Hacker Steals Secret Government Plans - Protect Your Information, Or Pay The Price

There are two main types of information where access needs to be managed; 1) Company Information 2) Private Individual Information Companies limit access to certain information on their computer network as a matter of routine. Not everyone will be able to access last month's sales figures or know the detailed plans for next year. Everyone accepts this as reasonable and protection against speculation in the company's shares. Management of sensitive information of this type is can be achieved by firewalls and password protection within a company's computer network. Access to the information can also be at various levels, eg read only or editing rights. Backing up data on a daily basis is an essential part of a company's disaster recovery plan. Very sensitive information may not be stored on a network connected computer. Hackers are a security threat that most IT network managers are very aware of. Every company and government body also gathers information on us. That might be as simple as a database of phone numbers and addresses, or it could include your Social Security number and driving licence details. There are laws in place to limit how that information is accessed and used. Government agencies and large companies usually comply fully with all state and federal legislation regarding Information management. They have personnel who are exclusively responsible for managing the information databases. Small businesses may be less vigilant in their compliance, not through a lack of willingness, but through a lack of knowledge or management time. When there is effectively one person making all planning and management decisions in a company, a policy for information management is not always high on the agenda. You have the right to see the information that any company or organization holds on you and to have it corrected if inaccuracies exist. You should also ask what the company uses the information for, whether it is for marketing purposes or whether the information is shared with other companies.

Detect Spyware and Adware and Remove It Without Spending a Dime

Spyware - Learn how to detect spyware and remove it using resources that are either free or very little cost, such as Spyware Nuker.

Adware and spyware have become a world-wide computer problem from using the World Wide Web. They have turned into malware because of their viral and extremely hostile behavior. Along with the hazards of identity theft and deceit at hand on the Internet, adware and spyware can be other than merely irritating. Here are some methods to detect spyware and adware and remove or merely avoid the adware and spyware and not outlay a dime on the most recent "anti-virus" software, such as Spyware Nuker.

1. USE Firefox. If you don't use the Internet very much, then maybe you don't understand a good deal concerning Firefox. All you need to comprehend is that it is a browser that performs VERY nicely and has excellent security protection.

2. DO NOT USE Microsoft Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is similar to Swiss cheese. It seems to have an endless supply of security holes. Microsoft is ceaselessly sending out patches to fix all the flaws in the Internet Explorer 6.X and prior versions of the browser. Even though it can be "secured" by adding to thesecurity it may give away much of its functionality when set to highest security when specific exploitable features are turned off.

3. Use a software or hardware firewall (not only Windows XP Service Pack 2's firewall). This may be thought to be expensive and difficult to do but it is not. If you use a DSL or broadband cable connection your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may have issued you a DSL/Cable router that has a a firewall included with it. All you need to do is switch it on. This may force you to spend a few minutes to read the instructions.

If your ISP did not deliver you a DSL or Cable broadband router that includes a firewall you can shell out anywhere from $20 -$60 (or occasionally even cheaper when it includes a mail-in rebate) to get a router. If you use DSL you would require a DSL router. If you use Cable broadband ISP you would need a Cable Router. Brands such as Linksys have already built in firewalls and a feature known as NAT, Network Address Translation, which is extremely effective because it hides your actual IP address from the Internet. All routers are sold with directions on how to hook them up. If you desire to maintain you computer security free, merely use a free software firewall.

4. Detect Spyware and Adware using free Anti-spyware, anti-adware software. Lavasoft's Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy are two superb methods of restoring your system for free. Majorgeeks.com is a favorite and trustworthy freeware website that has these and several additional outstanding spyware/adware cleaning and malware preventing software (including free downloadable firewalls).

The best approach is to use ALL of the options. Remaining proactive by surfing using a suitable browser and obtaining a firewall is critical, but it likewise helps to beware of other good anti-adware/spyware applications. If you get hit with a genuinely foul bit of malware that can not be cleaned using Adaware or Spybot, dig up yourself a geek. There are numerous big forums on the Internet committed to accomplishing nothing but to detect spyware and adware and remove them and other malware. In all likelihood if your computer is contaminated with it, hundreds of others prior to you have been contaminated and have previously figured out how to get rid of the malware.

Why Get Free Internet Security Software

You secure everything in your life. You save money for your child’s education, you save money to buy a nice home for your family, and you also save money for emergency situations. This is why you work hard in order to get a good job with a sufficient salary to live a comfortable life.

However, there are people out there who would do just about anything to get what they want and that includes stealing. Many people have become victims of a very serious crime called identity theft, which often resulted in losing a lot of money and getting sued by several people because of fraud they didn’t even commit.

If you think you are taking all the necessary steps in order to protect yourself from being victimized by this very serious crime, you should think again. Today, a lot of people use the internet for cheap communication, for researching and also for buying goods and services. It is a very efficient tool where you can really benefit from.

If you use the internet to purchase things, then you are vulnerable in becoming a victim of identity theft. Since the internet today is used for a lot of transactions, there are people who are also using the internet to steal from other people. They develop different kinds of programs that can enter your computer without you knowing about it, or they can also send you phishing emails for scamming you into providing your personal and financial information.

The scary thing about this malicious software in your computer is that you’ll never really know that it’s there or how it got in your computer. These cyber criminals design these programs to be invisible as much as possible. If you don’t know what to look for, chances are, you’ll never really figure out about the malicious software lurking inside your computer.

So, you now ask how you will be able to protect yourself from getting victimized by the number of malicious softwares circulating in the internet today, and how to prevent it from entering your computer. First of all, the best way to protect yourself from being a victim is by simply stop using the internet or be careful on answering emails or on visiting websites.

