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Sunday, December 2, 2012

How to Stay Safe Online

When it comes to the internet, nothing is safe. Therefore, it only makes sense to protect your sensitive information, as you would protect your home from criminals. It is naïve to think that the internet is safe; it really isn't!

Have you ever gone out for the day, and left the front door to your house wide open? Not at all: WHY? Simple; because criminals will come in and riffle through your house. The same principle applies to the internet and computers you use. You should always be cautious when browsing the internet as it is never safe.

You should always lock your computer screen when you are done using it. It is good to know why locking your computer screen is important. The same applies to the websites you visit online. Most of these sites are not safe, and it is your responsibility to take extra precautions when visiting a site.

Here Are a Few Things You Must Be Aware Of

* Phishing: This is a type of online fraud, where cyberspace thieves try to trick people into revealing their sensitive information such as social security number, username, password, or credit card details.

* Malware: This is software that is designed to infiltrate or damage your operating system without your knowledge. Malware is a general term that's used by computer professionals for many forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software, and can include:

1. Virus: This is a computer program that can duplicate itself, damaging a computer in the process.

2. Worm: This is a self -replicating malware computer program; it uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other computers on the network.

3. Spyware: This malware collects small pieces of information about users without the owner's informed consent.

4. Adware: Any software package that automatically plays, displays, or downloads some advertisements to a computer.

5. Trojan horse: This is a destructive program which masquerades as an application. The software initially appears to perform a desirable function for the user before installation, but instead steals sensitive information, or even harm the operating system.

Now, when you visit a website, it is important to know that the computer hosting the website may keep a record of the interaction. This record is called a log. To make this as simple as possible, you must think of a log as a receipt. When you purchase something from a store, you are given a receipt, and the store owner keeps a record of the transaction.

If you would like to get informed about how to protect yourself online, Google safe search is the place to start. You must report all unusual activities to Google so they can put measures in place to protect the public. Don't just complain and do nothing about it.

When It Comes to Protecting Your Personal Information or "Identity", Here's What You Need to Know Search Your Name Online: Be Prepared for a Shocking Discovery How To Protect Your Digital Information Products From Online Thieves Changing Your Password To Improve Your Website Security How To Keep Users and Data Safe On The Web Reality Overtakes Fiction: We Are Already at War, Albeit Electronic, But War All the Same

Relax, We Have Out of Band One Time Password Data Breach Protection

The holidays are the time for giving while relaxing with family and friends. When everyone was preparing for their holiday on December 24th creatures were stirring while clicking a mouse. During the holiday a data breach of close to a million passwords lead to one embarrassed "intelligence" company and 200 gigabytes of personal information exposed. But how could this be? The year of the data breach is coming to an end and still companies do not have a secure password policy. Furthermore an out-of-band one-time password is fairly easy and inexpensive to implement while offering obvious security benefits.

Becoming more common recently, data breaches like this are all over the media. Companies are learning the hard way that they cannot skimp on security at any point in the chain. After all you are only as strong as your weakest link and the recent Stratfor data breach is a prime example. Although Stratfor had a password policy in place, findings from The Tech Herald said the policies were lacking enforcement.

In this situation the password policy only required a six character long password which contained a numerical digit. Upon cracking over 80 thousand passwords through simple means, The Tech Herald found many passwords which were not even six characters in length. Furthermore users were using commonly used terms, dates and personal references to create passwords.

Strong Password Creation Strong passwords consist of case sensitive letters, numbers and symbols. By utilizing all types of characters it creates many more combinations to have to search through while cracking a password. Users should not use full words or terms while creating login credentials either. This allows for lists of common words to be loaded into a cracking program like the one used in the Stratfor data breach. Beyond creating a secure credential, users should change their password regularly to prevent it from being compromised.

Obviously support for stronger security must be present along with some sort of software based enforcement. However, infrastructure for this type of password security can be expensive to implement and can create an unpleasant user experience. After all who can remember a password like "B#13iL@9e"?

One-Time Password Protecting users from themselves is not easy but a one-time password offers the ability for them to be fairly careless. Some ways of transmitting an OTP are not as secure as others though. In some cases an OTP will be delivered to the user through email which may also have been compromised. A very common problem is that people use the same password across all platforms, which means attackers may have access to the users email as well.

Out-of-Band One-Time Password One of the easiest solutions for a more secure authentication process is an out-of-band one time password. The OTP allows users to be authenticated through their mobile phone and provides an added layer of protection from infected computers. Users benefit from the added protection gaining the ability to use simple login credentials.

