Tag Archives: search
Schneider: Search for roommate attracts money order scam – Lansing State Journal
December 23rd, 2009. Published under Money Order Scams. No Comments.
Schneider: Search for roommate attracts money order scam Lansing State Journal EAST LANSING – One more reminder that it's important – now, more than ever – to be wary of strangers bearing money orders. Gina Polaskey, a newly minted …
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Schneider: Search for roommate attracts money order scam – Lansing State Journal
How To Get A Job In Any Economy
December 17th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
This is a video sample of a DVD called, “How To Get A Job In Any Economy.” With nearly 20% of the US population looking for work, the tips on this DVD are invaluable and will help you get the job you are looking for: getajobnow.yolasite.com
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How To Get A Job In Any Economy
AARP Foundation WorkSearch Overview
December 9th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
Welcome to the AARP Foundation WorkSearch. Whether you’re looking to re-enter the workforce or upgrade from your current job, you’ve come to the right place! The AARP Foundation has a broad array of services to help older workers find employment and much more… … unemployment Employment Job Search Older Worker AARP Foundation WorkSearch Work Tips 40 years old 55 unemployed underemployed skills assessment online training
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AARP Foundation WorkSearch Overview
Need A Job? (832) 343-5425 Local Jobs, Offshore, Cruise Ship, Government Jobs
December 3rd, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
Need A Job? Local, Offshore, Cruise Ship, Government Jobs (832) 343-5425. Unemployment, Jobs, Work, Unemployed, Search, Service www.jobsearchservice.info
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Need A Job? (832) 343-5425 Local Jobs, Offshore, Cruise Ship, Government Jobs
Understanding Encryption
November 29th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Encryption takes data in its original (plaintext.) form and uses a mathematical algorithm (cipher) and an encryption key to transform it into an unreadable form (ciphertext). Decryption takes ciphertext and transforms it back into plaintext, which once again uses the cipher in conjunction with a key. What do you think of when you hear the word encryption ? Is it spies sending their superiors information in secret code? Perhaps you visualize windowless rooms in some secret government facility where pale, bespectacled code-breakers pour over ss of secret messages and try to decipher them? This might happen in the movies, but the code-breaker today is just as likely to be a 14-year-old script kiddy , and the secret facility his bedroom. He enjoys a slice of pizza and listens to his pirated music collection while he uses tools written by a real hacker to crack the encryption on your network. Encryption is an incredibly useful security tool. It can prevent crackers from sniffing information on your WLAN, it secures authentication of computers and users, and it can protect data on hard drives. However, not all encryption is created equal. Some methods are stronger than others, and even strong encryption can be undermined by poor implementation or improper use.
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Understanding Encryption
Protecting Your Computers With A Personal Firewall
November 28th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
A firewall protects your network from unauthorized trespassers. Many routers have firewall functions built in to check traffic leaving or entering the network, but you also should run a personal firewall on each client computer on your WLAN . Personal firewall software usually costs around $40 and it is often bundled with antivirus software. A personal firewall is an application that runs on your computer and protects it against unauthorized access. Like a hardware firewall, it’s configurable to allow or disallow different types of traffic to enter and leave your PC. Personal firewalls monitor ports, which are numbered software addresses that your computer uses for different networking tasks. For example, a Web server communicates through port 80, an e-mail server through port 25. Many of these ports aren’t needed by your PC, and a good personal firewall closes or blocks unused or unneeded ports to prevent an intruder from accessing your computer through one of them. A personal firewall also can monitor activity on your PC and alert you when an application attempts to reach the Internet or your WLAN. This is important because some worms and Trojan horse software attempt to use your computer to infect other computers, or to “phone home” to a cracker so that he can get into your computer. Personal firewalls are an effective way to protect individual computers on your WLAN. Read more on Firewalls .
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Protecting Your Computers With A Personal Firewall
Bruce’s Thought of the Day – A Jobby Job
November 27th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
www.brucebriggs.com
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Bruce’s Thought of the Day – A Jobby Job
The Tell-Tale Signs That Your Computer May Have Become Infected With A Virus
November 27th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
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
November 26th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
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 To Stay Safe On Facebook
November 25th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Social networking websites have become must visit sites for a great many Internet users. If you are such a person then you probably find that you check your social networking accounts more than your e-mail accounts! In fact, social networking has become a daily activity for millions of Internet users. People have loved Facebook since the day it was launched and that is the reason why, within a span of few years, millions of people have registered to the Facebook network. It is a cool place for people that allows them to get in touch with their friends, share photographs, share videos and much, much more. Security Risks But because of its huge popularity, Facebook has become a huge target for all the spammers, hackers, identity thieves, cyber criminals and every other bad element that exists on Internet. And then you have other threats, such as Koobface , which is a cyber infection that was specially designed to steal the private information of Facebook users. Facebook Security Measures The first step you should take is to mark the privacy settings of your Facebook account. Make sure that you keep you profile private so that strangers cannot peep into it. To do that, simply log into your Facebook account and click on the link named as Settings which can be located at the right side of the page and then click on the option labeled as Privacy. Then click on the option Only Friends which allows you to keep your profile locked from strangers. Whenever you so accept any friend requests ensure that the person is actually your friend because adding strangers could lead to unneccesary risks. Also avoid publishing confidential details, such as your phone number, account number or social security number on your wall as this information could, potentially, be used for identity theft . Facebook Security For Children As per the rules in the Facebook Safety Policy, all users need to be a minimum of 13 years old. If you are a parent, then you need to be aware of your kids’ Facebook activities. You should educate your children about all the benefits, as well as the risk factors, involved in social networking. It would be wonderful if you teach your children to come to you whenever they find a disturbing subject on the Internet as you could then work together to ensure your kid’s safety. Remember that, since you are not seeing the person behind the keyboard, there is a chance that they may not be who they say they are. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you never agree to meet anyone for real. If you do, make sure you have a black belt in karate! (I do, but still wouldn’t choose to meet random strangers from social networking sites!) Once you sign up with Facebook, it automatically becomes your responsibility to report any kind of inappropriate content to the administrators of the Facebook service. Be cautious and have fun in the wonderful world of Facebook. Happy Social Networking!
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How To Stay Safe On Facebook
How Can I Help My Elderly Friends And Relatives Protect Themselves On The Internet?
November 24th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
For many of us, we have grown up in an age of computers and electronic devices all around us. So when the era of the internet came to pass, there was a leap of knowledge that was needed to adjust but the divide was not that great. For the elderly among us, they can remember a time before the digital age and some of the new technology can seem enticing but yet strange and alien at the same time. Most scams run on the internet today are perpetrated against the elderly. Hopefully I can give you some tips to protect your loved ones. Protecting Your Loved Ones Some people will make a joke and say if you want to protect people from the dangers of the Internet then get a Mac or Linux box and tell them not to use Windows. This is funny but not true especially these days. Macs are becoming more and more popular and everyday new exploits are being found that can be used against them. Exploits are becoming more common and big business on all systems so security is a top priority for all of them. The fact is that most people use a Windows version operating system so you will have to show them how to protect themselves on such machines. Email Security The first thing that you will want to tell them is to be skeptical when it comes to email. People believe that it takes a highly technical genius to scam people on the internet. This is simply not true. Most attacks on people, especially the elderly, are low tech email scams. They will either involve sending a link to a person to get their information through phishing or just a straight out direct scam to get the person to send them money. A lot of the elderly believe everything that they read in their emails and have to be told the many, many different ways that people can be scammed through them. Malicious Programs Another thing that they must be instructed on, is not to open any programs that are sent to them outside of their family or friends. Scammers will send friendly looking e-cards and other digital goodies through an email attachment. Most people would not think that an e-card with hearts and flowers on it would hold a digital ticking time bomb. Looks can be deceiving though. The elderly, just like everyone else, must be taught that attachments, no matter what they look like, can be dangerous. Safe Communications A new attack but one that is growing everyday is the use of the software program Skype to send links to a phishing site. There are a lot of elderly people that use Skype as a cheap and easy way to talk to and see videos of their loved ones. Their relatives might set it up for them so they can be confused as to who is sending a link to them. Skype has a lot of spammers now and the elderly must be warned that it has become just like their emails so they must remain vigilant. Hopefully I have gone over several ways that you can help protect the elderly in your life when they use a computer. It is a new world that they are in so maybe you can help them navigate it.
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How Can I Help My Elderly Friends And Relatives Protect Themselves On The Internet?
Being Proactive About WLAN Security
November 21st, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
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
November 20th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
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
How Do I Configure Windows 7’s Firewall?
November 17th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
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?
November 15th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
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?
What Should I Do If My Website Has Been Hacked?
