010 Security

Facebook Security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Sat, 21 May 2011 15:14:00 -0700

Facebook is the world's largest networking site! With over 150 million people using Facebook world wide, the number seems overwhelming and that is why it's been rated as the world's 5th largest visited site. It was initially very popular among teenagers, but now it's established its presence with members of all ages and sectors. It also provides a major platform for marketing plenty of businesses and helps in expanding it invariably. Facebook security has been query in most users' minds. You will do well though to know more about the Facebook Security and the way you can prevent your account from getting hijacked!

It is essential to know about the Facebook security and the way it is managed, with the recent incidents coming to light about the breach of Facebook security. Plenty of users are now concerned about their accounts! There were several occasions historicallyin the past when the security has been breached. The beta-phase of this site could not identify the feasible threats of hacking and information privacy, and thus, within few months to years of launch, the site saw plenty of unscrupulous visitors taking advantage of this issue.

Facebook has over and again worked on its security front. They have been actively working to protect their users. It must be said that their efforts are commendable. Every time they noticed a security breach they have fixed it. But the query is - Are all these measures for Facebook to be an admired as well as a most-visited site? Until now, all technical measures taken by Facebook have been reactive. Facebook will do well to bolster their security measures to being proactive in out-thinking the crooks, who are loose at giant waiting to make the best use of such sites.

IT guys have openly mocked the Facebook security systems! Amateurs like you and me would agree , given the reasoning behind it! To gain access to the staff, the security questions would be something like what is your father's middle name? Or name of third grade teacher? Every kid studying along with your infant could answer this query! Do you think these questions on social networking sites are to maintain privacy and security?

The tips are going to be simple and clichÃ©d, but they make lot of difference to securing your accounts from the hackers. Don't reveal any private information where someone can get it. Never ever enter credit card or such sensitive information on the net site. Even in case you are sharing along with your mate don't to it on social site. You have plenty of other ways to do that! Manage your privacy settings which Facebook provides. Yes, Facebook offers option to protect your personal information. You can select who ought to be allowed to view your personal information and more importantly which. Don't socialize with strangers on the site.

The cyber crooks will always have an interest in social sites. They will always try to steal common man's information and passwords by hacking or scamming. Facebook being the largest network is the simplest target. This may have rung alert bells about the Facebook security. Don't be concerned! I have listed a few basic tips which will help you protect your privacy.

Your security is in your own hands. play with the rules set and you are lovely to go.

Protect your wireless network

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:15:00 -0700

Protect your wireless network

The wireless network has become the best option in the growing problem of interlocking wire note that the cost of the establishment of a wireless network does not exceed the SR 500 and all what we need (wireless router) and every computer that we want to add to this network should contain (a wireless network card). Wireless development has brought with it new risks, where the network is vulnerable to several things like that someone else is using your net connection or the network is penetrated and tampering Baeidadatha and perhaps access to the files on your computer. These risks we had to do to protect the network and to prevent terrorists from access to information about us and that is being circulated wirelessly.

Requirements of the Wireless Network

Wireless network card

Today you can buy a wireless USB card so that you install it yourself easily.

Steps to protect your wireless network

Note: The following steps will give you an idea of the task on the methods of protection that you must apply to protect the wireless network note that each router a different way to adjust its settings, but the terminology that we will talk about a joint venture between routers.

1. Clear access to the wireless network.

This step is the most important measure taken to protect the wireless network. Means of encryption are used today (WPA2) and (WPA-PSK) and (WEP). Without deeper into the techniques of encryption (WPA2) is the last cry in the world of encryption, and preferred to buy very Router supports this technique. By this encryption you can use the word secret complex consisting of 64 box (large and small letters, numbers, references) and I would advise everyone to exploit all the available fields when you set the password. But how to remember the pin number composed of 64 check? There is no need to write the PIN number each time you want to enter the wireless network it will still be saved in the network settings, but preferred to write the PIN, Text file and keep it on the memory card usb external. Routers use the older type of encryption technology (WPA) encryption note that the previous (WPA2) better. For encryption (WEP) does not think never use it because it was considered a weak encryption and can penetrate the network during the 4 hours (maybe a couple of minutes) using special programs.

2. Use the MAC Filtering

Each network card is a special code called Pal Mac Address distinguishes it from other network interface. I picked up a picture of your network card so you can see the Mac Address. In the router settings you can set these options so as not to enter the wireless network, but according to a specific list of Mac Address. If you have at home, 3 computers, add the Mac Address for this device thus making it impossible to add another layer of protection in addition to the number of former secret. If the network card inside the computer and want to know what is the Mac Address tags Click on Start, then type cmd and then press Enter. In the black screen, type the command ipconfig / all (Pay attention to the vacuum), and then press Enter. The Physical Address is the same as the Mac Address (See picture below). Move it and add it to the list specified in the router (see example below).

3. Hide the network - to cancel the broadcast SSID

The SSID is an abbreviation of the word service set identifier is the name of your network wireless and see all of the resides within the range or scope of the broadcast. Went out to the balcony with the laptop were taken the following networks that appear in the image. There are 3 networks (non-protected) in addition to the networks. In case the SSID is enabled when the three networks, they will not show me within the networks that has been captured. But I know that you are to cancel the activation of only the SSID and broadcast Hide This means it does not mean cancellation of the broadcast, which still is present and there are ways to show the network even in case of concealment, but this a good way to hide your network from neighbors and curious.

4. Change the default network name - the SSID

Change the default name for the network. The default name is usually the type of router guide. In the following picture you see that is not changing the name of the default network is clear that there are routers from the company SIEMENS and next to each one its own model number. This thing easily in the search for ways to penetrate the network when you know what is a router guide. Try to choose the name of the mysterious of the network.

5. Change the data access to the router

Change the user name + password used in the router. Usually be the default admin user name and password are admin. I know that if access to the router by another person then he can change all settings Balraur and give himself full powers to enter the network.

