this, it is important that you use certificates that are generated from trusted sources such as Verisign or Geotrust. Then if the end-user receives a certificate that is from an untrusted source, the end-user will be alerted to this.

It goes without saying that any end-user that is going to be accessing corporate data from outside the internal network should be trained on basic security. With the proper security infrastructure in place and users trained, then the IT staff should be able to rest easy knowing that corporate data is safe.

Aaron Guhl is an IT professional that specializes in security. He frequently writes on his blog regarding security issues to help IT professionals get a better understanding of security in their networks. Visit his website at: Security Enabled Network

Poke the Spying Eye - Sanctions Against Spyware

2008-08-01T05:23:00.000-07:00

Spyware is one of the biggest problems to ever infest he lives of Internet users in addition to viruses and trojans. And there have been many concerted efforts from many sectors to control and inhibit the effect of this phenomenon that violates user privacy and impairs the surfing experience of thousands of people worldwide.

In criminal law, unauthorized access to a person's computer is illegal under computer crime laws. Since many owners would justifiably claim that they never authorized the installation of spyware, a prima facie of this would suggest that the promulgation of spyware is a criminal act. Law enforcement has gone after many malware developers, especially for viruses but spyware producers are rarely prosecuted. Some lawsuits have been served though. Some US States including Iowa and Washington have passed laws rendering some forms of spyware illegal. And in 2005, United States lawmakers introduced the Internet Spyware Prevention Act, meant to imprison the creators of spyware.

Eliot Spitzer, the former New York state Attorney General and Governor has pursued spyware companies in the past for fraudulent installation of software. The California firm Intermix Media Inc. ended up settling with a payment of US$7.5 million and a promise to never spread spyware again. The hijacking of Web advertisements has also led to a litigation with a big number of web publishers suing Claria for replacing advertisements. A settlement was reached outside of court.

With all these measures in place, it's ironically still not easy to keep your computer free of spyware.

If you'd like to know more about getting rid of the threat known as spyware and other kinds of menaces in your life, be sure to visit: http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/computer-problems/how-to-get-rid-of-spyware

Things You Should Know About Spyware

2008-07-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

Most people who have spyware on their computers and laptops do not even realize it. The spyware lurks in the background doing it deeds within the shadows of their computer's hard drives.

Sadly, most are unaware of what spyware can do, the types of damage it can potentially cause and measures that can be taken to protect yourself from these annoying programs. This article will offer answers that will clarify what spyware is and tips you can use to protect yourself from spyware in the future.

What Exactly Is Spyware?

Spyware are computer programs that exist on your computer's hard drive. They come in a variety of types and flavors. Some spyware simply lurk in the shadows of your hard drive, watching your browser and taking notes of which websites you visit.

Often, it then communicates what it finds to other parties by using your internet access. Other spyware watch and take note of your keystrokes whenever you visit a financial services website.

Knowing as "keyloggers," this type of spyware then sends your sensitive financial information (including your username and passwords) to other parties across the internet.

How Does Spyware Get Installed?

Most often, spyware is downloaded through the internet. Sometimes, the download occurs when a user knowingly downloads another piece of software and the spyware is attached and enjoys a "free ride" on the user's hard drive. Other times, spyware can be downloaded by visiting websites.

Known as "drive by's," these downloads happen automatically without the user's permission once a user has simply visited a particular website.

Is Spyware Dangerous?

While not all spyware is necessarily dangerous, it does represent a risk because of the damage it is capable of doing. For example, the spyware that watches your keystrokes when you visit financial websites and then communicates this data to other unknown parties exposes you and your financial livelihood to risk.

These other parties can then potentially access your bank, investment and loan accounts online without your knowledge or permission, wreaking havoc. Other types of spyware can actually gain control of your computer and distribute that control to other parties. As a result, unknown parties can potentially gain access to any sensitive data on your hard drive.

How Can Your Protect Your Computer From Spyware?

The most effective way to protect you and your computer from spyware is to use a computer program that is designed specifically to identify and get rid of such bugs. Such programs include the well-regarded Spybot - Search and Destroy software. These types of programs are increasingly helpful as spyware creators become more savvy.