With an OTP in place the weak Stratfor passwords would not have been an issue since the attackers would need to authenticate themselves before accessing the confidential data. Even if they were able to obtain the user's login credentials and phone number they would not have access to "something you have", which is your mobile phone. If the attackers had login credentials and an email address, without an out-of-band solution a savvy attacker may be able to gain access.

If your vision of authentication security is not all sugarplums dancing in your head you may not have had your holiday cut short by a data breach.

Best SSL Certificate Provider

An SSL certificate does wonders to your business web site. You can draw a huge amount of traffic on your website only by building your site visitor's confidence, and this can only be done by the SSL certificates. SSL or Secure Socket Layer works as a strong layer of encryption between the web server and the web browser.

Benefits drawn by SSL are so large that they can't be described. Application of SSL certificate clearly demonstrates the visitors that your business web site is totally safe, secure, and legitimate to use. It is a great way to increase your customer's confidence and they will feel free in exchanging their financial information including credit card details with your web site. You can survive in the online business world only when your business is able to build its goodwill and positive image in the world's eye.

If you are looking for best certificate provider then here are some key features that are essential to look for:

Issued by the most trusted certificate authority A strong level of encryption 128-bit or 256-bit 99.3% browser ubiquity 24x7 technical support SSL secured trust site seal Installation support Free re-issuance policy Easy renewals

SSL works as a trust builder, hence choosing right certificate provider for your web site is very essential. Online visitors are very savvy, if your business requires the exchange of your customers personal as well as financial information then certainly you must display certificate on your web site. One can easily visualized this certificate in the address bar of their browser, if the address bar displays https:// instead of http:// that means the website is secured with SSL.

There are many trusted certificate issuing authority rendering online security solutions to various size business and help them in expanding their business across the world. The examples of trusted authority are VeriSign, Geo Trust, Comodo, Thwate, etc.

VeriSign certificates are little bit costlier than other certificates, but when a visitor sees the VeriSign trust seal on the site then he immediately makes the decision to get stick with that site. But this is incorrect to say that other certificates are less than VeriSign. Actually, VeriSign is expensive and also it provides little much good security whereas others are quite inexpensive that are designed to meet the requirements of small and medium size businesses.

You can easily find many of the SSL certificate providers online, but while selecting them you have to consider the above stated things

Three Methods to Protect Against Malicious Hacking

Users' unprotected networks are hunting ground for hackers. They spend lots of time to gain access over the unlocked systems of home users. Therefore, good security policies are highly significant for the security of your computer because you have all your personal data stored in it. And the easiest way to do so is by employing various computer security methods to protect against malicious attacks from hackers.

Here are some tips that allow you to keep up with the security of your personal computer.

Firewall- An honest guard

With huge affinity towards computer security; Firewall is a software (also can be hardware) that plays the role of good gatekeeper between the virtual world and your network. It allows the entry only of the ones defined by you. Hence, firewall is a good and first safety defense against hackers, as well as good for spyware and antivirus protection.

Your home network placed with a router and connected with your Internet service provider (ISP) could have the capability to act as a firewall. One should check the router's configuration settings by entering its IP address into the web browser and enabling the firewall if it is unable. The router is the basis for choosing the security setting between low, medium or high. Other options should be configured that will help in keeping unwanted guests away.

If you do not have a network set up and your computer is linked straight to your ISP then you can configure a firewall right on your computer. Every Windows computers since Windows XP come incorporated with a firewall, which is also recognized as Windows Firewall. Firewall can be made active through the Control Panel. Besides, there are plenty of free firewall programs that can be downloaded. You can find several program desirable for cyber security.

Good wireless security- Must for good protection

There are special security concerns for wireless networks or computers that are fixed straight into the wall. Hackers are highly active are continuously in search of unprotected or badly-protected wireless networks. You can safeguard your wireless network by:

- Altering the default SSID (network name) - Switching off wireless broadcasting - Changing router's default username and password - Enabling MAC address filtering - Using WPA or WPA2 security protocols, if possible

Best antivirus software-Excellent way to get shielded

Hackers try many methods to penetrate in your system by making use of viruses and alike, so good antivirus software is significant for excellent computer security. The program you choose for your personal computer must have up to date virus definitions. Also, it should be setup for automatic updates, regular weekly scans, and also real-time protection.

How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off by Online Job Ads

It seems as if nowadays there are more scam jobs on the web than there are real job ads. Job seekers are undereducated on this online job scam issue. Recent graduates tend to be the ones who get suckered into this type of fraud or scam. These scammers are constantly coming up with new ways to ripoff job seekers.

