IT Security Blog

Tips to Keeping Your Computer Protected From Viruses

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Even in this age of hacking, viruses, malware and all other online hazards, you can still keep your computer protected. And you know what? It doesn’t take an expert to do so. Here are a few simple tips to keep your computer protected from viruses.

Tip #1: Install an antivirus

First things first: you should install an antivirus in your computer. You can purchase one, whether through the Web or at a shop, but support and updates for it are typically good for only a year. However, while updates last, these premium antiviruses provide really effective protection for your computer. Good examples include Webroot Secure Anywhere and Norton Antivirus. [Read more…]

Advantage of Locking Workstations from Inactivity

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Consider a scenario when a workstation would be left for a couple of minutes and a person-in-charge would have to go somewhere like a coffee break or the comfort room. Open working spaces are bound to have some person who may find himself by the cubicle and be tempted to see what is behind the screen of the workstation.

Workstation Lockout

For some reason or another, pranksters may want to play jokes or get access to sensitive information. While these approaches may not necessarily be done on purpose to get the person in trouble, it cannot be denied that security of a workstation which is usually set at a certain time limit of inactivity like 10 to 15 minutes is a good way to safeguard work and data.

Some would regard it as annoying but the overall security and avoiding being tampered with is something that is really minor but may be at times crucial. A person can never know the people who may be roaming around and what they may be up to. Also, it would be best not to forget the administrator password, because if so, then the workstation may not be unlocked even by the user!

[tags]workstation, windows, server, passwords[/tags]

Unveiling Operating System Secrets

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The complete commands and processes to which a computer operates cannot be covered in a day nor will be remembered in one sitting. Ideally, only the important things for consideration such as that of user friendly commands to allow proper interface between the computer and the user behind the keyboard will always be the only know-how that would remain.

Computer Secrets

Computer operating systems such as Linux and Windows offer a wide variety of benefits for people, especially in maximizing the capabilities of a computer and the installed software. Speed and reliability are among the important aspects that computer owner will always want and to be able to perform them, proper identification and references would need to be researched on.

It is a given that most people would not spend time studying all the aspects of a computer system. However, there will be instances when such accidental discoveries from exploring the computer operating system and its resources would ignite interest and push a person into further exploring information surrounding the issue and perhaps look at other benefits that operating systems provide but are not given much attention.

[tags]windows, linux, secrets, system hints, system resources[/tags]

Scheduling Software Patch Updates and Upgrades

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Computer Programmer

Most software tools that are used today are not perfect. Weaknesses and loopholes that may encounter system operation conflicts and problems will only be natural, especially for programs that are either not immediately compatible or are prone to breakdowns every now and then. The need for a continuous development as far as applying patches and updates towards such software, such as programming languages and operating systems like Windows and Linux, is a necessity.

This is only normal considering that chinks in the armor of anything will always be revealed at times when people least expect it. This is a continuing and ongoing trend that all software developers and administrators need to attend to, considering that as the height of demand for accurate programs are increasing, the same holds true for the need to provide features and flexibility on the programming aspect of installed systems for smooth flow of automations in most business organizations and entrepreneurial undertakings.

[tags]programmer, patch updates, systems, operating system, windows, linux [/tags]

Windows, Mac OSX, Linux — which is more secure?

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all three logos

There have been many flame wars, there have been different studies made regarding the security of each operating system mentioned in the title. The studies are sometimes said to be biased because it depends on what organization or company has funded the studies. At the end of the day, however, we must realize that no matter what operating system we use on our computers, we should be responsible enough to download security patches and the like.

Sometimes articles and threads on forums and blogs end up in fanaticism. Some of the points raised when it comes to vulnerability and operating systems would be:

The popularity of the operating system
Take for example Windows. It is probably the most popular operating system and some say that that is one of the main reasons why it is most attacked by hackers and creators of malware. They say that there is no point in attacking an operating system that is not used by many. The logic, they say, is that if you are going to do something, make sure it will be something big. (This is why there are people who seem to insist on getting a Mac — more stable and secure that way, as they say.)

Linux, BSD are operating systems that you can’t even run right away/properly/(insert phrase here)…
It sounds so petty, doesn’t it? But there are those who argue with Linux and BSD users that the difficulty with their operating system is that it is not easy to run it. Would an average computer users be able to use it and run it without much fiddling around? Truth be told, it looks like it is possible. But that depends on which Linux distribution you would run. In any case, the argument is more along the lines of “If you can’t even have the OS running properly, who would bother attacking it?”

Everyone must learn how to set up security measures. Be it setting up a firewall, being careful about which sites to check out, downloading patches — each of us will have different needs and we will have different experiences.

[tags]security, windows,linux,mac[/tags]

Numerous computers affected by the MySpace ad

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MySpace logo

Yes, you have probably read it before on different news sites and blogs. An ad on MySpace spread spyware. As reports have mentioned, the banner ad was the one used to spread it. For Windows users who did not get the patches, they were affected by it as it was a WMF vulnerability that was exploited. Average computer users would probably be the ones who were greatly affected by this and they probably did not even notice anything.

There are articles that even mention the other browser, which is Mozilla Firefox. They said that those who use it were probably not affected by it unless the user downloaded the WMF file and opened it on their computers that are running on Windows. It is mainly something that affects Windows users who browse using Internet Explorer.

Things like this incident make the IT department of different companies become more wary, hence banning of more sites if they lean towards paranoia. In the first place, when there are patches released, they are the ones who should take charge and informing others about it. Or they should take the initiative to handle it. Also, users must be more aware of these matters. Security patches are not released without any reason. In this age where computer users are very much connected to one another via the Internet, incidents like this one could happen very often. As the adage goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Have you checked if you have been able to patch up your Windows machine? If not, get those patches now!

[tags]myspace,windows,spyware[/tags]