Internet Security Resource Center

The majority of households today have a family computer that connects to the internet for checking email, news, games, and school work. The internet has allowed us to stay in contact with friends like never before, but there is a downside. The internet is full of criminals who are looking to steal your financial information, identity, and credit card numbers. Here are 3 simple steps to protect your computer from these threats.

Step 1: Install all Microsoft Critical Updates

Microsoft releases updates for Windows software every second Tuesday of each month. These updates are designed to close security vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system. The updates are free of charge to Windows users and only need to be downloaded and installed. If you are using Windows 98, 2000/XP, or Vista you need to install these updates every month.

Step 2: Install Antivirus Software

The internet is full of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other nasty programs designed to crash or take over your computer. Antivirus software provides a shield around your computer to protect you from these threats.

Step 3: Install Spyware Software

Spyware is actually becoming the biggest threat against computers on the internet. Spyware installs on your computer without your knowledge or permission. This software is designed to track what web sites you visit, create pop-ups, and slow your computer down. Spyware software removes these programs from your computer.

If your computer is connected to the internet you must follow these 3 simple steps to secure your computer. The internet is a great resource for news, games, and entertainment but also contains dangers. If you follow these 3 simple steps you can be assured a safe and secure internet experience.

What Does a Firewall Do?

Firewalls are absolutely vital for keeping network security in force. The firewall stops and controls the traffic that comes between your network and the different sites you go to. A firewall is an integral part of a company’s network protection, and it acts to keep in force the network security policy. It can log inter-network activity with efficiency. It can also reduce a network’s vulnerability. Whenever an organization is connected to the Internet but is not using a firewall, any host on the network has direct access to all resources on the internet. If you don’t have a firewall, every host online can attack every host in your network.

What is a Firewall Incapable of Doing?

Firewalls are incapable of determining whether network content has a harmful purpose. Frequently they are unable to safeguard against attacks from within (although they may log the activity on the network, if the culprit utilizes the internet connection to commit the offense). If a connection does not pass through the firewall, it cannot be protected by it. To put it another way, should a person link up to the Internet via a computer modem and phone, the network firewall is unable to offer them any safeguard. Firewalls offer minimal safeguarding from attacks which are not already identified, and basic firewalls furnish inadequate security from contact with online viruses.

Authentication of a network user

All that user authentication implies is a means of establishing as valid or verifying the claimed identity. Usernames and passwords furnish this verification, however this is not very powerful user authentication. If a connection is not private, like an Internet hook-up that lacks encryption, usernames and passwords may be duplicated and replayed. Strength in terms of user authentication necessitates the utilization of encryption, like SSL certificates. These certificates stop ‘replay attacks’ from occurring, for instance when a username and password are obtained and ‘replayed’ for purposes of admittance or accessibility.

Firewall-to-firewall encryption

Virtual Private Network, or VPN, is the term most often used for an encrypted connection. Privacy is achieved by using encoded inputs. Of course, it isn’t really private. The private communication is carried by a public network such as the Internet. VPNs were in use before firewalls, but as the technology has grown, VPNs have come into play more. A VPN option is expected by most people when dealing with a firewall vendor.

Other firewall functions:

• Firewalls are more and more being used to screen content. Some firewalls also now scan for viruses. If you use a firewall for virus scanning, it can slow down your performance, though. You have to scan for viruses all the time, because each desktop is different and sometimes the firewall can’t always protect you from everything that you do. Especially when it comes to any removable disks.
• URL Screening: Firewall regulated accessibility to the internet as well as content filtering of both files and messages appears to be a practical extension of a firewall. The drawback of utilizing a firewall for URL or content filtering is minimized performance.
• To restrict the size of network space that any single user can occupy, or restrict the amount of the network’s bandwidth that may be utilized for given purposes.

Security is a growing concern for people everywhere. Protecting the car, home and person is slowly becoming even more of a priority for many Americans. Citizens all over the country are spending hundreds to thousands of dollars securing all their possessions. However, most of these people tend to overlook one huge gaping security hole at both their home and office. This hole provides would be thief’s and misfits with access to some of your most vital data. People are exposing their information daily, as if they were driving around town with their wallet on the top of their car. And, the most intriguing part of this problem is, how easily it can be fixed.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, the overlooked vulnerability I’m referring to is the wireless router. It sits there blinking it’s green lights looking innocent and playful. Who would guess that this device provides malicious hackers with access to your computer and ultimately your information. Even old routers with the security activated are a weak defense against experienced criminals. The tools needed to crack an old routers security is readily available to a knowledgeable hacker. In a conference last year, the FBI managed to crack an old routers security in 2 minutes with tools they found online.

