Safe Internet Blog

As more computers become part of the planet wide network thanks to high-speed Internet connections, Internet security is starting to become an issue everyone should be worried about. These noxious programs can do a never-ending array of bad things: Swipe passwords, steal Visa card numbers, send spam from your personal computer, use your computer to attack other computers and masses more. Many folks feel rather overwhelmed or lost by what they perceive to be a complex and dismaying proposition, others ignore the issue completely. After you understand the threats and know one or two basic concepts, the issue is easy.

Long gone are the times when simply taking care about clicking on a file or a link was enough to protect you. Once this was only a problem for folk who traded illegal software, today viruses and trojans continually infect systems with no input from the user. Attacks are now cross platform and cross browser, using security holes present in assistant applications. A trojan can target user with no regard for browser or operating system.

Antivirus software is a good primary step but has limited efficacy. You would like to keep the criminal out of your home not tackle him after he is in your living room. The number one way to stop infections is to be sure each piece of software on your system is recent and keeping itself recent. Don’t ignore messages letting you know that a chunk of software must be updated. The great majority of updates are to close known security holes, these holes almost always have active exploits taking advantage of them.

Another security step that's ignored even by most security pros is using secure DNS servers. DNS servers are used to direct traffic to the correct web addresses. DNS servers can protect you in a number of ways. First, they can scan for and block sites for you; preventing your computer from even being able to get to a site trying to compromise your system.

2nd, just like anything else DNS servers can have security holes; many ISPs are loose about applying security patches to their DNS servers. Finally, changing your default DNS server may make it harder for a virus to modify it for you; many viruses will direct your PC to their own DNS server taking over all your Internet activity. There are plenty of free and secure DNS servers out there and setting one up on your system takes seconds.

The author has a blog on the best web security. There are a couple of security suite you can use to protect your computer.

Safe Internet Blog best internet security, internet security, security suite

If there is one thing that people do not want to put up with when they are online, it is a hacker that disrupts Internet connections and even affects the files a user has on a computer. Here is a look at how hacking the web raises security issues and how hackers can be stopped so that these security issues will not be a problem.

One of the ways that hacking the web raises security issues is that it can create dangerous software. Hackers can easily insert malware into a computer. This consists of files that can be especially damaging to the computer. The reason for these damaging capabilities is that a hacker can easily look through and edit files that are inside a website or the computer of a user on a website. Hacking the web raises security issues because it not only affects the websites involves, but it can also affect the users of the sites that have been affected.

Hackers who work on hacking the web can steal specific information that other groups may give to websites. This includes phone numbers that can be used to call people with unsolicited offers. In some cases, a hacker may have more control over the malware that is used and therefore insert this software into a mobile phone that is listed on a website database. This can cause the hacker to steal even more phone numbers.

In many cases, the hackers can send data to people on a contact list and this is then considered spam. They can send viruses and other pieces of malware that will only end up expanding the level of power that the hacker has. Some people may not know what to do with the emails that they get from a hacker because they may not know exactly whether the message is legitimate. This makes it clear that hacking the web raises security issues.

A hacker can steal the especially sensitive financial data, and this is another reason why hacking the web raises security issues. For people who are going to be sending financial information and other important pieces of data to a website the information can be especially important. A hacker for that person to use for that person’s advantage can steal the information. This includes not only credit card numbers and other information regarding these cards but also Social Security numbers.

Since hacking the web raises security issues, it is best to use a few simple tips to work with improving security. For businesses that run websites that may be prone to hackers, it is best to install a good firewall onto the server. This can be used to help monitor incoming transmissions and block any software that is going to be sent to the server without the permission of the company that owns the server.

Having the appropriate antivirus software is needed. A typical firewall program will have all of this information. This can be used for a server as long as the program will automatically update itself as new information on viruses and other dangerous things that hackers may have to gain access to a website or your computer are known. With automatic updates, it will be easier to be protected.

In addition, for people who visit these sites, a firewall can be used. General measures that the average person should be using can help too. These include visiting only websites that can be trusted and by not opening any online links from any emails that may have been sent as a result from visiting any sites.

It is very clear that hacking the web raises security issues. By taking care of these risks with a good firewall and antivirus program and by recognizing how hackers will look into affecting a system it will be easier to handle hackers and any other dangerous things that may come around.

Aja Screnci is a writer for UniformHaven.com which offers cherokee scrubs, urbane scrubs free shipping and lab coat as well as a host of additional products.