However, this can prove to be too inconvenient. The internet is considered to be one of the most important tools in life today. You will need the internet for work, for your children’s studies and for entertainment. So, the next best thing to consider is by installing an internet security software in your computer to protect you from the malicious software and people circulating the internet today, such as computer viruses, spyware, adware, and hackers.

There are different kinds of internet security software available for download in the internet. Some are free while others will require you to pay a fee for their software. The free versions are not really as effective as the paid version since it will only have limited functions or limited operating time. However, the free versions can serve as a temporary solution while you are still looking for the right kind of software for your needs.

The free software will also let you test the different kinds of internet security software available today in order for you to determine which internet security software will give you maximum protection from hackers, viruses and other malicious software roaming the internet today.

So, if you are looking for a temporary way to protect yourself from malicious software, it would be a very good idea to consider free versions of internet security software. This will not only give you protection while you look for a more permanent solution, but it will be a great way to try out different kinds of internet security software and help you determine which software is the best.

Computer Viruses Are A Hot Topic

No matter who you talk to, everyone has either had a computer virus or knows of someone who has gone through the agony of trying to get rid of the problem. Computer viruses are a hot topic that seem to affect everyone who owns a computer system, whether at work or at home. The companies that produce software programs that catch and delete these computer viruses are constantly updating their databases for virus types and definitions so that they can better protect your system against all the newest viruses. Creating virus protection programs is a multi-billion dollar business that is growing more and more everyday. The number of viruses being created and uploaded to the Internet is growing at an astounding rate of a new one every eighteen seconds! This definitely keeps the virus protection companies on their toes with research and development.

Because these viruses copy themselves to any computer system they come in contact with, the spread of viruses throughout a computer network or the Internet is a very fast and deadly thing to happen to your computer. Because computer viruses are a hot topic, they routinely are the subject of magazine articles and forum topics online. While some viruses do nothing more than frustrate you with pop-up ads or other messages, others are completely malicious and set out from the start to destroy the files and operating systems of your computer.

Of the 53,000 viruses that have been identified and classed, more than 80 percent of them have been classed as malicious and capable of harming your computer system or data files. These computer viruses behave in much the same way as biological viruses by contaminating any computer systems they come in contact with. These self-executing programs are generally very small and work at damaging the way your computer works or by damaging or completely removing key system files.

When computer viruses are a hot topic, more and more people find out about the destructive power of these programs. In this way a great many people find out about virus protection programs and rush out to get the newest protection programs or they ensure that their computer virus protection is up to date. Many magazine and news articles about computer viruses have the effect of sometimes panicking people into believing that their computers are at risk. Having a good anti-virus program and current updates is one of the best ways to protect your computer system against virus attacks.

This must also be coupled with good file habits such as scanning all downloaded files with the anti-virus program before opening them. It is always a good idea to take the time to ensure that the file you thought you were downloading is indeed the file you have. For instance, a file that labels itself as a movie file and is less than one megabyte in size is not a movie file. Movie files are generally nearly a thousand times that size and therefore, the file you have downloaded is most likely not a movie file and may in fact be a computer virus.

Computer viruses are a hot topic at the office when a virus attack manages to get past protection protocols put in place by the network administrators. All it takes is one person allowing some executable files they have been sent to open and start replicating itself through the network of computers to make life Hell for that company. Virus attacks can cripple office systems very quickly resulting in lost revenue and consumer confidence which can affect the way that stocks in that company are traded resulting in even further financial losses. That is why it is so important for larger businesses to have comprehensive computer virus protection programs in place.

These virus programs are much more detailed and powerful than the anti-virus programs that many consumers have protecting their computer systems. Because the fallout from a virus attack is much more financially damaging to a large corporation, the virus protection program needs to be much more robust and capable of protecting multiple systems within the corporation. Computer viruses are a hot topic among businesses simply because of the way that they can affect the company financially.

Top Ten Online Shopping Security Tips.

Every year billions of dollars are spent by consumers on line; and as the trend is growing rapidly, shopping security is still the number one factor in which a person may choose not to buy from a website.

This is particularly true if you are new to the internet or starting to buy on-line for the first time.

Shopping security has always been a touchy subject and is so important that most reliable companies go to a great deal of trouble to protect their customers rights, privacy and security. 

So can people feel safe when shopping on-line?

The answer to this is yes, if shoppers follow simple guidelines. If you are new to the Internet or a regular shopper online, the following guidelines should apply.


1. Make sure you know the exchange rate; if you are not sure of the current rates, find out before you buy an item. 

2. Find out the cost of delivery before placing your order and how long the delivery will take. Most shopping sites use couriers to deliver the goods and when delivering overseas can become quite expensive.

3. If you are bidding on E-bay check out the buyers and sellers feedback. This should become standard before you ever place a bid.

4. Always read the FAQ section if you are new to the site.

5. If someone demands cash for a payment, ‘say no‘. Use your credit card to make your payment; this will protect you against fraud. Credit card companies refund accounts where fraudulent activity transpires.

6. Check the buyers contact page. Make sure their postal address is posted on it. If not, don’t deal with them.

7. Don’t be afraid to ask the seller lots of questions, genuine sellers should be very helpful, some online shopping sites have forms where you can see customer feed back.

8. Check, and read in full the terms and conditions, and the privacy policy of the site.

9. If you are unsure about a site, try doing a search with Google or any of the other search engines.  You may find comments posted about the shopping site from other customers.

10.  If you are still not sure after reading the above it may be time to go shopping elsewhere.

These simple guidelines should also apply when bidding online.

If you do make the occasional bid in one of the many online auction sites, the same safety guidelines should become standard. Part of the appeal of buying or bidding online is that you tap into the global markets at a click of your finger. Buying through auction sites on the web can be very exciting and for most people enjoyable, but remember they can also be very addictive.