Some spyware tries to mask or disguise its presence on your hard drive by appearing as an anti-spyware program. That can make them difficult to identify and remove. Fortunately, dedicated programs like Spybot are constantly updated with the latest version of spyware that are being circulated. This allows it to keep up with new spyware, helping it to easily identify and remove them.

If you have never scanned your system, there is a good chance that you have a spyware program lurking on your hard drive. It could be relatively benign, content to simply exist.

Or, it could be maliciously communicating your sensitive data to outside parties. Use a dedicated spyware removal program such as Spybot - Search and Destroy to get rid of these bugs before they cause any significant damage.

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Know Everything About Information Security

2008-07-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

Information Security means to give protection to the confidential materials of any organization and to restrict the availability of all information, be it the electronic, print or other types.

Everyone will agree to the fact that information assets are critical to any business and paramount to the survival of any organization in today's global market. As there has been a rise in the cyber crimes, such as hacking, data thefts, data losses and virus attacks in the networking and software related jobs, the need of information security is growing by leaps and bounds.

Components of Information Security

Typically information security comprises of five components, such as:

1. Confidentiality

Information security ensures that information is shared only among authorized persons, within or outside the organization. Breaches of confidentiality happen due to improper handling of data through printing, copying, e-mailing or creating documents, etc.

2. Integrity

With proper information security, there is also the assurance of the information being authentic and complete. The term 'integrity' is regarded as the indicators of information security or lack of it. The integrity of data is not just restricted towards the correctness of data but it also verifies whether the data can be trusted and relied upon.

3. Availability

In information security, the person in charge of it makes sure that the systems can be accessed by authorized people whenever needed. It helps in delivering, storing and processing data in a responsible manner.

4. Accountability

Since there are different departments in an organization, confidential information needs to be protected and secured with utmost care. Most organizations build a culture of confidence in their employees, and all employees, particularly in senior and responsible positions understand that internal information and data is not to be shared or divulged to unauthorized persons. Some organizations also have specific departments where the people are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the assets and confidential data .

5. Audit-ability

This component of information security has got two parts. Firstly, any system must be able to backtrack as that one can determine the positioning of the system during any emergency. Secondly, with auditing it becomes sure that the systems have all the necessary documented requirements.

Role of Information Security in Indian IT market

Over the past few decades, the information technology industry has placed India amongst the fastest growing IT exporters IT-Enabled Services (ITES) providers in the world.

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Software and Services Company (NASSCOM), the Indian IT software and services sector showed a growth of 31.4 percent during 2005-06, and by 2010, it is believed that the IT and ITES sector will touch US$ 60 billion in exports. Looking at the phenomenal growth in IT jobs, the need of information security and network security experts is growing everyday in India.

According to market estimates, the IT Security market is worth $100 billion today and India itself is facing a shortage of over 1,88,000 security professionals. Recognizing the growing need for information security management, reputed IT training institutions are providing regular and distance learning courses in information security training and network security training

Mandira Kumar is working in a reputed IT firm in India. She is also an amateur writer and his write-ups mainly focus on the importance of information security training and network security training.

Trojan Vundo Virus Warning

2008-07-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

Trojan Vundo is a trojan that allows unwanted advertisements to be displayed on your computer. There are a few ways you can get infected with this, either by email attachment, downloading of this file that was disguised as something else you were looking for...then clicking on the program which is a .exe file. Basically, Trojan. Vundo is a component of an adware program that downloads and displays pop-up advertisements. It is known to be installed by visiting a Web site link contained in a spammed email.

The systems that are affected are Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP.

Symptons of Trojan Vundo can be seen when you turn on Internet Explorer and begin surfing the web. You'll notice that if you have tab browsing feature installed, pop up advertisements will begin opening up new tab browsers automatically.

This program may also download potentially malicious files on to the compromised computer, such as keyloggers that record down your passwords, credit card numbers etc, which will then invite a whole new set of other problems other then adware issues.

Once Trojan Vundo is installed on your computer, you may experience warning messages from Norton or AVG telling you that this trojan is present but unable to be deleted. Doing a scan and reboot also does not help. The best way to remove trojan vundo is to use a focused trojan remover software because there are many variants to this program which allows it to be removed only by an updated database of trojan vundo signatures.