Safe Internet Blog hacking, internet security

Malicious Software applications, otherwise known as malware, pose a serious risk to individuals who have a computer connected to the online world.

Keep in mind, an infected system is in no way something to be taken lightly, as your whole life may just be rocked to the core when your personal identity is stolen, as your credit may be messed up, and you could possibly be responsible for big personal debt, which you didn’t even accumulate, and in addition responsible for shelling out interest charges for those unpaid sums.&

Safe Internet Blog computer viruses, internet security, malware, Spyware and Adware

These days there are more and more individuals who seem to think that the phrase internet safety is indeed a contradiction in terms.

There is no question that in recent years we have seen an escalation in the volume of internet threats to computer users because of “bad guys” who’re attempting to crack into personal computers to access the info they store. As a result, it is more important than ever for people to be extremely vigilant and to take every possible safety measure in order to make certain that their computer system is properly protected. Therefore you have to protect your computer and you have to keep ontop of it.

Knowing how to preserve the safety of your pc, your network and all of your documents and info has come to be a real necessity these days. The issue of personal computer safety is currently a problem for anyone who has got a personal computer or perhaps a laptop at home as well as for organizations and computer experts.

Having said that, many people don’t know exactly where to begin to find out about internet safety, or how to protect their computers as well as their internet connection to keep internet hazards to a minimum and also have a sense that they have got a high level of pc internet security and protection in place. The following info will provide some fundamental information and facts that each and every computer owner must know as well as implement.

First of all, you have to be certain that you’re using a firewall software. A firewall program that is running on your pc is necessary for anyone who is not thinking of having any other internet security. Firewalls are designed to put a stop to outside computers being able to access your computer through the web, you’ll have to specifically permit a program or pc to gain access to your pc. A firewall is usually incorporated in a broadband internet router. Both Mac and Windows operating systems will reduce the chances of any hazards to your computer since they both incorporate a basic level of firewall software .

Backing up the info on your computer regularly is a must. At best, you might backup your whole drive then it can be restored in its entirety if your hard drive crashes. In the event you lost all your most important data files it would definitely hurt because it would cost you time and money to reproduce them, so if you do nothing else make sure you back up your most crucial data files. Acquiring a device which will copy your files automatically is rather painless as there are a lot of them to choose from.

The software that you use to guard your laptop or computer must be kept up to date on a regular basis so that you are receiving the best online security. Your web browser is something else which needs to be kept up to date because this also links to the online world. Software manufacturers continuously update their programs as a way to maintain their own internet protection systems for their users, which help to fight various viruses as well as other dangers.

Ultimately, you should make sure that you diligently as well as regularly scan your computer for spyware and for virusesthat could have gotten past your firewall program and gotten installed into your personal computer. There are a selection of free programs which will scan for security breaches.

There are some internet protection software programs that are totally free to use, including the skill to remove viruses and spyware. Nevertheless, the more powerful and most recent internet safety software programs normally call for the user to pay in order to open the characteristics which will eradicate the spyware and viruses that are discovered from a free scan of your laptop or computer. While it is attractive to pick the totally free version, industry experts who watch internet security review boards will most likely recommend using a program that you paid for, because you will get far better results.

Safe Internet Blog internet safety, internet security, Personal Computers, Spware

This high speed revolution has increased the swiftness of accessibility for unscrupulous hackers to upload private information quickly and easily, through your home internet connection. With the threat of viruses, identity fraud, phishing, spyware and keyloggers, never has it been more important to protect the valuable contents of your home computer. There are many types of internet security software out there, which offer varying ranges of performance when it comes to security. The most popular software requires the computer owner to purchase a license and download the software over the internet or buy the software from a reputable computer outlet for a set fee which includes 12 months of free updates, with a view to paying a further fee every 12 months to keep this update service going, this for some computer owners can be a slightly expensive encounter and can put owners off placing that all important security software on their home computer. Is there a FREE and secure alternative? The answer I’m happy to say is yes. Home internet security comes in four main categories of protection, Spyware Protection, Anti-Virus Protection, Firewall Protection and Windows Updates.

