Before proceeding to read this article, it is important that we state something up front. It is essential for the reader to understand and appreciate that there is no such thing as a secure operating system or web browser. While the use of security suites and other complementing products can significantly reduce your risks, they are not magic wands that you can wave to eliminate 100% of your risk. Any product claiming they can do this should be viewed with great skepticism.

photo credit: kalleboo

With that being said, let’s talk computer security and security suites. There are numerous ways in which the security of your computer can be breached. The most common threats come from worms, viruses, Trojans, phishing, hackers and crackers. Potential security breaches can come in the form of downloading unfamiliar email attachments, being monitored by spyware, maliciously attacked by malware, or probed through port scanning. The Best Managed PC Care on the Planet!

Dshield.org (www.dshield.org), a non-profit company, functions as a “dominating attach correlation engine with worldwide coverage”. In short, they work with people and companies to track, among other things, port scanning violations. Port scanning involves a person (referred to as a hacker or cracker) who attempts to break into you computer through the open ports in your system. Once an open port is located, the individual attempts to collect your personal data or install a malware program into you computer. On average, Dshield.org logs over 1.1 billion reported attempts of port scanning each month. What is even scarier is that this is just based on their program participants. You can imagine how many more incidents are occurring each month to the general population of computer users.

Dshield.org also reports on survival time. Survival time refers to how long it will take before an unpatched PC is attacked or infected. Below is a snapshot of their current operating system breakdown:

Current OS Breakdown

Source: Dshield.org – Survival Time History (11/8/05)

In short, if you have a Windows-based operating system and an unpatched PC, you will be attacked or infected in a little over 2 hours. When looked at in these terms, securing your computer becomes a mission.

Here are a few easy steps you can take to immediately protect your computer.

1. Don’t run unfamiliar programs on your computer.
It sounds like common sense, but many of the most prominent attacks have involved spyware and email attachment worms such as Bagle and Netsky. If you don’t recognize the sender, don’t download its attachments.
2. Don’t allow unrestricted physical access to your computer.
If you have sensitive or proprietary information on your computer, allowing other employees or family members to use your computer can lead to potential breaches in your computer’s security.

3. Don’t use weak passwords.
Use passwords which are difficult for someone to figure out. People frequently use the names of children, pets, anniversary dates, or birthdays. Because there seems to be a password needed for everything, it is not uncommon to see many people using the same password for everything. Big mistake! The use of only one password provides a hacker with easy access to a smorgasbord of personal information. If you have to write your passwords down, it is best not to leave them on a post-it, attached to the screen of your computer. You may chuckle at the absurdity, but it happens more than you think.

4. Don’t forget to regularly patch your operating system and other applications.
Many industry experts believe that most network security attacks would be stopped if computer users would just keep their computers updated with patches and security fixes. Too often, we forget to do this on a regular basis. Remember that every day, new viruses, worms and Trojans are being created and distributed. They are looking for the weaknesses in your computer system. Having outdated software is basically the same as holding the door open and inviting them in for a visit.

5. Don’t forget to make regular backups of important data
Always keep a copy of important files on removable media such as floppy/ZIP disks or recordable CD-ROM disks. Store the backups in a location separate from the computer.

In most cases, Windows desktop and screen-saver passwords provides adequate protection for normal security concerns. However, if you feel more comfortable taking additional security measures consider obtaining a comprehensive security suite.

Selecting a Antivirus Software
The next question is how do you pick the best product for your needs? You start by asking yourself a series of questions. Do you need password protection for individual files, your desktop, a network, or to block someone’s access to the Internet? Is your computer used only by you or do multiple users have access to the computer? How many users in total do you expect on your computer? What are your system requirements? How much do you want to spend?

Once you are able to answer these questions, you can begin to research which security suite will best meet your needs. Product reviews and user statements provide a great starting point. PCMagaine (www.pcmag.com), Zdnet.com (www.zdnet.com), and Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org) are just a few informative sites that offer research on various computer software products.

There are numerous security suites available on the market. Take the time to choose the one that meets your specific needs. As a starting point, we’ve listed a couple of the more popular programs:

1. Kaspersky Personal Security Suite
Description: A comprehensive protection program package designed to guard against worms, viruses, spyware, adware and other malicious programs. The program offers five pre-defined security levels and is convenient for mobile users. System requirements: Window 98/2000/XP; Internet Explore 5.0 or higher, Memory: minimum of 64 MB RAM, 100 MB free on hard drive.

2. Shield Deluxe 2005
Description: This program provides protection from viruses, adware, spyware, and privacy threats while using very low system resources. Additionally, the maker, PC Security Shield offers ongoing free technical support. System requirements: Windows 98 or higher, WinNT, WinXP, WinME; Internet Explorer 5.1 or higher, Memory: 32MB ram or higher, 65 MB free disk space.

