3/8/13

How to Secure Your Wireless Network

Almost all of us have jumped onto someone else's unsecured Wi-Fi network. There's little harm in that if you're just an honest soul looking for an Internet connection.

But if you're the owner of an unsecured network, you should be aware that the world's not made up entirely of honest souls--and it's not hard for the dishonest ones to see exactly what you're doing on your network. Sound scary? Here's how to fix the problem.

Q. What are WEP and WPA encryption, and which should I use?

A. The first line of defense for your Wi-Fi network is encryption, which encodes the data transmitted between your PC and your wireless router. Unfortunately, most routers ship with encryption turned off, and many users don't turn it on, leaving themselves completely exposed. If you haven't already, enable your router's encryption, and use the strongest form supported by your network. The Wireless Protected Access (WPA) protocol and more recent WPA2 have supplanted the older and less-secure Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP).

Go with WPA or WPA2 if at all possible, since WEP is relatively easy to crack. (You have to use the same form on all devices on your network; you can't mix WEP and WPA.) The keys used by WPA and WPA2 change dynamically, which make them nearly impossible to hack. Use a strong password for your encryption key, such as a combination of letters and numbers of 14 characters or more.

If you have an older router that supports WEP only, you'll be safest if you use 128-bit WEP keys--but also check the manufacturer's Web site for a firmware update that will add WPA support. If it doesn't look like an update is likely, consider replacing old adapters and routers with newer models that support WPA. Look for a router that supports the hybrid WPA + WPA2 mode, which lets you use the stronger WPA2 encryption with adapters that support it, while still maintaining compatibility with WPA adapters.

Make sure you change the default network name and password on your router. Doing so will make it much more difficult for hackers to break into your router and commandeer its settings.

Q. If my router has a firewall, why do I need these added security measures?

A. The firewall built into your router prevents hackers on the Internet from getting access to your PC. But it does nothing to stop people in range of your Wi-Fi signal from getting onto your network--and with the latest high-performance equipment, your Wi-Fi signal could reach clear down the block. Without encryption and other protective measures, anyone can use readily available tools to see all your Wi-Fi traffic.

For extra protection, you should run software firewalls on the individual PCs on your network. Some good options are Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm, available as a free download or in the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2006, and Agnitum's Outpost Firewall Free.

Q. How can I secure my notebook at public Wi-Fi hotspots?

A. Since public hotspots generally don't use encryption, you should assume that anyone can see your Internet traffic unless you take precautions.

Make sure it's a legitimate hotspot: Nefarious types have been known to set up pirate routers with familiar SSID names like "wayport" or "t-mobile," and then use them to capture unsuspecting users' log-on information and other private data.
Verify that your PC's software firewall is turned on, and that Windows' file-sharing feature is off; it's off by default in Windows XP with Service Pack 2. To check this setting, open Control Panel and choose Windows Firewall (you may have to clickSecurity Center first in XP or Security in Vista). In XP, select the Exceptions tab, and look in the Programs and Services to make sure "File and Printer Sharing" is unchecked. In Vista, click Change settings, then select the Exceptions tab and follow the instructions for XP.
Never send bank passwords, credit card numbers, confidential e-mail, or other sensitive data unless you're sure you're on a secure site: Look for the lock icon in the bottom-right corner of your browser, as well as a URL in the address bar that begins with https. Such sites build in their own encryption.
Always turn your Wi-Fi radio off when you're not at a hotspot: Hackers can use it to create peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections with your computer and access it directly.
For better security, consider signing up for a paid subscription to a hotspot network such as Boingo or T-Mobile. Both companies provide connection software that encrypts your sessions automatically.

11/5/09

How to Have Computer Security?

Computers are being employed in all fields of life. As the use of internet has become very important in the present times, there is much more demand of computers today than there was in the past. Almost everyone is using computer and internet for various purposes including getting information on various subjects, for business, research, communicate, make money, play games, listen to songs, watch movies and much more. However, there are some threats to your systems when you set out to do all these tasks. No matter if you are a student or a business man, a house wife or a retired person, it is essential to ensure your computer security if you are making use of these machines.