Information Security Policies

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 20 May 2011 09:38:00 -0700

Information security policies, whether corporate policies, business unit policies, or regional entity policies provide the requirements for the protection of information assets. An information security policy is often based on the guidance provided by a frame work standard, such as ISO 17799/27001 or the National Institutes of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800 series standards. The Standards are effective in providing requirements for the "what" of protection, the measures to be used, the "who " and "when" requirements tend to be organization-specific and are assembled and agreed based on the stakeholders' needs.

Governance, the rules for governing an enterprise are addressed by security-relevant roles and responsibilities defined within the policy. Decision making is a key governance activity performed by individuals acting in roles based on delegated authority for making the decision and oversight to verify the decision was properly made and appropriately implemented. Aside from requirements for protection measures, policies carry a variety of basic concepts throughout the entire document. Accountability, isolation, deterrence, assurance, least privilege and separation of duties, prior granted access, and trust relationships are all concepts with broad application that should be consistently and appropriately applied.

Policies should ensure compliance with applicable statutory, regulatory, and contractual requirements. Auditors and corporate counsel often provide assistance to assure compliance with all requirements. Requirements to resolve stakeholder concerns may be formally or informally presented. Needs for the integrity of systems and services, the availability of assets when needed, and the confidentiality of sensitive information can vary significantly based on cultural norms and the perceptions of the stakeholders.

The criticality of the business processes supported by specific assets presents protection issues that must be recognized and resolved. Risk management requirements for the protection of especially valuable assets or assets at special risk also present important challenges. NIST advocates the categorization of assets for criticality, while asset classification for confidentiality is a long standing best practice.

Requirements for policy may arise from a contractual source or from a partner's request, the Payment Card Industry's Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requires a policy addressing the Standard's requirements that applies to all assets within the scope of the standard. DSS requirements can be integrated into a single corporate policy but given the stringency of the requirements an enterprise may elect to segregate protection domains with separate dedicated policies so that less stringent requirements are applied to assets outside the scope of the DSS, saving resources and tailoring protection based on the lesser perceived threat/risk to the assets.

Risk assessments are an important source of policy requirements that are specific to the environment and assets to be protected. Risk mitigation measures based on an assessment of risk and the assets at risk allows managers the opportunity to weigh investment against potential damage to reach a level of risk acceptable to the decision makers.

Attacks targeting online applications and their data have become an issue of well-founded concern, policy should focus on risks in this area by specifically addressing the software development lifecycle and measures to ensure bespoke applications are sufficiently robust to withstand common attacks.

Policies should be reviewed and accepted at senior levels, ensuring the policy's authorizing authority has the stature necessary to make policy compliance mandatory. An authorization process to document and approve instances of noncompliance should also be provided. Often a compliance window is granted to allow time for the implementation of the policy by all applicable organizational entities.

Auditors often provide assurance of compliance as a result of their activities. The senior Auditor is also an important stakeholder and reviewer of policy drafts and amendments. Policies should be reviewed on an agreed schedule, often every two or three years. Changes in technology, evolution of business objectives and changes to the organization's goals and processes all act to invalidate and outdate a policy. Keeping the policy fresh and relevant is essential to providing appropriate protection to important assets and supporting mission performance.

ISO 17799/27001 and NIST SP800-53A Revision3 both provide a long list of information protection best practices. There is frequently an inclination to declare one of the documents to be the corporate standard and demand policy comply with the corporate standard. Ignoring cost issues, there are several important things wrong with this approach, first and most importantly, it ignores risk realities. Best practices are the average, where extraordinary risks exist, they are too weak and where risk is significantly below average they are too strong, wasting resources. Policy should be based on reality, not an idealized set of homogenized requirements. Arguably the correct approach is to begin with a standard and bend it to fit the shape of the enterprise. There is one exception to this rule, shops that run an absolutely standard architecture can benefit from the simplicity and straightforward nature of a standardized policy. Governance issues remain and should be dealt with quickly and cleanly as exceptions.

Security guidelines, component configuration standards, and standard operating procedures are based on and build on the information security policy. Care should be exercised that the documents are consistent with each other and are reviewed and exercised for correctness and reliability. Security training is often based on the detailed documents ultimately leading to repeatable processes and a predictable level of protection being realized.

An information security policy is a necessary first step in securing an environment and providing appropriate protection to all information assets. Building consensus around a policy is an effective approach to resolving concerns and resistance to the idea of mandated controls. Listening to and involving stakeholders while ensuring the policy reflects their issues will go a long way in gaining acceptance of the program of protection.

Cloud Computing Security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 20 May 2011 09:31:00 -0700

Cloud Computing is a dynamic area that has grown to include applications, information, infrastructure and services that provides resources for computing, networking and storage. It is simple to implement and scale according to your needs.

A lovely example is Google Docs. Google Docs give you the resources to generate, edit, change and store documents, presentations, spreadsheets online. It also lets you basically share your documents with other people and have them view or edit these as well.

Cloud Computing and Security

Admittedly, the scariest thing that most people and businesses must face about cloud computing is the fact that they are going to be losing control for operating the services that they put in to the cloud. It could be a program, a platform, storage, or service; operational control and responsibility are no longer theirs. Going back to the Google Docs example, you can do all the functionalities it offers, but you cannot be positive of its security. Unlike in Microsoft Office or Open office, you can disallow macros or be cautious along with your templates. With Google Docs, however, this is impossible. And in case security lapses happen with Google Docs, you are going to be affected. Do not think for a moment that Google Docs being a product of a huge tech company is immune from vulnerabilities. An March 2009 incident revealed a bug in Google Docs that leaked personal documents to unauthorized third parties. And while Google says that it affected a minority of documents, it is still a security nightmare.

Web Application Firewall Provides a More Secure Cloud Computing Experience

It seems that the Cloud applications are inherently not secure. As soon as you put an application in to the cloud, it becomes vulnerable to assaults. What is more, IBM XForce found that in 2008, 74% of identified Web application vulnerabilities in the cloud do not have patches available. But the convenience, flexibility and economy of cloud computing can never be ignored.

This glaring fact makes it more important for you to have a Web application firewall in place. Make positive that users of your cloud applications are deterred from sending you viruses or from trying to exploit these vulnerabilities. A Web application firewall can basically scan through each packet of information that passes through the Web so that you could basically avoid these.

