Basics of Ethical Hacking | Tutorials, Tips and Tricks

Zero-Day Attacks- How Safe Are You?

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 14:21:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Meenakshi Nagri.

In the past couple of years, there has been a rise in cyber-attacks which has eventually pushed for more reliable and better security capabilities such as protection, code security, encryption, authorization, so on and so forth. Moreover, it is imperative to protect global business and critical infrastructure from such cyber-attacks.

An average user or even a web-savvy user has a little knowledge about which application has better security standards. It is imperative to evaluate the safety of applications. There are some security protocols which should be maintained without deviating from the end goal.

Both organisations and individuals should strive to meet all the necessary security protocols and most importantly evaluate and meet all the security requirements and be assured that they meet the baseline for data security.

Vulnerability Timeline

A study reveals that about 20% of the global organisations rank cyber espionage as the most pressing concern, therefore, making it a significant threat to their business. The number of zero days is continually rising and with each attack being more severe. The primary targets under the radar have been government institutions, organisations from various sectors, individuals and so on.

The basic fundamental of cyber espionage is to expose the private information of the concerned person or company. Cyber espionage tops the list of security concerns as it repercussions can be felt even after eliminating the threat as it damages trade and creates a dent in the global economy.

Ransomware, malware attack, phishing, etc. are some common cyber-attacks. In particular, as recent has been the case with WannaCry ransomware attack. It was reported that it had infected more than 230,000 computers worldwide. Many organisations were hit in over 150 countries. The common tactic is to take advantage of the gaps left in the networks that have businesses partnerships and government agencies. Simply put, through these networks, these entities share valuable information that hackers can penetrate into thus easily getting access to useful information.

The question that arises next is why these entities get affected by cyber-attacks? The reason being, the lack of proper security implementation of protocols. Organizations, enterprises, individuals need to be informed of cyber-attack activities, so they better recognize the risk of exposure before it is unsolicited exposed.

Threats are Constantly Evolving

While recently catching up with news, you may have heard terms like ‘zero day’ and ‘cyber conflict’ over and over again. The technology has bestowed us with new exciting security protocols. This implies that with each advancement, we are better at adding an extra layer of security; however, as these approaches become obsolete, they can be bypassed quickly thus leaving a void for the cyber-attacks.

A zero-day vulnerability refers to such voids left in software which is unknown to the developers. This flaw is then exploited by the attackers with malicious intent even before the developers become aware of it. To counter the vulnerabilities, a software patch is released to fix the issue. Once such example is of Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday i.e. Microsoft releases security patches on every second or fourth Tuesday of each month for its products.

One of the reasons of the cyber espionage is the lack of applying these tactics i.e. to update their system with recently security updates. Systems running under unsupported operating systems or older versions were substantially exposed.

Simply put, developers create software that contains some voids and attackers spot the vulnerability before developers can act and exploits it. Once the patches are released, the exploits are no longer a threat.

The Role of Security Standard

As attackers look for advanced ways to exploit the vulnerabilities, new procedures and techniques are being adopted by them. They use hacking methods such as watering hole attacks, spear phishing attack, Whaling, Port scanning, to name a few.

Cyber security is a bigger challenge as one needs to implement advanced protocols and meet safety standards when required. Even though organizations may fulfill all the criteria or the developers checklist everything on the standards of security, there’s always room for enhancing the basic security capabilities. The fast evolving tactics and unpredictable threats used by cyber criminals have pushed for advanced evaluation and monitoring of services.

As the attackers adopt the latest technology, the security community is pushing for other defensive stances as well. They have started putting steps in place to guard against cyber- attack. Struggling to keep up with the security standards means to put the critical information and infrastructure at risk.

Adopting techniques to protect the cyber environment is the need of the hour. The primary objective is to mitigate and prevent any potential for cyber-attacks and for that, more and more companies are implementing various security safeguards, risk management approaches, guidelines, policies, technologies, investing in data recovery services, so on and so forth.

A Helping Hand

Zero-day, cyber conflict and cyber espionage all are a broader picture of cyber-attack, and nonetheless, make up for most of the cyber security challenge. The users need not be security experts to protect themselves against the attacks.

Use a top antivirus that will ensure that you are protected against both known & unknown vulnerability.
Time again IT experts ask users to update their software’s, the Update may include protection from a recently discovered bug.
Upgrade the browsers, push out an automatic update of the browsers regularly.

Stellar Data Recovery is one such name which is capable of countering such cyber-attacks; thereby, it presents itself as a reliable partner when it comes to data security.

The Final Word

We will always be wooed by the latest technological advancement which also means that the old ones will become obsolete; thereby, adopting new security approaches is equally essential. Cyber-attacks expose valuable assets gaining unauthorized access; therefore, businesses need to defend themselves against it and incorporate security protocols to mitigate the risk.

How To Protect / Secure Your Wi-Fi Network?

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Fri, 2 Jun 2017 18:54:00 +0530

Hello All, I am back to blogging again after 3-4 years motivated and ready than ever before. For 5 years now, I am working online on Upwork and some other freelancing sites as security expert helping clients fixing their hacked sites/servers so could not manage much time for writing but will try to regularly update with new hacking tutorials and tricks from now onwards. I have recently changed the look/design of site as well so I hope you would like it :)

Using man-in-the-middle attack, someone can eavesdrop on your network traffic and can easily get all administrator details and have un-authorized access to your Wi-Fi network.

So today I am going to provide some basic approaches to secure your home or office Wi-Fi network from hackers.

Logging to Router and Change Default Password

You have to look at back of your router and get login details like IP Address, Username and Password. Usually details are written at back and if not you may call your ISP (Internet Service Provider) if they gave you the router otherwise find the model number and look up information on Google.

Visit IP Address in browser and enter login details when asked. This page is only accessible when you are using the router’s Wi-Fi network.

After logging in, first thing you have to do is to change default password setup by router. Settings may vary depending on which company router you using (mentioned image is for D-Link routers), some routers provide options to change default admin username as well.

Why should you change the default network password? With default password, someone can easily login to router setting (by default gateway IP which is not hard to find) and have un-authorized access to change router settings. So changing password would not allow anyone to access router settings except you.

SSID, Password and WPA2 Encryption

Pick a SSID (network name) which is not relevant to your identity or draw attention from hackers.

Use a strong password and once you do that please make sure to update passwords on all connected devices.

For encryption, make sure you choose WPA2 and not WEP/WPA. WPA2, short for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, the follow on security method to WPA for wireless networks that provides stronger data protection and network access control. It provides enterprise and consumer Wi-Fi users with a high level of assurance that only authorized users can access their wireless networks

Firmware Update

Please consider updating firmware of your router which you can find under admin settings. Using the latest firmware version ensures you have all available security patches.

