Tips and Tricks

Torrents have become incredibly popular for sharing files online, and as networks continue to grow for P2P file sharing , increasingly more people are tuning in to this massive content sharing system. Of course, there are inherent security risks with any type of file sharing. This, coupled with the fact that the content of torrent files is usually something copyrighted, such as music or movies, is making users look deeper for ways to protect their privacy and stay anonymous. Most people have at least basic anti-malware software installed on their devices, which is really helpful in screening files that may have viruses tucked away in them somewhere. However, this type of software really doesn’t do anything to secure your actual connection, it just secures your device. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and VPNs have answered the call. VPNs - Virtual Private Networks —offer users a secure and anonymous connection, along with global access to any content they want, regardless of their ...

The good news is that it's really easy to beef up your online security. These quick and simple steps will considerably strengthen your systems against criminals and snoops. 1. Get a quality VPN service The quickest and easiest way to improve your online privacy is to get a quality VPN provider. The best services, like ExpressVPN, will secure your internet connection from prying eyes. A VPN will make your internet connection completely private and will keep no record of your internet activity. 2. Use a password manager It goes without saying that a strong password will protect you more. You should also always use a different password for each account you have online. The best way to do this is with a password manager. It will encrypt and store all of your credentials for every site, so that you don't have to remember them all. Logins will fill out automatically, which means you'll spend less time frantically trying to remember your pet's birthday. Pick a strong master pa...

With the increase in the number of users of internet globally cyber crimes have also increased remarkably and people should try to be more careful while using the internet than ever before. In the age where almost everyone has access to the internet privacy is one of the most important things that you should worry about while browsing on the internet. If you are using a public computer for general search like for the schedule of the football world cup fixtures or look for the weather report, privacy is not entirely necessary. But if you are booking a table in a restaurant online, shopping online by using your credit card, checking your bank account, logging into your social media profile or checking your email you need your browsing to be private. If you are browsing in a public computer you need to be aware that the data you search can easily be accessed by someone else who uses the same computer after you. Mostly people who want their browsing to be private and don’t want anyone to s...

Computer viruses are manifested through software programs that replicate and infect other computers. Normally these are spread through emails and data transfer devices such as flash disks. Other than infecting your computer or laptop, viruses can be transferred to your cell phone, e-reader or tablet. So long as these gadgets can get into contact with the internet, they are always at risk. A viral attack can lead to a malfunction or expose your personal data such as the passwords you use. If an intruder gets hold of your password he/she can hack into your phone or emails. There are three basic ways to steer clear of viruses: Avoid opening email attachments from people you don’t know Always use sites that are trusted when downloading files Scan suspect documents or devices that you use Below are some measures you can take to prevent viruses from getting into your personal data: 1. Exercise caution when opening email attachments either from your phone or tablet. The same way ...

Shopping online has become a modern trend as it eliminates the need for waiting in long queue for purchasing a product online. Some worry that their credit card details may be given to a wrong person. Some believe that shopping online is better and safer than shopping in person or over the telephone. With the e-stores offering Free home delivery, Product replacement, etc., Online shopping has become a most preferred way of shopping nowadays. Here are some tips for a better shopping experience online. Be Secure: Millions of dollars are spend everyday in online shopping over the world. There are people who are trying to steal some from it, Be sure you are not a victim to them. When visiting a site to purchase anything online, ensure that the site is secure. Nowadays Phishing attacks are getting popular as shopping online is getting popular. So to ensure that the page you are visiting is secure, look for a tiny padlock icon over the beginning of the url in your browser's address bar. ...

