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Can I Limit My Exposure To Malware By Reading Web Site RSS Feeds?

Tue, 18 May 2010 09:00:59 +0000

When you think of getting information off of a web page you usually think of it being a simple process – you type the URL of the site that you want to go to in the browser, go to the web page, and then read the content that is on the page. It sounds simple, right? Most of the time it is, but there are times when this is not so simple. Inside of the code that made it possible for you to read the page that you are looking at could be lurking some dangerous malware. Malware can be easily picked up and hidden on a web page. So, unless it is a trusted site, then you are taking a chance that nothing is going to happen to your computer when you actually visit the page. But there are other ways that you can get the information off of the site as well. Subscribe To Your Favourite Sites Via RSS You can use a technology called RSS that will allow you to see the content as well, at least most of the time. Some web pages will limit the amount of lines that the RSS feed shows so that you will be forced to visit the web page itself (this is typically because they are afraid of having their content scraped) . Other RSS feeds will only give you the title of the story that is being discussed – you must, again, visit the web page to get the full details. But by far, most web pages will allow you to read the entire story in the RSS feed itself. They may show little ads in the RSS feed so that they can provide you the content while at the same time they are still able to get paid. RSS Feed Reading May Be Safer If you are reading the information about the web page on an RSS feed then this means that you are less vulnerable to an attack as the majority of attacks happen when you are exposed to the code that is on the actual web page itself. With an RSS feed the actual page is not going to your browser, it is only the content of the site that is being delivered to you. Keep in mind; even though it may be safer to receive the content like this, it is not fool proof. If someone wanted to, they could easily attack the RSS feed as well. The main reason that this is safer at this point is because attackers do not bother with it. There are not that many reported attacks when it comes to the RSS feed. Even though RSS feeds are not one hundred percent safe, they seem to be safer than visiting the actual web page. So if you want to make sure that your computer is not attacked, try subscribing to the RSS feed of a site instead. Can I Limit My Exposure To Malware By Reading Web Site RSS Feeds? is a post from: Security FAQs

Is Your Hardware Or Software Security At Risk Because Of Back Doors?

Sun, 16 May 2010 10:30:38 +0000

When we use the latest gadget or the latest software product from some company we put our trust in the product that it will not harm us in some way. This is the only way that our system can continue to work. Companies that are not careful or that abuse our trust are usual voted out of the marketplace. This is done by people not purchasing their products anymore. Back Doors Recently there has been a big deal made about companies selling products that have back doors in them. If you are the one purchasing these items from a company, then that can cause you to lose a great deal of trust. I will discuss in this article what exactly a back door is and why some companies put them into their products. So let’s go over what exactly a back door is. When you create hardware, if the item is in any way electronic, then you must create code that tells the item what to do. The same thing goes with software. If you want the software to perform a particular task, then it must be told what to do. Again the way that you do this is by code. So when a company decides to put a back door into a product, what they are doing is telling the code to let them have a way in, anytime that they feel like it. So if you have items on a server that you want to keep protected, there is no way that it will be a hundred percent secured since someone else has a way in. This is why people, especially guys that are heavily into security, have a problems with back doors on any piece of software or hardware that they use. There are several reasons why a company would put code such as this in their products. Why Have A Back Door? They either are a crooked company, they feel that they need to so that they are able to fix the product anytime that it is needed, or the government has asked them to . If a company is putting back doors in their products for nefarious reasons, then they will be caught and run out of the market place. If they are putting one in because they need it to help the product, then a case could be argued for that. It is not a great excuse but it seems reasonable. And if the government wants a back door into their product, then they should warn the consumer first. Too many companies are asked by the government to perform this activity and they tell nobody. Then a hacker finds the back door, and all of the sudden they are hit with serious questions, not to mention potential problems. If you have any concerns about your hardware or software having back doors in it, then do a little research of your own. If the company has a history of doing it with their products before, you can be fairly certain that they will do it again. Is Your Hardware Or Software Security At Risk Because Of Back Doors? is a post from: Security FAQs

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Is Your Hardware Or Software Security At Risk Because Of Back Doors?