Disable WPS

WPS, short for Wi-Fi Protected setup is insecure so you should disable it. This is a button on your router.

Guest Networks

Some routers provide this option using which you can add guest network which creates a separate network for guests. It is a totally different network with a different password from the network. This means devices connected to the Guest network will NOT be able to share files and printers connected to the main network.

Parental Controls

With it, you can block inappropriate sites and limit the time your kids spend online.

Additional Settings

You may consider enable MAC Filtering (However they can easily spoofed and just give false sense of security) or Hide SSID.

There are wide ranges of settings under your router which you can change and set accordingly but please be cautious when doing so.

Any question? Please let me know in comment section.

Thank you.

WordPress Security: Securing Sites From Hackers / Future Attacks

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0530

As WordPress is the most popular CMS available on the web but also vulnerable to threats if we don't follow the necessary security measures.

In one of previous guest post, Sarah Rexman mentioned some tips about securing WordPress and in this post I'm gonna share my own experience. While working as freelancer on Upwork, PeoplePerHour and Freelancer; clients always have issues about securing their sites from hackers and ask about how to prevent from future attacks. So consider these points to secure your WordPress site for now and future:

Keep your WordPress up to date. Latest stable version is 6.9.1 released on 3rd February, 2026.
Keep your all plugins, themes up to date.
Always keep backup of your database, files and make it update after some interval.
If site has been compromised, then you must change your salt keys from your wp-config.php file under root directory. You can generate new keys from here. It will force all users to have to log in again.
Change your all passwords associated with site at regular interval.

Use strong passwords for all logins. Include the mixture of atleast one uppercase letter, lowercase letter, special character, number.
Change your WP-Admin username from admin to some other name.
Change database prefix from wp_ to some other complicated characters to avoid zero-day SQL injection attacks.
Remove timthumb script if your site running it as its no longer supported or maintained.
Use plugins after testing it properly. Going through plugin review, Google search will let you know about the reputation of the plugin.
Keep track of latest visitors through log files for tracking site users. If you find any suspicious activity at any particular time, then logs files might help you to know a bit about the attacker.
Change permissions for .htaccess, wp-config.php, themes main files to 444.
Proper file permissions for other files and folders. Best practice is to use 644 for files and 755 for folders.
Keep your own system virus free.
Always try accessing the site credentials from your own system only.
Validate all user inputs like URL, image uploads etc.
Keep track of WP-Admin, FTP accounts user section for any unauthorized user.
You can also use Wordfence plugin to monitor from malicious scripts.
Put some security to the server on which your site is hosted, either it hosted on dedicated or a shared server.
Keep updated with latest vulnerabilities.

Is your own site get infected with malware/virus, contact me through contact form to get rid of malware with future security implementation. In some cases, site might be hit by pharma hack, you can check it either through site content or by searching your site on Google with query "site:example.com pharma"

Having any further issue? Please comment down!

Tutorial On Shoulder Surfing Technique & How To Prevent From It

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Wed, 28 May 2014 18:48:00 +0530

Hello everyone!! Today I'm gonna tell about a cool & funny hacking technique named Shoulder Surfing. Mostly among you would've use this technique before too, but never knew about its name, so let me clear what is shoulder surfing in brief:

Shoulder surfing is the way to obtaining information by looking over any person's shoulder (It's similar to cheating in exam from someone sitting ahead you). For e.g. while filling your personal data like email, password, security pin or while doing transactions from ATMs, person behind you can see what you're typing & grab the sensitive information. It seems weird, but persons who're very slow in typing, mostly become victim of it. Shoulder surfing can also be done through long distance by using binoculars.

How to prevent from this hacking technique?

As I recommend, type fast as you can.
Know who's behind you while typing.
At last but not least, pick strong passwords for email accounts, transactions (so that the person behind you even could not make a guess about what you typed).

And the best way I found on Google:

haha :)

Tutorial On Information Gathering / Foot Printing (Hacking Technique)

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Wed, 21 May 2014 19:19:00 +0530

Information gathering or Foot printing is the basic technique of hacking which includes gathering maximum information about the target computer systems. It is a very important part of hacking because the more information about target system we have, more the number of attacks we can launch. Information gathering is the important technique because all other process of hacking based on information that you have. Therefore we must know what information to gather, where to find it, how to collect it & how to process the collected information.

Let's start with an example: Suppose your designation is as a hacker in your company & company wants some information about the target system like physical location, IP records and some details about the specific domain. What you've is only the domain name (e.g. www.example.com) or IP address. There are some practical steps you need to follow while gathering information about target system:

First step is to finding the IP address:
- Go to command prompt> type ping www.example.com
- It will give you IP of the target system.
After getting IP, next step is to know about the physical location of the victim:
- Go to IP2location from here, enter the IP in search field & hit enter.
- It will give you details about the physical location of the victim.
Now, we have to find out the details of the domain (example.com):
- Go to who.is or whois.domaindetails.com & type the site address of victim.
- It will give you details about domain owner, server, domain expiry/creation date.\
Use Traceroute for tracing the websites path:
- Check out my post on Trace Website Path Using CMD.
Use Google for getting more information about the victim.

Following above methods will help you in getting maximum information about the target system & if you need further information, then google it with your queries.

Some of the tools used for information gathering are nslookup, traceroute & Nmap. Very soon, I will explain about Information Gathering technique using Back Track.

A Guide To Google Hacking Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Mon, 3 Mar 2014 22:31:00 +0530

Hi everyone!! As we all know Google is the major search engine and #1 ranking site and it's like a part of our daily routine.

Google hacking does not mean to hack Google's site/server, it means likely to be smart in Google search. Almost every kind of information is provided there, but the thing is how you search your queries. In this post I've provided a PPT which is all about Google hacking techniques. I'm sure after completing the whole PPT, you would become more expert in Google search.

PPT is all about learning the basics of Google hacking and finding vulnerabilities in the websites.

You can download it from here.

Whether you search your queries as smart worker or hard worker in Google, depends upon how much you know about it! so start your smart work from right now.

How To Protect In Cafe/Public Computers While Surfing Internet?

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Thu, 6 Feb 2014 15:53:00 +0530

People who surf internet on cafe/public computers, are more vulnerable to be hacked, reason is simple! They are unaware from the software installed on public computers, their privileges. It's always secure to access internet from your personal computers, but some times you have to access it from other places like cafe, your friend computer. So what if you wanna to secure yourself from these hacks? Two things you must keep in mind while surfing from pubic computers:

1. Always prefer to private browsing. Mostly people are unaware from this wonderful feature of browsers. So what is private browsing and how to enable it?