November 13th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
If you paid attention to yesterday’s post about website security then you should have already minimised the chances of having your own site hacked . But what if it has already happened? How Would I Know That My Site Has Been Hacked? You may have had your web site hacked if one or more of the following is true – The search engines now says you run an attack site You’ve noticed spam email being sent from your account When you search for your own site (yes, we all do it!) your antivirus program suggests it may be being used for phishing You now have some political statement or graffiti all over your pages Of course there may be other signs but the above are the main ones that I can think of. What now? Change Them There Passwords Do it. Do it now. Assuming you still have any kind of access to your website then you need to change all of your passwords – cPanel, email, admin passwords, etc. Remove Old Scripts Next, go through your hosting space and remove every old script installation that you find. Also, update or remove old plugins too because they are also at risk of being hacked. Check Your Error Logs By checking the Error Logs in cPanel you may be able to discover suspicious requests. Typically, a hacker will give themselves access to your website by adding code or files so look for such within your public_html folder. If you find any code or files then take a note of the details, such as date and time that the file was uploaded, the file name, folder it was in, etc and then inform your web host as they may then be able to offer some assistance. Of course it goes without saying that you should then also delete said codes or files. Minimising Risk Web sites are hacked all the time and all you can do is ensure that you have made it as hard a task as possible and then hope that the hacker moves on to an easier target. By keeping your files up-to-date and secure you will have increased the workload for a potential hacker . You then just need to cross your fingers and hope that encourages them to pass you by.
I’m Worried My Web Site Might Get Hacked – What Can I Do?
November 12th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
If you run your own web site then security is something you really ought to be paying attention to. Hackers are targeting websites on a daily basis and for many different reasons. It used to be the case that hackers would merely look to plaster graffiti on your home page to bring attention to themselves (or some cause) but nowadays they also have far more sinister motives. Criminal hackers are now part of large and well organised cyber gangs who see the internet as a huge source of potential profits and they may see your website as a tool that can help them make money, either by stealing your personal information or that of your visitors. Often this can be through the use of Trojans and other types of malware. Here, then, are some tips on securing your website against such attacks – Always Remove Or Update Old Scripts You need to be aware that that old installations are vulnerable. If you run a blog on WordPress then you will know that the platform is regularly updated and that one of the main reasons for that is to patch security holes as and when they are discovered. So, if you have an old installation then you should either update it now or remove it completely if you aren’t using it. Otherwise, a competent hacker could be into your blog in a matter of seconds. Ensure Strong Password Security You should never use easy to guess passwords , or the same password more than once, anywhere on the internet. Think about it – if a hacker finds a password of yours then they may well try to use it everywhere in order to gain access not only to your web site but also to other sensitive areas such as your online banking account. In terms of website security, how would you feel if someone else had access to your cPanel or email account? Cloak Your Folders Another good tip is to keep a blank index.html file in all of the folders inside your public_html folder. This will make sure that the contents cannot easily be viewed on the internet. CPanel offers such a function – check out ‘Index Manager’. It is always a good idea to keep your files and folders as secret as possible. Password Protect Your Admin Folder You should always password protect the admin folder of any scripts you are using as this provides an extra layer of security. Such action is highly recommended and you can do this in cPanel by clicking the ‘Directory Protection’ link.
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I’m Worried My Web Site Might Get Hacked – What Can I Do?
Job Search 042309
November 11th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
Just another day…
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Job Search 042309
Protecting Data With Encryption Or Lockout Software
November 11th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Most people have introduced encryption as a way to secure communications on your WLAN. You can also use encryption to secure at-rest data or data that is located on a hard drive or similar storage medium (CD, DVD, and tape). There are several software solutions available to encrypt your data, whether you choose to encrypt the entire contents of your hard drive or just specific folders. Note: An easy-to-use’ effective utility for encrypting your files and folders is File Warden , available for download from the utilities section of the PC Magazine Web site: www.pcmag.com One thing to consider before using encryption is that it takes a lot of CPU horsepower. If you encrypt your entire hard drive you may notice significant slowing when you use your computer. You might consider only encrypting the contents of a couple of folders and storing all sensitive files in those. Smaller devices like PDAs and smart phones lack the horsepower to use significant encryption. There is effective security software for locking a PDA after it’s turned off or after it spends a certain amount of time idle. This software locks all unauthorized persons out of the device and prevents wireless connections, synchronizing, or beaming of information. Whichever device you use, install either encryption or security software to lock down your data if your computer ever falls into the wrong hands. Always set up your device so that it asks for a password and use a security screen saver with a strong password to make it harder for criminals to get to your data.
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Protecting Data With Encryption Or Lockout Software
The Top Reasons For Hardware Failure And Data Loss
November 9th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Aside from impact damage and electrical spikes, there are sources of hardware failure that can arise from lack of maintenance or through improper maintenance. Different sources rank these threats differently, at some point touting each of them as the number-one threat or cause of hardware failure. I haven’t ranked them in any particular order, preferring that you consider each and protect yourself from all of them. Electrostatic discharge Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can destroy components within your computer. A common way for ESD damage to occur is when you open your computer case to install new hardware (drives, RAM, and so on). If you don’t properly ground yourself, any electrical charge that your body carries will jump from your fingers to conductors in the computer, such as chips. The same thing happens when you rub your feet on a carpet, generating an electrostatic charge. When you reach out to touch another person or a metal object, sparks fly. Unfortunately, when the sparks fly from your fingers to a computer component, you may destroy the component. You may not think there’s enough power to do any damage, but there is. A static discharge from your hand can be quite powerful at times – maybe even in the kilowatt range! The best way to prevent ESD from occurring is to use a grounding wrist strap or stand on a grounding mat if you have to open the computer’s case. You can also make sure that you are at “zero potential” by constantly touching a bare metal surface. Damage from ESD only occurs if you are working inside a computer or handling a component like a RAM chip or video board, not when you are touching the case. Dust Accumulation of dust can damage some components and cause your computer to overheat. It doesn’t take a thick layer; even a thin layer that you can barely see can raise the temperature in your computer a few percent. That small raise in temperature is enough to shorten the life of your components. Heavy dust buildup can also short out components and damage hard drives. Heat Overheating damages many computers. Excessive heat increases resistance in semiconductor materials, which in turn produces more heat. This heat buildup and increase in resistance causes logic circuits to behave erratically and ultimately fail to function. Heat can also destroy data on hard drives by causing the metallic layer to expand, potentially putting data tracks out of alignment. Repeated heating and cooling can compound the problem until the drive fails completely. It doesn’t take a lot of heat to do this, either. The CPU of your computer is especially susceptible to heat damage. Because of the number of circuits on the CPU, it generates a lot of heat. CPUs have a heat sink that helps radiate heat away from the CPU, and most computers have one or more fans that cool the CPU and other components. Bad Hard Disk Sectors Occasionally, sectors on a hard disk fail due to physical problems on the disk. These problems can result from dust infiltration, heat, or degradation over time. Your computer cannot write or read data from a sector that has failed, and any data already written to that sector is lost. Through proper maintenance, however, you can prevent hard disk damage and detect failing sectors before they fail completely.
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The Top Reasons For Hardware Failure And Data Loss
I’m Scared Of Getting A Virus – What Sort Of Sites Should I Be Wary Of?
November 8th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Most people, when they get on the Internet, do the same thing that everyone else does on it, and that is surf. People may have a couple of sites that they go to on a regular basis but for the most part they surf around the net. This, of course, is the best part about the Internet – the ability to travel around the different web sites and see places and things that you may have never known before. There is a dark side to all of this wonderful discovery that you can do on the Internet though. The dark side is that when going to sites that you don’t know you can always pick up a virus or some other type of malware. Of course this can happen on any type of website but is more likely on some types than others. Whilst many of the following can be perfectly safe, the risk of picking up a virus may be higher from these types of sites – Beware Of Adult Sites The first type of site that can cause you damage whilst you are surfing the Internet are adult sites . Maybe 99% of adult sites are safe but there are a minority that can cause your computer to have serious troubles. Adult sites are known to attract very high amounts of traffic so they are a favorite of Hackers trying to target innocent victims. Another attack vector that has been used lately is planting viruses in the adult tube sites that have popped up in increasing amounts lately. The technology that runs the site and shows the video is known as Flash. This technology is known to have serious exploit problems if the right safeguards are not in place. Make sure that you are extra vigilante when surfing adult sites. Beware Of Warez Sites The second type of site that is known to cause a lot of trouble to a person’s computer are sites that are known as warez sites. Warez sites are web sites that people go to to get pirated software, serial numbers, etc. These types of sites are breeding grounds for malicious hackers trying to inject very nasty software into your computer. When you are visiting a warez site you are generally asking for trouble, not only in terms of copyright violations, but from malware too. Not only can the site itself pose a security risk but any software you download may well do so too. Beware Of Credit Card Offer Sites The third type of site that can be a potential problem for your computer when you visit are credit card offer sites. These sites set up a sweet attractive low interest offer and then in the background can download a Trojan onto your computer. A relatively new attack phenomenon, these sites are increasingly becoming more dangerous. These sites are being used more and more by Hackers for phishing schemes and planting Trojans onto your computer. These types of site attacks are increasing all over the Internet. This is a fairly new attack vector but with credit cards now a little bit harder to get people are falling for these traps more readily. Stay Safe I’ve showed you several different types of sites that you must be aware of when surfing the Internet. For the most part these types of site are safe to visit. But… When a Hacker decides to strike, these types of site are usually on the top of the list.
