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First Computer Virus not meant to be a Virus

March 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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In 1971, Bob Thomas of Bolt, Beranek and Newman Technologies, now BBN, wrote an experimental self-replicating program titled Creeper, to demonstrate a mobile application. Even though the term computer virus did not exist in that decade, Creeper was the first computer virus.

It used the ARPANET to infect the Digital Equipment Corporation’s PDP-10, a mainframe computer that was the precursor to the Internet, running the TENEX operating system. The Creeper worm copied itself to the remote system.

Although the Creeper seldom replicated itself, it did start to print a file and then stop. It would find another TENEX system, open a connection, pick itself up, and transfer it to the other machine, each time displaying the message, “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!” It jumped from one machine to another trying to remove itself from the previous machine. Therefore, it never installed itself on targets, but worked its way around a network.

To delete the Creeper worm, programmers created The Reaper Program. This program ran on workstations and servers, terminating sessions that appeared hung, or idle. The Reaper Program uses system measurements to determine how long a connection is idle. Hung connections are connections active for more than five hours, whether idle or not.

The Reaper Program kills all programs associate with those processes, and logs the user off the computer.

Other computer virus firsts:

Elk Cloner – first computer virus to appear in the wild

*(c) Brain – first PC virus in the wild (a boot sector virus)

*In 1986, the Farooq Alvi Brothers, supposedly created the (c) Brain virus to prevent others from pirating their software.

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The Motivation Of Computer Hackers

January 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you use the Internet and have adopted the idea that you don’t have to do anything to protect your data and personal information, this is a potentially dangerous assumption. The very nature of the Internet means that information can be spread at an extremely high rate of speed, and to thousands or even millions people at once. When keeping these realities in mind, it is easier to understand why computer hackers feel so empowered to create havoc for people that they will probably never meet face to face.

By doing just a bit of research, hackers have a wealth of ways to steal data and send malicious files across the Internet, often at little or no cost to them. When you consider the potential gains that a hacker could experience after successfully infiltrating your online bank account or e-mail program, it makes sense why it is so crucial to ensure that your computer is properly protected against threats. Those who are most vulnerable to the dangers of hacking and viruses are usually those who have not bothered to install protection on their computer, whether because they don’t feel it is necessary or because they don’t know how to get started.

If you are unsure about how to protect your computer, consider asking a tech-savvy friend for assistance. If this isn’t an option for you, see if there are any large chain-style office supply stores in your area. Often these merchants have a technical support or computer department staffed with employees who are able to help safeguard your computer for a reasonable price.

Even after you have taken the steps to protect your computer properly, use common sense when clicking around the Internet. Many spammers and hackers combine seemingly enticing offers with harmful files. In short, do your best not to download items from people that you don’t know.

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Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy

January 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Internet has really made an impact on people’s lives. It has become such an important part of their lives that people rarely give a second thought to their privacy. They share personal information, their real names and fill out forms without even thinking about where it is going or who is getting the information. The problem is that there are a lot of people on the Internet that are looking to use your personal information for their gain. Luckily, there are many things that you can do to make sure that you keep your online activities private.

The first thing you can do to make sure that your online activities are private is to delete all history and cache files. Anyone who has access to your computer can view all the websites that you visited and what you did on those sites. With just a few clicks of the mouse you can delete your browser’s internet history and prevent people from gaining access to this type of information. To clear the internet history with Internet Explorer click Internet Tools at the top of the screen and then choose Preferences and Clear Internet History.

The second thing you can do to make sure that your online activities are kept private is to make sure that you are sending emails and contact forms that are encrypted. Encryption takes the information that you are sending and scrambles it. The only person that can view the unscrambled version of the information is the intended recipient. Encryption of materials is so popular that it has become a basic feature on most websites. Almost all email servers provide encrypted emails and websites that are encrypted show a tiny little lock at the bottom right of the screen that notifies computer users that their information is being encrypted.

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Keeping Your Privacy Intact When Dating Online

January 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

No longer thought of as an option reserved for people who are single and desperate, online dating can offer a refreshing change for those who are tired of their local bar scene or the standard ways of trying to find a suitable companion. In fact, many people say that they like online dating because its very format encourages in-depth conversations that help people get to know one another in a way that is not always possible when meeting in a loud or crowded place such as a bar. However, along with the vast amount of options in the world of online dating also comes potential security threats. However, rest assured that there are several things you can do to help keep your online persona and data secure as you explore this new dating arena.

