Entries Tagged 'Software' ↓

If we were to take a conversation about security, such as this one, and place in the context of a social setting twenty years ago, people would have thought that you were crazy. The issue of home computer security in our society has, by necessity, reached a higher level than ever.

Everything from credit card fraud to computer spyware has consumers wondering what they need to do to protect themselves. While much of the worry is well founded, the truth about what we need to do protect our assets can be a little cloudy. It’s hard to differentiate between rumor and fact and most of us aren’t technologically proficient enough to really understand how computer firewalls work or what they do for us.

data computer security
Start with the pc security shield. Your goal is to prevent others from accessing your data remotely. A combination of computer firewalls and antivirus PC security software can take your sensitive information from unprotected to secure with very little effort. A firewall can be considered your first line of defense when connected to the internet.

In order for information that is behind a firewall to be sent or received from your computer, permission must be granted by the firewall. You can set up your firewall to always grant access to programs you trust and always block access to programs you do not trust. You can also set the firewall to ask for your confirmation before granting access to an unknown program.

Antivirus software protects your computer from viruses that are transmitted over the internet and through file exchanges. A good antivirus program will continually monitor all of your file transfers. However, it is still advisable to fully scan your entire system for viruses once a week.

You can schedule this scan to run automatically while you are asleep or away from home. You will also need to sign up for automatic updates to the antivirus program, as new viruses are released daily.

pc security software
Set an administrative password even if you are the only user of your computer. This will prevent unauthorized parties from opening your desktop and looking through your files. The password should be easy to remember but difficult to guess.

If you want to allow house guests or friends to use your computer, create a separate guest account that does not have administrator access. Check online at Microsoft.com for instructions on setting up accounts or ask a computer-savvy friend for help.

Consider physical changes to make your entire computer less likely to be stolen. Store a laptop in a lockable cabinet or safe when not in use and be sure to actually lock the cabinet. You can also buy computer locks that are designed to lock your laptop or desktop computer to a desk or wall.

Be especially vigilant when traveling with your laptop. Consider installing GPS tracking on your laptop, always use a locking case, and keep the laptop in your hotel safe when not in use. At home, you should have a home security system to protect all of your valuables.

computer security system
As you are heightening your security awareness, it is important to remember that you need to back up your data. Security doesn’t just have to be about thieves. It can also be viruses that will cause your system to crash. Your information won’t be stolen, it will just be destroyed. Take the time to back up the files that are vital to your survival and keep them in a secure location.

Vigilance is the key in putting a computer security system to practical use. Developing good habits takes effort, but before you know it your new patterns will be second nature. Do not become paranoid about security, but allow new habits to ease your mind.

Is often said that the heart and soul of the Windows OS is the Windows Registry. To some extent these experts are right. Windows requires the Registry to work properly.If its Registry integrity is not maintained, the computer will inevitably crash.

The Windows Registry contains information on drivers, hardware settings, services, protocols, application data, and much more.

Many Windows experts suggest that all systems running Windows should have Registry maintenance performed every three months, if not more frequently. Basically, remaining references to outdated items that have been replaced or are no longer in use are cleaned up. An individual who installs and uninstalls programs with regularity should repair the registry more often. Experts suggest doing so because installing and uninstalling software are two of the primary causes for the existence of unused or unwanted entries.
Be sure to take great care. It’s possible to crash the whole system if you don’t fix the Computer Registry correctly.

Registry is an important and vital role while Windows starts and is in use. If you try to fix your computer registry yourself, changing, moving or deleting them damages any of the important Registry files, the result will be major problem. Multiple Registry tools possess built in backup resources for this very reason.

As a matter of fact, there is an editor built right in to the Windows Registry. Go to Start, Run, type regedit.exe, then click OK to view the built-in Registry Editor. This built-in editor allows you to easily navigate within the Registry so that you can make any changes necessary. The problem with this approach is that the typical Windows system has hundreds of thousands of Registry entries. Some are just hard to understand. You will find some to be really ambiguous while others are fraught with exceptional peril.

Regedit is missing all source of intelligence about what to change, what to delete, and what to leave alone. Regedit can not know what is needed or not needed, or is no longer being used by the system. There is also no way to determine what is lacking. That is not the best tool to fix the computer registry without the aid of some other tool.

There are hundreds of resources provided to do this particular task, which means that it isn’t necessary for you to become a complete expert on the hundreds of thousands of potential entries that you might encounter in Windows Registry. The majority of registry tools take care of this automatically.