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I’m Scared Of Getting A Virus – What Sort Of Sites Should I Be Wary Of?
Out of a job – Now what? Part – 3
November 5th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
The third part of a three part series. How to Lead With Honor after you’ve lost a job. How to stay motivated during your search for employment
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Out of a job – Now what? Part – 3
Cyber Security For Families
November 5th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Hopefully you strive to keep your family safe and protected in every possible way. Sometimes there are risks on the Internet that are greater than those you may come across in the real world. For that reason you need to be vigilant and cautious at all times and that means becoming wise in the ways of cyber security. Cyber security not only allows your family to protect itself from the dangers involved on the Internet but also ensures that your computer is safe from your family. Just by altering the ways in which you use your computer you will enable yourself to stay safe and secure from online dangers. Kids are usually inquisitive and curious about all the things that they find new and interesting. So, as a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your kids are able to learn about new technology but at the same time you also need to take care of their safety. You need to balance things out for them by trying to keep your kids away from the things that you think might be misused whilst not blocking them from the Internet or computer completely. Your kids could be using the Internet to work on their homework or project or for playing online games which are all valuable pursuits in their own ways. However their lack of knowledge, or other peoples’ devious ways, could cause them to find themselves on malicious sites that could install malware on your computer, or porn sites which you simply wouldn’t want your children to view. Of course if that were to happen then your children might not tell you about the incident, fearing punishment and so you would have a hard job ensuring that it didn’t happen again. Malware and porn aren’t the only threats though – the Internet has become a huge platform for people who look to cheat and swindle others. There is a certain level of anonymity on the Internet still and this fact encourages cyber criminals to deceive people on the Internet in order to take as much money as possible from them. Even well educated adults fall prey to such online predators. Below are some of the ways which will help you to protect your family from cyber dangers – Stay With Your Kids While They Spend Time On The Internet Make sure that you stay with your children while they are using Internet. It might not be possible for all parents to get involved with their kids while they are on Internet because we all have busy lifestyles nowadays but you can certainly keep a casual eye on what they are doing at the very least. You can view their browsing history to check the web sites they have visited. You can also ensure that your kids do not get involved in activities such as sending emails to, and chatting with, strangers. Educate Your Children About Online Dangers It is necessary to educate your kids about all the risks and dangers involved with the Internet. Once they get to know such facts, they will be more vigilant and careful. Make them clear of the sites they should visit and the types of sites which are not meant for them. Do not frighten them but set limits to their Internet usage so that you can keep things under control. Create Separate User Accounts To Keep Your Data Safe Recent operating systems, such as Windows 7, allow you to create individual accounts for all the users of the computer onto which they are installed. You can opt to create separate accounts for your kids. This is one of the ways to keep your files and data protected from the mischievous activities of your children! If you do not prefer to create separate accounts then it is advisable not to use add-ons which are meant to remember passwords and other important information (which can be accidentally used) leading to serious loss. There is a wise saying that “Prevention is always better than cure.” So make sure that you use updated antivirus programs featuring utilities such as firewalls to ensure the safety of the data stored in your computer. You can use kid browsers which ensure the safety of your files while your kids are accessing Internet or you can edit the options of your default browser to ban the web sites which you feel would be harmful to your child. Here is how – Tools> Internet Options> Content> Click on ENABLE under Content Advisor. The powers that be have understood the need for cyber security and so they have come forward to offer their services to ensure your kids’ protection whilst they are using the Internet by blocking the sites that are not meant or suited for them. Open Communication Is Key If possible, set up your computer in a place where you can easily keep an eye on who is using it and what they are doing with it. This will surely make your children think before they do anything wrong on the computer. Having a flexible relationship with your family members is beneficial in all aspects of life – such a relationship will make your children come to you and tell about the things they have seen and done on the Internet. This kind of relationship not only enhances the cyber security of your family but also develops a strong bond amongst yourselves, helping you grow and stay safe and happy as a family.
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Cyber Security For Families
What Is A Trojan Horse And Why Should You Worry About It?
November 4th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
The Internet in many ways is still like the wild wild west. Overall it is safe but there are bad guys lurking around every corner that will try to infect your computer and steal your information. Luckily most attacks can be easily thwarted by the right technology and common sense. To use common sense though, it helps to know the different ways that your computer can be attacked. One of these ways is through a technique known as a Trojan. I will explain what it is and how to avoid getting your computer infected by one – If you know your Greek mythology then you would know that the Greeks used a giant wooden horse to enter the gates of Troy to finally conquer them. Trojan Infection A Trojan infection on your computer uses a similar methodology. A Trojan on your computer masquerades around as a simple little innocent program that will not hurt a flea. It may look like the latest coldplay mp3 or might look like a word document that someone has sent to you. Trojans have also known to pretended to be real upgrades to different programs on your system, such as a Microsoft upgrade. That is why it pays to go directly to the vendors site and download the upgrades from there. The Trojan will look innocent until you double click it to try to run the program. It will then make its intentions know on your system. After the Trojan is run on your system, most of the time you will not even know that it is running. It will hum along in the background, very quietly, performing a function that you will not know anything about. Password Stealing Some of these functions maybe stealing your passwords , becoming a botnet that someone else is using, viewing your screen as you are working, and all kind of other nefarious stuff that you do not want to think about. Trojans are very bad news on your system, so you must be prepared to stop them from getting on your system. There are several ways that you can avoid getting a Trojan on your system. Most of the ways that you can avoid such a fate involves common sense on the user part. Also a little technology to go along with that common sense will go a long way to helping to achieve these goals. The first that you will want to do, as we discussed before, is to avoid downloading software updates from any web site other than the vendors own web site. Also when you download software make sure that it is from a trusted web site. If you have never been to the web site before do not download software from it or at the very least keep your guard up. Another step is to avoid accepting email attachments from unknown senders. This is one of the most prevalent ways of spreading Trojans to people. Always Back up! After you have used your common sense to avoid getting a Trojan on your system it will help to have a little back up. Back up usually includes having a good antivirus program running on your system. A good anti virus program will detect contamination as soon as it introduced onto your system. There are numerous different vendors that are out there for you to choose from so read up a little about them to see which one suits your needs. The prices and the packages will vary. Also once you have picked a good antivirus be sure to confirm that it is updated daily. An anti virus is no good if the person doe not keep it regularly updated. As you can see, a Trojan can be a very nasty to thing to have unleashed on your computer. Prevention through common sense and anti virus is the best way to avoid any trouble from them.
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What Is A Trojan Horse And Why Should You Worry About It?
How Do I Restore A File That I Accidentally Deleted?
November 4th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Recovering a file that you deleted from your flash drive can be really difficult if you don’t know how to do it nor have it saved anywhere else. This is another reason why it’s vital for you to back up all of your information and you should do it on a regular basis. There is a simple way that you can track your deleted files that a lot of people don’t know about. There are a lot of free programs that can restore any file on your computer. These programs don’t take up much space either. A recommended program is called REST2514. Its very easy to install on your computer. This program is designed to recover any file that was deleted on your computer. It guides you step by step on how to find that file and even lets you pick the drive that you want to search. This program allows you to restore any of the files by simply clicking on one and highlighting it when it comes up. You can find it on any search engine or you can look up restoration freeware programs. Whilst it’s very easy getting a file restored on your computer, it’s still recommended that you backup your information on a USB flash drive. You should update your flash drive once a week if you do a lot of work on your computer but if you forget, you now know how to restore a file so you won’t need to panic if it happens.
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How Do I Restore A File That I Accidentally Deleted?