Spyware Protection.Spybot found at is an excellent free spyware removal tool which helps clear your system of any threats from Adware, Keyloggers, Malware etc, the program is very easy to use and updates can be downloaded for free and are updated on a regular basis to help make sure you are protected. Anti-virus Protection.Avast! Anti-virus found at is a more than adequate anti-virus protection, registration is absolutely free for home and small business users and just requires the user to register once every twelve months, which is a very small burden especially when you can download virus definitions and program updates totally free.  Firewall Protection.Sygate Personal Firewall found at is again a totally free for home and small business users personal firewall, the setup of the program is very user friendly and can easily be setup by someone with little computer knowledge.

It is painful to a  search engine optimization worker   that he is not good at HostGator review  and web hosting.

Safe Internet Blog adware, antivirus, firewall, internet security, spyware

The shopping season is over and the new year has begun. But keeping safe online is more important than ever. Internet is still something very scary for many users and experts believe that 2010 will be the year of the cyber criminal. The staff at digital defender would like to share some simple tips that anyone can use and that we use in our daily work and private lives to stay safer online.

1. Better be safe than sorry

If something looks too good to be true it probably is. Emails offering to enhance body parts, make you lose weight or offering you the chance to untold riches are 99,99% untrue. Do not answer these emails, just remove them or add them to your spamfilter’s blacklist.

2. Always protect your identity online

Create an email account at gmail, hotmail or whichever free email provider you prefer that you can use when you need to sign up to a services you are not 100% percent sure about. If the site owner starts to spam you or send a lot of unnecessary information then it will intrude in your daily life. You should be very careful whom you share your personal mail address with.

3. Google it before you try it

If you have found a new software that sounds really interesting or a website for that matter and you would really like to try it out, then Google it before you try it. If there are no negative reviews then you are a little bit more safe then before.

4. Https is your friend

When you are paying for something online and it says https and a padlock in the browser line then you are using an encrypted connection. This will make sure that you send the information to the right party and only the people you want to send it to.

5. Never, ever open attached files if you are not 100% sure of what they contain

I remember once I worked at an IT-company where the boss for some reason opened an attached file that was called openme.exe, which was obviously not good. The attached virus destroyed his computer more or less.

6. Create good passwords

Typically most people have one password that they try to use whenever they can, since it is easier to remember that way. But imagine that you would have just one key that would open anything that you owned or worked with. I would not be comfortable with that. There is a lot of good software out there that will help you store multiple passwords and you only need to remember one to access the rest.

7. Keep a backup

When disaster strikes, it’s good to be able to get your valuable pictures, music and other things back. Backup systems today can be used by anyone without any special knowledge and they are getting cheaper by the minute. Online and offline backups have their advantages and disadvantages. Choose one that you like and stick with it.

8. Update your drivers and software

There is no such thing as a 100% secure software. Software is always updated to ensure that any discovered security holes are patched. Having the latest version of your software and drivers also ensures that your computer runs smoothly. If you think this is a lot of work, there are various kinds of software that can handle this for you.

9. Use a good antivirus and antispyware software

This is a hard one. There are a ton of software out there. There are free versions and paid versions, some are included with your computer and some are not. Our recommendations from digital defender is that you should run a software that you feel comfortable with. It should also as a minimum have: a real-time element that always monitors your computer, frequent update and an easy to use interface. Our experience is that if you do not understand your software then you will not use it.

10. USB drives

We move, more and more data around with USB drives and their storage capacity is growing exponentially while prices drop at the same rate. What many people forget is that if you use your drive at a couple of different computers it is a very good change that you have picked up what ever was on that machine (good or bad). Different computers, with different users pick up different sorts of bugs. If move or share information with your USB drive frequently then ensure you scan it.

Cybersecurity is an enormous are and it is impossible to become an expert overnight. We would like to share these simple things to help you surf safer. We hope that you make use of them and wish you a safe online experience in 2010.

Greetings from the digital defender team

http://www.digital-defender.com

Safe Internet Blog antispyware, antivirus, computer protection, cybercrime, cybercriminals, internet, internet security, online, online security, viruses

The shopping season is over and the new year has begun. But keeping safe online is more important than ever. Many experts believe that 2010 will be the year of the cyber criminal and Internet is still something very “scary” for many users out there. The staff at digital defender would like to share some simple tips that anyone can use and that we use in our daily work and private lives to stay safer online.

1. Better be safe than sorry

If something looks too good to be true it probably is. Emails offering to enhance body parts, make you lose weight or offering you the chance to untold riches are 99,99% untrue. Do not answer these emails, just remove them or add them to your spamfilter’s blacklist.