The Tell-Tale Signs That Your Computer May Have Become Infected With A Virus

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:30:37 +0000

These days most people use their computers on a fairly regular basis. I would even go as so far to say that most people may be on their computers for at least up to an hour a day. That figure would be people that are using the computer strictly for recreational purposes only. We would have to add to that figure if we included people who are using their computer for work and play. It has become the center of our entertainment and work place universe, so most people get to know their machines very intimately. When you use any kind of tool on a regular basis you start to get a feel when something is wrong with it. You may not be able to tell what is exactly wrong but you may have a gut feeling that things are not right. Viral Infection When it comes to using your computer there are signs that it may be infected by a virus without running a virus scanner. Lets go over a couple of those signs. Keep in mind that this is not a surefire list that will reveal a virus on your system. Some viruses are sneaky and do their best to make sure that you do not know that they are on your system. They want to be able to collect data or use your computer resources without you knowing about it. That is why it is still a good ideal to run an antivirus scanner on a regular basis, with or without signs of foul play. Others times some of these signs that I am about to mention may show up but there is no infection on the computer. There may be a program running that you do not know about or a problem with the hardware. Signs Of An Infection Either way the signs that we are going to discuss are just that, signs. They in no way mean that you definitely have a virus. It means that you should do a quick scan with an antivirus program because there is a possibility that you may have a bug in your system. The first sign that you may have a virus or other infection in your system is that you might have a lot of activity going on in your Internet connection. Your computer connects to the Internet and your home network a lot in the process of everyday computing. Most of the time it is connecting for things that you do not know about but they are of a legit purpose. It may connect to the ISP to update its status or it may be even talking to your router to pull information from it. So just because you are not actively browsing the web and you see the light become active does not mean something is automatically wrong. The time to be worried that something is wrong is if the Internet light that you have on your router is going crazy all day long. If there is a constant sending of data packets out your computer and your browser is not open, now it may be time to be concerned. Slow Responses Another sign that you may have an infection on your system is when at certain times your computer may slow to a crawl while you are using it. This is especially noticeable after you start up the computer and only have certain programs open and you are not actively using them. If there is nothing running on your computer, and yet it is still moving very slowly, then there may be a good chance that there is an infection somewhere on your computer. You can click cntrl-alt-del and call up the task manager to see if you can pinpoint the problem. If there is a task taking up a lot of the CPU time and you or Google do not recognize the name then it is definitely time to run an antivirus check. Pop Up Plague Another sign that is not so discreet is the emergence of pop ups on your system when you are not connected to the Internet. This is most likely the sign of malware that has been planted on your computer and not necessarily a virus. You will still want to run an antivirus check to make sure that there is no infection. After the antivirus scan, make sure that you run a spyware analysis program on your computer as well. I have shown you several signs that may indicate that you have a virus or other infection on your computer. If you are a frequent computer user then keeping a look out on any kind of abnormal computer behavior can be the first step in not becoming a victim of the bad guys.

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The Tell-Tale Signs That Your Computer May Have Become Infected With A Virus

The Threat Of Cloud Computing To Your Company’s Infrastructure

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

The ideal of Cloud computing has been around for several decades. Only recently has the technology allowed for it to become a reality for practical use. Everyday more and more companies are bringing their sensitive data onto the cloud. This has proven to be a good strategy for corporations to use because of the flexibility that it provides. The ability to be able to quickly update their web resources while at the same time having automated back up capabilities is just the thing that the doctor ordered. But there is a flaw in this type of web hosting that researchers are just now discovering. Cloud Computing Management The first flaw that occurs is more of a management flaw and less of a technical one. If you are business that has their operation hosted on the cloud your hardware will not be hosted in house or in a facility that you control. It will be in the hands of another company that is in a remote location. This leaves you as the customer still responsible for what happens to your data. You must keep a sharp eye out on your cloud provider to make sure that they are keeping your company’s data safe and secure. If you have customers of your own and their data is compromised, blaming your provider will only go so far in their eyes. Technical Flaws There are also several technical flaws that can happen when you host your data on the cloud. Researchers have recently discovered a serious bug that could prove to be a big problem. The problem is that when you have cloud computers on a multi cored server running virtual machines the lack of privacy through the cache on the system is great. When you have a multi cored system the data is transacted back and forth between the cores. This is how the computer processes the data simultaneously so that it can do multiple task at the same time. This is why it is so hard for programmers to adapt to parallel computing. You have to be able to create software without the program running into what is known as a dead lock. When the computer is running the process the data is stored in temporary memory, also known as a cache. Attackers and researchers have figured out ways that they can use this information to able to poison a virtual machine running on the same physical server. Since all of the cores share data that is coming through the cache, poisoned data can be sent to another virtual machine this way. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video You can also spy on another company’s virtual machine in this same manner. If this knowledge is made into a workable tool, the possibility for abuse is endless. Even though Cloud computing is becoming more and more popular the technology behind it still has some flaws that it needs to address. When it comes to cloud computing privacy was not the first thing on the mind of the people who implemented it. There are tools that are being released to help alleviate this problem but as of right now the possibility of a serious security breach still exist.

