How to Protect Your Kid's Email Accounts

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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.