2. Always protect your identity online

Create an email account at gmail, hotmail or whichever free email provider you prefer that you can use when you need to sign up to a services you are not 100% percent sure about. If the site owner starts to spam you or send a lot of unnecessary information then it will intrude in your daily life. You should be very careful whom you share your personal mail address with.

3. Google it before you try it

If you have found a new software that sounds really interesting or a website for that matter and you would really like to try it out, then Google it before you try it. If there are no negative reviews then you are a little bit more safe then before.

4. Https is your friend

When you are paying for something online and it says https and a padlock in the browser line then you are using an encrypted connection. This will ensure that your information is only sent to the party you are trying to send it to.

5. Never, ever open attached files if you are not 100% sure of what they contain

I remember once I worked at an IT-company where the boss for some reason opened an attached file that was called openme.exe, which was obviously not good. The attached virus destroyed his computer more or less.

6. Create good passwords

Typically most people have one password that they try to use whenever they can, since it is easier to remember that way. But imagine that you would have just one key that would open anything that you owned or worked with. I would not be comfortable with that. There is a lot of good software out there that will help you store multiple passwords and you only need to remember one to access the rest.

7. Keep a backup

When disaster strikes, it’s good to be able to get your valuable pictures, music and other things back. Backup systems today can be used by anyone without any special knowledge and they are getting cheaper by the minute. Online and offline backups have their advantages and disadvantages. Choose one that you like and stick with it.

8. Update your drivers and software

There is no such thing as a 100% secure software. Software is always updated to ensure that any discovered security holes are patched. Having the latest version of your software and drivers also ensures that your computer runs smoothly. If you think this is a lot of work, there are various kinds of software that can handle this for you.

9. Use a good antivirus and antispyware software

This is a hard one. There are a ton of software out there. There are free versions and paid versions, some are included with your computer and some are not. Our recommendations from digital defender is that you should run a software that you feel comfortable with. It should also as a minimum have: a real-time element that always monitors your computer, frequent update and an easy to use interface. Our experience is that if you do not understand your software then you will not use it.

10. USB drives

We move, more and more data around with USB drives and their storage capacity is growing exponentially while prices drop at the same rate. What many people forget is that if you use your drive at a couple of different computers it is a very good change that you have picked up what ever was on that machine (good or bad). Different computers, with different users pick up different sorts of bugs. If move or share information with your USB drive frequently then ensure you scan it.

Cybersecurity is an enormous are and it is impossible to become an expert overnight. We would like to share these simple things to help you surf safer. We hope that you make use of them and wish you a safe online experience in 2010.

Greetings from the digital defender team

http://www.digital-defender.com

Safe Internet Blog antispyware, antivirus, computer protection, cybercrime, cybercriminals, internet, internet security, online, online security, viruses

Knowing how to protect your computer from threats on the internet is important. It’s something that you should do to protect not just yourself but to protect everyone else, because one vulnerable computer user simply becomes a tool to harm the next. One of the most important tools for helping with online security is common sense, but where common sense runs out some little tips can come in handy.

The first place to start with protecting yourself from threats online is by starting good password habits. The worst thing you can do with your passwords is to use the same one for more than one thing. The next worst thing you can do is to not change them. All your passwords should be different, they should be more creative than obvious things like birthdays, and they should be in a constant state of change, never staying the same for more than a few months at a time.

That’s because every password you have protects a piece of information about you, and so many of our secure accounts link to the next in various ways. For instance, your bank account sends messages to your email account and with things like Facebook, well, anyone who has access to your email can easily reset your Facebook password. All in all, weak passwords are an open door for identity thieves.

Credit card information is also sacred. You should be sure to only use your credit card on secure sites and, better yet, avoid using them when possible. There are a variety of online payment methods you can choose as an alternative to credit cards. Paypal is a good example of this, where you pay Paypal with the credit card but everyone else gets money only from Paypal, meaning only that one place has access to it. Another good idea that’s growing in popularity is to have one credit card for online use that’s given a very low spending limit.

When passing information around the internet you should also be aware that there is more to internet security threats than dangerous websites. Your computer can get infected with something like spyware in any number of ways, and once it’s there it won’t matter how secure your internet surfing habits are. The spyware on your computer will be stealing all your information anyway.

Because of that you need to be proactive about making sure your computer is free of malicious software. You should always have internet security software installed on your computer, but more importantly you should actively use it. Daily scans are essential otherwise the protection software is merely going to waste.

