virus protection

Various Vitality Development in Japan

2011-01-08T19:37:00.001-08:00

Japan is a densely populated nation, and that makes the Japanese market harder compared with other markets. If we utilize the possibilities of near-shore installations or even offshore installations in the future, that can give us the potential for continued use of wind energy. If we go offshore, it's dearer as a result of the development of foundations is expensive. But usually the wind is stronger offshore, and that can offset the higher costs. We're getting more and more competitive with our equipment. The price-for those who measure it per kilowatt-hour produced-goes lower, as a consequence of the fact that turbines are getting extra efficient. So we're creating elevated curiosity in wind energy. When you examine it to other renewable vitality sources, wind is by far the most aggressive today. If we're able to make the most of sites close to the sea or at sea with good wind machines, then the value per kilowatt-hour is aggressive towards different sources of vitality, go the words of Svend Sigaard, who oc curs to be president and CEO of the world's largest wind turbine maker, Vestas wind systems out of Denmark. Vestas is heavily involved in investments of capital into serving to Japan broaden its wind turbine energy generating capacity. It's seeking to get offshore installations put into place in a nation that it says is ready for the fruits of investment into alternative power analysis and development.

The Japanese know that they can't become subservient to the energy provide dictates of international nations-World Conflict II taught them that, because the US decimated their oil provide strains and crippled their navy machine. They need to produce energy of their very own, and they being an isolated island nation with few natural assets that are conducive to vitality manufacturing as it's outlined now are very open to overseas investment and international development as well as the prospect of technological innovation that can make them independent. Allowing companies similar to Vestas to get the nation working on more wind-produced vitality is a step in the correct course for the Japanese people.

The production of vitality through what is named microhydoelectric power crops has additionally been catching on in Japan. Japan has a myriad rivers and mountain streams, and these are ideally suited locations for the putting up of microhydroelectric energy plants, which are outlined by the New Vitality and Industrial Expertise Improvement Organization as energy vegetation run by water which have a most output of one hundred kilowatts or less. By comparability, “minihydroelectric” power crops can put out up to one thousand kilowatts of electrical energy.

In Japan, the small-scaled mini- and micro-hydroelectric energy crops have been regarded for a considerable time as being appropriate for creating electrical energy in mountainous areas, however they've by refinement come to be regarded as glorious for Japanese cities as well. Kawasaki Metropolis Waterworks, Japan Natural Vitality Company, and Tokyo Electrical Power Company have all been involved within the improvement of small-scale hydroelectric energy vegetation inside Japanese cities.

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Avoid The Paypal e-Cheque Scam - It Could Cost You!

2008-01-16T16:54:00.035-08:00

As the internet grows and more people begin to buy and sell, online payment facilities will accrue more members daily. The largest and currently one of the most popular is Paypal. Whilst Paypal make every effort to ensure its members safety, an entire fireproof system, can prove to be very difficult to produce. Everyday, there are members who join who have one intention, to scam genuine users out of the hard earned money. Whilst these members are in the minority, if you fall victim to them, this stat does not matter. One loophole that Paypal have left wide open is their Paypal eCheque system. This is a method, whereby the buyer can purchase using other debit card details away from the actual paypal account balance. Sounds OK, read on. When you receive the notice that you have been paid, you then wait 7-10 days for the funds to clear, after which, you will receive notification that the funds have cleared and are in your account. Now, normal practice would be to ship the goods and the transaction would be complete. No problems there then. BUT THIS IS WHERE THE SCAMMER TAKE THE ADVANTAGE After a period of time, the user who wishes to abuse the system, will report the transaction to their bank as being fraudulent (or indeed it could well be that there account has been misused, no conclusive evidence to determine either way, so we will assume that the user have full knowledge) and their bank will reverse the transaction and paypal will soon follow, taking the money out of your paypal account, even if this results in your balance going negative So how, can you avoid this and ensure you are protected? Some simple tips that could save you money in this event. 1 NEVER ACCEPT ECHEQUES FROM AN UNCONFIRMED ADDRESS - if you do, and they reverse the transaction, you are NOT protected by Paypal 2 CONTACT YOU BUYER BEFORE SHIPMENT - send a recorded letter to the address (a receipt maybe). This will require their signature and will prove they live their. 3 INSTRUCT YOUR COURIER TO DELIVER INSIDE - under no circumstances should they hand the parcel to anyone who appears from an alleyway or come in through the gate at the same time. 4 CHECK YOUR BUYERS FEEDBACK - first stop for many, see what others have said 5 EMAIL THE BUYER - try and obtain a telephone number (landline would be best) 6 FOR HIGH VALUE ITEMS - check the electoral register for their address, updated regular and is a good source of information 7 DO THE BUYERS NAME AND ADDRESS MATCH THE ACCOUNT DETAILS? - Check that the paypal account belongs to the buyer, if it doesn t, refuse and report immediately. If you are in any doubt at all, then refuse the payment and request an alternative method (we do this as a matter of fact now, we do not accept any e-cheques). Genuine buyers will be happy to do this, scammers will be determined to pay by this method. Until paypal get tight on this method, it will be open to abuse so be careful. Happy selling, it is safe online as long as you take care... By D.Jephcote, Owner, LOS Design UK. As a qualified web designer and experienced logistics manager, I bring a unique combination of skills into this extremely competitive market that is ecommerce. Not only can I advise on your strategy and forecast planning, but I can also design and build the store to get you results. With over 20 years experience and a wealth of knowledge at your disposal, using my services, you will soon discover I am more than just a web designer. Why not visit me today and see how my web designer services can help your company.

Freedom Of Speech Is Not Exercised When You Mislead People

2008-01-16T16:54:00.034-08:00

I have the right and the freedom to choose with what I want to be associated with and what not. If you mislead me to view pictures I donâ™t want to be associated with, then you are taking away that freedom. If you are using freedom of speech to take away that freedom, how can you still call it freedom of speech? One right to freedom should not take away another. But this is exactly the problem we have with all these freedom rights. Criminals and predators are striving on these rights and law-abiding citizens have to suffer because of them. Freedom and human rights only seem to be applicable to those people against whom we were supposed to be protected in the first place by these exact same rights. People are more concerned about the fact that they no longer can use prank links, than the safety of our children on the web. I donâ™t think prank links to obscene and offensive content are funny at all. You are forcing junk down everybodyâ™s throats. It is not only children who are at stake here, but adults who are sensitive to this material are also affected. This debate is heating up all over the world on blogs and forums. But the debates are doing the goal of this law no good. These discussions are filled with links to prank and indecent sites, with the excuse that they are used for illustrative purposes. I donâ™t understand why the owners of these blogs donâ™t moderate these comments, because they are only promoting these indecent websites by including their links in the posts. If this law is enforced and applied correctly, the Internet will not only be a safer place for our children, but it will become a safer environment for every Internet user. We should also see a decline in spyware and spam related problems, because most pornographic websites install spyware on your computer and steal your e-mail address to spam you with junk e-mails. Just download a program like Spybot and have a look at the number of adult related sites that are blocked by this program. The worst-case scenario is where your children click on these misleading links, get exposed to the harmful content on the site and have spyware installed on your home computer. These malicious programs periodically redirect users to indecent sites, so your children get exposed over and over again, your computer becomes a host for several spyware programs and indirectly helps with the promotion of these sites. In the end you walk the risk of becoming an accomplice in child pornography, unknowingly and all this because of a misleading link. This is not freedom of speech at all, it is an infringement of so many rights that it is impossible to list them all here. You will never like it when a stranger walks up to your children in the park and shows them pornographic pictures and plants a spying device on them, so why donâ™t you mind strangers on the Internet misleading not only your children but also everybody else. Coenraad de Beer Webmaster of Cyber Top Cops - The Cyber Security Specialists Homepage myweb.absamail.co.za/coendb/

Spam

2008-01-16T16:54:00.033-08:00

Spammers have become very creative. They now send under all types of false pretenses to get you to open the email. It amazes me how much creativity they have. Why donâ™t they use their creativity in constructive ways? Donâ™t you think they would make more money if they used their mind in something constructive way rather than sinister ways? You wonder what is the thought process that goes into the mind of a person who gets up everyday in the morning and goes to work to figure out how to annoy the world with emails; in short screw the world. It has to be very degrading! And why would you want to always be on the wrong side of the law. You would think that after doing it once or twice you would give up and say this is too hard and I need to find gainful employment where I can hold my head high. I also wonder how they describe their job. Say if they are at a party or social event and someone asks what do you do for a living, how must they respond. Obviously, they hide what they truly do and come up with some politically correct explanation. I used to get emails that were just plain flat spam. Once the ISPâ™s started blocking them then they started becoming more creative. They started sending emails looking like bounced emails. So you are curious to open to see which email bounced. Only to find an ad. I donâ™t worry anymore about bounced emails. I just forward the bounced email to â˜Find at Switch email dot comâ™ and if it is genuine they find me the new email address. Then the spammers started sending emails with attachments. Again, preying on your curiosity to open and see what is in the attachment. Usually these attachments are viruses or spyware cleverly disguised as a â˜offer letterâ™ or â˜bank statementâ™. I never open any attachments if unknown to me. Then they started sending emails with proper names. I think they just have a table of popular first names and last names, which they randomly mix and send emails. The theory being that you are bound to find some name that you are familiar and may think that the email is from a known person. For example: You may get a spam email with senderâ™s name as â˜Rick Smithâ™. You are bound to know a â˜Rickâ™ in your life. You may not remember the personâ™s last name and in your nostalgia open the email. Clever isnâ™t it? I think this whole problem can be resolved very easily if there is a simple rule passed. All emails are opt-out unless you have a specific opt-in from the person. I know there are opt-in lists etc. I am going beyond that. Say you open an email account. By default it is banned from getting any unsolicited email till you designate an â˜allowâ™ list. There should be a national â˜allowâ™ list maintained by email providers. So say I want to allow Delta airlines to send me email, I designate at their website and I designate on my allow list that usually my ISP carries. Now no emails are allowed in unless I designate. You might say what about my long lost friend who sends me an email and is not on my â˜allowâ™ list. Very simple. He or she is sending one email. Your ISP knows that it is clearly not a spammer who sends out large volumes. So it is ok to send emails through. Some ISPs are doing something similar but I feel the whole problem can be truly alleviated if we think big and have a national â˜allowâ™ list that all ISPs update regularly. It is for the ISPs benefit too to identify spammers who abuse their network. The problem can only be solved if it is handled across the board with the basic premise that your email is confidential till you allow access! Bob Young writes for Switchemail.com. He can be reached at administrator at Switchemail.com.

Take Positive Steps to Keep Spam and Other Unwanted Emails from Your Child

2008-01-16T16:54:00.032-08:00

If your child has an email account, then eventually someone will send spam and other unwanted or inappropriate material to your child s inbox. There are several things that you can do to keep those problems to a minimum. One of those things is to use various kinds of filters to screen out unwanted emails. Filters can take several forms, some of which are not so obvious. While there is commercial software that you can buy, the techniques discussed below can be done for free. With a little guidance from you, your child should be able to do most of this without you having to review every email. You can divert high risk emails into a specific email account, filter email before it arrives in your child s inbox, or delete suspicious emails before they are opened. Diverting High Risk Email to a Secondary Email Addresses If your child wants to do things like join a mailing list, use a new online service, or register a product, it is a good idea to avoid using his or her primary email address and instead use a secondary email address. Using a free email account for your secondary email address can have several advantages; one of the biggest is that if unwanted mail is a problem, your child can simply stop using the account and get another one. The ideal secondary account has the following characteristics: * It s free. * It can be accessed using the web. * It allows you to download messages into your home computer s email program. * It has spam filters as well as the ability to filter email by address or by content. There are many companies offering free online email accounts that your child could be used for one or more secondary email addresses. Some of the biggest include Yahoo! Mail and Google s Gmail. It is a good idea to have a backup just in case your primary account is unavailable, but it is also useful to have one for every day use. One drawback of many free email services is that the account may be deleted after a period of inactivity. If your child is going to access the account at least once a month, this should not be a problem. Set Up Filters On The Primary Email Address Typically, anyone who uses an ISP to access the Internet from home is given one or more email addresses. Most ISPs have a basic level of filtering to eliminate spam and other emails that are considered malicious, fraudulent, objectionable. Check with your ISP to see what kinds filtering are possible for the account your child uses. email account will have spam and other unwanted Use Filters In Your Email Program Typically, a program like Outlook Express is used to send and receive mail through your primary email account. Outlook Express and similar programs have the ability to filter emails by either deleting them before your child downloads them from the server, or by deleting after they arrive. These kinds of filters are most convenient for doing the following kinds of actions: * Blocking emails with objectionable words. * Blocking emails from specific addresses. * Blocking emails with very large attachments. * Directing email from particular addresses into a folder other than the inbox. Scanning Incoming Email No matter how careful your child may be when it comes to avoiding and filtering unwanted email, some will always get through. Your child has to be able to spot suspicious email and delete it because such mail may contain content that may be disturbing to your child and perhaps hazardous to your computer. If you can, you may want to set up your email program so that you can see both the subject line and the first few lines of the body of the message without having to open the entire email. If your child is allowed to check email without adult supervision, make sure that she knows that emails with one or more of the following warning signs should be deleted without first being opened: * The email, whether sent by a stranger or from a familiar address, has an unexpected attachment. * The email is from a stranger and the subject line contains random words or characters. * The sender is unfamiliar and the subject line is blank. * The subject line indicates that the email probably has inappropriate content. * The subject line is in an unfamiliar language. * The subject line says that you have won some kind of contest or lottery. * The subject line uses threatening language. * The subject line warns that you are in some kind of trouble or danger. If you and your child can make these suggested actions part of your regular online routine, most of the unwanted email that gets sent to you or your child will be taken care of before they have a chance to cause a problem. Additional Resources : Spam.Abuse.net -- spam.abuse.net Stop Spam Here -- stopspamhere.ca/ Advice from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission -- ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/online/inbox.shtm Top 10 Ways to Stop Unwanted Email -- speedbrake.com/email/nospam.htm About the Author : Dr. Todd Curtis is the creator of the web s most popular airline safety site AirSafe.com ( airsafe.com ), the director of the AirSafe.com Foundation, and an expert in the areas of engineering risk assessment and risk management. He has applied those basic principles to the problem of managing Internet use, and has put many of those insights and lessons learned into his book Parenting and the Internet (Speedbrake Publishing, 2007), an easy to understand how-to guide that parents can use to manage the activities of their online children. For more information about the book and how it can help you, visit books.speedbrake.com .