For an idea on how a number of the tools like Regcure performed when trying to fix the computer registry, either click on Registry Cleaner Reviews to read more.

Intrusion Detection System (IDS) are a necessary part of any strategy for enterprise security. What are Intrusion Detection systems? CERIAS, The Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, defines it this way:

“The purpose of an intrusion detection system (or IDS) is to detect unauthorized access or misuse of a computer system. Intrusion detection systems are kind of like burglar alarms for computers. They sound alarms and sometimes even take corrective action when an intruder or abuser is detected. Many different intrusion detection systems have been developed but the detection schemes generally fall into one of two categories, anomaly detection or misuse detection. Anomaly detectors look for behavior that deviates from normal system use. Misuse detectors look for behavior that matches a known attack scenario. A great deal of time and effort has been invested in intrusion detection, and this list provides links to many sites that discuss some of these efforts”(http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/about/history/coast_resources/intrusion_detection/)

What are Intrusion Detection Systems?
There is a sub-category of intrusion detection systems called network intrusion detection systems (NIDS). These systems monitors packets on the network wire and looks for suspicious activity. Network intrusion detection systems can monitor many computers at a time over a network, while other intrusion detection systems may monitor only one.

Who is breaking into your system?

One common misconception of software hackers is that it is usually people outside your network who break into your systems and cause mayhem. The reality, especially for corporate workers, is that insiders can and usually do cause the majority of security breaches. Insiders often impersonate people with more privileges then themselves to gain access to sensitive information.

How do intruders break into your system?

The simplest and easiest way to break in is to let someone have physical access to a system. Despite the best of efforts, it is often impossible to stop someone once they have physical access to a machine. Also, if someone has an account on a system already, at a low permission level, another way to break in is to use tricks of the trade to be granted higher-level privileges through holes in your system. Finally, there are many ways to gain access to systems even if one is working remotely. Remote intrusion techniques have become harder and more complex to fight.

How does one stop intrusions?

There are several Freeware/shareware Intrusion Detection Systems as well as commercial intrusion detection systems. More on Intrusion Detection Systems.

If you want to remove spyware and adware programs from your PC, you might need a good removal software tool to do it for you. Spyware and adware has become more and more sophisticated as more and more malicious programmers try to devise of ways for people to get rid of their malicious computer codes.

Spyware and adware programs are such a nuisance when you use a computer that has been infected by them. Some of these malicious programs will attach into your computer and bombard it with pop-up ads that you cannot seem to get rid of easily.

Removing Spyware and Adware Effectively
There are some adware programs that are really legitimate advertisements that won’t be such a bother to you. But the proliferation of extreme forms of pop-up ads has given such programs a bad name. Instead of a good way of promoting a product or service on the internet, adware programs have been seen as a hassle that every computer users have begun to dread.

And then there are spywares. These malicious programs try to get in to your PC and work secretly from among the many programs you are running. They are called spyware because they try to hide behind the cover of other seemingly legitimate computer programs in order to get inside your computer.

Spyware and Adware
Once they are downloaded, they can begin doing their malicious work. Some spyware programs try to spy on your surfing habits or on how you use your computer. It monitors the websites that you visit as well as the programs that you frequently use. This type of spyware compiles the data and then sends it to the spyware author.

Then there are other spyware programs that can do a scarier job. There are types of spyware programs that actually try to record your very keystrokes. This in turn will let the spyware author know and discover your own passwords, email addresses, credit card information as well as other sensitive information that you would otherwise like to keep to yourself.

There are also other spyware programs that are capable of scanning your hard drive and can be sophisticated enough to download other programs into your computer. These types of spyware can even prevent you from using other computer programs and try to force you to use instead a certain program that they might be promoting or selling.

There are many signs to know that your PC may be infected by spyware. Although they may run secretly, you may be able to notice them if you try to look closely. Have you noticed any changes lately on your web browser? Do you see any extra toolbars? Did your homepage settings surprisingly change without you knowing it?

If you notice these things, chances are, your PC may already have spyware in it. Do you suddenly get pop-up ads that are not related to the website that you are currently browsing? Is your PC getting a bit sluggish even though you have tried everything to make it go faster? These and many other things are tell-tale signs of a spyware infection. More about Spyware.

