When Charles Babbage, the father of Modern Computers, designed the Differential Engine and Analytical Engine, most probably he never gave a thought on Computer Security. There were more important research topics but as time went by and the versatility of computer took its shape people began to apply computer in different fields and different applications. As more time went by and more people became computer literate they tried to peep to other people's documents in different ways or the other.
For instance, if your files and folders are not secured, anyone can login to your computer and access files. This is the most common type of cyber crime and perhaps most simplest. But as technology geared up, more and more types of cyber crime came into existence. There are lots of technologies but some of them which are worthy to mention are implementing a Packet Sniffer or just injecting a Trojan into the network.
Before you are aware, any data like your files and folders or even critical data which we don't want to share with other people like Credit card details might be hacked. It is for this reason that PC Security is now not only a top concern for most small Business or Enterprise IT, home users are also aware and undertake all measures to stop a hacker or a cracker to steal sensitive information from one's computer. Instead of discussing how one can crack to other people's system lets discuss how to stop or atlest try to stop such hacking.
First of all, make sure you don't keep any sensitive information stored in your computer and if it's very much necessary to keep a softcopy you can keep it certainly in a pen drive or a CD ROM or DVD ROM.
Once you store it in a removable media the only responsibility from your side is to store the media in a safe and secure place which is not always applicable for a computer in an open network. For those data which are less important or less critical it is always better to keep a backup copy. All operating system gives the option to take backup.
Keep a good antivirus with a good firewall which will protect unwanted traffic. All operating system like UNIX, Linux and MAC OS X including our favorite Windows XP SP2 come with a default firewall which does a pretty good work of filtration of network traffic. Further keeping a good antivirus or an antimalware/ adware will protect your computer from Trojan horse which might claim something and end up taking control of your computer and so your data.
When you buy or download an Operating System or software it's bound to have some flaws or bugs which a hacker or cracker can take advantage of. But luckily these companies periodically do release patches or hotfixes or service packs to keep its software secure and safe.
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There are many remote computer support service providers in the market who offer tech support to the PC users at very reasonable cost. Contact any of them and boost up your PC security.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Mark_Madison
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5323442
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Why You Should Take Computer Security Seriously and As a High Priority
Let's face it; viruses and malware aren't disappearing any time soon. They have become more common and increasingly advanced on every platform from Windows to Mac. Even smartphones are starting to succumb to never ending spread of malware. Let's go over some of the things you can do to prevent an infection and, in most cases, remove any threats successfully without much effort.
Keep your antivirus software up to date. This is one of the most important and effective things you can do to prevent an infection and remove any malware you might have. This not only applies to the program's detection files, but also to the program itself. Don't have an antivirus program on your computer? Get one.
There are many, many great choices to decide on. You may notice that a lot of antivirus programs now either have a free version, or are completely free. One of the key factors for this change compared to the past is the increasing amount and severity of malware. Nowadays, almost everything we interact with whether in the corporate world, at home, or on the go, involves some sort of computing process.
The fact that viruses and malware have become so common necessitates the use of antivirus software. If you consider how damaging most malware can be, you may come to understand why IT professionals are very serious about protecting yourself.
Protecting yourself is extremely important, but the fact that most malware is easily spread over email, networks, and websites/webservers, changes the game. If you put yourself at risk, you're also putting anyone else on your network at risk. Even people you communicate with regularly become at risk whether it's through social engineering based attacks or not.
Use an up-to-date web browser. This has become an incredibly big issue as of late. Older browsers are generally insecure and exploitable (as well slow, but that's another topic). The fact that Apple's desktop and mobile OS was exploited through Safari at a previous Pwn2Own contest says a lot.
Hackers are no longer solely relying on a user installing software to become infected. Instead, a lot of recent attacks are targeted at users browsing the internet. For example, let's say you're using Internet Explorer 6 and you visit a site that has either become compromised unintentionally (yes, it happens all the time), or is designed to infect the user. Since you're running an incredibly old browser, it's more than probable that you'll become infected.
If that happens, you're now relying on your antivirus software to either catch it in real time, or on the next scan. If you're not using antivirus, you can guess what'll happen. If you are, it comes down to a matter of statistics. Newer browsers implement much better security methods and are generally safer to use. Sometimes, it can even render certain malware ineffective because of the advanced security measures in place. That's not normally the case, but it does happen if the virus or malware is old and sloppily coded.
Be smart. There are many sites out there that trick you into downloading software that is actually malware. Other sites may try to look like official legitimate sites but are actually in place to either steal your sensitive information, infect you, or both. Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace all have their share of threats as well. Sometimes you may see a post from a friend that is in broken English or just doesn't make sense.