Private Browsing allows you to browse the Internet without saving any information about which sites and pages you’ve visited, private browsing do not save Visited pages, History, Passwords, Cookies and Cache files.
For enabling it, press Ctrl+Shift+P for firefox and IE users (For chrome use shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N or check my other post Incognito Window In Google Chrome For Safe Browsing), a prompting window will ask you for starting private browsing.

2. Use On-Screen Keyboard. What to do if you think there is suspicious keylogger installed on system. Don't take risk, use on-screen keyboard. Keyloggers captures information from normal keyboard only. So whenever you do login on your personal internet banking accounts or else, always prefer to use virtual keyboard. You can open it by typing OSK in run.

Tutorial On DNS Cache Poisoning (Redirect abc.com By Entering xyz.com In Address Bar)

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 16:18:00 +0530

Hello guys! Today I'm going to post about a hacking technique named "DNS Spoofing or DNS Cache Poisoning". DNS cache poisoning is a computer hacking attack, whereby data is introduced into a Domain Name System (DNS) name server's cache database, causing the name server to return an incorrect IP address, diverting traffic to another computer (often the attacker's).

This trick is commonly used by hackers for redirecting original site to fake site (like opening Facebook, Gmail would open fake facebook, gmail).

Let's understand it by taking an example:

Go to C:\Windows\ System32\ Drivers\ etc\ Hosts
Open it with notepad.
Write 67.195.160.76 www.google.com below 127.0.0.1 localhost like that:
127.0.0.1 localhost
67.195.160.76 www.google.com

Where 67.195.160.76 is IP address of yahoo, you can change it whatever you want. If you are thinking about knowing IP address of any site, then go to command prompt> Type ping site name, for e.g. ping www.facebook.com.

Note: Even you can use it for phishing purpose.

Best Server Hardware And Network Solution For Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:56:00 +0530

The serverclub.com is a provider of server hardware and network plans. Just from its name you can understand the specialty of this website:dedicated server services. As why in our modern days the Internet is everything especially for our work, many of companies, web designers, businessmen or bloggers have enjoyed the advantages of the dedicated servers.

These servers allow other people to browse your website on the internet. This storage of this data on servers is called hosting. Some people to decrease their costs host their data in shared servers but sometimes have to deal with problems like the server overloading. So, that’s the reason the big companies and the website owners prefer the dedicated servers.

The ServerClub can provide you exactly this dedicated server hosting. The site provides the best hardware and software services and also very good and useful customer support, all these in very low prices. In additional are available two very profitable offers: to refer a friend and to become a reseller which in simple words means that when for example you recommend the ServerClub services to your friends then you will get the 10% of the rent bill of their server plan every month for the lifetime of their contract. You can also sell servers from your website gaining the 20% of the sales.

ServerClub Features:

Environmentally friendly technologies and power saving systems at the servers host which help the costs cutting.
Reliable hardware combined with amazing bandwidth = perfect hosting.
Excellent customer support service.
Backup server available in case of failure or overload.
Customization of plans and extra requirements depend on the needs.
High quality servers (instant setup of Dell’s premium servers with Xeon processors and hardware RAID, the IP network is designed by Cisco)

In Conclusion

ServerClub provides all the services which are required to set up dedicated hosting with the best possible features at logical rates. So if you are thinking to switch to dedicated hosting, you are highly recommended totake look onthe ServerClub.

How To Create Your Own Website For Free With uCoz?

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:38:00 +0530

The www.ucoz.com is a unique website which allows you to build your site easily, for free. It gives you the ability to create a multi-functional website for every topic you want. Either you are a professional or you just want to create a site for your personal purposes have in mind that with the ucoz you have the ability to create a page with your own unique style.

How it Works?

The uCoz allows you to create your page from a large number of template options for a functional and interactive site. But it’s good to keep in mind that is a free web builder so do not wait to get the functionality of a paid one. Although the ucoz is a site which gets closer to a paid website planning than the rest of its kind. It is the ideal helper to create your own website for free like personal homepages, online stores, portals, fan sites, blogs and communities, educational and governmental websites and many more.

Except offering the typical features to Content Management Systems like the database of site users with division into groups or the RSS import and export, also offers some unique features as special template language which allows you to check different conditions when generating pages,template builder which allows to completely change the design in a very effective way and possibility to extend your website functionality with the help of PHP or third database servers like MySQL and API. It doesn’t require installation, offers many different templates in its template store and a variety of modules, tools and features as well to give your page a sense of your own personality. The good is that uCoz is suitable for both newbies and experienced professionals.

Why Choose uCoz?

uCoz has a very good background as works for 7 years already and has over 1.200.000 active websites with more than 100 million page views daily and the most important: error free. Also, it provides free Web hosting with unlimited space. It is not possible to summarize up everything in one article. But one you have to keep in mind: uCoz provides a free and easy to use service for people who want to create their own page with their own personality and to enjoy the many advantages of using a multi-functional website for their work, to exhibit their art, to express their ideas or just to have fun. Absolutely recommended!

Cheap And Quality Downloads For Music Addicts

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:08:00 +0530

What is the most remarkable difference between www.iomoio.com and the other download music sites? Of course, the price! You can download a track you like only for $0.16 with all taxes included in this price. You only pay for the purchased music and the site do not charge any extra or hidden fees. You just have to create an account and add an one-time payment for $16! You can add money using PayPal, Visa or MasterCard. In additional, there are available very attractive discounts and special promotions!

Extra Benefits and Bonuses on Deposits:

$32 + $12 Bonus

$48 + $26 Bonus

$96 + $76 Bonus

You might think how can be so cheap and concurrently legal. This is why the site’s licensing body is located outside the United States, so it’s not bounded by the $0.99 per track regulation of the RIAA.

Easy to Use and Safe

It’s very easy to find a track as when you enter the site, there is a search engine and also you can search by categories as artists, albums etc. Iomoio has more than 1,600,000 tracks and over 56,000 artists around its database. When finding the tracks you want, simply purchase them and download them from the Downloads page. It’s not necessary to spend your money for free. Before purchasing a track you can have a 60 seconds preview of it and then decide!

The site through its help desk guarantees that your payment data is transferred through closed bank networks with the highest level of security. Site uses the protocol SSL 3.0, server certificate (128 bit)to prevent unauthorized access to your information.

In Conclusion

With the iomoio.com you can download the mp3 songs you love absolutely free of unwelcome viruses and 100% legally only for $0.16! This site offers to its visitors simplicity and a wide range of music data which is every day updated with the latest tracks. The only you have to do is just to create an account and start to shake with the rhythm of your music!

All For Your Smartphone Just In One Site - General-play.com

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:10:00 +0530

You hold in your hands your lovely smartphone but do you know what makes the smartphones to distinguish from the rest applies? The mobile apps! You have the ability to boost your smartphone with your favorite apps just in a few minutes through the General play. Entering www.general-play.com, you can install games, useful apps even tips how to cook a chicken!