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Finding the Security Suite that meets your needs

Encryption and cryptographic software has been used in many different ways to make systems more secure. This article discusses only a few ways that such software can make your system more secure, including:

1) Encrypting your email

2) Encrypting your files

To programs are mentioned that will help encrypt information. There are many more programs out there that will help, but these programs are good and a good place to start as any. They have the added benefit of both being free with source code available.

Will encryption stop people from accessing my information?

Encryption simply makes it harder for people to gain access to important information, like passwords or sensitive information in a file. The first thing you should know about encryption is that the algorithm that is used to encrypt can be simple or more complex and that affects how securely what you have encrypted is protected. Encryption systems have been broken when the method of encryption is understood by hackers and is easy to break.

Why bother to encrypt my email?

It should be noted that email is far less secure than paper mail for two very good reasons: first, electronic data can be accessed easily over an Internet and secondly, electronic data is really simple to copy. There is a very good chance that someone has snooped around in your email despite your best intentions to stop it.

How do I go about encrypting my email?

There are many programs out there that can help you encrypt your email. A very popular one is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) or its Gnu offshoot GPG.

PGP (http://www.pgpi.org/) self-describes itself this way: This “is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn’t have: Privacy. It does this by encrypting your mail so that nobody but the intended person can read it. When encrypted, the message looks like a meaningless jumble of random characters. PGP has proven itself quite capable of resisting even the most sophisticated forms of analysis aimed at reading the encrypted text.”

Why bother to encrypt my files?

The answer to this boils down to what you store on your computer. If you have financial data with important information like social security numbers, email addresses, account numbers and passwords, then you open yourself up to losing very valuable information. Most corporate Internet security employees will attest to the widespread theft of very valuable information. As long as you are connected to the Internet you are vulnerable.

How do I go about encrypting my files?

AxCrypt File Encryption Software (http://axcrypt.sourceforge.net/) Self-described as “Free Personal Privacy and Security for Windows 98/ME/NT/2K/XP with AES-128 File Encryption, Compression and transparent Decrypt and Open in the original application.”

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About Encryption and Making Your System Secure

Perhaps you’re getting confused as to why your PC suddenly starts to slow down, especially when you’re basically starting it up. Then you have noticed numerous ads popping in your screen when you still haven’t surfed the Web. Worse, there are files that have been corrupted or damaged.

What you may not know, however, is the fact that maybe your PC is infected with a virus. There are many types of viruses and malware, and their effect can range from minor to severe. Nevertheless, they are still considered threat to your system. How do you keep track of them? Here are 10 ways:

1. Run your antivirus and anti-spyware software. There are many software that can help you scan your system to check if there are hidden viruses or adware. They can identify what kinds of viruses are inflicting your PC. You can also have the choice of deleting them into your computer or putting them in quarantine. Nevertheless, you should make sure that the software you are using are safe. You basically don’t like to worsen the condition with a defective or a scam software.

2. Use online security. It’s not only offline that your system can get affected. One of the main causes, the Internet, can also cause harm into your PC. To know how not secure you are when you are surfing the Web, there are different analysis software that you can use. On of these is Shields Up. You can check Internet ports to check if you are in stealth mode, which is considered to be the safest mode for your PC. It will also provide recommendation how to shut down the system when you are becoming vulnerable to hacks.

3. Check your wireless network. It’s only when your system is connected to network cables that your system is very prone to hacking. It may even happen when you are making use of a wireless network. You can check your MAC address, making sure that they are filtered, or monitor the routing setting. You may also employ the use of a free program that can do the monitoring of wireless networks for you.

4. Run your Firewall. It may not really detect the presence of viruses in your PC, but it will prevent your computer from being more vulnerable to spyware and other programs that are being planted by hackers into your system. You may also have to enable your Auto Update as it will automatically update your firewall. Keeping it up to date will make it more capable of fighting unscrupulous scammers and hackers from attacking your PC.

5. Tweak your settings. To make sure that there are no more viruses that can cause damage into your files, you must be able to allow your PC to accept auto updates. But since there is a default schedule for it, if your computer is off or you’re not connected to your PC by that time, you may not be able to receive one. So it may be ideal to modify the settings of your Auto Update so it will match the schedule of your home or office PC use. You may also opt to be notified when the update is ready for you.

6. Your PC uploads unauthorized files. There are certain types of viruses that will cause your PC to upload files without your permission. This is also the case with spyware and adware, which will send all of your confidential information to hackers and other individuals who will be using them for malicious intent or to sell you some products and services.

