ITsolutions

5 Free Tools for Small Businesses to Manage IT Infrastructure

2025-11-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

A simple and practical guide for 2025

Managing IT systems can be challenging for small businesses, especially when budgets are limited. The good news is that many free and reliable tools can help you monitor networks, protect data, work remotely, and improve productivity — without hiring a full IT team.

This article explains the top 5 free tools that every small business can use, along with links, benefits, and real business use cases.

Key Highlights

100% free or freemium tools
Ideal for small offices, retail shops, startups, education centers, and NGOs
Covers network monitoring, backup, remote access, documentation, productivity
Beginner-friendly and easy to install
Helps reduce IT operational cost by up to 70%

1. Zabbix — Free Network & Server Monitoring

Category: Network Monitoring
Cost: Free (Open Source)
Official Website: https://www.zabbix.com/

Zabbix is a powerful, enterprise-grade monitoring tool used worldwide. Despite being free, it provides features similar to expensive commercial tools.

Why It’s Useful

Monitors servers, routers, switches, PCs, internet usage
Sends alerts (email/SMS) when something goes wrong
Tracks performance like CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth
Helps prevent downtime and detect issues early

Practical Use Cases

Monitor your office internet speed and bandwidth
Get alerts when a server or router goes offline
Track resource usage to prevent system overload
Monitor cloud services and websites

2. AOMEI Backupper Standard — Free Backup & Restore Tool

Category: Backup & Disaster Recovery
Cost: Free
Official Website: https://www.ubackup.com/

AOMEI Backupper helps protect your business data from loss due to hardware failure, power cuts, ransomware, or accidental deletion.

Why It’s Effective

Easy one-click backup
Supports automatic scheduled backups
Backup to NAS, external hard drive, or cloud
Quick system restore during emergencies

Practical Use Cases

Daily backup of accounting files, customer data, and documents
Full system backup to restore computers after crashes
Sync folders between computers

3. AnyDesk — Free Remote Desktop Tool

Category: Remote Support / Remote Access
Cost: Free for personal use (commonly used by small teams internally)
Official Website: https://anydesk.com/

AnyDesk allows IT staff or business owners to access office computers remotely. It is lightweight and works well even with slow internet connections.

Why Businesses Prefer It

Fast and secure remote connections
Easy file transfer
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
Ideal for remote troubleshooting

Practical Use Cases

IT supporter fixing a user's PC remotely
Accessing office computer from home
Managing branch computers without travel

4. Notion — Free Tool for Documentation & Task Management

Category: Productivity & IT Documentation
Cost: Free plan available
Official Website: https://www.notion.so/

Notion is an all-in-one tool for notes, tasks, project management, and documentation. It helps keep IT information organized and accessible.

Why It's Helpful

Create and store IT documentation
Manage IT tasks and checklists
Maintain inventory and asset records
Easy to use and cloud-based

Practical Use Cases

Store router configuration, IP addresses, and login details
Maintain IT asset inventory (computers, printers, etc.)
Create SOPs for IT processes
Manage IT department tasks and deadlines

5. LibreOffice — Free Office Suite

Category: Office Productivity
Cost: Completely Free
Official Website: https://www.libreoffice.org/

LibreOffice is a free alternative to Microsoft Office, offering tools for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases.

Why It’s Ideal for Small Business

No subscription required
Supports Microsoft formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx)
Regular updates and secure
Lightweight and fast

Practical Use Cases

Prepare invoices, business reports, and letters
Create presentations for clients and meetings
Manage simple inventory or billing work in spreadsheets

Highly Recommended Bonus Tools

Google Workspace (Free Tier)

Cloud storage, Docs, Sheets, Drive
Free business email using Gmail interface
https://workspace.google.com/

Cloudflare DNS (Free)

Improves website performance
Protects websites from cyber-attacks
https://www.cloudflare.com/

Bitdefender Free Antivirus

Protects PCs from viruses, malware, ransomware
https://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html

Summary Table

Tool	Category	Cost	Best Use
Zabbix	Network Monitoring	Free	Monitor devices, bandwidth, server health
AOMEI Backupper	Backup	Free	Automated backups & disaster recovery
AnyDesk	Remote Access	Free	Remote support & control
Notion	Documentation	Free	IT records, SOPs, tasks
LibreOffice	Productivity	Free	Office documents & spreadsheets

Conclusion

Small businesses do not need expensive IT solutions to operate smoothly. These free and reliable tools can help you monitor systems, protect data, work remotely, stay organized, and improve productivity — all with minimal cost.

By using these tools, any business can build a strong IT foundation, avoid downtime, and handle problems before they become serious.

How to Protect Your Home Network: A Beginner’s Guide to Cybersecurity

2025-11-25T00:12:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Explain why home networks are now very important (work from home, smart devices).
Mention that many people don’t know how easily their network can be compromised.
Emphasize that improving security doesn’t have to be super technical — beginners can do a lot.

Section 1: Secure Your Wi-Fi

Change default router username and password.
Use strong WPA2 / WPA3 encryption.
Hide your SSID (or don’t, but raise awareness of the pros / cons).
Use a guest network for visitors or smart devices.