What is the General play?

General play is a search engine for apps for every type of smartphone.

There are thousands of mobile apps free or paid to choose like over 740000 appsfor iOS (Apple devices), over 882000 apps for Android, over 102500 apps for Windows, over 232500 apps for Blackberry and many others for all the operating systems devices.

Check the categories of the apps which are provided in this interesting site:

Books & Reference
Business
Education
Entertainment
Finance
Food & Drink
Games
Health & Fitness
Kids & Family
Lifestyle
Media & Video & Photo
Medical
Navigation & Travel
News & Magazines
Other
Social Networking
Sports
Themes
Tools & Productivity
Utilities
Weather

You can search from the provided categories or just to type a keyword gaining numerous results to choose the one you like. If you are from the people who love technology, enjoy different apps in their free time or search for useful apps, it’s sure that you will love this site.

Some features of the General play:

You can download from wallpapers to music, recipes and many more others.
You can download both free and paid files.
Before you download an app, you have the chance to be informed by an extended description about it.
You are able to do the most efficient search in most convenient way.
Simple design and very easy to use.

It’s pretty funny as well very useful! So build the personality of your mobile device through the mobile apps from General play. Sure you will bookmark this site as one of your favorites. It’s absolutely recommended for its rich variety and its great simplicity.

Making Things Uncomplicated In Hacking World With ChatWing Chat Software

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Fri, 8 Mar 2013 16:28:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Aaron Kong.

Putting up a site intended to inform people of things they need to know like an online encyclopedia and such is a very good idea of sharing your knowledge to the people who needs it. As such, it is also important that you describe thoroughly these bits of information so these people would easily come to understand it. But sometimes, doing so just won’t cut it since there will always be terms and methods that are totally unheard of to these people. In these cases, you’ll need a tool that can let you engage with your visitors in a more direct manner so you can express your thoughts and ideas to them more clearly – and to do that you need Chatwing chat app.

This chatting tool is very effective in connecting you and your online readers through live chat. It’s easy enough to be embedded into you site in seconds and stable enough to hold out a large number of web traffic chatting simultaneously within the chat room. You don’t have to worry about your chat box not being able to handle large volumes of traffic as it is built specifically for that purpose.

Another good thing about this chat widget is that it’s very lenient in letting your readers gaining access to chat. With its socially integrated log-in mechanism, they are able to log-in using their social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, Google and Yahoo accounts. They can also use their Chatwing accounts (provided they have one) or log-in as guests, if they want chat with you anonymously.

Having your readers join your chatroom with ease is one of the upbringings of this nifty chat widget. But what separates ChatWing from the others is its ability to comply with its lenience in logging methods. Since it is very easy for other people to join in on your conversations, it can’t be helped that your chat room will fall prey to spammers and other people that post messages which can be damaging to your site’s reputation. But as the admin user, you can prevent all that by using ChatWing’s very effective yet easy-to-use security features.

By simply watching over your chat room, you can easily ban people out of it with a simple click of the mouse and at the same time erase their messages. Or you can use the blacklist tab on the Dashboard to do so or unban people if you think otherwise. Using the word filter can block out profanity in the chat room and you also have the choice of putting moderators who can also watch over the chat room for you.

By properly managing the security for your site you can ensure your chatters that the information they’re receiving is totally credible and legit. And with you explaining the things hard for them to understand like different codes or how to crack games and such, it will be much easier for them to understand those. Having a managed and secured chat room will provide you and your chatters a more fulfilling conversation which will benefit you both.

About the author:

Aaron Kong is an active web developer and technology enthusiast who believes in the power of free speech and open communication. These are the driving principles behind his Chatwing chat software. In his spare time he enjoys playing with new gadgets and testing various open source technology.

Essential Security Steps For iPhone Fanatics

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Mon, 4 Mar 2013 17:26:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Claudia.

For being an iPhone owner, chances are quite bright that you may be obsessed with the same. You will also never be bored from the same, given a range of cool apps that are available on iPhone.

However, attractive as they seem, iPhone are a big threat too and the chances of these getting stolen are very high. However, taking some security measures will ensure that the iPhone is safe and secure.

Have an Auto Lock and a Password: One of the basic security measure that can be taken is to have an auto lock for the iPhone. Though this may not prevent the phone from being stolen, having an auto lock and a password will ensure that all the important data within the iPhone will never fall in wrong hands. In an incident that took place in 2012, an iPhone belonging to a top political leader in India was stolen while he was travelling by a train. However, as per the information given by the leader in media, no vital data was lost as the iPhone had auto lock mode on. Having this basic security measure ensures that your iPhone will never fall in wrong hands, as the data will be secure all the while.

Real Life Example: Recently the media in India was abuzz with speculations that iPhone belonging to a senior political leader was stolen when he was away on a tour of his home constituency in Rai Barelly in the state of Uttar Pradesh. However, much loss was prevented as the iPhone had auto lock feature that prevented data loss.
Using Wi- Fi Wisely: Wi-Fi is the most important feature on an iPhone and most iPhone users relish having this feature on the phone. However, unmindful to your knowledge, the Wi-Fi facility on your iPhone can be a security concern too.

If you are using Wi-Fi facility on your iPhone, ensure that your home network is encrypted so that the iPhone cannot be used without your knowledge. Though, this feature might not be limited to iPhone only but using the iPhone on non encrypted network can have security concerns and you should avoid the same.

Real Life Example: Wi- Fi facility needs to be used wisely, else the same can lead to data theft too. Top ranking IT companies as Wipro and IBM have caught some mischievous employees who were in the habit of proliferating data on a regular basis causing numerous losses to the establishment.
Have an Insurance Package for your iPhone: One of the biggest security concerns for your iPhone is the risk of it being stolen. Though you might be able to protect the data in your iPhone by enabling the auto lock feature, the physical loss of the iPhone can cost a lot. The best and viable method of getting your iPhone protected is to get an insurance for the same.

A range of iPhone insurance services are available. Use your instinct and choose a compatible insurance plan for the iPhone that covers iPhone loss due to theft, fire or data damage.

Real Life Example: Having an insurance package for the iPhone can help recover losses, in case the phone is stolen. Leading insurance companies as Bajaj and HDFC have some plans that have been specially prepared for iPhone users who wish to have insurance for their prized possession.
Data Wiping: You can ensure an additional protection layer for the iPhone by having data wiping facility for the iPhone. This feature is especially useful if someone accesses the passcode of your iPhone. All the data gets wiped off automatically ensuring that no vital information stored in the iPhone lands in wrong hands.

However, this has risks associated too. Small children in your home might access the iPhone and lay seize to vital data in the iPhone. This will lead to wiping of the data in the iPhone and you might end up in unnecessary trouble.