These are usually accompanied with a link and a little closer that tries to make you click on the link. These posts are the result of socially engineered malware. They leverage the power of social networking sites along with any compromised accounts they've already taken control of, and attack others using the same method. You can imagine the rate of compromised accounts and malware since many people do not think about what they're clicking on or if it's even safe.
Be smart, stay alert, and watch out for any social engineering attacks directed at you. Remember, just because your friend posted something on Facebook and you personally know him, it doesn't necessarily mean that your friend posted it. The number of compromised accounts on social networking sites (and email providers) is staggering and always growing every day.
Those are only a couple of factors that will keep you safe from attacks. Try to think of the big picture. If you don't care about your computer getting infected or attacked, consider other people that come into contact with you or that computer. This can be anything from friends/family physically using the computer to communicating with you while you use that computer. Remember, almost every industry has an IT aspect to it.
Things you aren't even aware of can cause a big impact and, in most cases, can cause that impact silently. Also, be sure to consider that malware comes in more variations than you can count and has many different types as well as a wide variety of goals. In the end, if you're not careful and end up getting infected, you could be the reason why your friend just spent $300 at Best Buy getting the viruses off his computer.
-------------------------
Have questions?
Visit us for more help and information on securing your computer. We handle all types of IT Support requests and even offer IT Consulting.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_J_Wood
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5326039
Keep your antivirus software up to date. This is one of the most important and effective things you can do to prevent an infection and remove any malware you might have. This not only applies to the program's detection files, but also to the program itself. Don't have an antivirus program on your computer? Get one.
There are many, many great choices to decide on. You may notice that a lot of antivirus programs now either have a free version, or are completely free. One of the key factors for this change compared to the past is the increasing amount and severity of malware. Nowadays, almost everything we interact with whether in the corporate world, at home, or on the go, involves some sort of computing process.
The fact that viruses and malware have become so common necessitates the use of antivirus software. If you consider how damaging most malware can be, you may come to understand why IT professionals are very serious about protecting yourself.
Protecting yourself is extremely important, but the fact that most malware is easily spread over email, networks, and websites/webservers, changes the game. If you put yourself at risk, you're also putting anyone else on your network at risk. Even people you communicate with regularly become at risk whether it's through social engineering based attacks or not.
Use an up-to-date web browser. This has become an incredibly big issue as of late. Older browsers are generally insecure and exploitable (as well slow, but that's another topic). The fact that Apple's desktop and mobile OS was exploited through Safari at a previous Pwn2Own contest says a lot.
Hackers are no longer solely relying on a user installing software to become infected. Instead, a lot of recent attacks are targeted at users browsing the internet. For example, let's say you're using Internet Explorer 6 and you visit a site that has either become compromised unintentionally (yes, it happens all the time), or is designed to infect the user. Since you're running an incredibly old browser, it's more than probable that you'll become infected.
If that happens, you're now relying on your antivirus software to either catch it in real time, or on the next scan. If you're not using antivirus, you can guess what'll happen. If you are, it comes down to a matter of statistics. Newer browsers implement much better security methods and are generally safer to use. Sometimes, it can even render certain malware ineffective because of the advanced security measures in place. That's not normally the case, but it does happen if the virus or malware is old and sloppily coded.
Be smart. There are many sites out there that trick you into downloading software that is actually malware. Other sites may try to look like official legitimate sites but are actually in place to either steal your sensitive information, infect you, or both. Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace all have their share of threats as well. Sometimes you may see a post from a friend that is in broken English or just doesn't make sense.
These are usually accompanied with a link and a little closer that tries to make you click on the link. These posts are the result of socially engineered malware. They leverage the power of social networking sites along with any compromised accounts they've already taken control of, and attack others using the same method. You can imagine the rate of compromised accounts and malware since many people do not think about what they're clicking on or if it's even safe.
Be smart, stay alert, and watch out for any social engineering attacks directed at you. Remember, just because your friend posted something on Facebook and you personally know him, it doesn't necessarily mean that your friend posted it. The number of compromised accounts on social networking sites (and email providers) is staggering and always growing every day.
Those are only a couple of factors that will keep you safe from attacks. Try to think of the big picture. If you don't care about your computer getting infected or attacked, consider other people that come into contact with you or that computer. This can be anything from friends/family physically using the computer to communicating with you while you use that computer. Remember, almost every industry has an IT aspect to it.
Things you aren't even aware of can cause a big impact and, in most cases, can cause that impact silently. Also, be sure to consider that malware comes in more variations than you can count and has many different types as well as a wide variety of goals. In the end, if you're not careful and end up getting infected, you could be the reason why your friend just spent $300 at Best Buy getting the viruses off his computer.
-------------------------
Have questions?
Visit us for more help and information on securing your computer. We handle all types of IT Support requests and even offer IT Consulting.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_J_Wood
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5326039
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