Get the best spyware & trojan remover to permanently protect your PC at http://www.spywaretrojanremover.com

Information Security for E-businessmen: Just a Couple of Ideas

2008-07-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

If you constantly deal with bank or electronic accounts, it must be your worst nightmare--to wake up and learn that you are a bankrupt. Some crook stole your personal data and all the money you have been sweating blood for years has flown to somebody else's account. Almost everybody must have heard that such a tradegy is called identity theft and millions of people in the USA alone suffer the same every year. Poor consolation for its victims, isn't it?

Unfortunately, businessmen frequently are targets for identity thieves, especially online. Lots of articles on identity theft, "how-to-avoid" tips, and scary stories about the victims circulate through the Web and other media. The authors remind people again and again that they should be cautious when giving anybody their private info as well as care for their PCs' security. But in spite of all their effort identity theft is still the most rapidly growing crime.

Software developers are doing their best, too. They can't be of much help if somebody plainly looks over your shoulder and writes your credit card number down. It's for you to take care and never reveal your personal info to anybody who asks for it. What they can do is to create new solutions to the urgent problems like data stealing. Keylogging spyware--the very programs that make lots of such crime possible--are pretty much written about lately. These programs secretly monitor everything users do on their PCs.

Keyloggers are used--by themselves or as a part of a virus or a Trojan -- much more widely than PC users think; it is an open secret that the lion's share of identity theft that happens online is because of keylogging spyware. The losses caused by stealing PINs, logins, and other valuable data, are well comparable with the damage from viruses. Actually, if a virus or a Trojan contains a built-in key logger module (and it often does), the end user finds himself in a pretty tough situation. The problem is that most anti-keylogging programs warn users when it is too late. The data have already been captured and
sent. Why does it happen?

Almost all anti-spy software existing at the present moment works using the same scheme: spy program is detected and then blocked or eliminated. Detecting viruses or spy software is the crucial step of the whole process--all the protection depends on whether the anti-spy software is able to detect as many spies as possible. Signature bases which all these products depend on, is actually the "list" of signatures – small pieces of spy programs' codes. Anti-virus or anti-spy program actually scans the system and compares its codes with those in signature bases. So, in this case only the spies whose signatures already are in the base will be detected and eventually "caught". As long as anti-spy software is regularly updated and the system doesn't come across some unknown spyware product, everything is all right.

The problem is that lots of programs which could be used for stealing data are not included into signature bases right now. Some of them will never be.

There is good deal of people capable of creating something brand-new spy, unknown to anti-spyware developers. The period of time when a new spy already exists, but the updates have not been released yet, is the very time when hackers make their biggest profits.

Spy programs can be created for the specific purpose, such as industrial espionage, so they will never be represented in the base. Moreover, some monitoring programs can be used as spy programs as well, though they are not always included into signature bases. As we can see, a signature base is the weak spot of anti-spy protection; it is, so to speak, a joint in the armor. Information thieves also know about it.

Fortunately, software developers are constantly looking for new solutions. One of the new trends in anti-spyware developing is not to use signature bases as means of detecting spyware. There is three basic advantages in such an approach. First, the product gets rid of its the least reliable part; second, there is no so urgent need for updates anymore; and last, but certainly not least-–the product becomes capable of blocking the destructive activity of even unknown spyware. To read more about this new approach follow the link in the signature.

When products of such a kind become widespread, there would be much more problems for hackers in future. However, there is no guarantee that no innovative spy software appears in response.

Whether we like it or not, all malware "evolves" very quickly; new schemes are being developed, and new software which online criminals create and utilize becomes more and more malicious and "selective". New keyloggers as well as keylogger-containing viruses and Trojans, appear all the time; the losses these programs may cause to a business are enormous. That is why in some businesses there is an acute need for separate anti-keylogging protection.

Alexandra Gamanenko currently works at the Raytown Corporation, LLC -- an innovative software developing company company. visit its website at http://www.anti-keyloggers.com

Protecting the Privacy of Data During Computer Recycling

2008-06-17T02:27:00.000-07:00

Save precious data before equipment is recycled

It's important to save the precious data stored on computer hard drives before the equipment is recycled. Data should be completely removed from the hard drives before the equipment is sold or recycled.