The Security Risks Of Facebook Applications
November 3rd, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
I think we all know by now what the most popular social networking site on the Internet is. Twitter is quickly making it’s way to the top of the heap but for now Facebook is still king of the mountain. One of the more popular features that Facebook has added in the past couple of years is the ability to create an application for the people logged into Facebook to use. There have been many companies that made a lot of money off of this feature. Unfortunately there has also been a lot of nefarious characters that have exploited this feature as well. They too are making lots of money from it. I will go over some of the risks of Facebook applications and how to keep yourself safe – Keep Private Information Private One thing that Facebook pulls out of people is their private information. On any other site people would never give the amount of information that they seem give on the Facebook platform. Through most people’s profiles you can find out their first, last and maiden names. You can also find out where they live, where they went to school, and even worse most people will offer up the information of where they lived in the past. A lot of these answers are the answers to questions that you will fill out any kind of credit check online. This is perfect for anybody looking to exploit your credit history or steal your identity. Facebook applications, if you allow them, have access to this information as well. Once you give them permission they can get all of the information that is about you from your Facebook profile. If a person that has evil intentions makes a Facebook app, they can now target all of the people who have allowed the application in their Facebook ecosystem and target them for identity theft . Make sure that before you give an application access to all of your information that you check on the company who has made the app. It is best to Google them to see if they are legitimate or not. Facebook Hackers Facebook applications, for the most part, run in a sandbox that is provided by Facebook themselves. A sandbox is when you have the ability to use a language but certain features of the language that might cause security problems are stripped away. The sandbox that Facebook gives developers to make applications is pretty secure but there have been holes found. So not only can the hackers use an application that was built for malicious use intentionally, they can also find holes in preexisting applications and exploit them too. If you install an application and it is doing anything weird be very suspicious and uninstall it. In the world of the Internet being paranoid is a good thing! So I have gone over a couple of ways that Facebook applications can be used to exploit the average user. I do not want you to get the wrong idea, Facebook applications for the most part are safe. Just like anything else on the internet they can be exploited so it pays to be careful.
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The Security Risks Of Facebook Applications
Just How Secure Are PDF Files?
November 2nd, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
One of the great things about computers and the Internet is how easy it is to create document files and then share them between machines and users. There are several formats that you can use to create files, the two most popular being word documents and PDF files. Hacker Manipulation Over the past couple of years, however, hackers have found that they can manipulate these types of files. They are now able to hide exploits within these files that can compromise your computer. They also use the knowledge that since these files are so popular, they can disguise a harmful .exe file as a pdf file and people will not question whether it is safe or not. We will hopefully show you that for the most part PDF’s are safe but you still need to be careful with them. These types of files have turned into another attack vector for hackers. In the last 12 months Adobe has released patch after patch trying to protect new vulnerabilities found in pdf files. Buffer Overflow There was the vulnerability that was found that let hackers send an attack to your computer through the use of a buffer overflow created when the PDF file was opened. There was also an attack found a month after that that if you were looking at a PDF file in windows explorer, that was all that was needed for it to attack your computer. You didn’t even have to click on it to activate the attack. This is why you have to be careful with opening all types of files on your computer. Most people, even tech savvy people, have never heard that a PDF can be exploited. So people will download them from strange sites and never ever bother to run an antivirus check on them to see if they are secured. Hackers are using your trustful nature against you in this case. Exploited .exe Files Since people are more trustful with opening a strange PDF file more than .exe file there is an older attack that will exploit the trust factor that I talked about above. This is an old trick of hiding your exploited .exe files as PDF files. They shape the name of the file so that it shows up with an PDF icon on the file. This is an easy attack to spot if you have “show file extensions” turned on in your operating system. Just go into your control panel and then go into the file manager. You will then see the option to turn this feature on. Also you can avoid being trapped by this attack by running a virus scan on the file. Any file that you get over the Internet you should run an antivirus scan on anyway, just to be on the safe side. So I have gone over how a PDF file can be dangerous to your system. Now that you know that there is a risk, hopefully you will not take any file lightly.
Protecting Your Computer With Backups And Antivirus Programs Is Essential
October 30th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Backing up data is really important and not enough people do it. It’s really easy to back up your data. If you don’t back up your data, you could get into major trouble later. The reason why you must back things up is because it will help protect your data, including those pictures you love and all those mp3s you play. Backing Up Data Should Be A Habit Many people make the mistake of only backing up their data once. After they back it up, they think that they won’t need to do it ever again. You should at least back up your data once a week or more. Whenever you save a lot of pictures or files, back it up right away. It’s not very expensive to back up your data. All that is required is for you to get a USB drive, floppy disk, CD or DVD. After you have one of those items, put it in your computer and then you can drag and drop the files you wish to keep onto the media you have inserted. Saving your files on the computer is not the only way that you can back up data and protect it. There are a few other things that you can do in order to protect it so hopefully nothing won’t happen. Protect Your Data By Having An Antivirus Program Installed One thing that is very important is that you must have antivirus virus protection on your computer. If you don’t have money for a virus protection you will find that there are many who offer a free edition, such as the ones in my list of the best free antivirus solutions . If your antivirus program detects a virus it will show you how to remove it from your system. If you see that you are having problems and a virus scan does not help, try doing a SpyWare and MalWare scan. There are free programs for these too that work great and you should do a scan at least every other day. The other way you can protect your data is by having your files and documents password protected. If you have more then one person on your computer then it’s vital that you do this if you want to save your documents. Make sure that you choose an effective password that you can remember. Writing passwords down in a private notebook is one way to help you remember them. When you are having problems with your computer, don’t put off fixing it. Some people think that the problems might go away in time only to then find out the next day that their computer is ruined.
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Protecting Your Computer With Backups And Antivirus Programs Is Essential
Protect Your Kids With PikLuk
October 29th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
More and more people are connecting to the worldwide web every day. The internet provides us with many opportunities including education, entertainment, jobs, banking, shopping, paying bills and much, much more. Unfortunately, however, the internet also has it’s fair share of problems too. There are many unsafe, unauthorized and adult websites and predators, too, who are looking to connect with your children. Therefore, every parent needs to be wary and look out for their kids’ safety. One way in which you can do this is through using or installing a special web browser that has been designed with kids in mind . One such browser, the one I am looking at today, is PikLuk which allows your kids to learn, laugh and grow. How do I get started with PikLuk?? There are three simple steps to be followed – 1. Sign up for a PikLuk account: Here you can directly log on to the PikLuk website and sign up for free. The Dashboard is very user friendly and it enables you to configure your children’s online experience. 2. Add children to your account: You can add your kids to your account using the dashboard and configure their web sites and email contacts. 3. Download and install the PikLuk Browser: Now download the PikLuk browser from the website and then install it. This PikLuk browser will allow your kids to access the website and email contacts that you added in your dashboard. Features of PikLuk: • Safe web browsing for your kids: Parents can choose and list safe and healthy websites on the dashboard. Your children then only have access to those particular websites and all others are blocked. • Safe email; no unwanted messages: Do you want your child to be able to email you and your family but not strangers? If so, PikLuk will provide you with such a feature that allows your kid to email only those people whom you have chosen to add through the dashboard. • Keep your computer safe: PikLuk will provide you with an additional feature which prevents your child from accessing the other files and folders of your computer while they are using the browser. This allows you to keep your computer system safe whilst your kid learns. • Provides an excellent user interface: PikLuk provides an excellent and colourful graphical interface for your child to use. Your son or daughter will be able to use it very easily as it also has an inbuilt audio command. When your kid rolls the cursor over anything the browser will tell them what it is. In some respects Pikluk is much like a cartoon channel. • Drawing: PikLuk provides a drawing tool for your kids, where your kids can bring out their creativity. This tool is very simple to use and your kid can draw anything and can save their pictures onto the computer. • PikLuk Multimedia: PikLuk will allow your kid to access Games, Movies, Music, Ask Earl, Sports, Ecards , Horoscopes, Study Zone, etc. All these things are comprehensively designed for kids and are 100 % safe. This package will feed your child with all his or her entertainment needs besides learning. When your children are using PiKLuk you can sit back and relax, safe in the knowledge that they are laughing, learning and growing in a safe, healthy environment.
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Protect Your Kids With PikLuk
Recession Job Search |Leila’s House of Corrections
October 28th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
With unemployment at its highest in twenty years, it is one of the hardest times to be looking for a job. Leila suggests tuning out negativity, using your network carefully, and doing your research to raise your chances of success.
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Recession Job Search |Leila’s House of Corrections
Turn Unemployment into Real Gold!
October 26th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
You can win a pot of real gold! Visit www.EmployTheUnemployed.com to get contest details.
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Turn Unemployment into Real Gold!