Section 2: Use a Firewall

Explain what a firewall is (in simple terms).
Recommend free / built-in firewalls (for example, Windows Defender Firewall).
For more advanced: talk about router-level firewall settings.

Section 3: Create Strong Passwords

Advice on how to create and manage strong passwords.
Use a password manager (you can recommend a few free ones).
Use two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible.

Section 4: Keep Devices Updated

Always install router firmware updates.
Update all connected devices (laptops, phones, smart devices).
Why updates are important: they often have security patches.

Section 5: Use Antivirus / Anti-malware

Recommend reliable free or paid antivirus software.
Explain how malware can enter through USB, email, bad downloads.
Talk about scanning regularly + safe browsing habits.

Section 6: Backup Important Data

Why backing up matters (ransomware, hardware failure).
Recommend backup methods: external drive, cloud backup.
How often to back up.

Section 7: Be Cautious With Smart Devices

Many IoT devices are insecure by default.
Change default passwords on smart devices.
Separate them on a different network (guest Wi-Fi).
Regularly check for firmware updates on these devices.

Conclusion

Recap the most important steps.
Encourage readers to take action now (even small steps matter).
Provide additional resources / links (for learning more or downloading recommended tools)

Office 2016 Product Activation

2023-04-03T00:27:00.006-07:00

Steps

cd /d %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16

cd /d %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\Office16

for /f %x in ('dir /b ..\root\Licenses16\proplusvl_kms*.xrm-ms') do cscript ospp.vbs /inslic:"..\root\Licenses16\%x"

cscript ospp.vbs /inpkey:XQNVK-8JYDB-WJ9W3-YJ8YR-WFG99

cscript ospp.vbs /unpkey:BTDRB >nul

cscript ospp.vbs /unpkey:KHGM9 >nul

cscript ospp.vbs /unpkey:CPQVG >nul

cscript ospp.vbs /sethst:e8.us.to

cscript ospp.vbs /setprt:1688

cscript ospp.vbs /act

C drive has filled up, Delete dump files from mssql server

2023-03-27T00:57:00.006-07:00

When there is something “unexpected”, SQL Server kills the SPID and generates a dump. Due to this, C drive has filled up and database is about to crash or has stopped processing.

Checklist to free space

1. cycle the SQL errorlog to remove large error log files from the C drive - see script below

2. clear out old mdf and ldf files from the \Data directory

3. clear out old stack dumps and crash dumps from \LOG directory

4. remove any redundant backup files

5. delete old roaming user profiles from C:\documents and settings

6. check any \temp directories and .tmp files for files to delete

7. empty the Recycle Bin

Here is an image with location

Delete the Log Files.

Essential Safety Tips for Smartphone Users

2023-01-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

Use a complex password or PIN to lock your phone: This will protect your phone from unauthorized access if it's lost or stolen.
Keep your software updated: Regularly check for and install updates for your phone's operating system and installed apps to ensure optimal performance and security.
Be careful with public Wi-Fi: Public Wi-Fi networks are often unsecured, so avoid accessing sensitive information when connected to one.
Be wary of suspicious text messages and emails: Scammers often use text messages and emails to trick people into giving away personal information.
Be cautious when downloading apps: Only download apps from reputable sources and be sure to read the app's permissions before installing it.
Use a VPN: Use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your internet connection and protect your data when using public Wi-Fi or accessing sensitive information.
Use anti-virus and anti-malware software: Regularly scan your phone for viruses, malware, and other security threats to protect your data and personal information.
Keep your personal information private: Be careful about sharing personal information on social media or in online forums.
Don't leave your phone unattended: Keep your phone with you at all times and be aware of your surroundings when using it in public places.
Be prepared for loss or theft: Keep a record of your phone's IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) and contact your service provider and local authorities immediately if your phone is lost or stolen.

ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer)

2023-01-25T01:42:00.001-08:00

ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI. It is based on the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture and has been trained on a massive dataset of human text to generate human-like responses to text inputs. It can be used for a variety of tasks such as language translation, question answering, and text generation.

Excel textjoin() add-in for 2013

2022-02-22T03:15:00.007-08:00

Steps:

1. Open a blank workbook

2. Press ALT+F11 to open the VBA editor

3. In the Project window on the left, right-click on the workbook name and choose Insert ->Module

4. Paste this code in the resultant window

Option Explicit
Function TEXTJOIN(delimiter As String, ignore_empty As String, ParamArray textn() As Variant) As String
Dim i As Long
For i = LBound(textn) To UBound(textn) - 1
If Len(textn(i)) = 0 Then
If Not ignore_empty = True Then
TEXTJOIN = TEXTJOIN & textn(i) & delimiter
End If
Else
TEXTJOIN = TEXTJOIN & textn(i) & delimiter
End If
Next
TEXTJOIN = TEXTJOIN & textn(UBound(textn))
End Function

5. Save the workbook as an add-in type (.xlam)

6. Load the add-in into Excel (File ->Options ->Addins)

Syntax

TEXTJOIN( delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, [ text2, ... text_n ] )

Parameters or Arguments

delimiter

A string inserted between each text value in the resulting string. Most commonly, you would use a delimiter such as a comma or space character.

ignore_empty

Determines whether empty values are included in the resulting string. TRUE ignores empty values and FALSE includes empty values in the result.

text1, text2, ... text_n

The strings that you wish to join together. There can be up to 252 strings that are joined together.