All drives should be formatted (erased) in order to remove any data. All computers contain valuable private and financial data. Should this data fall into the wrong hands, it can have disastrous consequences for the owner. Identity theft is growing and to protect yourself, you should erase any data before giving the computer away or sending it to the recycler.

Methods to destroy data effectively

Wipe off any media before it's given away. One of the ways is to physically destroy the drive. This includes all the disk drives, zip drives, tapes etc and all other storage media. Physical destruction destroys the storage media and the data along with it. This means that the storage devices can't be exploited for unauthorized future use.

The second method is known as degaussing. This is where a magnetic device is used for removing the data from the hard disks. This method isn't 100% foolproof and sometimes the data (or some parts of the data) might not be removed or destroyed.

With recovery software readily available on the market, malicious people may recover parts of your data if it is not removed. This can be very damaging to the previous owner of the storage devices and the computers.

The third method is overwriting the data. There are many programs that can help to overwrite the data. Programs are readily available online. However, for the highest level of data security, ensure that you choose from a program that meets or exceeds the US Department of Defense standards for data destruction.

Obtain certifications from companies that recycle computers and electronic equipment

When approaching a recycler, ask about their policies about computer recycling and especially about their computer privacy program. The recycler should be able to provide written certification that the data on the storage media has been destroyed.

A certification detailing the removal method should also be provided. This ensures that your data has been protected. Computer owners should also take many precautions before they hand over the computer for recycling. The storage media should be completely overwritten to ensure that the data cannot be recovered.

Recyclers should be able to provide conclusive certification that all data was destroyed during computer recycling. When approaching an agency, there are a few questions that should be asked:

• The first question asked should pertain to the management policies that the recycling company adheres to. They should be able to provide conclusive evidence that their facility takes every-possible step to destroy any data remaining on computer storage media.

• Ask the recycler about the environmental management certification that his company has in place. There are various certification programs such as ISO 14001 Environmental management certification and certification by organizations such as International Association of Electronics Recyclers (IAER) or the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).

• If the recycler isn't certified, then it's important to ask whether they follow any recognized environmental management guidelines such as the EPA's Plug-in to E-Cycling Guidelines.
Conclusion

Thee questions above should give you insight into the operations of any company that does computer recycling.

Saman Rashid is an experienced writer.She has been writing articles and web copies since 3 years.To contact her, kindly visit http://www.mscopywriters.com

Gone Phishing

2008-06-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

If you have used email in the last few years you have without a doubt seen phishing attempts first hand. Maybe it was an email that appeared to be from PayPal asking you to confirm some information about your account to prevent immediate suspension. Or perhaps it was one of the infamous Fifth Third Bank emails asking you to confirm your account. Either way, I am sure you have seen your fair share of similar messages, I know I have.

In the last year the number of phishing sites plaguing our Internet has increased over 700 percent, now over 37,000 sites. Garner estimates over over 2.8 billion dollars lost to phishing attacks in 2006 alone. 3.5 million Americans lost an average of $800 last year in phishing scams.

Blacklisting is the most common defense against phishing threats. The practice of making a list of known phishing sites and blocking them by brute force. Although this strategy is very effective against known and documented phishing sites, it quickly becomes inadequate against the speed in which new phishing sites emerge.

The most effective defense against phishing scam has been around for many years. Avoid clicking links inside email, and when you do click a link inside an email, always try to hover the mouse over the link for a few moments until the hover tool tip shows up with the real link (if your mail client supports this). When surfing the web, use a strong anti-virus like Kaspersky and a good tool such as Site Advisor from McAfee. Although Kaspersky Anti-Virus is not free, McAfee Site Advisor is. Together they are a very effective defense against the ever increasing phishing threat. As always, try to type the website address you want to go to in the address bar directly instead of using links in your email.

Get a free copy of Kaspersky Internet Security

Christopher is an Information Security Consultant for Lexan Systems L.L.C. and founder of MX Police - Spam Blocker service. You are welcome to reproduce this article on Computer Security related web site, as long as you reproduce the article in full, including this resource box and links to our websites.