Did you know that there is a distinct difference between a Linux email server, a Merak mail server and a Kerio mail server? There sure is and most people, unless they are in the computer industry, do not know the difference.

email server software
Most people never need the information, but in reality it is better to know what is going on with your email server software then to be stuck in a situation where you need to know something about isp mail server. You should know that there are three pretty popular servers that most businesses use. These servers are: Linux email server, Merak mail server and a Kerio mail server.

The Linux email server is a pretty popular choice for email server software for two big reasons. The first is that you do not have to register the software. The second is that you do not have to purchase the software. But of course there is a down side to using Linux. It can be complicated due to it’s programming language. It is definitely not linux email server software for beginners.

isp mail server
The Merak mail server is a server that is used widely in Local Area Networks, such as those used in businesses. It can be used with both the Microsoft and Linux operating systems. There are different levels of services that Merak offers and they vary, such as how many users can be utilizing the software program at one time. If you use this program, then go with version PP since it also includes the use of an email address list that everyone in the office can use to send emails.

Last on the list is Kerio mail server. This is the full service, one-stop shopping solution for email servers. It is used for corporate businesses and comes equipped with anti-spam, anti-virus and a host of other protective measures to keep your email server working in top shape. The bonus for using Kerio is that it works with Smartphones, as well as wireless, to communicate calendars and important emails while you are away from your desk.

smtp email server
Email server software is available and is offered with a wide range of services. Picking the right one for your needs is going to depend largely on how much experience you have with servers and networks. You will also need to factor in cost, upkeep and the type of service you expect to get. If it is for a small business or personal use, then you may not want to invest so much money into a system.

It’s probably obvious by now that you have to install anti-virus software if you want to guarantee computer security. It may surprise you to learn that anti-virus programs are not alike and they differ in the amount of protection they give. One program which is acclaimed by professionals and unschooled users alike is Kaspersky AntiVirus.

Lately all computers, whether used at home or in a business setting, have become vulnerable to computer security threats. Numerous areas of our lives have been effected by the explosion in information technology. This has caused the number and type of crimes directed at computer security to grow.

Everyone is open to computer security threats and everyone needs protection from them. Computer criminals have repeatedly breached the files of government organizations and corporations. They try to hack into confidential files, possibly undermining a company’s reputation and threatening the security of its data. These types of violations of computer security can do a lot of harm in ways both visible and invisible. Kaspersky AntiVirus is a professional program that has been selected for Internet security by many companies.

Corporations are the favorite challenge for hackers, but there are areas in which they threaten individual computer security too. Thieves can gather personal data, such as bank account information, credit card numbers, and personal passwords, or cause the computer to become disabled. Some attacks allow a hacker to compromise a computer to the point where it becomes infected and performs harmful actions on other computers. Then, the “zombie computers” can be used to gather confidential information, cause the spread of new trojans and computer viruses, attack our servers, and spam inboxes. One way to protect against these threats is for a home or business user to utilize Kaspersky Internet Security.

These days, everyone knows you must safeguard your data because it’s a valuable asset. Nevertheless, data must be available to all those who really need it, such as employees, customers, and owners. Hence the necessity of a computer security system that covers any and all possible threats, be them human or natural.

Spyware, viruses and trojans are just a few of the many things that Kaspersky AntiVirus guards against. Some other menaces to computer security are worms, adware and rootkits. Denial of service (or DoS) is another extremely disruptive kind of threat. This program can harm remote servers, taking down an entire website. Everyone is aware of a hacker attack. They are targeted at taking data from a remote computer so that the system will break down, or at taking over what is stored on the system.

Kaspersky Internet Security provides you with protection from all kinds of security risks. Don’t settle on an anti-virus program without comparing many user reviews and comments. Research it yourself before buying, because the best computer security software may not be the one that’s the biggest seller on the popular market.

We hope that you enjoyed reading this article. If you are looking for additional information on computer security or Kaspersky Antivirus please be sure to check out our website at http://www.verysimplearticles.com

If you are concerned by the growing risk of spyware, you need to read this post. I’m goingto cover how spyware multiplies on your computer by reducing your security, how multiplee infections will effect your computer, and how to avoid getting infected in the first place!

Most people who are infected with spyware are not infected by only one program – if there is any infection at all, you are likely to have 12 or more seperate programs infecting your computer!

This happens because each spyware program will make your computer less secure. Spyware programs lower your security settings to prevent you from detecting them. For instance, the firewall that ou have installed is designed to detect unauthorised internet traffic – such as a spyware program sending your personal details over the net. So, the spyware will disable your firewall. For the same reason, your anti virus software is the next target.

