Security Articles

Computers » Security | By Andrew Kasch @ Monday, 7th January 2008 @ 2:52 PM

It all started out as a fairly normal day, even though I was getting ready to go on a great vacation. I was really excited about the trip that was about to go on and had packed about a week earlier so that I wasn't rushed around at the end. I was just moving around the house doing some last-minute things when I decided that it would probably be a good idea if I were to back up my hard drive before I left. I really haven't been paying as much attention to my backups as I should, so I... more...

Computers » Security | By Andrew Kasch @ Monday, 7th January 2008 @ 2:44 PM

My wife came home from work the other day very upset. She works for a bank in the mortgage department and they had given her a laptop for her use at work. Someone had sent her an e-mail that had an interesting sounding attachment, so she opened it. It wasn't long before things started to go wrong with her computer. Not only were there multiple pop-ups that were taking place all of the time but her computer had slowed to a crawl. It seems that there were so many viruses and spyware prog... more...

Computers » Security | By Alex Miller @ Friday, 4th January 2008 @ 2:55 PM

If you want to be 99.9% safe when using the Internet, and clean off spyware from your computer, you need to use an antispyware software product. Essentially, this will obliterate all the spyware problems that you might have. Many users think that using an anti-virus product will remove spyware, but this is 100% incorrect. Please read the next sentence very carefully: Important! You *cannot* get rid of spyware with anti-virus software, because the software simply won't d... more...

Computers » Security | By Alex Miller @ Friday, 4th January 2008 @ 2:50 PM

Well, as with most things in life, there are many possible reasons as to why your computer might be running slower than normal. However, if you use the internet regularly, it is *almost certain* that one of the main reasons your computer is running so slow is because it is infected with spyware and adware. So What Is Spyware? Spyware (aka Adware) is unwanted software which collects information about you without you knowing, and it is caught through *regular* use of the Inter... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Monday, 31st December 2007 @ 3:50 PM

In the world of computers, those who use the computer for research in connection with their daily work have a need to know and understand, some of the types of Spyware they may deal with daily. Good security programs are essential to carry out uninterrupted research. Some Spyware attacks necessitate stopping what you are doing and shutting down the browser or the computer. Spyware is an application sent to a computer with the intent to gather information and return it to another person or... more...

Computers » Security | By Kevin Sinclair @ Wednesday, 12th December 2007 @ 1:51 AM

If you're connected to the Internet (especially with an "always on" connection such as cable or DSL), you're at risk for intrusion from hackers or with infection from a virus or spyware. This can happen without your knowledge. You can be browsing, logging on and off various web sites, etc., and be compromised. However, you can protect yourself from this type of intrusion by following a few simple steps. Using Routers and Firewalls If you don't already have on... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Thursday, 6th December 2007 @ 4:43 PM

A good browser should: * Have security features to protect users from common threats of the Internet. The infamous Internet Explorer from Microsoft included an extremely dangerous feature into the software back in 1,996 called "Active-X", which is a specification to enable the execution of software inside the browser. This made it possible for Microsoft to run applications like Excel inside the browser, which gave them an incredible advantage comparing to other browsers. Th... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Thursday, 6th December 2007 @ 4:33 PM

Scumware is one of the coined words used to represent parasites such as Adware and Spyware with attached Malware, a malicious virus or piece of spyware. This scum gets into computers often through open ports in the computer system. Open ports allow messenger service ads (in a gray box trimmed in light blue) to pop-up on the screen. An open port is like a hole in your sock, the longer you wait to repair the hole, the larger the hole will become. In the case of the open port, until you block the p... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Thursday, 6th December 2007 @ 2:18 PM

Pop-Ups fall into three categories: * The browser pop-ups * The messenger service advertisements * Adware and spyware pop-ups. A pop-up is any information, which appears on your screen on top of a page you are viewing. A pop-under occurs under the page you are viewing, so watch your tabs for these guys and close them. In the past, pop-up blockers were a feature in the browser or you added these to your search bar to prevent adware and spyware pop-ups. Pages you visited with... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Thursday, 6th December 2007 @ 1:45 AM

One of the Bad Guys is Spyware and among the very bad Spyware we find "malicious phishing". People who create Phishing sites are skilled computer technicians and basically, talented people. They choose to act in a cowardly manner and like a thief in the night, attack computers in order to obtain personal information from the users. Rather than use their talent to improve and make the Internet more secure for everyone, they hide behind web forgeries and create havoc for others. People who... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Thursday, 6th December 2007 @ 1:39 AM

