Latest in computer security

Security can be an overwhelming subject – there are so many potential problems we need to think about when securing our computers, our online accounts, and our wireless networks. This list should help simplify things – follow this checklist and you’ll be well on your way to staying safe on a dangerous Internet. Many security problems are caused by other people, whether it's a company releasing software with dangerous security holes or a website getting hacked.
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How vulnerable are you? Ask any person who’s been robbed if it came as a surprise - I guarantee you it did. As the saying goes, the thief always comes in the night when you’re sleeping, when you’re least prepared. But even when you’re awake, you might be passively committing security mistakes, thus inviting hackers and crackers to fiddle with your things. Privacy and money are arguably the two most important things.
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Much has been made throughout 2011 and 2012 of the dangers of phone hacking. While many of the victims of the practice – in this case sponsored by major news organizations – were celebrities, politicians and sportsmen, many more were real, regular people who may or may not have been involved with slightly more famous [...]
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Do you know how the web services you choose use your data? Do they claim a broad copyright to it, remove your rights to a class-action lawsuit in the USA, or share your information with other companies? Or are they a well-behaved service that respects your rights? The answer to this is in each website’s terms of service - unfortunately, no one has the time to read those.
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Oracle’s Java plug-in has become less and less common on the Web, but it’s become more and more common in the news. Whether Java is allowing over 600,000 Macs to be infected or Oracle is sitting on their hands and only patching a serious Java vulnerability four months after it’s initially reported, news about the Java plug-in is rarely good. The reality is that you probably don’t need Java installed.
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What is the best free antivirus? This is among the most common questions we receive at MakeUseOf. People want to be protected, but they don’t want to have to pay a yearly fee or use bloated security suites with unwanted features. I myself am a free antivirus user for these very reasons. Discovering the best anti-virus isn’t easy, however.
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A new feature from LastPass will follow a database of breached accounts, and notify you immediately if your account on any website has been broken into. The new feature, called LastPass Sentry, is built on a cooperation with PwnedList, a company which aggregates leaked usernames and passwords from all over the web.
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Google uses OAuth 2.0, the latest standard of the open protocol that allows secure authorization with third party web apps. But now, Google has gone ahead a step further and added OAuth 2.0 support for IMAP/SMTP and XMPP. This brings Gmail and GTalk within the ambit of OAuth2.0 with all its extra security features.
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Internet security is a topic that we all know to be important, but it often sits way back in the recesses of our minds, fooling ourselves into believing that "it won’t happen to me". Whether it’s the destructive force of the newest virus or just the hacking attempts of a newbie scriptkiddy, we’re always only one click away from dealing with a security mess that we’d rather not confront. Nowhere is this truer than in our emails.
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Before two years ago, I never thought that I'd have a need to block my identity while I was using the Internet. Seriously, I though that anonymous use of the Internet was only for hackers, criminals, and in general people that were up to no good. In reality, there are actually lots of legitimate reasons why you wouldn't want identifying information attached to messages that you are sending to someone.
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Last year I wrote an article about online resources for preparing for your digital afterlife. If you're like me, I have a growing collection of registered websites, like my Flickr, Google, PayPal and other financial accounts, that my family will need to access after I pass away, or in the case of extreme illness. Setting up a way for them to access my important data, especially in the case of an emergency, needs to be as simple and straightforward as possible.
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The world of Internet security is plagued with open ports, backdoors, security holes, Trojans, worms, firewall vulnerabilities and a slew of other issues that keep us all on our toes every day. For private users, viruses and worms seem to be the worst of the possibilities. But for anyone running a database, the SQL injection is one of the most destructive security flaws out there.
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USB thumb drives are small, portable, and can be read on any device with a USB port. These features make them the perfect vehicles to transport data between computers. Due to their portability, however, they are also easily lost. Thus sensitive files callired on a USB stick should always be protected. Unfortunately, you cannot simply password protect your entire USB stick, like you have password protected your Facebook account.
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If you consider yourself a geek, and have good control over your computer and other devices, this post might not be for you. If, however, you’re still finding your way in the computer world, or know someone who is, these basic skills are absolute must-haves. While computers and phones will work for you even without these skills, having them will ensure your privacy, your security, and will make your day-to-day experience as smooth as it can be.
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Given that some of these employees were among the most intelligent people in the country, the way in which they misused their devices was astonishing, from general irresponsible behaviour concerning the devices (drops, scratches, broken screens, etc.) to leaving material saved or even open on the desktop that you certainly wouldn’t show to your grandmother. As for the confidential information that sat open an ALT+TAB away...
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