Normally when I pose a question in the title of my posts I go on to answer it myself. This time, however, I ask a question to which I do not know the answer. Earlier today I found two different sites that were copying my recent posts, in their entirety, word for word

See the rest here:
What Would You Do If Someone Scraped Your Web Site Content?

A firewall protects your network from unauthorized trespassers. Many routers have firewall functions built in to check traffic leaving or entering the network, but you also should run a personal firewall on each client computer on your WLAN . Personal firewall software usually costs around $40 and it is often bundled with antivirus software. A personal firewall is an application that runs on your computer and protects it against unauthorized access.

View post:
Protecting Your Computers With A Personal Firewall

For many of us, we have grown up in an age of computers and electronic devices all around us. So when the era of the internet came to pass, there was a leap of knowledge that was needed to adjust but the divide was not that great. For the elderly among us, they can remember a time before the digital age and some of the new technology can seem enticing but yet strange and alien at the same time.

Read more:
How Can I Help My Elderly Friends And Relatives Protect Themselves On The Internet?

If you are a person who works with a computer on a daily basis then you will gather a lot of data on your computer that you are going to want to keep secure. The first level of protecting your data is to create back ups that will make sure that your data is available if anything goes wrong.

See the rest here:
Using A Virtual Machine To Protect Your Computer

Perhaps the most important defense is to be proactive in securing your WLAN . Don’t wait for threats to emerge before taking action. Now that you know the threats to your WLAN and some ways to deal with them, you can take what you know and put it to work. Each vendor maintains patches and updates on its Web site. You could go to every Web site and search for all the vulnerabilities that affect your devices.

Go here to see the original:
Being Proactive About WLAN Security

Data recovery can be a really hard process if you don’t understand or know what it is that you are doing. When a person is having to perform data recovery that means that either their folder or file has become encrypted.

Read more here:
Using Software To Recover Your Data

Since the addition of a Firewall in Windows XP, Microsoft has been working to improve it with each new version of their operating systems. Windows 7 is expected to the best operating system designed by Microsoft so far. Windows 7 comes with a robust firewall included and this can be tweaked by the user according to their needs and computer resources.. Firewall plays a huge role in protecting your computer from external malicious programs. So until and unless you grant permission, external programs will not be able to use the resources of your computer.

See the article here:
How Do I Configure Windows 7’s Firewall?

Its a sad thing to say but it seems that earning money illegally is becoming easy these days. One such method I’ve noticed, and it really upsets me, is disability fraud.

View post:
What Is Disability Fraud?

If you paid attention to yesterday’s post about website security then you should have already minimised the chances of having your own site hacked . But what if it has already happened? How Would I Know That My Site Has Been Hacked? You may have had your web site hacked if one or more of the following is true – The search engines now says you run an attack site You’ve noticed spam email being sent from your account When you search for your own site (yes, we all do it!) your antivirus program suggests it may be being used for phishing You now have some political statement or graffiti all over your pages Of course there may be other signs but the above are the main ones that I can think of.

Read more:
What Should I Do If My Website Has Been Hacked?

You are up late at night, finishing your latest presentation for the boss. You then decide that you need more information to go with what you already have, so you decide to do a little surfing on the Internet through Google. A site pops up on Google that shows some promise, so you decide to click on it. The next thing that you know, your computer is going crazy and there is a load of pop ups that are now appearing on your pc.

Follow this link:
I’ve Been Infected But My Antivirus Program Isn’t Working – What Do I Do Now?

Aside from impact damage and electrical spikes, there are sources of hardware failure that can arise from lack of maintenance or through improper maintenance. Different sources rank these threats differently, at some point touting each of them as the number-one threat or cause of hardware failure. I haven’t ranked them in any particular order, preferring that you consider each and protect yourself from all of them. Electrostatic discharge Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can destroy components within your computer

See the rest here:
The Top Reasons For Hardware Failure And Data Loss

The most important and challenging thing for computer users is protect their computers against all threats like viruses, worms, and other malware. There is an old saying that ‘prevention is better than cure’ so protect your computer with the best antivirus you can get now . Many viruses, worms, and other types of malware are released every day and most target machines that run Microsoft Windows operating systems

Originally posted here:
The Top 5 Antivirus Programs For Windows 7

Hopefully you strive to keep your family safe and protected in every possible way. Sometimes there are risks on the Internet that are greater than those you may come across in the real world. For that reason you need to be vigilant and cautious at all times and that means becoming wise in the ways of cyber security. Cyber security not only allows your family to protect itself from the dangers involved on the Internet but also ensures that your computer is safe from your family. Just by altering the ways in which you use your computer you will enable yourself to stay safe and secure from online dangers

Read more from the original source:
Cyber Security For Families

Recovering a file that you deleted from your flash drive can be really difficult if you don’t know how to do it nor have it saved anywhere else. This is another reason why it’s vital for you to back up all of your information and you should do it on a regular basis. There is a simple way that you can track your deleted files that a lot of people don’t know about.