It’s so important to patch up any vulnerabilities in your home or office network. I recently moved into a new home, and I made an amazing discovery as I set up my wireless router. Most of my neighbors also had wireless internet. Out of the 5 or 6 networks available to my computer only 2 had any kind of protection. On one network I was even able to get onto the families computer and if I had wanted to I could have looked at any file. It was a complete shock to me how careless people are with their networks. Lots of people believe that their computers security is enough. They think that it’s not a big deal if someone jumps on their network to surf the web. They don’t understand that there are loads of people out there trying to get their sensitive information.

In my office it’s the same story. I currently have 4 networks showing up on my airport display. Out of those 4 only 2 have their security turned on. A breach like that, at an office, is a gross error on someone’s part. At an office your not only storing your own sensitive data but data on your employees and clients as well. It’s unacceptable for any company to allow this kind of oversight.

The problem is most people don’t realize how easy it is to turn on the security in their router. For most routers all you have to do is get into the administration page and turn it on. The thing to remember is that all routers are different so make sure to read any documentation sent with the device. Also, it’s important to note that if you have a choice between WEP and WPA go with WPA. WEP has proven to be really easy to hack, and while WPA isn’t completely unbreakable it is a bit more secure. Another good tip is to turn off SSI broadcasting on your router. By following these two suggestions you’ve just made your router a hard target. This means most hackers probably won’t bother with your router, but will turn on your neighbors who haven’t been as wise.

Don’t be fooled by the false sense of security one often gets using the internet. We’ve all heard about the scams and vulnerabilities and yet must of us do little to protect ourselves. It’s hard to be concerned when the perpetrators are not breaking into our homes or cars. These criminals are so much more subtle, we don’t even know when they are there on our computers. Looking into our lives and stealing our information. It’s important to know that these people are out there, and that there’s steps we can take to protect ourselves from their malfeasance. So start now, and go turn on your router security.

We have all heard the horror stories about hackers busting into computers and learning secrets, that are suppose to be secure. And we have seen the movies where terrorists hack into highly secured government computers and take over, shutting down electric and water systems, and getting nuclear bomb codes. Although these are rare, and major if they ever did happen, there is still a lot of everyday hacking that is happening to the general public, such as Identity thief. This is a process where people get your personal information, either from computer files or even on paper. And they use it for their own gain.

We all have information stored on computers. Even if you don’t own one your information is still in large computer systems everywhere. Our banking systems use them, our government agencies, our schools, and work places. In all these computer lays our very critical details. Such as Driver’s License number, Social security numbers, bank accounts, credit cards, health records, etc. And if you do use a computer for personal use such as shopping, then you have had to give your information over a computer many times. And if you make purchases over the internet often you my have your information saved so you don’t have to enter it every time, and this could make it easier for someone to get a hold of it for the wrong reasons.

Online banking is another good example of our information being accessible on a computer. These hackers learn how to get our information from our personal computers, or even our banks. And they collect important pieces of our lives. Anyone who has ever been a victim of identify thief can tell you what a nightmare it can be. Your savings could be wiped out and your hard earned credit rating destroyed. So what can be done? Our banking systems and other high level organizations have top notch security measures in place to help protect us and our information. They also have people working everyday on improving security, and learning how to handle and avoid new threats. On our personal computers we need to take the proper precautions. And have different types and levels of security software in place. Hopefully this will help prevent anything bad from happening to our detailed information.

When you are shopping, or doing anything on the internet that requires you to give out details about yourself that can fall into the hands of a thief, be careful, and make sure the site you are giving this information to is secured and legitimate. Microsoft windows has an alert systems in place that tells you if you are entering an unsecured web page, it also checks the security certificates of a website and if there is a question it will advise you not to go there.