If you are accessing your preferred dating website in a public place, take care to clear the cookies and history from the web browser before leaving the computer. By doing this, you are effectively wiping clean any evidence of where you’ve been online. Although the majority of users after you will probably have only the purest of intentions, you can never be too careful. Not only could you face intense humiliation in the event that someone decides to impersonate you on a dating website, but you could also give that person access to your personal information.

Even when you take the plunge and decide to meet someone in person after chatting with them on a website, it is very important that they do not know your home address at this stage. To be safe, arrange to meet the person at a public place such as a coffee shop. Finally, when you are deciding what information to divulge when creating the “About Me” section of your dating website profile, always try to keep an element of mystery and remember that anything you type could potentially be seen by millions of people worldwide.

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Staying Secure When Using Mozilla Firefox

January 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Whether you browse the Internet regularly, or are only a casual user, it is important to keep your browser settings customized to reflect your usage habits, and also protect your privacy. Mozilla Firefox is one of the most popular web browsers available today. Many people choose it because it is not only fast and stable but also free to download, and easy to install. Let’s go over some of the main functionality of the browser that can help you stay secure as you navigate through your favorite Internet websites.

Firefox has a private browsing feature which allows your web surfing habits to be hidden from others who may use the computer after you. It is especially useful if you share a computer with family members or are using the Internet at a public termina location such as a library. When using this function, the browser will not store information including lists of visited websites, downloaded files, form data, or cookies.

Regardless of whether you choose to use this feature, it is a good idea to get into the habit of clearing your browser’s history after each time you use the computer, or at least daily. It will help your browser to load pages faster and will also help to keep your Internet activity shielded from others. You can do this by clicking the “Tools” option at the top of the web browser window. Click the “Clear Recent History” option and then adjust the settings and file type options to fit your needs.

Form data is another thing that can be cleared from Firefox. Because sensitive information such as credit card information and passwords can sometimes qualify for this category, it is easy to understand why you don’t want to let this sort of data linger in Firefox’s cached data for any extended periods of time.

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Protecting Your Privacy When Browsing The Internet

January 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

No matter what sort of career you have, or what you like to do in your free time, there’s a good chance that you’ll have to use a computer to access the Internet at least occasionally. This can seem a bit intimidating, especially if you are of an age where you did not grow up using computers. However, you’ll likely find that computers are fairly simple to use. That said, there are still some safeguards you should keep in mind in order to protect your personal safety when you are online.

For starters, choose passwords that are unique to you and that would be hard for others to guess. Also make sure that your password is not a part of your e-mail or user name, and vice versa. The best passwords incorporate a combination of both uppercase and lowercase letters, and perhaps a symbol or number to make them even more complex. Some web browsers have functionality that allows users to store passwords in the browser’s memory so that they do not have to be typed out on each visit. Although this seems convenient, it is actually not a good habit to get into because in theory, it could allow an unwanted person to get access to your data without having to type anything into the fields on their own.

Also, try to remember to periodically clear our your browsing history, cookies and temporary Internet files. Not to be confused with your favorite places or bookmarked sites. most of the abovementioned files are those that are collected without your conscious knowledge as you browse the Internet. By deleting the files, you will be protecting your privacy online, and also helping your browser to load pages faster.

Finally, consider putting your whole computer under password protection, so that a specific word or phrase must be typed to gain access to the computer and its contents.

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Protecting Yourself From Spyware When Using The Internet

January 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you browse the Internet frequently, you may already have been the victim of a spyware attack. If you’ve not yet had this unpleasant experience, consider yourself fortunate, and think about taking some simple yet effective preventative measures against spyware. Spyware can be extremely annoying because it can cause advertisements to fill up your computer screen in a constant barrage as you attempt to go to websites. Many spyware attempts come disguised as pop-ups that look very simiar to valid alerts that come across your computer screen during normal usage.

Luckily, many computers come with spyware protection already installed out of the box. Be sure to check to see if this is the case for your own computer before investing in a secondary spyware program. Even if you do need to buy one, the good news is that most are very inexpensive, and some are even free.  Also, see if your computer’s firewall is enabled. If it is not, it is usually very simple to fix. If you are a Windows user, you can check your firewall settings through your Control Panel.

