IT Security Blog

McAfee Announces 2015 Consumer Security Suites

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McAfee, part of Intel Security, is one of the most popular brands in the IT security niche. Founded in 1987, the company has since then grown to become a household name, with people paying a premium for its products.

mcafee

Today, the company announced the newest line of 2015 consumer security suites, which have been beefed up to address new threats and to provide added security for potential digital threats. The McAfee line of 2015 consumer security suites includes McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2015, McAfee Internet Security 2015, and McAfee Total Protection 2015. [Read more…]

How Long Should Your Password Be

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We all know the importance of having good and difficult passwords once we have access to a site or a network but one thing that many would have to consider would be the length. Others would want it short, but these are people who would not care of why they are given access. Others want it long normally something that they can easily remember such as their address or birthday. But how long should it be?

Traditionally, it should be at least 8 characters. Some are fine with 6 characters but for security reasons and avoiding hackers, it would be best to make it longer. A combination of alphanumeric characters would be better as it makes harder to crack for people who love to do mischief. So if this were the case, the potential combination would perhaps be your car plate number, bank account or even your driver’s license codes. With that in mind, you better make sure you also write it down and keep it in a safe place. This is in case you may forget it for some reason due to the tons of information you have stored up in your mind.

Regardless, a user should always make sure that the password he chooses is something he is familiar with. For most sites, we are asked to put secret questions to which we can answer for ourselves. But in choosing the right one, we must make sure that it is something only we know and not something that can be easily guessed by anyone. Failing to do so may put your access and credibility at risk.

Scheduling Change of Passwords

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If you are in charge of network security, one thing you may want to consider as far as laying down the law in safeguarding your network is the regular change of user passwords to avoid potential hackers and cracks based on how their passwords can be easily guessed.

For some users, it is easy to figure out their passwords. The normal passwords that people use include:

1. Birthdays
2. Anniversaries
3. Car Plate Numbers
4. Mobile Phone Numbers
5. Adding 123 to their names, or
6. Using “PASSWORD” as their password

Now there will be a lot of potential combinations depending on the length of the password. That is why the longer passwords (8 alphanumeric characters) are encouraged for users who access the network.

But while the probabilities of guessing or cracking passwords offer a lot possibilities, employing a regular maintenance as far as changing them is indeed something ideal to combat these hackers or malicious people from gaining access to the network and the programs in use.

Once cannot avoid the fact that some people’s curiosity and call for fame are the main reasons for wanting to be a hacker or code cracker. It is evident in people who are looking to try out their skill. They don’t think of the outcome which can cause a lot of problems.

So one good tip to avoid being hacked is to think like one. Once you do, think of security policies that can make it hard for you to breach a system. That is the best way to stay efficient in your line of duty in any organization.

Managing Your Passwords

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passwordmanagerscreen.jpgAre you like me who has the bad habit of forgetting the passwords to your online accounts? Except for sites I frequently visit, like those for web-based services, I can’t keep track and lose passwords all the time. There’s no true solution to this problem. I’ve tried using the same passwords for multiple accounts, but that’s pretty dangerous – if one of your accounts gets hacked, they can guess what sites you frequent and gain access to your data. Writing it down can be downright dangerous – it’s even easier to lose paper and notebooks during your daily routine. It also boils down to an issue of trust with the people you live and work with.

The situation’s pretty dire if a relative passes away and all his contacts are in an online address book. The was the the case of William Talcott, a San Francisco poet who passed away in June and basically took his password to the grave. His daughter was unable to contact his friends, and though the web provider will grant them access after a court order, it will take months of legal haggling in court, causing needless emotional pain for his descendants

The solution? A password manager that keeps track of your passwords. Some users make their own with their database and password locking it, but these makeshift databases aren’t encrypted and they’re quite easy to crack. There are commercial and open source password managers available for download online. All you need to do is add the website, your account name and password, select one password to lock your data, and then it will keep track of your passwords for you. They offer different features, which can include password generators, autoform filling, and different levels of encryptions. Some sites, like those of banks and other e-commerce activities, don’t allow autoform filling for security reasons. Though most of these are currently made for Windows, there are also versions for other operating systems. A word of warning though: if you forgot your password to your password manager and it doesn’t have a retrieve password option, you can’t access your database. So make sure to remember your database password!

[tags]passwords,e-commerce,operating systems,online security,phishing[/tags]

Controlled Entry: Are they Worth the Discomfort?

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For many people, adding technology is not always like a bed of roses. In fact, heightened security measures like eye scanners and thumb print access do not sit that well with them. Apparently there are people who want to be on time for appointments or simply by their desk at record time. With these new gadgets, they have to consider some time constraints since verification must be done before they are granted entry.

But much of this is not really to make lives hard. It is meant for sectional security. Any part of an office today is really important. These measures were normally restricted to the computer rooms where servers have to be heavily safeguarded. These days, it goes as far as the main entrance of a building.

While many consider them as discomforts, there are for safety measures not only for the company but for personal interests as well. When something goes wrong these days, suspects and culprits are enumerated. Through this added security, the list goes down and may even exclude innocent people who were not even around during occurrence.

A little bit of consideration is in order though. Personal access also includes the diligence to ensure that you don’t go out sharing the same with other people your access codes or passwords. That is a cardinal sin. If through this effort an authorized user is unable to safeguard his access, then it can only lead to trouble and perhaps put him in a deeper hole.

Users Should Set their Passwords Independently

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As far as security when it comes to computer or network access is concerned, does the real beef in being safe and secure really lie in passwords? There are about billions of potential combinations before a hacker can be able to find out your password but just the same, there are other ways to get it like phishing or probably common passwords that some take for granted these days.

Unless you have been among the many victims of being hacked for access on certain programs or events, chances are you may not even care if and when another person would suddenly gather interest in hacking your account. Surely, not all people may have something interesting to go all through the trouble of but just the same, the bragging rights and distinction of being able to crack the access granted to a certain program, site or email is still vulnerable.

Passwords are slowly losing their use. They are indeed security precautions but perhaps the best person to make sure that they still serve their purpose would be the person who is given access. It is not all about making it hard to guess but making sure that you are the only one who knows it by heart and mind.

Also, do not be content with being assigned one. You should have the freedom to set your own password without anyone knowing it. This is one thing about security administration these days. Administrators should not be the only one to set passwords but the actual users themselves.