Pay attention to all the alerts when they are given, they are there to help protect you. Computers and the internet have made our lives much more fulfilling and easier. You just need be little careful and cautious. Just like walking to your car in the dark late at night, Just pay attention.

In the complex world of the internet there are several terms and concepts which must be learned in order to keep maximum security and protection while surfing the web. As you know many people are afraid of getting their computers hacked or have their personal and financial information compromised due to security holes in the system being used. Security holes can be found not only in the operating system but they could also be open due to bad firewall configurations (or no firewall at all), malicious scripts which have been downloaded or installed along with bundled software or even internet browser problems.

People who frequent dangerous sites for one reason or the other must be aware of what a proxy can do for them; but the fact is that not only people who visit dangerous sites need the protection offered by a proxy but people who just want to surf the web anonymously without being worried of security problems. A proxy of course can only protect users from having their IPs (internet protocol address) propagated and scripts run without permission; if a user decides to download programs and run them in their computers then they’ll definitively need the protection of a good internet and virus security suite.

Proxies are free services which are available to anyone on the web, they can bypass firewall and other settings which prevent users from accessing social sites, for instance, several schools and workplaces block “My-space” by not allowing people using their network to enter those sites; however people who access a proxy site can browse these sites without a problem. The records kept in the computer are those of the proxy site and not of the site visited through this portal.

Those who wish to use these excellent tools from home or work can simply change their internet explorer connection tab configuration through the LAN settings tab, once this button has been pressed a new windows open and an option which allows us to specify the IP address for the Proxy site appears, this is similar in other browsers such as Firefox, Opera, etc.

Webmasters who want to build their own proxies can do so by installing simple scripts such as “CGI-Proxy” or “PHProxy”, they both can be installed in web servers and configured easily, one thing to keep in mind is that if you are a webmaster or just someone who has a virtual hosting plan, make sure to configure the script to block image hot-linking through the site you are about to build, if you don’t change this setting your bandwidth usage can go through the roof. Besides using these scripts there are several templates which can help you customize the look of the portal. You can also use your own “Photoshop” designs if you are an advance web developer.

As you see this type of sites provides several advantages such as improved security, anonymity and easy access to restricted sites within a local network.

Security in communications has been considered the primary reason the Internet was started although many researches view this as an elaborate urban myth.

Imagine a world where nuclear war caused significant deficits in communications. The thought of this possibility is what some say led to the development of what was known as The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). This system allowed packets of information to be delivered through a series of connected computers ensuring that communications could continue in the event of a worse-case scenario.

From all accounts this system was birthed in the minds of scientists back in the early 1960′s and implemented several years later. When the cold war ended educational institutions used the system for research purposes in connection with other educational institutions around the world.

The ramifications of this global network eventually eclipsed any potential or mythological use during the cold war.

While this system did not serve in the capacity of post-apocalyptic communications it did serve to advance other noted communications including GPS advancement made available at no cost through the US Government. The governments of countries around the world now have sites dedicated to information and assistance for their citizens.

Today the Internet can facilitate a wide variety of communications including telephone service and audio and video transmission through podcasting and video streaming.

While security of governmental boundaries may or may not have been the motivation for what we now refer to as the Internet it is security that users must insist on to allow the computer to function properly.

Computer viruses are routinely released on the web that seek to extract data while corrupting files. Security measures are often breached while information is exported to individuals with less than pure intentions.

The use of anti-virus software is an important security measure to ensure the use of this global network through the portal of a home or business computer.

Because the Internet is based on shared data, resources and servers there is always the potential of virus attacks and other forms of online abuse. The overriding need of anti-virus protection simply works to stop viruses before they are spread from one user to the next.

Viruses can be imported through email and by visiting certain websites. Anti-virus software can alert you when an attack is inbound and can prevent that attack from actually affecting your computer.

As the use of the Internet becomes more widespread the use of anti-virus software is vital. Regular updates and computer scans are an essential part to computer safety.

Technical computer jargon has become a part of our everyday lives and not only at work but at home as well. If you have setup your own computer network at home you probably know all about wireless cards, routers, and firewalls. Most computer components are easy to install and get set up, making it possible create a safe and secure home network. One Internet connection can mean connectivity for every computer in the house.