Pharming Attacks - Protect Your Company s Reputation

2008-01-16T16:54:00.031-08:00

Pharming Attacks - Protect Your Company s Reputation Let s suppose that you ve just invested a large chunk of your marketing budget on pay-per-click and local radio advertisement to drive traffic to your Company s website. Over the next few days your Web Stats indicate a 150% increase in hits and a 75% increase in visits. Your conversion rate, however, has dropped to zilch and you notice that the average visit lasts from 0-15 seconds. Update your anti-virus software and navigate to your home page immediately... You have probably been Pharmed. Pharming isn t new. It combines a mix of threats such as spyware and viruses, plus more arcane activities such as domain spoofing and DNS poisoning. One example- A user receives some kind of malware, (virus, worm, Trojan or spyware), from a spam Email that rewrites local host files, (files located on the user s machine that convert URLs into the number strings that browsers utilize to locate and access websites). Then, when the user types a legitimate URL into the address bar, their browser is misdirected to a bogus website that is an exact duplicate of the site that they intended to visit. The typed URL in the address bar, however, has not changed. Then the phishing begins. Victims believe they are submitting their personal information to the Web address indicated in the address bar, but are actually submitting it directly to the bogus site. These attacks are usually directed at banking and on-line merchant sites where criminals can track activity and gather credit card data and personal identification numbers. Destroying Your On-line Reputation One type of pharming attack that is becoming more common doesn t involve phishing or bogus web sites, at least not at first. The attack is designed to eliminate the need for criminals to spend their time broadcasting mass spam emails in order to launch their malware. Once an attacker has poisoned your site, every visitor to your home page will immediately be redirected to a server(s) that will deliver malware to the visitor s hard drive. If you receive a large number of visits on your site, this could have an extremely negative impact on your company s on-line reputation and on your bottom line. Pharming attacks are no longer exclusive to banking and on-line merchant Websites. If you operate a site that receives a large number of monthly visits, your site is a prime target for this type of attack and the attackers thrive on our complacency. My own complacency recently resulted in one of my domains being attacked this way. The attack consisted of five iframe launch tags that mysteriously appeared at the bottom of my home page after the tag. On the same afternoon as the attack, (indicated by my RAW access log), I navigated to the targeted home page and my browser was immediately redirected to five different Web servers in less than ten seconds. My anti-virus software went ballistic. As my browser hit each server, a Trojan was delivered to the C:Documents and SettingsJC HurstApplication DataSun directory on my machine. Due to the fact that I navigate to each of my domains daily, (not logging into the web servers, but actually visiting each site), I was fortunate enough to discover the attack and was able to remove the malicious script from my home page. The Trojans, however, were a different story. They had installed several keyloggers and JAVA based script generators on my machine. My anti-virus software identified each Trojan, but the malware had done so much damage to my registry that it couldn t clean, quarantine or remove it. It took me four days to completely clean and remove it from my machine and to repair my registry. Pharming Prevention A non-technical pharming/phishing prevention method involves a simple site validation procedure. When you visit any banking, merchant or on line auction site to login, initially enter a correct username with an incorrect password. If it s accepted then the site is bogus. If rejected, enter the correct password. As an additional measure, once you are successfully logged into your account but before entering any personal information, review your existing account information. If it is incorrect or not available, the site is bogus. A combination of procedural and technical methods can be utilized to combat pharming attacks. Just as pharming is more technically difficult to pull off than phishing, it s more technically complicated to protect against. After days of research on this topic, the following methods have been implemented on six of my sites and according to my RAW logs they have been quite successful so far: Utilize strong passwords for all of your Web, network and computer logons, especially the Administrator account on your PC. For more information on creating them, visit Microsoft.com and search for Strong Password. Disable directory listing on your site from your Web server control panel. That way if a visitor requests a web address that is a directory and the directory does not contain a default file to display, (index.html), they will receive a 403 Forbidden error message. Enable SSL administration sessions from your Web server control panel. Restrict administrative sessions to the IP addresses or ranges that you utilize to manage your site from. Block potentially threatening IP address ranges from your Web server. A vast majority of the servers that are utilized in phishing and pharming attacks are later discovered to be located outside the United States. Your Company probably doesn t sell much product to folks in Russia or Kazakhstan. If your Web server control panel doesn t provide you with an IP address block option and you run Apache you can utilize the .htaccess file to block them. (WARNING- If you publish your Web pages with Microsoft FrontPage, don t utilize this method. FrontPage server extensions utilize the .htaccess file and altering it will disable them). To block a single address: order allow,deny deny from 127.0.0.1 allow from all To block multiple addresses: order allow,deny deny from 127.0.0.1 deny from 127.0.0.2 deny from 127.0.0.3 allow from all To block an entire range of addresses: deny from 127.0.0 To block IP addresses or ranges you must first know what they are. I have uploaded a 22MB .zip file containing the most current IP-to-country-code listings available. The file can be downloaded at: ZieglerSuperSystems.com/IPCODES/ipcodes.zip Place controls on DNS servers, such as a host-based intrusion detection system, to prevent visitors from inadvertently participating in a pharming attack. SnortÂ® is an excellent open source network intrusion prevention and detection system that utilizes a rule-driven language. It combines the benefits of signature, protocol and anomaly based inspection methods. Best of all, it s free. To learn more about SnortÂ® visit snort.org. Ramp up education efforts aimed at local business interests such as the Chamber of Commerce and civic organizations, (Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.), and especially for smaller local companies that may need help in dealing with a pharming threat. Be prepared to have Internet service providers quickly shut down malicious sites that are set up for pharming. Consider moving ahead with plans for stronger authentication technologies that control access to systems that could be targets of pharmers. Follow developments such as the progress of the DNSSEC, (DNS Security Extensions), standards and ensure that your Company s ISPs have the proper controls on their DNS directories and servers. To learn more about DNSSEC visit dnssec.org . Join the Open Web Application Security Project. The OWASP Foundation is dedicated to finding and fighting the causes of insecure software. Membership and access to all site resources is free. To learn more about OWASP visit owasp.org . J.C. Hurst is the IT/Internet Marketing Director for The Ziegler Corporations located in Atlanta, Georgia You may contact J.C. at: jchurst@zieglersupersystems.com

Top Five Spyware Fighting Tips

2008-01-16T16:54:00.029-08:00

Top Five Spyware Fighting Tips Spyware and adware are becoming major problems for online surfers and PC owners. Some highly respected sources such as AOL, Earthlink and Webroot place the rate of infection at 80-90% of all computers. Granted, some of this percentage is taken up by relatively benign tracking cookies, but other types like keyword logging, system monitors, worms and Trojans present a major threat to your privacy and may even do serious damage to your computer. With the occurrences of Spyware increasing daily, chances are high that you will be going into battle against Spyware very soon -- so if you need a battle plan -- Try these 5 Tips: 1. Go on the offensive. Fight spyware before it even arrives on your computer. Make sure you have a good anti-virus software program running on your PC. Many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) now offer anti-virus programs or even purchasing a commercial product is to your advantage. Get a program or product that is regularly updated to fend off the latest viruses, adware, worms, trojans and spyware. 2. Put up a Firewall. A Firewall should be one of your first lines of defense against spyware. A Firewall is simply a system or gateway designed to prevent unauthorized access to your computer or network. Check out zonealarm.com, they provide a free Firewall for individual users. Download their program and place it on your PC. 3. Don t open Emails and Attachments from people you don t know. Use common sense, DON T open any emails from people you don t know. Especially, do not open any Attachments until they are scanned for spyware and viruses. Many mail servers will do these scans for free. 4. Keep Your Operating System Up to Date. Be aware of what s on your system -- do regular spyware and adware scans to see exactly what s on your computer. Know your machine! You may be horrified to learn someone may be monitoring your every keystroke and every image you ve viewed on your computer. So scan regularly and also make sure you download the newest updates from your Operating System; these often contain patches or fixes for serious breaches of security on your PC. 5. Back-up Your System. If all the above steps fail, nothing is foolproof, any computer that uses the Internet can be hacked, so you need to back- up your important data. You can use floppy disks, CDs or use a second computer that s not connected to the net just for storage or back-up of your sensitive data/programs. An inexpensive notebook computer can be used to make daily/weekly back-ups of your vital data and programs. In conclusion, the best defense against any spyware is a strong offense. Be prepared, be aware, but most of all, be battle-ready: have a system in place that will nuke these spyware agents before they even reach your computer. Choose your weapons carefully, be merciless, be thorough and take no prisoners! This is a battle you can t afford to lose. Implement and Use these 5 helpful Spyware Fighting tips and the Victory is yours! To learn more Spyware and Adware, read our Spyware Removal Guide Copyright Â© 2005 Titus Hoskins of bizwaremagic.com. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Securing Your Wireless Network

2008-01-16T16:54:00.027-08:00

Working from home while using a wireless local area network (WLAN) may lead to theft of sensitive information and hacker or virus infiltration unless proper measures are taken. As WLANs send information over radio waves, someone with a receiver in your area could be picking up the transmission, therefore gaining access to your computer. They could load viruses on to your computer which could be transferred to other computers on your network. Up to 75 per cent of WLAN users do not have basic security features installed, while 20 per cent are left completely open with the default configurations. It is recommended that wireless router/access point setup be always done though a wired client. You can setup your security by follow these steps: Change default admin password on wireless router/access point to a secured password. Change your WEP keys periodically. Change the channel your router uses to transmit and receive data on a regularly basis. Use encryption such as WEP and WPA. If equipment does not support at least 128-bit WEP encryption, consider replacing it. Change the default SSID on your router/access point to a hard to guess name. Setup your computer device to connect to this SSID by default. Setup router/access point not to broadcast the SSID. The same SSID needs to be setup on the client side manually. This feature may not be available on all equipment. On each computer having a wireless network card, network connection properties should be configured to allow connection to Access Point Networks Only. Full information can be found at my Free PC Security blog. Colin Richards Free PC Security cotojo.wordpress.com

Online Security - How Secure are You When You Get on the Internet?

2008-01-16T16:54:00.025-08:00

Online Security - How Secure are You When You Get on the Internet? Internet technology specialists widely agree that security is becoming the primary concern of those using Internet technologies. This is especially true now for Internet novices who hear stories of rampant identity theft, Trojan horses, worms, rootkits, and general spyware. Internet novices don t know what these terms mean, but they know disaster will strike if they don t have a premium Internet security software suite. However, even those with a fair amount of Internet experience find it difficult to know what to look for to protect themselves and how to configure it when they find it. As partakers in the Internet, we are left to whatever advice we can get and whatever software we can find. We have little in the way of resources to tell us which people to trust for advice. We continue on without even knowing what causes these Internet security vulnerabilities. One of the things many users are surprised to discover is that Internet security has a lot more to do with what programs that are installed and run on the computer than where they go on the Web. For example, the relative rarity of the software used on Apple computers makes it a less common target of viruses. So doing the same things on an Apple that you would do on a PC would expose you to less security threats. This is also true of the various Linux platforms available. Because an overwhelming majority of users run Windows, hackers tend to develop viruses and worms for Windows vulnerabilities and for the major software programs run on Windows based PCs. So one simple solution to the majority of security threats, for those who don t need a specific Windows only program, is to switch operating systems. Another thing that makes Windows an easy target for hackers is the way it is assembled with a standard set of helper applications and applets. For example, Windows Mail or Outlook Express come pre-configured to automatically open files. If a file has a virus, you re in trouble. This is just one example of the many holes built into Windows when it is freshly installed. Instead of being built securely from the start and then adding on features, Windows is built full of features, and then bug fixes are added as people find the holes. Until the bug fixes are released and installed on your computer before the hackers find the holes, your computer is at risk. You can also find out more at configurationmanagementsystem.com In addition to exploited software flaws, Internet users must take into account online security. E-commerce is perhaps the most crucial area for online security. Even if you have a secure connection to the Internet, a secure computer and you are able to make a transaction without any compromise of information, you could still be at risk. If the company you transact with keeps a database of online transactions, you are as vulnerable as their database. If you transact with many companies, you are as vulnerable as the weakest link among them. Article by Dean Forster at configurationmanagementsystem.com Learn more about online security at => Configuration Management System

Tips For Protecting Your Computer From Viruses

2008-01-16T16:54:00.023-08:00

When you are connected to Internet, your system can be vulnerable to attack from viruses. These viruses can be very harmful for you system and could result in waste of time and money. There are some simple ways to get your system protected from virus attacks. From control panel, select Internet Option and select security tab. This tab contains a set of Security instruction, which can be altered by the user. Select the Internet option. The Security Level mentioned at the bottom will show you the level of security you currently have. If it is set to Low, then your system is at risk. It is generally recommended that the security level kept on medium is effective in combating other third party software of susceptible nature being installed on your system to an extent. You can also go for custom level security settings where you can set some more additional security instructions for your system. Installing a firewall is another step you can take to combat viruses. In new Operating systems, a firewall is already there, which you need to enable to get your system protected. Like the name indicates, a firewall prevents any suspicious piece of program enter into your system and do harm. A good Anti virus program can help you to detect any viruses already in your system. All anti virus program comes with Real Time Protection, which alerts you in the event of a virus is found by the program. If you have an Anti Virus program already installed in your system, make sure that you have turned on the Real Time protection. Unique Gifts : For Unique Gifts and crafts from around the world. Gijo George Handicrafts : Fine Carved Rosewood Handicrafts

IT In Government - Information Security Requires Proactive Measures From Government

2008-01-16T16:54:00.021-08:00

African government departments can no longer afford to sit back and allow security consultants to assess their risk levels, experts say. In addition to deploying security systems to ensure that the environment is secure, governmentâ™s internal security officers must understand what the hackers are doing and test the systems on a regular basis, says Hugo Van Niekerk, specialized services director of Carrick Holdings. âœUse the services of an ethical hacker, or get fresh eyes to test your system,â he says. Van Niekerk says organisations should also ensure that the solutions being deployed fit the risks that the organization faces. This ensures that the institution does not over-invest in systems, a critical element in an environment where everyone wants to get optimum protection for as little a budget as they can get away with. Van Niekerk advises chief information officers to invite top technical staff to the assessment meetings with potential security consultants. This helps the internal staff gain a thorough understanding of the technologies that will be deployed. Information that comes out of the assessment should be used to draw up a clear and clean service level agreement, he adds. Haroon Meer, technical director of Sensepost South Africa says advices that the contracting organization should not restrict the security vendor to only use tactics that were previously agreed upon during the assessment stage. While laying out expectations for a service level agreement is critical, room should also be made for unexpected developments. Max Melamed, information security manager for Ernest and Young South Africa says institutions should also not be too obsessed with detailed policy documents that outline information security measures. âœPolicies do not stop a hacker,â he says. The human element should also be factored into information security measures that are put in place. âœGovernment should do background checks on potential employees to build a workforce that is not populated by white collar thieves,â Van Niekerk says. Find more news, views and trend articles about the African and South African ICT industry from ITWeb. Read about the way mobile phones affect the way Africans live, work, learn, play and communicate on her Mobile Life blog.

Why Malwares Can Be Harmful

2008-01-16T16:54:00.019-08:00

Malware, malicious software , is software developed for the purpose of doing harm. Malware can be classified based on how they get executed, how they spread, and/or what they do. Malware is a critical and constant security risk to corporate networks. Malware proliferates at alarming speed and in many different ways, which makes it particularly widespread today. Malware Malware is a major problem for everyone, a huge industry has grown around fighting it, and Microsoft can no longer include whatever it wishes in its operating systems. In fact, it canâ™t hurt to make an image backup, even when you opt to remove the malware rather than doing a clean install of Windows. And, you might use anti-virus and anti-Spyware software running in the new clean copy of Windows to remove the malware from the old copy. The main phases of the cleanup are: backup, stop the malware from running, check for other errors, delete the malware, and finally, prevention from this sort of thing happening again. The reason for first preventing the malware from running is that some such programs are very well defended and may not be removable while they are executing. It is best to run this software from removable media both to insure it is not compromised and because some malware may prevent the use of equivalent Windows based software on the infected machine. Stop the obvious malware from running at boot time with a utility that controls auto-started programs. The usual anti-malware products removed only half the infection resulting in corrupted TCP/IP software. To prevent malware infections in the future, teach the user safe Internet techniques. Malware To prevent you from undoing the browser modifications made by a malware program, some of them remove or disable the Internet Options from the Tools Menu and from the Control Panel. If you try to reset your home page and can t, it s likely due to malware. If you can t get to anti-virus or security web sites, but can get to other web sites, it s likely due to malware. If you see pop-up ads even when you are offline, it s due to malware. Their goal is to deploy malware on a victim s machine and to start collecting sensitive data, such as online account credentials and credit card numbers. Since attackers have a tendency to take the path of least resistance and many traditional attack paths are barred by a basic set of security measures, such as firewalls or anti virus engines, the black hats are turning to easier, unprotected attack paths to place their malware onto the end user s machine. Security bugs within Winamp s MP4 decoding allow miscreants to slip malware onto the PCs of users running Winamp version 5. When this program is installed on a computer it creates fake Windows Registry keys and fake files that are completely safe, but are reported by the program as malware. In this way, you can have a completely clean computer, yet the program will still find these files and Windows Registry entries and declare them to be malware related. The symptoms of a malware infection vary. Malware removal software allows you to detect and remove adware, spyware and various other types of malicious software. Rob Houston is a successful Webmaster and publisher of ByeByeSpyware.net . He provides more information about spyware and spyware issues that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Spyware - How Do You Get Infected by Spyware

2008-01-16T16:54:00.017-08:00

Almost fifty percents of computer crashes are caused by virus, trojan and spyware. Spyware is software used by hackers to gain information without your knowledge. This information can be used by hackers for many purposes. Last year, Microsoft announced that one in every 300 Windows PC was infected by malware and spyware. How do you get infected by spyware? 1. Security Settings People got infected by spyware usually have low security settings and most of them only have an antivirus as their main protection. Having an antivirus is not enough and it takes more than antivirus to protect you from spyware. 2. Files Download Downloading files from the Internet makes everything in our life easier. We donâ™t need to go to our local bookstore to find information that we need, we only need to find it on the Internet. However, downloading files and software has a bad effect. Itâ™s because not all the freeware out there are spyware-free and some of them are actually spyware. Therefore, there might be some time when youâ™ve downloaded software or files that are spyware. 3. ActiveX Running activex while browsing is the same as running .exe file extension in Windows and if we enable activex while browsing, it will make us vulnerable to spyware threat. 4. Malicious Websites Malicious websites is one of the reasons why you get infected. Maybe while searching for information on the search engines, you stumbled upon a website and unknown to you, itâ™s a website that will install spyware in your system. Because the website is not what youâ™re looking for, you close it immediately. But by leaving the website does not make youâ™re safe from threats because the spyware is already installed in your system. 5. Pop-Ups Pop-ups are so annoying and some pop-ups are threats to our computer. There might be a time when you were surfing the Internet when a pop-up came up and asked you to update your security settings and you unknowingly clicked it. By clicking the pop-up, the spyware will install itself in your system. One way to prevent this is by clicking â˜xâ™ on the pop-up. Clicking anywhere on the pop-up other than the â˜xâ™ might makes the spyware to install itself. 6. Legal Agreement Did you know that spyware can install itself in your system legally? If youâ™re installing software, make sure you read its legal agreement. Maybe somewhere in the legal agreement, they said something about installing a software that will give them your browsing habit for their research purpose or something like that. This is another form of spyware attack. By clicking â˜I agreeâ™, youâ™re bound to the agreement and the spyware can install itself legally. Therefore, next time when youâ™re installing suspicious software, make sure you read its legal agreement. Azwan Asmat is the author of Chuang Computer Tips - chuangcomputer.blogspot.com - Want to know the secret of securing your PC from dangerous spyware, adware, and malware programs that can ruin your PC, your finances, and your sanity?! Visit chuangcomputer.com/pcsafety/ for more info.

