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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Choosing Mobile Antivirus Software


If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ll spend a lot of time on your mobile. Today’s smartphones are pretty much as useful as your computer in the office. You keep your calendar on it, your contacts list and of course, you can access your emails and the internet on there as well.
For some people in fact, the smartphone is more important than the files on the PC back in the office. And that is why internet security for your mobile is really important. It’s strange, but a lot of people haven’t seemed to have made the leap of thought to understand that mobile phones are just as likely to be attacked by viruses as a normal PC or laptop.

Choosing Mobile Antivirus Software

Security Tips For Traveling With Your Gadgets


The holidays are here and it is the perfect time to take advantage of the long weekend and travel to meet up with families and friends or just go on an out of the country trip to relax. Since we live in a gadget filled world, almost everyone who travels brings with them their multitude of devices like their smart phones, net books, laptops, and more.
Aside from the fact that these devices lets you stay connected anywhere you are, these gadgets are actually a good travel companion as devices now are so versatile that you can do a lot with it like watch videos, surf the net, send emails, and many more.

Security Tips For Traveling With Your Gadgets

5 Computer Security Risks to Avoid for Good Performance


Taking time to apply some computer safety rules can help you get the best of your computer in the time when it does not produce the actual result that it supposed to produce.
The extreme rate at which computers are getting infected with virus and some other malware application has made it becomes a norm for computer users to be searching for ways to protect their systems.
In this article are five important steps you can take to make sure that your computer is always performing at the topmost rate it should be.
These five steps are in form of advice to anyone who wants to get the best results from his/her computer system every time.

5 Computer Security Risks to Avoid for Good Performance

Stop Spam Right at the Source


I find that every time I write an article about getting rid of spam people cannot get enough. After all, 488,005,400 Americans use the Internet every day, many for work purposes, and spam is nothing but an annoyance. What prompted me to begin researching this and really getting the subjcet out there to the public was the fact that spam messages KEPT HAPPENING. Flashing messages, non-stop emails telling me I’m a winner, and pop-up ads that take over my screen never seemed to lessen. According to spamcop.net, there are approximately 10.1 spam message sent per second!
Although “x’ing” out these ads or deleting these emails works temporarily, I was ready for a more permanent solution. Fortunately, I found that reporting spam is fairly simple. Depending on whether you are concerned about the spam your company is dealing with or the spam you are personally dealing with will likely determine how you go about reporting it. There are two different approaches to deleting spam.

Stop Spam Right at the Source   How To Finally Report Those Annoying Messages

Staying Safe By Understanding Desktop Security


If you are just getting started with the use of a home computer, you have no doubt heard of the various types of malicious software that can be used to infiltrate your system. This type of unwanted programming is commonly known as malware, and is used by unscrupulous individuals trying to gain access to information stored on your computer, mostly for the purpose of sending you bothersome amounts of advertising. In other cases however, it can be an attempt to steal your personal information. Desktop security is therefore a priority.

Exactly What Is Malware?

Staying Safe By Understanding Desktop Security

Size Does Matter…at Least for Passwords


I have been thinking and talking more about security in recent weeks. For my regular readers you would have noticed that I have been concentrating on securing Windows 7, but one topic I didn’t discuss was that of passwords.
It seems everything we do with computers, you will usually need to enter a password at some point. Just think about how many places you need to input a password, such as logging into your computer, a web site, or software that is installed on your computer. With many of these places containing extremely private information, it is important that you use a strong, safe, password to prevent unwanted individuals from accessing your information. Let’s look at what is a strong password to protect your data.

It’s All About Length

Size Does Matter...at Least for Passwords

Fix: Removing WindowsClick From Your Computer


I recently had the opportunity to fix a computer that was having issues with a virus/trojan/rootkit. I included all three in the list because I had no idea what I was looking at when I first heard of the issues. I was told that when the owner of the machine would perform a search in Google, every link that they clicked on would be redirected to a URL that included “windowsclick”.
While doing some research, I found a solution to the issue, but it was a complicated solution. I instructed the owner to install both anti-virus and anti-spyware tools and then run them to see what was found. Upon trying to run an anti-spyware tool, a new problem presented itself: the tools would load but wouldn’t run. Not wanting to give up, I asked the owner to drop off the computer and I’ll have a look. After some research I managed to clean the computer, and here is how I did it.

Is Your Data Safe?


I have been scanning and archiving old family photos in order to help preserve them for the future. The first set of photos are the only copy of each photo available so they were chosen first for archiving.
It is important that when you archive photos that you create a system for backing up your files so you won’t lose them. I have created my own system that should ensure I will always have a copy of each file I archive.