However, you need to make sure your network is safe from hackers and viruses, which can destroy computers and result in irreplaceable data loss. Start by reading the manual of each network product you have since they typically go into great detail about security configurations. But there is still more you need to know.

Router Ports

The first thing you should do is rename the standard administrator account and password since it is likely quite common and would be easy to find. Router ports are basically network numbers which is used by some applications to distinguish traffic. For instance, port 80 is used for web browsing and is the standard for HTTP.

In order to make your ports secure you may want to forgo dynamic IP addresses and purchase a static IP address. This means that you can specify which IP addresses generate traffic leaving your network. This is especially important if you have a wireless network since someone next door can potentially use your network to get onto the Internet. By specifying which IP addresses may do that you

This is the second in a series of articles highlighting reasons why we need a new model for anti-virus and security solutions.

Reason #2: the Desktop Security Software Risks

The risks of placing software on the desktop are such that I will be breaking this article into two parts.

Fundamentally we think of having software on our desktops as a good thing. I love downloading or installing new packages and seeing what new creative things people do to the user interface or what they do to make certain aspects of my life easier or more fun.

But there are problems inherent with software that resides on the desktop, especially security software. All developers will know what I mean. First and foremost, desktop software can be reverse engineered. What’s that mean? Have you ever inadvertently double-clicked on a file and had garbage show up or seen something that looks similar to this?

http://www.checkinmyemail.com/Articles/image001.jpg

The old hex dump. Programmers will know it well. We actually spend a good deal of time trying to read this stuff. Basically, if there are programs that can (and do) turn instructions like the following

If UserBirthDate

into something like the picture above, then the reverse is true: people have developed software that can take that gobbeldy-gook in the picture above and turn it somewhat into the if-statement I wrote out. The reversing software won't know that I had an item called UserBirthDate, but it will know I was testing for a value of January 1, 1960 and it will be able to say that based on that value I set another item to Yes or No.

So now we install our fool-proof anti-virus software on our desktop (or our firewall for that matter). Well, so too can a virus author. And that virus author or hacker will also have gotten a copy of the latest reverse-engineering software from his local hacking site. He now goes upon his task of reverse-engineering the software and then trying to decipher the results. It's not easy but it can be done. Unfortunately, vendors know this and understand this as an acceptable risk.

The problem here is that your security software is at risk. If your vendor codes an error, the virus author can and will detect it. For example, if your vendor should exclude a file from scanning, it's possible the virus author will figure out which file (or type of file) that is and bury his code there. If the vendor excludes files from scanning or heuristics, it's possible that virus author will figure out a way to corrupt that file.

That being said, there are other risks. As we have said, once software is on the desktop it affords virus authors an opportunity to reverse-engineer security software. The knowledge that reverse-engineering provides is invaluable to a virus author when building his next software attack. Third, virus authors can learn where the anti-virus vendors put there software and put the links to their software (directory folders, registry entries, etc.). This too is invaluable information. In fact, in some ways it teaches people intent on writing malicious software clues as to how to infiltrate the computers' operating system, where registry entries need to be made to force software to be loaded every time a computer is started, etc.

This information is generally available all over the web and in manuals for operating systems, especially manuals on such subjects as the Windows Registry. But having the software teach you where things belong to be effective is powerful knowledge.

Lastly, and perhaps most significantly, is the issue of forebearance. The anti-virus vendors usually know more about the potential exploits inherent in programs than virus authors but they are bound by the fact that should they try to prevent them before the exploits occur, they could be branded as irresponsible for teaching virus authors about these very exploits.

For example, when Microsoft first released the macro capabilities of Word, anti-virus vendors immediately realized the potential for danger in macros, but they were handcuffed. If they released software that disabled macros before the first macro virus was ever released, they would signal to virus authors the inherent destructive powers of macros. They chose instead to wait, handcuffed by the limitations of desktop software.

Until the Internet there really has been no better medium for delivering virus solutions than desktop software. It was relatively inexpensive to deploy (either market the software and sell it in stores or provide free downloads on bulletin boards and web sites). It is, however, expensive to keep updated in terms of time and effort, even with automated update systems.

The Internet caused several things to happen: by becoming a powerful medium for sharing files, whole families of viruses disappeared practically overnight (boot sector viruses, for example); by becoming the option of choice for sharing files, it was easier to infect a single file and have thousands download it.

