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Being Protected

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When you have a computer you will constantly run the risk of developing some sort of malicious code-related problem. Whether it be having your computer slow down because of a virus, having it be spied upon and having your information stolen or just having irritating ads popping up that won’t go away, you need to protect yourself.

There is a lot you can do when it comes to protecting yourself from malicious code. Firstly you can do your best to only associate with reputable sites. The worst types of sites are the ones that will force your computer to download all kinds of spam or other types of malicious code. This type of code may look harmless or even go unnoticed, but it will often affect your computer in all kinds of ways. You need to go beyond the paid programs when you want to really protect yourself from malicious code.

The best things you can do are generally free. When you use free software you can also get free updates for it without the constant advertising that orders you to buy more and more. While every company wants you to at least donate, the free software is typically far less obnoxious than the kind you have to pay in order to use. So when you think of being protected, at least consider downloading some free software and making your compute safer that way. While there won’t be any ads encouraging you to do this, you will still be just as protected.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus, Security Tagged With: , ,

The Importance of Updating Your Operating System

February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Despite the vast popularity of computers and their increasing necessity as a standard part of the modern home, there are still more people who do not own computers and have access to the internet than there are people that do in The United States. As a result of this, while in fact the demand for computers are growing, there are droves of people who are unfamiliar with their operation, let alone general maintenance and security. Unfortunately, malicious entities are aware of this fact and write programs to issue attacks onto unsuspecting computer operators. These attacks come in a wide range of forms, typically taking on the illusion of a trusted piece of software, or sneaking in via a pop-up or even through cookies. Many people who have these seemingly minute viruses are unknowingly having their search history recorded and private information stolen.

There are a few ways to go about ensuring your computer remains safe. These remedies are simple and should be followed on a consistent basis. By performing these acts, 99% of potential dangers will be sent packing. The most important of these methods, and arguably the most simple, is that users ensure their operating system is updated. Generally, the operating system lets the user know whenever there is an update available, and even offers the option for automatic installations when they are released. Typically, these updates are aesthetic as well as remedies to ongoing bugs that occur in the software. Additionally, and most importantly, they are updates to the security of the operating system; as new viruses and loopholes are discovered constantly, so it is vital for developers to consistently update the security of their software to neutralize these new threats. If you do not update your operating system, as simple as it is, you are putting your computer at major risk by leaving all of the potential loopholes unpatched.

In all, there are numerous ways to safeguard your computer against potential threats. The basis of any secure computer is updated software, particularly an updated and freshly patched operating system.

Filed Under: Computers, Security Tagged With: , ,

How Viruses Sneak Through To Your Email

January 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Viruses are a nasty production of those who are testing the limits of technology. These little code creations have the power to wreak major havoc on any computer system they have access to. One of the easiest ways a computer contracts such an infection is through email. The unsuspecting recipient of such emails open them up with disastrous consequences. Usually, the clean-up takes hours of time scanning and lots of frustration. In addition, the virus can just completely shut down your entire system with no hope of recovery.

The virus email is a very sneaky creature. It often disguises itself as a friend or family member. Sometimes, it hides behind humor, a sob story, a must have product, or an urgent message. It tries very hard with convincing words to get the recipient to do exactly what it wants them to do. Click on the link. Once you do, it commences its attack and there is no stopping it without a good anti-virus program.

But not all anti-virus programs can stop it. Sometimes, it targets the anti-virus and disables it with a single blow. Then it sneaks into the system to wreak havoc. The attack on the anti-virus system can go unnoticed until it is really needed and then the program fails. At that point all that can be done is a shutdown before things get worse and a reboot in safe mode to try and get rid of the coding before it steals any vital information or before it extensively damages the motherboard.

The most simplistic protection to avoid these types of viruses is actually at your fingertips. Don’t click on them. It is very easy to delete them with a simple click. The best protection is avoidance. So when you are faced with an unknown email sent from a friend, just don’t click on it.

Filed Under: Emails Tagged With: ,

Antivirus Software Concepts

January 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Antivirus software is a form of protection for computers to be used to prevent, identify, and remove a variety of computer viruses including Trojan horses and worms. Some antivirus software also prevents and eliminates forms of malware such as spyware and adware.

Identification Techniques

There are a variety of ways an antivirus software can be utilized to recognize viruses and malware.

