McGeeks Blog » Internet Safety

Internet Security In The Workplace

Sean — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:58:53 +0000

Businesses struggle with securing their Information and Data against intentional and unintentional breaches on a daily basis. Everything from hackers to hardware failures pose a threat to digital files, but one area many businesses overlook or tend to not be cautious enough in is the Internet access of their employees.

Information leaks
Hackers
Spyware and Malware
Virus and Trojan infections

These are just a few of the potential risks when employees have Internet access, and they pose a threat to more than just the individual employee’s workstation. Once inside, hackers or programs can potentially gain access to your entire network, your databases, customer information, payroll information…almost everything you have in digital form.

For managers and owners in workplaces where employees have Internet access it’s vital to ensure that you have taken every possible measure to secure your network and every workstation against intrusions. Don’t rely on your employees to be safe while online, because without the proper tools and security in place there is no such thing as safe Internet activity.

And for anyone who works in an office that provides Internet access, it would not be out of line to inquire with your supervisor about whether they’ve taken the appropriate steps to secure their office hardware from intrusions. Remember, you’re not just protecting the business, but also your own personal information and the data of your customers too.

Coleman posts credit card numbers online, doesn’t warn donors, and then blames hackers (dailykos.com)
Employee Web Use And Misuse: Companies, Their Employees, And The Internet (lockergnome.com)

Technorati Tags: Business, Internet access, security

Removing The Vundo Trojan From Your PC

Heather — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:06:53 +0000

We’ve received a few messages recently from people who unfortunately found their PC’s infected with the Vundo Trojan. Some have called it a virus, but it’s really a trojan horse which most often causes popups and other dubious and unwanted advertising to appear on your screen.

This trojan horse has also been used by some malicious people to do things like launch Denial of Service attacks on networks from the infected machines, so this is more severe than a simple annoying issue of advertising, it opens your machine up to all kinds of risky behavior.

Vundo Removal- How did this virus ruin my computer?

by Jake Black

In the past few years there has been one virus on the internet that has destroyed countless computers and had their owners wondering how it all happened. The vundo.trojan virus has steadily infected computers all over the world at a great rate since its inception in 2005. Many experts state that over 50% of the computers connected to the computer without adequate antivirus protection were infected in 2008. The vundo Trojan is definitely a disaster for any computer, as it can literally destroy a computer in mere days, if not hours. I have personally had a lot of experience dealing with vundo over the years, and have staged many battles against the virus over the years and vundo has won a majority of the time. Vundo has taken over many names over the years of its existence and has hundreds of variations; virtuemonde, vundo, win32 vundo, MS Juan, virtumondo are just a few of the more popular stands infecting computers today. The one fact about vundo that is concerning is that the most popular spyware programs on the market cannot remove the virus. Programs like Norton or McAfee can detect the threat and tell you when your computer is infected, but have problems actually neutralizing the threat of the Trojan. The problem that most people have when they get the virus is they think that since the virus was detected it should be taken care of by one of these programs, which most of the time is incorrect. These programs are very good at many things, but do not cut it when it comes to the vundo virus, probably because the virus was designed to withstand these programs that control most of the market. Vundo spreads in a way that is hard to control, especially with the spread of p2p networks like limewire, kazza, and bittorrent. You can get vundo in many ways, including:

• P2P (peer to peer) programs such as limewire, kazzaa, and ares are common sources of the virus. Fake music, movie, or codec files are uploaded and when they are opened on your computer automatically install vundo without your knowledge.

• Direct downloads from bad websites. Many sites will funnel you through to a download of the virus without your knowledge, many of these sites are of the adult nature and create pop ups and trouble for your computer. Some sites will not let you exit unless you download a file onto your computer, and these are extremely dangerous and account for many vundo problems.

• Emails from spammers. Many people will open the wrong email and get the vundo virus. Anti-spyware can generally regulate and check your emails for problems before they are opened.

• Other ways of getting vundo exist, but they all come from the internet in some way.

The Dangers of letting vundo have free reign over your computer are monumental, as it can download horrible files like key loggers that download important files from your computer and can lead directly to identity theft. It is extremely important to remove the virus completely and quickly to prevent any loss of data and the working order of your computer. Visit www.vundo-removal.com for vundo removal tips and recommended anti-spyware programs.

