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
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Computer Security For You and Your Family
Computer security for you and your family Hi, I've been compiling a compilation pack of security tools for my friend and family. We all know how much negative materials are out on the web. What most don't realize is that they are targeting you and your family.
With the simply things like spam, trap sites, and hostel programs in sheep's clothing. These are the things that we as adult must deal with on a regular basis. But I have recently learned some interesting thing from family and friend close to me. The thing that shocked me was that their family did not know even these basics. I an attempt to protect their kids from these things, they had in fact left them wide open to attack.
To illustrate this I will tell you the two problems that brought me into this topic. First, was a problem with my sister and here teenage son. Now any one who has ever been,met,or even seen a teen before can tell you they can be a giant pain for parents and pretty much every one else. My fifteen year old nephew is no different. He was actually worst than most. This is because he new the game better than his parents.
And as usual in my family, when it hit the fan they called me. I am I guess you could say a reformed problem child. So in matters of how to deal with problem teens, I always get called for advice. Well my nephew has A.D.D. or as I call it - advanced dork disease. Just kidding. Well his grades took a dramatic fall and he stopped all sports. This was assume to his A.D.D. by the school and my sister. What they didn't think of was that you don't get lazy from being hyper active. My first thought was like most teens, he was into drugs. Well long story short.
My sister found out the truth to late. He had failed all his classes and was on the verge of expulsion before she had realized he had not only been trying drug but selling it to his friends at school. Imagine that. Finding out that your sweet little boy is the school pot connection. She first found out when they took his phone. He had all sorts of text between friends asking for drugs. Shocked, my sister lost it. He was locked in the house and cut off from his friends until she could figure out what to do.
Well that lasted about a day before he had gone out his window and on the run from his own family. Now if this wasn't bad enough, he did this on mothers day weekend. Well he bounce from so called friend to friend trying to find a place to sit on his but and smoke pot full time. When this wasn't working, he and some other geniuses decided to steal a bunch of thing from their own families and build some kind of camp in the woods. Well they were caught by police after the second robbery witch was my sisters house.
Arrested on 5 felony counts and one being theft of a hand gun and rifle. Well like most kids, he got real sorry ounce he was caught. But know he is waiting for his third hearing to see how many years he will have to do in jail. Now you might be thinking that this was a bad seed and it couldn't happen to your family. Well he did his chores and watched his younger sisters each day. Was in football and other activities like most kids.
But it all changed in what seemed like over night. He new he was wrong so instead of stopping, he lied and hid it from those who cared enough to say something. Basically living two lives. One at home and one with his punk friends. At least until they collided. Then like most teens, his wants out ranked his family and of course those little things called laws.
People say that teens have the right to privacy. True to a point. But if you are paying for their phones,cars,computers and so on. You have the right to check how they are being used.
Whats better, being the nice guy who visits them in jail or the one who kept them out. Now the next one is not so extreme. A friend of mine has a preteen girl. Sweet kid and not a bad bone in her body. At least not yet. She is only a preteen remember. Well she had decided that it was time to learn about the birds and the bees. Now she didn't know were or who to ask but her mother did not seem to be on her list of possibles.
It's amazing how far kids will go to avoid that moment with their parents but be willing to ask a complete stranger. Well she opted for the internet. She did a Google search for sex. Not realizing how twisted it is out there on the net let alone the porn industry. The poor girl was traumatized for weeks. Here mother found her freaked out and had no idea what she was talking about.
At least till she found her computer stuck on a porn site. Imagine trying to explain bondage and the other fetishes to your preteen little girl. If this wasn't bad enough, it was a viral site. It locked her computer to the site and would not let go. She ended up not only with a traumatized girl, but she lost her computer as well.
It took her about a week before finding out that her computer was trashed and that the site had hacked her personnel info. I found out through a nice add that was sent from her computer to all her email contacts for pills to enlarge a certain part of the mail body. When I called her to ask why she thought I needed these pills, she filled me in on what happened.
What I thought was a weird joke was just one of the many side affects of a curious little girl on an unsecured computer. Now she must keep a constant eye on her credit and such for ID theft and other acts of fraud carried out in her name. And as big as the world is, that not easy. So for my sister and friend and all the other parents and loved ones out there, I started to look into a few products that would possible stop these things before they happen. Cause remember, as good and smart as we adults are with tech.
The next generation is smarter. I found a few items that has helped my friends and family so I wanted to put it out there for others. It kills me to know that if I had done something sooner, my nephew might not be waiting for his next court date. Probably just grounded and maybe some counseling.