Wireless Security Configuration

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:25:00 -0700

More & more people everyday are switching over to wireless know-how. They are using it at home & at work to be able to connect to the web without having the hard work of being connected with a hard line Ethernet cable. There's plenty of advantages to doing this. With the power of laptops getting better everyday & increasingly requirements for being mobile, it is a ideal solution. The issue is, plenty of people set up their router at home & connect without any security enabled.

Without the proper protection on your network you can open yourself up to plenty of hazards. The worst outcome being a hacker getting in to your personal computer & stealing your information & possibly your identity. It is essential to have proper protection in the event you are using wireless.

First things first, they must alter the SSID & set a powerful password for wireless. In the event you have over 20+ characters there is no way anyone can break in to it by brute force. It would take them in upwards of a few billion years at 60 passwords a second 24/7/365.

Ok, so you bought a Linksys 54G wireless router & are prepared to put in it. You have no idea how to configure it & found that it works by connecting it. You scan for obtainable wireless networks & see "linksys" SSID & it is open. You connect & have web. Great, you are done & everything works. Wrong, in the event you can connect without a password, so can anyone else in the area.

Next, to alter the wireless settings. At the top of the home page there's a few menu buttons. Look for the called Wireless & click on it. There ought to be or tabs in the wireless group. Basic Settings is the first. Here is where you set your SSID. Pick something you will recognize but not give away any information such as "CHome". You can alter the channel it is broadcasting on here is there's a bunch of other access points using the same channel but you ought to be ok with channel 6. Finally, have the broadcast SSID radio button chosen then hit save.

To connect to your router to manage it they must find out the default address. You can either look in the documentation it came with or find out for yourself. To do this go to the command line by going to your start menu & opening the Run command. In the provided line type cmd; this will open a command line. In the command line type ipconfig. This will show you lines for each adapter. They have an interest in the line that says Default Gateway. In the event you have a Linksys router it ought to be 192.168.1.1. Now they take that address whatever it may be & type it in to your web browser URL line. When you hit Go a username & password box will show up. The default will be in your documentation but it is mostly Username: admin Password: admin. When you get in you will be brought to a home screen. For now all they would like to alter is the time zone setting towards the bottom & then hit the save settings button. The router will save & bring you back to the home page.

That is it. It may look complicated but in the event you follow this step by step you ought to be able to configure your wireless in less than 15 minutes & never must worry about someone breaking in to your network.

After the page comes back go to the Security page under Wireless, & you will notice a few more choice areas. Under the security mode drop down select WPA Personal (PSK). PSK stands for Pre-Shared Key which will be your password to connect to the wireless. , do not pick WEP, it is outdated & can be broken in to within 30 by anyone with half a brain. Finally, pick your pre-shared key. For the best security make it at least 15 characters. It won't be hidden so in the event you forget it you can always log in to your router & see what it is. Have a combination of numbers, letters, capitalized letters, & special characters for the strongest password. After you save the settings on this page you are done setting up your secure wireless access point.

last thing you require to do before you leave the router is alter the default admin password. This can be found under the administration tab at the top of the page on the Management page. The password is the first box called Router Password. Alter this to something you can keep in mind but difficult. In the event you lose this password you won't be able to get in to your router without resetting it & having to start all over.

Multi layered security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:21:00 -0700

It is important to safeguard your net site no matter what its size is. This is where the multi-layered security comes in to play. It would help you keep your net site safe from the cybercriminals & the hackers. Here in this article the technique in which multi-layered security would help you safeguard your net site is described in detail.

First & fore most protection ought to be provided to your e mail. This is because e mail is most important device of business communications & therefore it is also used maximum for attacking the sites. Thus you ought to provide antivirus & antispyware program & firewall as well as content filtering technique which would protect your e mail account. Thus the threats of spamming, phishing assaults & other threats are considerably reduced. You ought to put in such security at the mail servers, gateway & also in the laptop computer & the desktop. It would help you mitigate the risk at various levels.

The final & the most important aspect of the multi-layered security is the back up technique. Without a proper back up technique you might lose important information. Therefore it is important that you ought to take regular backup. For additional protection you ought to keep the backup files of your net site in an offsite server so that these information stay safe in case there's any issues to the net site.

The second security layer is to reduce the latest vulnerabilities such as implementation or design errors in the applications & the program. These vulnerabilities often arise in the coursework of the technique operations or even are triggered by the malicious codes or malicious users. These vulnerabilities are now a days most serious among the security issues in the net business world. Therefore it is essential that you ought to secure your net site by keeping all the program & the applications used in the net site updated with the latest patches. Also you ought to regularly check for the latest applications added to the new operating systems & download them.
The third security measure that you ought to take is to make your employees aware of the security issues. Teach the staff the best practices of net site security so that they follow proper guidelines while opening e mail & downloading any applications. For teaching these practices you ought to have training sessions so that the staff of your company do not install unapproved program & always ask for approval before loading any program in their systems. They ought to never turn off the antivirus & the other security solutions. If these programs are generating any issue they ought to immediately seek specialist advices. They ought to also avoid clicking on links in their e mail messages.

Thus with these multi-layered security your net site is safe from any kind of assault.

In order to find out more on Virtual Private Server & similar net site hosting or webmaster related guides, check out Web Hosting Case.

Dynamic Website Security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:13:00 -0700

When the page lots, you won't see the PHP code but in lieu see the contents of the included file. In the case above, you would see your navigation links etc where they ought to be.

At a most basic level, PHP can be used to simplify the navigation of a web-site by using the include function. This, added to each page of the web-site can be used to include a html file that contains the sites navigation links. The main advantage of this is that the webmaster can basically adjust that file, in lieu of every single page on the site. Obviously if your site has thousands of pages, this is going to save you some time! The include() function fundamentally tells the server your web-site is hosted on, to take what is in the included file & put it in to the code of your page. Typical use of the include function is as follows:

There's lots of things a typical user can do which may cause you irritation, or in the case of a purchase form, cause you to never receive the order, e.g. mistyping their e-mail address! This is why form validation is important. When a user makes a mistake regarding form field input, they ought to be notified by your form processing script, & instructed to correct the error & resubmit. This is usually a simple thing to do by using regular expressions to validate e-mail address & using a random anti-spam number generator to cease spam bots. Do not use CAPTCHAs! They are over rated & frustrating to most users. A simple digit number that is randomly generated & rendered out as a picture will suffice to cease automated form filling bots.