Hi, I’m Jake Black and I have been an IT specialist for 20 years. I have an expertise in spyware and anti-virus programs and own a few websites dedicated to protection of computers from viruses. Please Visit www.vundo-removal.com for a detailed guide on how to remove the vundo virus and keep spyware off of your computer for good.

Technorati Tags: vundo trojan

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Basic and Vital Security Measures To Protect Your PC

Heather — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:47:38 +0000

We talk about this topic often here, but the fact is people tend to hear the warnings but not act upon them until after they’ve experienced a problem.

Waiting until after some malicious hacker steals your personal information, credit card numbers or even identity is not a good plan, so we’ll continue offering tips like these on the most basic and fairly easy measures that can be taken to protect yourself and your computer when you’re going online.

5 Critical Steps to Protecting Your Computer on the Internet

by John Lenaghan

Spyware, viruses and worms… oh my!

If you are connected to the internet, you need to make sure you get your computer set up properly if you want to avoid problems down the road.

With all the viruses, spyware and other threats on the internet today, no computer should be set up without the proper protection.

And that protection needs to be in place as soon after you hook up your new machine as possible.

The following five steps will make your computer a much harder target for threats. You still won’t be completely immune to problems, but 99% of the time the threat will pass you by, looking for the easy mark.

1. Running a Personal Firewall

A personal firewall is software that basically makes your computer invisible to hackers, worms and other threats that can infect your computer over the internet.

Setting up a firewall is the absolute first thing you should do if you’re going to connect to the internet. Without a firewall, your computer could get infected in as little as one minute after connecting.

If you have a brand new computer running Windows XP Service Pack 2, there is a firewall built into Windows. It will already have been turned on when you first set up your computer.

If you’re running an older version of Windows, even an earlier version of Windows XP, there is no firewall automatically set up for you. In this case there are two possibilities:

- Your computer came pre-loaded with a firewall such as Norton Internet Security or McAfee Internet Security – You have no firewall installed and should download one ASAP.

If you don’t have any personal firewall software installed, you should do so right away. Zone Alarm is a very good firewall program that has a version that you can download and install for free.

You can download the free version of Zone Alarm from http://www.computer-help-squad.com/zonealarm

2. Turn on Windows Updates

Again, if you’re running Windows XP Service Pack 2 this is already set up, but otherwise you should turn on Windows Updates. Microsoft releases updates for security problems and other bugs in Windows on a regular basis.

These updates will keep your computer running better, and they often fix security issues that could compromise your information or privacy.

If you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can double-check that automatic updates are turned on by clicking Start, then click Control Panel, then double-click Security Center. The window that opens will tell you if automatic updates are turned on, and lets you turn them on if they’re not.

To turn on automatic updates in earlier versions of Windows XP, click on the Start menu, click Control Panel and then double-click on System. On the “Automatic Updates” tab, click the option to “Automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule I specify.”

To turn them on in Windows 2000, click on Start, click Control Panel and then double-click on Automatic Updates. Again, click the option to “automatically download the updates and install them on the schedule I specify.”

Now when Microsoft releases updates, they will be downloaded for you automatically and Windows will tell you when they are ready to be installed.

3. Install & Update Antivirus Software

Most new computers come with antivirus software these days. You might have Norton, McAfee, PC-Cillin or another brand. No matter what program you have, you will need to update it when you get connected to the internet.

It doesn’t matter how new your computer is – there will be new viruses, and new updates for the antivirus software, since it was loaded.

The exact process is different for each brand of antivirus program, but most of them will have an icon in the bottom right corner of your desktop, beside the time. The icon might be a picture of a shield (McAfee), a stethoscope (Norton) or something else.

In most cases, if you point to the icon for your antivirus and click the right mouse button, a menu will pop up with an update option. It could be simply called update or could be something like Live Update or Download Latest Updates. If you click on the update option (with the left button this time) it will install the newest updates for you.

If you’re not sure which icon is for your antivirus software, just point to each one for a few seconds and a little title should pop up telling you what it is.