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The Threat Of Cloud Computing To Your Company’s Infrastructure

How Do I Secure Windows 7?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

All computer users should aspire to work in a safe environment. Regardless of what your profession is, and the purpose behind using your computer, you should always be aware of the dangers and be on the lookout for the means to keep the data stored in your computer secure from all possible external dangers. Since Microsoft have recently released their latest operating system,Windows 7, you may be wondering how you can make your new operating system more secure and safer. Microsoft was mentioning the robust security related features of Windows 7 long before its launch. So, if you can make the best of the features and options offered by Windows 7, you can make your computer much more secure. Below are some of the ways that would enhance the security levels of your computer powered by Windows 7 – Shield your computer with an updated and robust Antivirus program (most preferably Internet Security Package) protection system. This is the first and foremost thing to do while you are trying to keep your computer safe from all the cyber threats regardless of the operating system you are working on. Since the biggest threat for any computer is viruses, malware, Trojans, and other malicious program, you need to be smart while making a choice. Windows 7 offers an amazing data protection scheme namely BitLocker Drive Encryption. Using the BitLocker scheme offered by Win 7, you can either choose to protect the data on the partition of where the operating system is installed or all the partitions. BitLocker will not allow anybody to access the files until and unless they enter the correct password. It is just like protecting your money in a safe protected by a number lock system. Use User Account Control (UAC) as Microsoft have made huge improvements in the system. Depending on the type of the user (Administrator or Normal user) UAC pre-sets the security features of the operating system. If you have logged in as a normal user, then you will be served with the most secured settings whereas the Administrator has the right to tweak the security settings as per his requirements. Windows 7 offers Internet Explorer 8 as the default web browser. So, if you are using IE 8 make sure that you enable the SmartScreen Filter option. SmartScreen is directly connected to Microsoft and their local database which educates and warns you about malicious web sites which could harm you computer. Like any other natural calamity, computer crashes can be unexpected and also destructive in many aspects. So, the wise thing is to be prepared for the worst. Navigate to “Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore” to back up the data on your computer . Always enable the Automatic Updates from Microsoft. This will not only enhance your operating system’s performance but also updates it against all the latest threats and loopholes. The increasing popularity of the internet has led to a larger number of crimes being committed on the web. Only by being proactive about your own security can you minimise the risks of you becoming the next victim.

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How Do I Secure Windows 7?

Being Proactive About WLAN Security

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Perhaps the most important defense is to be proactive in securing your WLAN . Don’t wait for threats to emerge before taking action. Now that you know the threats to your WLAN and some ways to deal with them, you can take what you know and put it to work. Each vendor maintains patches and updates on its Web site. You could go to every Web site and search for all the vulnerabilities that affect your devices. You may even find most of what you’re looking for after quite a while. The best place to start is the Security Focus Web site. Security Focus maintains an exhaustive list of vulnerabilities for hardware and software from every vendor. If it’s vulnerable, it’s listed on their site. Often vulnerabilities are listed on Security Focus even before the developers of an application or device know about the problem. In those rare cases when a company refuses to acknowledge an issue, this Web site may be the only place where you’ll find it listed. Make it a habit to check the site regularly for new threats. Many vendors will send you an email warning you of vulnerabilities if you took the time to register your product (and lets face it, most of us don’t). For the 90 percent of users that use a Microsoft operating system, the Windows Update feature will help you keep the operating system patched and save you from becoming a casualty when the next worm surfaces. Most cracker tools exploit holes that have not been patched. If you don’t maintain your systems, you are remaining vulnerable when you should be safe. Taking the time to patch software and update the firmware on devices will minimize your risk and reduce your headaches.

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Being Proactive About WLAN Security

Using Software To Recover Your Data

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:30:44 +0000

Data recovery can be a really hard process if you don’t understand or know what it is that you are doing. When a person is having to perform data recovery that means that either their folder or file has become encrypted. After your file or folders are encrypted, it can cause damage to your computer and you must take certain steps to get the data back that was lost. There are lots of ways that you can recover data from your computer. Some people download freeware that walks them step by step on how to recover their data while others do it straight from their computer. If you decide to do it yourself you will find that the method of data recovery will vary depending on what kind of computer that you’re using. Mac, Windows Vista and Windows 7 are all a bit different when it comes to this process. That’s another reason why people decide to use a free program to recover their data. For beginners, the best way to go about getting your data back is using the free software program. Most of the programs require you to download the software. Before you begin, they usually ask for your email address. Once you provide them with your email address you can review the directions that they give. When you have problems, you can contact customer service and they will be there to help. That is another reason why downloading and using software to recover data is a really good thing when you are new. If you decide to do this by yourself, you won’t be able to have any help. In order to make sure that you have a really good program, do some research on it first before you decide to download the software and see what people are saying about it. After you have downloaded and finished the data recovery, make sure that you back things up. You can back them up with buying a flash drive or floppy disk. If you haven’t backed up your files and pictures, you should do it soon. Mistakes can happen at anytime and they are called mistakes because we didn’t plan on them happening. Another word of advice is to make sure that your computer is password protected and that you have your firewall on plus virus protection turned on too.