The next step up in using PHP to enhance your site is for a contact form. This is where the first security concerns come up. A contact form will permit someone to enter information in to the fields which is sent to your PHP file that processes that information. User entered information must never be trusted!

The largest threat is a MySQL injection assault. This is where a user types in some PHP & SQL code in to a field in your form. That information is then sent to the form, & your processing script interprets that as commands & functions, not as raw text. So if someone where to send an SQL string that looked something like "DELETE * from myblog", every record in "myblog" would be deleted & that would be the finish of your weblog, posts & comments to boot! Other sneaky things people may try to do include sending a set of commands to your script that lead to them being able to place a link somewhere on your site. This is often completed by using the fwrite function to append code to of your html files.

So, some simple validation techniques as well as a random number picture generator will suffice for 90% of the site owners & weblog owners out there. In the event you plan on using MySQL with some aspect of your web-site, such as letting users upload information for things like profiles etc, then you will need to go a step further.

$name = strip_tags($_GET['namefieldfromform'];

These are no little issues, they must be addressed or people could wreck your designs for web domination! The solution is simple. There's functions that can be used to help secure your forms & scripts. The first is to make use of a function known as strip_tags($myvar), where "$myvar" is the variable that contains the input from the form. A working example would look something like this:

$query = "INSERT INTO picture (sourceurl, thumburl, ratings, dateadded, description, submitedby, section, keywords) VALUES ('$efilename', '$thumbname', '0', '$date', '$desc', '$name', '$cat', '$tags')";
You would then escape those variables that are in the query thusly:
mysql_real_escape_string($efilename);

This strips any tags that the user may have entered in to your form. It is useful for stopping people from adding in their own links to sites in things like comments.
The other & more important function is mysql_real_escape_string(). It is a tiny trickier to make use of but still simple to implement. First you must construct the query you are going to send to your database:

mysql_real_escape_string($thumbname);

mysql_real_escape_string($date);

mysql_real_escape_string($desc);

mysql_real_escape_string($name);

mysql_real_escape_string($tags);

mysql_real_escape_string($cat);

This will make positive that those variables have no harmful text or code inside them, & so are safe to make use of with the database.
Keep in mind to never trust information that is entered by users, as you never know who might be trying to cause trouble!

Uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:03:00 -0700

Uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials

To understand how to remove Microsoft Security all you need to know is how to uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials. Known as MSE for short, Microsoft Security Essentials is free antivirus software from Microsoft that contains all the different security tools offered by Microsoft, including Windows Defender. If you uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials, you remove all Microsoft Security tools (except MSRT that is updated monthly). Later, even if you install some other antivirus, you may wish to install Windows Defender because it is one of the most powerful tools that keep malware at bay.

To uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials, you can use the Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. The Add/Remove Programs option calls Windows Uninstaller so you won't have any problem when you remove Microsoft security. In case the Windows Uninstaller presents any problem and you cannot uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials, you need to remove a key from the Windows Registry and then reinstall MSE to uninstall it properly. This is how to uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials if the Add/Remove Programs does not help at first instance:

Click on the Start menu and select Run (Or press Windows key + R). You will get the Run dialog box. Type Regedit and hit Enter. The Windows Registry Editor will open. Navigate to the key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Microsoft Security Essentials

and delete it. After deleting the key, reinstall Microsoft Security Essentials and try to remove it using Add/Remove Programs again. If it is a success, you are good to go.

IMPORTANT: The above involves making changes to the Windows Registry. Make sure you create a system restore point before working with the registry. You can also backup the entire registry using the best registry backup method.

Note: Make sure you install some antivirus plus an antispyware on the computer after you remove Microsoft security.
How to Remove Microsoft Security – Manually Uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials

How to Uninstall Microsoft Security EssentialsThis section explains how to remove Microsoft security, that is, how to uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials if you are unable to reinstall it after deleting the above mentioned registry key.

Sometimes, you may get Microsoft Security Essentials Installation Error when you try to reinstall it after deleting the registry key mentioned in first section. In such case, click on the My Computer in Regedit Window and hit F3. In the text box, type Microsoft Security Essentials and press F3 again (See figure). This is actually a search tool that helps you find all instances of MSE in the system registry. Press F3 to locate the next instance after you delete each key. Keep on searching for all instances of MSE and delete each key that contains reference to Microsoft Security Essentials (includes Windows Startup items). After deleting all the Microsoft Security Essentials keys from the Windows Registry, close the Windows Registry Editor. From here, follow the given steps carefully - to remove Microsoft Security:

-->If you are working on Windows Vista or Windows 7, browse to the following directory and copy the mseInstall.log to some secure place:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Microsoft Security Essentials\Support

Come back to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft and delete the folder Microsoft Security Essentials.

-->If you are working on Windows XP, you will find msseInstall.log on the following path:

C: \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Microsoft Security Essentials\Support

After copying the log, delete the Microsoft Security Essentials folder. This is how to uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials in case you are not able to uninstall MSE using Add/Remove Programs.

Why Did We Save the Log File: Now that you know how to remove Microsoft Security, you may want to install some other antivirus! If the installation creates problem, it may mean that that parts of MSE are still resident on your computer. To make sure, you need to contact MSE customer care. They may ask you for the log file before helping you. This is why we save the log.

Spyware Removal

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Sun, 15 May 2011 16:00:00 -0700

Spyware is a serious threat to a computer and the private information stored on it. It is basically a malware that can be installed on a computer. It collects small bits of information regarding a user without his knowledge. Presence of spyware on a computer is generally hidden from a user and can be pretty difficult to detect on one's own.