Real Life Example: Data wiping is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. A range of software are available online that will help you recover the data in case it is wiped unintentionally. This facility is of special use to intelligence agencies who usually need to crack codes and recover data that might help them solve a case.

Technology comes with its flaws too and safety of your iPhone is one such concern. Pay attention to the above listed facts and your iPhone will be safe.

About the author:

Claudia is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, travelling and reading books. She contributes to Dr. Keith Ostrosky.

Most Friendly Tricks For Your iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Fri, 4 Jan 2013 18:58:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Claudia.

Survey Says There are a Lot More iPhone Users Now in India: The latest gadget to strike human race is iPhones. IPhones are common mobile phones to be used by even the labour class people outside India and is a fast catching device in India. The sales strategies of combined offer of the phone with a sim card seem to be working in their favour and more and more people are using their smart phones as their own peers. These iPhones are believed to have a brain of their own, and are not called smart phones just like that; the features are bound to be user friendly. And so if you are planning to buy an iPhone the following list of tricks is sure to help you get accustomed with the phone.

You Might Lose Track of Your Relationships, your iPhone Will Not:There is a list of user friendly applications or apps as you put it in mobile language. One of them Siri, keeps a track of your relationships. For example you save it beforehand that so and so are your wife and mother. Therefore when you voice command your phone, “call my wife” it has enough intelligence to not mix it up between your mother and wife and dial your wife’s number. This is not the only useful part of Siri, it even stores your home and office address so that it can distinguish between the reminders that you put on your phone and remind you every time before you leave a certain place. Siri even can take quick dictations and reply to a certain email.

Saving you From Tacky Situations - iPhone Dictation:IPhone is getting forever upgraded with newer and newer versions.

The latest is the iPhone5 but the software of taking dictation was developed in iPhone4 itself. The microphone button is present in the keypad itself that saves you in a situation where it is easier to dictate a quick reply to an email or text.
Whereas iPhone5 launched the panorama concept of photography. In this mode you can take a long picture as soon as you press star and move the camera in the direction of the picture without the resolution creating a difference.

iPhone Made Web Browsing a Hobby For Everyone:Emailing is made easy with iPhone where if you just touch and hold the compose button you can edit the last saved draft item. And refreshing your inbox is always ready with a download swipe that is quick enough to save your precious time. While switching to landscape full screen mode gives a totally different and realistic view of the website. Touching and holding a picture in the web browser easily saves the image in your own gallery.

Conclusion:IPhone is also very handy for all those messaging fingers. The customized keyboard offers you an option of saving your very own short forms so that later you don’t have to type the whole thing while replying to a text. And the oh-so-delightful app iCloud easily tracks your iPhone after you have lost it by simply activating the “find my iPhone” option in the app itself. If you just zeroed in another model of mobile phone think again about all the features and don’t forget to compare them with those of the iPhone. This is sure to change your decision for good. This one time investment has a long way to go.

About the author:

Claudia is a blogger by profession. She loves writing, reading and traveling. Beside this she is fond of luxury cars and wishes to own one day Lexus GS 450h Sedan.

How To Change Default Google Chrome Icon with Golden Color?

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Tue, 1 Jan 2013 16:21:00 +0530

Hi everyone! First of all happy new year to all! It has been a long time since my last own written post and today I'm writing my first post of this year on how to change default Google chrome icon with the golden color.

As for now I'm working as freelancer on some freelancer sites like oDesk, Freelancer, PPH so hardly found time in last few months to manage the blog, but from now I hope to be regular again on blogging. Recently I have published a page "Hire Me", so please take a look on it too.

Coming back to the post, follow these simple steps to change your chrome icon with golden color:

Go to the Properties of Google Chrome by right click on the shortcut icon.
Under Properties, go to Shortcut tab and click on Change Icon, you will prompted to a new window as shown in picture below.
Click on Golden icon and apply changes.
That's all.

Enjoy your first day of new year :)

The Grinch And His Data Theft Antics 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:43:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Jane Andrew.

Check list for this Christmas:

Gifts for loved ones
Menu for Christmas dinner
Christmas tree
Shopping
Data protection…?

You must be surprised to see the last chore in your Christmas checklist. Prevention is better than cure. With rise in data breach incidents, it is better that you keep a backup of your data, so that it is not lost forever. You can also install an anti-virus or anti-spyware in your gadget to prevent attack of malware, hackers and thieves.

About the author:

Written by Jane Andrew. "The Grinch who stole data" has been created to keep you in the loop about Data Theft trends 2012. Mobistealth, the firm that developed the infographic, deals in keylogger software.

Why These Days Hacking Is Easy And Everyone Is Hacked?

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:01:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Claudia.

This is among the most common questions which seem to be troubling the modern day generation. People with even some basic computer and internet knowledge can understand the severity of this issue.

However, hacking is not an easy nut to crack; it requires lots of skills and efforts and is considered among the tougher tasks. Yet, these days, hackers have created whole lot of mess by simply cracking passwords of emails, bank accounts, and other similar things. This has emerged as a serious threat in the present context especially when you transfer money online, and carry out countless things on the web. The following are few possible reasons why hacking is becoming a rampant phenomenon where so many people are getting hacked.

The Password Habits of Users are Getting Worse

Any average internet user maintains around 25 different accounts but simply uses merely 6.5 passwords to secure them. The fact is maintaining this much of accounts is not an easy job as you need lots of brain space to remember complex code combos which is actually a difficult task. This simply ends up creating common passwords for a number of accounts.

Further, the password people select are often very simple and even stupid which are easy to crack. According to different studies, it takes hardly ten minutes to crack any lower case six character based passwords. The best way to avert this issue is to use dumb passwords.

Cracking Passwords Have Become Easy

Earlier cracking passwords was really a tough nut to crack, however, these days with so many tools, graphic processors, and password cracking programs doing this job has become faster and easy. In fact, there is a drastic advancement seen in the hacking world which has made cracking password a simple exercise. The most classic example is the LinkedIn breach of how things have changed in hacking domain. This has therefore proved that modern passwords are no more secure as they were in the past.

Growth in Hacking Network Effect

With every successful password hacking effort, the hackers and cyber thieves learn a lot about these crimes. The fast growing list of a wide range of leaked passwords has enabled the programmers to device rules which make the cracking algorithms more accurate and fast. This has therefore made the password attacks a cut and paste job, which even the script kiddies are able to carry out without much efforts. Still, you would see many web users having a password like ‘123456’ or words like ‘password’ despite being cautioned several times to use difficult and unique passwords.

Websites Have Now Turned Worst in Protecting the Users

The best example is again the case of LinkedIn breach where the company confessed that it simply occurred due to some poor protective measures. There are other examples of such hacking over a number of big and small websites. Most of these sites simply do not have sufficient amount of ‘cryptographic salt’ to their password protection. This renders opportunities to cyber criminals to hack such sites. A number of popular sites are seen ignoring this cryptographic salt element in their password security system.