Visit link:
How Do I Restore A File That I Accidentally Deleted?

The first step toward safe wireless networking is assessing the situation and determining just how vulnerable you are. I’m not just talking about your Wi-Fi hardware. You have to consider and examine all the elements of your network . That includes client computers, software, network hardware, and even users.

More here:
Assessing The Security Risks To Your WLAN

Backing up data is really important and not enough people do it. It’s really easy to back up your data. If you don’t back up your data, you could get into major trouble later. The reason why you must back things up is because it will help protect your data, including those pictures you love and all those mp3s you play. Backing Up Data Should Be A Habit Many people make the mistake of only backing up their data once.

See the original post here:
Protecting Your Computer With Backups And Antivirus Programs Is Essential

Malware is an ever-present concern to users of the internet. Or at least it should be.

See the rest here:
Dancing Skeletons And Other Things That Go Bump At Halloween

One of the things that the Internet has made easier is the ability to work from home. There were private networks that allowed you to do this before but these were only available to the big time people at your company. The cost was simply too great for the company to allow just anyone that worked for them to have this ability.

Original post:
The Tools You Need To Connect To Your PC Remotely And Securely

You should, by now, be aware that Microsoft is introducing a brand new operating system into its Windows line of OS. The new operating system is called Windows 7 and from running it, it seems to be a more stable and more secured operating system. This is very good news for people that may have had security issues with Microsoft products in the past

Follow this link:
Avoiding Spyware With Windows 7

Losing your computer is something that no-one wants to happen. You have lots of valuable information on your computer, and maybe music and pictures too, that might not be stored anywhere else.

See the rest here:
Taking Screen Shots Can Help With Data Recovery

One inexpensive purchase that you can make that will help you with backing up your data and avoiding losing everything is a flash card or a USB memory flash drive. Most people tend to go for flash drives. A great thing about getting a flash drive is that they can read and write data at a much greater speed, and they last longer, than a floppy disk. They also don’t suffer from scratches and other forms of damage in the way that CDs and DVDs do.

See more here:
Getting Started With Data Protection – Using A USB Flash Drive For Backups

Later in this article I will state why I think Halloween is a scam. Firstly though, here is what Halloween is all about – A BRIEF HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN Around 2,000 years ago the people of Ireland, then known as the Celts, celebrated their new year on November the first. This date signified the beginning of winter, a time when mortality rates were much higher, due to the cold and dark associated with the following few months.

See the rest here:
Halloween (All Hallows Eve) – Trick Or Scam?

The Conficker virus is now known by many names, including – W32/Conficker.worm Win32/Conficker.A W32.Downadup Downadup Kido Confiker but it doesn’t really matter what you call it – it is a total and far-reaching menace that has spread far and wide across the internet. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Exploiting flaws found in Windows MS08-067 vulnerability , Conficker continues to infect machines worldwide and may now be installed on as many as 15 million computers across the globe. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video If you are unfortunate enough to become infected with Conficker then you will probably quickly discover that you cannot access security websites and that services such as Windows Security Center, Windows Error Reporting and Windows Defender have been disabled. Not only that but Conficker has the ability to spread itself to other vulnerable computers via many means, including networks and external drives

Excerpt from:
Conficker – How To Kill DLL Files And Delete Registry Keys And Values

Koobface is the latest buzz in the arena of computers. No it is not a web service, neither it is an amazing software package. Koobface is actually the latest Internet worm which targets the popular social networking sites

See the original post here:
How Can I Remove The Koobface Virus From My Computer?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15708236@N07/2846915408/ If you wake up one morning to find your computer smiling back at you with a face like the one above then you’re well and truly screwed – you’ve been infected by the mischievous Koobface Virus !

See the article here:
The Perfect Illustration Of What Koobface Can Do To Your Computer

The Conficker virus differs from other viruses online because it is one of the few malicious worms that have already learned how to protect themselves from deletion. One of the first steps that all of the different variants of the virus take is to disable all anti-virus software and updates that you may have on your operating system. This ensures that the hole it entered through stays open so that it can continue to host and download files on your computer without any interference. Additionally, once you have the Conficker virus, it pays close attention to your browsing habits, disabling your entry to any websites such as Microsoft or anti-virus websites that could help you rid your system of it.

Follow this link:
How Do I Remove Conficker After It Disables My Antivirus?