Most of the well-known auction sites are based in the United States; so overseas bidders should follow proper, but simple guidelines when placing their bids. 

We should not shy away from the worthwhile experience of online shopping.  Shopping on-line can bring you great savings, and will also take away the burden of going shopping.

Top 10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Online Identity Theft

Identity theft is becoming a bigger problem as more and more people are making the internet a bigger part of their lives. People who are new to the online medium often fall prey to ‘phishing’ or other internet identity theft schemes. In many cases the ‘phishing party’ uses your credit card to order goods for them selves, in other cases they will apply for credit cards, set up bank accounts, and take advantage of your good credit rating. Correcting these issues involves a lot of time energy and stress, so here are ten tips to help you from becoming a victim of identity theft.

Use a disposable email account. Keep your business or personal email account just for business or personal communication. If you are going to be making purchases online, joining newsgroups, or subscribing to mailing lists and ezines use a disposable email account. There are many online free accounts such as yahoo, hotmail or grail, and most of them can interface with popular email clients like outlook or outlook express. Use one of them for all of your shopping transactions.

Disguise your online identity. If your real name in Mary Smith try to avoid using email accounts with name like msmith@example.com when dealing with people you don’t know and trust. If you were born in 1972 don’t chose msmith1972@example.com as your email account.

Use different level passwords. Use one password for your personal information, use another for your business accounts and a third for your disposable email accounts or mailing lists you sign up for. Don’t use sequential passwords like password1 for personal use password2 for business, and password 3 for disposable accounts.

Use strong passwords. Don’t use your birthdates, year you were married, or your children’s birthdates. Avoid choosing passwords that consist entirely of letters or numbers. Also try to avoid using passwords that are actual words. The best passwords are mnemonic phrases like “my father ate three apples for breakfast”. Take the first letter of each word and convert the number into numbers and you end up with “mfa3a4b”.

Rotate your passwords. You should change your passwords every 6 to 12 months. If you suspect your passwords have been compromised change them as a safety precaution.

Use only one credit card for all of your online purchases. If any of your other credit cards have online transactions you know they are fraudulent. If you see offline purchases for your online credit card you also know they are fraudulent.

Use credit cards instead of debit cards. While many debit cards now offer online purchase protection it’s easier to dispute fraudulent charges than to recover debit card funds that have already been spent.

When you make purchases online make sure your transactions are secure. In the address bar you should see “https” and not “http”. There should also be small lock icon in your browser. If this is your first purchase from the company make sure the issuing company is someone you have heard of like Verisign, or Thawte.

Check a company’s privacy policy. When you make your first transaction make sure your check the privacy policy, look for logos from consumer groups like Trust-E and the better business bureau. Click the logos to make sure they are authentic.

Never open or fill out email requests for you to update you account or credit card settings via email. These are ‘phishing’ scams people use to try and secure your personal information. Many of them are growing increasingly sophisticated and go to great lengths to look exactly like the companies website using their exact logo.

© Computers.6ln.com, All Rights Reserved.

Hacker Season Comes But Once A Year

Hackers are now in full swing, tempting and luring us into parting with our cash and identity for an empty promise.

It's that time of year, the 20th of November, typically known in the retail trade as 'Black Friday' has come and gone.  Hackers are now in full swing, tempting and luring us into parting with our cash and identity for an empty promise.  Black Friday, known among the retail trade as the start of the holiday shopping season is also the start of the Hacker's busiest period.  This year, the biggest concern among technology experts is web-borne malware.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is followed in marketing lingo by Cyber Monday. Both are big days for retailers and online fraudsters. Consumers should watch out for e-mails advertising incredible deals that seem too good to be true.

Emails purporting to be from Ebay, Amazon or other Specialist E-tailors hide the true website addresses that you are directed to visit through clickable links.  Another trick is to send out (blast) emails to innocent internet users, advertising a hot product for far less than normal retailers.  This years hot products will, in our opinion be electronic goods like the Nintendo Wii and quite possibly the Amazon Kindle, both of which look set to be sold out!

Reports indicate that this year fraud losses due to e-commerce will top the 3 and a half billion dollar mark.  This is predominantly due to an increase in online users and those looking for hot deals on the web.   It's also important to remember that websites at the top of Google, Yahoo or MSN may not be the safest domains.  Tactics are widely used to get top rankings and the search engines don't vet websites for authenticity!  Basically, buyer beware.  If there isn't a phone number or valid trading address on the website, don't buy from it.

Why Should You Worry About A Malicious Code?

 A malicious code can be a program. It can also be a part of a program. Further a malicious code can attach itself to a good program. In that way the malicious effect occurs first when the good program runs.
The last time you installed a large software, let us say a photo program, you just executed one command, for instance INSTALL or SETUP. After that the installation program took control, creating and deleting files. A few minutes later you have a lot of new code and data installed.
You had really no idea of what you had received. Hopefully all you received was good and may be it was. But think for a minute of all the millions of byte that were transferred and all the modifications that were made to the existing files. And all this was going on without your consent or knowledge.

A malicious code can do anything other program can. It can write a message on the computer screen, erase a stored file or stop a running program. Malicious codes can do different things every time. They can also do nothing most of the time and then suddenly act in a very dramatic way.

What is a malicious code?  How is it possible that it can take control of a system? How can you recognize a malicious code? Is it possible to stop it? Let me try to give you some answers.