So if you think you might be or know some one that needs to read this or find a product to help them with their hand full. Please pass this onto them. Below is the link to a hub page I made up for the products I suggested to my family and friends. Please check it out or find something that works for you. I have two to five year of regret coming. I really don't want that for any one else.
------------------------
Go to link: http://hubpages.com/hub/Electronic-Security-for-the-hole-family?done
Jake B.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Binford
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4751948
With the simply things like spam, trap sites, and hostel programs in sheep's clothing. These are the things that we as adult must deal with on a regular basis. But I have recently learned some interesting thing from family and friend close to me. The thing that shocked me was that their family did not know even these basics. I an attempt to protect their kids from these things, they had in fact left them wide open to attack.
To illustrate this I will tell you the two problems that brought me into this topic. First, was a problem with my sister and here teenage son. Now any one who has ever been,met,or even seen a teen before can tell you they can be a giant pain for parents and pretty much every one else. My fifteen year old nephew is no different. He was actually worst than most. This is because he new the game better than his parents.
And as usual in my family, when it hit the fan they called me. I am I guess you could say a reformed problem child. So in matters of how to deal with problem teens, I always get called for advice. Well my nephew has A.D.D. or as I call it - advanced dork disease. Just kidding. Well his grades took a dramatic fall and he stopped all sports. This was assume to his A.D.D. by the school and my sister. What they didn't think of was that you don't get lazy from being hyper active. My first thought was like most teens, he was into drugs. Well long story short.
My sister found out the truth to late. He had failed all his classes and was on the verge of expulsion before she had realized he had not only been trying drug but selling it to his friends at school. Imagine that. Finding out that your sweet little boy is the school pot connection. She first found out when they took his phone. He had all sorts of text between friends asking for drugs. Shocked, my sister lost it. He was locked in the house and cut off from his friends until she could figure out what to do.
Well that lasted about a day before he had gone out his window and on the run from his own family. Now if this wasn't bad enough, he did this on mothers day weekend. Well he bounce from so called friend to friend trying to find a place to sit on his but and smoke pot full time. When this wasn't working, he and some other geniuses decided to steal a bunch of thing from their own families and build some kind of camp in the woods. Well they were caught by police after the second robbery witch was my sisters house.
Arrested on 5 felony counts and one being theft of a hand gun and rifle. Well like most kids, he got real sorry ounce he was caught. But know he is waiting for his third hearing to see how many years he will have to do in jail. Now you might be thinking that this was a bad seed and it couldn't happen to your family. Well he did his chores and watched his younger sisters each day. Was in football and other activities like most kids.
But it all changed in what seemed like over night. He new he was wrong so instead of stopping, he lied and hid it from those who cared enough to say something. Basically living two lives. One at home and one with his punk friends. At least until they collided. Then like most teens, his wants out ranked his family and of course those little things called laws.
People say that teens have the right to privacy. True to a point. But if you are paying for their phones,cars,computers and so on. You have the right to check how they are being used.
Whats better, being the nice guy who visits them in jail or the one who kept them out. Now the next one is not so extreme. A friend of mine has a preteen girl. Sweet kid and not a bad bone in her body. At least not yet. She is only a preteen remember. Well she had decided that it was time to learn about the birds and the bees. Now she didn't know were or who to ask but her mother did not seem to be on her list of possibles.
It's amazing how far kids will go to avoid that moment with their parents but be willing to ask a complete stranger. Well she opted for the internet. She did a Google search for sex. Not realizing how twisted it is out there on the net let alone the porn industry. The poor girl was traumatized for weeks. Here mother found her freaked out and had no idea what she was talking about.
At least till she found her computer stuck on a porn site. Imagine trying to explain bondage and the other fetishes to your preteen little girl. If this wasn't bad enough, it was a viral site. It locked her computer to the site and would not let go. She ended up not only with a traumatized girl, but she lost her computer as well.
It took her about a week before finding out that her computer was trashed and that the site had hacked her personnel info. I found out through a nice add that was sent from her computer to all her email contacts for pills to enlarge a certain part of the mail body. When I called her to ask why she thought I needed these pills, she filled me in on what happened.
What I thought was a weird joke was just one of the many side affects of a curious little girl on an unsecured computer. Now she must keep a constant eye on her credit and such for ID theft and other acts of fraud carried out in her name. And as big as the world is, that not easy. So for my sister and friend and all the other parents and loved ones out there, I started to look into a few products that would possible stop these things before they happen. Cause remember, as good and smart as we adults are with tech.
