StudentExperts.com

Introducing Gift a Tech!

Tylerl — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:30:56 +0000

Introducing Gift a Tech! Check out our new site to see how you can save yourself time and money by using our skilled technicians.

Hide Your Dirty Laundry With Our Secure Wifi Cheatsheet

Eric — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:53:59 +0000

photo © 2010 Karen and Brad Emerson | more info (via: Wylio)
We’ve talked about wireless security before, but thanks to a little Firefox extension called Firesheep, the dangers of using public wifi are finally getting the attention they deserve. The technology in Firesheep isn’t anything new — in fact, black hat hackers have had the ability to do this sort of thing for years. But thanks to Firesheep’s convenient packaging, which makes it dead-simple for pretty much anyone on the same unsecure wireless network as you to sidejack your Facebook session or worse, awareness for this threat is reaching a crescendo, and prompting big name web sites to finally adopt full SSL encryption. Check out this list to see which common sites are vulnerable to Firesheep attacks (as of 11/1/10).

If you’re not a network security geek, you might be wondering how to know if you’re vulnerable — and what to do about it. Here’s the lay of the land.

How to Protect Yourself On Unsecured Wifi

If you didn’t have to enter a password to connect, this is the type of network you’re on. Most data that passes through your browser — email, web sites, and social networks — can be intercepted by anyone in the vicinity.

Option #1: Use a VPN. This won’t be for everyone — just power users. Using a VPN will reroute all of your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server somewhere else, before it gets blasted out to the internet-at-large. It’s not point-to-point encryption, but it will protect you against any nearby hackers and ISP snooping.
Option #2: Only use sites that are fully SSL encrypted. The little lock icon at the top of your browser is an indicator that the site is using SSL. This means that everything you do on this site is fully encrypted from the moment it leaves your browser to the moment it reaches their servers. Many sites now have optional SSL versions that you can access by adding an “s” to the http in the address bar. Firefox extension HTTPS Everywhere maintains a library of sites that support this and will automatically switch you over to the secure version of a site if one exists.
Option #3: Detect Firesheep hackers with Blacksheep. This extension, created by Zscaler Research, will alert you when someone has sidejacked your session. Note that this provides no preventative protection, just notification after the fact.
Option #4: Bring Your Own Internet. Many smartphones now support wifi tethering — which provides a secure and private alternative to wifi. Portable hotspots like the Verizon or Sprint Mifi are also nice, but require you to pay an additional monthly fee to your carrier.

What About Password-Protected Networks?

Don’t let passwords lull you into a false sense of security. At public hotspots, even password-protected ones, unless you’re on a web site that uses full SSL encryption, hackers connected to the network can still intercept your traffic using more advanced techniques like ARP poisoning, which reroutes all your traffic to their machine before it gets broadcast out to the internet.

At home, you’re pretty much safe — that is, assuming your wireless network is using WPA encryption, not WEP. Using a simple hack, your WEP password can be compromised in less than 60 seconds — giving the hacker carte blanche to snoop on your network. WPA is much more secure — and as long as your password is unique enough not to be vulnerable to a dictionary attack, it is for all intents and purposes uncrackable.

Want to learn more? Check out episodes 272 and 273 of Steve Gibson’s Security Now podcast.

Learning Is Fun: Brush Up On Your Economics With Seinfeld

Eric — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 01:39:07 +0000

You may not have realized it, but Seinfeld’s nine seasons are jam-packed with salient economic (and life) lessons. Econ professors Linda Ghent, Alan Grant, and George Lesica have just recently unveiled their new web site, Yada Yada Yada Econ, which indexes each of those lessons by concept and episode.

For example, in episode 2 of season 4 (“The Deal”) we learn about deadweight loss, signaling, and utility:

Jerry gives Elaine cash for her birthday, thinking she can spend it on whatever she likes best. But Elaine is mortified; she wanted a thoughtful gift that signaled Jerry had put great thought into his gift. Kramer enters and does just that—gives Elaine a thoughtful gift.

The three professors plan on expanding their project to include more pop culture references in the future. Here’s to hoping they do Lost next!

Tip of the Week: Is Your Browser Secure?

Eric — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:05:49 +0000

One of the most common ways to get a virus or malware infection is to have out-of-date browser plug-ins. We’ve all seen those annoying pop-ups asking you to update your Java, Flash, Shockwave, or Adobe Reader, and it’s awfully tempting to just click “ignore.” But doing so is equivalent to neglecting to change your locks after your keys have been stolen.

Typically, when these browser plug-ins receive updates, it’s to patch a security vulnerability that’s been discovered — often, one that will allow a hacker or malicious program to take full control over your computer.

Not sure if you’re up to date? That’s okay — Mozilla has done the hard work for you. This site, which will work in any browser, will tell you which plug-ins need updating, and supply you with a handy link to download said update.

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/

Source: Mozilla Security Blog

FocusHR

Eric — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:48:54 +0000

Web site redesign for a local HR firm.

(IN PROGRESS)

Cathay Pacific Foundation

Eric — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:28:15 +0000

Logo and web site design for a local non-profit.

The Seven Horsemen of the Web Apocalypse

Eric — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:06:55 +0000

The Defcon Black Hat security conference took place this past week, so there’s been a lot of interesting security-related buzz, but possibly most interesting is the fact that seven security experts have been given the literal “keys to reboot the internet” in the event that a catastrophe takes it down. To be clear, what they are talking about specifically is the system of trust known as DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) that serves as the Internet’s Yellow Pages database of web addresses.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NysWKtRKZb0

The Ultimate Password Security Solution

Eric — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:20:12 +0000

Many of us at Student Experts have been using LastPass for some time now, but just recently Steve Gibson of Security Now and Spinrite fame has given it his stamp of approval. Check out the podcast below for a thorough review and explanation of the software.

Note: The podcast is two hours long, but the clip below should automatically start at the part of the show where Steve starts his review.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Q_anb7pwg&start=3272

Come and see our new office!

Eric — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:56:30 +0000

We’re happy to announce that we’ve officially finished moving into our third office space. If you find yourself near the University of Arizona, feel free to drop in and say hi!

Social media is not a fad

Eric — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:07:12 +0000

We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it. Check out this great video with stats.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQZAmr_-WVI