Crackers Commit Identity Theft Scams Via Rigged ATMs
October 24th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Recently crackers have turned to rigging independent ATM machines (those found in groceries, gas stations, restaurants, and other small establishments) to defraud customers. Usually, the owner of the establishment gets a small fee on every transaction as rent for having the machine in his or her store. Some crackers, as well as organized crime groups, have been modifying machines so that the machine scans the customer’s ATM card and stores the account data along with the personal identification number (PIN). The criminals then take that data, create forged ATM cards , and clean out the victim’s account. To date this has only occurred with independent ATMs, not bank-owned machines. Perhaps the most common type of fraud committed by crackers is identity theft. Crackers steal personal data, either by cracking computers or through scams, referred to as social engineering, designed to trick people into revealing personal data. A cracker may pose as an employee of an Internet service provider (such as AOL) and attempt to get your password. Other scams include setting up fake Internet storefronts to collect credit card data. When the crackers collect enough data, they steal the identity of the victims and get credit issued under the victims’ names. Always proceed with caution : Guard your Personal information both online and offline; never divulge it to anyone, least of all to strangers who e-mail you and claim to be from your bank, credit card company, or ISP. Vigilance can help protect you from crackers and script kiddies intent on defrauding you.
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Crackers Commit Identity Theft Scams Via Rigged ATMs
Out of a job – Now what? Part – 2
October 24th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
The second part of a three part series. How to Lead With Honor after you’ve lost a job. How to stay motivated during your search for employment
Windows 7 Has Improved Security Features Built In
October 22nd, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Microsoft has brought a new entrant into the operating system wars and it’s name is Windows 7 . After Windows Vista has pretty much turned out to be a dud, even though the security in the system proved to be much improved over previous version of Windows, Microsoft seems to have found a winner in Windows 7 and especially in their expanded security front. The tools are now easier to use and the capabilities of the security that are built in has been expanded as well. I will go over with you, the built in tools that you should be utilizing to keep Windows 7 a fun experience. User Account Control (UAC) The first thing that the people over at Microsoft have done to make the dealing with security of Windows a better experience is to make the UAC (User Account Control) a more pleasurable item to work with. The UAC now allows less software events to make it create a pop up. This will cause more users to not want to turn it off so they will have a sane computing experience! The main problem in Windows Vista was the fact that this pop up would go off an insane amount of times, causing many of the complaints that Vista received. The new UAC also has four levels of security warnings, ranging from “always notify” to “never notify”. “Never notify” is a better option than to turn it off completely. Even though you do not see the pop up warnings, UAC is still working in the background, allowing you to still be protected. BitLocker Encryption An innovation that Microsoft introduced in Vista was the BitLocker feature. This allowed you to encrypt and protect your hard drive. This feature was limited in Vista to protecting your main partition and other drives surrounding it. Now you are able to encrypt and protect portable media as well. This is a big improvement and will allow you to feel safe if you ever lose your thumb drive while walking around your city or neighborhood. Also Microsoft has allowed BitLocker to be used without the TPM chip being built onto the computer motherboard. This allows everyone to have the option of having their drives protected. It is not the default choice and you will have to activate the ability to use Bitlocker without the chip. Additional Security Features Microsoft has many more new and improved security features that have been built into Windows 7. This list includes the new Direct Access, which allows workers to seamlessly connect to their work network automatically and securely, as well as Applocker, which prevents unauthorized scripts and programs from running on the machine. These are mostly security features that will interest IT administrators so I will not go into detail about them here. Overall Microsoft has done well in improving their security features in Windows 7. Being built upon a decent security scheme, such as Vista, and making it more user friendly as well has created a better overall experience. It has really brought them into the world of having a grade A security system.
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Windows 7 Has Improved Security Features Built In
Adecco Group’s workplace economy – October 2009
October 22nd, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
In this brief Q&A session, Adecco Group North America CEO, Tig Gilliam gives an in-depth analysis of the most recent jobs report, discusses employer trends, provides advice for job seekers and more. … “Adecco Group” “Ajilon Professional” Consulting Adecco Ajilon employment unemployment job market economy workplace jobs search agency hunting postings web sites “September Jobs Report”
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Adecco Group’s workplace economy – October 2009
Avoiding Spyware With Windows 7
October 22nd, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
You should, by now, be aware that Microsoft is introducing a brand new operating system into its Windows line of OS. The new operating system is called Windows 7 and from running it, it seems to be a more stable and more secured operating system. This is very good news for people that may have had security issues with Microsoft products in the past. Unfortunately some security issues still remain that will not be helped by simply upgrading your operating system. Spyware still remains a constant annoyance when you are using a computer. I will try to walk you down the way of avoiding spyware on your system by using common sense and new upgraded technology from Windows and other third party software vendors. Microsoft has spent years trying to help their third party software creators come up with a solution to the spyware problem. Windows Defender Finally a couple of years ago they threw their hat into the ring and introduced a new product called Windows Defender. This product was shipped with Windows Vista and was available as a free download to Windows XP users. Now it is again being shipped with Windows 7 and has been much improved. This system was put down by professional security people in the past but this new updated edition has been getting good reviews for the most part. Microsoft have taken what they have learned and improved this product a great deal. Third Party Anti-Spyware Vendors You will also have third party software vendors that are coming to the party, trying to protect your computer from devious spyware offenders. Most of the major spyware software manufacturers have been upgraded to include protection for Windows 7 systems. A lot of these software companies have had to use beta Windows 7 software to test their product so they might be a step behind the companies that Microsoft has closely worked with. With the release of the new operating system though this will not be an issue much longer. Once they get their hands on the final OS version, they will be able to keep up with anyone. The software products Ad-Aware or Malwarebytes still seem to be the best of the breed when it comes to software solutions. It doesn’t matter if you have the best software on your computer if you do not keep it updated on a regular basis though. Internet Security Begins And Ends With YOU! All of the increase technology that comes with installing a new operating system version will not mean anything if you are not using common sense while surfing the Internet. New technology works a lot better if the person operating the new technology does not work against it. I do not mean to be harsh but a lot of the problems that people get involved in can usually be avoided with a little common sense. Most of the time people realize this themselves when they sit and think about it, after they have made the blunder. So the first thing is that you do not want to go to any strange web sites while surfing the Internet. If you are not sure about a web site, Google it first to see if anybody has complained about it. Most web sites that will compromise your system have already been ran across and someone has complained about them. Also do not download any software or files from people you do not know that you may receive through email or Instant Messenger systems. This is rarely legitimate and I would even suggest that files that you receive from friends you double check. Email them first and ask if they sent their files and where did they get the file from. We have given you both software and common sense solutions that may help you avoid getting spyware or something worse into your system. It is up to you to maintain vigilance and keep your system safe.
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Avoiding Spyware With Windows 7
Taking Screen Shots Can Help With Data Recovery
October 21st, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Losing your computer is something that no-one wants to happen. You have lots of valuable information on your computer, and maybe music and pictures too, that might not be stored anywhere else. Thats why you should always back up your files, programs and pictures. There are a lot of methods you can use to backup this valuable information. One of those is taking snapshots which is a great way to save aggravation when things go wrong. Whenever you have downloaded a new program get into the habit of taking a snapshot. You can download free programs such as Gimp, or you can purchase one like paint shop pro, that will allow you to take screen shots. When you take the screen shots, get a USB flash drive and store it up in your drive. Recording and taking screen shots of whatever you’re doing will help you no end when an error comes up on your computer. If you have never backed up any information before you should get at least two USB flash drives to ensure that you will be able to back up everything. If you have used up almost all of your spare storage space, you might even consider buying three of them. Always clean out your cookies everyday or every couple of days. It varies on every computer where you can clean out your cookies but they also have free cookie programs that perform a deep clean on your computer. Cleaning out your cookies is vital because it will help with making sure things don’t go wrong on your computer.
Profile of Unemployed
October 20th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
Two individuals, Jon Pelc and Cheryl Brown, have recently lost their full-time jobs and discuss their experiences looking for work at various job fairs and career websites.