The term 'spyware' may just indicate that it is software that secretly 'spies' over a user's computing, but in reality, the functions of a spyware goes beyond mere monitoring. Spyware software are capable of gathering several types of private information, for example, a user's Internet surfing habits, sites that have been browsed, etc. and it can also interfere with a user's control over his computer, like, installing extra software or redirecting web browser. Spyware can also change the settings of a computer and lead to slow connection speeds.

With the increasing menace of different spywares these days, several spyware removal processes have been introduced. This malware threatens a computer's security and its performance. Spyware removal tools can successfully make a computer free of these kinds of threats.

Spyware controls your computer without your permission. You must pull up your socks before your system is further damaged. The best way to deal with spyware is to detect, prevent and remove the malware before it causes any serious harm to your computer. Here are some useful tips to do this.

1. Use a capable spyware removal tool to check for the presence of a malware on your computer, once you find your computer infected with one, you must know that the personal information has been accessed through tracking your internet usage. Common symptoms of presence of a spyware on a computer are frequent displaying of disturbing pop-ups and alteration in important file system.

2. Keep a check on the speed of your PC. A slow bandwidth could mean that unwanted software has been using your internet connection to perform harmful actions. An internet speed test can accurately calculate bandwidth and troubleshoot any bandwidth problems.

3. Visit only trusted sites. It is better to stay away from the sites that display gambling and pornography.

4. Update the definitions of your anti-virus software as regularly as possible.

5. If you come across any software that have been installed without your knowledge, consider removing them from Start> Control Panel> Add or Remove Programs.

It is imperative for you to educate yourself with spyware before you can proceed with any methods of spyware removal. Ft Lauderdale is known to have several renowned companies that offer effective spyware removal programs.

Information Security Job

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:49:00 -0700

The following job description outlines the general qualifications sought in an information systems or IT security resume.

An IT security analyst resume should aim to cover as many of these commonly requested qualifications.

Job Titles in this area include Information Security Analyst, IT Security Engineer-Analyst, Systems Security Analyst, Technology Security Engineer,

IT Security Consultant.

Common Responsibilities for Information Security Job Description

Solid knowledge of information security principles and practices.
Working experience with intrusion detection systems
Installation, configuration, monitoring and response to security system
Understanding of advanced security protocols and standards
Experience with software and security architectures
Evaluate and develop approach to solutions
Proactively assesses potential items of risk
Experience with security practices of Intranet and Extranet
Support day-to-day administration of various firewalls

Requirements for Information Security Job Position

3 to 5 years of experience in information technology or security
Strong communications skills, both written and oral
Organized, responsive and highly thorough problem solver
Minimum Certification of Associate’s degree in Computers, Technology

Technical Knowledge: UNIX, AIX, Linux, Cisco Network IDS, Cisco Host-based IDS, eTrust Access Control, ESM, and IDS. DES encryption, Digital Certificates, SSL, VPN, IPSec, TCP/IP, DNS and web security architecture, mySQL, subversion, SpamAssassin, Nmap, Nikto, Nessus, Paros

Kaspersky Internet Security 2011

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Sat, 14 May 2011 20:03:00 -0700

The 2011 version of Kaspersky web security offers total protection for your PC and laptop computer. The latest version lets you stay safe online and protects you and the users of your computer no matter whether you are shopping, browsing, banking, working or playing.

Kaspersky Web Security will protect your computer or laptop computer from being attacked by hackers and protects your files, music and photographs. It makes use of actual time protection against emerging security threats which could assault your machine.

Identity theft is a actual issue these days. Your computer holds lots of information about you and is desirable to hackers as they can perform illegal acts and steal your funds. Kaspersky helps to protect your personal identity while you are shopping and doing your online banking. Defending your digital identity is also important while you are social networking online. This can be a useful feature for defending kids, who are often unaware of the dangers which may be lurking on the net.

The net can be an risky place and sometimes the sites you visit come under assault from cyber criminals who inject malicious code with the intent of spreading viruses to the site's visitors. Kaspersky protects you from this type of assault with a feature called New Safe Surf. When you enable this feature you will never come in contact with these harmful sites. Updates from Kaspersky Lab will help the program to automatically block your access to any offensive sites giving you peace of mind when surfing the net.

In case you are parent you will worry about what your kids are doing online. The Web is excellent for home work and entertainment but there's also dangers. Kaspersky Web Security 2011 has advanced parental controls will give you the power to block access to definite sites, limit the time spent online and log applications so you know what your child is doing online. By setting the parental controls you can permit your kids to freely explore the net and to be safe.

The spread of computer viruses is often done through programs which are downloaded onto your machine, or sent to you by e mail. Kaspersky's security program fully monitors all programs which are executed and grants them rights to your systems resources based on automatic risk assessment through actual time monitoring using the Kaspersky Lab security database.

The net is about sharing; thousands of videos, songs and programs are shared every minute all around the globe and sometimes they cannot be definite they are safe. Kaspersky Web Security 2011 has a feature which lets you run suspicious programs in a safe mode. The safe mode is an isolated surroundings where the program can be run which cannot destroy your computer.

Kaspersky keeps an eye on your technique constantly and will analyse all events which happen to check for suspicious behaviour. If a threat is detected you will be notified and requested to undo any malicious program activity.

New viruses are created every day in the hope the cybercriminals can fool your antivirus program and break through the actual time protection. If this happens when using Kaspersky there is the ability to make use of the installation CD as a reboot disk in case you ever need to restore your computer. In case you have downloaded your copy of Kaspersky Web Security you can generate your own reboot disc.

The best web security program will keep you and your computer safe from the latest computer viruses. Stay updated by reading antivirus reviews so you are aware of the latest threats.

Website Security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Sat, 14 May 2011 15:34:00 -0700

Hackers are constantly attacking websites and one day, even if your site is not experiencing huge traffic levels, a hacker might come calling at your door to test your security levels. How do you stop them from gaining access and possibly taking control of your website?

Passwords
Your site admin must have a strong password - never 'password' or other obvious words. A medium strength password will include a combination of numbers and letters, ideally using upper and lower case letters. Make it stronger by including other characters, such as @ -? etc. Anything that you can add that means your password is not a straight forward word or two can really improve it.