Returns

The TEXTJOIN function returns a string/text value.

Google Chrome Tips & Trick

2021-11-25T08:49:00.007-08:00

How to send a URL with a part of text highlighted in Chrome?

Select the text that you want to link to.

Right-click and choose “Copy Link to Selected Text” from the context menu.
If the link creation succeeded, the selected text will be briefly highlighted.
Paste your link wherever you want to share it.

Search your open tabs in Chrome

Open Chrome .
Next to the address bar, select Tab search .
Enter the name of a site or a related word.
To go to the open tab or close the tab, select the name of the site.

Pin a tab on Google Chrome?

Arrange tabs

To pin a tab to the left, right-click the tab and select Pin. ...

To unpin a tab, right-click the tab and select Unpin.

To move a tab to a different window, right click on the tab and point to Move tab to another window, then select the window you want to move it to.

Group your tabs

Open Chrome browser.
Click New tab .
Choose an option:

To add a tab to an existing group, drag the tab into the group.
To add a tab to a new group:

Click New Tab right-click a tabselect Add Tab to New Group.
Enter a name for your group.
(Optional) You can also:

Select a color for the tab.
Add additional tabs to the group.
Remove the group.

Top signs that someone is stealing data from your computer as well as some tips for how to avoid viruses.

2021-10-27T08:57:00.003-07:00

Battery Drain

If your device is unknowingly running malicious software in the background, this will use your central processing power. This software may be spyware or viruses. If your battery life seems to be much shorter, it often is a sign that your device is infected with malware or that someone is crypto mining with your processor. In addition to your laptop discharging much faster than normal, it may also feel hot to touch.

Program Crashes

Hackers sometimes try to collect data by placing code into your apps so that it can steal your personal information. This malicious code can cause your apps to act up, run slower, and frequently crash. The best way to protect yourself is to try not to put your financial data, like credit cards, into apps and if you do have to, be sure to use a strong password and two-factor authentication.

Hackers are always looking for new ways to collect your data. They can put code into your apps to make them collect all the needed information. This can make an app run slower, act up, and crash a lot. To protect yourself, try not to put your financial data like your credit card numbers or codes into apps, and always create a complicated password.

If you have a new computer and it is suddenly running very slow, it may be infected with malware software like a worm or Trojan horse. Often this software is disguised as a legitimate download but once installed will consume a lot of your processor’s resources, causing your device to run much slower.

WebCam Recording

If your webcam suddenly starts recording, or the microphone turns on by itself, someone could be spying on you. In addition to stealing your data, they could be recording your voice and taking photos. It is recommended to frequently change passwords, cover your camera with tape and turn off your microphone when not in use.

Blinking Lights

If someone has taken control of your computer, the send and receive lights may be blinking when you are not using it. Spy malware and other viruses can cause data to be uploaded and downloaded in the background, without you even realizing it.

Frequent Pop-Ups

When surfing online, you may have accidentally clicked on a suspicious banner ad. These can inject your laptop with an advertising virus that sends constant pop up ads to your screen. While it is annoying, more concerning is that the virus can allow hackers to access your data.

Browser Redirect

When searching on Yahoo or Google, if you are being redirected to a suspicious website instead of being served search results, this is a sign of being hacked. A Trojan virus may be installed on your device. To verify, you can check the extensions of your browser to search for anything suspicious.

Restrict access to hard disk on Window

2021-10-26T09:30:00.002-07:00

Log on to the computer with an Administrator account.
Click "Start," type "Control Panel" (without quotes) and then navigate to "Control Panel > User Accounts" (Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\User Accounts).
Click "Manage another account."
Click "Create a new account" or " Add a new user in PC settings" (in case of Windows 8/10) and fill in the required username, password etc.

On Windows 8/10, the process to add a new user to PC is slightly different. Add a new user following the steps below:

Navigate to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\User Accounts
Click on Manage Another Account
Click on "Add a new user in PC settings"
In the PC Settings > Family & Other People > Click "Add someone else to this PC"
Windows will attempt to let you enter Windows / Outlook account details of the person you want to add. If you have, well and good. Otherwise, click on " I don't have this person's sign-in information".
Windows will then tell you to create an account for the user. If you want Windows / Microsoft account, go ahead. Otherwise, click on "Add a user without Microsoft Account"
Fill in Username, Password and Password Hint if required.
Then click on next and proceed as per the instructions.

If the user account already exists or you have created a new user account, then open Windows Explorer.
Right-click the name of the hard drive or hard drive partition you want to restrict access to and then click "Properties."
Click the "Security tab" in the "Properties" window that opened. Click "Edit..." and "Add..." in the "Select Users or Groups" window that opened.
Type the name of the user account on your computer with which other users will login with (existing account or the one newly created).
Click "OK." Uncheck the boxes against ALLOW of any options that you DO NOT want available to the user. Also check the "DENY" boxes for "Full control". It should be disabled or unchecked.
Click "OK," "Yes" and "OK." Close any open windows.
Log off the administrator account that is signed in currently and then log on as the other user to test the settings applied.
After you are logged in as the other user account, open Windows Explorer.
Double-click the name of the hard drive or hard drive partition you restricted access to. A window indicating that "Access is denied" is shown. The user is denied access to the hard drive or hard drive partition henceforth.