Conclusion

Checking the above reasons confirms a fact that we have now reached to end of these password security systems. However, let’s keep our fingers crossed and see technology fixing these issues for the millions of users. Or, we need to simply embark with our own solutions to shield us from different hackers attack.

About the author:

Claudia is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, travelling and content marketing. These days she is busy to write an article on content marketing. Recently she did an article on viral marketing.

New Headache: Hackers Targeting Android Browser

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 11:36:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Jaskirat S Talwar.

According to statistics, cybercriminals and hackers are now targeting the Android browser. Many Android phones are now malware-infected through the browsers. This tactic is working and so if you are an Android phone user, you have to take the necessary precautionary measures.

Hackers implant hidden downloads in the web pages that are optimized for mobile internet users. Reports claim that there are now over 4,500 malware species infecting Android phones, Java ME, and Symbian.

A great disadvantage in using Android phones is that the security etiquette adopted by laptops and desktop computers is not yet available to mobile gadgets. Most Android users are unaware that there are infected sites that can cause potential harm to their mobile phone. Fake files make use of unsuspected names and the vulnerable Android user downloads it thinking that the file is a system or software update.

Hackers these days are very specific in choosing their targets, and are also more precise. If you want to protect your phone from hackers, here are some things you can do:

Update your Android browser automatically: This is to ensure that you’re using the latest browser version. You need to be sure that it is set in auto-updating because in some browsers it is disabled.
Disable cookies tracking: At some point, cookies can be useful. However, there are individuals who don’t like cookies that follow you anywhere you go. A good option is to block the so called third-party cookies. The procedure in blocking these cookies may differ depending on the browser that you’re using.
Sync bookmarks: You can say goodbye to manual wrangling of bookmarks. Premium services are now available to sync bookmarks to the Android browser. However, you may have to pay around $12 per year for such services. Despite the cost that you will incur, there are also benefits to enjoy.
Use reliable mobile security for your Android. It is better to pay for premium services because you can take advantage of better features like secured internet browsing, remote locking function, back up of important files, and many others.
To keep all data in your phone, you have to make a password today.
Get only the official apps for Android – Be selective with what you download and get it from the official Android Market

It is truly a headache for Android phone users once their device is infected with malware. Now that you know the latest news about hackers targeting the browser of Android phones, it is your responsibility to browse the web securely. Follow the suggestions above and you can protect your device from the many malware species found on infected websites.

Safety is an important factor whenever you surf the web. You can combat these hackers and cybercriminals but you should be equipped with the right knowledge and tools. Frequent updates on your browser are the best way to keep hackers at bay, and this is true whether you own the Google Android or the Apple iOS.

Because of the popularity of Android phones, it has become one of the primary targets of hackers and cybercriminals.

About the author:

Jaskirat S Talwar is the owner of Imping Solution. Impinge Solutions is a WEB DESIGN COMPANY which offers full-cycle services in areas of custom web design, web development, MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT, SEO, hosting & support in all over the Globe.

Two Leading Hacking Vulnerabilities In Your Mobile Device

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:15:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Ryan Corey.

Mobile devices including smartphones and tablets are convenient tools used to connect people to professional contacts, friends and family members. While this technology has made life easier for many people, weaknesses in mobile devices that leave these devices open to hacking can result in theft of personal, corporate, Government and classified information and lead to the burden of dealing with identity theft, public humiliation, reputation damage and even legal penalty and financial loss.

Downloading Applications

Apps are fun and useful additions to a mobile device, but users should take care when browsing the app store and starting a download. While most apps are perfectly safe, there is the possibility that an app will contain malware. Even if the app itself does not contain malware, ads that are featured when a user is using a free app could prompt a person to start a download of malicious material. Anyone who notices that a download has started on their mobile device after they have clicked on an ad should be sure to immediately stop the download and delete anything that has been downloaded on to their mobile device.

Preventing malware downloads in the first place requires a person to be diligent about what is downloaded on a personal mobile device. Free apps require a bit of research before a download is completed. Make note of the publisher, and run an online search to find out if anyone has reported that apps from this publisher contain malware. Read all of the information provided before the app is download. Permissions that are required prior to a download should be related to the features contained in the app. For example, there is no reason that a calculator app would need to access a user's contact list.

The final line of defense against malware downloaded from apps available on mobile devices is utilizing a virus scanner. As with any other download, make sure that the virus scanner itself is from a reputable source. Online reviews can help a person decide which virus scanner is most effective for their mobile device.

Wireless Man in the Middle Attacks

Setting your mobile device, and in most cases your phone, can be one of the main perks of upgrading your device to the latest model. 3G mobile hotspots became popular years ago and now everyone wants a device that can act as a hub for multiple devices to get online at almost any 4G location. These devices are also extremely vulnerable to what is referred to in the hacking community as Wireless Man in the Middle Attacks (MiTM). These attacks are easy to implement from a hacker perspective and can be the most personally damaging because they usually offer up the majority of a person’s personal information via their cell phone and other active mobile device like an iPad or Laptop. The MiTM attacker can easily mask themselves as an authorized user on the network and can give themselves full access to almost all information on your device including credit card numbers, access codes, data and even access to other networks related to you.

Wireless hacking is rampant. It is not just a tool for covert ops professionals overseas anymore. Thieves are using these types of attacks daily across the country.

Using the Android Operating System (OS)

Reports related to the number of malware attacks on mobile devices have shown that the Android OS is the most vulnerable to these attacks. According to McAfee, mobile devices with an Android OS accounted for approximately 70 percent of all malware attacks on mobile devices in 2011. The most common way for malware attacks to occur on these devices is through the download of an app.

The fact that the Android OS is most vulnerable to malware attacks does not necessarily mean that people should avoid all mobile devices using an Android OS. As detailed above, users of mobile devices can avoid malware by being proactive about the security of their devices.

Owning a mobile device is a convenient way to stay connected with your organization as well as your social world, but this connectivity does result in serious vulnerabilities. Want to learn more about mobile security and hacking? Check out the TrainACE Advanced Mobile Hacking Courses.

About the author:

This is a guest post by Ryan Corey or TrainACE, a computer training school in Maryland. TrainACE provides on campus, on-site, and online training for various IT security classes such as CEH, CHFI, Security+, and more.

Are Social Networks Putting You At Risk?

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:30:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Phoenix TS.

Consumers share a significant amount of personal information on various social networking sites and as a result are putting themselves at greater risk for identity fraud. So how can you protect yourself? Follow these simple steps and decrease your chances of falling victim to identity thieves.

Are Social Networks Putting You at Risk?