Ideally, also sign on with a user name that is not obvious - not 'admin', 'administrator' and so on. This way the hacker must guess user name and password. And if you can move your administration area to an unusual directory, then the hacker might not even be able to find it!

Watch what is happening
Monitor failed logon attempts to the admin and maybe close it down if there are too many. Be on the look out for multiple failed attempts from the same IP address and multiple failed attempts on the same user name. Hackers might use networks of computers to constantly submit different passwords to your admin and if these are hijacked computers, they will have different IP addresses, but they will all attack the same userid.

Be alert to traffic patterns
Watch your traffic stats for sudden interest in pages, especially pages that shouldn't be there and protect the code from SQL injection. And if any part of your website is uploading files then validate the format. I like to check that images are a valid image format and then put them through a resize algorithm. That way php / asp files cannot be uploaded and ran should a hacker gain entry to an admin system.

SQL injection
This is a popular way of reading your tables and trying to find out if you have passwords stored there and other malicious tricks, such as uploading content to your pages. Make sure that you use correct escape routines to remove any attempts to inject SQL into your code and on pages where all that is needed is a read only access, just use a read only user id. Then if someone slips in extra code the potential damage might just be limited.

You can also validate inputs to prevent SQL injection. For example, if you are expecting to be passed an id that is an integer, then test that it is an integer. If not, then I like to just exit the code immediately so that there are no extra clues given and the page stops loading immediately.

Best Computer Security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Sat, 14 May 2011 15:24:00 -0700

As the number of people connecting to the Net continues to increase at a fast pace, increasingly of us are now generating our own residence computer networks.

With these they can enjoy the benefits of having high bandwidth, instant access to the Net and make this connection available to multiple computers in and around the home.

But for those unfamiliar with computer security, they are unaware of the risks they may be exposing their computer to.

Without implementing a proper computer security solution, your computer may become infected with viruses, adware, and/or adware. These are all forms of malware than can play an element in rendering a computer unusable, damage valuable information your storing, provide complete control of a computer to another person, permit somebody to steal the information on your computer, record your keystrokes and give a 3rd party access to your online bank account, permit somebody to make use of your computer to assault a computer belonging to someone else, etc.

And in the event you opted for a wireless network, you could be sharing out your Net connection to your neighbors or that who has been sitting outside your house in the automobile for the last few hours. What is more, you are increasing the risk of exposing your own computer to hackers as a result.

So What Are The Fundamentals of Computer Security?

one. Make positive that the link between you and the Net is safe.

You need to have a hardware firewall installed between you and the Net. Most recent devices that connect you to the Net have built in, but in any case you need to make positive that what you have is a stateful firewall.

It ought to give your computer full access to the Net, but block all traffic trying to access your network when originated from the Net side.

three. Secure your Net router.

Change the administrator password and if feasible the administrative account name as well. Everyone who has bought that gizmo will know what the default account and password is, so you must change these and make them difficult to guess. This is important in the event you have a wireless network.

three. Install anti-virus program on your computer.

Make positive it scans the computer for viruses at least three times a week. Keep the program up to date and be positive that the virus definitions are updated every day. Also make positive that this is monitoring the computer on a regular basis to help prevent it being infected in the first place.

three. Install a personal firewall on your computer.

Not only ought to this help limit the damage malware can do to your computer, but it ought to also reduce the chances of this spreading to other computers. Get in the habit of checking the dialogues that you are prompted with and only permit Net access to applications that need it

Keep up to date with the security patches for your Operating Technique.

Microsoft release security updates for Windows every month. However, make positive your computer is configured to automatically check for downloads every day and at a time when your computer is most likely to be turned on.

three. Install anti-spyware program on your computer.

Make positive it fully scans your computer for adware at least every week. Keep the program up to date and be positive that the definitions are updated every day. Also make positive that this monitors your computer on a regular basis.

Conclusion

Although, you can never make a computer 100% secure, the aim is to put as plenty of obstacles in the way and put off the casual hacker.

. Secure your wireless network.

Do not broadcast your SSID (Service Set IDentifier). Although it can be learned by somebody who is determined, there is no point making things simple. So make positive this is disabled.

Restrict access to your wireless network based on the MAC (Media Access Control) address of your computer. Yes, these can be faked, three times known, but why make things simple?

Implement WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) or WPA2, in the event you can, to further secure your wireless network. And use a pre-shared key which is not simple to guess.

So by following these 7 basic steps you will have a more secure computing surroundings.

And keep in mind, by implementing proper computer security on our own computer, they are making the Net a safer place to surf for everyone

Mac Security Tips

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Sat, 14 May 2011 12:34:00 -0700

So, you have bought a used Macintosh, & now you may be wondering how to make it safer. There's several things that you can do which will protect your Mac from viruses & hackers. Macs are already impossible to hack, but don't let that fact let you become lenient along with your security.

1. Download all of the application updates obtainable. This looks like a no-brainer, but some Mac users forget to download the most recent updates. You may even set your computer to automatically download new updates. However, some dial-up users encounter trouble when trying to downloaded updates. In the event you are a dial-up user, the best suggestion is to leave your Mac on overnight & let it download. Apple releases lots of programs that fix bugs in iLife applications, & in Mac OS X. Probably the most important of these updates are the security updates. Apple periodically offers security updates for its operating systems (Panther & Tiger).

2. Pick the best & safest Web Browser. Safari comes standard on all new Macs as part of iLife. However, some people do not enjoy Safari as much as others. Some say that Safari is not as safe from hackers as other browsers. Safari may even be an issue in the event you are going to a web page that requires a version of Web Explorer or Netscape to view it. You can download Web Explorer & Netscape for Mac, but again, some think that these browsers are not as safe from hackers. Lots of people think that Mozilla Firefox (my personal favourite) is the safest browser to make use of because of its customizable features. Firefox is obtainable for downloading on the Macintosh.