Archive Method

Is Your Data Safe?
I have several media that I use to ensure I won’t lose any of my archived data. One point that I would like to make is that you should always have multiple copies of the same file. Never only make one copy and hope that it survives.
Below I have listed the media that I use for backing up in the order they are used in the process.
  1. External Hard Drive. This is my first source for my archived data. It is readily available so I use it to access the archives on a regular basis. Even though I can readily access the archives, I never make changes to the files directly. I simply make a copy of the file on my local hard drive and then change the copy of the file. In the future I would like to implement a NAS device to allow my desktop or laptop to access my archives.
  2. Online Backup. I recently added this method into the process for backing up. Once I move the files to the external hard drive, the online backup’s tool that runs on my desktop will detect the new files. At this point it will back up the files online automatically. For my online backups I use Mozy.
  3. DVD. I always backup my data to two DVDs and keep them offsite. If I ever lose my entire archive collection, I will use these DVDs to restore all the files. The DVDs I chose for archiving purposes are Taiyo Yuden DVD+Rs. Taiyo Yuden is known for their high quality DVDs, and for various reasons +R are better than -R for archiving.
As you can see from the list above I make multiple copies of my files on various types of media and store them in multiple locations. Is this overkill? Perhaps, but if something happened to my files I feel confident that I can easily restore them without worry.

Have Your Say

  • Do you backup your data, and if so, do you have a process?

What You Need to Secure Your Computer


I have written many posts regarding securing a computer in the past. Many of the posts have gone into detail about using specific software and hardware to secure your computer.
In this post I will provide a more quick overview of the main components that you should have if you want to secure your computer.

What You Need to Secure Your Computer

Internet Explorer Not Connecting to the Internet


Recently I received an e-mail from someone who was having trouble getting Internet Explorer to connect to the Internet. Various other programs, such as e-mail, were able to connect, however, the browser was having difficulty.
As I always like to do, I decided to see if I can help. It is more difficult via e-mail to solve computer problems, but a few checks and some investigation I was able to determine the issue behind the browser. I provide my findings in this post.

Automating Computer Maintenance


In addition to the information provided in that post, there is an automated way of virus and spyware scanning as well as defragging your hard drive, all without you having to worry about it in the future. This post explains how to accomplish this.

The Tools

Before we begin to automate the maintenance tasks it is important to first introduce the tools that will help us. We will be using a virus scanner, spyware scanner, and a defrag program. The tools I have chosen are all free, and can be run from the command line, or a DOS prompt.
The tools are:
Note:
The defrag program that is included with Windows XP can also be used, but the only problem is that you can only defrag one drive at a time. JKDefrag allows you to defrag all drives with one command.
If you are using the above tools, then download and install them. For the defrag progam, just extract it to a directory as it does not come with an install program. Remember where the tools are installed since you will need to know that information in the next sections. I will be using the tools above in the next few sections, but if you chose a different tool then you will need to substitute my tool for yours.

Automating Virus Scan

The first maintenance task that we will automate will be the virus scanning. We will be running this at least once a week to ensure that there are no viruses installed.
In the examples that follow, each of the files should only contain 2 lines of code. They may wrap in this page, but there should only be two lines in each file. To automate this task, use the following steps:
  1. Open up Windows Notepad by pressing Windows Key+R to open the Run dialog. Enter notepad in the box and press OK.
  2. In the blank Notepad window, type:
    @echo off

    “C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG7\avgscan.exe” /MEM /LOG c:
  3. Note:
    Subsitute the location of the virus scanner into the file if it is located in a different directory than is specified here.
  4. Click File->Save and specify a directory to save the file. Remember where you save the file as you will need to know this later.
  5. In the File name box enter vscan.bat.
  6. Beside Save as type, select All files.
  7. Click the Save button to save the file.
This file will execute the virus scanner without any interaction by a user. We will schedule this later in this post, but first we will continue to create two more files to automate the other processes.

Automating Spyware Scan

The steps required to automate the spyware scanner is very similar to the virus scanner. They are outline below.
  1. Open up Windows Notepad by pressing Windows Key+R to open the Run dialog. Enter notepad in the box and press OK.
  2. In the blank Notepad window, type:
    @echo off

    “C:\Program Files\Spybot – Search & Destroy\SpybotSD.exe” /autoupdate /autoimmunize /autocheck
    /autofix /autoclose
  3. The above command will also automatically update your definitions for the application as long as you have an active Internet connection.
    Note:
    Subsitute the location of the spyware scanner into the file if it is located in a different directory than is specified here.
  4. Click File->Save and specify a directory to save the file. Remember where you save the file as you will need to know this later.
  5. In the File name box enter spyscan.bat.
  6. Beside Save as type, select All files.
  7. Click the Save button to save the file.