A malicious code is an undesired effect in a program or in a part of a program, caused by an agent intent on damage. A virus is a program that can pass on a malicious code to other good programs by modifying them. A virus “infects” a program by attaching itself to the program. Then the virus destroys the other program or it exists with it. Also the good program can be modified. It then acts like a virus and starts to infect other programs. A transient virus acts when the attached program runs and terminates when the attached program stops. A resident virus locates itself in the memory of the computer and can remain active even if the attached program stops.

A Trojan horse is a malicious code that besides its primary effect even has a non obvious effect. It can for example take the identification and password of a user, passes the identifi-cation information on to the rest of the system, but keeps a copy of the information for later use.

A logic bomb is a type of malicious code that goes off when a certain condition happens. A time bomb is a logic bomb, where the trigger is a time or date. 

A worm is a malicious code that spreads copies of itself through a network. The difference between a worm and a virus is that a worm operates through a network and a virus is spread through a medium, usually a copied program or data files.

The only way to prevent an infection by virus is to avoid sharing an executable code with an infected source. Of course you cannot know which sources are infected, the best advice I can give you is to expect that any outside source is infected. The problem is that you cannot cut out all contact with the outside world. However there are some techniques to obtain a fairly safe community for your contact with the outside world.

1.    Use only commercial software from established vendors
2.    Test all new software on an isolated computer
3.    Made a bootable disc and store it on a safe place
4.    Make backup copies of executable system files
5.    Use virus scanners regularly

You can never be quite safe for a malicious code, but at least you have a good chance to diminish the harm if you follow these fairly simple rules.

Top 5 Reasons to Choose An Internet Filtering Appliance Over Software

The advantages an internet filtering appliance has over software include security, stability, accuracy/reliability, maintenance and the total cost of ownership.

The need for organizations to monitor and control Internet usage in the workplace should be an accepted fact of doing business in a cyber-connected world. Statistics indicating that 30 to 40 percent of Internet use in the workplace is unrelated to work issues should come as no surprise. Neither should the report that 90 percent of employee computers harbor as many as 30 spyware programs. In fact, studies indicate that companies may be incurring average costs of $5,000 per year per employee in lost productivity due to Internet abuse. Other data suggest that as much as 72% of employees are downloading music and video clips, eroding bandwidth and leaving networks open to spyware and other malicious agents.

As these dramatic statistics show, the need for organizations to manage their Internet access should be a baseline requirement. But how do organizations choose from the wide range of filters available to them? Perhaps one of the first decisions they will to make is between a software-based filtering solution and dedicated filtering appliance.

Both appliance and software-based options offer standard functionality -- they monitor Internet activity, block site access, automatically enforce corporate Acceptable Usage Policy guidelines and report inappropriate behavior. However, upon closer examination, there are some important and compelling reasons to choose an appliance-based solution.

An overview of the advantages of an appliance over software when it comes to handling your organization’s Internet access include these basic five categories:

•    Security
•    Stability
•    Accuracy & Reliability
•    Maintenance
•    TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

Because software-based filtering solutions must integrate with your OS, you cannot be assured that the complexity will not cause security and stability problems. Filters that are software–based can degrade performance because they share resources with their hosts and performance degradation can increase in conjunction with load. It’s hard to scale a software-based filter because more users create increased loads on the host systems. A dedicated Internet filtering appliance uses pass-by technology to check website and IM requests against a list that is updated automatically. If the request matches a name on the list that is not allowed, a denial is sent back to the requester and no bandwidth is utilized.

The dedicated resource of an appliance and its pass-by technology will prevent network slowdowns as well as single-points of failure on the system. The accuracy and reliability of an appliance-based Internet filter is maintained through fluid updates to the system. Software has to ‘check’ every single request, creating a bottleneck that it is a single point of failure. If the bottleneck becomes overwhelmed or crashes, no Internet traffic will be able to pass into or out of the company.

In terms of time and cost, a dedicated Internet filtering appliance requires less maintenance than a software-based filtering system. The database is maintained on the appliance filtering device, where it can be updated automatically with new sites, protocols and even port activities in order to block port-hopping servers. Software filters require manual updates and again, require all traffic to travel through that one single point of failure.

The cost of maintaining both is measured by what each type of service provides. While investing in an Internet filtering appliance may not be feasible for a very small company with only a handful of employees, software based programs are not scaled for handling large loads. The costs of failing software filters are more likely to impact a company’s revenues than the investment in an Internet filtering appliance.

The ultimate task of a Web filter is to filter both incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. The Web filtering solution you choose must be able to protect employees from visiting sites that do not match the Acceptable Usage Policy while also protecting the company from the financial, legal and security ramifications of employee Internet activity. An appliance-based Internet filter protects a company’s assets, reputation, employees and their bandwidth in one package.

What Are Intrusion Detection Systems?

With computer hackers and identity thieves getting more computer literate, the security your computer needs to keep them out has to always stay at least one step in front. There is a different type of computer safety tool that detects an attack or system intrusion before it has the chance to harm your computer. It is called an IDS or Intrusion Detection System and is another form of application layer firewall. Intrusion detection systems are programmed to detect attempted malicious attacks or intrusions by computer hackers trying to get into your system by detecting inappropriate, incorrect, or anomalous activity. There does seem to be some question of how well this system works when many personal computer users are going to wireless online connections. Some will argue that with the adoption of intrusion prevention technologies has created a unique challenge for security professionals. In order to make this type of system effective, such monitoring of these devices requires extensive security expertise and time. If devices are incorrectly tuned and not regularly updated, attacks of malicious traffic and intrusions may be permitted. In order to prevent downtime, security professionals also must continually check on these devices in order to keep the system running smoothly.

There are three different types of intrusion detection systems.