Web Hosting Watch - Continuous Data Protection

2008-01-16T16:54:00.015-08:00

Whether itâ™s financially sensitive records, claims, client info, or if itâ™s to meet compliance regulations, keeping data safe and accessible at any point in time â" no matter what happens â" is more imperative than ever for Web hosting providers, businesses and their clients. Within the past couple of years, Continuous Data Protection (CDP) solutions have become a highly attractive option for storage vendors and service providers, looking to stay competitive and for ensuring the utmost in data security for customers. The concept of CDP comes in various forms, but in the purest sense it means the ability to restore data to about any point in time. Through CDP technology, all changes in an organizationâ™s data are recorded right at the time of change. So if a virus, trojan or a disaster of some kind affects a file or an entire system, the most recent copies can be retrieved. David Wartell, CEO and Founder of R1Soft Inc., spoke to TopHosts about the advantages of CDP and where itâ™s headed. He thinks CDP technology is truly catching on, as more and more recognize what it can do for their business and for their peace of mind. He explained that their CDP solution remains the most affordable on the market and wonâ™t hamper a websiteâ™s performance in any way. âœMany businesses might be backing up weekly or daily right now,â Wartell said. âœBut we can back people up several times a day and, if they choose, several times an hour, without really any more cost to storage space or load on their server, or performance.â R1Soft recently announced plans for a new CDP product, which will backup online MySQL databases running on Linux-based servers. The company also recently announced support for Ubuntu, Debian and control panel, DirectAdmin. With those moves, their CDP solution currently stands as the only one catering to the Linux market and for backup of MySQL. Wartell explained that as CDP services like his evolve and become more affordable, many will realize the drawbacks of the more traditional, free back-up solutions out there â" technologies that cannot handle storage much more than a 100 GB, with some barely able to back up every 24 hours. For the demanding storage quantities of todayâ™s businesses, and growing amounts of VPS hosting operations right now, Wartell says CDP is far and above those traditional services. The most attractive benefit of CDP is the flexibility and control it offers, with the ability to conform to the 24-hour rhythm of any organization. For example, many websites today still choose to back data up during the night, when transactions and activity is low, and when performance and functionality canâ™t be affected. But what happens if the database is corrupted during the day? What happens to the daytime transactions? CDP rises above that problem by delivering around-the-clock recovery, to any point in time, while barely affecting downtime. Users of R1Softâ™s CDP can schedule frequent volume snapshots, as little as 5 or 10 minutes apart. These âœsynchronizationsâ can be performed online and causes no interruption to other I/O requests even on a busy server. Among the benefits of CDP, Wartell notes how easy and affordable it is these days. R1Soft offers various special pricing options for hosting companies, ISPs and resellers, with pay-as-you-go plans, where you pay for how much data is actually protected. For resellers, that means thereâ™s no-out-of-pocket expense, because their end-users pay for it as they grow. There are also one-time pricing fees and you can also just pay per computer youâ™re backing up too. Within the next couple years, Wartell explained CDP will become more essential to organizations, especially as the prospect of national regulations hit the scene. Already, in some parts of the European Union, businesses are required to keep records of emails, blog entries and records going back as much as three years. Wartell warns that itâ™s only a matter of time until such regulations hit North America. As more businesses scramble to find affordable ways to meet those regulations, and as more customers demand the best in data back up, CDP will inevitably become an industry standard. âœCDP is really catching on and service providers and resellers are really starting to see how important it is to have this among their offers,â Wartell said. âœRight now itâ™s uncommon for a dedicated server or Web hosting plan to come with a real data protection solution like CDP. But I donâ™t think thatâ™ll be the case three years from now. It will soon just be a standard way of doing things.â George Di Falco is a Contributing Editor for TopHosts.Com He monitors the Web hosting industry and reports on a variety of technology related news.

Your Network Security Solution - 6 Steps to Evaluate Its Effectiveness

2008-01-16T16:54:00.013-08:00

From computer viruses to hackers, with so many lurking security threats, itâ™s important to have a solid network security solution in place. Whether your company has security software, a dedicated IT team to monitor suspicious activity, or both â" threats keep evolving and adapting to their environment. That said, it would be in your best interest to have an integrated network security solution with all the modern tools you need to keep your system up and running smoothly. So how can you assess your network security solution to see if itâ™s time to update your security software or procedures? Here are 6 important aspects you should consider when evaluating your current network security. 1. Detection Accuracy. Itâ™s critical to have a network solution that can lower the amount of false positives/negatives and can also design policy controls that map to business processes. Make sure the solution can protect both structured and unstructured data as well as data ranging from simple credit card numbers and SSNs to source code and other proprietary information. 2. Enforcement Capabilities. Since most leaks are internal (or at least start out that way) itâ™s important to have a network security solution with integrated enforcement capabilities for all data types, vectors, for both internal and external communications. 3. Policy Administration and Updating. Make sure your network security solution is able to set rules based on users, data, vector, and destination. It should be able to tie each of these variables together to say who can send what information where and how. Additionally, since these policies should be created based on regulatory compliance requirements and corporate governance, your network security solution should be automatically updating them as regulations change. 4. Manageability and Reporting. Security software should be easy to deploy and manage. Policy controls should be so easy to create and integrate with existing processes and tools that anyone (not just IT) can do it. Overall, your network security solution should have monitoring, prevention, reporting and enforcement all in one solution. 5. Cost of Ownership. Any solution should have a reasonable cost of ownership, meaning it should possess the ability to integrate with a broad range of security and networking solutions as well as a flexible deployment scheme. Additionally, the solution should have a measurable effectiveness, i.e. reporting. That is if a breach or leak does happen your solution should be able to classify the incident(s) and provide remediation in order to have a reasonable cost of ownership. 6. Vendor Viability. Unfortunately, the majority of available solutions are from start up companies with limited funds and product vision. Network security solutions from start up companies can sometimes lack the RandD, global sales and support services organizations need to have guaranteed, long term security for their network. Additionally, due to consolidation in the security industry, these small vendors and â˜boutique shopsâ™ are more likely to be acquired by a larger company at some point or even forced out of business eventually. The larger, publicly traded firms however, generally have a more substantial customer base, a well funded RandD program, and a global presence with strong sales and support. Therefore, purchasing solutions from a more viable vendor could mean better results and service in the long run. For any business present in todayâ™s fast-paced, ever changing web environment, finding an integrated security solution that will take care of everything listed above is imperative. After youâ™ve evaluated your current security â" begin researching security solutions (such as the WebsenseÂ® Web Security Suiteâ„¢ ) that will fill the gaps left open by traditional security software. Chip Epps is the Senior Product Marketing Manager of Websense, Inc. He is responsible for providing strategic marketing direction for Websense products, and evangelizing the effectiveness of its security solutions including Websense Web Security Suite and Websense Express. He is also responsible for developing and directing go-to-market activity (working with local marketing teams and partners) to achieve planned business objectives and growth. Chip writes informational online articles sharing his knowledge and expertise in the fields of software, engineering, internet security and more. For more information about Websense, visit Websense.com

5 Ways To Protect Yourself Against Internet Scams While Looking to Earn Extra Money

2008-01-16T16:54:00.011-08:00

5 Ways To Protect Yourself Against Internet Scams Many times when searching for a way to earn extra money through business opportunities on the net, people run into numerous scams. These Internet scams make it quite difficult to find a legitimate source of work. Not to mention, they come in all forms. How can you tell if they are scamming you though? What if itâ™s just another income opportunity? These questions are valid since there are still many wonderful opportunities out there. Nevertheless, it is still great to know how to spot when a company is scamming you. 1. When you ask direct and pointed questions, they dodged you in other words tap dancing around what you have asked using such flowery language hoping to reel you in or impress you. 2. When you send them an email or give them a phone call, they never return them. This is because they are hiding their badness hoping they will not be found out. 3. They wonâ™t accept credit cards. Some will make up an excuse saying that they do not wish to accept credit cards because of a past bad experience when, in fact, it is quite rare that ever happens. Plus, merchants are willing to take the risks since the use of credit cards allows companies to reach a much vaster pool of clientele. 4. They want you to pay with cashierâ™s check, money order, bank wire, or Western Union and not accepting any other alternative. 5. They will not let you try out the product or service for any length of time or in any quantity. Or, They will not provide examples of the work they have done. Sometimes, they wonâ™t have a money back guarantee. This is because they donâ™t want you to see how much they really suck! If their product was that of a quality performance, then they wouldnâ™t mind showing you examples or allowing you to try out their product or service for a time. Theyâ™d be confident that youâ™d come back for more as a returning customer or that you wouldnâ™t want your money back. Now that you have armed yourself with this protective knowledge, the rule of thumb is to watch out for the scammers, and be sure to do extensive research before signing up with anyone or purchasing anything. This is because there are still many people who are dishonest, and theyâ™ll do anything for that buck. Donâ™t let yourself be their next victim! Now the reason i ve had this article written is to try and protect you valuable customers from these devious scam artists. As i traveled the internet each day i m constantly amazed at the amount of people who had been scammed in the past and didn t know what to look for when they were researching potential money making opportunities. The biggest warning is if they want you to pay up front get a second opinion! I wish you well in your search to earn extra money and hope that i have helped to educate you in how to protect yourself from some of the potential scams that are traveling around the net today. Cheers, Tony! agloco.com.au - Earn Extra Money - It s FREE - The only way you can lose is by not joining!

Security - I Think I Have a Virus

2008-01-16T16:54:00.009-08:00

Computers are awesome in their capabilities. They can supply intense graphics, audio, and powerful software applications. They can help you in business and entertain you from the visually intense screen in front of you. Once you hook that computer up to the Internet you may be unintentionally inviting cyber bad guys to access information from your site. Through an Internet connection hackers may be able to access your information or company data. Spyware can mess up registries and attach themselves to files on your computer that can slow it down. Viruses can creep in unexpectedly and cause the complete crash of your system. Viruses can also be used to redistribute the virus through your email system. A friend of mine recently had an issue with a spyware program that attached itself following a brief power outage. That one instance caused him several weeks of problems with Internet connection and being able to conduct his business. Every computer, but a business computer for certain, should have a variety of security safeguards in place to help you manage company data and keep your computers running at optimum speed and performance. Virus Protection Similar to human viruses the computer virus can infect your computer and you may not know about it until it has already done significant damage. By accessing virus protection you can provide a cyber antibiotic consistently that allows your computer to fight off unwanted viruses before they have a chance to shred data. Pop Up Blocker Some may view pop ups as an annoyance, but some pop ups may contain malicious code that could harm your computer. Many browser applications can allow you to stop pop ups from finding their way to your screen, It may be in your best interest to stop the pop. Spyware They want to know where you go and what sites you visit and they find their way onto virtually every computer that is online. They may not be overtly malicious, but when there are too many of them they can cause your system to come to a crawl. You deserve your privacy online so it may be beneficial to download a spyware extractor and use it often. Firewall A firewall is a cyber tool that can help keep your computer uninviting to hackers. The firewall works to clock entrance to your system from outside, A hacker could still access your computer if they really want to, but if there is an easier target they may be inclined to leave your system alone. Registry Cleaner Although not a mandatory item a registry cleaner can help restore or fix registry data that can improve the speed on your computer. Essentially what spyware might take away a registry cleaner can restore for the benefit of your system. It would be Cyber Utopia if the bad guys would simply leave the Internet alone, but they remain a consistent presence that makes the use of a broad range of security issues necessary for all online users. Safe computing software may not just be a good idea it may be just what you need to save company data from those who don t share your personal and professional values. Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Make A Website in minutes with HighPowerSites or Build A Website with BuildAGreatSite. Start your own ebook business and Resell Ebooks with BooksWealth.

Web Application Vulnerability Assessment Essentials: Your First Step to a Highly Secure Web Site

2008-01-16T16:54:00.007-08:00

If an organization isn t taking a systematic and proactive approach to web security, and to running a web application vulnerability assessment in particular, then that organization isn t defended against the most rapidly increasing class of attacks. Web-based attacks can lead to lost revenue, the theft of customers personally identifiable financial information, and falling out of regulatory compliance with a multitude of government and industry mandates: the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI) for merchants, HIPAA for health care organizations, or Sarbanes-Oxley for publicly traded companies. In fact, the research firm Gartner estimates that 75 percent of attacks on web security today are aimed straight at the application layer. While they re described with such obscure names as Cross-Site Scripting, SQL Injection, or directory transversal, mitigating the risks associated with web application vulnerabilities and the attack methods that exploit them needn t be beyond the reach of any organization. This article, the first in a three-part series, will provide an overview of what you need to know to perform a vulnerability assessment to check for web security risks. It ll show you what you can reasonably expect a web application security scanner to accomplish, and what types of assessments still require expert eyes. The following two articles will show you how to remedy the web security risks a vulnerability assessment will uncover (and there ll be plenty to do), and the final segment will explain how to instill the proper levels of awareness, policies, and technologies required to keep web application security flaws to a minimum - from an application s conception, design, and coding, to its life in production. Just What Is a Web Application Vulnerability Assessment? A web application vulnerability assessment is the way you go about identifying the mistakes in application logic, configurations, and software coding that jeopardize the availability (things like poor input validation errors that can make it possible for an attacker to inflict costly system and application crashes, or worse), confidentiality (SQL Injection attacks, among many other types of attacks that make it possible for attackers to gain access to confidential information), and integrity of your data (certain attacks make it possible for attackers to change pricing information, for example). The only way to be as certain as you can be that you re not at risk for these types of vulnerabilities in web security is to run a vulnerability assessment on your applications and infrastructure. And to do the job as efficiently, accurately, and comprehensively as possible requires the use of a web application vulnerability scanner, plus an expert savvy in application vulnerabilities and how attackers exploit them. Web application vulnerability scanners are very good at what they do: identifying technical programming mistakes and oversights that create holes in web security. These are coding errors, such as not checking input strings, or failure to properly filter database queries, that let attackers slip on in, access confidential information, and even crash your applications. Vulnerability scanners automate the process of finding these types of web security issues; they can tirelessly crawl through an application performing a vulnerability assessment, throwing countless variables into input fields in a matter of hours, a process that could take a person weeks to do manually. Unfortunately, technical errors aren t the only problems you need to address. There is another class of web security vulnerabilities, those that lay within the business logic of application and system flow that still require human eyes and experience to identify successfully. Whether called an ethical hacker or a web security consultant, there are times (especially with newly developed and deployed applications and systems) that you need someone who has the expertise to run a vulnerability assessment in much the way a hacker will. Just as is the case with technical errors, business logic errors can cause serious problems and weaknesses in web security. Business logic errors can make it possible for shoppers to insert multiple coupons in a shopping cart - when this shouldn t be allowed - or for site visitors to actually guess the usernames of other customers (such as directly in the browser address bar) and bypass authentication processes to access others accounts. With business logic errors, your business may be losing money, or customer information may be stolen, and you ll find it tough to figure out why; these transactions would appear legitimately conducted to you. Since business logic errors aren t strict syntactical slip-ups, they often require some creative thought to spot. That s why scanners aren t highly effective at finding such problems, so these problems need to be identified by a knowledgeable expert performing a vulnerability assessment. This can be an in-house web security specialist (someone fully detached from the development process), but an outside consultant would be preferable. You ll want a professional who has been doing this for awhile. And every company can benefit from a third-party audit of its web security. Fresh eyes will find problems your internal team may have overlooked, and since they ll have helped hundreds of other companies, they ll be able to run a vulnerability assessment and quickly identify problems that need to be addressed. Conducting Your Vulnerability Assessment: The First Steps There are a number of reasons your organization may need to conduct a vulnerability assessment. It could be simply to conduct a checkup regarding your overall web security risk posture. But if your organization has more than a handful of applications and a number of servers, a vulnerability assessment of such a large scope could be overwhelming. The first thing you need to decide is what applications need to be assessed, and why. It could be part of your PCI DSS requirements, or to meet HIPAA requirements. Or the scope could be the web security of a single, ready-to-be-deployed application. Once you ve figured out the scope, you need to prioritize the applications that need to be assessed. If you re accessing a single, new application, that decision is easy. But if you re on the precipice of accessing every web application in your architecture, you have some decisions to make. Whether you re looking at the web security of applications you own, or only those that take part in online sales transactions, you need to inventory and prioritize the applications to be assessed. Depending on the scope and purpose of your vulnerability assessment, it makes sense to start looking at the web security of your crucial applications first - for instance, those that conduct the most transactions or dollar volume - and work down from there. Or it could be starting with all applications that touch those that process and store sales transactions. No matter your scope, or the purpose of your vulnerability assessment, other aspects of your architecture always need to be considered when listing and prioritizing your applications. For instance, any externally facing applications - even those that don t contain sensitive information - need to be given high priority. The same is true for externally hosted applications, whether they are Internet-facing or directly connected to back-end systems. Any applications that are accessible by the Internet, or hosted by others, should be subject to a vulnerability assessment. You can t assume that an application is secure just because it is hosted by a third-party, just as you can t assume that just there is no risk just because a web application, form, or entire site doesn t handle sensitive information. In both cases, any web security vulnerabilities could very likely lead an attacker directly to your most critical network segments and applications. The Vulnerability Assessment Now you re ready for the vulnerability assessment. Believe it or not, much of the hard work is already done: deciding the scope, and then classifying and prioritizing your applications. Now, assuming you ve already acquired a web security scanner and have identified who will conduct the manual scan for business logic errors, you re ready to take a whack at your application. The resulting report, based on the security health of the application, will provide you a list of high, medium, and low priority vulnerabilities. At this point, you ll need someone to vet the automated vulnerability assessment results to find any false positives, or vulnerabilities identified by the scanner, but don t actually exist. If it seems overwhelming, don t fret; we ll delve into how to prioritize and remedy these web security vulnerabilities in the next installment. About the same time as your automated vulnerability assessment, the manual assessment will be underway. During the manual assessment, the expert will look for logic errors in the application: Is it possible for users to conduct transactions in ways the developers hadn t anticipated? Such as the ability of someone to tamper with application values that are being passed from the client to the server to alter the price of an item. The manual vulnerability assessment will end with a list of all vulnerabilities to web security found, and the assessor should prioritize the risks posed by each problem - based on the ease of exploiting the vulnerability, and the potential harm that could result if an attacker is successful. Now you have your list of web security vulnerabilities, both technical and logic. And, if your organization is like most others, you have some remedying work to do. The challenge now is to prioritize what needs to be fixed, so that your existing applications can be hardened, and those being built can be remedied and safely placed into production. While the list of web security issues may be long, you ve completed the first major phase on the road to a highly secure application. Take comfort in the fact that your vulnerability assessment has identified problems in your applications before they were attacked by competitors, lone-hackers, or organized crime. In the next article, Effective Web Application Vulnerability Remediation Strategies , we ll show you how to prioritize your remediation work so that development time isn t prolonged, and existing applications at risk are remedied before they can be attacked. About Caleb Sima Caleb Sima is the co-founder of SPI Dynamics , a web application security products company. He currently serves as the CTO and director of SPI Labs, SPI Dynamics RandD security team. Prior to co-founding SPI Dynamics, Caleb was a member of the elite X-Force RandD team at Internet Security Systems, and worked as a security engineer for S1 Corporation. Caleb is a regular speaker and press resource on web application security testing methods and has contributed to (IN)Secure Magazine, Baseline Magazine and been featured in the Associated Press. About Vincent Liu Vincent Liu, CISSP, CCNA, is the managing director at Stach and Liu ( stachliu.com), a professional services firm providing advanced IT security solutions. Before founding Stach and Liu, Vincent led the Attack and Penetration and Reverse Engineering teams for the Global Security unit at Honeywell International.