The steps above will successfully restrict or deny access to a hard drive or hard drive partition from other users.

Excel - Getting List from Other Spreadsheet for Display with Data Validation List

2021-10-25T09:40:00.005-07:00

You can create your own pull-down list or combo box by using the data validation feature in Excel but the main problem is the list has to be in the same spreadsheet as the combo box that you want to use. What most of us will do is just create a list somewhere else in the same spreadsheet and then hide it either by hiding the columns or rows of the list or change the font colour to white so it is invisible.

You can actually make use of the range name for the list that is in other sheet tabs and there is no need to copy it to the spreadsheet that you want to put the combo box.

Here's how...

Select the list that you want to use (it could also be from the table array you use for VLookup or HLookup. If it is, just select the list excluding the header which is the column one for VLookup table array or row one for HLookup table array). It is best if you can first sort your list in ascending order because the list taken in data validation will follow your actual list without sorting them for you.
With the list selected, click in the name box located to the left of the formula bar and type a name (the name has to be unique and shouldn't be separated if it consists of more than one word) and then press Enter.

Return to the other spreadsheet and select the cell(s) you want to create combo box.
With the cell(s) selected, go to Data tab and select Data Validation from Data Tools group (for Excel 2003 or earlier, go to Data menu and select Validation...).

On the Data Validation dialog box, go to Settings tab.
Select List from Allow combo box.

Type the name you have given for the list in step 2, starting with the equal sign (=) in the Source field (I used FruitList for my example).

Click OK or you can continue setting the Input Message and/or Error Alert tab if you want to.

You can combine the usage of this combo box with any lookup function or use it alone.

Create Email Template-Outlook

2021-10-25T09:27:00.003-07:00

Sometimes, you may find that you will be sending emails of the same content again and again (maybe to send monthly report, etc...) and you'll find that you have to type same sentences for these emails again and again.

Try saving the email message as a template and later you can reuse it.

Compose new email as you usually do with normal emails. Put in the subject and if you are going to always send to the same recipient, you can put the recipient email addresses in the To, CC or BCC field.
Once complete, click the Office Button and select Save As

In the Save As dialog box, change the Save as type: to Outlook Template.
Name the file and select your file location if you want to save it in different location or just leave it in the default template location as it is.

For earlier version users, you must first disable the Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit e-mail messages feature found in Tools > Options menu under the Mail Format tab of the Options dialog box.

Follow the steps 2 to 4 as stated above (slight difference in step 2 where you should click File menu instead of Office Button).

To use the template (same process for Outlook 2007 or earlier):

From Tools menu, go to Forms and select Choose Form... .

In the Choose Form dialog box, select User Templates in File System from Look In: combo box.

Select the template listed or click the Browse button if the template is in other location.
Click Open.

Now you can continue to add attachment(s) or amend the template as required.

Build your own Artificial Assistant

2021-08-31T06:07:00.002-07:00

Virtual assistants are Artificial Intelligent based programs. They are a smart computer program that understands human natural languages through voice commands or text and performs tasks for the user.

Visual Studio Code is an integrated development platform for computer programming, with an emphasis on the Python programming language.

Step-1
Launch the application (VsCode) and click on the file menu, then select new project.
For this little script we are using python libraries:
SpeechRecognition is a library for performing speech recognition, with support for several engines and APIs, online and offline.
PyAudio provides Python bindings for PortAudio, the cross-platform audio I/O library. With PyAudio, you can easily use Python to play and record audio on a variety of platforms.
Pyttsx3 is a text-to-speech conversion library in Python.
For the robot to listen to our voice/speech
`pip install speechRecognition`

For Python bindings for PortAudio

'pip install pyaudio'
To speak out, or text to speech
`pip install pyttsx3`
For advance control on browser
`pip install pywhatkit`
To get wikipedia data
`pip install wikipedia`
To get funny jokes
`pip install pyjokes`

Step-2

Paste the below Code:

--------------------------------

import speech_recognition as sr

import pyttsx3

import pywhatkit

import datetime

import wikipedia

import pyjokes

listener = sr.Recognizer()

engine = pyttsx3.init()

voices = engine.getProperty('voices')

engine.setProperty('voice', voices[1].id)

def talk(text):

engine.say(text)

engine.runAndWait()

def take_command():

try:

with sr.Microphone() as source:

print('listening...')

voice = listener.listen(source)

command = listener.recognize_google(voice)

command = command.lower()

if 'Shainee' in command:

command = command.replace('Shainee', '')

print(command)

except:

pass

return command

def run_Alexa():

command = take_command()

print(command)

if 'play' in command:

song = command.replace('play', '')

talk('playing ' + song)

pywhatkit.playonyt(song)

elif 'time' in command:

time = datetime.datetime.now().strftime('%I:%M %p')

talk('Current time is ' + time)

elif 'tell me about' in command:

person = command.replace('tell me about', '')

info = wikipedia.summary(person, 1)

print(info)

talk(info)

elif 'date' in command:

talk('sorry, I have a headache')

elif 'are you single' in command:

talk('I am in a relationship with wifi')

elif 'joke' in command:

talk(pyjokes.get_joke())

else:

talk('Please say the command again.')

while True:

run_Alexa()

Step-3

Click Play Button

How to set up confidential mode and schedule emails in Gmail?