Whether it is the latest tech gadget, new clothes, your next holiday trip, or car insurance - there are few things that you cannot buy online. But as great the pleasure of having everything delivered to your door step may be, the hard is the awakening once you realize you've become a victim of online shopping fraud. During the past five years, every third online shopper has experienced fraud while shopping online according to a recent global consumer study. Beyond that, about USD 3.4 bn are lost each due to online shopping fraud - money from consumers like you and me! Fortunately, there are a few simple rules that can help you to stay safe from becoming a victim of online shopping fraud and save a lot of money. The below infographic will show you how! Courtesy of: TrustedCompany.com

I am sure that you would have heard about keylogger. Many of you might be of the notion that keylogger is a software, but this is not so. Keylogger could be hardware or software. It is meant for both legitimate and illegitimate jobs, but most of the times, it is used by the bad guys to spy on other's information. If you do not want anybody to have an illicit access to your information, you need to know to catch hold of this kind of process that might run in your system without your knowledge. Here is how, you can have a check on this process. Hardware keylogger: Hardware keylogger is the device that needs to be connected to the keyboard port. If you happen to locate it, you can have it disconnected, so that the keystrokes are not traced.  An alternate method of having the hardware keylogger installed is by soldering it into the circuit of the keyboard. To make sure that you do not have it soldered into the keyboard, you need to disassemble the board and find if there is any such t...

I will begin this article by citing benefits of a VPN, then advantages of another type of VPN that's based on SSLv3/TLS. First of all, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) allows you to access the local network of your company through a secure internet connection when you are in a remote location (at home, at a customer ...). Thus, you get access to resources at your local network (shared files, intranet, external, printers, emails, games ...) in the same way as if you were at work / home, without having to open a port on your router or reconfigure your local resources. So, what? I heard that VPN are secured, but how? Nope, they are not! I'm talking about average VPN, which are used to connect with at least one or more remote machines via an internet connection. We are talking about virtual tunnels where the data is encrypted. And SSL/TLS VPN ? Here is another thing! These VPN are highly secured, the data transiting inside are totally obscure. They are so obscure that even servers...

Distributed Denial of Service ( DDoS ) attacks are usually done by individuals calling themselves “hacktivists.” Their purpose is to crash a website server by overwhelming it with activity by “bots” and is generally an aim with a political purpose. These attacks can take up 111gbps to 179gbps, and in April of 2013, took 144 million packets-per-second. If the “hacktivists” are against a company’s stance on a specific issue or multiple issues, the “hacktivist” will attack in an attempt to show opposition and illustrate the company’s weakness. A “hacktivist” may also attack a company, such as a bank or finance company, which they believe makes money off of the downtrodden of society. Some hackers have used DDoS attacks for extortion in an attempt to make companies pay a designated amount before their servers can go back online. A DDoS attack can even be carried out by hackers who deem the company in competition with another company the hacker supports. It is also beginning to look like ...

Have you been receiving a lot of junk mail lately ? Have your email contacts reported receiving an email from you that you have absolutely no recollection of sending ? Or have they reported getting an instant message from you which you have never sent ? If the answer to any of these questions is a 'yes', then it is very likely that somebody has hacked your Hotmail account or stolen your Hotmail password. This is a very serious situation, and it is possible that this hacker may make use of your Hotmail account for illegal and even criminal purposes. Steps To Be Taken By You Once You Find Out Your Hotmail Account Is Hacked : Now that you have a strong idea that your Hotmail account has been hacked, you shall need to take immediate steps to retrieve the situation. We present a list of immediate actionable steps to be taken by you. However, before we go into the details, in case of any confusion in following the instructions given by us, we advise you to please use the Hotmail cus...

USB drives are a fantastic way to share information from computer-to-computer. While many people use email to send documents, USB drives can take just about anything that your computer has and move it to another system with minimal effort. Plus, USB drives can be used to share information without actually putting it in someone’s possession. Doing so can keep sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. If you have a USB drive, though, there are still extra measures you should take to secure its contents. Continue reading for 10 easy steps that you can take to safeguard your USB drive. Proper Password Management Protects Your USB Drive First, let’s make sure that if anyone gets a hold of your USB drive, they won’t be able to use it. Insert your USB drive into your computer. Find the USB drive in your computer’s “Devices with Removable Storage” section or similar area. Right click on it and choose, “Turn on Bitlocker.” Once you choose this, Wizard will open up, and you’ll see the ...

Despite advances in cyber security, passwords are still the best first line of defense against account infiltration because of their fluid customization. If an account becomes compromised, it is relatively easy for users to reestablish their defenses by changing how it is protected. News outlets are regularly reporting tales of hacker devastation due to inefficient passcode strength. Although it is simple for users to change their passwords and optimize their security measures, according to PCWorld, there are simple strategies that businesses and consumers alike can consider in order to optimize their defenses from the start. Tips for password fortification Business 2 Community reported that password management software can do the work of creating complex and hard to hack passcodes without forcing the end user to memorize long strings of characters, across multiple accounts. With this cost-effective solution, the software will do this work for the customer, requiring minimal setup ...