How to Secure Your Network?

2008-01-16T16:54:00.005-08:00

How to Secure Your Network? Network security is a method of preventing your computer network from the unauthorized user access, email spoofing, Trojan horses, denial of service, hacking, viruses, spyware and intruders etc. There are different securities mechanisms are being employed to protect the network. If a hacker gets control of your computer or network, he can send viruses or steal your companyâ™s confidential data. Similarly if any computer in your network is infected with the viruses or spyware, all other computers will also be infected if no proper security system has been implemented. Securing a network is most important job description of the network administrators, security specialists, network engineers and IT managers. You can secure your computer network by the following security methods. Network Security Tips Use Virus Protection Software Donâ™t open unknown email attachments Use regular backup of your critical data Make boot disk Use Firewall program Authenticate users Implement Security Policy in your network Keep an inventory of your software and hardware and make a list of all the devices. SCAN TCP/UDP services Donâ™t provide more rights to the system resources than necessary. Perform the network security testing and find the holes and fix them. Place your server at very safe place. Prepare an Assistant Network Administrator and train him/her about all the security related matters so that he/she can control the network in your absence. Monitor the userâ™s activities on the internet and block all the unwanted websites, web applications which have security risks. If you have wireless network then the following methods are very helpful in securing your wireless network. Wireless Network Security SSID (Service Set Identifier) â" WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) MAC Addressing (Media Access Control) DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Encryption B. Bashir manages this website Networking Tutorials and regularly writes articles on various topics such as Computer Networking, Network Troubleshooting Tips Wireless Networking, Computer Hardware, Certifications, How Tos, Network Security Guide and computer tips.

The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore

2008-01-16T16:54:00.003-08:00

The internet is undoubtedly a fantastic resource for families and offers a rich vein of educational content. However, there are potential dangers - welcome to the seedy world of viruses, spam, trojans, pornography, spyware and other nasties. These are the Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore. 1. Viruses - A computer program that copies itself. They often disrupt your computer system or damage your data. Viruses are usually received by email attachments so be careful opening anything from a dubious source. They can affect anyone, for example, the destructive Mydoom worm affected one out of three small and mid-sized businesses. 2. Spyware - Sends information about you and your computer to somebody else. Spyware may send the addresses of sites you have visited or worse still, transmit personal information. With todayâ™s concerns about identify theft this is a real worry. For example, CoolWebSearch may hijack web searches, home page, and other Internet Explorer settings. Spyware is normally received as part of shareware or freeware downloaded from the web. 3. IP Spoofing - A technique to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby the intruder sends messages to a computer with an address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted host. 4. Trojans - An apparently legitimate computer program that is really intended to disrupt and damage computer activity by sending information, perhaps even passwords onto a third party without you knowing. As an example, recent emails entitled Osama Bin Laden Captured attempted to download the Trj/Small.B. Trojan if the embedded URL was clicked. This trojan attempts to hijack the PC. 5. Spam - Unsolicited mail often promoting products of a dubious financial or sexual nature. Don t leave your email address on websites and internet bulletin boards as they are harvested by spammers. 6. Adware - puts advertisements on your screen. These take many forms including popups, popunders and advertisements that appear later, even if your browser is closed. Some are sent using the Windows Messenger service which allows a spammer to direct an advertisement straight to your computer by sequentially sending messages to IP addresses. Always irritating, they are also often of a pornographic nature. 7. Diallers - for those of us still with dial up modems, dialler programs redirect calls to a very expensive number. You wonâ™t know until you get the bill. 8. Hijackers - Hijackers take control of your web browser and may reset your home page, search bar and search pages. They can redirect you to undesirable sites or stop you going to particular sites. 9. Hackers - With so much personal data available online to anyone with a password you must be sure your password is secure. If you are using your mother s maiden name, your cat s name or your birthday then your password is at risk. Here are two tips for making a secure password. Method One - pick two random unrelated three letter words and two digits. Mix them up and what do you have? A secure password such as red19cat or hotpin73 . Method Two - pick a short sequence of words such as Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent Made Glorious and you have a password of nitwoodmg . You could even change the I s and O s to digits. 10. Phishing - Emails purporting to come from reliable sources such as Paypal, Ebay or your bank. Often wanting you to verify your account details, they can look very realistic but are generally scams to harvest usernames and passwords. Always open a new browser winder and type the address there, rather than clicking on the link provided. 11. Hoaxes - Chain letters, scams, false alarms. At best they take up time and bandwidth but at worst vulnerable can be victims of fraud. Pass it on! 12. Stranger-danger â" For those of us with children - do you know what they actually do when they are online? Are they working on homework tasks, downloading illegal music or pornography? Or are they chatting to strangers in chat rooms? You should consider blocking access to undesirable sites and logging their activity with a surveillance tool. Oh, and don t forget that where children are concerned, computers should always be kept in a family room and never in their bedroom. Three Step Action Plan There are three basic, essential steps that should be taken to ensure your PC is kept threat-free. Firstly , be sensible when opening attachments or following email instructions from apparently reputable sites. Secondly , make sure you are using the latest service pack of Windows as Microsoft is continually closing loopholes to tighten up security. Finally, there s a range of low cost tools such as firewalls, antivirus, spam blockers and spyware killers available. Like everything else they vary in quality and you tend to get what you pay for so always do your research first and perhaps try a free trial before getting your credit card out. The author, Kai Chandler, edits surfcontrols.com which specializes in providing reviews and recommendations of top-rated tools to help protect your online experience.

Cell Phone Number Reverse Lookup - A Great Family Protection Tool

2008-01-16T16:54:00.001-08:00

A great deal of people consider cell phone number reverse lookup to be a danger but many also consider it to be an extremely beneficial service. Try to conceive for a moment that you may use this technology to uncover who is to blame for unwanted, early morning calls or perhaps you need to discover who are your kids exactly talking with. With the help of cell phone number reverse lookup you have the means to track these calls, and if you actually believe that the security of the ones dearest to you is in danger somehow, you have the option to hire a paid web search service to dig out info even concerning unlisted cell phone numbers. The majority of teenagers today have mobile phones, and a lot of them spend a great deal of time everyday chatting on them. Since teenagers are quite defensive concerning their privacy, a lot of times you are not going to have the opportunity to discover who they are talking to. What you can do however, is to jot down the phone number you see on their cell phones and check it up. In case that you did not developed a trusting relationship with your kids, which can be hard to do sometimes, you can use this method to keep an eye on them without them even knowing about it. This will naturally, involve a bit of spy behavior from your side, but if that helps you protect your loved ones, it will be worth your trouble. Besides that the option to use the cell phone, number reverse lookup allows you to trace the wrong numbers calls. It is possible that you are a prey to recurrent hang up calls, with the help of cell phone number reverse lookup you now have the way to track down the holder of the phone even when the calls are originating from the unlisted mobile phone number. Quite often a mobile phone connection can be so bad that we merely hang up, this happens especially in the remote parts of the country. So even if the cell phone number was visible, it could be that the number is unfamiliar to us. In situation like these, we can use cell phone number reverse lookup to uncover who the call came from and use it to call them back. Maybe it might be a family member that needs your assistance. Therefore, although some individuals may regard cell phone number reverse lookup to be a technology just for criminals there are a lot of people who discover it to be extremely handy for both their private and business goals. Luka Zimmerman is a cellular phones expert, publisher and owner of reverse-phone-lookup-info.com a site where you can get comprehensive reverse phone lookup free info.

Need of Security Management Software For Telecommunication Industry

2008-01-16T16:53:00.019-08:00

Few industries have experienced so much change, so rapidly, as telecommunications. Increasing competition, deregulation and industry convergence around the globe have incited an almost Darwinian struggle to stay competitive, let alone profitable. As competition intensifies and the network becomes a commodity, service providers are faced with the need to reduce costs and add value to their services. Today s customer can choose from different carriers and hence customer care and marketing intelligence become strategic functions in retaining and gaining market share. All these changes demand that a carrier s supporting infrastructure be responsive and flexible. In short, a telco s business can no longer revolve around the network; it must revolve around the customer. ENTERPRISE WIDE TELECOM APPLICATION SUIT SECURITY - Secure activity logs: Provide a verifiable trail of user or administrator activities and events generated by network devices. Secure activity logs must contain sufficient information to establish individual accountability, reconstruct past events, detect intrusion attempts, and perform after-the fact analysis of security incidents and long-term trend analysis. Activity log information helps identify the root cause of a security problem and prevent future incidents. For example, activity logs can be used to reconstruct the sequence of events that led up to a problem. - Network operator authentication: Based on strong centralized administration and enforcement of passwords, ensures that only authenticated operators gain access to management systems. Centralized administration of passwords enables enforcement of password strength and removes the need for local storage of passwords on the network elements and EMS (Element Management Systems). Authorization for network operators uses authenticated identity to determine the user s privileges. This helps determine what systems they can access, what functions they can perform and what areas, systems and functions they are NOT permitted to access. - Encryption of network management: Traffic protects the confidentiality and integrity of network management data tariff - especially important with the growing use of in-band network management. Encryption provides a high degree of protection from internal and external threats, with the exception of the small group of insiders that have legitimate access to encryption keys. - Secure remote access for operators: Security must be provided for operators and administrators who manage the network from a remote location over a public network. Providing a secure virtual private network using IPsec is the mandatory solution, as this will provide strong encryption and authentication of all remote operators. - Firewalls and VLANs: Partition the network to segment management devices and traffic from other, less confidential systems such as public Web servers and WLANs. The firewall controls the type of traffic that can transit the boundary between security domains. - Intrusion detection systems: Incorporated into management servers defend against network intrusions by warning administrators of potential security incidents such as a server compromise or DoS attack. - Hardening operating systems: Used for network management, close potential security gaps in general purpose operating systems and embedded real-time operating systems. OS hardening should use the latest procedures and patches from the OS manufacturer. - Anti-virus protection: Involves scanning all in-house and third-party software packages with virus- detection tools before incorporating the software into a product or network. A rigorous established process ensures that network management software is virus free. IMPLEMENTATION Integrated data warehousing - Gather information from any and all internal and external sources - Improve your marketing and sales capabilities - Provide each of your employees with the reporting and analysis capabilities they need - Enhance your decision-making ability Scalability - Deploy in your enterprise - no matter what its size - Grow your solution as you grow your business Open interfaces - Integrate all your old and new solutions to create a single, comprehensive environment - Incorporate the latest technological innovations as they emerge Data Structures - Lean database structures. A lean data structure is important for keeping databases at a manageable size, especially as regards transaction data (such as postings). - Reducing the number of postings. As described above, the number of postings is reduced to a minimum. APPLICATION Customer Service Management - Marketing and Customer analytics - Logistics Management - Lead and Opportunity Management - Order Management, Brokering and Tracking - Complaint Management - Call Center Dealer Management - Dealer Life Cycle Management - Dealer Operations Management - Incentive and Commission Management - Forecasting and Replenishment Network Management - Demand and Supply Management - Investment and Project Management - Inventory and Fixed Asset Management - Mobile Workforce Management Customer Financial Management - Receivables and Collections - Financial Customer Care and Dispute Management - Credit Management - Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment - Convergent Invoicing Business Intelligence - Call Analysis - Network Analysis - Billing Analysis - Revenue Analysis - Fraud Analysis - Service Analysis - Marketing Analysis - Partner Analysis

Seven Tips for Securing Your Organization s Network from Spam and Email Viruses

2008-01-16T16:53:00.017-08:00

Seven Tips for Securing Your Organization s Network from Spam and Email Viruses Providing security against email related threats has become a burden for most IT professionals in 2006. According to a recent study by Postini, spam and email viruses now make up to 80% of all emails sent out as compared to 50% in 2000. As a result, IT professionals now face a tougher challenge in providing network security for this amount of spam. IT professionals also have the disadvantage of defending against new forms of email threats such as spam zombies, directory harvest attacks, mass mailing trojans, as well as the latest email virus. In this article, I have listed the seven most effective spam fighting tips for organizations with in-house mail servers. These seven tips are proven techniques I have used for my customers, partners and associates who wish to tighten their perimeter (network) security. 1. Firewall: A firewall is your first line of defense against hackers, crackers, and spammers. Without a firewall, your network is a disaster waiting to happen and could give any novice hacker free reign over your network. If your organization has multiple Internet users, this tool is essential for securing your network. 2. Block Port 25: On your firewall, allow outbound traffic on TCP port 25 for all mail servers. Block traffic on outbound TCP port 25 for all other computers and servers. On the Internet, TCP port 25 is used for email traffic through SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol). Blocking this port is a good security practice and prevents mass mailing worms and spam zombies from sending mail from your usersâ™ computers. 3. Managed Email Filtering: Consider using a managed filtering solution such as Postini, Brightmail, or SpamSoap. Managed Email Filtering services quarantine spam, viruses, and email threats before reaching the email servers on your network. In comparison to desktop filters and server appliances, managed filtering services provide superior perimeter (network) protection by preventing delivery of spam and viruses to your network and servers. 4. Check Relay Setting: A mail serverâ™s relay setting controls which computers and servers are able to send SMTP email on your organizationâ™s behalf. Check your settings and limit the IP address range to email users on your local network. Some mail servers have settings to limit email relay through authentication. If authentication-based relay is available, setup and configure it too. NOTE: If the relay is not set properly, spammers will be able to send email from your mail server. This exploit is commonly known as an âœOpen Relayâ or a âœSpam Relay.â Use the Open Relay test at abuse.net/relay.htm to check if spammers can relay mail from your server. 5. Black Lists: Setup your mail server(s) with a black list. A black list (black hole list) is a database or listing of known spam sources. Most modern email servers can be configured to query inbound email against online blacklists. Messages originating from these sources can then be blocked. I recommend configuring your email server with SpamHaus blacklist. Spamhaus.org is an excellent free service to use. Some other good blacklists are DBSL and SpamCop. 6. Reverse DNS: Reverse DNS (rDNS) associates an IP Address with a Domain Name. Most mail servers, as an anti-spam feature, often use a reverse DNS lookup to compare an email address domain name with its IP address. If the IP address found from the rDNS lookup does not match the domain name, it is probably spam. If you havenâ™t done so, setup and configure reverse DNS records on your DNS server. 7. Anti-Virus Scan: There are many tools that provide adequate anti-virus protection for desktops at the workplace. Most anti-virus software is good at detecting viral threats that proliferate email spam such as mass mailing worms, trojans, and directory harvesters. Large organizations might want to use enterprise anti-spam software with management and monitoring tools that will allow tracking of network virus outbreaks. Recommended Links: - spam-x.com [Postini service â" managed filtering, 1 to 500 users] - postini.com [Postini service â" managed filtering, 500 users] - spamhaus.org [Blacklist] - dbsl.org [Blacklist] - spamcop.net [Blacklist] - abuse.net/relay.htm [Open relay test] - dnsreport.com [DNS report/open relay test] - dnsstuff.com [Spam database lookup and open relay test] - cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/02/17/spam.zombies.ap [Spam Zombie Article] Email viruses and related threats delivered through spam have cost businesses billions of dollars in expenses and lost productivity. Each spam email sent or received from your domain costs your organization money and bandwidth. By implementing these seven tips, your organization can reduce spam and recover costs. This article: Â© Copyright 2006 Todd Green and free for republishing. About the author: Todd Green is a partner of a Memphis-based IT consulting firm. He has over fourteen yearsâ™ experience in the field of Information Technology and has managed security on many corporate networks over the years. He is the owner of SPAM-X, a Postini reseller ( spam-x.com ) and a partner for Postiniâ™s preemptive spam and virus filtering service.