Following this, your browser’s security settings will be reduced, to allow the display of content that would normally be blocked, and to allow the browser to send information that it normally wouldnot be able to.

The result of weakening these security measures is that the computer is now very easy for another spyware program to infect, and there are even programs in existence that deliberatly target machines that are elready infected.

Once your computer has multiple infections, the first warning sign that you will get is that the system performance will really go downhill, seeming to slow down a huge ammount. You will find that the computer also has stability problems – it will crash more often than you would expect. These problems can be so serious that you think buying a new computer is the only possible solution.

In fact, the real problem is caused by all the different spyware programs fighting for the same hardware and software resources. They are like a bunch of greedy cuckoos, pushing all your programs out of the nest and preventing them from getting the resources they need. And often, all this squabling leads the nest to fall out of the branch (i.e. your computer crashes.)

There are some particular ways that the computer gets infected in the first place. There are hundreds of these, but the most important ones involve the user of the computer directly. Usually, the user is tricked into installing spyware onto the computer. Sometimes the user thinks that he or she is downloading something else, such as an adult movie or nude photos of a celebrity (this happens more often than you would think). On peer 2 peer file sharing networks this is a common threat, with many infected files disguised as the thing you are looking for.

Sometimes the file that is installed is a legitimate program, such as a game.The spyware piggybacks on the back of this software.

Spyware is a genuine risk to all internet users, and we definitely need to be aware of this risk and do something about it to protect ourselves. With the degradation of a computer’s security settings, declining system stability and the exploitations of vulnerabilities in the computer software AND the user, getting infected with spyware is the beginning of a downward spiral. In order to protect yourself against this threat, you should get some good quality anti spyware software, and use it.

A popular piece of software is called the spyware bot. This program is designed to help with removing spyware and also acts to prevent infection of your computer in the first place.

To find out more, you should read a spyware software review online.

Was there good reason for many people to be a little wary when Microsoft announced that it’s new operating system was far superior to the current reining star, Windows XP? Once Windows Vista was distributed and used it appeared that there was just cause for the concern. Many printers would not work with this system, games seemed to be very sluggish and perhaps worst of all were the constant popup messages stating that Vista was not compatible with your hardware/software.

Of course, Microsoft gave us the standard story about anything new is bound to have bugs or problems and they were working overtime to get them fixed. They were busy getting all of the windows downloads updated, offering computer help if they could. There were many compatibility, graphical and performance issues to be resolved. Microsoft now tells us that nearly 77,000 hardware products are supported, which is more than double the number supported at launch and that in 9 out of 10 cases when you plug in a device it should just work, with no installation disc required.

Windows boasts that they are now compatible with over 2,700 different applications, and additional applications are being added to the list daily. We have also learned that Windows Vista now supports 97 of the top 100 consumer software programs including Adobe Photoshop and AppleiTunes.

So, even with all of the issues described, does Microsoft still feel that Vista is the better operating system? When asked, they said that Windows XP is a great operating system as was its predecessor, Windows ME but with more and more people investing in identity theft products, security is high on everyone’s agenda. Their goal is to always make each new version of Windows better and more secure than the last and feel that they have done just that with the Vista operating system. So what are some of the major highlights that they feel Vista has over XP?

Maybe not number one on your list but popular none the less, Microsoft kept entertainment on the list by designing the Windows Media Center for watching/recording TV, editing videos and even to organize your favorite pictures or videos. Even with windows XP sp2, Windows Vista has a 60% less chance of being infected by malware and spyware. Another good feature is the more powerful parental controls, allowing parents to rest a bit easier when their children are online. They have also designed a way to help you “work smarter not harder,” by developing the Windows Mobility Center, Sync Center and Windows Meeting Space.

Because it belongs to no one and has no borders, the Internet is a unique space in our world. But it also means that online hackers have the ability to use this to their benefit to steal data and perform nasty practical jokes. Kaspersky AntiVirus is an excellent program that will defend your data and your computer.

Kaspersky AntiVirus provides expert anti-virus protection and keeps you safe from a variety of online dangers. Internet access and the ability to create personal web pages is very common place today. This means that people are in danger of being harmed by hackers who will take any opportunity to commit their crimes. You can free yourself from this danger by using the highly successful Kaspersky AntiVirus program.