There is no denying that in today’s world there isn’t much that can be done without using the internet. A person can very easily perform their banking needs, complete a graduate degree, find a job and even find that perfect someone all on their laptops, smartphone or tablet. The use of the web has become an integral part of life and as a result many people do not see it as anything but a means to going about their day and do not think twice about the information they put out there for the world to see.

Millions of people actively engage on multiple social networking sites in order to connect with the world around them. These sites are used in order to form social, business or personal connections with people all over the world. While creating these connections is fun and often times necessary, it is also one that cannot be completed without disclosing personal information. For this reason, Javelin Research incorporated social media behaviors amongst consumers into their 2012 Identity Fraud Report. This report actually showed that consumers share a significant amount of personal information on various social networking sites and as a result are putting themselves at greater risk for identity fraud. Since the 2011 report, identity theft increased 13%, affecting roughly 12 million Americans, the majority of which were actively engaging on social networking sites. The identity fraud rate associated with the world’s top social networks includes:

10% of LinkedIn users
7% of Google+ users
6.3% of Twitter users
5.7% of Facebook users

Based on this information, roughly 17.5 million LinkedIn users experienced some degree of identity fraud; all of which could easily be prevented if the right precautions were taken.

So how can you protect yourself from falling victim? Realize that you are vulnerable on these sites and don’t put anything that could put you at risk for identity theft. Some basic tips to follow when using social networking sites:

Ensure your device has the proper security measures in place and the connection is secure, this includes mobile phones, tablets and laptops.
Use strong passwords and do not use the same password for every account.
Think about the information you make available, if it is not something you would tell to a complete stranger, then don’t post it.
Do not use your full name to identify yourself or use your full date of birth.
Do not post your current or past addresses, phone numbers or primary email address.
Use private profiles and only invite into your network those people you know.
Be aware of the groups you are joining because then all the members of those groups can gain access to your information.

Finally, just to be sure your information is safe, Google yourself. Go through the results and see if personal information about you appears and then do something about it. By following all of this tips and managing your online presence you can reduce your risk of becoming a victim of identity fraud.

About the author:

Phoenix TS is a management, computer, IT and cyber security training company headquartered in Columbia, Maryland.

Unlock / Jailbreak iPhone Using Unlock iPhone Software

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Tue, 4 Sep 2012 22:05:00 +0530

Hello everyone! It’s my first own written post after 3 months interval following the last one in June 2012. Today I come up with a hacking approach on Unlock / Jailbreaking iPhone within 10 minutes using software named Unlock iPhone.

Unlock iPhone works with iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S and your iPhone will be unlocked within 10 minutes or 100% money back guarantee.

Some of its key features listed are:

Compatibility with Windows and MAC operating system.
100% money back guarantee.
Available for 3Gs, 4, 4S.
Lifetime updates and support.
Convert any videos into iPhone format.

Unlock Solution works even if you have had an iPhone unlocked and it was relocked after an upgrade and new iPhone 5 Unlock is feature approach of this software.

It has two types of membership:

$19.99 - Jailbreak & Unlock iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS + (6 Months Membership & Updates): Unlock, Jailbreak and Activate your iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS. All versions with our step by step iPhone unlocking software. Runs on MAC and Windows!
$24.99 - Jailbreak & Unlock iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS + (Lifetime Membership & Updates): Unlock, Jailbreak and Activate your iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS. All versions with our step by step iPhone unlocking software. Runs on MAC and Windows! 100% FREE software updates FOR LIFE to guarantee your iPhone always remains unlocked.

Steps To Increase Your Smartphone Security

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:38:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Lucille J Cronk.

The increasing use of smartphones and the reliance placed on it by smartphone users has made them the targets of many malicious activities. Their enormous storage capacity has given relief to our brains in trying to recollect all information at odd times. However, in case of loss of the smartphone, the security of such confidential information is compromised. The phone as well as the data would be subjected to misuse by fraudulent persons. To prevent such misuse, it is necessary to increase the security of your smartphone. There are various ways by which you can step up your smartphone security.

1. Set a Non Decodable Password: You would be using your smartphone for many activities like online banking, shopping, internet surfing and for a whole lot of activities which you do using a computer. You would also be accessing your company mails and portals. To ensure the security of the activities that you have gone through, and to prevent anybody from gaining access to private information, it is essential to secure your mobile either with a password or PIN. You need to select a password which is strong and cannot be easily decoded. Setting a password is the first and foremost step in mobile security. If access is denied by setting up a strong password, the safety of your all data in the smartphone is safeguarded.

2. Verify the Authenticity of Downloads: The multi functionality of smartphones allows us to install numerous applications. There are many numbers of fraudulent sites operating in the cyber world. They would entice you with free downloads and ultimately install malicious software on your smartphone. Always install apps from trusted and verified sources. It is safer to download from the app website.

3. Install Antivirus Software: Lots of malevolent software is circulating with the net result that lots of your mail attachments and apps are loaded with virus. It is advisable to install antivirus software on your smartphones to prevent any damage. You should also frequently check and install the updates too, to ensure that your antivirus software is potent to weed out all malicious software.

4. Anti Theft Spyware: The Smartphone is prone to mobile thefts due to its utility. Though you cannot prevent theft, other than being careful; by installing anti theft mobile apps you can secure your stolen smartphone. Anti theft spyware has features which allow you to lock the phone remotely and also allow wiping out the data to prevent misuse in your stolen smart phone. Such spyware enable you to track the location of the phone through text messages.

5. Mobile Monitoring Apps: Mobile monitoring apps have gained popularity in view of the emerging mobile threats. Their features are designed to protect your smartphone and safeguard the information stored on them. The mobile monitoring app or cell phone spy software is very easy to install. There are many such monitoring apps like Mobile Spy, Mobistealth, Spybubble, Stealthgenie and Flexispy. Installation can be done in a few minutes by downloading the application from your chosen apps website. Installation is the only time that you require to gain physical access of the smartphone on which you wish to install the spyware. Later on, you can review the activities of the smartphone like call and mail tracking, location tracking, browsing history, pictures and contacts stored on the smartphone from a remote user account.

On the whole, securing your smartphone from human and cyber world threats is of utmost importance in order to ensure that all your confidential information is well protected.

About the author:

Lucille J Cronk is a blogger who is enough passionate about mobile technology and other monitoring apps. She has her own blog on cell phone spy and one can get plenty of information on her site.

Is Your Mobile Device Hacker-Proof?

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:15:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Alyse.

If it's connected to the Internet, it can be hacked. For years, this was mainly a concern to PC users and IT guys, but anything that achieves mainstream usage and market share will eventually attract black hat types. From greedy cyber-criminals to malicious joy riders, the latest lure is the Internet-connected device in everyone's pocket.