2021-08-24T10:38:00.003-07:00

How to set up confidential mode and schedule emails in Gmail?

Gmail has introduced schedule & Enable Confidential mode an email. This feature was very much needed. Email scheduling feature allows us to send emails later such as if you are composing an email on a Saturday evening because you would forget but want to send only during business hours on Sunday.

Steps:-

* Click on Schedule Send

* Schedule Date & Time

Turn Confidential Mode On

* Click on Turn confidential mode on / off

* SET EXPIRATION (You can also send Google-generated passcodes via SMS for certain countries)

2021-06-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Secure Your Smartphone

1)Lock your phone

Sure, it's a lot easier to keep your phone unlocked all the time because you can get to your email, camera, texts and other features more quickly.

But simply assume however you'd feel if a interloper or stranger found your phone tap on your email or contacts or banking app or photos.

To prevent that from happening, always engage the four- or six-digit passcode – or set up a longer alphanumeric code – so that if you ever lose track of your phone, it won't open your entire business to a stranger.

Touch ID or Face ID (depending on your handset) can get you into your Phone without entering the password. Android users have a choice of setting up a PIN or a pattern screen lock.

Also, make sure to watchword defend all mobile apps that contain personal knowledge, like banking, email and your Amazon account.

2)Lock your apps

A few smartphone brands now offer this feature. You can individually lock installed apps with a passcode or with fingerprint scan.

This adds an additional layer of security for your knowledge and content, particularly if you've got bimanual over your phone to somebody to point out one thing.

In case your phone doesn't have it, you'll be able to get this feature by putting in third party apps like AppLock or Norton AppLock.

3)Only use trusted apps

Google includes a department dedicated to review of apps being supplementary to the play store for users.

This removes majority of harmful apps before they reach the users.

However, there are various other sources from where you can download apps for Android and there are no checks if the apps are safe or malicious.

So, to air the safer facet, it's suggested to disable installation of apps from unknown sources.

Go to settings > security on your android smartphone and you'll see an choice of ‘Install apps from Unknown Sources’, make sure that is switched off.

4)Update your OS and apps promptly

Did your phone provide you with a warning that there's an OS or app update – and you unnoticed that notification?

Software updates will typically appear troubled, but they are critical in protecting your phone's security.

Many hackers exploit vulnerabilities that companies strive to fix before the disaster of stolen information or fraud takes place. The longer you wait to update, the more vulnerable your system becomes.

5)Plan ahead for emergencies

Even if your phone gets lost or taken, you can contain the damage by making sure none of your precious secrets can be accessed by thieves or strangers.

Both Apple and Google provide notice Device services like notice My iPhone and android Device Manager that may find your phone on a map and mechanically disable it.

These services may also create your phone ring, either alarming the thief or just locating a phone you have temporarily lost track of.

You can even arrange for the phone to delete all information after five to 10 false passcode tries.

6)Strengthen permissions

Check the apps on your phone to determine whether they have more privileges than they need to get the job done.

You can grant permissions to applications like access to the camera, the microphone, your contacts and your location.

Keep track of which permissions you've given to which apps, and revoke permissions that are not needed.

For iPhones, go to Settings and tap on Privacy, where you'll see a list of all permissions and the apps you've granted them to.

Android users will notice app permissions within the Application Manager underneath Device > Application in some android versions.

7)Use two-factor authentication wherever possible

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is one of the least favorite security options around because you need to receive and type in an additional code beyond your password to get into your apps.

However, it offers another solid barrier to access your personal info.

If you use an iPhone, be sure to also enable 2FA on your Apple ID because your Apple ID hooks into all your devices and can access your iCloud account. That means entering a password plus a six-digit authorization code when logging in to a device from a new machine.

8)Back up your data

Bad stuff happens, but don't compound the problem by not being prepared. Always back up your data.

This is general sensible apply and protects your necessary documents and pictures just in case of any smartphone loss.

For an Android phone,, make sure "Back up my data" and "Automatic restore" are enabled in the settings and then sync your data with Google.

2021-06-12T09:45:00.002-07:00

Network Security VAPT Checklist

Single machine can have 65535 ports open. Any single port can deploy any service software from the world.

· Identify live hosts

o Ping

o Hping

o Nmap

· Identify OS type

o Nmap

o Xprobe2

o Banner grabbing using telnet, nc (netcat)

· Port scan

o Nmap full SYN scan with verbose mode and service detection and disabling ping scan. Export normal and greppable output for future use.

§ nmap -Pn -p- -sV X.X.X.X -v -sS -oG nmap_grepable_SYN -oN nmap_normal_SYN

o Nmap top 1000 UDP scan with verbose mode and service detection and disabling ping scan. Export normal and greppable output for future use.