4. Install Anti-Spyware Software

Spyware – and other things known as adware and malware – is becoming as big a problem as viruses. Spyware programs can cause a lot of problems with your computer, not to mention they can track your personal information and you never know where it’s being sent.

Some new computers might includes antispyware software, but most of them don’t yet. There are quite a few anti-spyware programs available, some free and some not. The one I recommend is from Microsoft and is one of the free ones.

One of the reasons I like it is because it always runs in the background and will automatically catch a lot of spyware before it gets on your computer.

Many of the other programs don’t catch it until you run a scan. Not only does this allow things to get on your computer, it also means you have to actually remember to run a scan.

You can download the free Microsoft Antispyware from http://www.computer-help-squad.com/antispyware

5. Set up a Free Email Account

This last item is not as critical as the first four, but I would highly recommend you set up an email account with one of the free services like Hotmail or Gmail.

Once you’re on the internet, you’ll find a lot of useful information that you want that requires you to provide an email address. In some cases, these people will end up sending you a bunch of spam.

If you use a free email account to sign up for anything that you don’t know for sure you can trust, it’s not going to fill your main email with a bunch of junk.

This goes for anything really, not just online information. If you’re entering a contest or signing up for anything offline and you don’t know where your information could end up being used, I would suggest using your free email address.

If worse comes to worse, and your free email address gets inundated with spam, you can always just set up a new one and let the old one expire.

Some of the better free email services are www.hotmail.com, www.gmail.com and www.yahoomail.com.

If you’ve had your computer for a while and never done any of these things, you should still take these steps to get it set up properly. It will definitely save you a lot of time – and possibly money – as you use your system.

About the author: http://www.i-zarada.com/computer

Technorati Tags: antivirus, security, windows update

Internet Security & Wireless Hotspots

Sean — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:05:39 +0000

Recently I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people concerned over the security of their information and activities while browsing the web or working from a wireless hotspot.

This isn’t an area that I’m an expert in by any means, but I have found some good information about it and wanted to share it here for those of you who are interested.

How to work securely in Wireless Hotspots

by Macky

Wireless hotspots are changing the way people work. These wireless local area networks (LANs) provide high speed Internet access in public locations–as well as at home–and require nothing more than a notebook PC with a wireless card. From coffeeshops to restaurants, airports to hotel lobbies, hotspots are ubiquitous. They are the de facto connection method for travelers and remote workers to access the Internet, their e-mail, and even their corporate networks.

Hotspots range from paid services, such as T-Mobile or Boingo, to free connections at your local coffee shop or library. But they all have one thing in common: These are all open networks that are vulnerable to security breaches. And that means it’s up to you to protect the data on your PC. Here are a few tips to make working in public locations more secure. 1. Try to choose more secure connections.

It’s not always possible to choose your connection type–but when you can, opt for wireless networks that require a network security key or have some other form of security, such as a certificate. The information sent over these networks is encrypted, which can help protect your computer from unauthorized access. The security features of different networks appear along with the network name as your PC discovers them. 2.Make sure your firewall is activated.

A firewall helps protect your mobile PC by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network. It acts as a barrier that checks all incoming information, and then either blocks the information or allows it to come through. All Microsoft Windows operating systems come with a firewall, and you can make sure it’s turned on.

To activate the Windows XP Firewall

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 2. In Control Panel, double-click Network Connections. 3. In the Network Connections window, under Network Tasks, click Change Windows Firewall Settings. 4. In the Windows Firewall dialog box, on the General tab, ensure that On is selected.

To activate the Windows Vista Firewall

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel. 2. In Control Panel, select Network and Internet. 3. Under Windows Firewall, click Turn Windows Firewall on or off. 4. Ensure that On is selected.

3. Monitor your access points.

Chances are, there are multiple wireless networks anywhere you’re trying to connect. These connections are all access points, because they link into the wired system that gives you Internet access. So how do you make sure you’re connecting to the right one? Simple–by configuring your PC to let you approve access points before you connect.

Configure Windows XP Access Points

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 2. In Control Panel, double-click Network Connections. 3. In the Network Connections window, right-click Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties. 4. In the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box, on the Wireless Networks tab, make sure that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is selected. 5. Under Preferred networks, make sure that the name of the network that you want to connect to is highlighted, and then click Advanced. 6. In the Advanced dialog box, click Access point (infrastructure) network only, and then click Close. 7. Click OK.