Facts About Phishing

2008-01-16T16:53:00.015-08:00

Crime still doesnâ™t pay, even if itâ™s phishing. And although phishing may seem like a new word to many, especially with the latest updated Internet Explorer browser that is said to detect possible phishing activity on websites, it is an old term for old criminal activity involving technology. With regards to computers and the Internet, phishing can include the following illegal activities (and more): Attempts to gain private information like credit card numbers with expiration dates and other details to make false transactions later on with your credit. Attempts to gain user ID and password information so that others can fraudulently use your account(s). Attempts by an entity to purposely misrepresent a business or persona generally via electronic communications (like spoof emails, private messages or instant messages) but also over the phone, in order to commit fraud. Brief History of Net Phishing Early records of phising activities show fake instant messages at AOL as unscrupulous persons posed as AOL representatives seeking to verify account information with unsuspecting AOL customers. When AOL customers logged in through the bogus links in their communications and entered sensitive information, or gave the info via instant messaging communications, their information was captured by the criminals. The fraudulent activity got so out of hand that finally AOL had to attach this statement to their communications, no one working at AOL will ask for your password or billing information . Phishing on the web quickly spread out through many channels with a focus on financial sites, with Paypal being one of the largest targets of continual phishing activity. Criminals try to duplicate the site and Paypal emails often complete with nearly official-looking headers and other Paypal graphics and website colors. Criminal activities include: - Emails sent to Paypal members asking them to sign in via a link in their bogus emails to update their account information, thus allowing the criminals opportunity to capture the user ID and password into their real Paypal account. - Fake receipts sent via emails to Paypal members telling them someone has purchased something through their Paypal account, enticing the members to log in â˜throughâ™ the link in the bogus emails as above and give out private information. - Fake emails to Paypal members that confirm an email address has been added to their Paypal account, scaring people into clicking on the bogus link in the email communications once again, as above, in order to capture private access information. To avoid phishing activity as best you can, do not ever log into financial â" or other online sites via email and other online communications. Always â" ALWAYS - -access the site link yourself through the domain name and log in to your account to see if anyone has left you a message or performed any other activities as mentioned in the emails. Or seek the siteâ™s Support for more help. Author and internet entrepreneur Bernard Pragides offers expert advice and tips regarding identity theft. Learn more about identity theft and fraud by visiting his blog at identity4life-blog.com and his website IdentityProtek.com for more helpful information.

Anti-Virus Software for Back to School

2008-01-16T16:53:00.013-08:00

As parents, college students and kids alike prepare for the back-to-school season, there are plenty of things on everyoneâ™s minds. While university enrollees prepare to throw down hundreds on college textbooks, younger students are getting their school supplies lists from new teachers. However, there is one item that should be on every new school year list: anti-virus software. These days, most every student uses a computer for homework, research and we cannot forget about games and music downloads. Using a PC is nearly mandatory in anyoneâ™s daily life in the 21st century, especially a studentâ™s. For many college students, heading back to campus means connecting their wireless routers to the university network, which may pose a greater threat than the Web connection from the comfort of your home. The Information Age has opened doors to countless benefits, but also pitfalls. More students are expected to email professors or teachers with file after attached file of book reports and research papers. What about online classes? Many college campuses require students to participate in Web portal classroom discussions and work critiques, which utilizes file sharing. Anti-virus software is a key component of any studentâ™s desktop or notebook PC, mainly because of the high volume of downloads, emails and files that are sure to make their way into each and every computer. According to a consumer survey, about 78% of respondents intend to spend the most on school supplies, coming in over apparel and book bags. While school supplies used to mean folders, pens and post-itâ™s, items like anti-virus software are becoming the norm and the necessary. After all, the more you use a computer, the better your security and virus protection must be. Kelly Liyakasa is staff writer for 6StarReviews.com. Kelly Staller is site manager at 6StarReviews.com, a site dedicated to giving YOU, the consumer, the best product and service reviews around. If you like saving time and money by having someone else review leading sites and products, then Visit our site at 6StarReviews.com

Fraud Online Don t Be Ignorant To The Threat

2008-01-16T16:53:00.011-08:00

Fraud Online Don t Be Ignorant To The Threat If you use a computer in todayâ™s world you are probably bombarded with at least 20 efforts a day in your inbox to part you from vital information or money in some sort of internet scam or identity theft or password phishing site. Make a list of all the sites where critical data is potentially given out i.e. banking online, paying bills online etc. Carefully find all the websites that these relate to and bookmark them. This prevents you using any disguised links that may arrive in an email. By doing this all the type of email attacks are practically solved. Be careful about which sites you allow Active X scripts to run from not all are friendly better to be cautious than to have your wallet emptied. Create your own secure site list and only add carefully to this list get recommendations of which are good sites. Again I find that I tend to only use a few well known sites for virtually all my online shopping activities. Think about your web searches a clever company can get to the top of a Google search engine listing without being a reputable one. Itâ™s just a case of that they are better at search engine optimisation than other companies. One of the things you must realize is that criminals tend to pay better than legitimate business or have an easy cash flow situation so they afford to employ the best optomisation methods. So donâ™t be misled by this as there was a car repair company using a trick to get to the top of Google to attract business. Google does a very good job of re evaluating websites in their index and most so black hat optomisation methods are leading to dodgy websites being expelled from the Google index. By being more rigorous with your dealings with both the internet and the real world you become less of and attractive proposition to online thiefs. By thinking what do you want to achieve before acting online the criminal stands less chance of getting your details. At the moment a lot of legitamate internet marketeers use a website called tinyurl this disguisises large affiliate links to much smaller ones that look a little more attractive. Although most internet marketees are legitimate in their method of generating web traffic some are not and disguise website information in a effort to be anonymous. I tend to think of the online world as quite a bit like swimming in the sea we all enjoy a good swim in the sea but in the sea lives bloddy big sharks that will take a bite out of you. The internet criminals are using ever so more sophisticated technology including breaking into offices to install key loggers into keyboards. Then they take the phone number of the extension ring you up pretending to be your bank etc and of course you get suspicious but you go and log into your bank account and hey presto they got your details. Important if you get a suspicious call like that phone the bank dont log in and get someone to look at your keyboard. You would be suprised how much money has been gained by this scam alone. Look after yourself online its a big bad world and you want to keep what belongs to you. Â© 2007 Andy Bolton 39 Liverpool, bravemain.com romanian-bride.com

Spyware Anti Virus Protection Software

2008-01-16T16:53:00.009-08:00

Approximately 96% of people who surf the internet have pc s which are infected by some form of spyware. So what is it and how does it affect your operating system. Spyware is constantly spreading and is infecting lots more computers every single day. These types of programs come in many different sizes but all have a couple of things in common. While you surf the internet your computer can become infected without you re knowledge of it. It can additionally gain access to and send your personal information from your computer to another distant computer without you even knowing, and apart from the fact that it can be a frustrating task to find it, trying to uninstall or disable it successfully can prove to be a mission. Let us take a look at some ways of how spyware can infect your computer as well as the common symptoms. 1. Email attachments. Make sure you are careful about opening email attachments as they are notorious to contain spyware. If you open the email the program will install and run in the background without you even knowing. 2. Bundled software. Sometimes when you download software it may have bundled spyware which will simultaneously install on your operating system together with the origional software program. Common Symptoms: 1. Home page startup. Sometimes your default homepage may change which can be a result of a spyware infection. So just be alert and if you re homepage changes from the norm then you might be infected. 2. New websites in Favourites. This is also a common symptom of spyware programs. It can also occur that some websites often come back when your computer restarts despite the fact that you may have deleted it which can be another symptom. 3. Sluggish Computer. You should check if your pc is running slower than usual. A large portion of spyware programs make use of a good chunk of your memory to run. So If you notice that your pc is acting sluggish, once again the probability is high that it is most likely infected as well. 4. Pop up Adverts. If you suddenly start receiving more pop up adverts than normal, you might have a problem. The majority are poker type website pop ups while others may appear to come from harmless sites. If you would like to download a free version of the latest top rated spyware software please visit the website below. XoftSpySE Spyware Remover

Beware of Downloading Pretty Things on the Web

2008-01-16T16:53:00.007-08:00

Those who make computers their career â" programmers, Web designers, technicians and the rest â" obviously have less âœcomputer issuesâ than most people do. What may not be as obvious are the reasons why this happens. They may be simpler than you think. By following a few common sense rules, the quality of the time you spend on the computer, for business or for leisure, can improve significantly, your productivity can grow and you can eliminate substantial hassles. In this article, weâ™ll take a look at one simple way that can help you avoid some common issues that affect todayâ™s computer users: loss of performance, errors, âœcrashes,â spam, invasion of privacy and identity theft, all caused by seemingly harmless and useful things that we voluntarily download from the Internet. We all enjoy customizing our computers, lending them a drop of our personalities. We often do this through our use of customized screensavers, wallpapers, cursors and icons, to name a few. Also, there are many apparently handy âœutilitiesâ (desktop weather programs, useful toolbars, fancy clocks, etc.) that many of us use. While there is nothing inherently wrong with using all these things, a lot of caution should be exercised as to where they come from and what else might be in the package. That adorable little butterfly cursor you just downloaded might just be the carrier of other software, possibly intending to track your online activities in order to serve you advertising based on your interests, use your computer to send itself to others, log your keystrokes (usernames and passwords included) and send them to its maker, dial a pay phone number from your phone line or inundate you with pop-ups, at the same time draining your computerâ™s resources. How do you avoid all this? Check Your Sources One of the things to keep in mind if you wish to keep your computer safe from what is usually referred to as âœmalwareâ (viruses, spyware, adware, etc.) is that you should never download anything from sources that you donâ™t trust. Itâ™s one thing to download a screensaver from NationalGeographic.com or ComedyCentral.com versus downloading screensavers from JoesScreensaverEmporium.com. Using reputable sources translates into an extra layer of security. That, however, is not to say that small websites donâ™t provide good and harmless downloads. Indeed, the Web is full of small, legitimate websites that offer more downloads than large, corporate websites ever could. But make sure you research the specific website from which you are tempted to download something. You can search information about it in Google and see if there are any complaints. If others have had any issues with it, you will usually easily find their objections on the Web. Avoid Certain File Types The second thing to remember is that thereâ™s almost no legitimate reason for a cursor, wallpaper or screensaver to be packaged as an executable file. That is, it should almost never come as a download with the extension .exe. The extension is the last group of characters (usually three) after the last dot (.) in the name of the file youâ™re downloading. Extensions are always the last part of the file name. Every time you download something (by either saving the file on your computer or âœrunningâ it), your browser should show you the extension at the end of the file name that you are downloading. Remember that there are legitimate .exe files. Most of them are. But make sure you trust the source of your download before getting anything with the extension .exe on your computer. The same applies for compressed files (e.g. .zip, .rar, .gz, .iso, etc.) Here are a few file types that should be safe to download: .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png (all for images), .scr (for screensavers), .ico (for icons) and .cur (for cursors). Follow these tips and you will greatly reduce the chances of enthusiastically infecting your computer with unwanted software. Never Use the âœUsefulâ Toolbars Well, almost never. There are some toolbars that are actually useful and that you could use if youâ™re not worried about wasting computer resources. If you have a powerful machine, you shouldnâ™t lose any sleep about the resources a toolbar is using. Theyâ™re insignificant compared to the total capacity of your computer. If, on the other hand, youâ™re experiencing low performance and slow speed on your computer, it would probably be a good idea to uninstall any toolbars that you can live without. The last thing you need on your overworked and under-equipped computer is a charming toolbar that further drains it of its resources. Same applies for all other programs that are not necessary to you. Keep it down to the bare necessities and your computer will reward you with improved performance. Of course, just as with other programs you get off the Web, you should be extremely cautious as to where they come from. Yahooâ™s or Googleâ™s toolbars will probably only slow you down and take away from your screen space. There arenâ™t any other dangers to using toolbars from reputable Internet companies, if you donâ™t mind that some of them (for instance, Alexaâ™s), anonymously track your browsing activities Barbara Theodosiou is the founder of Mommy Mentors. Mommy Mentors goal is to encourage and assist every woman to share her inspirations, hopes and dreams with other women throughout the world. We know that by sharing our weaknesses we can build strength, and by sharing our strengths we can become stronger. This article is part of the ongoing Mommy Mentors series âœInternet Tips for Womenâ to learn more visit mommymentors.com

Intrusion Detection Guide

2008-01-16T16:53:00.005-08:00

With the growing use of internet the threats attached to it are also growing. As more and more people are getting dependent on internet, the hackers are inventing new ways to intrude into their systems and cause havoc for them. By intruding or by gaining unauthorized access to their computers the hackers can access confidential information or can simply destroy their system and derive sadistic pleasure out of it. Thus, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) have become the need of the hour. The large number of computers accessing internet and the valuable information they contain has made it the quintessential task to ensure network security before establishing any kind of network. Hackers can adopt different methods to breach the network security. Most common of them is by gaining unauthorized access to the information that is primarily private and confidential. This is very dangerous for a network as this information can be misused or can be modified by the hacker, which is also known as data diddling. This kind of modification of data can render all the data stored on the computers that are connected to a network, to become useless. Thus, it can result in total chaos and disorder for any organization or individual. Some hackers may even delete the data totally or may release a virus in the network that can corrupt all the files on the computers including those of the operating system, which can render a computer to be totally useless. Some other forms of network security threats are remote login capability, SMTP hijacking, DNS, Macros and OS bugs. Because of these multiplying threats the Intrusion Detection Systems are gaining popularity and have become an integral part of the overall business strategy of an enterprise. The main purpose of an Intrusion Detection System is to identify any passive or active and any internal or external activity that is hostile to a network and then to alert the concerned system administrator and also block it as it happens. Thus, it detects any unauthorized access or misuse of a computer system and acts like a burglar alarm for a computer. Eventually many different Intrusion Detection Systems have been developed, however, the detection schemes generally fall into one of the two categories, anomaly detection or misuse detection. Anomaly detectors sort out the behavior that deviates from the normal system use. While on the other hand, misuse detectors look for the behavior that matches a known attack scenario. Another sub-category of Intrusion Detection Systems is Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS). These systems look out for suspicious activity and monitor the packets. Network Intrusion Detection Systems can monitor many computers at a time over a network, while other intrusion detection systems may monitor only one. Usually it is assumed that the people outside the networks try to break into them and gain access to the private and confidential information. However, the truth may be different for the big corporate houses. Here, the insiders pose a greater threat to the information and the overall security of the network. This is because they have the insiderâ™s knowledge of the workings of the company. Hence, though the network security threats are multiplying with the size of the network, we can still secure our networks by acting judiciously and by having the necessary Intrusion Detection Systems on our networks. Mansi Aggarwal recommends that you visit Intrusion detection for more information.

Spybot - How to Protect your Computer

2008-01-16T16:53:00.003-08:00

Spyware Spyware is a term that is generally used to describe software that performs a certain tast that can come in forms of advertising, It starts collecting personal information, or changing the configuration of your computer, generally without obtaining your consent first. Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements (called adware) or software that tracks personal or sensitive information. The fight against spyware requires heavy defense to protect your computers welfare. Spyware protection can identified and analyzed spyware. There are free programs that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. Other kinds of spyware makes changes to your computer that can be annoying and can cause your computer slow down or crash. There are a number of ways spyware or other unwanted software can get on your computer. Maybe, somehow you ve clicked the wrong link and a Trojan horse has slipped in filling your PC with adware and spyware. Someone has sent you an e-mail that you have opened, just to find out that this wasn t someone you knew and it turned out to be a virus. Spyware Free anti-spyware provides you with advanced protection against spyware that secretly attaches and takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity, even identity theft through stolen bank details, passwords, and credit card account numbers. Find everything you need with free anti-spyware. You can be up and running in minutes. Are you infected with a spyware program that refuses to go away? Receive your free anti-spyware to start protecting your computer today. If you really want to take the work out of looking for that right Spyware Protection from a Spybot go to the Internet and get a Free Spybot Download or a Spybot Search and Destroy Download to prevent your vital information from being ripped from your computer.