A host-based Intrusion Detection Systems consists of an agent on a host that can identify intrusions by analyzing system calls, application logs, and host activities. Network Intrusion Detection System is an independent platform that identifies intrusions by examining network traffic and monitors multiple hosts. These gain access to network traffic by connecting to a hub, network switch configured for port mirroring, or network tap.

Hybrid Intrusion Detection Systems combine both approaches and the host agent data is combined with network information to form a complete view of the network.

A Signature-Based Intrusion Detection System can identify intrusions by watching for patterns of traffic or application data presumed to be malicious. These systems are able to detect only known attacks, but depending on their rule set, signature based IDS's can sometimes detect new attacks which share characteristics with old attacks.

Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection Systems identify intrusions by notifying operators of traffic or application content presumed to be different from normal activity on the network or host. Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection Systems typically achieve this with self-learning.

A Signature-Based Intrusion Detection System identifies intrusions by watching for patterns of traffic or application data presumed to be malicious. These type of systems are presumed to be able to detect only 'known' attacks. However, depending on their rule set, signature-based IDSs can sometimes detect new attacks which share characteristics with old attacks, e.g., accessing 'cmd.exe' via a HTTP GET request.

An Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection System identifies intrusions by notifying operators of traffic or application content presumed to be different from 'normal' activity on the network or host. Anomaly-based IDSs typically achieve this with self-learning.

Features and Benefits The Managed Intrusion Prevention Service includes:

Configure and provision device

Create initial policy; update and tune policy on an ongoing basis

Monitor and report on health and security events 24x7

Industry leading Service Level Agreement

Report all security events on the Client Resource Portal

Flexible reporting options on Client Resource Portal

Notify customers of major security and health issues

Upgrade and patch devices

Seamless integration with VeriSign's Incident Response and Computer Forensics team

Whether used for detection or prevention, Intrusion SecureNet technology is peerless in accurately detecting attacks and proactively reporting indicators of future information loss or service interruption. Using pattern matching for performance and protocol decoding to detect intentional evasion and polymorphic or patternless attacks, as well as protocol and network anomalies before a new attack has a signature created, the SecureNet System is ideal for protecting critical networks and valuable information assets.

Don't Get Caught by a Phishing Scheme

Do you know what phishing is?  Do you know how to prevent it from happening to you?  Explore this article on how to identify a phishing scheme and how to protect yourself.

You receive an email from your bank warning you that your account information needs to be updated urgently or else it will be suspended.  In a panic, you click on the link in the email and are brought to your bank's web site.  Without giving it a second thought, you enter your user name and password to access your account online.  In that moment, you have just handed an unknown criminal the keys to your banking account.  You've been the victim of a phishing1 scheme.

 

Phishing has become one of the most common methods of electronically stealing people's identities.  During the period between May 2004 and May 2005, over 1.2 million individuals were victims of these attacks and have lost approximately $929 million.  Clearly, phishing is a big problem, but the question is how can you protect yourself from being reeled in?

 

One way is to increase your suspicion.  The emails and web sites used in these phishing schemes are often remarkably accurate in appearance and tone to the real thing.  That can make it difficult for you to recognize a fraud.  However, there are a couple of things that can alert you to danger.

 

First, check how the email is addressed.  Does it say “Dear Paypal Customer” or does it include your name?  Legitimate emails from these companies will use your name in the salutation.  If the email begins with a generic salutation that could have been sent to anyone, then you should think twice before following any links in the email.

 

Second, consider what the email is saying.  Phishing schemes frequently use scare tactics, such as telling you that your account is being suspended, to make you act quickly and without thinking.  Don't fall into their trap!  If you receive an email stating that some problem exists with your account, contact the organization by email or, preferably, by phone to check the status for yourself.

 

Finally, never click on a link in the email.  These links will redirect you to the attackers' web site.  Instead, go to the organization's web site on your own.  For example, if you received an email supposedly from Ebay about your account, you would type www.ebay.com into your browser instead of using the link.  That way you can check the status of your account safely because you'll know you are at the right location.

 

Of course, phishing is only one method of stealing your identity.  If you want to learn how to protect yourself from phishing and other methods or if you've been a victim of identity theft and need to know what steps to take now, you need to read Identity Theft:  A Resource Guide from PCSecurityNews.com.  The ebook is available at http://www.PCSecurityNews.com.

Cyberspace Samurai's Art Of Hacking

If you acknowledge the foe and recognize yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you recognise yourself merely not the foeman, for every victory gained you volition also suffer a defeat. If you cognize neither the opposition nor yourself, you testament succumb in every battle." - Sun Tzu, The Art of War. Take the immortal words of Sun Tzu, cognise yourself. Or here, experience your computer code. Do you live however your codification wish react to an tone-beginning. Do you roll in the hay if your diligence or data is guarantee, or if at that place ar huge security measures holes. If your coating were under attempt, would you even love it. And what approximately make out the . Do you make love a hack bequeath approach your covering.

Do you sleep with what early warning signs to looking for, to detect once your applications being hacked. Have you ever looked at your lotion as a drudge would, and thought close to you would plan of attack it. As a professional cyber-terrorist, in this article, I leave guide you through the process hackers take to exploit applications and systems. I'm often asked, "What should I concern just about in my encode that hackers could exploit?" This is easy enough to answer for risks we get laid some nowadays, simply it doesn't address the real problem.

I tin Tell you roughly the most popular onslaught vectors for now's applications, just that only aid you . To truly assist you become more ensure, I need to Teach you what to expression for. I wish to enable you to do the analysis. This follows the old proverb, "Give a man a fish and he be able-bodied to eat ; Edward Teach a man to fish and he never go hungry." This is true for security system and your applications — well, not the whole fishing part, only the teaching part.