  1. Signature-based detection: the most common technique an it identifies viruses and malware by compares the aspects of a file with a dictionary made up of signatures from harmful software. It searches an entire file in separate parts to detect viruses that have embedded themselves into current files.
  2. File emulation: implements a program into a virtual environment and monitors the actions of the program. Based on the actions, this technique can identify if a program is harmful and then the technique can perform the necessary disinfection steps.
  3. Heuristic-based detection: typically used to detect unknown viruses.

Topics of Concern

    • Effectiveness: Since technology is constantly advancing and reaching new limits, concerns over the effectiveness of antivirus software and its ability to keep up with the advancement of malicious programs is questioned. Many studies have show that the effectiveness of antivirus software decreases against unknown attacks. Also, new viruses are often written by professionals of criminal organizations, which makes them more complex and not as easily to detect.
    • False Positives: When antivirus software deems a normal file as malicious it can lead to serious issues. It can immediately remove or quarantine the identified files and result in certain areas of an operating system or applications unable to be used.
    • Unexpected Renewal Costs: Many license agreements of commercial antivirus software have a section that states a subscription will be automatically renewed at the cost of the purchaser. The users credit card will be automatically billed without authorization. Most antivirus software requires users to unsubscribe up to 90 days in advance of the expiration of the current subscription.
Filed Under: Anti-Virus Tagged With: ,

Aspects of Computer Security

January 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Computer security is a type of computer technology that is concerned with protecting the information contained in computers and related networks. It involves the protection of information and related equipment from natural disasters, theft and fraud, but still enabling the information and equipment to be easily accessed and useful to its users.

Computer Security Methods

Computer security approaches are intended to protect the information of a program while not imposing restrictions on the uses of the program. Computer security may involve more than one method:

  1. Believe all the software will adhere to a specific security policy and the software in analyzed to determine that it is trustworthy.
  2. Believe all the software will abide to a specific security policy, but the software has been deemed untrustworthy, also called computer insecurity.
  3. Do not trust any software, but implement a security policy that contained trustworthy hardware devices
  4. Do not trust any software, but impose a security policy with devices that are untrustworthy, also called computer insecurity.

Many systems have involuntarily resulted in computer insecurity that have lead to breaches of security. Method number three is the most practical because it has a variety of degrees of freedom and avoids security breaches. A combination of method one and four is used frequently.

Security Systems Design

Many methods and strategies are used to design security systems and only a small number of effective approaches to improve security systems after they are designed.

  • One method uses the principle of least privilege method, which results in the system only having the privileges required for function. This protects the system even if an intruder is able to access one component of the system, it is very difficult to access other areas.
  • Some security systems separate the system into smaller parts to open the possibility of using various methods including automated theorem proving.

Computer system security is necessary to protect valuable and sensitive information from corruption, disintegration, and publication from unauthorized individuals.

Filed Under: Computers, Security Tagged With: ,

Business Issues of Email Security

January 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In today’s competitive marketplace, email is an essential aspect of daily business operations and helps a variety of organizations remain competitive. As the use of email continues to increase in the business world, the significance of email security becomes vital. The most essential security measures are those related to email storage management, mail flow, and recovery of data.

Email Storage Management

  • Effective strategies are needed to manage large and active collections of information to minimize the occurrence of failures that can affect users and the business as a whole.
  • Businesses have to employ practical methods and utilize thorough solutions. A secure email storage management method uses a layered technique that combines business applications and processes.
  • Email storage management can often be separated into various parts such as user access and storage. All components should be tackled individually.

Mail Flow

  • Mail flow includes various features of email systems and mail flow security often concentrates on tracking emails into and out of the organization.
  • Supervising the content of emails and checking that all messages abide by the policies of the business is necessary to make sure all users are employing appropriate business practices.
  • Mail flow security also involves protecting business systems from harmful incidences such as hacking.

Recovery of Data

  • Email recovery methods must be able to quickly retrieve a variety of individual items including messages, contacts, attachments, and appointments from backup systems and stores of information.
  • Illegal access to extremely sensitive mailbox information is a big risk to email data within an organization.
  • An effective technique to secure and audit sensitive information is necessary. The method must constantly monitor the security of mailboxes and authentication to make sure sensitive information of the email system is only accessed by authorized individuals.