The Absolute Top 10 Security Tips You Need to Know

2008-05-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just a few simple things can keep all of that sensitive personal information on your laptop away from the prying eyes of others. It really does not take a lot of time or effort and failure to do so is just asking for trouble. Hoping that no one will ever try to access your data will not work, but with some security measures which can be implemented in a matter of minutes you can be far more secure.

1) Your first step should be to set up a firewall. Especially if you use your laptop on the road, doubly so in public WiFi hot spots, you need a firewall installed and running. These access points are not secure, so everyone has to take action to protect themselves.

2) Very important is to disable Ad-hoc mode on your Wi-Fi card. You should use only connections which you have set up using your own, or XP's built in tools. An instant network you've never heard of may very well be bad news. Definitely disable Ad-hoc mode before entering a hot spot, there may be networks present, most of which you do not want to access and you most certainly do not want accessing your computer.

3) Disabling all file and printer sharing when you are not in the home or office is an important security measure. You should get into this habit; otherwise when you're connected in a hot spot, you are leaving your laptop open to all users in the area. It only takes a few seconds to turn off file and printer sharing - you can turn it back on when you need it and this step will keep a lot of potential trouble from ever happening.

4) You can further protect personal information my making the folders which contain them private. This also takes only a moment and gives you an extra layer of security. Your information is still there of course, but is now far more difficult for others to look at.

5) Password protection is another good idea. You can even password protect individual files. There's plenty of software available which can take care of this task. The password can be the same for each file you want to password protect, or each can have a unique password. Again, this is a good security measure to undertake before connecting in a hot spot.

6) You should also take steps to ensure the security of your laptop at home. This entails a security cable to lock your laptop down to a strong, stable surface. Lock up your laptop whenever you are not using it - this will make it quite difficult for anyone to steal it, even if your home is burglarized.

7) Some newer laptops have hardware-level security measures built in, such as encryption. Your data becomes almost impossible for others to gain access to - all of your files are protected by a layer of encryption before any hacker can even get to the operating system. Laptops with this level of security include the newer models of ThinkPad and the Toshiba Protégé. These models also have fingerprint readers, which are stronger than passwords; of course, no one ever forgets their fingerprints.

8) Disable the Guest Account on your system. Windows 2000 and later systems disable this by default, but it is always a good idea to make sure that this account is indeed disabled. You can further protect yourself by assigning a password to this account and restrict it from logging on.

9) Rename your Administrator account. Now this will not necessarily stop a hacker, but will add an extra step. Some hackers may simply move on to an easier target. Don't rename the account to anything with "Admin" in the name, this is far too obvious. Choose a name that sounds less important.

10) You can also create a dummy Administrator account on your system. Give this account a difficult password and give that account no login privileges or access to anything. Enable auditing if you do this so that you can know if and when anyone tries to hack this account.

Bonus) Configure your computer's Crtl+Alt+Del behavior to prevent displaying the username of the last login. This will make things easier for hackers; they have an easier time with any password guessing attack this way.

Bonus) If you have an Infrared Port on your laptop, disable it. It is extremely likely that you need or even use this feature on your computer, but it can be used to access your files by other computers nearby. You can disable this port via the BIOS settings, or failing that, cover it up with a piece of electrical tape.

Bonus) If you are running Windows NT or later (2000, XP), use the far more secure NTFS file system instead of the older FAT32 file system. FAT file systems don't support file-level security, which is like putting out a welcome mat for hackers.

Making certain that your laptop is protected is critical; the reality is that important personal information can be stolen from any computer without precautions. Stealing the information from a laptop is much easier since the computer is moving around and can quickly create a huge disaster.

Best Rated Laptops Security Guide

Laptop security, everything you need to know to protect your property, personal data and identity.

http://www.best-rated-laptops-guide.com/laptop_security.html

Computer Security - How You Can Improve Yours

2008-05-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

The objective behind the concept of computer security actually varies quite a bit depending on the use of the computer. Computer security may include the protection of specific information from corruption or theft, for example. In general this can impose specific requirements on computers in addition to most standard system requirements. There are a number of different typical approaches that can be taken when it comes to improving computer security, including the following:

- Physically limiting the access to a computer so that computer security will not be compromised by those who are granted access to use it.