You get the idea. Trying to track a on the Internet is like nerve-racking to track the wild Abominable snowman in Nepal (I'm not sure in that location any tamed ...). But in any case, if the left no tracks, was silent, and hid where you weren't looking or in a place you didn't have existed. would you find him. If hackers tin can poke and prod your and potentially get access to sections of your encipher or data that you weren't expecting them to, you do it they thither.

Are you nerve-wracking to William Tell me that I toilet dodge bullets?" Morpheus: "No Neo, I'm stressful to distinguish you that you're ready, you won't have to." I could separate you more or less entirely the latest exploits and exactly what to facial expression for to fix your specific and make sure it's insure. We would talk around buffer-overflows, SQL injection, Cross-Site Script hacking, the list goes on and on. We would be essentially attempting to dodge the bullets; to headache or so each and every little incoming onset. Once you ready, one time you start thinking almost your applications and the environment in a holistic manner, and in one case you controller your applications to react the way you wishing them to or log the activity they don't, then you be to protect against attacks that haven't even been dreamt up yet. I'm not saying your be 100% assure, just that your ever be under your restraint.

You e'er be aware of what's going on and what your threats . That is the true nature of surety. It's totally most command. You need to be in mastery. Logs, coupled with a strong understanding of you may be attacked, is a huge step in the right direction.

The Ten Most Common Spyware Threats

Spyware is a serious threat to individuals and corporations.  Read this article for the most common threats.

You've heard the phrase "know thy enemy."  Well, here are your most common spyware enemies (source:FaceTime Security Labs).  Don't be fooled - spyware is not a game.  It costs individuals and corporations millions of dollars each year.  Spyware can be used to watch your surfing habits, steal credit card information, or just be a nuisance.  In any case, it's a royal pain.  Know they enemy.

1. Gator - Gator is installed by users as a password vault.  That means that passwords can be recalled for you automatically when visiting sites.  The trade-off for this service is that you have to endure pop-ups when visiting certain sites.  Claria, the maker of Gator,has cleaned up its act a little by labeling the pop-up ads, but they're still annoying.

2. CoolWebSearch - This has got to be one of the most notorious browser hijackers out there.  This is the name given to a program with many different variants that redirect users to coolwebsearch.com or datanotary.com.  Uninstallation can be extremely complex.  Users shouldn't try to manually remove this software.

3. 180SearchAssistant - This software either serves ads in pop-ups or pops up website windows based on your keyword searches.  This software usually comes bundled with other "freebie" type software installs like emoticons or wallpaper.  Newer versions of the software have an add/remove program uninstall item.

4. Huntbar - Now here's an annoying piece of software.  Huntbar installs a toolbar onto internet explorer and windows explorer windows.  It changes your home page and search page settings to point to their servers.  If you use another search engine, Huntbar will redirect you to theirs.  Great stuff.  Oh, and it puts a 15% drain on memory resources.

5. Cydoor - This software usually comes with P2P software, ie. peer to peer.  Again, it barrages you with a series of pop up advertisements.  It also tracks usage information.

6. ISTbar - Yet another nice, unwanted piece of software.  ISTbar does "drive-by" install via ActiveX and javascript.  Basically, that means that you visit a site and it tries to install itself to your computer.  Nice, huh.  The Activex control installs a toolbar that pushes information to my-internet.info and blazefind.com.

7. WhenU-DesktopBar - Displays advertising content. Monitors internet traffic, collects search profiles, and can execute code from a remote server using its update feature only. Relevant searches may cause it to display a special offer, coupon, or other advertising content. The adware may also display advertisements.

8. New.Net - New.Net is a company that sells domain names for "nonstandard" top-level domains.  It should be removed pronto.

9. IEPlugin - As the name implies, it installs a toolbar in Internet Explorer.  It tracks web site usage, form items (like names, addresses, etc. - ie. yikes!), and local filenames that are browsed.  It's invasive - remove it.

10. BargainBuddy - Bargain Buddy used to be everywhere.  It is distributed by BullzEye Network.  And it sets up a Browser Helper Object (BHO) and monitors your computer usage.  It then, you guessed it, pushes advertisements your way based on that usage.

How Hackers Take Control of Your Computer

Understand how hackers gain control of your computer and simple tips and strategies to reduce the chance of your computer being hacked.


Your PC has many "ports" which are vulnerable to attack from a hacker. These ports are used to communicate internally with your monitor or printer or externally to the internet. For example, Port 25 is used for receiving incoming email and Port 80 is used to connect to the internet.

In addition you have a unique IP number which is assigned to your computer by your Internet Service Provide which is required for you to use the internet. This is how you send and receive information. It also serves as your computer's "address". The IP number looks like this - 106.185.21.243.

If you have a broadband or DSL connection your IP address rarely changes which make your computer more vulnerable. If you connect to the internet via dial up then you typically are assigned a new IP address every time you log on, but this doesn't been you are not vulnerable to attack! Another issue is that with broadband connection you are likely to be on line for longer periods of time giving hackers more opportunity to attack you.

Hackers use "port scanning" software to hunt for for vulnerable computers with open ports using your computer's IP address. They will then send malicious programs through these open ports onto your computer.

Another common way that hackers use to gain control of your computers is by sending out Trojan Viruses disguised as email attachments. Hackers typically send out these messages to 1000s of users with enticing headings and an attachment which they are hoping you will open. When the attachment is opened the virus loads itself onto your computer and allows the hacker to control your computer.