Just as fun as it can be to shop online, it can equally be risky at times. Not because you might just end up ordering the wrong size (thank god to the fact that there’s always an exchange window and you can courier it back) but because there are some safety issues that you need to keep in mind while swapping that plastic card of yours. With a dramatic increase in numbers of online purchasing portals, online flick stores, shopping windows, etc. it is becoming more and more crucial to keep a watch on where exactly you are stashing your card numbers in. There are scammers flopping in the online world like never before. So it helps to keep an eye before you decide to lay your hands on that beautiful dress or shoe you just spotted on the screen. Here we lay down few safety procedures which once you ensure will make your experience equivalent to one that you have while visiting your nearest mart for picking stuff up. 1) Your computing environment should be very secured Almost a no-brainer y...

Many of my friends communicate with their children via text message. It’s easy for the kids to send a quick message from school or when they are at a friend’s house to update so their parents know what they are up to. In my generation, you didn’t need a cell phone when you were in middle school or high school, but now with families having busy schedules, it almost has become a necessity. Keeping in contact with your kids is the biggest benefit of text messaging. You can see an example of how text messaging was a lifeline to this parent whose child was on lockdown during the Arapaho shooting. Without his child having a cell phone, he would have been in the dark if his child was okay. Despite some obvious benefits, there are some drawbacks to allowing your kids access to text messaging as well. Here are just 4 dangers that they may face when they have a cell phone and send texts. Cyber Bullying It seems like everyday that you turn on the news there is a new story about kids getting bul...

In August 2011 the UK was plagued by riots following a protest in Tottenham after the death of a local man. Thousands of people in London boroughs and in cities and towns across the UK were involved in the riots, which were alternatively dubbed the ‘BlackBerry riots’ as people were using mobile devices and social media to organize groups of rioters. As of the 15th August, more than 3,000 people had been arrested, more than 1,000 of which were charged. Included in this figure were two males in their twenties, who set up an event on Facebook, called ‘Smash Down in Northwich Town’ for the night of August 8th. Following a court appearance, the pair were sentenced to four years in jail for seeking to take advantage of crime elsewhere in the country, invoking fear and anticipated violence in the local vicinity. Whilst this is an extreme case of social media being taken seriously by the law, it does highlight the important role that it plays in our lives today. You only need to send a total ...

Companies, government and medical institutions should know what to do to protect their business assets, customers and employees. Some data breaches take place after the physical theft of electronic equipment. Businesses should install security measures such as cameras, to record break-ins. Security alarms can scare off thieves who want to gain access to personal or financial information. Business owners can also use the Kensington lock port located on desktop and laptop computers and physically secure them to desks with a strong cable. Businesses, employees and customers can protect their personal data, such as credit card account numbers, Social Security numbers and bank routing numbers, by encrypting them. Wireless networks are vulnerable to a theft technique called “wardriving.” Hackers drive through business areas, using a laptop to scan for wireless networks that are not password-protected. These unprotected networks allow the hacker to break into the network, looking for medical...

Below is an infographic with statistics on Car Theft Worldwide ! Infographic by  Smf.ie

This infographic takes a look at the Top 6 software bugs and what they have caused. Below is an exerpt of the infographic. The advances of time and technology bring new and difficult challenges for software programmers. With the creation of new programming languages and software coding comes new issues or glitches within the application. These glitches are known as bugs. While software bugs cause unwanted operations with in the program, they are mostly harmless. However, a small oversight during programming or testing can mean a huge issue for the developer, particularly when it comes to the sensitive nature of client information. Here’s a look at some of the top software bugs from the past few years. When the ATM becomes a lottery: In 2011, an operation issue with ATMs in Sydney, Aus. gave out more money to customers than they should have. This bug caused the ATM to run in stand-by mode, meaning that it didn’t recognize the customers’ account balance, allowing them to withdraw...