- Utilizing hardware mechanisms that can create and impose rules for specific computer programs, allowing computer security to be imposed without requiring individual programs to implement it.

- Implementing operating system or OS mechanisms that are capable of creating and imposing rules that avoid having to trust programs on the computer.

- Implementing programming strategies that allow subversion to be resisted and make computer programs more dependable.

In most cases, the security devices that are put into place are dependent upon the application uses the computer is created for. Different computer systems require different levels of security, as the level of privacy or protection needed is going to vary significantly. Computer systems under government control, for example, require a much higher level of security than computers used by students in a university setting. The level of required computer security, then, along with what forms of security are implemented, are going to vary significantly as well.

Implementing it may include creating or utilizing secure operating systems, though much of the science associated with this form of security was developed several decades ago. Security architecture is another option, and involves describing how specific security countermeasures and controls are positioned to protect the information technology. Firewalls are an example of security meant to protect computers from threats that travel via the internet or peer to peer connections. Chain of trust techniques are techniques that are used to ensure that all software on a computer is certified as authentic directly from the designers of the system. Access control is used to ensure the separation of privileges, ensuring that only specified people have the right capabilities on a computer system.

There are also cryptographic techniques which transform information into something that is meant to be indecipherable by anyone but approved persons. Information can also be secured for computer security purposes using backup files which allow important files to be protected by creating copies should they ever become corrupted or destroyed.

Essentially, the primary focus of the computer security field of information technology is to protect the integrity of computers, the data contained within them, and any information that may require restricted access. Some level of computer security is needed by anyone who owns a computer, including student computers in a university setting, computers owned and operated by the government, and even the laptop that you use to check your e-mail at night.

Craig Thornburrow is an acknowledged expert in his field. You can get more free advice on a computer security system and computer security product at http://www.computersecurityclinic.com

Haunting Computer Viruses!

2008-05-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

There are times these viruses pitch up in the middle of the night just like an old Hitchcock movie when you are doing an all nighter with a deadline for the next day. The mouse pointer on the screen starts to move - you look down and your physical mouse hasn't moved, you put it down to tiredness and wondering if the coffee has now got you on a buzz . There it is again the mouse pointer suddenly moves again. You start to look around and wonder what could be causing this... Your hair on the back of your neck starts to stand up straight and you shiver and there it is again, this time the mouse just goes bizerk!.... Then suddenly the whole computer dies just before your eyes, leaving you in this rather under light room. You are still standing there in shock when the computer lights up with a black screen with the words "your operating system cannot be found!"

Well sooner or later Hitchcock will solve the mystery of the lost operating system... and poor man who is dead in the water with his boss for not completing the project at hand.

This is the case of the computer virus someone has just found - viruses are little programs written by programmers which are malicious hence the word virus. There are programmers who test each others skills and see how many computers they can infect over a 24 hours period. However, I have since heard they are writing virus programs to see how long they can go undetected and basically get under the radar of an anti-virus program... Anti-Virus companies have to work even harder than these malicious programmers to pull off this game of chess to see who wins. This is why it is so important to keep your computers completely updated... as the companies who run anti-virus software are going to work at winning this game as soon as possible as their reputation is at stake. Their job is to deliver and find a way to counter act these malicious viruses.

There are other programmers who target large corporations like Microsoft - someone who just hate something about the company and anything to do with it. In some cases a disgruntled employee.

This is an ongoing affair with programmers who love to out wit each other in their challenge to see who is the best. Unfortunately it is the public that suffers the chance of loosing their jobs in a crucial project, because of a boss who is unwilling to listen. Many of us have to suffer the inconvenience of work lost, time lost, and money spent to repair the damage. My husband is a computer engineer constantly having to repair this sort of damage on a regular basis. It is both costly and time consuming if you want your data back and in some cases if you are lucky enough to get it back.

Only you can stop yourself from being the Man dead in the water with a boss ready to fire you or a company in a boat without a paddle - keep your computers updated and find an Anti-Virus program that helps you ahead of the crowd!