Hackers also bundle Trojan viruses into free downloads like screensavers which are commonly installed on home user's machines. Illegal P2P networks also circulated large numbers of infected files.
Here are some steps you can take:

1) Make sure you are receiving the latest Window's updates.
2) Have a good firewall installed.
3) Install a spyware removal tool get the spyware definitions up to date. Run a scan at least once a week or after being on line for a long period of time.
4) Install an anti virus program and keep the virus definitions up to date. Carry out a virus scan a least once a week.
5) Use a Spam Filter to stop dangerous email

Further actions you can take:
- Don't open suspicious looking email messages especially if they have attachments.
- Be careful what free software you download. Only download from reputable sites like CNet's Download.com.
- Remember to switch off your broadband connection if you are away from your computer for a long period of time. Get into the habit of switching your computer and broadband connection off at night time. This is especially relevant for wireless network users.

Freebie tricks

If you are a freebie hunter, you already know that not all freebies are really free. Some of them are just a big waste of your time and some can be really dangerous for you. I will try to point few things you should be aware of.

Viruses
Free software infected with viruses and trojans. You will need a good antivirus and make sure you have always the latest updates. Only download files from respected sources and you should be just fine. You can get some free stuff on our website. We try to test all freebies first.

Server security holes
If you run a website, be aware of any holes that may expose you to hacking. A security hole can make someone else take control of your website and use it for illegal purposes and guess what... you will face the consequences. Avoid as much as possible opensource software, specially if it's not updated for a long time.

Trial subscriptions
Those are freebies that aren't really freebies. They usually ask for your financial informations in order to get access to that particular freebie. Open your eyes wide when you enter such informations... every respectable website should have a security certificate on that page. Check it and see if the certificate is genuine. Do not enter paypal details on pages outside www.paypal.com, do not enter moneybookers details on pages outside www.moneybookers.com. Check the domain and if you spot something wrong get out of there and report them.

Shipping and handling
A freebie that require you to pay for shipping and handling isn't really free anymore, is it? That don't mean is not worth it... I would pay shipping and handling for a free plasma TV. But this can also be a trick... watch the domains that ask for credit card details the same way as for trial subscriptions. If anything looks suspicious, do not enter any financial details.

Email
When you try to access freebie directories, you still have to register and provide them with your email address. Look for privacy policy... some websites will sign you up for tones of spam newsletter and some will even sell your email address. An active email address is worth from 0,05$ up to 5$ on the black market. You all know what i mean... pharma stores that spawn everywhere, dating websites that send you 5-6 emails a day and so on.

The bottom line is that you are your best antivirus. Just keep your eyes open and don't click any link that pops in front of your eyes. Read, think and analyze everything.

Background of Password cracking

Passwords to access computer systems are usually stored, in some form, in a database in order for the system to perform password verification. To enhance the privacy of passwords, the stored password verification data is generally produced by applying a one-way function to the password, possibly in combination with other available data. For simplicity of this discussion, when the one-way function does not incorporate a secret key, other than the password, we refer to the one way function employed as a hash and its output as a hashed password. Even though functions that create hashed passwords may be cryptographically secure, possession of a hashed password provides a quick way to verify guesses for the password by applying the function to each guess, and comparing the result to the verification data. The most commonly used hash functions can be computed rapidly and the attacker can do this repeatedly with different guesses until a valid match is found, meaning the plaintext password has been recovered.

The term password cracking is typically limited to recovery of one or more plaintext passwords from hashed passwords. Password cracking requires that an attacker can gain access to a hashed password, either by reading the password verification database or intercepting a hashed password sent over an open network, or has some other way to rapidly and without limit test if a guessed password is correct. Without the hashed password, the attacker can still attempt access to the computer system in question with guessed passwords. However well designed systems limit the number of failed access attempts and can alert administrators to trace the source of the attack if that quota is exceeded. With the hashed password, the attacker can work undetected, and if the attacker has obtained several hashed passwords, the chances for cracking at least one is quite high. There are also many other ways of obtaining passwords illicitly, such as social engineering, wiretapping, keystroke logging, login spoofing, dumpster diving, timing attack, etc.. However, cracking usually designates a guessing attack.

Cracking may be combined with other techniques. For example, use of a hash-based challenge-response authentication method for password verification may provide a hashed password to an eavesdropper, who can then crack the password. A number of stronger cryptographic protocols exist that do not expose hashed-passwords during verification over a network, either by protecting them in transmission using a high-grade key, or by using a zero-knowledge password proof.

Avoiding Identity Theft

What's in a name? Possibly thousands of dollars. That's the word from law enforcement agents who say that Americans lose millions to identity theft each year.

The term "identity theft" refers to a crime in which a person steals your Social Security number or other private information. The criminal then uses that information to charge items or services on your credit or simply steal money from your bank account. The thieves often operate online, making it especially important to take precautions when surfing the Web.

A new book called "Geeks On Call Security and Privacy: 5-Minute Fixes" (Wiley, $14.95) could help you protect your identity. It offers expert advice on securing your computer as well as simple, step-by-step explanations of topics ranging from stopping viruses and spyware to backing up your data. The book explains these tips and others in detail:

Encrypt Your Computer Data

If your computer contains financial statements, credit card numbers, business documents, names and addresses of friends and family or other private information, consider using encryption software.

Social Security Numbers

Never use your Social Security number as a login on a Web site and do not give your Social Security number if an unsolicited e-mail requests it.

Avoid Automatic Logins

Some Web sites offer to save your user name and password so you can avoid the hassle of logging in over and over again. However, saving this information can make it easier for a thief to steal your identity.

Always Log Out

Before exiting an Internet account (online banking, bill pay, etc.), be sure to click the "Log Off" or "Log Out" button. This closes your session on the site and prevents someone from breaking into your account by clicking the back button on your Web browser.

Avoid Credit Card "Auto Save"

Most e-commerce Web sites allow you to store credit card numbers on their databases to make future transactions faster. Unfortunately, these databases are often targeted by hackers.

