Computer Security Basics

Passwords are one of your first lines of defense against an attack, but sadly they're overlooked.

As an IT and Security instructor I frequently get asked the question "What should I be doing to protect and secure my computer?" In response to this question I give a lot of the usual answers plus a host of other suggestions that can and will make a system more secure and make one less of a target. When I decided to write this article I decided that I would put together a list of "Tips and tricks" to assist you, the reader, in making your system more secure.

The following list I put together as a checklist and is not meant to imply any step is necessarily more important than another.

Antivirus Program: Chances are a good number of you reading this article will have an antivirus scanner in place, however there are still more than a few computer users who do not. The reality is that everyone should have an antivirus program installed, running and most importantly up-to-date. There are currently a number of options to choose from including Norton and McAfee or free versions from vendors like Grisoft (www. grisoft.com), so if you do not have one, get one today.

Trivia: Recent surveys suggest that between 25% and 35% of computer users worldwide have virus protection installed.

Firewalls: Firewalls serve a very important function which is controlling the flow of traffic on and off a computer thereby stopping unauthorized ingress and egress of data. Firewalls become even a bigger issue for those of you who have a) broadband b) use wireless or c) use public hot-spots as such connections all expose one to higher risk than older, slower connection standards such a dial-up. Great options for firewalls include, on the software side, Kerio, Norton and Zonealarm • or hardware solutions such as dialup.

Tip: Not sure how well your firewall is working? Want to test it out? Browse over to the "Shields Up" utility over at (www.grc.com) and put your firewall to the test.

Updates and Patches: Keeping your system up-to-date with the latest patches first and foremost ensures that you are not only staying current with your software it also ensures that you do not have any nasty "holes" to be exploited. An example of what happens when patches are overlooked think back to the Nimda worm from 2001; this same worm is still infecting some Microsoft web servers today simply because some system admins have not installed a patch from 5 years ago.

Complex Passwords: Passwords are one of your first lines of defense against an attack, but sadly they are overlooked quite often until it is too late. Those that do use passwords tend to overlook basic safety with passwords by not using what is called password complexity; password complexity refers to a password that has the following characteristics: Upper and lower case letters Special characters such as @ % or $ Are at least 7 or 8 characters long Are not words found in the dictionary or are easy to guess Using these simple guidelines to construct a password makes it significantly harder to break and therefore a successful deterrent against an attacker. Another tip with passwords? Do not write them down. Ever.

Trivia: The most common place to find the password of a user who has written it down? On a Post it note under their keyboard (no kidding).

Backing up: Backing up represents one of the final options if your system finally decides that it is going to take an "Extended leave" when you need it most. You should ideally be backing up your computer on a regular basis either daily or weekly (depending on your own needs) to a medium such as tape, CD or DVD.

Do you really need that? Most people have a lot of software installed on their machine, but the question is how much of that do they actually use? Uninstalling applications you do not ever use or just plain do not need, reduces what security professionals call your "Attack surface" or possible ways for someone to attack you. A great place to start is to look at those applications that came bundled with your PC when you bought it. If you do not need it, do not patch it just uninstall it.
Can we get some service here?: In Windows (XP Pro and Windows 2000 Only) you might have heard of something called Services, which run in the background on your machine. Services provide features such as file sharing, networking enhancements and many other system features both obvious and otherwise. The problem is that more services are started in Windows than are normally needed, but they are started anyway to make the system useable by the greatest number of people. Shutting down unnecessary services can not only make your system run faster, but can also reduce the number of ways some can attack you. Basically if it is not running, it cannot be exploited. Not sure what to shut off? Take a look at this helpful URL for guidance

(http://www.liutilities.com/prod-ucts/wintaskspro/processlibrary/)

Note: Shutting down services if done correctly can be a great way to make a system more secure and perform better. Shutting down the wrong service can make a system unable to boot, so exercise caution.

Using the preceding tips can make you much more secure than you would be otherwise. I usually recommend these as a first line of defense. If you are feeling brave you can take this even further. The important thing to remember when trying to secure a system, (whether it is a single PC or an entire network) is that it can never be 100% secure. However, you can make yourself less of a target by making it harder to go after your system.

Until next time my friends, stay safe.

Wireless networks has never been taken seriously because we have always been using wired networks mostly till his date. wireless networks can be easily exploited by hackers as compared to any wired network and reason is simple ,our wireless technology can be accessed by anyone who has a device with wireless capabilities and then can abuse the information stored on network, but when it’s a wired network, then the person has to come down physically and connect to that network. Although , hackers know the tricks of penetrating in those networks , you won’t be targeted easily.