3. Be cautious what you download. Some people use P2P downloads for Macintosh (I.E. Poisoned). Be cautious when downloading using a P2P because you have no idea where the music or file is coming from. Some P2P users specifically make corrupted files to send by music downloading programs. Usually, it is a nice suggestion to stick to iTunes, because those files are ACC Protected & offered through Apple so they definitely won't have viruses.

4. Don't be afraid to buy anti-virus application. In the event you need to download files from the net as part of a job or hobby, then it is probably a nice suggestion to have some kind of anti-virus application on your Macintosh. Apple provides a wide-variety of anti-virus application that is constantly updated.

5. Finally, keep an eye on those e-mail attachments & instant messages. Some hackers have programmed viruses to IM you from of your friends' screen names. Don't click on any link without knowing what it is first. Most e-mail providers use virus scans automatically, but you ought to always be additional cautious when downloading an attachment. If it is from anyone you have no idea, don't trust it.

Apple computers are safe from hackers, but they can always be improved. Keeping a computer safe, & jogging well requires a massive amount of time & energy. keep in mind that if your computer is safe, your Apple experience will be much more rewarding.

Internet Security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:22:00 -0700

Defining Web Security

To survive in today's highly competitive business surroundings, which is quickly transmuting in to a cyber village, businesses must participate in the virtual world by using Web for not only emailing and chatting but also to tap the giant e commerce market. However, on hand, Web offers limitless opportunities for the entrepreneurs. On the other hand, Web security and risk management pose monumental challenges for the corporate world today. However, countermeasures can be and must be taken in order to address the issue.
Before plunging in to the sea of security issues that surround the use of Web, let us first look in to the often followed definition of the umbrella term Web Security.

Web security as defined "is the practice of defending and preserving private resources and information on the Internet" (Web Security). Hence, Web security is the essential to prevent breach of e commerce clients' trust and the resultant violation of privacy policies in order to keep away from defamation of the companies' hard earned corporate picture. This leads us to the next section of our research project that discusses the scope of the issue under discussion.

Why Speak about Web Security? Scope of the Issue

Security-related Risks Associated with Web Use and Management Strategies

Information is exchanged by Web use in the corporate world where people can communicate with each other and sell and buy products online using credit cards. Even confidential company information and lots of other secrets are shared by Web. However, this paves way for security issues, which make the "circuitous route" of the information being exchanged liable to deception, unauthenticated interruption and other security risks. On the same account, Web security has transformed in to a major concern for all Web users (Definitions of Web Security on the net). Therefore, Web security issues and risk management tips require to be discussed and highlighted for the benefit of the readers and the users similar.

Risk Management by Content Filtering

Web doubtless ameliorates corporate communication, "information sharing, market effectiveness and productivity" (Paliouras). Nevertheless, Web use has often resulted in "security breaches with known or unknown undesirable consequences ranging from a crippled or hacked corporate network to a ruined reputation and dear litigation". Consequently, content of the emails must be filtered to prevent the above mentioned organizational issues. (Paliouras).

This is where the importance of information systems comes in to play. With the aid of constructing appropriate systems and using adequate content filtering program, companies can block unnecessary and potentially harmful and insecure attachments from entering and infecting the computers.

"Klez worm" including other viruses that can seriously destroy the computer method, "junk mail", shopping online using Web and visiting obscene sites at the organizational cost increase security risks (Paliouras). These risks can be reduced by ensuring that employees avoid using company Web services for irrelevant tasks. However, emails are highly important for business communication and "content filtering" is the best solution to manage security risks. "Advanced text analysis is necessary to prevent users from sending sexually explicit text and racial epithets or sensitive information to unauthorized parties. Lexical analysis is way to cut down leak of confidential information as most of these files include special words or phrases" (Paliouras). Moreover, "keyword searching and inspection" as well as "advanced picture analysis" are some of the effective weapons to reduce security risks associated with Web use.

A three-step approach inclusive of conceiving, constructing and consolidating been recommended by information systems companies in order to effectively with security risks associated with the use of Web (Web security challenges). However, the extent to which Web use is secured primarily depends on the company's "security awareness" (Katos). When electronically operating firms think in cherishing their clientele's trust and therefore make every try to secure their operations by security checks, secured systems and well-planned security policies, security risks tremendously plummet and the firm's reputation improves. Also, with security awareness, firms tend to be better equipped with latest advancements in the field of information systems.

Conclusion

Hence from the above discussion it is evident that Web security and risk management pose monumental challenges for the corporate world today. However, countermeasures can be and must be taken in order to address the issue. Those computer organizations that take help and make the most out of Information Systems are the ones that benefit the most in the long run. This is because Information systems offer a giant variety of security program, with the aid of which, organizations can reduce the risk of Web use. Managing Web security related risks is no long an out-of-this-word task if adequate knowledge and timely application of Information systems is made available. Therefore, to address Web security issues, the basic knowledge of Information Systems Fundamentals is essential. Moreover, extensive research and progress is demanded in the field of information systems in order to generate "new defense mechanisms"

Email Security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:18:00 -0700

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Emails have gained worldwide popularity as of the quickest ways of communicating with somebody in any corner of the world. A lot important information is exchanged by emails everyday that they often fall prey to individuals who receive unauthorized access to these information, to the issues of viruses, Trojans, worms with which the mails can be infected. The terms, 'hacking', 'phishing', 'spamming' etc are known to all people around the globe, so great is their threat & the amount of valuable information lost to them.

Individuals who are not well aware of the know-how behind emails cannot possibly know that emails sent by them do not go directly to the receivers' inboxes but the ISPs store copies of the electronic mail addresses on their mail servers before they delivers the mails. It is feasible to get unauthorized access to these information.