After being fooled myself, I can personally tell you the red flags that no one will teach you about online job hunting. Since this issue hasn't been addressed publicly and it doesn't seem like there's an end in sight, here are some red flags while on the job hunt:

A picture says a thousand words. If the online job ad has a lot of pretty, perfect looking pictures and smiling "employees" everywhere it might be scam. A good company isn't derived from happy employees necessarily; it's about their work ethic and their numbers which make it a good company. Google. After being tricked into almost going into an interview for a scam sales job, I decided that I would Google search every company I was applying for (that I hadn't heard about). Please do your homework before applying to any job to avoid being scammed or ripped off. Craigslist. Pay attention to job ads on Craigslist. A few signs of a job ad scam or ripoff are if the ad has a vague job title such as Admin Assistant or Customer Service Rep, jobs ads where "Telecommunicating is Ok" is indicated, spelling or grammar errors, the ad states "No Experience necessary" but a high pay is promised, fails to list a specific job location, and keep a close eye on how the employer emails you; if they send generic emails, and check the content of the email including websites and links. BBB.org. - The BBB, or the Better Business Bureau, is the report card for businesses. Here you can learn more about the business you are applying for. Most scam companies beat around the bush when you ask them what they do and want you to wait until you come in for the initial interview where you would be informed about the company and what your position would entail. If it's hard to understand what a company does via its own website, use the BBB to gather accurate information on a company.

Let's say you have already applied and received a response to your resume. Here is where you have to make sure you aren't a victim of fraud. A special type of online job scam is a " payment-forwarding " theme where the employer might ask you for:

Banking information, PayPal accounts, and credit card numbers. Permission to directly deposit paychecks or funds to your account. A forward, transfer, or "wire" to the employer. A portion of payment or to transfer money. Buying a product (which then you would sell). Social Security Card Number.

Remember that employers do use direct deposit for paychecks, but if they don't offer another payment option then that's a red flag and you shouldn't accept it. A legitimate employer would not ask you to do any of the above listed things especially over the web. I have also been scammed into doing a credit check through an online service which was intended for a job opportunity. After not hearing back from the employer I figured they had just wanted me to pay for the credit check and wasn't getting a job. Remember a non-scam company wouldn't ask you to do anything (besides a drug test) before actually being hired, especially via the web. Your resume has delicate information and you should be wary of where you forward it. Carefully investigate companies that you are interested in. Be innovative as well while on your search - you can use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to get feedback on a certain company.

How To Detect Credit Card Fraud

How do you detect credit card fraud before it happens? You won't have any problem knowing that you're dealing with fraud after the transaction as it will likely result in a chargeback to your business. The key is in getting it before it gets you. And the only way that you can pull that off is to put the appropriate tools in place. Luckily, modern technology equips the business owner to take fraud prevention measures. Unluckily, not all these measures work, and scammers are constantly trying to find ways of beating you out of the money that you rightfully deserve for a completed transaction. If you want to know how to detect credit card fraud beyond a shadow of doubt, then do the following:

1) Invest in a reputable bank identification number database.

Not all of these services are the same. Some are very limited in the focus they offer, while others may be able to encompass many different types of payment, but they skimp on their currency in order to cut overhead, and that leaves your business out in the cold whenever a transaction is made that is destined for chargeback. This aspect of fraud prevention is very important for you to take seriously as it can be the difference between a real fraud problem or never seeing another questionable transaction come through your point of sale. Don't be swayed by services that undersell. First, look at what they offer and compare it to other products and services.

2) Train your customers.

Your customers don't want to be taken advantage of, and they want to make sure that your business will protect them in the event of a lost or stolen card. If you can be upfront with your customers about what you are doing to prevent fraud, then two things will happen. Firstly, your customers will appreciate the fact that you value their safety, and they will reward you with more of their business. Secondly, by getting the warnings out ahead of time, you are likely to discourage scammers from targeting your storefront. Scammers would much rather hit the sure thing, and if you can emit the idea that you are going to be vigilant in attacking credit card fraud, then they will likely focus their efforts elsewhere.

3) Instill vigilance in your employees.

Any time that you have employees, who face the public, you have tools in the fight against credit card fraud. By instilling vigilance into your employees for fraud prevention, you will be able to stop thieves at the point of sale and set an example for what happens should anyone try to use your business as a channel for theft. Do these things, and you will have a healthier business.