Internet Security Is More About Prevention Than Disinfection

2008-01-16T16:53:00.001-08:00

An anti-malware application is just as good as its resident shield. Anything that gets past an active resident shield will seldom be detected by any anti-malware protection system. Todayâ™s generation of anti-malware packages have heuristic detection technology helping them to detect virus- or spyware-like activity without actually knowing anything about the threat. But heuristic analysis is only a secondary layer of protection, your primary line of defence against malicious software is a definition or signature file containing the details and characteristics of specific malware threats. Even firewalls and spam filters have definition files in the form of blacklists. Neglecting to keep your signature or definition files up to date is like neglecting to pay your monthly insurance premium. Your insurance company will refuse to pay out any claims because you did not maintain your insurance policy. An update a day keeps the malware at bay. A decent anti-malware application will isolate any known malware before it enters your system, but becomes vulnerable when unknown malware enters your system undetected. It is harder for anti-malware applications to take over a system, already infected with malware, than protecting a clean system from getting infected. Anti-malware software is primarily designed to protect your system from getting infected and its secondary objective is to neutralise threats as quickly as possible before they start to spread throughout your system. I have seen how top class anti-virus systems self-destruct when they are infected with high-risk viruses that were already present on the system, before the anti-virus software was installed. It basically means that the virus infects critical components and files of the anti-virus application, the anti-virus application detects these infected files and delete them or move them to the virus vault. If the anti-virus software deletes any of its critical components, it will eventually shut down, crash or become inoperable. The only way to repair the damaged anti-virus software is to re-install it. Installing an anti-malware application on a system already infected with malware can be troublesome. Many viruses and spyware are aggressive and kill the setup wizard of many well-known anti-virus and anti-spyware packages, preventing them from gaining control over the system. They even terminate some anti-malware scanners if they attempt to disinfect infected files or remove any threats. It is a case of taking over some territory and defending it. Malware can be programmed to do almost anything in order to retain control over your system and it is hard to get rid of stubborn and aggressive programs refusing to surrender to an anti-malware package. Viruses and spyware are normally small, operate very fast and are very flexible. They mutate all over your system, making it hard for anti-malware applications to pin them down. On Microsoft Windows systems, you can always start your computer into Safe Mode when malware refuses an anti-malware application from being installed in Normal Mode, but many anti-malware applications rely on the Windows Installer, something that is normally disabled under Safe Mode. When it comes to disinfecting an infected system, you canâ™t expect the installer to rely on faulty, damaged, infected or disabled components of the operating system. Off course it is not possible to make the anti-malware application completely independent, but at least develop its own independent installer, with built-in malware protection. This will make it possible to run the software under Safe Mode, where many malicious programs are automatically disabled, making the job of disinfection a little easier for you and the anti-malware application. Unfortunately there are people under the false impression that they are untouchable when they have an anti-malware application installed on their system. Any defence system will eventually fail if you continue to expose it to constant attacks. I have come across people asking for the best anti-virus protection because they have a friend or cousin using their computer to browse porn web sites, but they do not want to confront this person about it, they rather want to increase the protection on the computer. Porn sites are polluted with viruses and spyware, not viruses alone. It is because if this approach that people fail to remove spyware from their computer, because they are using the wrong tools for the job. You canâ™t protect your system effectively against spyware, or remove spyware from your computer if you are using an anti-virus package or vice versa. You canâ™t keep viruses from infiltrating your system by using a firewall alone. It may block a virus attempting to enter your system through a blocked port, but it will not be able to block a virus travelling through a trusted application like your browser. Today you need protection against malware (viruses, spyware, rootkits, trojans, etc) not just viruses or spyware alone. You also need a firewall and a good spam filter. You need a browser that protects you from phishing attacks, browser hijackers and pop-up windows. Anti-malware applications are not super applications, they have their limitations and you canâ™t expect your system to stay malware free if you constantly expose it to malware attacks from porn, illegal music and pirate software web sites. You can keep your system clean, your identity safe and prevent someone from destroying his/her life with junk like porn, by disallowing anyone (including your cousin) from using your computer for illegal and indecent activities. Who do you think is going to take the fall for illegal porn, music or pirated software? Your cousin? I donâ™t think so, especially if YOUR computer and YOUR Internet connection were used. Even if you can prove it wasnâ™t you, you will still be seen as an accomplice. So what is the bottom line? Internet security is more about prevention than disinfection. The large number of single purpose disinfection tools, available for specific threats, is proof of this. Definition files are mainly for prevention and detection purposes. When a malicious program exploits vulnerabilities beyond the reach of definition files, you need a specific tool to get rid of it and often a special patch to prevent re-infection. This is why anti-malware developers have to release new versions of their software on a regular basis to stay abreast of the latest threats and vulnerabilities. Developing anti-malware applications, limited by strict standards, protocols and rules, is like arming a S.W.A.T. team with water pistols when they need to go up against a group of terrorists armed with AK47â™s. Malware does not play by the rules, it is time that anti-malware developers follow the same route, but without compromising the stability and performance of our computer systems. About the Author Coenraad is webmaster and founder of Cyber Top Cops , leaders in Internet security , prevention of online fraud and raising awareness about online scams and malicious software.

Top Ten Facts About Spyware

2008-01-16T16:52:00.018-08:00

Unless you ve been on another planet for the last five or six years you have surely heard of Spyware and I would hope you are taking precautions against your PC being infected. But do you know that the precautions you take may be ineffective in protecting your PC? Here are my Top Ten Facts about Spyware - some of them may shock you! 1. The average home PC contains 30 pieces of spyware according to an audit carried out in 2006 by security company Webroot Software. The type of infections range from the relatively harmless adware programs to malicious system monitors and trojan horses. Adware programs are software installations that display advertisements. System monitors are much more malicious and track a computer user s Internet activity and capture personal information. Trojan Horse is the name given to malicious software which, although harmless itself, opens the way for more malicious software to be installed. Webroot Software found that, on average, the 30 pieces of spyware would contain at least 1 system monitor and 1 trojan horse. 2. Your identity can be a few mouse clicks away for criminals. Spyware can gather and report all the personal information about you including credit card numbers, bank account details, user names and passwords. According to The Identity Theft Resource Center, 13.3 people in the U.S. become victims of identity theft every minute. Although not all of these are due to spyware, it s still a chilling thought that it can happen so easily if your PC is infected with this kind of malicious software. 3. Spyware can slow down you computer. Any computer has a limited amount of system resources. Every time another piece of software is run the computer must share out its resources ever more thinly. Malicious software infections result in longer boot times and an overall slowing down of the PCs performance. 4. Spyware can dramatically slow down your Internet connection. Every Internet connection has a limited amount of data it can transfer at any one time. All spyware communicates with the Internet thereby using up some of your available Internet communication. The more spyware, the more Internet communication will take place and the less space on your Internet connection for your own use. 5. Spyware can turn you into a spammer . Some spyware can download other software on to your PC that can relay Spam. In some cases this may lead to your Internet connection being blocked altogether if your ISP (Internet provider) traces instances of Spam to you. 6. Spyware can easily be installed on your computer without your knowledge. In some cases just one piece of Spyware can lead to many, many more as the initial infection downloads and installs other malicious software stealthily in the background. 7. Spyware can allow hackers to control your PC. Some versions install backdoors to your PC that can allow someone from the outside to connect to your PC over the Internet and take full control of its use. Your PC can then be turned in to a zombie that sends out spam, Trojan horses and computer viruses in their millions. 8. Some Spyware removal programs install Spyware. Why would they do that? In order to hide their own spying software. Think about it. You install an Anti-Spyware program to protect yourself against Spyware. The bogus Anti-Spyware program sweeps your PC for all Spyware except it s own secret list of allowed spy software. You think it s doing a great job and feel secure in using your PC when all the while secret spy software is sending out spam or monitoring your use looking for personal details. See spywarewarrior.com for a list of bogus Spyware removal software. 9. The best Anti-Spyware program only finds 90% of Spyware. Check out the review of Anti-Spyware software in any PC Magazine and you ll find that none of them detect any more than 90% and most cannot remove more than 80%. Don t be fooled in to thinking it s not worth using any Anti-Spyware programs, after-all 90% is a whole lot better than 0% which would be the detection rate without the Anti-Spyware software. 10. Many computer users resort to wiping their PC and re-installing everything again in order to rid their system of Spyware. While this will do the trick, there is no guard against re-infection and can be a waste of time or lead to a loss of important data. After the system is back in use it may only be a matter of minutes before it s infected again (see the BBC Honeypot report mentioned on my website). Tim Maguire holds a Masters degree in Computer Science and is a full-time computer consultant. For further help in PC security you should visit his website keepyourpcsafe.co.uk

Internet Fraud And Identity Theft

2008-01-16T16:52:00.017-08:00

The Internet is a global marketplace that allows businesses to reach consumers in almost any part of the world. Unfortunately, crooks also recognize the potentials of the Internet. The scams that were previously conducted by regular mail and telephone were transferred to the Internet. The complaints related to online scams can be subdivided into two categories: fraud complaints and identity theft complaints. According to a report published by Consumer.gov in 2006 out of 674,354 complaints 428,319, or 64%, were fraud related and 246,035, or 36%, were identity theft related. In the fraud category, almost 7% of all complaints were shop-at-home/catalog sales related, 7% were prizes/sweepstakes and lotteries related, 6% were Internet services and computer related complaints, 5% were Internet auctions related complaints, 3% were foreign money offers related complaints, 2% were advance-fee loans and credit protection/repair related complaints, and the remaining 11% complaints were related to telephone services, health care, business opportunities and work at home plans, travel, vacation and timeshare, investments, and etc. . Overall, consumer losses amounted to over 1.1 billion dollars and the medial monetary loss was 500 dollars. According to Fraud.org, in 2005 the top scams included the following: Auctions: goods were never delivered or were misrepresented. General merchandise: goods were never delivered or were misrepresented. Nigerian money offers: false promises of riches if consumer pays to transfer money to their bank accounts. Fake checks: phony checks were used to pay for work or items sold. Lotteries/lottery clubs: requests for payment to claim lottery winnings or get help to win. Advance fee loans: false promises of personal or business loans, even if credit is bad, for a fee upfront. Work-at-home plans: kits sold on false promises of big profits from working at home. In the identity theft category, in 2006 the credit card fraud amounted to 25% of all complaints and was the most common form of reported complaints. It was followed by the phone or utilities fraud (16%), bank fraud (16%), and employment fraud (14%). Other significant categories of identity theft reported by victims were government documents/benefits fraud (10%) and loan fraud (5%). Are you concerned about your online safety? If yes, then you need to consider using the AdWare and SpyWare removal tools . The collection of the top rated AdWare and SpyWare removal tools can be found at ProvenToWork.com .

Fighting off Viruses - Advancements in Antivirus Software Suites

2008-01-16T16:52:00.015-08:00

Protecting your computer from a virus is getting harder and harder each day. While it may border on the paranoid, it goes without saying that you can t leave your guard down for one second. Even corporate giant Microsoft has found its own systems compromised on more than one occasion. Remember the good old days , before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs? Life was simple then in terms of computer viruses. With the primary way in which a virus could be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch and eradicate the virus was a lot easier. By today s standards, it used to take quite a while before a virus was able to infect a computer and slow down the system. The antivirus software of that time was typically able to identify and eradicate viruses before they caused too much damage. Additionally, computer users were pretty savvy on how to protect themselves in terms of scanning all floppy disks before copying them to our desktop. The Internet helped change all that. The Internet provided a conduit by which viruses could move from host to host with lightening speed. No longer could a computer user just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and software downloads. Today s viruses can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program. With technology advancing everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types of threats also increase. Protecting Your Computer Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats. Antivirus software is essential to a computer s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating. 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. With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one antivirus software version has become outdated. You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system. 2. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company. Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you regularly update your antivirus software. Become familiar with the software s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer. This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up. 3. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate. 4. Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment to an email. 5. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected. Recommended Antivirus Software There are numerous applications available to consumers. With a little research, you can pick the program that is right for you. Many programs provide a trial version which allows you to download the program and test its abilities. However, be aware that some anti-virus programs can be difficult to uninstall. As a precaution make sure to set up a System Restore point before installing. Here are a few programs which typically receive high marks in terms of cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and customer service. The Shield Pro 2005â„¢ provides virus protection and hacker security through ongoing support and updates. When a virus breaks out, The Shield Pro 2005â„¢ promises to provide a patch within 2-3 hours and a fix for the virus within 5 hours. You can set your computer to update viruses weekly and run a complete virus scan. BitDefender 9 Standard provides antivirus protection, as well as Peer-2-Peer Applications protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a virtual environment. This provides a new security layer that keeps the operating system safe from unknown viruses by detecting malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been released yet. Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0 program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to choose from three levels of protection. It allows updates as frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your computer. The program also offers a two-tier email protection feature and round-the-clock technical support. PC-cillin Internet Security combines antivirus security and a personal firewall--for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and pharming attacks. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free downloadable antivirus program that has received high marks for its reliability. In the past, free downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed skeptically because of issues relating to its reliability. However, AVG from Grisoft, remains one of the best-known free anti-virus programs available. While AVG can not be installed on a server operating system and there is no technical support, it still makes a good choice for many home computer users. The best part is that since it is free, you can try it with no further obligation necessary. Sukhvir Singh, An Affiliate Marketer checking out the hottest products online. We test the product for you, so you don t have to. Please visit this page to learn more : sinsuk.bezoogle.com/pp/anti-spyware/

Can A Computer Keep Spyware Without Crashing?

2008-01-16T16:52:00.013-08:00

Can A Computer Keep Spyware Without Crashing? Can a computer keep spyware for a long time without crashing? This is yet another question that is often asked about spyware and adware. It is widely known that these spying viruses cannot stay in a PC too long before it slows down considerably and then crashes. That is usually the chain of events. So is there any way in which spyware can infest a PC and remain there for a long time without being detected? Can spyware exist almost indefinitely without a computer crashing? The answer to the second question is a firm No because sooner or later the symptoms of the virus will rear its ugly head. Just like a normal virus in humans, which sooner or later blows out in the form of deadly symptoms that forces a person to seek urgent medical attention. However the big issue here is the damage that can be done in the short time that the computer does not show any symptoms of having spyware. That is really where the danger is because all your passwords and sign in names to sensitive accounts can all land in the wrong hands and easily lead you to getting robbed or other nasty things happening to your because somebody has got access to all your accounts. And this is the reason why it is so dangerous to postpone taking any action to scan your PC for spyware and adware and then removing them as quickly as possible. And even when you have done that, it advisable that you change your passwords pronto. The numbers already say that chances that you have spyware already embedded in your PC causing harm is a staggering nine out of ten. Are you looking for more information that will help you teamspyware.com/ understand spyware?

Viruses And Worms: Your System Needs Protection

2008-01-16T16:52:00.011-08:00

Computer systems across the world are constantly threatened by viruses and worms. These malwares are created by disgruntled or malicious programmers, who let loose their treacherous creations on unwary hosts. Oftentimes, the damage that is caused is immense. Due to the severity of the attacks a small cottage industry has grown up to protect systems from viruses and worms. With a virus that spreads automatically, a huge number of computers can be infected through the Internet and can be very hard to control. Because of this, the virus is the greatest danger to the security of personal computers today. Companies in the antivirus industry discover large numbers of virusesâ™ everyday. Scores of viruses are latent or dormant and continue to be present long before they are ever noticed. There are viruses that delete files, displays pop-ups, exchange the buttons of your mouse, uninstall Internet Explorer, they can even slow down your computerâ™s fan. A computers efficiency is reduced tremendously due to viruses and if that wasnâ™t enough they also corrupt files as well as stored data. For that reason, it is imperative to locate and eliminate viruses before the damage occurs. There are a couple of important precautionary measures you can take and that is: 1. Avoid opening e-mails from people you do not know. 2. Avoid downloading anything from websites that are not well known or trustworthy. If you land on a website that is providing content that is possibly unlawful or improper you may well be at risk and you would certainly be better off avoiding it. Another important step is to keep your operating system updated on a regular schedule to reduce the threat to your computer. The Microsoft.com website is a good place to keep track of security patches that have been created to plug the loopholes that viruses exploit. Now an absolute must for your computer is a reliable antivirus suite. There are many good free anti-virus packages like Avast (avast.com) that are available, although it is best to get reputable antivirus software like Norton or McAfee to deal with viruses and worms. A few other security measures for your computer are file protection, memory explorers and firewalls, although at times they can conflict with other software, confuse users, or use up scarce resources. It is always good a idea to listen to the advice of security experts to save your system from damages caused by viruses and worms. Unfortunately, the majorities of people learn these lessons the hard way and realize the risks involved only after they suffered. If you can understand the risks involved, you can take on safety measures to guard your computer from these threats. Garry Allen is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Spyware Blockers Tips.com . Providing you with more information on spyware protection and answering the question how harmful is adware that you can research in your bathrobe on his website.

