Tag: security

  • How To Prevent Theft Online

    As Featured On EzineArticles.com

    One of my favourite pastimes I like to do in Starbucks is eavesdropping on everybody’s conversation online. Since Starbucks offers free internet access, everybody will be busy sipping their coffee and texting messages with their devices. None of these coffee drinkers really know how vulnerable they are and how to protect themselves from theft online like me.

    I turn on my Mac and run an application to collect data over the wireless network. Then I go queue up for my coffee. By the time I am back, I have collected enough data for me to read. Most of the data are instant messaging conversations. Sometimes I do intercept email and photos.

    If I find something interesting about a conversation, I will lift my head up and try to identify who the person is. One time, my coffee buddy says, “Give him another ten minutes and we can leave.” I subconsciously reply saying, “Take his time, we can leave once he is done with his wife.” He looks up to me and asks how I know he is chatting online with his wife.

    What if you are transmitting important information over an unsecured connection and I happen to stumble upon it? How to prevent a thief like me that is snooping what is in the air?

    The easiest and fastest way on how to prevent theft online is to get yourself a VPN, short for Virtual Private Network. VPN creates a secure network by encrypting your data between you and your destination site over a public network such as the internet. There are many flavors of security standard known as protocols. The commonly used protocols are IPsec, L2TP, and SSL/TLS. These VPNs can be configured for use in PDA such as iPhone too. For the highest security, use SSL/TLS or sometime also label as SSL VPN.

    Get yourself familiar with VPN technologies today, ask for a trial package from your provider and start learning how to prevent theft online.

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  • Protecting Your Computer Against Password Theft

    As Featured On EzineArticles.com

    Stealing password information is not as hard as you think it might be. Any teenager looking for information on how to hack emails can now do so without difficulty. Even more frightening is the proliferation of malicious software, or malware, which invades your computer system to steal important information. According to a report released this year by McAfee, password-stealing Trojans have increased by up to 400% in the past year alone.

    Malware like Trojans, which are capable of stealing password information, operate by logging keystrokes and record your passwords. In 2008, 400,000 variants of the virus have been detected compared to 100,000 in 2007. The information is indeed quite alarming. Malicious software like this gets into our PC systems when we log in to websites on the Internet that do not have safe content. McAfee further added that techniques to steal personal data have become more complicated than before.

    Stealing password information has increased alongside the growing popularity of online multi-player games and online businesses. Writers of malware have somehow managed to make the transmission and the destination of stolen data more secure and more difficult to track. What is even scarier is that malware have posed a serious threat to online banking with more reports about the theft of bank account details.

    Computer crime researchers suggest creating unpredictable passwords and changing them from time to time. Also, computer users should never ignore the basic rules of computer security. It is found that hackers are given a pretty easy time stealing passwords as people tend to use their own names or their partner’s names for passwords. Some use their pet’s names or a memorable date. All hackers need to do sometimes is to obtain some personal information to know a person’s log-in details.

    It is also important to keep our computers protected from malware and other viruses. The risk is greater if you or members of your family spend a huge amount of time online. Make sure you use an anti-virus program, which you should update regularly. Refrain from visiting dubious websites and clear out your system on a regular business. For a reasonable fee, you can try purchasing protection programs to weed out malware that may have already nested in your PC and block all pathways hackers may use to get into your network.

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  • Blocked IP Address Through Software – Is a Myth

    As Featured On EzineArticles.com

    Before we understand the reason and execution of blocked IP address one should be aware of what that means to start with. It is a unique number that would be provided to the computer that you are using. This number would help to identify your computer while you are online.

    The reason that people have started to resort for the blocked IP address is because they do not want to be located. With the IP the location of the computer could be determined along with many other details. By using the IP your computer could be accessed as well.

    If you see internet is noting but a huge network which is across the globe. When your computer is on the network and your IP address is visible, then people could reach out to the data that you have stored in your system and could use it to your advantage like for example the credit card numbers and other bank details.

    The way out is blocking the IP address. There are many websites that are offering software that could help blocking the IP. But in reality, these do not work. You could have the software and run it on your system and feel safe, but it would not block the IP, it would still be visible.

    The only way of fixing this problem is by using a proxy server which would change the IP of your system, not in reality but would reflect an IP address, which is not your actual. By doing that you are not really blocking your address but are being anonymous over the net. As this cannot be tracked back to your system.

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