§ nmap -Pn -top-ports=1000 -sV X.X.X.X -v -sS -oG nmap_grepable_UDP -oN nmap_normal_UDP

· VA (Vulnerability Assessment)

o Use nessus with below profile

§ DoS disabled

§ Web scan enabled

§ SSL scan on every ports instead of known ports

§ Enable TCP and UDP scan

§ Only give open ports’ list in the configuration that were found by nmap including TCP and UDP rather than full ports in order to save time particularly number of IPs are more and less time for audit and report.

o Use Nexpose

o Use OpenVAS

o Use nmap scanner on specific open ports using below command.

§ For example port 22 (SSH) is open and you want to run all scripts pertaining to SSH then use below command:

Nmap -Pn -sS -p22 --script ssh* -v

In case if you are not sure about exact script name you can use * in order to run all scripts that starts with the ‘ssh’ keyword.

· Audit SSL

o Use openssl, sslyze tools to find below issues within SSL.

§ Self-signed certificate

§ SSL version 2 and 3 detection

§ Weak hashing algorithm

§ Use of RC4 and CBC ciphers

§ Logjam issue

§ Sweet32 issue

§ Certificate expiry

§ Openssl ChangeCipherSec issue

§ POODLE vulnerability

§ Openssl heartbleed issue

· Check for default passwords in server/device/service documentation

o Lets say during your port scan or VA you found some services running on the server for example: cisco, brocad fabric OS, sonicwall firewall, apache tomcat manager. Then for these services Google what are the default configuration administrative username and password. Try those in your login and check your luck.

· Hunting some common ports

o DNS (53) UDP

§ Examine domain name system (DNS) using dnsenum, nslookup, dig and fierce tool

§ Check for zone transfer

§ Bruteforce subdomain using fierce tool

§ Run all nmap scripts using following command: nmap -Pn -sU -p53 --script dns* -v

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

§ Check for DNS amplification attack

o SMTP (25) TCP

§ Check for SMTP open relay

§ Check for email spoofing

§ Check for username enumeration using VRFY command

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

§ Send modified cryptors and check if SMTP gateway is enable to detect and block it?

§ Run all nmap script using following command: nmap -Pn -sS -p25 --script smtp* -v

o SNMP (161) UDP

§ Check for default community strings ‘public’ & ‘private’ using snmpwalk and snmpenum.pl script.

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

§ Perform MIG enumeration.

· .1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5 Hostnames

· .1.3.6.1.4.1.77.1.4.2 Domain Name

· .1.3.6.1.4.1.77.1.2.25 Usernames

· .1.3.6.1.4.1.77.1.2.3.1.1 Running Services

· .1.3.6.1.4.1.77.1.2.27 Share Information

o SSH (22) TCP

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

§ Check if that supports sshv1 or not.

§ Bruteforce password using hydra and medusa

§ Check if it supports weak CBC ciphers and hmac algorithms using ssh2-enum-algos.nse nmap script.

§ Run all nmap scripts using following command: nmap -Pn -sS -p22 --script ssh* -v

o Cisco VPN (500) UDP

§ Check for aggressive and main mode enable using ikescan tool.

§ Enumeration using ikeprobe tool

§ Check for VPN group and try to crack PSK in order to get credentials to login into the VPN service through web panel.

o SMB (445,137,139) TCP

§ Check SAMBA service using metasploit use auxiliary/scanner/smb/smb_version

§ Get reverse shell using meterpreter reverse tcp module.

§ Check for SMB related vulnerability using ‘smb-check-vulns’ nmap script.

§ Reference: https://myexploit.wordpress.com/control-smb-445-137-139/

o FTP (21) TCP

§ Run all nmap script using following command: nmap -Pn -sS -p21 --script ftp* -v

§ Check for cleartext password submission for ftp login

§ Check for anonymous access using username and password as anonymous:anonymous

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

§ Bruteforce FTP password using hydra and medusa

o Telnet (23) TCP

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

§ Bruteforce telnet password

§ Run following nmap scripts

· telnet-brute.nse

· telnet-encryption.nse

· telnet-ntlm-info.nse

o TFTP (69) UDP

§ TFTP Enumeration

· tftp ip_address PUT local_file

· tftp ip_address GET conf.txt (or other files)

· tftp – i GET /etc/passwd (old Solaris)

§ Bruteforce TFTP using TFTP bruteforcer tool

§ Run tftp-enum.nse nmap script

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

o RPC (111) TCP/UDP

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

§ Run following nmap scripts

· bitcoinrpc-info.nse

· metasploit-msgrpc-brute.nse

· metasploit-xmlrpc-brute.nse

· msrpc-enum.nse

· nessus-xmlrpc-brute.nse

· rpcap-brute.nse

· rpcap-info.nse

· rpc-grind.nse

· rpcinfo.nse

· xmlrpc-methods.nse

§ Perform RPC enumeration using rcpinfo tool

§ Check for the NFS folders so that data could be exported using showmount -e command.

o NTP (123) UDP

§ Perform NTP enumeration using below commands:

· ntpdc -c monlist IP_ADDRESS

· ntpdc -c sysinfo IP_ADDRESS

§ Run all nmap scripts using nmap -Pn -sS -p21 --script ntp* -v

o HTTP/HTTPs (443,80,8080,8443) TCP

§ Banner grabbing using burp response

§ Run Nikto and dirb

§ Run all nmap scripts using following command nmap -Pn -sS -p21 --script http* -v

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

o SQL Server (1433,1434, 3306) TCP

§ Banner grabbing and finding publicly known exploits

§ Bruteforce and perform other operation using following tools:

· Piggy

· SQLping

· SQLpoke

· SQLrecon

· SQLver

§ Run following nmap scripts:

· ms-sql-brute.nse

· ms-sql-config.nse

· ms-sql-dac.nse

· ms-sql-dump-hashes.nse

· ms-sql-empty-password.nse

· ms-sql-hasdbaccess.nse

· ms-sql-info.nse

· ms-sql-ntlm-info.nse

· ms-sql-query.nse

· ms-sql-tables.nse

· ms-sql-xp-cmdshell.nse

· pgsql-brute.nse

§ For MYSQL default username is root and password is

o Oracle (1521) TCP

§ Enumeration using following tools

· Tnsver [host] [port]

· Tnscmd

o perl tnscmd.pl -h ip_address

o perl tnscmd.pl version -h ip_address

o perl tnscmd.pl status -h ip_address

§ Enumeration & Bruteforce using below nmap scripts:

· oracle-brute.nse

· oracle-brute-stealth.nse

· oracle-enum-users.nse

· oracle-sid-brute.nse

· oracle-tns-version.nse

o RDP (3389) TCP

§ Perform enumeration via connecting and checking login screen. Gather all active user’s name and domain/group name.

§ Perform RDP cryptography check using RDP-sec-check.pl script.

§ Run following nmap script:

· rdp-enum-encryption.nse

· rdp-vuln-ms12-020.nse

o SIP (5060)

§ Enumeration through following commands:

· Sipflanker - python sipflanker.py 192.168.1-254

· Sipscan - Smap - smap -l IP_Address

Find your Device through google

2020-11-18T08:26:00.014-08:00

Open Browser & type

www.google.com

May Require Sign-in

type "find my device"

Features

Mobile Name

Location

Battery Status

Play Sound

Secure Device

Erase Device

Switch to Classic Facebook

2020-10-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Switch to Classic Facebook (Google Chrome Browser)

Open new tab & paste the below link

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/old-layout-for-facebook/abmkkackbbimmdbfjdilpnfaegaeagge

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Open New tab & go to Facebook.

Download & Save Youtube Videos

2020-09-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Download & Save Youtube Videos

add "pp" after "youtube" and before ".com"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnSAfmYOrzM

https://www.youtubepp.com/watch?v=EnSAfmYOrzM

and then Enter

How to create a Facebook Room

2020-07-22T10:39:00.001-07:00

With Facebook's Messenger Room, up to 50 people can chat in a room at once, with no time limit.

* Open the Messenger app.

* Tap the People tab at the bottom right of the screen.

* Tap Create a Room, and select the people who you want to join.

* To share a room with people who don't have a Facebook account, you can share the link with them.

You can create a video chat room via Facebook or the Messenger app and invite up to 50 people to join a video call even if they don't have a Facebook account. There are no time limits on calls.

Create a room by opening the Messenger app, tapping the People tab at the bottom right of the screen, and tapping Create a room. Then you'll select the people you want to invite to your room.

Privacy Matters: Messenger Rooms

Locking: Rooms can be locked or unlocked once a call begins. If a room is locked, no one else can join, except a Group admin for rooms created through a Group.

Removing a participant: The room creator can remove any unwanted participants. If the room creator removes someone from the call or leaves, the room will lock automatically and the room creator must unlock the call for others to join.

Leaving: If at any point you feel unsafe in a room, you can leave. Just because a room is locked doesn’t mean you have to stay.

Reporting: You can report a room name or submit feedback about a room if you believe it violated our Community Standards. But since we don’t watch or listen to your audio or video calls, it’s important to know that reports and feedback will not include audio or video from the room.

Blocking: You can block someone on Facebook or Messenger who may be bothering you and we won’t inform them. When someone you’ve blocked is logged into Facebook or Messenger, they won’t be able to join a room you’re in and you won’t be able to join theirs.

DEFINITION OF MS-EXCEL WINDOW

2020-07-03T09:18:00.003-07:00

Cyber Security Awareness

2020-04-28T03:10:00.004-07:00

Cyber Security Awareness

The DOs

1. While you are banking, shopping or paying your bills online, check if the website’s URL begins with ‘https’. Also look for the padlock icon, which indicates that the connection is secure.
2. Go for unique, and hard to guess passwords. Never keep the same password for different online accounts. Create a password that has a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters, and numbers.
3. Use your primary email address to stay in touch with people you know or are acquainted with.
4. For social media sites, use an email address that you do not use for important communications.
5. Avoid using free, unsecured Wi-Fi for shopping or banking on the Internet and even for logging into your social media profiles.
6. Delete old accounts that you do not use anymore.
7. Before downloading any free software, research on the software and the website hosting it. Ensure the software’s publisher is verified.
8. Access your bank’s website by manually typing its URL in the address bar. Never access it from an email or a text message.
9. Never click on links or download attachments in unwanted, unexpected emails, even if such emails look like they are from a known source.
10. Take regular backups of all your important files. Doing this is more important now that ransomware attacks are becoming so rampant. It is recommended to store the backup on external hard drives and connect them to your PC as less as possible. Alternatively, you can also use a trusted cloud-based backup service.