Scams, such as "Cross-Site Referral Forgery", "One Click Attack" or "Session Riding", can succeed in getting your browser to authorize withdrawals from your bank account. For example, you are part of a forum and in sharing information back and forth with others you unwittingly insert a piece of your private, personal information. Someone in the forum, perhaps the person who is asking personal questions, can and will harvest your personal information from your forum entrie... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Wednesday, 5th December 2007 @ 12:17 AM

Among the oldest scams I can remember is the story of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain and yet I do not recall anyone calling Huck a scammer. However, he is a perfect of example of a person who succeeds in getting the willing and the vulnerable to do something they would not have done without his cunning ways. Remember, he convinced his little friends that painting the fence was a lot of fun and they did it while he sat under the shade tree. Only his grandmother intervened and he received... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Thursday, 29th November 2007 @ 9:26 PM

The Firefox Browser is a hot topic among computer professionals because they know that this browser has many features than his counterpart, Internet Explorer from Microsoft, don't have. Microsoft has been very busy updating his software recently, although they haven't touched it for 6 years after they wiped out Netscape from the market in 2,001, but Microsoft normally acts this way, they only fix their software when things go wrong. First of all, Firefox is a better-designed bro... more...

Computers » Security | By Tyler James Ellison @ Wednesday, 28th November 2007 @ 8:07 PM

Many times in church offices, a malicious virus will be sent by email. The church secretary will often times open the email, not knowing it may put the system at risk. Eight times out of ten, the system has no anti virus software running, and the system gets damaged, and valuable information can be lost, or even stolen. To help improve your church virus protection, here are ten preventative measures you can take. Use a high quality anti virus software. This point can not be stressed enou... more...

Computers » Security | By Jonathon Hardcastle @ Thursday, 15th November 2007 @ 10:32 PM

With the staggering proliferation of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in recent years, a wide range of computer users have found themselves owning one or more of those "miracle" portable electronic systems that contain important files as well as personal information. Belonging to the same category, desktops and laptops -also known as notebooks- have been used extensively by people around the globe as mobility has recently become another major concern for computer users. Existin... more...

Computers » Security | By Jonathon Hardcastle @ Friday, 9th November 2007 @ 6:36 PM

It is in fact a horrifying moment the one when a computer user realizes that a virus has managed to penetrate his or her CPU system and destroyed years of data and hard work. In an effort to minimize the probability of having to experience such a stressful moment, most computer users have now installed in their computer's memory, software programs that act as shields against such malicious threats. These system defenders, generally known as antivirus software programs are designed to... more...

Computers » Security | By Andrew Kasch @ Monday, 5th November 2007 @ 4:25 PM

The Trojan horse is something out of ancient history that we still use in conversation today. For example, when we call something a Trojan horse we really mean that it is something that is good looking but has an evil intent. A Trojan horse virus is also something that looks good on the outside but has a very evil intent on the inside. Although they have only been around for a short period of time, they have earned a more prominent place in our lives than the wooden Trojan horse from the dist... more...

Computers » Security | By Marc Menninger @ Wednesday, 31st October 2007 @ 10:37 AM

So you think you've got a computer virus. Well, if your computer's acting funny all of the sudden, chances are pretty good you've got a virus or some other malware causing the trouble. This can be a very disturbing feeling and if you're like me, you'll want to do whatever it takes to get your computer back to normal again. Luckily, in almost all cases, dealing with a virus situation is pretty straight forward. In fact, there are really only three steps: ... more...

Computers » Security | By Andres Berger @ Wednesday, 31st October 2007 @ 6:56 AM

An active antivirus program needs be on every computer for protection against the many emails that contain a virus or Spyware, and this program will check your emails before you open them. One way a virus can strike your computer is through chain letters, prayers or solicitation requests. The chain has come to you through many computers and someone along the way could have a computer virus. Unknowingly, the person is spreading the virus to the computers of other people. If you open the a... more...

Computers » Security | By Gregg Hall @ Saturday, 27th October 2007 @ 11:36 PM

We live in an era of computers and information technology and there is a direct relationship between information technology and home security. Computers allow us to automate many different aspects of out business activities and personal life. Personal computers and other technological systems can also help in various home security activities and can increase the amount of protection that you can create for your house. In addition to all of the benefits above, a computerized system will save you ... more...