Finally, don’t forget that there are several settings within your web browser itself that can help to increase your security online. Although the exact prompts will vary in accordance with the type of browser you are using, after exploring the settings a bit, you should notice that there are many things you can do to customize your online experience. Some examples include blocking popup windows, choosing to accept or reject website cookies and adjusting your overall security settings. Some anti-virus software packages include a feature that examines the content of websites you visit to determine any possible threats. However, if you disagree with the recommendations provided, you can usually override the settings by adding certain websites to your browser’s “trusted sites” list.

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Staying Safe When Browsing The Internet Wirelessly

January 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Due to the highly mobile nature of today’s society, it is becoming more and more common for people to take their computers on the road with them, whether they are intending to stay in touch while traveling, or just for a change of pace in regards to the work environment. Many companies are capitalizing on this need by offering free wi-fi “hotspots” that allow users to connect to the Internet free of charge. Some cities even have entire downtown areas that boast wi-fi connectivity.

However, it is important to note that such areas usually do not have any sort of security in place to protect the user from any potential hackers. There are a few things that you can do to help safeguard your Internet activity as you browse the Internet in a public place. One of the easiest things you can do right away is ensure that your computer has the proper firewall and virus protection, and that if such software is in place, that it is installed properly, and updated reguarly. Most software offerings offer periodic enhancements so that any emerging viruses or threats are captured before they can cause harm.

Be careful when transmitting or entering any confidential data through public wireless connections. If possible, it should be avoided altogether, but if you must, at least see if there is a way that you can encrypt the data before it is sent. Some e-mail programs such as Microsoft Outlook offer this feature to their users.

Finally, take care to make sure that your wireless access point of choice is legitimate. Sometimes, hackers will set up their own hotspots that appear to be valid but are truly just a way for them to sift through your data. If you are using a wireless point at a place that is staffed with employees, ask them the correct title of the verified hotspot before you connect to it.

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Protecting Emails From Being Hacked

December 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A keylogger example of a screencapture, which ...
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Emails hold valuable details pertaining to personal information, business transactions, bank statement and even family and private pictures which are in no way meant for strangers. Hence emails now hold huge importance in peoples lives. Many websites require email addresses to be used as usernames, if a person loses his password, the website gives the option to reset the password by going into the mail. If a fraudster or a criminal finds this password, he can use it to get access to as many other accounts as he wants if he gets access to you mail.

The main reason for people getting their email hacked is because they do not know how to protect their email addresses. It is not because of hacking that most people lose their accounts, but because of trapping. People are fooled into giving up their passwords themselves to hackers. One of the main methods of doing this is by spoofing a website that misleads the user to give up important details regarding the passwords by creating fake log in pages. These pages are just like the original design but differ in one fact that they copy your passwords. They might even lead to the genuine site alter, which lets the user never know that he just gave his username and password to hackers. Hence remember to keep in mind to never enter into your email address from other sites. Instead of doings so, you can go to the site directly by typing in the email address. Another method is by using key loggers that memorizing every thing that you enter into the computer. Key loggers is the easiest method of stealing passwords that is employed in public computers and such. Another huge mistake people do is to use passwords such as “123456″, “password” and many such common passwords that can be easily found out by hackers.

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Methods Behind Phishing

December 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

One out of ten online shoppers has been a victim of some or the other kind of Phishing attack. And almost every one has been to a site which pretends to be the original one and asks for credit card details. Not many fall for this promises, but the very few who do, end up losing a lot of money. This causes the trust on online shopping to go away and people stop stopping online altogether after one such experience. Phishing earlier was known as a way to obtain personal information about the person from his personal belongings such as the mail and the trash. This personal information can include social security number, address, birth date, credit card details and bank account numbers. But today times have changed and fraudsters have internet at their disposal. Knowing about the techniques that fraudsters use to cheat people of their private information is the best way to deal with them.

Link manipulation is one of the most common methods of Phishing where the fraudster uses a domain name that is slightly different from the genuine sites name that people trust. This misspelled domain name belongs to another spoofed organization that makes its web-site look exactly as the original one. Websites such as www.orkut.com could be named as www.orukt.com. The human mind has the tendency to read the first and the last word to read things faster. To find out if a website or an email is a fraud, you can look for various signs like the requirement to verify ones account. A genuine site will never ask anyone to verify their account. This is a technique that spammers use to get unsuspecting users to click on wrong sites. Another common threat by these Phishing sites is to respond within 48 hours or the account will be permanently closed. Mails do not contains names in the beginning.

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