The DONT’s

1. Avoid making your personal information public on social media sites and the Internet in general. Read this post to know about the disadvantages of sharing too much information online.
2. Avoid checking ‘Keep me logged in’ or ‘Remember me’ options on websites, especially on public computers.
3. Never use your official email address for social media sites.
4. Never use any of your personal information such as name, date of birth, address, etc., as your password.
5. Never respond to pop-up ads that may come up on your screen. Close such pop-ups from the task manager; press Alt+Ctrl+Delete.
6. Avoid visiting inappropriate websites or websites that you are not fully aware of.

2020-04-28T02:47:00.002-07:00

5 ways in which we are sharing too much information online

1. Pouring your heart out on social media
Put up a status update on your Facebook page and swoosh! It’s out there for everyone to see. But, are we careful about what we are sharing on social media? If your privacy settings are shaky, then you could be risking yourself to threats such as identity theft (criminals impersonating you) or a burglary in your house (criminals might locate your home address). Furthermore, posting inappropriate content may also make any future job opportunities slim (yes, recruiters keep a watch on social media profiles of potential employees).

The Remedy
• Avoid posting any personal information on social media.
• Select your audience as ‘Friends’ instead of ‘Public’ unless you are sure what you are posting is okay to be made public.

2. Free Wi-Fi
One of the many things that brighten up the day is free Wi-Fi. Oh, what fun! But, at what price? Public Wi-Fi is called so because anyone (including hackers) can access it. And any information you send or receive over such networks can be intercepted by anyone with a fair amount of knowledge about hacking. For instance, if you are shopping online over an unsecured Wi-Fi connection, a hacker can place themself between you and the shopping portal, spying on all your information. This hacking technique is known as man-in-the-middle attack (MiTM).

The Remedy
• Avoid using open Wi-Fi networks (that do not ask for any kind of authentication such as login ID, passwords, etc.) for accessing websites where you need to provide sensitive information like usernames, passwords, PIN, bank details, etc.
• Even if you do get a network that asks for you to log in first, confirm its authenticity from the provider.
• As an added safety measure, you can use a virtual private network (VPN). It is service that routes your activity through a separate secure, private network and reduces the risk of a man-in-the-middle attack.

3. Responding to unknown emails
Unsurprisingly, email remains the most popular tool that hackers use to trap their victims. One skillfully crafted email bearing an urgent tone, something like ‘Your ATM is locked. Share your PIN and card number for security verification’, is good enough to trick an unsuspecting user into sharing this crucial piece of information with the scammer. This classic technique is called phishing and it has been laying waste to many businesses and individuals since long.

The Remedy
• Do not respond to unwanted, unknown or unexpected emails that ask you to download attachments or click on links.
• Even if such emails seem familiar, call up the sender and verify the situation first.
•Mark such emails as ‘spam’ or delete them from your inbox.

4. Bad password hygiene
While we are readily embracing all possible benefits that the Internet delivers, our password hygiene still remains primitive – predictable and weak. Passwords can be more complicated than love for most people. Jokes aside, using simple passwords so that you can remember them without breaking a sweat means risking your accounts to hackers. What’s worse is using one password for multiple accounts because if a hacker cracks it, they won’t take much long to hack into the rest of your accounts.

The Remedy
• Choose your password that is a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters (symbols).
• If a complicated password is difficult to remember, then try this – take the first letter of every word of your favorite movie, actor’s name, poem or so, and add some numbers and symbols to it. For instance, I take ‘Call of the Hundred Birds’ and my password could be SotHa@#159. Easy to remember!
• Use different passwords for different accounts (especially those where you have provided your personal information).

5. Filling out forms (online and physical)
Your name, phone number, and email ID might seem as plain information to you but these are gold for marketers, more so for scammers. When was the last time you filled out a feedback form for your usual movie theater? Or, did you just recently fill out an online form to receive the services from a website (a PDF download, accessing an article, etc.)? Sharing your information this way might not be always harmful unless you know how this information is being shared or used.

The Remedy
• While filling up any such forms (online or otherwise), consider using a fictitious name, email ID, and phone number.
• Provide your actual details only if necessary and when you are certain that the information will be used without affecting your privacy.

Technology and the Internet have come a long way in bettering our lives in myriad ways. It’s easy to lose track of how we act or what we do on the Internet every day and sometimes this provides cyberthieves a window of opportunity. But, following some simple precautions such as the ones listed here, should keep us out of harm’s way.

Free Online Bollywood Movies & Hindi Serials

2019-10-30T22:46:00.003-07:00

https://bollyfuntv.com/

Download from Youtube

2019-03-17T23:05:00.002-07:00

Download from Youtube

Open the Below Website

https://www.clipconverter.cc/

Paste the Youtube URL
Click Continue
Select the Audio or Video Format
Click Start