Automating Hard Drive Defrag

Similar to automating the previous two tasks, the defrag program will run in a similar fashion:
  1. Open up Windows Notepad by pressing Windows Key+R to open the Run dialog. Enter notepad in the box and press OK.
  2. In the blank Notepad window, type:
    @echo off

    C:\Program Files\jkdefrag\jkdefragcmd.exe” -a 3 -d 2 -q -l “defrag.log” c:
  3. If you would like to defrag more than just the C drive, simply enter the other drive letters after “c:”.
    Note:
    Subsitute the location of the spyware scanner into the file if it is located in a different directory than is specified here.
  4. Click File->Save and specify a directory to save the file. Remember where you save the file as you will need to know this later.
  5. In the File name box enter defrag.bat.
  6. Beside Save as type, select All files.
  7. Click the Save button to save the file.
Now we have our three batch files that will execute the maintenance tasks for us. We could easily execute any of the batch files and they would perform their task; however, this post is about automating, so the next part will show how to do just that.

Schedule the Tasks

To schedule the tasks we will be using the standard task scheduler that is included with Windows. To schedule the tasks do the following:
  1. Click Start Menu->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Scheduled Tasks.
  2. In the scheduled tasks window, double-click the Add Scheduled Task icon, and then click Next to continue.
  3. In the next window click the Browse button and then navigate to the directory that contains your virus scanner file create in the Automating Virus Scan section.
  4. Click the file, and then click the Open to select it.
  5. You should now be prompted for a name. Enter Virus Scan and then select Weekly from the options list on the screen. Click Next to continue.
  6. The next screen is where you specify when the task should run. Enter a time and select the days you want the task to run. For me I selected 1:00 AM and Saturday as my schedule. Once you enter the time and day click Next to continue.
  7. The last step prompts you for a user ID and password. The user ID specified is your current log in ID. If that user ID has enough permissions to run the program, then just enter the password associated with your ID. Leave it blank if there is no password. Once you enter the user ID and password, click Next to continue.
  8. You should now see a summary of the task. Verify that the information is correct, and click Finish to save the task.
You have now scheduled your virus scanner to run at a specific time each week. Repeat the steps again for the spyware scan and the defrag program. You may want to specify a different time to run the next two tasks to prevent your computer from slowing when running them. Make sure you change the names of the new tasks to reflect what they are doing.
For me, the remaining tasks were scheduled as the following:
  • Spyware Scan – 4:00 AM Saturday
  • Defrag – 1:00 AM Sunday

Summary

This post explained how to schedule three of the important computer maintenance tasks that you need to perform. The three tasks will automatically execute once a week at a time when my computer is rarely in use so it won’t impact me when I’m using the computer.
Most virus and spyware scanning, and defrag applications include a built-in scheduler, but the difference is that the applications used in this post cost nothing to use and can easily be schedule through the Windows Task Scheduler.

E-mail Frauds and Scams


For many years now security experts have been warning others about fraudulent e-mails and scams. Even after the warnings, there are still people who are taken in by these frauds and scam artists. The cost to those who are taken in can be hundreds of thousands of dollars or even their entire identity.
In this post I will discuss the types of scams and frauds that are mostly used in e-mails and ways to avoid them.

How Encryption Works


Everyday there are possibly millions of transactions made that involve the exchange of personal information. Obviously, those that provide that information would like to know that the information they send is safe and secure. On the Internet making information secure is handled by encrypting the data before it is sent, and decrypting it once it reaches its destination.
This post will describe the encryption process and how it is used to keep information safe.

How To Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly


Anti-Virus

These tools are used to detect and remove viruses that have infected a computer. They can be scheduled to run a scan of your computer at a specific time, or a scan can be manually run at any time. All anti-virus software should be updated on a regular basis to ensure any new viruses can be detected. Most, if not all, of the software tools listed here can be set to automatically check and download updates. Also, ensure that only one anti-virus tool is installed, as more than one can cause problems.

Anti-Spyware

Spyware is a major cause of computer problems, including slow-downs, processor usage and application crashes. Some of the spyware can be very dangerous to have on your computer as they can also send information from your computer over the Internet. Along with anti-virus software you should also install anti-spyware software to help keep your computer clean. Unlike anti-virus software, you can install many anti-spyware applications on you computer. I encourage you to do so as one application may not clean all spyware from your computer.

Software Firewall

The software in this category is becoming more important, especially now with always-on broadband Internet connections. Software firewalls are your last line of defence to your computer from the Internet, and the first line from your computer to the Internet. They are used to keep the viruses and spyware from getting in your computer, and if they do get in, prevent them from sending information out to the Internet.