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Profile of Unemployed
How To Lock Your Network’s Front Door
October 20th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Securing your network The following security measures are relatively easy to implement, provided you read the manuals that came with your wireless devices. “The manual?” you ask. Yes, the manual. You know, it’s the thing propping up the short leg on your computer desk. Take it out for now; you’ll only have to deal with the wobble until we’re done. None of the measures described here are particularly dramatic, and there are ways to get around them. But, doing so requires some skill and understanding of networking. In this case, they serve as a sort of “intellectual firewall ” that prevents script kiddies from cracking your network. These steps include the following: 1. Change the default SSID. 2. Disable SSID broadcast. 3. Change the default IP subnet. 4. Consider disabling DHCP. 5. Enable MAC address filtering. 6. Change default administrative passwords. 7. Change default user names. 8. Enable WEP or WPA encryption. 9. Adjust broadcast power. 10. Set minimum connection speeds. 11. Set access times. Change the default SSID The first step toward making a WLAN reasonably secure is changing the default SSID. This is important because anyone using a wireless sniffer can determine what sort of access point you use by looking at the default SSID. Knowing your access point model allows the cracker to guess the rest of the default settings and attack your WLAN that much easier. Don’t change the name to something obvious like your street address (I have actually seen this done) or your name. Consider using random numbers or even changing it to something tike “NOTPUBLIC” or “NOTRESSPASSING” just to make a point. Disable SSID broadcast Wireless access points are set to broadcast the SSID by default. Turn this feature off to make it harder for casual wardrivers to discover your network’s name. It won’t stop a determined cracker from discovering it, though, because wireless NICs always broadcast the SSB3 when communicating with the access point. The procedure for disabling SSID broadcast is different for each manufacturer, so consult your access point’s manual. Once you turn off SSID broadcast, you have to configure each NIC manually and input the new SSID. Change the default IP subnet The next thing you should consider doing is changing the default subnet IP addresses. Each manufacturer has a default IP subnet, and this can make it easy for an attacker to discover the IP address of your access point. Consider also disabling DHCP and assigning static IP addresses. Consider disabling DHCP Most access points support built-in DHCP service. This allows the access point to assign IP addresses dynamically to new computers as they connect to the network and to computers that are reconnecting after a shutdown or reboot. This also allows an intruder to connect to the WLAN and have the access point assign him an IP address, which makes the intruder’s computer a legitimate member of the WLAN. By disabling DHCP, you make this far more difficult. You have to assign permanent (static) IP addresses to each computer on your WLAN and manually configure them. Once again, this is an extra step, but it is well worth the effort. Insider insight : Without DHCP enabled, an intruder has to monitor and analyze network traffic in an attempt to determine the IP subnet and addresses in use He can then assign himself an IP address and attempt to establish a connection. This makes it difficult for casual sniffers and neophyte intruders to access your WLAN. Enable MAC address filtering Another step that you can, and should, take is to enable MAC address filtering. Remember that each network device has a unique MAC address assigned by the manufacturer. Many access points have an option that allows you to restrict access to specific MAC addresses. This should block any MAC addresses that are not on the “allow” list from connecting to the network. This is effective, but it is not perfect. An intruder can monitor network traffic and discover the MAC addresses of legitimate computers on the WLAN. He can then change the MAC address of his NIC, which allows him to masquerade as a member of the network and connect even when filtering is turned on. Change default administrative passwords Change the default administrative passwords on all access points. Once again, these are public knowledge, and, if a cracker knows what type of access point you use, he’ll know the default password. This will aid him in attacking your access point. Caution : Write down the new settings and passwords, and store the list in a secure place. This will be helpful if you forget this information and need it at a later date. Change default user names Likewise, the tips above apply to your username too as these are also common knowledge. Enable WEP or WPA encryption As I mentioned earlier, even though WEP encryption is flawed and vulnerable, you should use it. Enable 128-bit WEP on your WLAN, and use it. With the relatively low traffic on a WLAN in a home, it could take a cracker several hours to collect enough packets to crack your WEP key. Again, each step you perform just adds another piece to the intellectual firewall you’re building. As a whole, these measures with discourage most script kiddies and casual wardrivers. Adjust broadcast power On some access points, you can adjust the broadcast power of the unit. I recommend that you experiment and turn this down as low as you can while still maintaining decent connection speeds between computers on your WLAN. The idea is to keep the signal within the confines of your house rather than having it reach across the street. This makes the signal more difficult to receive for outsiders. Wardrivers can use directional antennas to pick up weak signals at a greater distance, but doing this will at least make it harder for them. Set minimum connection speeds On many access points, you can set a minimum access connection speed. The further away from an access point an intruder is, the weaker the signal will be (both ways). Therefore, if you set the minimum connection speed higher, computers will have to be closer to the access point to connect and stay connected. Once again, this makes it harder for an intruder to access your WLAN because he will have to be closer to connect. Anyone standing on your lawn with a wireless laptop is probably up to no good unless he’s the water meter reader. Set access times Lastly, some access points allow you to configure the times of day to allow access. If it supports this, consider using it. If no-one is home during the day, consider configuring it to block all access between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
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How To Lock Your Network’s Front Door
First Person: the ‘never-ending’ Job Search
October 18th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
As the national unemployment rate inches towards 10%, more and more Americans are doing more in hopes of landing a job. One of those options is attending a job fair, which can be helpful even for those who currently are employed. (Oct. 15)
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First Person: the ‘never-ending’ Job Search
Let Your Children Access The Net Safely With KidRocket
October 18th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
A couple of months ago I wrote about some child-safe browsers I came across. Here is one of them in more detail : KidRocket . Just as the name suggests, KidRocket is a computer application developed for Kids. KidRocket is actually a wonderful web browser which allows your kids to learn more about computers in an interactive manner. At the same time KidRocket keeps your desktop safe from those same jubilant, curious and sometimes naughty children! I would say that KidRocket is aimed at younger children, much as I concluded with Kido’z . The best thing about KidRocket is that its a standalone application. You do not have to install this application on your computer to make use of it. KidRocket is completely different from other conventional kid browsers. Instead of limiting access to the Internet, or filtering unauthorized content, KidRocket completely blocks the Internet and allows your children to use trusted web sites only. What exactly can this innovative kids Internet browser provide your kids with though? You cannot keep your kids in the dark about computers these days – they are here to stay and your children will have to use them as they get older. KidRocket allows you to completely lock your desktop and provides a completely different environment for your kids, where they can learn, play and have fun. Below are some of the amazing features of KidRocket – ART Here, your children can show their artistic ideas with different colors. Your child can either choose Doodle or StarBrite to put their decorated and colorful ideas onto the desktop. MATH This web browser is not all about fun though, it is in fact meant for learning too. By chosing the MATH option, your kids can brush up their fundamental mathematical concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. This feature provides questions to your kids in the form of flash cards, which makes it an intuitive and fun learning tool. EMAIL Your children can get used to using email here in a manner that is totally safe. Using KidRocket, your kids can send emails to their grandparents, friends and relatives. Your kids can even take prints of their emails. You also have the option of blocking this email feature if you should consider it to be an unsafe option. ADMIN Here you get to access the timer which can control how much access time your kids are allowed to have. Once the alloted amount of time is over the application is closed automatically. I would imagine that most parents would love this feature! LAUNCH Launch is perhaps the most interesting feature offered by KidRocket. This feature allows your kids to use some of the kid safe web sites which can both educate and interest them whilst guaranteeing their safety at the same time. You can just relax while your children browse, learn and play on the safest web sites present on the world wide web. With KidRocket installed on your computer, you can allow your kids to use a computer in the safest possible way. You don’t need to worry about the important files on your computer and you don’t need to be apprehensive about the web sites your kids are viewing. Get your computer equipped with KidRocket , and allow your kids learn and play on their computer in the safest possible environment.
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Let Your Children Access The Net Safely With KidRocket
What Are The 4 Ways In Which My Computer Can Be Infected?
October 17th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
Computer security has come a long way in the short amount of time that the Internet has been in wide usage. Computer security was less of an importance back in the dawn of the computer age since most attacks had to take place while the person was at the terminal. In the age of the Internet though, most of the attacks now are done through the network, and with these attacks people have found several different ways to deliver them. We will list them for you and tell you the best way to avoid them – The Computer Virus The first and most common vector of attack is the widely known computer virus . A computer virus is a highly reproducible executable that will cause damage to your computer by infecting your files and other items on your computer. Viruses have gotten pretty sophisticated over the years with the ability to hide their signature as well as hiding themselves by capturing signals that are sent by the OS that would identify them. People mistakenly call all different types of infections a virus but even without that it is still the number one way to have your computer become infected. The Trojan Horse The second vector of attack is a Trojan attack . A Trojan program is a program that looks like a normal innocent file, such as an mp3 or pdf file, but in actuality is a file that was sent to run an undesirable code on your computer. This code will sit in the background of your computer and you will never know. At the same time that it is sitting back there it will run either a bot net on your computer or pick up information from your computer and send it to a server. Trojans are less destructive on your computer and more destructive to your real life information. The Computer Worm A third vector of attack is a computer worm . A worm will find a way to get through different types of network security that you may have and then spread itself to the computers on your network. Worms can be destructive and destroy your network but most likely it will sit in your network and try to discover valuable information. Spyware The fourth and final vector of attack that a program can use to cause damage on your computer is known as spyware . Spyware will monitor you as your surf the Internet and pick up trends and information about you. The information is then used to send you advertising on your computer through the use of pop ups. Spyware is more annoying than it is destructive. Some legitimate companies will also track your Internet movements but they will not send unwanted advertisement to you. Countermeasures Each of these attacks that we have discussed are well known and there are good counter measures that are out there. For viruses and Trojans on your system a good antivirus / internet security suite will do the job of getting rid of them. For Worms attacking your network, there are several programs that will provide you a reliable firewall on your system and will do a good job of protecting both your network and your computer. Windows comes with a default Firewall built in but it is better to go out and get a reputable third party firewall. And for the spyware on your system there are several programs out there that will help you get rid of that. One of the more popular is a program that is called AdAware. This will scan your system and get rid of spyware that is residing within it. Hopefully this run down of the different infections that can cause damage to your computer will help you out. If you know what you are fighting then it is easier for you to be able to avoid it.