Are You Being Robbed, Without Even Knowing It?

“Would you let someone walk into your home, take whatever they wanted and leave as if nothing had happened?“

No! Of course you wouldn't. So why are you letting them do it to your website?

WARNING:

If you are using PayPal , Clickbank or a number of other payment processors for your digital downloads YOU ARE LOSING MONEY!!!

Using a simple two step operation those in the know can read your website, download your product for free (Steal it) and be gone without you even knowing a thing.

Depending on your traffic and product price, this could be costing you hundreds, even thousands of dollars a month.

“So Simple your average 12 year old can do it!“

Almost as scary is the fact that any pictures, content, links in fact anything on your website can be stolen with just two simple mouse clicks. This isn’t only available to those in the know either. It is common knowledge and is so simple your average 12 year old could and does do it, EVERY DAY.

“Where do your Emails go first?“

Did you know that your emails can go through more than four different severs before they arrive at the in box of the person you sent them to. Again with only a little know ledge it is possible to read your emails at any stage of their journey from your computer to the recipients in box.

“Would you allow these people into your home?“

Ill ask you again “Would you let someone walk into your house and take your money?”

NO?

Then why do you let them steal money from your website?

“Would you let someone walk in to you home and walk out with the contents, such as your TV set or stereo?“

NO?

Then why do you let them steal whatever content they want from your website?

“Would you let someone at the post office open your letters and read them before they were delivered to you?”

NO?

Then why do you let someone read your emails before you even receive them?

Just being aware that these things go on every day puts you ahead of the majority, who are totally oblivious to this outright theft and invasion of their privacy.

“ Don’t allow them into your website! “

Now you know, You could be losing money, you could be donating anything on your website to anyone who wants it and that your email could be read by many different people before you see them.

What are you going to do about it.?

If you are going to broadcast that you have free products available and invite people to take whatever they want from your website. What do you expect?

“ Don’t be a victim “

As with any crime, the perpetrator chooses his victim carefully. He searches for someone who looks like a victim.

 It's the same on the net. The criminals look for vulnerable websites ie Websites allowing digital downloads. They are looking for websites with nice graphics, good content and lots of keywords. Oh, did I mention, that your competition can actually steal your Keywords in a bid to get a better search engine ranking.

“ Conclusion”

Now you know what the criminals are looking for you can take the necessary measures to protect yourself.

Do you want to be a victim?

It’s up to you!

Application Security - IT Risk Management

Application Security risk assessment and risk management are vital tasks for IT managers. Corporations face increased levels of Application Security risk from hackers and cyber crooks seeking intellectual property and customer information. A comprehensive application security risk assessment is a modern day corporate necessity.

Application security risk management provides the optimal protection within the constraints of budget, law, ethics, and safety. Performing an overall Application Security risk assessment enables organizations to make wise decisions.

Web Servers - Application Security
Web Servers are One of the most critical sources of Application Security risk to organizations. Performing an application security assessment and implementing security risk management is critical. Here are core points that pose a major security risk to Application Security:

Default configuration - Application Security
Web server default configurations that may not be secure leave unnecessary samples, templates, administrative tools, etc. open to attacks. Poor application security risk management leaves security breaches for hackers to take complete control over the Web server.

Databases - Application Security
Web sites and applications must be interactive to be useful and there lies the risk... Web applications without sufficient application security allow hackers to attack their databases. Invalid input scripts leads to many of the worst database attacks. Comprehensive risk assessment may reveal steps to ensure application security.

Encryption - Application Security
Encryption reduces application security risks and losses when Web servers are breached. Even though a company's Intranet server has greater vulnerability to attacks, encryption creates a lower relative risk.

Web Servers - Application Security
Web Servers are the most critical sources of Application Security risk for most companies. Performing application security assessment regularly and implementing security risk management reduces security risk for overall application security.

Databases - Application Security
Web sites and applications must be interactive to be useful and there lies the risk... Web applications that do not perform sufficient application security validation allow hackers to attack its databases. Invalid input leads to many of the most popular attacks. Comprehensive risk assessment may reveal steps to ensure application security.

Default configuration - Application Security
Web servers default configurations often leave unsecured important information, templates and administrative tools open to attacks. Inappropriate application security risk enables hackers to gain control over the Web server and your company's Application Security. The bright side is there are powerful application security solutions to combat them.

AdvancedNetworX, Inc. completes all requirements for Cisco Systems Advanced Security Specialiation

Effective 26 February 2008

Congratulations to AdvancedNetworX, Inc. for meeting all criteria to achieve an Advanced Security.

AdvancedNetworX, Inc. has met the resource requirements for an Advanced Security and has demonstrated that it is qualified to support customers with Advanced Security in USA.

We value the commitment and expertise that AdvancedNetworX, Inc. has demonstrated and look forward to a successful partnership.

Sincerely,
Cisco Channel Specialization Team


What is Advanced Security Specialization?
"The Cisco Advanced Security Specialization recognizes partners for their knowledge and expertise in selling, designing, installing, and supporting comprehensive, integrated network security solutions. ... The focus of the specialization is on developing sales, technical, and services capabilities that distinguish partners as being among the industry’s elite in providing integrated, collaborative, adaptive security solutions." -- Cisco Systems

About AdvancedNetworX, Inc.:
At AdvancedNetworX, your business IS our business. We work closely with you to find the technology solution that best matches your needs. Then design, implement and support the solution, while exceeding expectations.

Because the quality of your business depends on the quality of your network, security and voice services, count on AdvancedNetworX to be an extension of your team. We have the knowledge and experience to keep your companys network services at 100%.