Computer Firewalls

A firewall is a computer software that provides protection from hacking attempts from the Internet. It is very important to install a suitable firewall software to protect the computer from spyware and virus infections. A large number of security companies have developed firewall software. Some of these software are free for personal use.

A firewall software is basically a "packet sniffer". Data that gets transferred via the Internet moves in the form of packets. The firewall software intercepts these packets, analyzes its contents and determines if it is harmful to the computer. If the packet contains malicious content, the firewall blocks it from accessing code on the computer, thus preventing damage to the computer.

Most spyware, malware and virus programs can be prevented by installing a suitable firewall. Firewalls can also prevent software from accessing the Internet and transmitting information without the user's knowledge. Thus even if a virus program gets installed on the computer, it still won't be able to access the Internet and transmit sensitive information like credit card numbers, etc.

The latest version of Microsoft Windows i.e. Windows Vista has an inbuilt firewall in it. This means if you are using Vista, you don't have to download and install additional firewall software. However, if you still want to install a third party firewall, you can do that for added protection.

For maximum protection, it is advisable to invest in an "Internet Security Suite". This is a software bundle that combines a virus scanner, email scanner, spyware protection and a firewall. By installing such software, you can get complete protection from all sorts of malware programs that spread via the Internet.

More information: Free spyware removal

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Browning

My Email is Missing - What Happened?

Let me tell you about my own experience with disappearing email. After rebooting my computer one day I went into my email program and discovered that all of the existing email folders, Inbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, and other local folders I had created had just disappeared. I suspected that I may have downloaded some software which had caused the problem.

    

You see, I was trying to protect my system from spy ware infiltration and so I had downloaded one of the more popular "freeware" solutions, a certain "anniversary" version, to ensure my system was protected. I had been using the same program for a long time, but one of the "automatic update" processes prompted me to upgrade to the newest free version.

Assuming the software to be safe, I downloaded the upgraded version and installed it on my PC. Within a day or two I had the major problem with my e-mail program, somehow the local files containing emails from the Inbox, Sent Items, etc. were all wiped clean! Not only that, but my email program was no longer configured to connect to my internet service provider's POP server. I also noticed that my web browser home page was changed to the default!

Fortunately I'm somewhat of a computer geek and I was able to recover most of my missing emails (after a lot of work and research!), but after a couple more reboots it happened again!

Since the only thing that had changed about the PC was this "upgraded" anti spy ware software, I immediately uninstalled it and decided to buy some anti spy ware software instead. I'm sure glad I did, the new program discovered some things on my PC that had gone undetected by the other program. I haven't experienced an email loss or browser page alteration ever since! While this may or may not be the cause of disappearing emails on your system, you should consider what new software you may have recently downloaded from the internet as one of the possible causes.

JMDC has been a programmer for over 4 years, specializing in web-based applications. To avoid the hassle of having your email disappear, make sure you're running the right anti spyware by visiting Premier Antispyware for more information. If you'd like to know more about better spy ware software, click here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_Ronson

Do You Have a Virus? Basics of Virus Removal

If you have a virus your doctor probably prescribed an antibiotic for you. It is too bad the same cannot be applied to a computer. A computer virus attacks at many levels. It moves throughout your system and can be difficult to eradicate. In advanced cases it can get into the root area and prevent your system from booting up. If this happens you may have to format ( erase ) your hard drive and reinstall the operating system. This is time consuming and unnecessary if you have the proper protection. The regular user will find it beyond their ability to do this and will contemplate taking their computer to a repair shop. Don't do it! Until you read this! I will help you to try to do this on your own. If you are still unable to fix the problem yourself I implore you to find an alternative to a computer repair shop. If you know a friend or family member that knows a little about computers they can probably do it.

First of all you need a good antivirus program. See my site for recommendations. An antivirus program can protect you, but if you are already infected please read on. You will run the program and it will find a virus and you think GREAT! This was easy. Not so fast! People write these nasty things to avoid removal. The virus will duplicate, replicate, and move around to avoid discovery and removal. You have to attack the virus just like it attacked you.

What I am going to tell you now you must consider carefully. If you have a backup program, use it. Remember most backup programs will only restore your computer to a predetermined state which means that your computer will 'go back in time' and will not retain any additions such as updates to programs, drivers, files (pictures and anything else you have saved since.), or anything else. I do encourage active use of a backup program for many reasons. ( What if your hard drive fails? ).