The next generation is smarter. I found a few items that has helped my friends and family so I wanted to put it out there for others. It kills me to know that if I had done something sooner, my nephew might not be waiting for his next court date. Probably just grounded and maybe some counseling.
So if you think you might be or know some one that needs to read this or find a product to help them with their hand full. Please pass this onto them. Below is the link to a hub page I made up for the products I suggested to my family and friends. Please check it out or find something that works for you. I have two to five year of regret coming. I really don't want that for any one else.
------------------------
Go to link: http://hubpages.com/hub/Electronic-Security-for-the-hole-family?done
Jake B.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Binford
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4751948
Computer Security - What Exactly Is It?
Although the term 'computer security' is used a lot, the content of a computer is actually vulnerable to only a few risks unless the computer is connected to others on a network. As the use of computer networks (especially the Internet) has increased dramatically during the past few years, the term computer security is now used to describe issues referring to the networked use of computers and their resources.
The major technical areas of computer security are confidentiality, integrity and authentication/availability.
- Confidentiality, also known as secrecy or privacy, means that the information you own cannot be accessed by unauthorized parties. Breaches of confidentiality range from the embarrassing to the disastrous.
- Integrity means that your information is protected against unauthorized changes that are undetectable to authorized users. The integrity of databases and other resources are usually compromised through hacking.
- Authentication means that an user is who he claims to be.
- Availability means that the resources are accessible by authorized parties. Examples of availability attacks are the 'denial of service' attacks.
Other important things that the computer security professionals are concerned about are access control and nonrepudiation. Access control refer not only to the fact that users can only access the resources and services they are entitled to, but also to the fact that they can't be denied to access the resources they legitimately expect. Nonrepudiation means that a person who sends a message cannot deny he sent it and vice versa.
In addition to these technical aspects, the concept of computer security is very large. Computer security's roots are drawn from disciplines like ethics and risk analysis and the major topics that are concerning it are computer crime (tries to prevent, detect and remedy attacks) and identity/anonymity in cyberspace.
Although confidentiality, integrity and authenticity are the most important things when it comes to computer security in general, for everyday internet users, privacy is the most important one, because many people think that they have nothing to hide or the information they give doesn't seem sensitive when they register with an internet service/site.
But remember that, on the internet, information is very easily shared among companies and small pieces of related information from different sources can be linked together to form something alot more complex about a person. Because of this, nowadays, the ability to maintain control over what information is collected about them, who may use it and how it can be used is extremely important.
---------------------
For information and resources on network, computer security, hackers, vulnerabilities, patches, advisories, and more visit http://www.itfreaks.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ciontescu_Molie
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/31194
The major technical areas of computer security are confidentiality, integrity and authentication/availability.
- Confidentiality, also known as secrecy or privacy, means that the information you own cannot be accessed by unauthorized parties. Breaches of confidentiality range from the embarrassing to the disastrous.
- Integrity means that your information is protected against unauthorized changes that are undetectable to authorized users. The integrity of databases and other resources are usually compromised through hacking.
- Authentication means that an user is who he claims to be.
- Availability means that the resources are accessible by authorized parties. Examples of availability attacks are the 'denial of service' attacks.
Other important things that the computer security professionals are concerned about are access control and nonrepudiation. Access control refer not only to the fact that users can only access the resources and services they are entitled to, but also to the fact that they can't be denied to access the resources they legitimately expect. Nonrepudiation means that a person who sends a message cannot deny he sent it and vice versa.
In addition to these technical aspects, the concept of computer security is very large. Computer security's roots are drawn from disciplines like ethics and risk analysis and the major topics that are concerning it are computer crime (tries to prevent, detect and remedy attacks) and identity/anonymity in cyberspace.
Although confidentiality, integrity and authenticity are the most important things when it comes to computer security in general, for everyday internet users, privacy is the most important one, because many people think that they have nothing to hide or the information they give doesn't seem sensitive when they register with an internet service/site.
But remember that, on the internet, information is very easily shared among companies and small pieces of related information from different sources can be linked together to form something alot more complex about a person. Because of this, nowadays, the ability to maintain control over what information is collected about them, who may use it and how it can be used is extremely important.
---------------------
For information and resources on network, computer security, hackers, vulnerabilities, patches, advisories, and more visit http://www.itfreaks.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ciontescu_Molie
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/31194
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