Web Security Tips

EU wants a lot, spends a lot – Part 1

Avatar — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 07:42:00 +0000

The EU has announced on the 29th of February that it is willing to spend 55 million Euros on improving security measures over the internet from 2009 till 2013. This move is aimed to prevent children and youths from accessing inappropriate content and falling victim to internet bullying scams which end up as costly purchases for their parents. Part of the plan is a union-wide information campaign that aims to educate children parents and teachers that the amount of information on the internet that children can get hold of is so much and not all of it is good for them.

Adware/Spyware

Avatar — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:07:02 +0000

These are advertising tools that without the proper protection such as a firewall (which is built into Windows Xp SP2 or one may be included in your Anti-virus software ) pop out of nowhere when you visit web sites, becoming a nuisance by distracting you from the information you may be looking for. The worst of these ad-ware packets off load a small program that sends information about you over the internet. This can be in the form of a “key-logger” which captures all keys pressed on your keyboard that is sent as a file when a certain condition is reached. Another form still turns your computer into a zombie which can be controlled from outside your house by a hacker millions of miles away who browses, gets all the information he needs as you go on your coffee break. They can even leave you with a virus (not the cold type, but a malicious program that causes your computer to crash or send innumerable e-mail that overloads other computers turning them into lean mean e-mail machines sending out garbage overloading internet servers and gateways.

P2P Site Administrators Beware

Avatar — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:33:24 +0000

Peer to peer sites have long been a debated and attacked web sites that are said to be sponsored and run by hackers for anything goes with P2P. From the latest and hottest music tracks and videos, to whole movies being shared across the continents even with copyright laws as we have said anything goes. But this issue has gotten a twist when a P2P site admin himself was attacked by other hackers who hate the way the site was working. The Admin had most of his site accounts hacked and much of his personal information posted on other web sites. His paypal account has even been hacked to with donations made to a religious group that he had reportedly spoken against. The hackers in a bold move didn�t even hide the attack and sent email and other messages to the said admin regarding his ways and that he was going against the P2P principle of people not supposed to earn anything and that they are supposed to share anything. This might be a taste of their own medicine but as the web evolves, who knows which would be hailed right or wrong in the future of the constantly evolving internet.

FaceBook Phishing Scam

Avatar — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:03:02 +0000

The site has again been subject to attack by hackers who gather up user login names and passwords. The attack begins with a seemingly legitimate FaceBook link which unknowingly cuts out selective information as they are linked to the group as belonging to the friend social group. FaceBokk to this day has not released any comments on the new attacks but assure the public that they are doing everything they can to protect people�s personal information from getting out into the wrong hands. This brings about the issue of password strength wherein the recommended practice should have users change their passwords between applications (social groups or networks to which they belong to) and that these specific site passwords be changed on a regular basis to prevent ease of attack.

FTP for fast file transfer

Avatar — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:11:35 +0000

But that might not be too great for security when browsing the web. Go to the control panel and check-out internet connections and go to the protocol sections and see what are installed. There are usually three types NetBios, IPX/SPX and TCPIP. For most casual internet users you would only need TcpIP for the NetBios and other protocols were usually used be other Platforms such as Novell and other platforms that were used for inter-connection in between them.
Leaving these protocols installed can have intruders going in and out without you knowing it using no security at all transferring everything from the first byte to the last as is.

Site Blocking

Avatar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:10:22 +0000

If you allow your kids to go online on their own, use the built-in the windows content blocker. It allows you to specify which sites you do not allow them to access blocking entry with a password or to totally prevent entry to a site by blocking it altogether. There are facilities where you list the web site�s address which prevents your browser from entering the site and risking your information getting stolen by intruders who manage to get in when you are away and your kid is at the helm. Often they use the computer at the same time if you have several kids making the gap bigger and opportunities for intruders getting in.

Encryption Technology

Avatar — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:09:55 +0000

This is the main feature of so-called secure web sites that encrypt data for all transactions. This is only necessary when sending information say as you pay your bill, you would notice the browser if you watch closely shift to some other mode which would become evident due to it working a bit slower than usual. After paying it again reverts to un-secure mode which is faster and allows more users to access the same data you are. Secure transactions are slower for the data is encrypted with a public key which is generated by the sending computer who then sends it along with the data, the receiving computer then uses the same key to decode the information and generates a verification file sending it back, again this is encrypted to verify that the transaction was a success. That confirmation file is the softcopy of the receipt you get when doing online purchses.

Anti-Virus Protection

Avatar — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:08:35 +0000

Most anti-virus programs of today come in packages that have different features. It may be the basic anti virus that intercepts or removes viruses before they spread. It may also come with email protection which scans all incoming and outgoing e-mail for viruses and other malignant programs preventing them from leaving your computer and infecting other. Some even come with firewall systems that add to window�s already robust encryption and data security. The best ones even have encryption and data security tools that encrypts all the files on your computer allowing you to restore the whole thing at the press of a mouse. It is best to have at least one anti-virus program installed on your computer to prevent malicious code from wreaking havoc on your computer and ultimately your life (at least till you get the computer back up and running again).

Top 10 Internet Scams

Yra — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:03:24 +0000

The Fraud Center of the National Consumers League lists the top Internet scams of last year. Fake Check Scams make up 29% of all compaints, making it the most common scam. Second and third are General Merchandise and Auctions, or goods bought online that are misrepresented or not delivered. Although Nigerian Money Offers are only fourth, the average amount lost is the highest at $4,043.14. Other complaints are Lotteries/Lottery Clubs (mainly foreign), Advance Fee Loans, Prizes/Sweepstakes, Phishing (getting personal information), Friendship and Sweetheart Swindles, and Internet Access Services. It is interesting to note that while Friendship and Sweetheart Swindles are only 1% of total complaints, the average amount that is lost is a considerable $3,038.31.

Profile of UK Internet users

Yra — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:31:11 +0000

The new Ofcom report notes the continuing rise in media usage of under-55s, especially among the AB and C1 socio-economic classes and 16 to 24 year olds who spend more time online and engaging in more activities than individuals in other demographics groups. One important issue that was highlighted was the concern over identity fraud. Most people say they make checks on a website before entering personal details. ABC1s are cautious but do give out personal information on a new website. C2DEs and senior citizens are said to make fewer informed judgments and generally stay clear of entering personal details and registering on websites.