Firewalls Are Your First Line of Defense When it Comes to Computer Security

The worst things to over look each and every time in this competitive age is about your PC Computer Security and if you are not careful with that nasty piece of codes are not going to show any mercy at all and rather thrash you towards any short of crisis once they took a front seat on your computing system.
But taking some of these steps can minimize your risk from virus, malwares, spywares, ad wares, Trojans, worms and from each and every form of infection your computer system can have. They are just viral kind of things once you got them they can give you sleepless nights.

7 Tips For Computer Security and Virus Protection

Computer security is a vital issue for anyone who surfs the net on his or her PC. Any computer that is connected to the Internet is exposed to thousands of malicious, viruses, spyware, hackers, and other nasty Malware that can ruin a system, cost lots of money for repairs and lose important data, files and folders.

Here are some hands-on steps that you can take to protect your computer, data and private information from the hackers, Malware, viruses, spyware and thieves and ensure the best in computer security.

Internet and Computer Security Should Be a Part of Every Home Security Solution

These days it seems as if you can either find a security expert or a computer security expert, but seldom both. The security expert is knowledgeable about physical security systems, alarm systems, and camera systems but knows little about networks, computer viruses, or internet attacks. The reverse is also true, as most internet security people do not know a thing about physical security. To me, security is security and protecting my property, whether it be stored in my living room or on my computer, is very important. Why then, do we all tend to separate physical security and computer security instead of considering both together?

Tips For Computer Security While on Vacation

Finally, a break! Make sure your vacation is memorable because of the great time you had, not because something happened to your computer. Read on for a complete checklist of things to do to make sure your computer and the data on it is ready to jet with you.
Back-up your data and clean-up your computer.
Copy important or valuable items - documents, photos, presentations, email records - on to an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or an online service and store it in a lockable location at your office or at home. This will ensure you have a back-up of everything vital should your computer become lost or damaged while traveling.

Computer Security Programs Are Most Effective When Used Properly

Protecting you information with computer security programs will keep your personal information safe.
Intruders try to target credit card numbers, bank account information, or any other type of information that they can use in order to steal your identity.
Identity theft is now one of the top criminal activities in the United States.
The identities of many people have been exploited and credit ratings have been ruined by thieves who get information from unsecured systems, or bypass computer security programs for illegal gains.

Do You Know Enough About Your Computer Security? Find Out More

Security

As the use of computer networks, especially the Internet, has become pervasive, the concept of computer security has expanded to denote issues pertaining to the networked use of computers and their resources. The term computer security is used frequently, but the content of a computer is vulnerable to few risks unless the computer is connected to other computers on a network. The major technical areas of computer security are usually represented by the initials CIA: confidentiality, integrity, and authentication or availability. Other important concerns of computer security professionals are access control and non-repudiation.

Computer Security Free - Is That Possible?

Everyone who surfs the Net needs to be concerned about computer security. There are viruses, trojans, spyware, malicious adware... the list of what's out there in the way of malware goes on and on. You either take steps to keep your computer and data secure or you suffer the consequences.
Just how much computer security do you need? And can you get computer security free?
The answer to the first question is: "It depends." It depends on the value of what you are protecting. If you buy things on the Internet, have financial transactions going through your computer, then all of the financial info you use to make purchases is potentially at risk. What would it cost you if info thieves got your data?

Basic Computer Security Measures For the Home User With a Windows Operating System

Basic computer security measures for the home computer user are a must. This is because there are many individuals in the world that have a dangerous hobby. That hobby is seeking out personal information and files that they can use in an illegal manner from these types of computer users. In addition to this, these individuals can implement the use of your computer's resources for their own benefit. Here, you will learn about some basic measures that you can take to properly protect your computer from these potentially dangerous threats.
One of the first, and most basic measures, that you should take to protect your sensitive data and computer resources is placing an anti-virus program on your system and allowing it to run at all times.