Configure Windows Vista Access Points Windows Vista takes the guesswork out of connecting to hotspots because you are automatically prompted to approve new connections. In addition, after you approve a connection, you assign it a profile for future use. display:none 4. Disable file and printer sharing.

File and printer sharing is a feature that enables other computers on a network to access resources on your computer. When using your mobile PC in a hotspot, it’s best to disable file and printer sharing because when enabled, it leaves your computer vulnerable to hackers. Remember, though, to turn this feature back on when you return to the office.

Disable file and printer sharing in Windows XP

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 2. In Control Panel, click Security Center. 3. In the Security Center window, click Windows Firewall. 4. In the Windows Firewall dialog box, click the Exceptions tab. 5. On the Exceptions tab, under Programs and Services, clear the File and Printer Sharing check box and then click OK.

Disable file and printer sharing in Windows Vista

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel. 2. In Control Panel, select Network and Sharing Center. 3. Under Sharing and Discovery, turn File Sharing and Printer Sharing to off.

5.Make your folders private.

When the folders on your mobile PC are private, it’s more difficult for hackers to access your files.

To make a folder private in Windows XP:

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer. 2. In the My Computer window, double click the drive where Windows is installed, and then double click Documents and Settings. 3. Double click your user folder, right-click the folder that you want to make private, and then click Properties. 4. In the Properties dialog box, on the Sharing tab, click Do no share this folder, and then click OK. Repeat the steps above for each folder that you want to make private.

To make a folder private in Windows Vista Windows Vista not only makes folders private by default, but it also requires passwords for shared folders. As a result, you’re already covered! But if you want to double check, simply right click on the folder in question, and select Properties. On the Security tab, you can review the set permissions. display:none 6.Encrypt your files.

You can protect your files further by encrypting them, which requires a password to open or modify them. Because you must perform this procedure on one file at a time, consider password-protecting only the files that you plan to use while working in a public place.

* Encrypt files using Windows XP. * Encrypt files using Windows Vista.

7.Consider completely removing sensitive data from your notebook PC.

If you’re working with extremely sensitive data, it might be worth taking it off your notebook PC altogether. Instead, keep it behind the corporate firewall and use your company’s VPN to access it when necessary. This way, you have multiple safeguards in place.

A few simple precautions can help make working in public places more secure. And by selecting the best connections and adjusting settings, you can enjoy productive and safe work sessions no matter where you are.

About the author: Your TechKnowledge Guide

Technorati Tags: security, wireless hotspots

Know What Your Kids Do Online

Sean — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:53:14 +0000

The Internet is a vast and valuable tool for research and learning, as well as connection to communities beyond our own local regions. However, like any physical place it also holds areas that aren’t appropriate for visitors of all ages, and people with intentions which aren’t always honorable.

For these reasons we promote safe and fun computing habits. In a perfect world we would like to see parents and their children browsing the Internet together. It’s not only the best method for monitoring your child’s activity online, but also a fantastic bonding experience.

Unfortunately most of us aren’t living in a perfect world and could use a little help from time to time. For this reason we offer the following informational article.

Key Logger Recording Software: Protecting Your Kids in the Internet

by Chad Kiser

People today use the Internet as a communications device, reconnecting with lost loved ones and old friends. They also use it as a way to meet new friends and lovers.

Another great thing about the internet is that your kids will be able to use it to research for their homework and it can also be used to socialize with their friends through instant messaging.

Although the internet can provide you with a lot of benefits, you have to remember that it is also a very dangerous place to be in especially for kids. You have to consider the fact that the internet isn’t only used by ordinary people like you. It is also now being used by different kinds of criminals who seek to take advantage of other people.

From identity thieves to sex predators, the internet is indeed a very dangerous place to be in.

You also need to remember the fact that you won’t be there 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to look after your kids and their online activities. You simply won’t know what they are doing, who they talk to, and what websites they visit in the internet.

Because of this, you will need the help of a keylogger software program. With this software, you will see that it will be very effective in helping you monitor what your children are doing while they are online. Keystroke recording programs work by recording each and every key typed on the keyboard. Some keylogger software will also be able to take screenshots of the computer monitory automatically and record the websites visited.