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Using Software To Recover Your Data

Cyber Security: Why Is So Important?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:30:37 +0000

Do we actually need cyber security? I strongly believe that we do. Everybody has their own thoughts on cyber security, some of which are valid facts, and some of which are misconceptions. The Internet is a dynamic technology and you can never predict the changes that are constantly occurring. Furthermore, every change can lead to more dangerous threats that had not been previously imagined. That is why there have been number of incidents in the past where the Internet has been used as the medium for some serious crimes which are named as ‘Cyber Crimes’. If proper means are not used to tackle this problem then the rate of cyber crime will just continue to increase. Below are some of the reasons behind the need for cyber security – 1.) Who are hackers and what do they do? We all are aware of hackers . But do you actually know how they operate? A hacker could be anyone. He might be your business rival, your friend or any other person who is trying to hijack your computer’s resources. They somehow enter into your computer with the help of many malicious programs and scripts, all of which can be found on the internet or easily coded by someone with a little know how. Once he succeeds in hijacking your computer, then he can misuse your confidential information such as e-mail accounts, bank accounts, credit cards and any other useful information he finds stored on your system. 2.) Online fraud and identity theft. Cyber criminals follow a number of techniques in order to acquire e-mail Ids, credit card numbers, bank account numbers and passwords which are then misused by them. These kinds of scams are known as ‘ phishing ‘. These criminals cheat people by pretending to be spokespeople of big organisations or deceased millionaires and sending emails to their victims which will try to trick them into revealing confidential information. 3.) Cyber thefts are increasing daily. Conventional thefts can be compensated by insurance cover but once you lose your confidential data from your computer, no-one can help you. These kinds of incidents are not only restricted to individuals but huge companies and institutions are falling prey to cyber theft too. 4.) Computer viruses can really mess up your system. Viruses can not only slow your system down, they can make it crash too. There are number of ways in which viruses can enter your computer. One of them is through accessing insecure web sites and downloading infected files. Its not only household computers that can be infected as even big business can be affected too. For example, in 1999 the Melissa virus lead to the termination of many services in Microsoft and other huge companies. 5.) Spyware keeps tabs on your activity. Spyware is a form of malware that can enter your computer and install itself automatically. It is not only meant to spy on you but also steal information from your computer. The dangerous part is that people do not even realize its presence on their computers. Some reports suggest that about 92% of computers are infected by spyware and that users are unaware of it! 6.) Adware is annoying. The main purpose of adware is to pop up unwanted ads as you are surfing the Internet. This can quickly become extremely annoying and frustrating. Nowadays adware is often integrated with spyware in order to exploit your computer to great heights. These are just some of the different ways cyber criminals steal your resources and information. They are always a step ahead and the security industry is forever trying to keep up with their new plans and codes. Therefore, it is very necessary to protect your system for all the threats caused by cyber criminals. Wouldn’t you agree?

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Cyber Security: Why Is So Important?

How Do I Configure Windows 7’s Firewall?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:30:04 +0000