There are as many reasons for hacking as there are hackers . Personality traits of a hacker It’s hard to pin down just a few personality traits that define a hacker. A typical hacker profile is a male, age 14 to 40, with above-average intelligence, obsessively inquisitive with regards to technology, non-conformist, introverted, and with broad intellectual interests. A hacker is driven to learn everything he can about any subject that interests him. In fact, most hackers that excel with technology also have proficiency in no technological hobbies or interests.

Originally posted here:
What Makes A Hacker Hack And A Cracker Crack?

Just as there are many ways to attack a wired network, there are numerous ways to attack a WLAN . If a WLAN isn’t secured properly, an attacker may be simply able to connect to the network without having to make any sort of elaborate effort and without using any specific exploit.

Read more from the original source:
In What Ways Can A WLAN Be Attacked?

Passwords are, perhaps, the second weakest link in computer security. ( YOU are the FIRST ) Improper use of passwords is worse than no password at all. If crackers can get a user’s password, they don’t have to worry about using exploits to get past security. Worst of all, you can make it easy for them by not following best practices for password selection and security

View original post here:
Password And Security Best Practices

Spam wastes your time, and when you’re using your mobile device, it wastes your money. Of course I’m not talking about Hawaii’s favorite canned meat. I’m talking about unsolicited commercial e-mail, junk e-mail in fact. Once your e-mail finds its way onto a spammer’s list, your inbox is inundated with spam advertising from personal enhancement ads to car loan notices and everything in between. Spam Filters Many e-mail service providers provide some sort of anti-spam service that filters out spam messages with varying degrees of success.

Visit link:
Fighting Back Against Spam

Every day, millions and millions of children surf the web. Every time they surf the web, they are at risk of seeing extremely graphic and disturbing images – images even too much for many adults to see. These images often include hardcore pornography. Even though many parents feel that they have taught their children how to use the internet properly and carefully, this is often not enough

Read the original post:
Protecting Your Kids With Computer Parental Control

It is certain that all of us come across popup windows once in a while we are surfing on the internet. It feels really annoying when something stupid interrupts your endeavor appearing from nowhere. These are called Pop-Up ads

Go here to read the rest:
How Do I Block Pop-Up Ads?

More and more children are getting their own websites these days, including my own for whom I have already registered their own names as dot coms. There are many reasons why kids are doing this – they want blogs to use as online diaries, they wish to learn how to design websites or they may even have a product or service that they are already looking to market. Whatever their motives, you as parents need to put some thought into registering whichever domain name they are going to use

More:
What Every Parent Needs To Know About Registering A Website For Their Kids

Firstly, for those of you who don’t already know, HYIP stands for High Yield Investment Program. HYIPs are one of the most common scams on the internet today, though they became a source of income for scammers well before the digital age. There are a huge number of people looking to make extra money, for many reasons, including becoming debt free or in the hopes of giving up their day job

See the rest here:
What Exactly Is A HYIP Scam?

Have you installed an antivirus program ? Good.

Read the rest here:
Why You Need More Than Just Software To Secure Your PC

Yes, thats right, its YOU !!! You could be forgiven for thinking that the biggest threats online come from spyware, viruses or phishing emails but you would be wrong nonetheless. The biggest security threat is in fact an uneducated user, someone who doesn’t even understand the threats to their online security.

Originally posted here:
Revealing The Secret Identity Of The Single Biggest Threat To Your Online Security

In the digital age that we now live in it is, in many respects, safer to use a credit card online than it is to use it in the world at large. That said, credit card fraud is still very much on the increase so you would do well to keep your wits about you. If you believe you have already become a victim of credit card fraud then report it immediately, to the credit card issuer and to the police

Go here to see the original:
10 Easy Methods To Avoid Credit Card Fraud

There is a bit of an argument going on within the ranks of the Digirati. Everyone is trying to decide if the Conficker Worm is the most advanced virus ever created. Arguments can be made for other previously released viruses that have wreaked havoc on computer networks and caused billions of dollars in damage. Elegant Design Even the most experienced programmers agree that Conficker has a very elegant design and that nobody seems to be able figure out exactly how it works. Other experts state that they have never seen anything like it

Continue reading here:
Conficker: The Most Advanced Virus Ever?