The great thing about keylogger software programs is that it works very discreetly. Most good programs will not show up in the add/remove programs menu and will not show up int he toolbar or desktop.

If you run the program in stealth mode, your child won’t even know it is running therefore will not attempt to disable it.

By using this type of software, you will know exactly who your kids are socializing with online, who they are emailing and what websites they are visiting.

Pedophiles now use chat rooms and social networking sites to find their next victims. There are also criminals who seek children as their victims in order to commit identity theft. These individuals first get the child to trust them by befriending them. Once this happens, they will be asking about personal information about their parents and sometimes, they may even ask about credit card information.

Installing a keystroke spy software is a way to prevent and protect your child from getting into trouble or from falling victim to a predator. You will then know what your child is doing online…which puts you back in control.

To Find the Best Keylogger Software, Read Our Expert Reviews at http://monitoringsoftwarereviews.net/

Technorati Tags: keylogger software

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Examples of Spyware

Heather — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:39:24 +0000

We talk a lot here about how to prevent or remove spyware, but I thought it might be a good idea to also talk about just what spyware is, who is using it to watch your actions and even key-strokes, and what they do with that information.

So, I found this great article from a spyware researcher which I think gives some fantastic insights into spyware and hope you will find it as informative and thought provoking as I did.

Top 5 Examples of Spyware

by Michael King

Did you know that advertising companies and individuals have the ability to watch and track your every move on your personal computer? Did you know that you could be targeted by these groups or individuals to push advertisements based on information that has been breached from your computer? Most importantly, did you know that you could be a victim to identity theft and fraud due to these technologies? To me this is very scary, the fact that a company or individual can gain access without my knowledge to my computer and personal information and take it without me even knowing. To hack into my property to gain an edge in advertising is one thing, but to be able to steal personal account information such as bank account information is a hair-raising feeling.

I want to provide you with the top 5 examples of spyware on the web today. These may not be the official names that the creators of these evil technologies call them, but these are what they have been labeled by the anti-spyware community. Getting familiar with these 5 groups is something I highly recommend so you can protect yourself from fraud that can snatch away your identity and drain your wallet.

Here is a list of the top 5 spyware groups to watch out for:

1.) CoolWebSearch. This is a group of programs that has the ability to exploit the weaknesses of Internet Explorer. This spyware can manipulate direct traffic to advertisements on coolwebsearch.com. Also, it has the ability to display pop-up ads, manipulate search engine results, and alters your computer’s host files to direct DNS lookups to these sites.

2.) Internet Optimizer (also known as DyFuCa). Ever see an error page by internet explorer? Well this spyware takes you to advertisements instead of the error page. For example, when a user follows a broken link or enters a wrong URL, they are directed to a page of advertisements that are strategically placed. However, one weakness of this spyware, is that it can’t access password-protected sites because of HTTP Basic authentication.

3.) Zango (formerly 180 Solutions). This spyware transmits detailed information to advertisers about the Web sites which you visit. Also, it has the ability to alter HTTP request for affiliates linked from a web site, so the advertisers can make unearned profits. It can smother any competitor by opening pop-ups that cover over competitor websites. Therefore you may never get to visit a website of one of their competitors because they can cover them up.

4.) HuntBar (also know as WinTools). Used by ActiveX, which is downloaded at affiliate websites, or by advertisements displayed by other spyware programs. This is a prime example of how spyware can install more syware. These spyware can add toolbars to internet explorer, track your browsing behavior, and redirect you to affiliate references, which display even more advertisements.

5.) Zlob Trojan. This spyware downloads itself to your computer via ActiveX code and reports your information back to control server. Some of this information that is stolen from you can be your search history, keystrokes, and the Zlob Trojan can hijack routers set to defaults. Now can you see how easy these people can easily snatch important personally information from you.

I hope you will find this information useful and will protect yourself from the evils of spyware. Last year alone over 27.3 million Americans fell victim to identity theft. I want you to be fully aware of spyware and its capabilities so you can become educated on this ever-growing problem. The last thing I want to see is your wallet become light due to expenses caused by a spyware program that is running on your personal computer. My advise to you, “never let your guard down,” because spyware is a very powerful threat, one in which you can’t ever see coming if your not prepared.