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What Are The 4 Ways In Which My Computer Can Be Infected?
What Are Trojan Horses And Worms?
October 16th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
What Is Meant By ‘Trojan’ And ‘Worm’? Trojans and Worms are small unwanted programs which hamper the performance of your computer to a great extent. But what do Trojans and worms actually do? These are designed to retrieve your confidential information from your computer which includes your passwords, bank account numbers, credit card information etc. Trojans do no spread whereas worms replicate vigorously and capture all the information available on your system. People who are new to the Internet, and sometimes even experienced users, download some strange and dangerous files which then turn out to be Trojans and Worms. The Klez, I LOVE YOU and SirCam viruses are few such examples. Trojans can also be carriers for different viruses so they can be termed as WRAPPERS too. On the other hand, Worms are small programs designed by programmers to capture the email IDs of those they ensnare which they then usually sell to advertisers for the purpose of marketing their products, so they replicate very quickly. Once you think you have found any Trojan or Worm on your computer, I strongly advise you to use a good antivirus program to scan you computer in order to terminate their activities. You must also make sure that the antivirus program used by you is updated on a regular basis. Prevention Measures To Keep Your Computer Clean From Trojans And Worms Trojan.IrcBounce, IRC/FinalBot, WinHelp.a, VBS.Stages, love-letter-for you.txt.vbs, MyPicture.bmp.vbs are some of the most dangerous Trojans and Worms. But by staying alert and by following preventive measures you can keep your computer system safe from harm. Below are some tips that will allow you to avoid Trojans and worms: Most importantly, always use a good antivirus program which would let you know whenever a Trojan or Worm enters into your computer and then ensure it’s removal. Always scan any email attachments you receive before downloading or opening them, even if they are sent by your friend. This is the reason that all email services provide in-built antivirus scanners . Only use reliable and trustworthy sources for downloading files. You need to be careful while you are downloading the files such as .EXE, .COM, .VBS, .BAT, .HLP and .DLL. Always use a strong and healthy Firewall. Many Operating Systems do provide their own Firewalls but using an external Firewall typically ensures better security and safety. It enables you to keep a check on the applications using your computer resources. Completely avoid using insecure Peer to Peer networks. Always delete your Temporary Internet Files, Cache and Cookies whenever you finish browsing. Play Safe To Stay Safe!
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What Are Trojan Horses And Worms?
Getting Started With Data Protection – Using A USB Flash Drive For Backups
October 15th, 2009. Published under Fraud. No Comments.
One inexpensive purchase that you can make that will help you with backing up your data and avoiding losing everything is a flash card or a USB memory flash drive. Most people tend to go for flash drives. A great thing about getting a flash drive is that they can read and write data at a much greater speed, and they last longer, than a floppy disk. They also don’t suffer from scratches and other forms of damage in the way that CDs and DVDs do. Some people confuse USB Flash Drives with USB Hard Drives when they are not in fact the same thing. USB hard drives tend to be much larger in capacity and are suited to backing up entire systems or at least larger files. A flash drive is tends to have a lower capacity, at a lower cost of course, and is better suited to backing up smaller files, such as your photo albums. For instance, a 32 GB flash drive is relatively cheap these days and would probably be sufficient for storing all the pictures on your computer, and much more besides. Flash Drives Are Easy To Install It’s very easy to install a flash drive, though I would recommend learning a little about security first so that you can avoid transporting malware, such as the dreaded Conficker virus . Every modern computer has ports that are shaped like a rectangle – they tend to be small ports located on the top, back or front of your PC. Turn on your computer and insert the flash drive into one of these ports. It doesn’t matter which one you use. A menu should then appear on your screen confirming that the device you just plugged in is ready for use. From then on you should be able to use your flash drive like a regular drive – just drag and drop, or copy and paste, the files you wish to backup onto it.
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Getting Started With Data Protection – Using A USB Flash Drive For Backups
Conficker – How To Kill DLL Files And Delete Registry Keys And Values
October 14th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
The Conficker virus is now known by many names, including – W32/Conficker.worm Win32/Conficker.A W32.Downadup Downadup Kido Confiker but it doesn’t really matter what you call it – it is a total and far-reaching menace that has spread far and wide across the internet. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Exploiting flaws found in Windows MS08-067 vulnerability , Conficker continues to infect machines worldwide and may now be installed on as many as 15 million computers across the globe. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video If you are unfortunate enough to become infected with Conficker then you will probably quickly discover that you cannot access security websites and that services such as Windows Security Center, Windows Error Reporting and Windows Defender have been disabled. Not only that but Conficker has the ability to spread itself to other vulnerable computers via many means, including networks and external drives. So, if one computer in a network is infected, then all the others are likely to become infected too. Microsoft has released a patch to fix the Windows vulnerability and here is how you can manually remove Conficker from your system – Killing off the Conficker DLL files This is a fairly simple task, as detailed below – 1. Right-click the Explorer.exe process and choose the option “Properties”. 2. Click on the “Threads” Tab, locate and highlight the Conficker DLL files listed below. 3. To kill Conficker DLL files, click the “Kill” button. 4. Kill the following Conficker DLL files: %All Users Application Data%[RANDOM FILE NAME].dll %Program Files%Movie Maker[RANDOM FILE NAME].dll %Program Files%Internet Explorer[RANDOM FILE NAME].dll [RANDOM FILE NAME].dll vhoinp.dll [RANDOM FILE NAME].dll Deleting Conficker Registry Keys and Values 1. Right-click on your Desktop > select “New” option > select “Text Document” (.txt file) option. 2. Rename the .txt file as a .reg file and call it “Delete_Registry_Conficker_Entities.reg”. This renamed .reg file is a command that creates a shortcut to your Windows registry and allows you to easily delete registry values. 3. Right-click and select the “Edit” option. 4. Copy and paste the Conficker keys listed below – [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSNTCURRENTVERSIONWINDOWSAPPINIT_DLLSvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWS NTCURRENTVERSIONWINLOGONNOTIFYvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUninstallvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerSharedTaskSchedulervhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerURLSearchHooksvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONPOLICIESEXPLORERRUNvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerToolbarvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerExplorer Barsvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerExtensionsvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONRUNvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONRUNONCEvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONRUNONCEEXvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerSharedTaskSchedulervhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerURLSearchHooksvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONPOLICIESEXPLORERRUNvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerToolbarvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerExplorer Barsvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerExtensionsvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONRUNvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONRUNONCEvhoinp.dll] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONRUNONCEEXvhoinp.dll] 5. In the menu bar, go to “File” > select “Save” > then click the “X” button to close the file. 6. Double-click on the .reg file. 7. When the message box appears saying “Are you sure you want to add the information in C:DOCUME~1DesktopDELETE~1.REG to the registry?”, click the “Yes” button. 8. When the message box appears saying “Information in C:DOCUME~1DesktopDELETE~1.REG has been successfully entered into the registry.”, click the “OK” button. 9. The Conficker registry keys have now been deleted from your registry. Hopefully that should do the trick for you and you can continue surfing without being bothered by Conficker again – just remember to keep your operating system fully patched and updated!
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Conficker – How To Kill DLL Files And Delete Registry Keys And Values
The tattoo challenge. Details.
October 14th, 2009. Published under Unemployment. No Comments.
A tattoo isn’t going to solve your problems, it will be an additional challenge. Don’t be surprised when it adds to the reasons people view you with suspicion. It isn’t enough to keep you unemployed, but it won’t help. Still, I want you to get one, to take on this burden for freaks everywhere, because the less respectable are now a minority it is ok to discriminate against, and this country need not be a nation of bigots. … tattoo work unemployment job search additional challenge …
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The tattoo challenge. Details.
What Is Spam, What Are It’s Effects And How Do You Prevent It?
October 14th, 2009. Published under Fraud, Scams. No Comments.