Graduated as a Graphic Artist who worked in many different industries such as advertizing, travel and computers. After many years in the corporate world, she decided to start her own company working as an independent online marketer.

http://vicshe.bezoogle.com/pp/anti-virus/

PC Security DIY Part I - Malware - The Most Wanted Cyber Criminal

2008-05-08T00:10:00.000-07:00

Before we start, I would like to explain a couple of terms to users not familiar with DDoS attacks and botnets. A botnet is a network of software robots controlled remotely by crackers. A software robot in this specific case is a compromised computer (also called a "zombie computer"), infected with specific malware types like Trojan horses and worms. In other words, a botnet is a collection of compromised or "zombie" computers. I am not going into the details of a DDoS attack, but it is basically when a botnet sends thousands, even millions, of communication requests to a web server. This results in a bottleneck of incoming traffic, causing the server to crash, or making it so slow that it cannot serve the website to normal visitors anymore. An attack from a big botnet will therefore have a much larger impact on a web server than an attack from a smaller one. Okay, now that we have the jargon out of the way, lets delve deeper into the impact of malware infections on the Internet as a whole, but also for the individual Internet user.

The Internet is often referred to as the information superhighway. Off course the Internet as we know it today, is much more than just an information superhighway, the Internet has become a digital world where many offline tasks can be done online as well. You can work, play, recruit, date, shop, chat, watch TV, listen radio and do many other things online. But for the sake of this article I will stick to the term information superhighway, because the rules of the road is perfect for what I want to illustrate. According to Wikipedia, it is estimated that up to one quarter of all personal computers connected to the Internet, are part of a botnet. This estimate is not that hard to believe, I will even go so far to say that this figure may even be bigger than a quarter of the Internet's population, especially if you take into account the rate at which malware infections spread through the Internet. Ignorance plays a big role in malware infections, but don't leave negligence out of the equation. If it only stopped at ignorance and negligence, large and influential companies are able to address the problem, but they are unwilling to sacrifice profit for the safety of other Internet users.

Internet Service Providers are in pole position to address the increasing threat of malware infections, the one thing that's making botnets grow larger and larger by the day. Unfortunately they are only interested in making money instead of providing a safe and quality service to their loyal and honest customers. No they would rather keep the clients distributing malware, sending out spam or taking part in Denial of Service attacks, because it means loss of revenue for them if they decide to suspend the services or terminate the accounts of these clients. Most ISPs will state in their Terms of Service that they do not tolerate this kind of behaviour, but it is only done to make them look great on paper, they seldom enforce these terms. John Masters, anti-spam activist and a dedicated supporter of Cyber Top Cops, sent me an e-mail the other day, suggesting that we should roll out penalties against people who use unprotected computers connected to the Internet. Although I realise the difficulty of getting something like this into place, I personally think it is a great idea and I wholeheartedly agree, but before we start to punish the user, start with the ISP for not taking action against the user.

It makes a lot of sense to fine people who use unprotected computers on the Internet. This is why I referred to the information superhighway earlier in this article. The Internet can be compared to a real highway, where several road safety rules apply. Driving on a highway with a vehicle that's not roadworthy does not only put your own safety at risk, but also the safety of other road users. If a traffic officer pulls you off the road and find that your vehicle is not roadworthy, you will most probably receive a fine (unless you bribe the traffic officer). If you continue to drive like this you may end up with a suspended driver's licence. The same principle applies to computer security. If you use an unprotected computer on the Internet you're not only putting your own safety at risk, but the safety of other Internet users as well. If your ISP becomes aware of the fact that you're connecting to the Internet without appropriate, up to date anti-malware software installed on your computer, you are supposed to be fined for putting the safety of all other Internet users at risk. They should suspend your services if you continue to connect to the Internet with an unprotected computer.

Your computer may be distributing malware, spam, phishing e-mails or advance fee fraud scams. It may even be used in Denial of Service attacks. So you end up becoming an accomplice in Internet crime. You unknowingly become a spammer, a scammer or a malware distributor. By using an unprotected computer you contribute to cyber crime instead of fighting it. That's not all, the malware may be monitoring your keystrokes, capturing everything you type, stealing passwords, e-mail addresses, account numbers, social security numbers, credit card numbers, names, telephone numbers, physical addresses... can you see where I'm going with this? These programs are able to compile a complete profile about yourself, this information is then transmitted back to the operator of the malware, who may use it to commit fraud in your name, in other words steal your identity. The perpetrator may even clean out your bank account, open credit cards or take out loans in your name and guess who is going to receive the bills at the end of the month, you!