I have reviewed some of the top anti-spyware software available to help people defend against becoming a victim. Check out my reviews at:

http://kinmic81.bezoogle.com/pp/anti-spyware/

About the Author: I am a avid anti spyware researcher. I provide streams of information for people to protect themselves against spyware. I have tested and reviewed tons of anti-spyware software. I really enjoy helping people especially with serious matters such as identity theft.

Technorati Tags: spyware

Pros and Cons of Cookies and How To Get Rid of Them

Sean — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:10:57 +0000

Browser cookies have been around forever, yet few people seem to really understand what they are, how they work and what security or privacy implacations they carry.

I believe that based on the number of questions I get about Cookies from friends in social gatherings, and from people who read a blog posting or article I write from time to time.

Here is a great article on Cookies with everything (and more) the average person needs to know about them. I think the writer’s first language is not English based on the wording, however it’s still an easy read to follow and understand so I felt worthy of offering here.

How to remove Cookies?

by Tangfeng Chen

What is Cookies?

A cookie is information that a Web site puts on your hard disk so that it can remember something about you at a later time. Typically, a cookie records your preferences when using a particular site. Such information is packaged into a cookie and sent to your Web browser which stores it for further use. The next time you visit the same Web site, your browser will send the cookie recorded information to the Web server. The server can use this information to display you the desired Web pages. So, for example, if you customize web pages, register for services, cookies help to recover your personal information. This may be useful to simplify the process of login your personal information, such as email address, name etc.

Pros and Cons of Cookies

Pros

• Cookies help web sites customize their site for you. The information stored on that cookie can help you track a wish list so you can easily refer these items later. • Cookies retain web site options or preferences information so you don’t have to change these items every time you go back to a web site. • You may browse some advertisements that you find interesting from the web pages cookies retain for you. • Cookies can be used to detect illegal activities on the web that is used to promoting products.

Cons

• Cookies easily expose your privacy. Hardly any of people want to be identified on the web and have their moves tracked. • Cookies indirectly guide marketers to track browsers’ moves and impose advertisements on the web pages. • Your browser and cookies can tell web sites such information: your pc brand and size; pc applied software and hardware; e-mail address or account information. Some web sites may request your identity when you surf their pages. Usually firewalls block this request but if you are not protected, you may easily expose this information.

Cookies can make the browsers enjoy a more convenient experience but if you are concerned about your privacy and potential unwanted disturbance, we remind you to check browser options to turn them off.

How to Remove Cookies?

You can easily remove cookies from being saved on your computer by modifying your Internet Explorer settings. To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer. 2. On the Tools menu, select the Internet Options command. 3. On the General tab, in the Browsing History section click the Delete button. Note: The way information is only applied to Internet Explorer 7. 4. In the displayed Delete Browsing History dialog box, select the Delete Cookies button.

Cookies may also save part information on the system registry. This is the reason why, after you have detected the cookies from the system, it is still recommended that you clean your registry using a reliable registry cleaner tool.

Thus we recommend you a reliable registry cleaner tool called registry cleaner tool.It can not only perform an all-around scan of your Windows registry to detect and fix invalid references and incorrect errors, which also helps streamline your pc registry without expensive hardware upgrades. Most importantly, Registry Winner protects your privacy by ensuring all traces of your online Internet especially cookies and computer activities permanently to be erased and unrecoverable on your PC which speeds up system performance and retrieves more hard drive space.

How to remove cookies by Registry Winner?

To remove currently stored cookies from your computer, perform the following steps:

1. Open Registry Winner 2. On the Evidence Cleaner menu, in the Internet Browsing History section, click Cookies When you do this, this tool will perform a system scan and remove all cookies that are stored on your computer. Meanwhile, you could also use Registry Winner to delete some other personal information: Temp Internet Files folder; History(Visited sites);Favorites(Bookmarked sites);Start page and secondary tabs. After you clean up the cookies and other stored Internet Explorer information, your Web site preferences will be lost at last.