7. Monitor your PC’s system configuration utility. MSConfig can give you an idea of whether your PC is infected with a virus or not. You can click on Start, then Run, and then type in MSConfig. Press the tab for Startup. Then look for those program names that may appear like those of eye charts. This is because viruses and other malicious software are usually renamed using random characters.

8. Your PC shuts down automatically. It is a classic way of hinting if there are viruses and adware infecting your computer. It will automatically shut down even if you haven’t started it up properly.

9. You have distorted dialog boxes. There are a number of worms and viruses that love to make themselves known. That’s why images in your desktop, especially the format of your menu as well as dialog boxes appear to be very distorted.

10. Your PC receives error messages that are unusual. It may be that there are error messages that keep on popping, and yet they look as if something you’re not familiar with. It’s time to scan your computer as there could be viruses that are causing such occurrences.

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10 Ways To Know If Your PC Has Virus

Somewhere in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, a tiny startup has struck Internet gold. Its dozen-odd employees are barely old enough to recall the demise of the Soviet Union, but industry analysts believe they’re raking in well over $100 million a year from the world’s largest banks, including Wells Fargo and Washington Mutual.

Their two-year rise might be the greatest success story of the former Eastern Bloc’s high-tech boom — if only it weren’t so illegal. But the cash may be coming from your bank account, and they could be using the computer in your den to commit their crimes.

The enigmatic company, which the security community has dubbed “Rock Phish,” has rapidly grown into a giant of the Internet underground by perfecting a common form of Internet crime known as “phishing.” The thieves capture people’s personal computers, then use them to send phony e-mails that trick other users into revealing private financial information.

“Rock is the standard. They’re the Microsoft. Everyone else is a bit player,” said Jose Nazario, a researcher at security company Arbor Networks.

As big as Rock Phish has become, though, it is a sliver of a much larger problem.

photo credit: mcbarnicle

During the past few years, a professional class bent on stealthy online fraud has transformed Internet crime, rendering obsolete the hobbyist hackers who sought fun and fame. These Al Capones of the information age are like ghosts in our Web browsers, silently taking over our computers, stealing digital bits, and turning our data into cash. Take cyber-bite out of crime…

Vocabulary of cybercrime

Bot-herders: Those who control the armies of computers known as botnets.

Botnet: A “robot network,” or collection of zombie PCs, usually controlled by Internet crooks who have surreptitiously installed malware on people’s computers.

Drive-by download: A user visits a Web site containing malicious code that installs itself on the user’s PC.

Malware: Any computer software created with malicious intent.

Phishing: Sending e-mails that appear to come from a trusted entity (such as a bank or well-known company) that trick people into giving up personal and financial information.

Spam: Unwanted e-mails sent to users to get them to buy something, take an action or reveal information.

Trojan: Malicious computer software disguised as a useful program that tricks users into opening or installing it.

Virus: Computer code that infects a file or program, then takes actions and spreads when the user opens that file or program.

Worm: A self-replicating computer program that transfers itself between PCs, often clogging the network as it spreads. Read the rest…

That says it all, very scary indeed! For more great content, information and stories like this, please Join Us, Monday LIVE @ 11:00 MST for:

Your Online Security Authority  
Bill Wardell

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Cybercrime: How online crooks put us all at risk

• Two in five Internet users visited an adult site in August of 2005, according to tracking by comScore Media Metrix.

• 87% of university students polled have virtual sex mainly using Instant Messenger, webcam, and telephone (”CampusKiss and Tell” University and College Sex Survey. Released on February 14, 2006. CampusKiss.com. February 17, 2006 http://www.campuskiss.com/defa…rvey=show&homepage=true ).

• According to comScore Media Metrix, there were 63.4 million unique visitors to adult websites in December of 2005, reaching 37.2% of the Internet audience.

• By the end of 2004, there were 420 million pages of pornography, and it is believed that the majority of these websites are owned by less than 50 companies (LaRue, Jan. “Obscenity and the First Amendment.” Summit on Pornography. Rayburn House Office Building. Room 2322. May 19, 2005).

• The pornography industry generates $12 billion dollars in annual revenue - larger than the combined annual revenues of ABC, NBC, and CBS. Of that, the Internet pornography industry generates $2.5 billion dollars in annual revenue. (Pornography Statistics. Family Safe Media. January 10, 2006. >http://www.familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html).

• The largest group of viewers of Internet porn is children between ages 12 and 17 Family Safe Media, December 15, 2005 .

• According to comScore Media Metrix, Internet users viewed over 15 billion pages of adult content in August 2005. Read the rest of the report…

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INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY Has it changed in 2 years?