A better solution is to place the security software in an offsite appliance of its own making. All Internet, intranet, networking connections flow through the appliance.

Selling off the shelf hardware appliances with built-in security software is better than a desktop software solution but it still suffers -to a lesser extent- from the pratfalls that desktop software falls prey to.

Even better is to create a service that a 3rd party vendor manages in a secure environment. In such an instance both the software and the hardware are away from the prying eyes of the malicious software authors. This further reduces the opportunity for malicious authors to discover the tricks and techniques employed by the security vendors to protect you.

The Internet can be a dangerous place.

While you’re enjoying the convenience of online shopping, Internet banking and subscription websites, nasty people lurk around every corner.

Hackers, fraudsters, identity thieves and many others would love to get hold of your personal details.

And what stands between you and a security disaster?

Your password.

Just 8 little characters long, it’s your last line of defense online. Here are 10 tips for choosing and using bullet-proof passwords that will protect you from harm:

Tip 1 – Avoid the obvious

Passwords based on personal details are too easy to guess. Avoid using names, places, favorite sports teams, or “password”.

Tip 2 – Make it non-dictionary

One option a thief might try to crack your password is a brute-force dictionary attack. Choose something that you won’t find in any dictionary.

Tip 3 – Use the full 8 characters

The more characters a password contains the more secure it becomes, so fill that password field to the max.

Tip 4 – Mix the case

Deter thieves further by using a combination of upper and lower-case letters. A mIXeD cAsE password adds another layer of protection and is ever harder to guess.

Tip 5 – Include non-alphabetic characters

Adding numbers and non-alphabetic characters (like a hyphen) to your password makes it less likely to be cracked than something purely alphabetic.

Tip 6 – Don’t write it down

This should be obvious but it’s amazing how many scraps of paper surround the world’s PCs.

Tip 7 – Assign a different password to each login id

If thieves get hold of your password, they’ll try it in every online system available. Use a separate password at each website and you won’t have all your eggs in one basket.

Tip 8 – Employ a password manager

Remembering multiple secure passwords can be challenging. Specialist software like http://www.robo-form.com manages your passwords securely and automates the login process.

Tip 9 – Logout when you’re done

Always hit the logout button when you’ve finished using a secure site like online banking.

Tip 10 – Close that browser

Web pages and passwords can be cached in the browser, so close down your browser window for added security.

Follow these simple common-sense tips and you’ll enjoy greater online security while benefiting from the many advantages the Internet has brought.

A web browser is basically software application, which presents you information after traversing the resources on the World Wide Web. Some of the Web browsers like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari are most often used by computer users.

It is well known that while browsing the Internet, many malicious programs can enter into your system, and can reveal your personal information to intruders. In addition to this, malicious programs offers the facility to hackers, so that, they can remotely access your system. After accessing your system, hackers will use your personal information for their own benefits. So, it is important that you should operate on secure browser because it will secure your confidential information.

Features of Secure browser

Secure browsing offers you the facility to browse the Internet without any security threats. You can perform any transaction through the Internet without worrying about the theft of personal information. It presents you different websites in less time, and protects you against infection from malicious programs like viruses, spywares, etc.

With the use of secure browser, you can search, bookmark, and organize websites quickly and easily. Secure browser will warn you, whenever you access any suspicious website. It will protect you from phishing attack by analyzing Web forgery sites. This browser will let you know whether a plugin is safe or not, and if it is outdated, it will direct you the place to get the updated version.

Secure browser offers you the facility to delete recent history, customize settings for passwords, cookies, loading images and installing add-ons. With its password manager feature, you can remember site passwords. It will integrate with antivirus software installed on your system in order to protect you from viruses and other malwares.

Usability of secure browser

Secure browsing will consume less memory and will reload pages in less time. You can easily customize it according to your choice by downloading its add-ons. It will archive your browsing history, and your bookmarks in the Library, so that, you can easily search and organize them. It will offer you suggestions while filling a form. It will offer you friendly user interface, so that, you can easily access whatever you want without any confusion. You can easily organize your tabs and can save your tabs and windows for the next time.

Recommendation

It is required that you should make a proper enquiry bout the secure browser before operating it.