The constant increase in technology and advanced computer systems brings more secure and manageable email systems. The development of a secure email environment that is effectively managed will promote the success of all types of businesses.

Filed Under: Emails, Security Tagged With: ,

Learning About Internet Security

December 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

We always hear about how important it is to protect your computer and your internet and email accounts, but little does anyone tell us where to get the information. Knowing there is a problem is just not enough especially if we personally can not do anything about it. There are people who will ignore the importance of internet security, and when something happens, they are left stranded. In order for anyone to do anything, first they must learn the basics and how internet security functions. Only then will they find it in their interest to learn about internet security.

The most common way of learning about the internet and how to use it safely, is by asking someone knowledgeable. Those who work with the internet know a lot more about how to protect yourself and your personal data. This information can easily obtained from tech supports who work on fixing your computer and those who install your antivirus and other safety programs on your PC. All you need to do is show your interest and they will be more than happy to help you understand how your internet security works. With proper knowledge and your internet security in place, you will have a safe feeling when you are surfing the internet.

If for any reason you are too shy to ask anyone for help, then you can use your internet too to help you understand better. Learning about internet security is much easier with the volumes of information you can find online. A simple search will provide you with hundreds of pages, and all you need to do is click on the right ones and learn as much or as little information as you need. It does not take too long to learn about how to protect your computer and personal information. With the knowledge you obtain, you will be able to monitor internet security, instead of having to pay extra for tech support.

Filed Under: Computers, Internet, Security Tagged With: , , ,

Benefits Of Antivirus Programs

December 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Not everyone is an expert when it comes to knowing how to protect your computer from outside threats. Neither do most of us know what to do when our computer begins to experience problems, we have not seen or heard of before. Only a percentage of the workforce is a master at computers and they are the only ones who can keep up with any types of PC problems. Often we end up clicking on a website, or downloading an attachment that we do not think much about. In reality those are the attachments that will harm our terminal in more ways than we can imagine.

Antivirus programs are almost like a god sent, for people who are not too familiar with how their computer works. For most of us, as long as the computer turns on and we can perform our everyday activities, we don’t ask for anything more. If your computer gets infected with a virus, not only will you lose valuable information, but you will also notice how slow your PC runs. In your case, it is important to install and maintain some sort of an antivirus program. Antivirus programs usually work in the background and block any unwanted programs from being installed. Even when you need to install a program for your use, it will review and ask for your permission before installation. This way if you are not aware of what to install, you can choose to cancel. Antivirus programs also work in your favor and delete viruses that are already installed on your computer. A simple virus scan, once in a while will help you review and delete anything that will harm your computer.

While there are several other benefits, these are just a few to keep in mind, when it comes to determining whether you should install antivirus programs on your computer. Consult with a professional if you are unsure of what to purchase.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus, Computers, Security Tagged With: , , ,

Email Attachments and Virus Scans

December 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Endpoint antivirus software

Image via Wikipedia

Email attachments come in many forms and unless you are sure of what the attachments consist of, there are several risks to opening them.  Some attachments you are aware of come from friends, family and work, and often these are the ones you will open first.  Just because you know the person sending the email and know the attachment may have been created with a safe program like open office, does not mean that the attachment is safe.  Often hackers will disguise the emails so that it seems like its coming from a known person. Do not be fooled by what you receive and, if for any reason, you are in doubt be sure to call the person sending to clarify. Opening an attachment can bring about a lot of problems for your computer and your personal information.

Hackers will do just about anything to gain your trust so that you will open an email and then try to view the attachment. It only takes a matter of seconds for certain viruses to install and it takes hours to clear them off your system. The damage done can be hard to handle and especially if you have confidential or financial information stored on your computer, which is the first thing that will be transmitted. In any case, it can not be stressed enough, how important it is to know where the attachment is coming from. Sometimes it can be in the form of a document and other times it will be in the form of a video or audio file.

Luckily most email service providers, as well as computers, have virus scans installed that will scan the attachment before downloading. In most cases, the virus scan will warn you if there is any danger in downloading, but there are times too when these attachments can bypass the virus scan. Installing a virus scan is your first priority and if you are unsure, make it a point to consult with a tech support first.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus, Internet, Security Tagged With: , , ,