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Careful of Unknown Links in Messaging

6 July 2010 By Saran

Trojans hacks and worms can easily enter a person’s computer by a mere click of a link. Instant messaging, the new trend in adhering towards faster and easier communication anywhere in the world has been enhanced thoroughly, going to the extent of allowing links to be followed, sometimes generated automatically from infected computers. Such are done even when offline messages are left, such as in Yahoo Messenger issues.

Instant Messages

The best way to avoid such links is to refrain from clicking on links without prior notice from the actual user. While most people would rely heavily on the level of relationship that they would have with their online buddy, it is still best to double check and verify before proceeding on the site link.

Being infected is quite painful that it leads to even formatting the entire system. This holds true for people who are not aware or have the time to clean it manually and methodically. Hence, the best way is to be more cautious, especially when peculiar links are met.

Filed Under: IM, Instant Messaging, IT Security Basics, Malware, Spyware, Wireless Security Tagged With: hijack, Instant Messaging, trojans, worms, yahoo-messenger

Suspicious Links on Yahoo Messenger

15 March 2007 By Saran

Yahoo Messenger Trojans/ Malware Infection Links

Anyone will receive different kinds of offline and online messages from friends and acquaintances. Some would be links to other websites they have done, pictures or news feeds. But while these would be helpful in most cases, it would be best to first query the person and ask what the site is all about.

Cases of rapidly increasing links that creep into the instant messaging service create havoc and spread to the entire contact list of people endorsing the various instant messaging services available over the web today. The most popular of which is perhaps Yahoo Messenger and Instant Messaging. These are the widely used modes of communication today since aside from saving on cost, they hold a wider coverage, thanks to the Internet which is available all throughout the world today.

Hence, such coverage offers a tempting way of making lives miserable and the computers a living hell. The discomforts that it would have would drive a person crazy since the need to remedy the situation may take some time. However, for some people there is always the option to format the whole system, something that is not needed by people who need to access their files regularly and have no backup copies.

[tags]yahoo messenger virus, spyware, instant messaging, hyperlinks, bad links[/tags]

Filed Under: Backups, IM, Instant Messaging, IT Security Basics, Malware, Spyware, Tips Tagged With: bad-links, hyperlinks, Instant Messaging, Spyware, yahoo-messenger-virus

Free Messaging with Voice for Now

15 February 2007 By Saran

Slowly but surely, communication has grown entirely advanced. At first, it was mainly done through keystrokes called chatting conversations with some emoticons in tow to spice up the supposed conversation. Next came the web cam era wherein a person can now see the person he is talking to, being more relieved that the person they are communicating to is really existent.

Voice Calls and Instant Messaging

Today, voice messaging has been added to the fray, making it all the more enticing for people who put premium on the web with regards to communicating with friends and associates anywhere in the world. One can just imagine the savings that such voice calls can provide compared to the old practice of making calls by phone. Indeed the latter was very expensive to the point that people would have problems settling their accounts payable to such providers.

Voice messaging today over the Internet is free as long as it is a PC to PC call. However, leaning on the trends and developments, it is not far fetched to see that one day that such offered voice calls would charge minimal amounts which would gradually increase as demand does too.

[tags]im, instant messaging, video conference, voice messaging[/tags]

Filed Under: IM, Instant Messaging, Privacy & Anonymity, Wireless Security Tagged With: IM, Instant Messaging, video-conference, voice-messaging

Consolidating the Instant Messenger Services

11 February 2007 By Saran

The different instant messenger services that sites such as MSN and Yahoo offer are no longer limited towards the need of having to subscribe towards each network individually. Thanks to the efforts by all the networks today, regardless if you are a member of Yahoo or MSN only, you can communicate with other people as well. This makes it more convenient for people to message other people from one network to another, taking away the need to create separate accounts.

Instant Messaging

It was only a matter of time before such possibilities could be made. Take into consideration the cross communication that cellular networks were able to do, only thing is that messaging does not really need spending issues. Messaging over the Internet is entirely free and all that was solved was really more of convenience and creation of dummy accounts just to avail of such service.

Such not only becomes an inconvenience for the networks but for the subscribers as well since they have to go between services just to see their buddies online.

[tags]yahoo messenger, msn messenger, instant messaging[/tags]

Filed Under: IM, Instant Messaging, Real-World Issues Tagged With: Instant Messaging, msn-messenger, yahoo-messenger

The New Breed of Communications: Instant Messaging

1 February 2007 By Saran

Instant messaging has become the next generation means of being able to talk with people anywhere in the world. A lot of IM software has been offered and made available to all people exposed over the Internet. The list includes the following:

1. Yahoo Messenger
2. MSN Messenger
3. ICQ
4. Chikka
5. Skype
6. America Online

Instant Messaging

The technology invested in these messaging programs has included that of providing features that enable people to use web cameras to actually see who they are talking with, voice chat, and being able to send text messages to mobile phones anywhere in the world as long as they are affiliated with them.

Such innovations and advancement in technology has truly changed the face of communicating prowess in the world. Aside from the available resources over the web, cost has been trimmed down and made economical for anyone. Besides, the early practices of making long distance calls have become a thing of last resort for people. Ask the telecommunication companies, they can attest to this fact.

[tags]instant messaging, yahoo messenger, msn messenger, chikka, skype[/tags]

Filed Under: IM, Instant Messaging, Real-World Issues, Wireless Security Tagged With: chikka, Instant Messaging, msn-messenger, skype, yahoo-messenger

New Secure IM Software

5 October 2006 By Saran

NTT Communications (Japan) have created a new secure Instant Messaging system. This system communicates over TLS (Transport Layer Security), the successor to the SSL standard.

Communications on most IM systems are secured between client and server – where password exchange typically takes place, but once the initial connection has been established, messages themselves are usually passed directly between clients. In the new messaging system, all communication goes through the sever, and is performed over an encrypted TLS connection.

This allows, apparently, restrictions on the server to govern which users can talk to each other, which types of files may be sent, and so on.

This sounds like a great idea, but there is a reason for current systems to communicate directly between clients – a single relay server is a single point of failure, and also serves as a bottleneck in the network. Using TLS only serves to further slow down the server, and I am not sure how well this solution would scale (though a network of servers, IRC style, might work…)

Meanwhile, for small to medium corporations, this could be the secure solution that has been needed for a long time. It will be a while before it becomes scalable to the entire Internet, though, I expect.

[tags]IM software,bottleneck,encryption,data centers, instant messaging, online security[/tags]

Filed Under: Cryptography, Network Security Tagged With: bottleneck, Cryptography, data-centers, encryption, IM-software, Instant Messaging, Network Security, online-security

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