Defrag Utilities

Fragmentation can be a problem if you install and uninstall applications, or simply add and delete files. When a file is removed from a computer, and another file is added, then it may fill up the space used by the deleted file. If the new file is larger than the previous, then it may be split into parts and stored throughout your hard drive. This means that your computer will have to look in different places on your hard drive to read the entire file. Defragging a hard drive will put all the pieces of a file next to each other so your computer doesn’t have to spend time retrieving the entire file.
  • Windows defrag (included with Windows)
  • Diskeeper (http://www.diskeeper.com)
  • PerfectDisk (http://www.raxco.com/products/perfectdisk2k)
  • JkDefrag (free) (http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag)

Scheduling and Updating

To assist with maintaining your computer, you should perform the following tasks at the suggested time.
Application TypeSchedule
Anti-virusWeekly
Anti-spywareWeekly
DefragMonthly
It is important that you keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware applications up to date. To make is easier for you, you may be able to have the applications automatically download the updates for you, or have them download the updates when starting the application.
Along with the anti-virus and anti-spyware applications, it is also important to ensure you have all the latest security updates for your operating system.

Protecting Your Computer From Viruses and Spyware


Security has become a huge concern for many users, especially if you are online on a frequent basis. It is important to ensure that your computer is as secure as possible to prevent unauthorized users from poking around in your computer.
There are many steps that you can take to ensure that your information is safe:

Creating Secure Passwords


To create secure passwords keep the following rules in mind:
  1. Never use default passwords such as "password", "Password1", or blank.
  2. Don’t use your name, names of family members or pets.
  3. For numbers, stay away from your birthday, year, month or day. In fact, don’t use any number that can easily be associated with you.
  4. Use more than just letters, such as punctuation and numbers.
  5. Some passwords are case-sensitive, so use both upper and lower case letters.
  6. Make sure that your password is a minimum of 6 characters in length.
With those rules in mind, let’s get to creating a secure password.

Tips and Tricks to Stay Undercover on Internet with VPN


When going online most people think they are fairly anonymous. They visit websites, login to social media websites, check their email and more without much thought on their virtual footprints. Unfortunately, those surfing without protection, such as provided by a VPN service, are easily tracked. Just what can be seen when you are online?

Tips and Tricks to Stay Undercover on Internet with VPN

Internet Security Tips


Millions of people are using the internet daily to get information, enjoy entertainment, conduct business and socialize with friends. However, many web users are unaware of the risks which are associated with the internet, thus making them easy targets for scam artists who are prowling the cyberspace.
The following are some Internet security tips that will help keep you safe as you use the internet.

Internet Security Tips

1. Choose Passwords Wisely

Many people select passwords which they can easily remember, including significant dates or the names of loved ones. This is a big mistake. You need to select passwords which cannot easily be guessed by anyone. It is advisable to use a combination of numbers and letters which have no personal significance. Make sure each of your accounts has a unique password. Never share your password with other people. To avoid having your security compromised, you could consider changing your password occasionally.

2. Use Public Computers with Caution

Most people use public computers in places such as cafes and libraries. Anytime you use public computers to login to any of your accounts, make sure you log out before you leave. In addition, take precautions to ensure that the people sitting next to you don’t access to your private details.

3. Watch Out for Suspicious Attachments and Links

Internet scammers often pose as online auction sites, financial institutions or online retailers in an attempt to convince unwary victims to submit their personal details. They might tell you that one of your existing accounts has a problem that requires immediate attention. Or that you need to update the information on your file.
When you get such an email which has an attachment or link, do not click on it. If you open the attachment or click on the link and then submit your personal data, this information will end up in the hands of the scammer. When in doubt, get in touch with the company or organization that allegedly sent it and verify if the message is genuine.

4. Use Up-to-date Antivirus Software

Antivirus software is very useful for protecting your computer system from viruses, as well as other potential threats. This will keep your data secure from malicious people who would want to access it. There is a wide range of inexpensive antivirus software to select from. In addition, there are others that are absolutely free.

5. Never Send Money to Unverified Sources

Whenever you receive an email from an unknown source asking you to send money, flag it as spam. Online fraudsters will attempt to get your money by telling you you’ve won a competition, sharing a pitiful story or informing you about an investment opportunity. Ignore all such claims or offers.
By paying attention to these security tips, you will enhance your safety as you use the internet.

5 Tips for Creating Secure Passwords


One of the most common mistakes that people make when setting up online accounts is creating secure passwords that are weak and easy to crack by hackers. When hackers attempt to hack into an account, they can run through multiple searches at a time, and quickly pick up on all the little tricks that people use to “personalize” their login information.
A strong password is the most basic form of online security you could have. Your password unlocks everything from your bank account to your email account, and if it is inadequate then a total stranger could gain access to your most personal information.

5 Tips for Creating Secure Passwords

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See the world by way of an Instagram and Google Street View mashup


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Restore the traditional sidebar view in iTunes 11


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Pause Android music by putting your hand over your phone

easyMute
Quickly pause the music on your Android phone by putting your hand over the proximity sensor.

Delete downloaded app history from Google Play


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Convenient iTunes 11 keyboard shortcuts


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