About the Author

http://www.registrywinner.com/regwinner.asp?mk=ctf

http://registrywinner.blogspot.com/

http://www.registrywinner.com/go.asp?id=1&mk=ctf

Technorati Tags: browser cookies

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Internet Security in 2009

Heather — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:08:41 +0000

Well, its a brand new year and yet not all that much has changed when it comes to online security.

So, here’s some great information for helping you to stay safe and keep your system clean while browsing the Internet.

How To Avoid Trojan Malware, And Other Internet Security Viruses

by Remy Na

Trojan software programs are just one of the threats that affect Internet security, and any malicious software program can cause a wide variety of problems and weaknesses in your PC. Anti virus software programs are critical, because of the large number of Internet security threats out there on the world wide web. Some of the more serious programs can hijack your computer, access everything that is on your system, or even cause physical damage and system failures that will not allow your system to start up ever again. A new PC can be quite costly, so it is essential that you protect your system against Trojans and other Internet security threats.

The best way to avoid any malicious programs, including Trojans and viruses, is to be very careful about clicking anything. Many Trojans do not use force to enter your computer, instead they trick you into believing that the program or prompt is legitimate. Once you click the agreement or okay button, the Trojan will download, and may have the ability to download or activate other harmful programs as well. Always read the entire agreement, warning, or prompt, and think carefully before you agree. If you are not sure what a program is or does, do not allow it to run or install. This will protect you against Trojans and viruses that may cause irreparable harm to your system and your data.

Anti virus programs that are legitimate can help identify these harmful programs, many times before the Trojan can even get on your PC. It is important that these programs are updated daily, to prevent against any new threats recently identified. You also need to scan your system at least once a day for the best Internet security and computer protection. It may be necessary to scan more often if the program detects problems. Anti virus software can prevent Trojans and viruses, and increases your level of Internet security.

Use care when surfing on the web to prevent Trojans and other malware programs from gaining access to your PC. Some websites may be infected, either intentionally or without the site being aware of a third party infection, and if you visit one of these sites you may get a prompt that is misleading, or spyware may be downloaded secretly in the background, so you do not even realize it. Use caution and common sense when surfing the web. Only visit sites that you know are legitimate and infection free. This will minimize the risks of a Trojan or virus infecting your system.

To prevent viruses, Trojans, and other malicious software from causing problems on your computer, you should have Internet security programs and processes that are layered. Start by being careful to read everything before allowing a program to install or run. Make sure you have a quality anti virus program installed and updated, and that this program runs a daily scan to detect these infections. Be careful which sites you visit, because some sites can have harmful components. These steps will help you protect your system and Internet security.

To know more on trojan and if you want the best internet security tools do visit our site.

Technorati Tags: malware, trojans, viruses

Browsing the Web Safely

Sean — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:26:14 +0000

You’re probably aware that malicious people have devised some pretty creative ways to gain access to your sensitive information online.

That includes various methods which are being employed without your knowledge right on web sites you may visit routinely. It all happens “behind the scenes” and often is allowed because of some hole in your browser or Internet security settings.

It’s important to point out that while threats online are very real and serious, which is why Heather and I started this blog, we also don’t want to generate a sense of “the sky is falling” among our readers.

There are threats online, but they aren’t any more dangerous than those you face in the offline world, and statistically don’t appear to be any more prevalent than offline threats either.

In other words, online or offline, being aware of your surroundings and applying common sense to your own actions is always the best advice–and that’s what we’re trying to help you with here.

Part of your online surroundings when surfing the web is your browser, and while web sites may look the same in different browsers, that doesn’t mean browsers are all created equally. Here is a great article I found which talks about 2 newer web browsers and examines them for safety and security:

New Better Browsers To surf the Web Safer

by Larry Miller

New Better Browsers To surf the web Safer

We all can use a better browser, to surf the web faster and with better security. There are two new browsers one from Google and one from Microsoft.

Lets check out some features of google’s Chrome first. The features that are very unique I will go over here,the rest I will include a external link because it being a google project It includes videos.

One box for everything- this is cool you type into your address bar and the browser will recommend searches or sites that you have visited.

Importing settings- Just click on the wrench up at the top right of the google chrome window and scroll down to import settings then un check what items you do not want and scroll down to the browser you want to import from.