Unfortunately, the very things that make our Smartphone’s and tablets so appealing to us -- mobility, ease of use, always-on communications -- render mobile devices even more exposed to the hijinks of hackers. Plus, let's face it -- most of the people walking around with tablets and Smartphone’s aren't going to take the same basic security precautions that have become second-nature to "serious" PC and IT folks.

With that in mind, let's run down a checklist of what you can and should be doing to make your constant mobile companion as safe as possible.

They're Just Little Computers

Although hackers need a different set of tools to gain access of a mobile device, many of the vulnerabilities are very similar to well-known PC security risks. Browser exploits, email phishing, password cracking -- all of the classic holes can be found on mobile devices.

How to protect yourself: Simple common security precautions: use strong passwords, don't open unknown attachments or click on unknown links, use HTTPS whenever you can while browsing, pay even closer attention to security certificate warnings, and avoid transmitting personal and financial data as much as possible (and never unencrypted!).

There's an App for That

iOS users don't yet need too much app help for security and antivirus tasks, but the Google or Amazon app markets should be your first stop for mobile security and antivirus solutions.

How to protect yourself: Use one of the big security names like avast!, Norton, and Kapersky, or a proven mobile-specific security developer such as Lookout or Antivirus Free by Creative Apps.

Cool the Hotspot

Many mobile devices, especially tablets, regularly connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. This means that they share all of the risks of any wireless network, which can be infiltrated by any self-respecting hacker with a sniffer, or simply riding on the same public hotspot.

How to protect yourself: Practice basic router sense by changing the default login and SSID using strong passwords, enabling WEP / WPA encryption, restricting allowed devices (MAC filtering), and making sure the firewall is active. On the device side, turn off any "auto-connect to Wi-Fi networks" settings, and disable Wi-Fi completely when it's not needed. In addition to being more secure, this will noticeably increase your battery life.

Stop Malicious Apps Before They Start

This tends to be a bigger problem with Android, because Apple has historically been very restrictive when reviewing app submissions. Still, some things get by the review process on any mobile OS, so you should be very careful when downloading and installing, especially if you are "side loading" (i.e., installing an APK from a non-market source).

How to protect yourself: Don't leave everything up to the antivirus software. Do your research before adding apps. Check for plenty of reviews (number of downloads means nothing). Note how long the app has been available, and investigate developer websites (and any other apps they may have). Think carefully about the requested permissions -- a flashlight app does not need to know your location or connect to the Internet.

Location, Location, Location

Location tracking is a common worry for most Smartphone users, all the more so since Apple and Google were questioned by the federal government for keeping detailed logs of user coordinates. The good news is that GPS data is securely transmitted, but the bad news is that many phones use a technology called "Assisted GPS" which makes an insecure connection to cell towers. Because it's a low-level process, hackers could get access to the processor itself, enabling remote takeover.

How to protect yourself: Find the "Assisted GPS" setting on your phone, and make sure that it's turned off. This will make it a little harder for you to get your exact location, but it will close a major hole in your mobile security.

When Texts Attack

Simple SMS / MMS text messages can be used by hackers, for DoS attacks or in many of the same ways that email is vulnerable. But there's no "spam filter" for texts, and SMS is "always on" by default, so there may be no way of avoiding opening potentially malware-bearing messages with links or embedded multimedia attachments (pictures, graphics, and sounds). Luckily, SMS exploits are relatively rare, but the sheer vulnerability of them is appealing to hackers.

How to protect yourself: You'll be safest if you can turn off the automatic multimedia display so that you need to click on any attachment first, but not all devices have this function. If you get a text from an unknown number, it may be safest to delete it ASAP before reading it.

Armed with these tips, you should be as safe as possible from the black hat hackers out there. As we've seen, there's nothing that can't be hacked, but if you make it difficult enough, they'll go find something easier to mess with. Oh, and one final tip: the most time-honored way to gain access to a device is to simply pick it up and walk away. It's not very high-tech, but keeping an eye on your Smartphone and tablet at all times may be the best advice of all.

About the author:

Alyse is a marketing, photography, and tech addict who spends her time investigating the next generation of technology. When she is not brushing up on her art of the scientific know how in the world, you can find her contributing to ATTSavings or on Twitter @Alyse_1.

Remove Unwanted Files With CCleaner

noreply@blogger.com (Harwinder Kumar) — Wed, 1 Aug 2012 12:52:00 +0530

This is a guest post by Vincent Ammirato.

Your personal computer has a lot more junk in it, than what is visible to the eye. To ensure this junk does not hinder the performance of your PC you must do away with it on an on-going basis. This will not only keep the system clean but also help your PC and the various software and applications therein to function efficiently.

CCleaner is a handy system utility that helps in handling everyday PC issues. The software simply analysis your PC and scrubs out all the junk files it can find. Given below is a brief tutorial on how to remove unwanted files with CCleaner:

After you install CCleaner you will be asked about good cookies, i.e. your email login details etc. Click OK.
Once the CCleaner is launched, you will notice two option tabs, ‘Windows’ and ‘Applications’ whereas on the left you will see vertical list of options namely, Cleaner, Registry, Tools and Option.
In the Windows and Application, tabs select the data you wish to do away with.
Thereafter click on ‘Analyze’ to get a brief overview of the total data that can be deleted in the various categories. This feature will give you a detailed analysis of the files and the total number of files along with the space they are accumulating on your system.
After ‘Analysis’ you can hit the ‘Run Cleaner’ button to permanently delete the analyzed files. Remember that you will not be able to recover these files once you delete them.
After the Window and Application related data, you can also check the Registry option to know the Registry related issues in your PC. When you install various software and application on your system, there could be some registry related issues due to the various overlapping changes made to the registry.
Before you clean, the Registry issues remember to take a backup of your Registry just for precautionary reasons. There could be a probability that the registry clean could create new issues for your system. The registry also cleans the system of unused and orphaned keys.

You can download it from here.

Before you initiate the cleaner process, make sure you have checked the software and applications that you wish to do away with. The most common applications are web browsers like Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox as well as multimedia like Adobe Flash Player, etc.

The CCleaner cleaning process is very easy. You need not break your head trying to find your way around the various options. In addition to cleaning junk files and registry clean up, you can also make changes to your windows startup. You can use CCleaner as often as you wish to, may it be everyday or even before you wish to cleanup your system before installing a new software. CCleaner can also be used as a portable application on your USB and run on any system. Therefore, if you are looking for a handy system-cleaning tool that will not eat up your memory, you can opt for CCleaner.

About the author:

Vincent Ammirato is the marketing strategist for Alter Imaging -a digital agency in Charlotte, NC. Vincent has over 15 years experience in digital design, development and marketing working both large corporations in house and in agency settings. He also teaches web design at UNC Charlotte.