Over time the internet has become huge and it continues to grow at an amazing rate. Almost every person who uses the internet has their own email address, or perhaps even several. Therefore I would be shocked if you are unfamiliar with the term’ spam’ , though you may be unaware of it’s actual effects and the measures you can take to prevent it. On technical terms Spam is actually an Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) which refers to an email message sent to a person without his/her prior request. Spam costs virtually nothing to send and the costs are paid by the recipient (time lost in dealing with it) and the carriers (bandwidth used) rather than by the sender. This is the reason why advertisers use Spam to market their unauthorized products. Below are the different types of Spam that you should be cautious of: Phishing spam – a popular and heinous type of scam Foreign bank spam Get rich easily and quickly spam Illicitly pirated software News group and forum spam The effects of spam Individuals, or a group of users, are easily targeted by email spam. Spam usually arises as a result of giving out your email address on an unauthorized or unscupulous website. Here are some of the effects of Spam: Fills your Inbox with number of ridiculous emails. Degrades your Internet speed to a great extent. Steals useful information like your details on you Contact list. Alters your search results on any search engine. Spam is a huge waste of everybody’s time and can quickly become very frustrating if you receive large amounts of it like I do. Preventing spam There are some effective measures that you can employ to stop spam entering your inbox: Always use an updated and trustworthy antivirus program. Never share your email address and personal information like credit card details with an unreliable source. Avoid responding to any emails that you never asked for. If you receive such email then delete it immediately. Try to avoid emails with the subject “need assistance or some funds “, or any other catchy titles. And never, ever forward such emails since they could be targeted to obtain as many number of mails email addresses as possible. Whenever you need to forward an email to a group of people make use of BCC field which enables you to of hide the email addresses from each of the other recipients. Never mention your email address in newsletters or instant messenger chats. Switch off the reading pane in email clients such as Outlook. It can be done by View –> Reading Pane – Off. Hopefully the above will minimise the amount of spam you receive. If you still get too much junk mail then I would recommend getting a good email filter/blocker such as Spam Bully .
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What Is Spam, What Are It’s Effects And How Do You Prevent It?
How Can I Remove The Koobface Virus From My Computer?
October 13th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Koobface is the latest buzz in the arena of computers. No it is not a web service, neither it is an amazing software package. Koobface is actually the latest Internet worm which targets the popular social networking sites. Many Facebook users have already been infected by this highly contagious Internet worm. Why Koobface targets Social Networking sites Social networking has become a daily activity of nearly every Internet user and that is the reason why the Koobface creators have decided to make users of social networks their targets. Koobface spreads rapidly once it enters your computer, leading to slow and sluggish performance. It dumps a ‘tinyproxy.exe” file on to your computer which then hijacks your machine and leads to its automatic operation, leaving it very vulnerable. How to avoid the Koobface Virus It starts with the arrival of some automated messages or emails having catchy or weird titles like: • Paris Hilton Tosses Dwarf On The Street • You must see it!!! LOL. • My friend catched you on hidden cam • Examiners Caught Downloading Grades From The Internet • Is it really celebrity? • You look so amazing funny on our new video • Funny Moments Avoid accessing the content of such messages and emails. How do I remove the Koobface Virus? As soon as you realize its presence, scan your computer with a good antivirus program . This should be the first and foremost step. Use the Add/Remove Program tool from your computer’s Control Panel to remove the Koobface virus. Some of the Koobface files can restore themselves back on to your system. Under such cases, it is better to delete it’s processes and registry files. Its not too difficult and this is how you do it: Press Alt + Ctrl + Delete to open the Task Manager End all the Koobface processes such as bolivar28.exe che07.exe bolivar28.exe system32nScanekrn.exe system32nScanecls.exe system32splmncsjapi32.exe bolivar28.exe C:Windowsfbtre6.exe Now you need find and remove it’s Registry Files. Type “regedit” inside the RUN field and press ENTER to access the registry files of your computer. Find all the Koobface Registry values installed on your system and delete them. Below are a few examples of what you are looking for: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftActive SetupInstalled ComponentsIntelli Mouse Pro Version 2.0BStubPath: “ System32splmncsjapi32.exe” HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrent VersionRun”systray” = “C:Windowsfbtre6.exe” HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunOnce*Intelli Mouse Pro Version 2.0B*: “ System32splmncsjapi32.exe” HKEY_USERSSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunOnce*Intelli Mouse Pro Version 2.0B*: “ System32splmncsjapi32.exe” HKEY_USERSSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsnScan32ExecuteDate: “1482008″ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrent VersionRun”systray” = “c:windowsmstre6.exe” HKEY_USERSSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunIntelli Mouse Pro Version 2.0B: “ System32splmncsjapi32.exe” HKEY_USERSSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvancedHidden: “2″ HKEY_CURRENT_USERAppEventsSchemesAppsExplorerNavigating Always update your Operating System and make sure that you always Turn On your Firewall settings. And keep updating your antivirus program as this will be an effective first defence against the Koobface Virus. Always take care when engaging in Social Networking activities – never visit strange websites and avoid accessing the URLs and content posted by strangers. Surf Carefully To Keep Your Computer Healthy!
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How Can I Remove The Koobface Virus From My Computer?
The Perfect Illustration Of What Koobface Can Do To Your Computer
October 10th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15708236@N07/2846915408/ If you wake up one morning to find your computer smiling back at you with a face like the one above then you’re well and truly screwed – you’ve been infected by the mischievous Koobface Virus !
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The Perfect Illustration Of What Koobface Can Do To Your Computer
In What Ways Can A WLAN Be Attacked?
October 8th, 2009. Published under Scams. No Comments.
Just as there are many ways to attack a wired network, there are numerous ways to attack a WLAN . If a WLAN isn’t secured properly, an attacker may be simply able to connect to the network without having to make any sort of elaborate effort and without using any specific exploit. When the situation warrants, crackers have a number of techniques for cracking a WLAN. A basic understanding of these attacks will give you a better idea of the threats you face and how you should deal with them. Crackers are continually locating new avenues for intrusion and updating their tools to take advantage of them. Many types of exploits are very technical and require significant knowledge of networking to understand. Man-in-the-Middle Attack A man-in-the-middle-attack involves an attacker intercepting and monitoring network traffic or client authorization information and using it to authenticate with a server. In the first attack, an attacker intercepts authentication data from a legitimate user’s computer by configuring his computer to pose as an access point and then uses that data to authenticate his own computer with the network server. The attacker can then gain access to additional network resources. The attacker listens for a reply to the ARP request and then either “spoofs” the MAC address by posing as a legitimate computer or sends an unsolicited ARP reply by transmitting his own MAC address to the WLAN. Computers on the network receive the unsolicited ARP reply and update their list (cache) of MAC addresses with the attacker’s MAC address. Legitimate computers may then associate the attacker’s MAC address with that of a legitimate one by routing traffic to the attacker’s machine. In the second method, an attacker listens for and intercepts an address resolution protocol (ARP) request sent from one legitimate user’s computer to another. ARP is a network protocol used to determine a computer’s physical network address, which is also known as the media access control layer address (MAC address). Every NIC and access point has a unique MAC address assigned at the factory where it is manufactured. MAC Address Spoofing Attack An attacker monitoring traffic on a WLAN can listen for replies to ARP requests and intercept MAC addresses of legitimate computers on a network. The attacker then configures his computer to transmit and receive data on the network using a stolen MAC address to gain access to network resources and information. Internet Protocol Address Spoofing Attack To gain access to a WLAN, an attacker can acquire an Internet protocol address. Using a sniffer, the attacker monitors the WLAN to see what IP addresses the WLAN uses (this range of addresses is called the subnet). After the attacker determines the IP subnet, he assigns himself an unused address and connects to the WLAN. If a network uses the dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), it’s even simpler. DHCP software automatically assigns IP addresses to computers logging onto the network. If an attacker knows the service set identifier (SSID) for the network (which can also be sniffed), he can connect, and the access point or router with DHCP software will assign him an IP address. Manufacturers have included DHCP service in most routers and access points. Denial of Service Attack An attacker doesn’t use a denial of service (DoS) attack to gain access to a WLAN. Instead, DoS attacks are used to deny legitimate users access to the network and its services. WLANs are vulnerable to DoS attacks in a number of ways. First, using a brute-force attack, an attacker can “flood” an access point with network traffic, which effectively shuts it down for other users. Users attempting to use that AP are unable to connect, which is much like receiving a busy signal when calling someone on the telephone. An attacker can also use a high-power radio source on the same frequency to interfere with the WLAN and drown out its signal. The resulting radio noise prevents devices on the network from talking to and hearing one another, which brings network operation to a halt. This sort of attack is risky for an attacker. Getting close enough to the WLAN with a high-powered transmitter can make him easy to locate using sniffers and scanners. A denial of service resulting from a high-powered signal may not always be an intentional attack. RF interference from other devices that share the same spectrum could result in essentially the same network conditions as a DoS attack. However, this sort of accidental “attack” is rare if you take care in designing your network. DoS attacks are nothing new. They’ve been a problem on wired networks and the Internet for years. Certain applications and devices are susceptible to different forms of DoS attacks. Crackers may exploit design flaws that can trigger shutdown or crashing of devices. The best way to become aware of these DoS threats is to be knowledgeable about vulnerabilities that affect your equipment and deal with them as they arise.
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In What Ways Can A WLAN Be Attacked?