If you are a UK telephone user then the following email about a new scam is something you need to read. Of course the scam is not committed by BT themselves but rather by an African (so it seems) who claims to be a representative of that company – Subject: BT phone scam PLEASE PASS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY. The new telephone ’scam’ has arrived. “I received a call from a ‘representative’ of BT, informing me that he was disconnecting me because of an unpaid bill. He demanded payment immediately of £31.00 or it would be £118.00 to re-connect at a later date

See the article here:
0800 0800 152 And The ‘BT Phone Scam’

According to a recent report in The Sunday Express , the British spy agency MI5 has begun recruiting teenagers to aid their fight against cyber terrorism which it claims is emanating from China, Russia, Pakistan and even Belmarsh maximum security prison!! MI5 is believed to have already hired around 50 hackers, most of whom are young Asians, to work in their newly formed top secret Cyber Operations Command, a function which has a close working relationship with the Pentagon. Each of the youngsters has had to sign the “Official Secrets Act” which means they cannot even tell their friends, girlfriends or parents what they are getting up to when they work in the Security Service building which is located next to The Thames in London. In a report to Lord West, the Security Minister, it was revealed that during this summer alone there were over 1,000 hits made on computers in Whitehall. Other key assets to have been targeted include power stations, air traffic control and the city of London. It is also believed that accountants, banks and other financial organisations have come under attack from Chinese state organisations

Excerpt from:
Asian Teenage Hackers To Join MI5 To Fight Cyber Terrorism

How to avoid vishing scams If you don’t already know what vishing is then you need to read yesterday’s post – What Exactly Is Vishing ? Today I am looking at a few very simple ways of ensuring you don’t become a victim of this crime.

Follow this link:
How Can I Avoid Vishing Scams?

When you’re browsing around Craigslist and are looking for giftcards that other people don’t want, you’re probably thinking to yourself: What steps can I take to avoid being scammed? Most people initially think of meeting up with the person and then calling the number on the back of the card to check the balance. That’s probably the most common thinking one can think of. However, scammers these days are smarter than that

Read more:
How To Avoid Gift Card Scams

I would imagine that everyone reading this has probably used an ATM machine at some time. An Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is an electronic terminal, which is directly links to the financial institution, to which it belongs, where consumers can conduct electronic financial transactions by means of an ATM or credit card. The majority of ATM machines are linked to a large number of financial institutions and can be used from anywhere around the world.

Read more:
How To Avoid Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) Scams

The following cartoon from Consumer Reports WebWatch is cute and a little funny too – You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Fortunately, it also makes some good points about what phishing is and how such crimes are committed. If it has piqued your curiosity then you can learn a whole lot more by reading my recent post : Phishing – What Is It And How Can You Avoid It?

Link:
Phishing Cartoon Drives The Message Home

I felt compelled to write a quick note today about the deaths of Patrick Swayze and Keith Floyd. That is because there are so many celebrity death hoaxes that sometimes people never really know whether the news they are reading is true or not. Today for instance, I have received a huge number of visitors to my page about a Patrick Swayze death hoax that circulated earlier in the year.

Go here to see the original:
Celebrity Deaths Of Patrick Swayze And Keith Floyd Are Not Hoaxes And Search Results May Link To Malware

Internet identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes world wide. Its something that can not only steal your money, but ruin your reputation and leave you with months of work to restore your good name. AVOIDING IDENTITY THEFT VIA EMAIL The good news is that the every day computer user can substantially lower the risk of becoming a victim with a few tips and some diligence.

See more here:
Avoiding Identity Theft – Don’t Become A Victim

I’m sure most of you know about, or have least heard of, phishing. If not then please read What Exactly Is A Phishing Scam? What you may not know is that a continuous fight against this fraud method yields poor results.

Original post:
Phishing – What Is It And How Can You Avoid It?

As a car owner it is inevitable that at some stage, rather sooner than later, your car will need to be taken for servicing or repairs to the vehicle. Auto repair scams constantly rank as one of the most reported consumer complaints internationally. In many instances around the world, television programs had exposes various scams related to auto repair and servicing.

More here:
What Everybody Needs To Know About Auto Repair Scams

Melissa was a computer macro virus that infected computers and email gateways via Microsoft Word 97 or 2000 or Microsoft Outlook 97 or 98. Created by David L.

Read this article:
Malware That Changed The World – The Melissa Virus

The Anna Kournikova worm was released back in 2001 and, whilst it was not aimed at causing data loss, it did cause embarrassment and disruption for many personal and business users. The worm was spread via email with an attachment that claimed to be a picture of Anna Kournikova, who many a hot-blooded young male found incredibly hard to resist. You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video Opening the bogus attachment simply sent copies of the worm by email to all addresses found in the recipient’s address book in Microsoft Outlook. The virus inevitably resulted in a number of copycat variants. Whilst most worm creators have never been identified, a 21-year-old Dutchman, Jan de Wit, admitted to unleashing the Anna Kournikova worm

Link:
Malware That Changed The World – The Anna Kournikova Worm