Your electronic mail accounts must be managed properly to keep away from these menaces. Here are some ways of doing it:

Everytime you are accessing your electronic mail account, you MUST log out when you are done, in public computers. It is advisable that you also close the browser you were using as some electronic mail services will continue displaying your id even after you have logged out.
It is advisable that you use maximum four electronic mail accounts, for work, personal & general makes use of. This way, your inboxes will stay less cluttered. The last account, called 'catch-all' account is the targeted by spammers. So you'll not have your important accounts flooded with spammed messages.
You must have a nice anti-virus application in your PC to scan all attached files for potential threats of Trojans, viruses, worms etc. Lots of electronic mail services have in-built scan for this purpose.
There's scams stating that you have got won the lottery, phishing emails which even experienced users will fall victim to. These emails will stress that you have got won lottery prizes, money, gifts etc; the phishing emails will look like authentic emails from different reputed organizations & make you provide your personal information. There's several ways to detect a phishing electronic mail. Look out for distorted logos, mails addressing you as 'Dear User' than your name, those claiming 'Security compromises' etc.

There's other rules like you must seldom share your passwords with anyone; you must encrypt your important emails & wireless connections, use digital signatures & think of complicated passwords that are difficult to guess.

Network security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:13:00 -0700

Naturally, with the growing benefits of know-how, the Web & network configurations comes the growing danger of security breaches, identity theft & cyber crimes. Regrettably, electronic theft is becoming a greater danger to plenty of businesses across the globe, so how do business owners keep their information safe & secure? way to keep sensitive information secure is to constantly improve network security & to stay ahead of the game.

Every day they listen to that computer viruses, hacker, & other security breaches have found new ways to steal identities, financial records & other information they thought historicallyin the past secure. Because of the increase in such cyber crimes, information protection laws have tightened & the punishments hardened. With this comes the necessity for all businesses to take information security seriously.

It is important to improve network security for your business on a regular basis. Aside from encrypted pages & passwords, there is a huge number of ways to improve network security for your business which include firewalls & other infrastructure protective measures. Schooling, information & action are key elements to improving any network's security.

Before a business can adequately protect its network, it is important to understand that there is no such thing as a secure process, as know-how is always changing. However, to stay step ahead & keep the network secure, business owners & their IT department ought to learn & understand any & all risks associated with security standards & network systems.

Organisation is also crucial to improving network security. It is an excellent idea to employ both control process engineers & IT specialists to work together to maintain the network. In case you are unable to employ individuals, you may outsource the positions. The team ought to schedule risk analyses on a regular basis, implement change control & monitor the network regularly. Additionally, generate policies & procedures that portray & outline risk mitigation, alert vectors & actions to be taken if & when any type of security breach is detected is clever. Furthermore, your operating staff ought to know exactly who to contact in the case of a breach or assault on the security of the network.

Network security can always be improved. After understanding the risks involved in any network, network operators ought to be educated & informed. It is important for network operators to keep an eye out for operational anomalies. Any anomaly is usually an indication that something is wrong & there could be a security breach. In addition to educating operators, it is important for operators to know & understand the risks associated together with your existing security standards. Risk mitigation is essential in improving network security.

Staying informed has seldom been more important than when a business needs to improve network security. Though integrating the latest technologies & protections for your network is clever, regular security audits, schooling, & monitoring are all key ways to improve network security.

Following industry guidance & suggestions is & a great way to improve network security. of these suggestions is to generate a single point failure matrix, which is often critical in the work of feasible threats or assaults. The network security industry is always announcing new ways to secure & protect networks, configurations & information.

Practical PC Security Tips

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:08:00 -0700

The Web has connected us all together in global digital relatives. Between the Web and more efficient jet travel the world has shrunk by a factor of ten at least. With any great positive change come the "people" who only require to exploit it for their own means. This has turned the Web from being a purely useful "tool" to a place littered with criminals. Computer security is not something you can ignore - unless you require to become a victim of it.

There's so lots of risks online that you require to be aware of - viruses, adware, worms, identity theft and phishing to name a few. The cost of these risks is rising every single year. The cost of cleaning up the damage done by all these cyber threats? It is quickly heading towards $100 billion per year in total costs for online crime and virus damage.

So what steps are you able to take to keep your computer protected?

It was seldom smart to be online without some kind of virus and firewall protection but these days it is not a choice - you require to do it.

three. Avoid opening any e-mail attachments or unknown programs that have a.com or.exe file extension. In the event you cannot see you file extension then unhide them in Windows.

one. Keep your Windows updated. By default your Windows ought to be able to update itself or at least tell you when updates are obtainable. Missing critical Windows update can be to leave your computer wide open to assault.

three. Fine-tune your browser security level to make sure it is Medium or Medium-High. This is not a total solution to web based security threats but it is usually to keep pop-ups and low level security threats at bay.

three. Most people know that you ought to seldom open e-mail from people you don't know. But what in the event you get an e-mail from a close mate of yours with a link in it? Is the link safe or not? If in doubt seldom, ever click any links that you get by e-mail. For all you know your mate got a virus and the virus sent a replica of itself to you by e-mail.

Information security

noreply@blogger.com (ahmadtarawneah) — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:04:00 -0700

The terms information security, computer security and information assurance are often incorrectly used interchangeably. These fields are interrelated often and share the common goals of defending the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information; however, there's some subtle differences between them.

Information security means defending information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, scan, inspection, recording or destruction.

Computer security can focus on ensuring the availability and correct operation of a computer method without concern for the information stored or processed by the computer.

These differences lie primarily in the approach to the subject, the methodologies used, and the areas of concentration. Information security is concerned with the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information irrespective of the form the information may take: electronic, print, or other forms.

Ought to confidential information about a business' customers or finances or new product line fall in to the hands of a competitor, such a breach of security could lead to lost business, law suits or even bankruptcy of the business. Defending confidential information is a business requirement, and in plenty of cases also an ethical and legal requirement.

Governments, military, corporations, financial institutions, hospitals, and private businesses amass a great deal of confidential information about their employees, customers, products, research, and financial status. Most of this information is now collected, processed and stored on electronic computers and transmitted across networks to other computers.

For the individual, information security has a significant effect on privacy, which is viewed very differently in different cultures.

The field of information security has grown and evolved significantly in recent years. There's plenty of ways of gaining entry in to the field as a career. It offers plenty of areas for specialization including: securing network(s) and allied infrastructure, securing applications and databases, security testing, information systems auditing, business continuity planning and digital forensics science, etc.

This editorial presents a general overview of information security and its core ideas.