The free exchange of online information has resulted in resources that offer advantages to us all. However, this also makes it difficult to track hackers down and punish them. But if you use Kaspersky AntiVirus, you may never even realize the hackers are trying to invade your computer.

Kaspersky AntiVirus provides program updates hourly, so you know you are protected from any newly created computer virus. Hackers try to gain entry to your computer by putting malware disguised as useful free software on certain websites. Malicious scripts also threaten your computer security; these can run automatically whenever you land on certain web pages. Kaspersky AntiVirus will detect malicious scripts without you having to do a thing; the web page containing the script will not be loaded, so no damage can be done.

Kaspersky AntiVirus software is not just a safeguard against viruses, however. Hackers can use network technology to strike your PC or company server. Besides disabling your computer, their hacking may gain them total access to all of its data. If you have Kaspersky Internet Security running on your computer, you won’t have this problem.

Sharing space for storing, exchanging and accessing information is an intranet when it is between all computers on the same network. Consequently if any network host is contaminated, other hosts have a great risk of also becoming infected. Kaspersky AntiVirus shields the network perimeter and every single computer on the network to in order to stay away from these situations.

Kaspersky AntiVirus will also protect you against accidentally spreading viruses and other malicious programs to others via email. This kind of computer security will stop the spread of malware, because your computer won’t automatically send infected messages to others. Infected files can slip through unnoticed when they are included in company email messages, for instance. In an event like this, Kaspersky Internet Security will stop a multitude of people in the company from having their computers infected.

Hackers use all kinds of malicious methods to breach your computer. Because it’s become so profitable, there is a steady increase in instances of computers being taken over through online scams. Kaspersky AntiVirus allows you to use your computer risk free and ensures that you are always protected from hackers.

We hope that you enjoyed reading this article. If you are looking for additional information on Kaspersky AntiVirus or Kaspersky Internet Security, please be sure to check out our website.

ZoneAlarm is releasing its ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite version 8.0 in 2009, but the current version is still providing robust and powerful protection for hundreds of thousands of users worldwide.

Malicious software programs like viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, adware etc. are collectively known as malware. According to Computer Economics, worldwide financial losses due to malware declined in 2005 to $14.2 billion, a first since 2002. Though this was welcome news for computer users, it was also reported that malware attacks are becoming more covert and focused from being overt earlier. The latter is a cause for worry as the damage due to malware can be unexpected and huge.

Keeping malware at bay from computer systems all the time is indeed a difficult task. A strong security system which includes antivirus software should be put in place in order to achieve it. ZoneAlarm Internet Security suite 7.0 from Checkpoint Software Technologies Ltd is one such system. It is a proven system that has received many certifications and awards from independent testers and computer publications. In fact it has received the most no. of review recommendations than any other software suite. ZoneAlarm has been rated one of the best antivirus programs by Computer Island.

ZoneAlarm gives complete dynamic PC protection; firewall, antivirus software, spyware, instant messages and home network protection. Its firewall has full stealth features by which the computer will be totally invisible to outsiders. It provides both inbound and outbound protection. Its OS firewall stops suspicious program activity to the core. Its antivirus and anti spyware feature recognizes new viruses instantly usually within 2 hours on the average. The spy site blocking feature stops any program from visiting spyware distribution sites. The identity theft protection alerts if the user’s credit car no. appears online. It has many layers of security that block cookies and scripts and clean the cache. It also anti spam, anti phishing and parental control features. ZoneAlarm is better than Norton internet security software which puts too much load on the system.

The latest version 7.0 provides the following new features:

* New antivirus engine with hourly signature updates, expanded coverage, and faster detection of viruses.

* Auto learn feature enables ZoneAlarm to automatically configure security settings, and grade threats according to the potential damage that it they can cause. The software hides unnecessary security alerts depending on the usage of different software by the user.

* Network and program firewall with multiple layers of security.

* New improved operating system firewall.

* Identity theft protection stops pre approved credit card offers; detects thefts by monitoring stolen credit cards list from vendors etc.

* Improved anti spyware that removes even the most persistent and hard to find spyware.

Despite its enormous number of features, ZoneAlarm is easy to install and use, particularly its default settings which are more than adequate for everyday usage. In conclusion, ZoneAlarm is a comprehensive security solution and antivirus software for computers and protects the computer from all known cyber threats from the moment it is installed.

This and other antivirus news provided courtesy of Computer-Island.com.