What are the practical implications of implementing a penalty system for reckless Internet users? First of all, the ISP needs to have solid evidence, proving that the guilty party was really using an unprotected computer. Secondly, if the user had anti-malware software installed on his/her computer, they need to prove that the software was outdated. Finally, if the user had up to date anti-malware software installed, they need to prove that the software was not appropriate for preventing malware infections. This means that anti-malware software needs to comply with certain safety standards before they can be accepted as approved anti-malware solutions. This will effectively force all anti-malware developers to put their software through specific tests, conducted by a computer security standards authority. It will also cause anti-malware application prices to rise, which may pull the plug on the development of free anti-malware solutions, unless the developers certify these free applications as well. ISPs should use special software to check whether these approved anti-malware applications are installed on the client's computer. The software should send out several warnings to the clients who do not comply with these standards, giving them a reasonable amount of time to attend to the problems and providing detailed instructions on how to resolve them. Access to the Internet should only be terminated if the user fails to respond to these warnings.

Many people might ask, how should I update my anti-malware application if my Internet access is terminated? Access should only be terminated if you fail to respond to the warning notifications sent to you. If you end up with a terminated account, it means you ignored the notifications and you should have thought about the implications of your actions before you decided to ignore them. Others may claim that they are computer illiterate and cannot install software or keep them up to date. Most anti-malware applications update themselves and it does not take a rocket scientist to install them. With most of these installations you simply need to click on the "Next" button until you see a "Finish" button. If you can surf the Internet, then I'm sure you know how to click a button. I understand that not every Internet user is a computer expert, so if you find it difficult to install software, join an online forum like BleepingComputer.com, GeeksToGo.com or TechGuy.org and ask for assistance. It is extremely important to secure your computer before it gets infected with malware.

I just painted a pretty grim picture, didn't I? The burden placed on Internet Service Providers to check up on clients, to prove that clients are using unprotected computers, to penalise those who disobey the rules and to close down the accounts of regular offenders. Then there is the problem of high anti-malware prices and no more free anti-malware solutions for the people who cannot afford expensive anti-malware protection. But this is where the Internet is heading if we do not take action now. Online fraud is causing consumers to loose confidence in Internet shopping. Phishing scams are making users afraid of signing up for Internet banking services. People are weary of online payment and trading services like PayPal and eBay, no matter how safe they claim to be. Spammers are stealing bandwidth and the Internet user have to cough up for the costs. Expensive hardware and software is needed to fend off Denial of Service attacks. Malware is at the root of all these problems. It is the biggest contributor to cyber crime and eliminating malware is like removing a species from the food chain. This will be a big blow to spam and bot networks, resulting in less spam and phishing scams, fewer DDoS attacks and fewer stolen identities, passwords and credit card numbers. All the money saved through proper prevention of malware and malware related problems, can be utilised to build better anti-malware protection and assist companies to continue the development of free anti-malware solutions for home users.

So what is the bottom line? Internet Service Providers need to take responsibility for their networks. Customers are paying for Internet access, free from spam and malware attacks. It is the responsibility of the service provider to keep spam and malware infections within acceptable limits. Proper legislation needs to be put into place and governments need to take action against service providers if they allow these threats to rise beyond acceptable limits. How can they keep these threats within acceptable limits? Listen to the complaints sent through to your abuse departments, stop ignoring them, terminate the services of regular offenders and publish these actions for everyone to see. Make examples of those who do not want to listen and soon enough you will have people sticking to the rules. People will continue to do what they want if they know there is no punishment for their wrongdoing.

About the Author
Coenraad is webmaster and founder of Cyber Top Cops, providers of free malware removal assistance and helpful Internet security tips for the novice user. In the next installment of the PC Security DIY article series, we will look at the foundation of Internet Security, using a secure browser and e-mail client and getting into safe browsing and e-mail reading habits.