If you do not have a backup then here is what you must do. Running an antivirus program will hunt down and find the virus. I have found that you will need to run it several times, but what you need to know is that you must turn off system restore (XP users). System restore will SAVE the virus! Please remember that once you disable system restore you will lose all restore points. This is what you want to do. Here is how to do it. Right click on my computer and choose properties. Select the system restore tab and check turn off, it will take a moment but this is normal. Go back to your desktop and run your antivirus. Once you have removed any malware you MUST go back and turn on system restore again. In my opinion system restore is not really a program of much value. When I need it most it won't restore!

 

A quick note here, if you want to backup your system and you need a program you can visit my site. You can also find the free Microsoft backup utility by, (if it was installed) clicking start/ programs/ accessories/ system tools/ backup. If not installed you can add it from your installation disk. It will consume space so only select C (system drive) and unselect everything unnecessary and also select System State.

Good Luck!

Maumee Valley Computer.

Providing software for computer security and optimization that is user friendly and effective. Clean, protect, and optimize your computer to restore peak performance.

http://jmdcomputer.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Hohenbrink

Never Use Copy Paste and IE6

I used to think taxi cabs or restaurants that use old fashion carbon paper receipts for credit card transactions were the biggest source of credit card debt and fraud.

I was told thieves would go to the dumpster and rummage through the garbage looking for these receipts. The impression on the carbon paper would give the credit card number, and expiration date. This is one reason why they started using the 3 digit CVS code on the back of credit cards.

         

 

However, recently my friend had a virus that sent out a SPAM email to everyone on his Gmail address book!

That got me thinking... unlike Yahoo or Hotmail, Gmail uses JavaScript to store your address book, and the virus exploited that vulnerability.

Sure, you think sending out a harmless email for a penny stock, Viagra, or MLM offer is no big deal. People will recognize it and simply delete it.

Then I thought about other JavaScript and ASP programming exploits?

I know a lot of people keep a special file on their computer with all their passwords or credit card info.

 

These same people use the copy and paste command (CTRL-C and CTRL-V) to enter repetitive strings of text, including credit cards.

Sounds harmless?

The just for fun, type in notepad or WordPad some garbage text, highlight it, then copy it (using right click... copy, simply the keyboard shortcut of CTRL-C).

Or just select the sample text below, and copy it to your clipboard:

My Credit Card number is 1234567890123

This only works in older versions of IE. Newer versions if IE will warn you (hopefully).

Shocking?

There was a movement recently when some popular Norway websites showed banners to Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) browser users advising them to upgrade their web browser to the latest version. They also suggest seeking other alternative browsers and now the campaign is spreading across the world!

There are several good browsers to choose from. My preference is Firefox, with all your favorite extensions. As well, there is Google's Chrome, Apple's Safari, the fast Opera or simply upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 or even try the latest IE8 Beta.

Here's how to protect your data in Windows Clipboard and Internet Explorer:

• Open Internet Explorer.
• Go to the menu, Tools > Internet Options > Security.
• Under the Security tab, click the Custom Level button.
• In the Security Settings window, find the message that is "Allow Paste Operations via Script". Under this message, select Disable and then click OK.
• In the Security Settings window, find the message that is "Programmatic clipboard access". Under this message, select Disable and then click OK.

I hope the above message will shed some light on credit card fraud!

Own Home Style.com gives advice on home improvement, home interior design, home loans & mortgages. Sign up for the OwnHomestyle.com newsletter and receive 8 free eBooks on Home Improvement, Garden Tips, Energy Saving Tips, and Tips on Selling your Home.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lauren_Rose

Why You Need to Create and Protect Strong Email Passwords

It is important for several reasons to have a strong password on your e-mail and web site accounts. Your email account is the gateway into your personal information including web banking, investment accounts, and other websites that store your personal information online. There is also a growing trend of spammers breaking into e-mail accounts with weak passwords and using them to send massive amounts of spam which can lead to your ISP closing your e-mail account before you even realize that there is a problem.

   

The following are examples of weak passwords that must be avoided:

• temp
• password
• change me
• having the same username and password
• sequences such as abcd, 1234, and abc123.
• the last 4 digits of your social security number
• your birthday or the birthday of someone close to you

To create a strong password please use a combination of the following guidelines:

• Mix capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and use punctuation.
• Create passwords that are over 8 characters long.
• Use the first letters from a phrase or sentence that you can remember.
• Substitute numbers, misspellings, and punctuation into phrase and sentence based passwords.

Now we will use the above recommendations to create a new strong password.

 

An example phrase is "Talk to the hand because the face ain't listening".