Crash Control- This is great chrome has a built in task manager just right click an open area up top and it will bring up a menu,to say close a misbehaving tab or more.

Incognito mode- This mode enables the user to surf in a session that is not saved in the browser making it more private.

Safer Browser- Chrome has built in warnings of sites that may contain malware or that are phishing sites. Phishing site is one that Imitates another site or is a copycat site to trick you into giving your info, look for simple miss-spellings on the page.

Internet Explorer 8

In Private- This is a feature that can be turned on in the safety menu or a new tab. what is its ability? it is to surf without storing your session in the browser so its a more private surf.

Caret Browsing- Caret Browsing is new Accessibility feature that allows users to navigate a web page using a movable cursor thats on the screen and the keyboard. Users can select and copy text down to a single character using only the keyboard. Other content types, like table or images, can also be selected and copied.

Web Slices- Web Slices a new feature that allows users to connect to a web site by subscribing to content directly within a web page on that web site. Web Slices behave just like feeds, where users can subscribe to get updates and notifications of changes.

Automatic Crash Recovery- The Automatic Crash Recovery (ACR) feature of Internet Explorer 8 helps prevent the loss of work in the unlikely event of browser failure or nonresponse. ACR takes advantage of the Loosely Coupled feature of Internet Explorer to provide new crash recovery capabilities, including tab recovery, that will minimize interruptions to a browsing session.

Tab Grouping- This new feature of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 allows users to put up related tabs–the tabs that originate from the same web page–into groups. Users can form tab groups in one of a few different ways, such as by opening a link from within a web page in another tab, or by right-clicking a specific tab and clicking New Tab. If, for example, a user chooses to queue up several different search results, the related tabs will not only open next to the original search result page (as opposed to the end of the tab band) but will also be put all in one group represented by a solid color. Different colors for different browsing tasks–for example, a research project, an online shopping spree, or a set of news articles opened from the same newspaper web site–allow users to quickly identify the tabs.

These two new browsers will improve the speed and security of your surfing and possible make it more enjoyable. Both are still in beta but are looking good.

Google has always had a good stable beta I have used gmail in beta and google earth both programs I had no problems.

About the Author

I have been building computers and upgrading them for about 7 years. I have been working at internet marketing for about a year and a half. I enjoy finding ways to help others with their computer problems and new marketing ideas.

Technorati Tags: online security, safe browsing

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All About Protecting Yourself From Online Scams

Heather — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:21:46 +0000

We all like to think we’re smart or savvy enough to not get caught up in one of those silly sounding Internet scams we hear about on the news or TV shows all the time. But if we’re all so smart then why are scammers still running these schemes?

Simple, because most of us, while feeling safe and secure in our homes or offices and browsing the web, can get engrossed in the copy we’re reading and let down our guard just enough to get suckered.

I like to think that as sad as that is for us when it happens, it reflects a positive character trait that we’re basically optimistic and wanting to trust in each other.

Image by ToastyKen via Flickr

Still, it would be better if we weren’t being duped to show our good nature, so here are some recent resources for educating yourself on the scams that are going around right now and how to avoid them.

Online Scams and Their Prevention : Scams are very common in our daily lives now. Be aware of them, and know as much as you can about it.
Phishing and Email Scams on the Internet : While the internet has provided many benefits in the form of information and commerce, it has also produced new types of fraud. Phishing and scams from Nigeria both use email to deliver their message. The Nigerian scams are also known as 419 fraud.
Hook, Line and Sinker – 9 Proven Methods You Can Use to Keep From Being Caught in an Email Scam : Phishing can be simply defined as an attempt to obtain personal and sensitive information, generally accomplished with a fraudulent e-mail or website. The scam artists, who we’ll call “phishermen,” falsely present themselves as legitimate persons and organizations via e-mail or a website (the bait) and reel the victim into believing they are communicating with a trusted source.
Spotting a Scam Before it Hits You : If you are going to go through life oblivious of the dangers of scams, then more than likely you are going to be a target. Spotting a scam can be the best way to ovoid falling into a nasty financial trap where you are the one snared and have no way of protecting yourself.

Technorati Tags: Fraud, Phishing, scam

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