Spam! What's the Real Problem

Most people now know the official definition of spam- Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE for short).
That definition does several things we should look at.

It categorizes spam as commercial
It limits it to email
Calling anything unsolicited creates vagueness

Even though all the above things may be true, there are several more things about spam that seem far more annoying.

Think All the Good Domain Names Are Taken?

Have you heard of the other tlds (top leve domains) such as: .free, .church, .video, .travel, .llp, .golf, .school, .agent and .love? There are many more too. Wait! Don't wretch just yet. I'll tell you why in just a minute.

If you look for a great domain name for very long you will learn how rare they are. Trying to find a one word dot com is a futile effort. The only exception to that is the occasional name that someone gives up. The problem with that is you must search a list of thousands (or tens of thousands) to find one and of course you must get there ahead of the next person. If you just have to have a one word dot com, be ready to shell out thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

Do-It-Yourself Computer Maintenance For Windows

Many companies want to sell you something you may already have (or may get for free), but may not even know about. Have you looked through what is available in Windows for routine maintenance? Here are some things you can do today (or right now) to help keep your Windows operating system running smoother and with fewer glitches.

A Tags - The Rest of the Story

There is a lot to this tag with many options available for your use.

We pick up here with the knowledge of how to create a link on a web page. If you need a refresher, this is a complete web page when saved with a .html ending.

< html >
< head) < /head >
< title > < /title >
< body > < /body >
< /html >

and if you need a refresher, there are three parts to the A tag-

HTML - Beyond the Basic Page - The "a" Tag

In another article we learned the basic structure and code to create a simple web page. Several tags were introduced without much detail. Here for a quick review is a basic web page with each of the following words (tags) contained by brackets (I can't put brackets around them or they won't show up on the page. This is an opening bracket < and this is a closing bracket >). title is an opening tag and /title is a closing tag.

Web Applications Services - How To Use

A Web application Service is defined by the W3C as a software system designed to support Machine to Machine (M2M) interaction over a Internet i.e. Network. Web services are just Web APIs that can be accessed over a network, such as the Internet, and executed on a remote system hosting the requested services also.
The W3C Web service definition encompasses many different systems, but in common usage the term refers to client and server that communicate using some types of messages that follow the SOAP standard. Common in both the field and the terminology is the assumption that there is also a machine readable description of the operations supported by the server written in the WSDL(Web Services Description Language).

ASP

The most familiar and commonly known technology is the Active Server Pages which is shortly known as ASP. This technology is used in order to create dynamic and interactive web pages. These Active Server Pages make use of server side scripting in order to create dynamic web pages that are not pretentious by the type of browser the internet visitor is working.
VBScript is the default scripting language which is used for writing ASP though few other scripting languages like Java Script can also be used. Active Server Pages have the extension as .asp instead of .htm. Any web page containing ASP cannot be run by just viewing the web page in a particular browser. The web page must be requested and demanded through a server that abets ASP and for this reason ASP refers and stands for Active Server Pages.

Are Your Emails Hazardous To Your Health

Once you go online, it’s open hunting season, and one of the
most common ways to get shot by someone else, or by yourself,
(known as a negligent discharge in Wild Fowler circles), is
through the use of email.

Simply connecting to the internet is fraught with dangers as
you instantly expose your data and personal information to
Hackers, Identity Thieves, Viruses, Worms, and Data Mining
Spyware.

Resolving "HTML Import Errors" in Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is an advanced and widely used presentation application. It has a wide set of features, including saving slides as web page. You can save a PowerPoint presentation as web page and can directly use in web pages. But in some situations, the presentation that is saved as a web page, can not be opened and you encounter some error messages when you try to access it or alter it. This problem may be due to corruption to the PPT file. In order to access data from file, you need to carry out PowerPoint Recovery using appropriate solutions.

Computer security