-Use all of the first letters: ttthbtfal
-Then capitalize every other letter: TtThBtFaL
-Substitute in some numbers: T2ThBtF8L
-Add some punctuation and generate our new strong password: T2T&btF8L!

Now that you have a strong password you need to protect it!

• Do not write it down.
• Do not tell it to anyone else.
• Never put it in an e-mail, chat, or instant message.
• Do not type your password on computers that you do not control.
• Do not use the same password for every e-mail account or web site.
• Change your passwords regularly.

Lastly, I recently learned a great tip about reminder questions and how to protect your passwords.

Lie! When you are asked by a site that you trust to provide your mothers maiden name, name of first pet, fathers first job, the city you grew up in, or your zip code, do not give an honest answer. Create a fake history for yourself with funny answers that are untruthful but you will be easily able to remember when asked the questions. It is possible for a lot to be learned about some people by reading the information they have posted in casual conversations, e-mail threads, chats, and internet forums.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raymond_Popowich

How to Use Google Chrome For Secure Web Surfing by Default

If you have ever shared a log on or computer for your web browsing you'll know how annoying it can be not to have secure web surfing. Organize a surprise party or weekend away and then a list of hotels appears in your partners browser next time she logs on. It's almost like you share a common surfing history in the house.

Let's face it perhaps you don't want your kids to visit all the same web sites as you!

There's nothing ground breaking in Chromes Incognito mode but it is a very useful feature. Switch to Incognito mode and your web surfing instantly becomes a little more secure.

This is how you can use Chrome for secure web browsing, simply right click on the Chrome Shortcut on your desktop, select properties and you should see the shortcut menu appear.

1) Right Click on Chrome Shortcut on Desktop
2) Select Properties
3) On Shortcut menu add the following to target shortcut menu -incognito

Therefore every time you start Chrome using that shortcut now you will be in 'incognito mode'. If you just want to use this mode occasionally then you can select a 'incognito' windows from the file menu.

All the web sites you visit are now not recorded in your history, all cookies are deleted when you close. There's no trace of the web sites stored on your computer at all. Most of the browsers offer similar functionality now but most have to be done manually (so people forget). Overall I guess Firefox with it's multitude of plug-ins and open source model will hopefully produce the ultimate secure browsing. I'll have a look at these options in a later article.

Of course, it's a long, long way from real secure web surfing, we still use HTTP which means your browsing is in clear text. Your browsing history and IP address are also stored on the web site you visit, on the ISP logs. But it is a start and at least can keep your PC holding a huge list of your web browsing.

If you want the ultimate secure browsing, have a look here - Secure Surfing Protection

Try the new free demo of Identity Clocker on the link below.

Anonymous Surfing Program

Take care and stay safe.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Rjindael

Can Google Chrome Help Secure Web Browsing?

If you have to share a computer either at home, work or school then you'll soon realize that you leave a trace of your web history on the computer each time you use it - it's not exactly secure web browsing. This can be quite annoying at times, if you're trying to arrange a surprise, buy a gift then leaving a trail of web sites behind you can slightly give the surprise away.

There is of course even more serious side when so many of use the internet for lots of private stuff like banking, investments or research. Using a shared computer has a lot of risks to it so most of the browsers are introducing features to deal with this.

Google's Chrome browser has probably the most advanced of these features at the moment although there isn't a lot in it with IE and Firefox both offering similar features. The privacy mode in Chrome is called Incognito mode and it can help your web browsing become a little more secure.

To enable Chrome's Incognito mode just select a new incognito window from the file menu. Then all your web browsing is slightly more secure, no cookies are stored, no logons cached and history maintained on the PC you are using.

If you want to start this mode automatically follow this procedure.

1) Right Click on the Chrome Shortcut on the desktop
2) Click on Properties
3) On the Shortcut - just add the following to the target line -incognito

(make sure you leave a space and add outside the inverted commas)

Then every time you start Chrome using this shortcut it will run in incognito mode. This will prevent any details of your browsing being left behind on your computer and all the cookies will be automatically removed. There are unfortunately many other traces of your web history so this is not totally secure web browsing but it is an important step.

Of course, it's a long, long way from real secure web surfing, we still use HTTP which means your browsing is in clear text. Your browsing history and IP address are also stored on the web site you visit, on the ISP logs. But it is a start and at least can keep your PC holding a huge list of your web browsing.

If you want the ultimate secure browsing, have a look here - Secure Surfing Protection

Try the new free demo of Identity Clocker on the link below.