Digital Rights Management - A Necessary Evil

2008-01-16T16:52:00.009-08:00

Think of all of the digital media that flows through the internet, such as e-books, copyrighted images, articles, software, and other things. The internet is not as secure as it could and probably should be, and if you are one of those people who are using the computer and internet to your advantage to gain a skill and gain something monetary from it, you are more at risk than ever before. Just why is that, you ask? It is rather simple. As technology advances and gives you the tools and capabilities necessary to create innovative products it also gives other people out there license to take it and that can fast defeat the purpose of creating software to sell for profit in the first place. If you were creating something for fair use and share with other people, digital rights management would not be important but in the case that you are creating something to make available to customers for a price, digital rights management is an important thing to take into consideration. For every person that takes your software or product and comes by it illegally or immorally, they are bound to share it with at least one person. That not only takes out of your pocket what you are due by their having possession of your product but it also doubles that due to their likelihood to share it with another person. Luckily, there are services out there for people who do not have their own method of digital rights management in place. Some like Lock it Now and Software Defender provides photographers, e-book creators and software entrepreneurs the opportunity to protect their product with an automated registration verification system, protecting you against repeat refunders (those who order your product just to copy it and request a refund of their money, thereby having obtained your product for free). Copyright infringement and software piracy are as real as any computer program, e-book or digital image out there so it is important to make sure that you take the necessary steps to protect your intellectual property from people who care not to pay for the things in life that they want. Rod Beckwith is a software publisher that has created Lock It Now!, which protects digital products from piracy. For more information see: lockitnow.com

How To Keep Your True Identity Secret When Visiting Internet Chat Rooms

2008-01-16T16:52:00.007-08:00

The intriguing world of Internet chat rooms has attracted the eye of many who have sworn never to strike up a conversation with a stranger. But with the promise of not being found out or having your identify revealed, many succumb to the temptation of talking dirty or looking for friends in what they believe are in all the right places. When it comes to chat rooms, there are a high percentage of users who wish to stay anonymous. There have been many reports of stalkers tracking down the whereabouts of someone they had a chance online encounter with and the meetings have not been pretty. You have to watch your step when walking through a virtual conversation. There are people lurking behind every corner that wish to take advantage of this anonymity. For those longing for companionship, there are devious con artists. For high school girls looking for kicks, there are pedophiles and deranged individuals. In this case, it doesn t hurt to become a wallflower and listen in to some of the happening of a chat room you are interested in. Then you can make your decision whether or not you want to join in the festivities. You will learn a lot about the atmosphere of a chat room by just watching the flow. You will be able to pinpoint the loudmouths, the political debaters, friendly welcoming committee, as well as the rude crowd. Sometimes it helps to ask the advice of a friend who has had experience with online chatting. They may be able to point you in the right direction for a few sites you may be able to engage in safe conversation with. Chat rooms serve more purposes than just making friend and meeting the next Mr. or Mrs. Right. There are interest specific chat rooms to explore. If you like gardening, this is a great way to find tips on how to make those roses bloom. Some chat rooms offer support for those dealing with illnesses or conditions, such as cancer and diabetes. This is when it is completely beneficial to take advantage of the knowledge and support of chat room users. Then there is the ugly side. The side that is filled with predators and mentally unsettled individuals that will take advantage of anyone on the Internet, regardless of age, race or gender. This is why it is important to establish a few safety rules for yourself when you are interested in chatting. For starters, do not use your real name. An alias will prevent someone from pulling up your life history from Google. It is quite easy to link real names with address and other pieces of information. Anyways, when you have the possibility of your identity not being revealed, you may feel more open to express yourself through chatting. Don t include your email address when chatting. Once again, real names and addresses are easily linked with email addresses. The more you reveal about yourself, the easier it is for people to track you down. Don t tell others what city you live in or where you work. Sometimes, even revealing your age is not advised. Every bit of information that you tell someone about yourself is a puzzle piece that can easily be linked with other details to create a clearer picture of who you are. If you are an adult and have a teenager or even younger child at home, you must stress these safety rules with them to protect not only them, but also the rest of your family. Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as private internet surfing at privateinternetsurfing.com

Spyware Awareness in Today s Environment

2008-01-16T16:52:00.005-08:00

Spyware Awareness in Today s Environment Computer users are quickly learning of the newest and most widespread threat facing internet use. Spyware has spread to more than 90 percent of computers surprising users who are unaware of the threats and forcing them to find a solution to the privacy invasions. Spyware programs run on usersâ™ computer without their knowledge. They monitor and record the web sites you visit, purchases you make, outgoing and incoming emails, chat messages and some types of spyware are capable of logging your credit card numbers, bank accounts, personal identification numbers, passwords and more. Dial-up internet users are at risk of being hijacked by a dialer. Dialers use your internet connection to call 900 numbers and remote areas, billing the fees to you. A spyware infection can take control of your computer system and browser which could result in file damage. The build up of spyware on your computer will cause the system to slow and internet to drag more because of the constant stream of pop up ads. Users should understand that while it is good to have anti-virus and firewall protection, those security tools cannot detect all spyware applications, which is why a program specifically for spyware detection is needed in addition to other security software. Identity theft in the nation is also on a rise and many of the cases are a result of spyware. Another factor contributing to a noticeably slower running computer could be adware programs. Working similar to spyware, adware puts pop up ads on your computer repetitively and over time the side effects can cause damage to your computer. Numerous spyware and adware removal programs can be downloaded, many of which are free, to rid of your malware infestations. Mitch Johnson is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for 1st-in-remove-spyware.com/ , a site that focuses primarily on spyware detection software, as well as tips on how to avoid spyware from popping up on your computer. His articles have also been featured on related spyware sites such as, best-in-spyware-detection.com/ as well as best-sypware-removal-reviews.com/

Green Means Trust-But Does It Mean Security?

2008-01-16T16:52:00.003-08:00

Green Means Trust-But Does It Mean Security? The one thing that makes EV SSL stand out from normal SSL certificates is its colour coding system. Green means trust, yellow means suspicion and red means danger. The address bar of Firefox turned yellow for secure web sites using SSL encryption, long before Microsoft came with the idea to make Internet Explorerâ™s address bar green for sites owning an EV SSL certificate. Internet Explorer 7 added tabbed browsing, something that was already part of Firefox, Internet Explorer 7 added an anti-phishing filter, something you could always add to Firefox with the Google Toolbar, so it was of no surprise to me when Internet Explorer 7 suddenly started to make use of colour codes to classify the safety status of web sites. In a study done by Rachna Dhamija, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Research on Computation and Society at Harvard University, it was found that most phishing attacks succeed because of the human factor and not because lacklustre security standards, bugs in the operating system or a faulty browser. Many people simply ignore the warnings and messages given to them, they are not aware of the security features of a browser and therefore donâ™t care if the address bar turns purple for that matter (You can read more about this study at securityfocus.com/columnists/407). So the colour coding system will only work if people are properly educated about it. But I still have a problem with this system. It can make people completely paranoid when browsing the web. If they donâ™t see the address bar turning green, they will immediately have a negative attitude towards the web site they are visiting. Isnâ™t the main purpose of EV SSL to build trust and customer confidence among Internet users? Green means âœTrustâ, is only another way of saying a little padlock in the bottom-right corner of your screen means secure. It is a good thing to know that applicants for EV SSL certificates undergoes a very strict validation and authentication process, but this will only last until the standards are weakened again. EV SSL is like normal SSL certificates combined with rigorous validation procedures and a colour coding system, so the core of the certificate itself stays the same. Lets say the user starts to depend on this âœTrustâ built by EV SSL certificates. Will the user learn how to identify dangerous web sites without this technology? No. What happens if someone bypasses the rigorous validation procedures of EV SSL certificates, will the user blindly trust this site because it has an EV SSL certificate? Yes, most definitely. A driver of a car has an unconditional trust in its brake pedal and will not be able to identify sudden brake failure until it is too late. The trust is placed on an object that cannot guarantee your safety. It is not the pedal that provides the safety, but the mechanical system behind it. The same holds true for EV SSL. You need to teach people how to identify a dangerous web site without the fancy colour coded signs of EV SSL, just like teaching someone on how to identify brake failure without relying on the brake pedal to warn you about it. About the Author Coenraad is webmaster and founder of Cyber Top Cops , leaders in Internet security, prevention of online fraud and educating users against online scams and malicious software.

Shopping Cart Software - An Essential For Business

2008-01-16T16:52:00.001-08:00

People are increasingly turning to the Internet when they want to earn extra income or even begin earning a primary income from home. So many different jobs and sources of revenue on the Internet have evolved over the years that making money on the Internet has become quite easy. If you think about it, it s obvious why. The Internet can reach more customers than a physical store location can. However, there s the crux when it comes to business on the Internet. It s relatively easy to begin your online business and start a shopping website, but if your website doesn t really have a feature that causes customers to return again and again, customers have many other stores online to turn to. You will lose business if you can t find a way to make your store stand out among the millions of other Internet stores out there. At all businesses you might go to where you would be buying several products, you would need a shopping cart or something else to carry your purchases, such as a shopping basket or bag. This cart, bag, or basket presents you with an efficient way to carry your purchases, and still be able to add more easily. It s also that way when you talk about Internet shopping. Ecommerce solutions are usually combined with shopping cart software, simply because both are so vitally important to any online business. Without shopping cart software you are really limiting the number of sales you make, as you re making it harder for your customers to buy with ease as many items as they want. The risks of fraud and theft are also more pronounced without shopping cart software, as it lets people more easily take advantage of you business. It is very important that shopping cart software be properly matched with the business. There are different versions of the software and some function as gateways to purchase, while some only handle a small number of items. If you are making 200 sales or more in a day than some software will not be sufficient to handle the volume of your business. An online business can be harmed if their cart software limits the number of sales per month. Many times they were selling more than the limit before the new cart software was installed. Without using the proper software the business lose sales due to the cart not allowing anymore sales for the month. Join the growing internet, earn extra income, and reach more customers than a physical store location. Website businesses can lose orders when capacity to handle them is exceeded. Quality shopping cart software lets your customers make several purchases and continue shopping. It also helps to avoid theft or fraud. Select web hosting shopping cart that matches the number and type of sales you handle in a day is critical. Some packages are limited. Choose shopping carts that do not set a limit on the number of sales processed in a month. You want to process as many sales as may come in now and in the future.

About Internet Privacy Rights

2008-01-16T16:51:00.018-08:00

The Internet has improved communication, erased global barriers and expanded the breadth of our knowledge. It is amazing how the Internet has absorbed itself completely, as a way of life, in society. The Internet provides people with many positive outlets. It is a new way of life. The Internet affects our lives on a daily basis. It has changed the way we receive news or apply for jobs or go to school or find friends. The Internet is the revolution of the twenty first shopping that has changed the way we conduct business, work and relax. There are some negative aspects of using the Internet. One of the biggest is cyber crime. It is important to know that while you are surfing the World Wide Web you have certain rights. One of your rights is the right to privacy. There are three steps that you should take in order to ensure you privacy rights while using the Internet. Take these few steps in order to protect your personal information from being stolen. Also, protect yourself from hackers using your IP address to perform illegal activities or to use the Internet. Whenever you provide personal information to someone over the Internet you always want to make sure that the transmission is secure. Make sure to look for the unbroken padlock at the bottom of the screen. Right click on the padlock to make sure that the security certificate has recently been updated. The next step to securing your Internet privacy rights is to be familiar with programs such as anti-virus programs, firewalls and anti-spy ware programs. Anyone who has a personal computer should be familiar with these types of programs. The third step you should take is to read privacy policies. This means that you should get in the habit of reading the privacy policy of each website you visit. The websiteâ™s policy information will alert you to how you information is shared or sold. Follow these steps to protect yourself on the Internet. Written by Joe Amerson. Find the latest information on anonymous browsing as well as secure browsing

The Dangers Of Chain Letters And Petition Lists

2008-01-16T16:51:00.017-08:00

I think chain letters and petition lists are nothing new to the e-mail user of today. At some stage in your computerised life you will run across an e-mail requesting you to either support some cause or to mindlessly forward it to all your contacts. People have become slaves of spam and spammers are enjoying it every step of the way. Very few understand the dangers of chain letters and petition lists. They are the fuel for spam, scams, identity theft and online fraud. They are the mechanisms that cause your inbox to be polluted with buckets of unsolicited bulk e-mails and attempts to rob you from all your hard earned cash. The ever-increasing problem of spam is our own fault, because we continue to support useless, unwanted e-mails that simply eat up bandwidth and delay servers everywhere. But how exactly can a harmless e-mail pose any dangers to my online security? It is ignorant questions like these that help spam achieve their goals. What people donâ™t realise is the fact that every time you take part in a chain letter you supply your e-mail address to hundreds of other e-mail users out there. Chances are good that this chain letter will land in the mailbox of a greedy spammer. The tragedy of chain letters is the fact that e-mail addresses of innocent people are sent all over the globe. This is the case when someone sends an e-mail for instance to six people, the first three recipients ignore it and the other three forward it to all their contacts. The e-mail addresses of the first three recipients are distributed along the chain without their consent, permission or even having a say against their inclusion in the mailing list. Your e-mail address becomes yet another dumping zone for endless junk e-mails. But it doesnâ™t stop at simple advertising e-mails for fake Rolex watches and stock market quotes. You get bombarded with continuous â˜phishingâ™ scams, viruses and hoaxes. Petition lists normally require the user to supply a name followed by an e-mail address and sometimes a telephone number and the city you live in. A petition list is a handy tool in the hands of a spamming swindler. You can supply more targeted and credible scam e-mails by addressing the e-mail to a specific person. This can create a false sense of security among the recipient of the e-mail and the chances of walking into a trap is much greater than in the case of your conventional impersonal scam e-mails. I can hear thousands of people screaming that petition lists are for good causes, causes that really exist. Do all of them really exist? So many people respond to petition lists because they appear to be for valid causes. What do you know about the person you need to reply to for every 150th or 300th entry on the list? How sure are you that this person is not simply harvesting e-mail addresses for spamming purposes? And even if it is for a good cause that really exists, how do you know whether this person is not exploiting the circumstances? I have seen e-mails (even faxes and normal letters) circulating in South Africa where people send their names and banking details all over the world in search of riches. I have seen people blindly respond to lottery scams with the hopes that they will win something. How can you win a lottery if you never entered one, how can you receive e-mails from Barclays bank if you are not a client of them, how can you receive an order confirmation from Amazon if you never ordered from them and how can you be alerted about suspicious activity on eBay if you are not even a member? If it is not mindless ignorance it is greediness that cause people to step with open eyes into a trap, ignoring every warning light flashing in their faces. The more information you supply when taking part in petition lists or chain letter scams, the easier you make it for swindlers to steal your identity, hack your accounts or turn your computer into a spamming zombie. Next time when you receive a chain letter or petition list, think about the consequences before taking part in the chain. About the Author Coenraad is webmaster and founder of Cyber Top Cops, leaders in Internet security, prevention of online fraud and educating users against malicious software. For examples of chain letters and scams visit our Hoaxes and Scams section.

How Your Can Keep Your Computer Safe from Viruses?

2008-01-16T16:51:00.015-08:00

How Your Can Keep Your Computer Safe from Viruses? Different steps and measures can be taken to ensure your protection and to make sure that your computer remains safe from computer viruses. By going through with these steps and measures you can easily protect yourself and save yourself from getting attacked by hackers. Get yourself high-quality virus protection software Lack of virus protection on your computer usually means that you have an open door policy towards any forms of malware that may be available over the internet. These forms of malware may include different things such as spyware, viruses, worms, adware and a whole lot of other programs that may eventually lead to your computer and files being destroyed and your personal information compromised. You may not only lose your information but you may end up losing the money and the funds in your bank account or credit card. You should consider whether paying a small price for antivirus software is a whole lot preferable to losing the entire money that you have in your accounts. What is the best software for virus protection? A lot of companies offer some great antivirus software products. Some of these brands include a lot of major names. These major names are products such as Bit Defender, Norton Antivirus, McAfee Virusscan, Panda Antivirus, Kaspersky, Trend PC-cillin and The Shield Pro. One of these major software programs is The Shield Pro. It is an antivirus and software firewall program at the same time. The Shield Pro is an excellent option for people who arenâ™t that familiar with computers and any form of viruses. It is very easy to use as well as to install. You will get prompts that explain what the program is all about and how to use it easily. The program also scans your computer every single week and updates itself frequently too. It isnâ™t important that you remember how to run scans yourself as this software easily does this on its own. The Shield Pro also has a live help option that allows you to seek out help in case you get stuck on one particular area in the installation of the program. It doesnâ™t take as much space on your hard drive as is the case with other antivirus programs. It doesnâ™t slow down your system and yet provides you with the protection that you really need. The importance of updating anti-virus software Updating your anti-virus program is a very important task that should be carried out regularly. Anti-virus programs are only fully efficient when they are current. Most antivirus programs are usually provided with complete protection for an entire year free-of-charge. When your subscription is almost finished your antivirus software will still be functional but you will need to pay a fee in order to get additional updates and ensure that your antivirus software remains current. You can purchase the requisite protection for an entire year or more. By doing this you can make sure that your protection can cope with the latest attacks just as they are being released. Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, security oriented winemaking enthusiast who writes for CaffeineZone.com , NetworkSecurity.WS , and HomemadeWine.com