So, there are the many important of wireless security in day to day life. Some of them are:

It is mainly useful in online banking services. while we use online banking , there may be a chance to leave lot of traces which can reveal lots of account related information. And same goes in online shopping too.
Your internet connection may be misused by many other people mainly by hackers , and they increase the cost of bandwidth and you may end up paying huge amount bills. There can be case where nasty people may try to send your internet connection to send spam and then you’ll be held liable for that.

So to secure home wireless network, there are few things to do to ensure that you ll not give easy access to those who are eyeing on free internet connection or some important information stored in your computer.

Changing the SSID: SSID [ A service set identifier , or SSID , is a name used to identify the particular 802.11 wireless LANs to which a user wants to attach.] is a case sensitive name used to identify a wireless network and it has be used by each and every device in that network. By default, it is in manufacturer name but it is advisable to change that and make sure you don’t change it to anything identifiable: e.g.your name, address ,etc.
Use WPA OR WPA 2: when it comes to security in wireless then prefer to use WPA or WPA 2 over WEP .WEP is vey easy to break as compared to WPA or WPA 2. WEP is older and WAP is newer and WAP2 is the newest.
Use a strong and long key : with WPA , you have to specify a pre- shared key and which acts as a password to your network.

So it is important to secure wireless network than using it.

To Use computers, ATM's, email we need a password. To keep our personal data and information and protect from others we need password. If we enter wrong password or sometimes we forget the password it replied as "Did you forget your password" or "Username and password do not match" or Invalid user name or password". To avoid these here the steps to remember the password easier.

Avoid Personal Information: Dont use your first, middle or last name and nickname. It would be easy for a person who know's you to guess ur password. So create new words and use it.

Mix character: Mix different characters like caps, small letters, numbers, symbols (&, %, $). Create password easily and it can be typed quickly without seeing keyboard.

Use first words from ur favourite song/poem: Choose first words of the song and use it in caps or small letters. (Hasiley, varayo etc.,)

Use Different Passwords: Change your password 30 to 60 days. Use different password. Don't reuse your old password at least for a year.

Online security tips

1. Never reply to unknown sender like you have won prize type emails.

2.Never share your email id without any solid reason.

3.You do not note down password anywhere in your draft it can be hacked by hackers.

4.Always use BCC (Blind carbon copy) to send group email so other can not see your email list.

5.Always use low limit credit card for online shopping so if any time problem come then there is low chances of big loss.

6.Never copy sensitive data by using cntr+c.

7. Do not register on that site which demand money for registration.

8.Do not accept any friendship request blindly.

Hi friends, let us now discuss about SMART HOME SYSTEM which comes under the technology ARTIFICIAL (AMBIENT) INTELLIGENCE.

We are on the verge of an age of convergence, and the very first place you will interact with the new technologies will be at home. The most important room in the house, the living room, is where the majority of gadgets being made are targeted. This is because this is the room where you and your family spend most of waking hours-seeking entertainment. The gadgets will be controlled by the house CPU and will automatically follow you as you move around the house- switching on displays and when some one enters a room and switching of once every one leaves.

The Hallway /Entrance:
           The logical place for the main home security panel is somewhere near the front door. This will merely control the security settings of the house, such as turning on or off the movement’s sensors out sides, setting the burglar alarm, and auto locking the house at predefined times. All the settings will also be accessible from anywhere else in the house using touch sensitive video output devices, and entering the correct user name and password combinations.
           The main CPU will govern the security settings as well as other important semi-Ambient intelligence functions such as privacy and data synchronization. Using secured wireless networks the house will also connect to various other devices, Such as the entertainment centre in the living room to send its instructions about what moves you requested for the evening, are what audio list is most popular at this time of day, and on this day of the week.
           The house CPU will also monitor the external security camera and watch for movement or people approaching the doors or windows. You will be able to set it to pop up a visual of the person approaching on the video output device in the room you are currently in, while the speakers will play a soft alert sound.

smart_home_system_copy

WORKING PROCEDURE OF SMART HOME SYSTEM:
Architecture reveals the working procedure of Smart Home System and how it protects the home from burglars.
Smart Home System describes how the ambient intelligence, is implemented in securing home from the intruders, and how to handle unwanted calls using Voice Recognition and Visual Recognition. For communication we use Wi-Max and Wi-Fi wireless technologies. In ‘Smart Home System’ we have induced a niche i.e., if a person comes to the home, he is inspected by the sensor devices and then the device categorizes the user (Known, Unknown and Expected) based on their preloaded information, where it provides the appropriate information to the user instead of owner. It also provides options for user to communicate with the owner, then according to the option the intimation takes place. This method is also implemented in attending the phone calls, where it uses a series of queries to identify a person, instead of his visual recognition. The Smart Home’s Security System will automatically intimate’s to the nearest police station and the owner by means of a ‘Burglar Alarm’, only if any illegal crime has been committed by the robberies.