Anonymous Surfing Program

Take care and stay safe.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Rjindael

A Guide to Choosing Internet Privacy Software

It can be quite confusing looking at the various types of internet privacy software on the market today. Hopefully I can clarify some of the features to help you decide what is right for you.

First of all I should perhaps clarify the two major types of privacy software that is available. The first group protects your local PC and information stored there, this includes the web browsing history, cookies, local images and files associated with your internet surfing. The idea behind this software is that when you delete or remove these traces of your surfing they are not completely destroyed.  With the right technical skills it is possible to recover these details. You'll mostly find this group of software focusing on evidence removal and destroying local traces of your browsing.

Before you spend lots of money on software like this remember that most of the browsers now have increasingly impressive privacy feature built in. Read up about things like Chrome's Incognito mode for instance which supposedly doesn't store any data locally on the PC when you browse.

The second group of products in the internet privacy software market is those that protect your connection and privacy online. You may not be aware but every time you use the internet absolutely everything you do is logged and can be traced back to your computer via it's IP address.  Every web request, every email or message is initially logged at your ISP (Internet Service Provider) - this is by far the most complete record of all your online activities. Next you leave a record in every web site you visit where your IP address is also recorded, finally the vast majority of your browsing happens in clear text so it can be picked up, logged or intercepted anywhere on it's journey around in the internet.

The internet privacy software products  in this area tend to focus on one or two of these areas but you should really protect against them all.  Here's a summary of points you should look for

1) Encryption - if the product doesn't encrypt your connection then you all your details and browsing will be logged at the ISP (a proxy doesn't help with this)

2) Anonymous Proxies - to protect your IP address being logged by the web servers you visit, you'll need to surf via a proxy server.  Make sure the software doesn't just route your connection via a free anonymous proxy on the internet - these are extremely  unsafe and very often used by identity thieves to steal data.

3) Speed - often overlooked and another reason why you shouldn't use free proxies.  Make sure that there are fast private proxies that you can surf at normal speed.

Hopefully this has given you an insight into some of the features that you should be aware of when looking to purchase internet privacy software, there are lots of options make sure you buy the one that's right for you.

If you want to see how the most secure browsing solution available on the internet - you can try the trial version of the software I use to protect my identity - Identity Clocker.

Anonymous Surfing protection

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Rjindael

How Secure is Your Surfing - Is Your Browsing Encrypted?

So have you actually every thought about how secure your surfing is? Do you know if your surfing is encrypted, you probably know that if you see that little padlock that you have some sort of security, but how much.   Well the truth is that there is a basic insecurity with browsing the web which is because it was developed for speed not security.

The majority of our web browsing happens through something called HTTP (Hyper Text Transport Protocol), this is a language used to request and receive information through our web browsers. It is an incredibly efficient language and it allows us to send and receive information quickly with little to no overhead.   It is one if the reasons behind the success of the internet, after all for the first years of the life of the internet, people were using very slow connections.  My first modem was a 14.4k model, it would probably take about 10 minutes to load the average web page nowadays but it was reasonably responsive.

HTTP is actually a clear text protocol so it doesn't encrypt, secure or protect your data in any way, it is all transported in clear text.  Anyone one the same network as you can clearly read all the information that passes through HTTP, web sites, logins, password you name it's all visible in logs, in the ether and across the wires.  It's not HTTP's fault though it was never designed to provide any security.

Of course if you see a little padlock on your browser somewhere you'll be a little safer this is when your surfing is protected and encrypted.  This is the sign you're using HTTPS which is a secure version of the protocol, you'll notice in the address bar your HTTP turns to HTTPS on a secure site.   Of course you can't choose when to use HTTPS you are dependent on the server you visit, which is unfortunately the case with most security on the internet - you are reliant on other people.

Always remember the trail you leave behind you when you are surfing, everyone can be traced back to their IP address. Your ISP logs your every web site visited, picture downloaded and movie watched.  Combine this with the servers you visit logging your address and all the other places your browsing is logged and you can see the potential for security problems.

So remember without the padlock you're using HTTP and so your connection, account names and passwords are not encrypted and are readable by anyone.  Never enter sensitive or confidential information on any web site which is not secured.

To see which software I use which offers a full encryption, private proxies and total privacy check out the links below.

Online Surf Protection

Try the new free demo of Identity Cloaked on the link below.

Anonymous Surfing Demo

Take care and stay safe.
Jim

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Rjindael

JMD - Laptop Display Setting in to another Monitor

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