All of this boils down to the absolute importance of being aware and informed about what’s happening out there in terms of internet based threats, and being aware of your actions and online decisions and how they may affect your security. If you do this and stay ever diligent then you’ll find that your internet surfing will be safer and your information will be more secure.

Safe Internet Blog internet, internet security, online safety, security

Project managers and engineers at technology management and computer services firms commonly wage a “battle of password policy” with the users and administration of the clients we serve.   Information engineers must ensure the confidentiality and security of the technology infrastructure,  which starts at the end user computer with a password.  Most companies have a password policy, sometime dictated by a compliancy standard, other times an adopted standard with loose terms. But for the most part requiring passwords on anything that needs to be access controlled is step one.

Despite the nonsense of it, employees jotting down a password on a sticky note and attaching it to a monitor happens all the time.   Here are some aspects when it comes to secure passwords:

The Good:

1.People don’t fear passwords themselves, they fear remembering passwords.  Many users consider this embarrassing or a failure on their part if it happens.  As strong as this fear is, never write a password down.

2.Good passwords have uppercase and lowercase letters.  They also can contain numbers, spaces or even special characters such as &%$#.  With this in mind, try taking a password you can remember and converting it a bit to make it a bit more complex.  Example: (current password) matilda – (new password) M@tild@  or M@T1lda.  This increases the security of the password exponentially.

3.Length of the password is also important.  Six to eight characters is a decent size password when combined with these other methods.  M@tild@ would be good, but L0vEM@tild@ is much better!

The Bad:

1.Do not use plain English words by themselves (anything in a dictionary), such as ‘the, password, cat’.  Consider something stronger such as i.e. ‘p22sswo44rd’.

2.Do not use easily retrievable information by itself, such as your birthday, date of hire, child’s, phone number…etc.

3.Do not make the password too short i.e. ‘bob’

4.Lastly do not use the same password for every system or login.

If you absolutely need assistance in remembering a password and must write something down, then do the following.

1.Jot a sentence on a post-it note.  For example purposes we will use “My daughter is two years old.”

2.Now (mentally) take the second letter of each sentence: “yaswel”

3.Lastly, take your birth date, add it to the end: “yaswel22”

4.Use capitalize to strengthen further: “Yaswel22”

Using this example, all you have to remember is to use the second letter of each word and your birth date and not some obscure random password.

Finally, there are many choices for password management software nowadays which are much more reliable and secure than an excel spreadsheet or writing them all down on notepad paper.

Safe Internet Blog computer services, corporate it, internet security, online security, password policy

So your internet connection is one of the fastest possible and you’re pretty sure that there have been no power problems in your area. Then how is it that it takes you minutes to completely load your Internet Explorer? The good news is that this is not a connection problem and can be easily fixed.

The reasons behind Internet Explorer’s low performance can be because of different factors. The most probable reason for this is the failure to delete cookies and history of the program. To do this, select the “Tools” option of your Internet Explorer browser and choose the “Delete Browsing History” line. Basically, deletion of cookies, forms and passwords are the primary functions of this tool. Cookies are bits and pieces of information stored in your PC when you browse through the internet. History is the name and address of the different websites you have visited. Note that it is important to delete these information regularly to keep your Internet Explorer running at its best form.

Another reason for IE’s low performance is the software itself. It could be that the program is outdated and needs to be refreshed or updated for it to run better. Try to download a newer version of the software and use it for a few days. Get the program from Internet Explorer’s main page to be sure of the validity of the software. Be sure to properly uninstall the old IE from your PC rather than just deleting it from the system. If the web page still loads too long, then the problem must rest in the computer itself.

If your PC is unmaintained, then chances are it will have an effect on the performance of all the programs in the system – including Internet Explorer. First of all, make sure that the antivirus you have installed in your computer is up-to-date. An outdated antivirus will fail in recognizing new viruses that could harm your computer so it is always important to keep your antivirus program up to date. When you have done this, run a full system scan on all your hard drives. When scanning for viruses, you might also want to include your pen drives in the process.

Note that these are only the most basic ways employed to boos IE performance. However, there are also programs available online that could help you with your problem in the event that the solutions given above don’t work. Regardless of what program you choose, make sure that the software is legitimate and does not contain any viruses, spywares or any other malicious file.

Safe Internet Blog ie, internet explorer, internet security, make internet explorer faster, windows security