July Computer Security News: Vista, MySpace

2008-01-16T16:51:00.013-08:00

Here is your weekly summary of security alerts, fixes and threats you need to know, to play safe on the Internet. Thinking of Vista? Better Read This! If you are using Windows Vista or planning to make the jump soon, you had better know that the operating system is spying on you. Some 20 or more programs, features and services are busy collecting data about you and your work habits. All this information goes, you guessed it, straight to Microsoft. If you read the Privacy Statement or End User License Agreement (EULA), you would have a clearer idea of the record data harvest that Vista is pulling in. Microsoft does not deny or hide it. In fact, you consented to it merely by using the features. They claim they do not use the info to identify you. But they could very easily do so. Among the data received is your IP address, of course, which is all they really need to find you. Or a law enforcement agency could demand that Microsoft turn over the data. And just what does dear old Mother Microsoft do with all that data? A close reading of the many user agreements reveals it: absolutely any old thing they want or feel like. Among the services and programs that harvest your data and send it on to Microsoft are: Windows Update, Digital Certificates, Windows Media Player, The Malicious Software Removal Tool, Internet Explorer 7, and Windows Defender. The company says if you do not like it, just stop using the services or features. That is not really practical in the case of Windows Update. Thanks to Microsoftâ™s sloppy code, we all have to update our operating systems once a week. And you thought the Windows XP Genuine Advantage Notification Program was a painâ¦ What is a happy Internaut to do, other than turning off these programs? In many cases you can find alternatives from other companies (hint hint: Firefox). Also, you should have a good firewall installed on your pc. It should alert you when Vista tries to phone home. Just say no. MySpace.com Attack â" Again â" Update Windows Now Hackers are using MySpace.com accounts again to mount attacks on unsuspecting surfers. The criminals succeeded in installing fake navigation buttons on some user profile pages. When you click on them, you are taken to malicious computers that then try to infect your computer. The attack seems to have been installed on perhaps a few dozen pages. Most were soon removed by the administrators of the site. There are two parts to the attack. First, botnet software is installed on your computer, turning it into a zombie that can infect other machines. Second, the malware presents you with a fake MySpace.com login page, to try and get your user name and password. The important point here is that this attack uses several known flaws in Internet Explorer that have been previously fixed. If you update your Windows once a week, you are not at risk, even if you use MySpace.com Updating Windows regularly is one of the best things you can do to stay safe on the Internet. Do not neglect it. Are Security Suites a Good Idea? I always recommend that you have anti-virus and anti- spyware programs running on your computer, as well as a firewall, among other programs. Many companies publish great programs that will accomplish these tasks. The trend in the last few years has been for publishers to branch out and cover all three bases. For example, a publisher that makes well-known anti-virus software comes out with a firewall and anti-spyware programs. And the maker of a great firewall issues an anti-virus program, and pushes it hard at you. Getting all your security programs from one vendor is what we mean by a security suite, or collection of software. So, is it a good idea? In a word, generally no it is not, for at least two reasons. First, companies often specialize in one area, say anti- spyware programs. Their programs may work great. But when they branch out to other areas, the results may not be as good. Second, if you get all your defensive programs from one vendor, there may be similarities in the structure and organization of the programs. If a hacker succeeds in learning how to circumvent the anti-virus software, he may quickly gain control of other programs from the same vendor. And you do not want to be at the mercy of one company for all your security needs. What if they raise their prices? Or worse yet, go out of business? It is far better to pick and choose the best programs from among many publishers. Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online â" A Complete Guide. He has been keeping surfers safe since the last century. Find more popular Daily Tips and information right here: => mypcsecuritysite.com Syd Tash is a noted security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online - A Complete Guide. He has been keeping surfers safe since the last century. For more free Daily Tips and info to keep you safe online, visit mypcsecuritysite.com and bookmark it!

Common Sense Home Security Tips

2008-01-16T16:51:00.011-08:00

Is it just me, or do we spend more time worrying about the safety of our computers these days than the safety of our own homes? You ve got firewalls and virus protection for your CPU, but have you changed your door locks since you moved into your house? Do you have ladders, tools, and other things lying around your yard that a burglar could use to break a window and access your home? Do you have an alarm system you never arm? Windows you leave open? Doors left unlocked? When was the last time you walked around your house and, thinking like a burglar, considered just how easy it would be to break in? Yeah, that s what I thought. Let s take a look at some smart security tips that can help make your home safer for you and your family. And guess what? Most of them are easier to implement than the security software loaded on your computer. First off, remember that in general burglars will avoid occupied houses. That doesn t mean your family is always safe when they re home, however. There always exceptions to the rule, and you shouldn t assume that nothing can ever happen just because someone is there. If a burglar breaks in while you re not there, your belongings are at risk. If a burglar breaks in when your family is home, your family is at risk as well. Now that I ve got you thinking, let s look at some measures you can follow in order to minimize the risk of being targeted. Keys: Don t hand out keys to friends, even if they re trustworthy. Make sure you know the location of all your house keys all the time. Never use hide-a-keys or leave the key under the doormat, above the door, in a flowerpot, or anywhere outside the house. You may think you re being clever, but guess what? Burglars know all the tricks. It s their job to (however despicable). Also, it s a good idea to keep your car keys and house keys on a different ring if you ever use valet parking or leave your keys with parking lot attendants or even at a repair garage. Don t let strangers in the house: Adults have no problem telling this rule to their kids, but they don t realize it should apply to them too! Home security means being cautious. Even before you open the front door to accept a package, you should ask for photo identification. This goes for anyone you don t recognize. Don t assume someone is legit just because they are wearing a uniform or driving some company s truck (these things can be stolen). If somebody comes to your door and asks to make a phone call, offer to make it for them, but don t let them some inside. If someone looks like they re injured, call 911, but don t open the door. When you walk away to make that call, lock the door behind you; you don t want to leave the door unlocked and unmanned. A chain on the door helps insure people can t force their way in while you re home. Locks: Keep your doors and windows locked, even if you re at home. Get your children into this habit, too. It s too easy to forget an open window when you leave the house, and that provides an easy way in for burglars. Don t assume a second story window is out of reach for a thief. They re good at finding ways in. Don t be predictable: If you always leave home at the same time every day and return at the same time, thieves can easily memorize your routine to take advantage of the times you re not at home. Work is work, and you probably can t change those hours, but if you always go to a class or the grocery store at the same time, try to make yourself less predictable. You can also consider automatic timers for your lights and electronics, to make it seem when someone is home, even when they re not. Valuables shouldn t be on display: I know you want to show off your hard-won plasma TV, but if somebody can look in your window and see your wallet, credit cards, purse, jewelry, or fancy electronics in open sight, they re going to be tempted. A computer or television placed in front of a ground-floor window may make an easy target. Likewise, electronics placed across from a window are easily visible, too. In a similar vein, don t leave your garage doors open for the world to see all the cool stuff you have in storage. Lightweight items could be snatched away quickly and easily. Be mindful of your trash: Just bought a new entertainment system? There s no need to tell the world about it. A bunch of empty boxes out by the curb is an open invitation to would-be burglars. Instead of putting boxes out in plain sight, cut them down, and stuff them in trash bags. Also be wary of identity theft. Never put personal identification information in your trash until it s been shredded. Be alert: Try to be aware of your surroundings on a day-to-day basis, even in your own neighborhood. This doesn t mean walking around like a crazy paranoid person; just get in the habit of watching for suspicious activity. Paying attention to the simple things can make you and your family much less of a target. Burglar alarms and home security systems are great investments, but common sense prevention is the best way to stay safe. TC Thorn is a freelance writer and the webmaster for Home Security Tips . This article may be reprinted so long as a link to her site is included.

Registry Repair Software - How Well Is Your Computer?

2008-01-16T16:51:00.009-08:00

Registry Repair Software - How Well Is Your Computer? Registry errors can affect your computer in several ways. They can cause your computer to crash frequently for no obvious reason, they can cause you computer to run slower than normal and generally behave in an unexpected way. There is no doubt that a smooth running machine makes for a happy operator and fixing errors in your systems registry can help to make your computer run as smooth as silk. Where do these errors come from? The answer is that they can be created in several different ways. One of these is poorly written software which can make a mess of your registry when installing or uninstalling these programs. Registry errors can also be deliberately written in by spyware or virus writers. The registry is tied directly into Windows and an un-clean registry can de-stabilize this operating system causing weird and not so wonderful problems. What can be done to restore the registry back to normal? In a word, plenty! Registry repair software works to restore your systemâ™s performance by repairing any invalid registry entries and removing any broken or orphaned registry references and clearing any invalid, outdated or incorrect program shortcuts. The software will first scan for irregularities and then go along and fix any problems that are found, returning your computer to the smooth operating machine that it should be. Registry cleaning software is readily available so there is no need to be frustrated by an under-performing PC and longer. When looking for suitable software go for the one that offers unlimited upgrades to keep up with the spyware and virus writers and good technical support should you need any assistance. The majority of software available will also offer a free scan which is useful in finding any potential problems. For more information and reviews of the top four programs available today please visit Tried n Tested

A Perfect World Of Spy Bots

2008-01-16T16:51:00.007-08:00

Many students these days are using laptops as a educational tool, which will save them so much time and allow them more resources to help them in their education. So what does this mean, it means that there are more chances for your child to be at risk of dangerous predators who learn online to take advantage of these type of people. There are many ways to protect yourself and your child from these type of dangerous people. First you should look for the right type of laptop to give your child or to buy for yourself if you are a student also. Any computer or laptop that you choose should come with some type of protection, or at least allow you the opportunity to purchase a form of protection. There are many types of spyware protection programs out on the Internet and you should know some of these names. You will get spyware if you do not get protection so educate yourself first on how to use your laptop and then educate yourself on how to protect yourself while online using your laptop. This is very vital information and will help protect your precious information while you use the Internet to find your way to a better education. If you want to find some more information on how to protect yourself while you learn the Internet and all the dangers that could come with using your laptop or computer look below and see the information that I have created for you. If you really want to take the work out of looking for that right Spyware Protection from a Spybot go to the Internet and get a Free Spybot Download or a Spybot Search and Destroy Download to prevent your vital information from being ripped from your computer.

Beware Of Norton Spyware Removal Tools - Get The Lowdown on Norton Antispyware Software

2008-01-16T16:51:00.005-08:00

If you type norton spyware removal into a search engine, you ll find that there are two popular flagship products by Symantec against spyware. These are Norton Antivirus and Norton Internet Security. Norton spyware removal products are very popular due to their ease of use and functionality. Of course, the Norton name has been popular for years. Based on the original creations of Peter Norton and his widely heralded, Norton Utilities and Norton Disk Doctor, Symantec and Norton primarily concentrate on the security market these days and have perhaps the best known brand in the anti-spyware and internet security market. But beware of Norton spyware removal tools. If you look at Amazon, for instance, you will see that Norton Internet Security 2007 only gets three stars out of five, and Norton Antivirus only two stars out of five. Why is this? Here, I will review the cheaper norton spyware removal product, Norton AntiVirus 2007 and let you know the reported pros and cons. Reported Pros 1. Some customers have been loyal to Norton products for many years. 2. Product also detects viruses and rootkits. 3. Integrates well with Windows Security Center. Reported Cons 1. Incompatible with Zonealarm software. 2. Lengthy waits, often over an hour, for customer telephone support -- outsourced to India. 3. Slows down machine significantly for some and takes up valuable system resources. 4. High CPU load reported on some machines from this Norton spyware removal product, resulting in overall PC slowdown. 5. Many reports of installation not completing and errors produced. 6. Annoying subscription expiration popup (remind you of annoying spyware?) that cannot be gotten rid of unless you upgrade/renew. From the above, we can see that there are mixed views on this particular Norton spyware removal product. Despite apparently being popular, I assert that this is a case of a product being popular despite some serious misgivings. Similar parallels can be drawn between this Norton spyware removal product and the Hollywood hype machine where awful films are hyped up and break box office records but leave moviegoers disappointed. There are many spyware removal products and you should think carefully before parting with your cash. Feel like 007 has infected your PC and you can t get rid of him? Discover a spyware scanner that permanently removes and protects your system. To learn more, click here: Adware Alert Protect .target= _new

Free Computer Security Software

2008-01-16T16:51:00.003-08:00

Looking for free computer security tools to use? Got Spyware? There is now a bill in Congress to make Spyware illegal. Good luck at catching the creators, in the mean time here are two links you can use to get started on your journey against Spyware. lavasoft.com Ad-aware safernetworking.com Spybot Search and Destroy. Note there is better version available for a cost. There are many things you can also do to protect your computer Keep Automatic Updates turned on for all of your Anti-Virus Software, and operating systems. Clean out your cookies as well there is often cookies placed to track your whereabouts on the Internet. Now the subject of viruses. There are commercial anti-virus scanner like Symantec Norton Anti-Virus and MacAfee in fact many new computers come with trial versions. Unfortunately when these versions run out users most of the time ignore it and wonder why do I have a virus? Let me explain something just because you have a antivirus software program on your computer you are not cured. Virus writers do just that write new viruses and edit old ones to do new things. You need to update your signatures of your anti-virus software continuously. Crafty virus writerâ™s code Viruses to disable your anti-virus software! There is free anti-virus solutions one is called AVG free.grisoft.com. I personally use this product and love It, it is not a memory hog like Norton. And you can also set up schedules to run and get updates. A good firewall is a must especially nowadays. This is because everyone for the most part is running DSL and Cable modems. Which are great for connectivity horrible because itâ™s like leaving your front door unlocked. Check out zonelabs.com They have a product called Zone Alarm. It is customizable and blocks allot of attempts of entering your network. It is shocking to see the amount of people trying to get into your network. Zone Alarm will alert you to programs trying to access the Internet. This is kind of annoying but can be a life saver if a program is dialing Kenya on your telephone!! Zone Alarm can remember certain programs. Windows Service Pack 2 has a firewall in it and I recommend enabling it. There are many web browsers that you can use. I love Open Source you can probably guess Iâ™m using Firefox mozilla.org/products/firefox.There are so many features that I can rave about like tabbed browsing, if your anything like me at home I have at least two or three browser running if using Internet Explorer, with Firefox I can have as many websites as I want open and tabs at the top with descriptions. it s ingenious in my opinion. I donâ™t have to switch browsers like I do with IE. Internet Explorer is one of the most used browsers and most targeted. Mozilla Firefox has many advantages including security. It also does not use ActiveX. Scan your own systems! To see what ports are open and running. DO you have services that do not need to be running? Knowledge is power. I work for a technology company for three years and never have they trained any people in multiple departments on security that I m aware of. Iâ™m amazed to hear things from co-workers such as I donâ™t have an account with so and so bank but they wanted my information and I gave it to them! Corporate networks are and will continue to be infected by users that are untrained about computer security. People all the time open attachments that they do not know where they came from. Homes users are sometimes even more ignorant. That is not said in a mean way. File Sharing programs are popular and an opening to viruses, Trojans and other lovely things you donâ™t want in your network. For the best and current security tools, alerts and news use Google google.com. Benjamin Hargis CEO Phuture Networks phuturenetworks.com computersecurityadvice.com Free Computer Security Advice !!!

Spam - Is There Protection Against It?

2008-01-16T16:51:00.001-08:00

Spam - Is There Protection Against It? Spam Spam is not only bothersome but can be used for spreading malicious viruses, Trojans, adware, spyware and phishing scams. IF you didn t requested it, then DELETE it. Spam will often include personable subject headings such as Hi. Spam can be porn, offers for bank loans or it can be an offer for antivirus software. Software Spam software is very effective in monitoring and blocking what you see, BUT spam software does not have your brain, so it does not always know what you want to see. So understand, spam protection is not always easy as what you define as spam is not what I may define as spam so the product needs to learn. Spam is almost everywhere and it can be extremely annoying. A spam filter is a software program that sorts incoming mail in order to identify and pull out junk mail, also known as spam. A spam filter can be installed on an Internet mail server, on a private network server, or on a personal computer. For example, a spam filter can be set to check the subject heading of incoming mail for terms associated with pornography, pharmaceuticals and other common spam products. The sender field might also be filtered for ranges of IP address associated with spammers or marketers. Over the years, spammers have become more sophisticated in their attempts to get junk mail past spam filters. Therefore, some spam still gets passed from Internet mail servers to connected private networks and to end-users. In these cases, the spam filter can be highly configured to catch junk mail that makes it past the more generally-configured spam filters located online. In the simplest configuration, a spam filter passes junk mail to a spam folder, and legitimate mail to the inbox. A good spam filter will also use a white list to provide protection from phishing schemes. The program compares incoming mail to a set of user-defined rules, then identifies spam based on mathematical probabilities. The spam filter will check incoming mail for misspelled or similarly spelled addresses and reject them as phishing attempts. Recently, the spam trend has gotten worse and it is estimated that 90% of email is spam. Many people are not bothered too much by spam because they simply delete it and forget it. Guidelines Before long, the spam filter will make few mistakes and can operate virtually user-free.The Can Spam Act has made legitimate companies follow guidelines which are beneficial to the consumer but has done little to stop illegitimate companies from sending spam. There are hundreds of Adware deletion programs on the push. Your best bet is to go to a place like Spybot Download It lists the best Adware Removers presently on the push. Or just google the speak adware remover . Like I said, you ll find hundreds. Some are good, some aren t. Free Spybot is a great situate for you to see which ones work, but I know some of you just like to google, and that s approval too ;). Just get one, I feel bad having to current so wholly for something so nominal. Get Your Free Independent Guide to Spybot Downloads