Since the addition of a Firewall in Windows XP, Microsoft has been working to improve it with each new version of their operating systems. Windows 7 is expected to the best operating system designed by Microsoft so far. Windows 7 comes with a robust firewall included and this can be tweaked by the user according to their needs and computer resources.. Firewall plays a huge role in protecting your computer from external malicious programs. So until and unless you grant permission, external programs will not be able to use the resources of your computer. Like Windows Vista, the fundamental (basic) settings of the Windows 7 firewall can be configured from Control Panel. But unlike Windows Vista, Windows 7 allows you to tweak the advanced settings of it’s firewall directly from your Control Panel, instead of accessing empty MMC. Manually Configure Your Windows 7 Firewall Below is the procedure to manually configure the firewall Settings of Windows 7 – Step 1: Click on the START button and then click on the CONTROL PANEL option. Step 2: Now, in the Control Panel window, locate System and Security and then click on it. Step 3: Once you open the System and Security window from the Control Panel, you can see a direct link to Windows Firewall. Click on it. Step 4: Now, you will be able to access the Windows Firewall window. There, you can see number of options like Turn Windows Firewall on or off, Change notification settings, Restore defaults and Advanced settings on the left side of the panel. And on the right side of the panel you can alter the type of network associated with the firewall settings of your computer which are Home or Work (Private) networks and Public networks. And the Firewall will be ON / ACTIVE for both the networks, which is a default setting. Step 5: Now, you can see the Change Notification settings link on the left side of the panel. Click on it. You can use this option to Turn OFF the firewall settings of your operating system by simply clicking on Turn off Windows Firewall button. Step 6: If you are unhappy with any settings you have selected you can retrieve the default settings by clicking on the option labeled as Use recommended settings which can be located on the right side of the panel or by clicking on the Restore Default link on the left panel. You need to confirm your choice once you click on the Restore Default button. Step 7: You can also alter the Advanced Setting of the Local Computers by clicking on the Advanced Settings button visible on the left panel. Step 8: If you want to tweak the inbound rules, you can click on the link labeled as Inbound Rules on the left side of the panel. If you click on Disable Rule, it will disable the selected rule and if you click on Enable Rule, you can choose the actions you want from the list displayed in Actions Pane. Step 9: You can even keep an eye on the things like Logging settings, General Settings, Firewall State, Active Networks by clicking on the Monitoring option on the left side of the panel. I hope this guide has given you a basic idea of how to set up your firewall in Windows 7.

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How Do I Configure Windows 7’s Firewall?

What Is Disability Fraud?

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:30:13 +0000

Its a sad thing to say but it seems that earning money illegally is becoming easy these days. One such method I’ve noticed, and it really upsets me, is disability fraud. Personally I think it is right that we, as a society, look after those who are unfortunate to be disabled. However, there are many individuals who feel that it is ok to play the system and claim benefits for disabilities they do not have . In both legal and medical terms disability does not mean that a person is physically handicapped. Just because a person is able to do all the things that a normal man can do it does not really imply that the person is not disabled. There are a number of medical conditions which are not physically visible but they are still termed as disabilities. Invisible Disabilities Such disabilities are known as “invisible disabilities”. This is the area in which criminals are taking advantage of the system and literally cashing in. Below are some of the common types of invisible disabilities – Chronic Dizziness: This kind of disability is related to an improper functioning of the inner ear. Such a problem would cause problems to a person whilst performing some of the basic tasks like walking, sleeping or working. Chronic Fatigue: If a person does not feel like working and always feels totally tired, then he might be suffering from Chronic Fatigue. This can have a very negative impact on the person’s daily life routine. Mental Illness: Some forms of this disability can make a person mentally so vulnerable that they find basic and common daily tasks very had to perform. Disabilities like agoraphobia, depression, lack of concentration and schizophrenia are categorized under mental illness. Chronic Pain: Some bone or physical injuries and back problems can lead to chronic pain. This kind of pain or disability might not be visible to everybody but people linked with the medical fraternity will easily detect such disability. Of course there are a great many people with invisible disabilities such as those above who are perfectly genuine and who are suffering. Unfortunately, however, there are also many people who fake such conditions for financial gain. Types Of Disability Fraud Below are some of most common types of disability fraud – Doing legitimate work despite claiming to be suffering from disability: It has been found that people suffering from various invisible disabilities are working in jobs they claim they cannot do while enjoying the benefits offered for the disabled. Pretending to be suffering from any kind of Injury: People do pretend to be suffering from some kinds of illness and even doctors can’t prove that wrong. So they intentionally pretend to be disabled, in order to enjoy the benefits offered to them by various agencies. Continuing to claim benefits even after recovering from disability: Not all disabilities are permanent and people are cured every day. Some, however, continue to claim benefits for many years afterwards regardless though. Tackling Disability Fraud Disability fraud is extremely hard to prove and prosecute. Many governments have already initiated various methods to tackle disability fraud but cynics, such as myself, wonder if they are doing enough, especially when recategorising such people as being merely unemployed could prove detrimental to their boasts of keeping jobless figures to a minimum. Doctors cannot always detect whether a claim of disability is genuine or not and the politically correct society we live in now means you really ought to be very careful about questioning whether benefits claimants are legitimate or not. Having said that, here in the UK we are encouraged to grass on our neighbours (another ploy designed to destroy society no doubt) but could you tell whether the disabled person living next door to you was faking it? Probably not. I don’t know what the answer is but I do know that we need to cut out disability fraud. I’m of the opinion that far too many people claim benefits for fake disabilities in order to avoid working and we really ought to get them off their lazy backsides and into work so that they can contribute to society, allowing us to divert the money saved to those who really need it.

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What Is Disability Fraud?