Seems everybody is out for cheap deals on just about everything and who wouldn’t be in this recession where cash is hard to come by and jobs are being shed by the thousands. Now, there are truly some honest cell phone deals out there but you have to be sure you’re getting the right stuff. Having the latest phone gadget might be one thing but keeping that new phone secure from hacks is another. Sure you can get it cheap from the internet but how sure are you you’re getting the real stuff.
Criminals are becoming craftier than ever and they have even managed to copy branded products complete with all the security stickers and holographic security seals with them. They can also be pre-loaded with malware for the amount of computing power they pack is enough to emulate an ultraportable, in function that is. Just how dangerous are these hacking attempts, for mobile devices using Windows very dangerous for there is a group bent on exacting damage on the software giant.
ensuring you have the latest updates to your operating system is vital to maintaining your ability to fend off attacks. Having intrusion prevention systems installed is also a good thing for like your PC, they also need protection. Given the power of these gadgets and their ability to connect to the internet, they are not immune to attack. Let’s set this as an example, an unprotected PC connected to the internet for the first time will last an average of 15 minutes before it is hacked and compromised. Now you do the math for your mobile!
Categories: Cryptography, E-mail, General, IM, IT Security Basics, Malware, News, Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues, Spyware, Tips, Web browsers, Wireless Security
Who said that Obama does not have a techie side to him? If reports earlier this month are to be believed, the newbie President is not ignoring the importance of cyber space. Iain Thomson of Vnunet.com had this report early this month:
US president Barack Obama has ordered an immediate 60-day review of the online security of government IT systems to check for vulnerabilities.
The review will be led by Melissa Hathaway, who has served as cyber co-ordination executive to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Hathaway will also serve as acting senior director for cyberspace for the National Security and Homeland Security councils during the review period.
“The national security and economic health of the US depend on the security, stability and integrity of our nation’s cyber space, both in the public and private sectors,” said John Brennan, assistant to the president for counter-terrorism and homeland security.
First thoughts…this is wonderful; this coming from the head of the country, it should be a good sign. However, I was thinking about the 60-day limit – would this be enough? More so, are the intelligence arms going to be part of this review? I doubt that the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA will allow anyone to take a look into their systems. Maybe the review is just for the less sensitive government agencies. Who knows?
In any case, I was just thinking of those people who love hacking systems to get credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and the like. Those days will probably be gone pretty soon, don’t you think?
Categories: Malware, Network Security, News, Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues, Security Policies
I was only able to fit in two tips in the previous post but no worries, here are more things for you to look at.
To subscribe or unsubscribe? What to do?
You know those e-mail messages informing you of one thing or another and then at the bottom it says “To unsubscribe to this service, click on this link…” or something like that? Well, many are legit but here’s the thing – this tactic is also being used to get you to click on the link and gather information from you. What you should do, instead of immediately unsubscribing, is to first double check if you really have subscribed to that service. Otherwise, you just might find more spam mails in your Inbox. If you’re unsure, just mark the address as spam so that it can be filtered in the future.
Guard “important” e-mail addresses
Some people guard their phone numbers zealously. They would only give their numbers to people they know very well and people who they are ok with contacting them. How come, when it comes to e-mail, it seems that people are less guarded? It shouldn’t be the case. You don’t know who will end up knowing your e-mail address and start sending you stuff that you don’t need or worse, malware. If I were you, I’d set up another web e-mail account that is separate from your main e-mail account.
Remember: There is no such thing as absolute privacy
Whatever you code into your computer and send through e-mail is never ever really totally private. Just bear this in mind when writing anything. It will keep you safe.
Categories: E-mail, Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues
How often do you use your personal e-mail? How about your work e-mail? I am willing to bet a huge sum that you can’t even answer those questions because you know that you spend a HUGE amount of time on e-mails. You spend so much time that you can’t even track it – but that’s how it is with most people today. E-mail has become part of everyone’s lives that it is not even given a second thought.
When it comes to security, however, we should give e-mail more than a second thought. Do you know just how many security pitfalls there are when it comes to e-mails? LOTS.
Here, take a look at some of these tips and you’ll realize that you haven’t really been paying attention to e-mail security.
When sending to a mailing list or to many people, use BCC.
B-what, you may ask. You know the two other fields below the TO field? One is CC (carbon copy) and the other is BCC (blind carbon copy). Using BCC means the recipients in the list will not see the e-mail addresses of the other recipients. This is particularly important in the eyes of the recipients who may not want unknown people finding out their e-mail addresses. Perfect situation to use this: when sending forwarded whatnots through e-mail.
Don’t be trigger happy.
That is, when you receive e-mails with links in them, asking you to immediately click on the link for one reason or another, DON’T. Even if you are worried to death that PayPal might close your account for no reason, DO NOT CLICK ON THAT LINK. The chances are that it’s not PayPal. If you really want to make sure, open another window and type the URL manually. Whatever you do, don’t click that link.
Categories: E-mail, Real-World Issues, Tips
There are worms and there are worms. This worm, dear friends, seems to be making more noise than usual. In fact, since the Conficker worm was detected in October of 2008, it has affected more than 9 millions computers worldwide. In fact, Christopher Null over at Yahoo Tech says that the situation has gotten so bad that the numbers might have reached 15 to 20 million by now!
So how do you make sure you are protected? Here are some ways by which you can make sure that the Conficker worm will not get into your system.
First, it is important to understand that this worm takes advantage of security holes in Microsoft Windows – so what’s new? What you should make sure of is that your Windows is updated. Go to Microsoft and make sure that you have an updated patch that will resolve this issue.
Another thing that you can do is to disable autorun for CDs and USBs. The Conficker worm is a self-replication program and can spread through a network or removable disks. As such, when plugging in any removable device, you can take on the added protection by NOT having autorun on.
The good news is that home networks are relatively safe from the worm. This is due to the fact that firewalls and similar protection are often set in place. Do not be complacent, however, especially if you use your laptop outside of your home.
Good luck protecting your PC against this worm!
Categories: Malware, Tips
Blogs are the in-thing today and everybody on the planet wants to have one. Wordpress being one of the most trusted and used platforms has suffered a great deal from the relentless attacks conducted by hackers who use it for spreading malware to the millions of users on the platform. Another weak link in the blogging trends are the millions of hosting companies, who all want to host as many people on earth they can so they earn as much profit as possible. These hosting servers and service providers might smell good on the outside but can be quite rotten on the outside so getting the right information on the hosting service you aim to use is vital for the survival of your blogging efforts. Web hosting review sites have sprung all over the place and are proving to be the best source of information for budding bloggers and SEO marketers. They offer unbiased information regarding the several or so hosting services giving you the tools to determine the best web hosting information around. These analytical tools may spell success or failure for your blog and thus SEO efforts, so don’t go out without them.
Tags: Cost Analysis, Hosting Information, Web Hosting, Web Hosting Reviews
Categories: General, IT Security Basics, Malware, Real-World Issues, Tips
