Cyber Security - 4 Things to Do to Improve Computer Cyber Security and Prevent Cyber Crime Attacks

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In this article, you will learn to avoid all the silly mistakes most computer owners make and expose their computers and personal information open to cyber attacks. You'll also discover why is it important to change your passwords frequently and have up-to-date firewall and antivirus program.
Emails- the best and most simple rule to protect your computer from email cyber attacks is: if you don't know the sender, be very careful and never open any file attached to it. Sometimes even your friends may send you phishing emails against unwittingly because their computer has been attacked and the email is forwarded to you without their approval.
Very simple but effective protection is "When in Doubt- Delete". Your friend will understand.
Common signs include phishing hyperlinks and messages that urge you to open the attached file.
Passwords- passwords are just like door key and they are used to protect our virtual belongings stored on our computer. They should be very difficult to duplicate or steal by cyber criminals, just like door key that we always store in secure location.
Very important and effective rule to keep our passwords safe is: Never share your password with anyone, use different passwords for different for different places and constantly change your passwords.
Here are some proven effective rules to make passwords:
1. Passwords should not make much logical sense and have minimum of 8 characters- this will make it hard to guess.
2. Use types of characters allowed- lower case, upper case, numbers, symbols, special, etc.
3. Change your passwords frequently, the more frequent the better.
4. Under no circumstance give out your password to anybody.
In addition to the above cyber attack prevention tasks, for full computer protection it is very important to have good Firewall and maintain up-to-date antivirus program.
Firewalls- they protect your computer form the outside cyber world by filtering potentially dangerous data to enter your computer. They stop unauthorised data, usually form internet or emails, while data from trusted sources is allowed in.
Up-to-date antivirus software- good antivirus software is "must have" for all computers. Antivirus software is like immunization to humans, it prevents malicious software of entering and potentially damaging your computer.
These programs have been created and designed to protect your computer against known viruses. Therefore, it is critical to keep your antivirus program up-to-date to protect your computer form newly created cyber attacks.

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Guide to Internet Security

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In the earlier days of the internet, user security wasn't as tight. There were fewer threats to users and those that existed tended to target businesses instead of individuals. Now, however, threats seem to be looming around each and every corner. As computer and internet use has proliferated in the past decade, so has the variety of viruses, malware, spyware, and other security threats. Understanding your computer's security risk, and actively working to protect it, has become a key element in responsible computing.
The Threats
Malware typically presents itself in several forms.
- Viruses - These are small programs that attach to other code and infect it. Viruses can change certain computer settings, corrupt files, or even crash your computer entirely.
- Spyware - This type of software is typically installed on your computer without your knowledge. Its intent is to gather personal information about you. Sometimes spyware may include a key-logger, which transcribes every key you type and compromises passwords, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and anything else you might type out on your computer.
- Phishing scams - Scams are typically e-mails or websites, made to look legit, that ask you for your personal information or credit card information. The goal of these scams is obvious--to gain access to your personal information.
- Spam - Another threat that comes via e-mail, spam can contain spyware hidden in messages that will install itself on your computer.
How to Protect Yourself
Your first line of defense against malware is a firewall. Firewalls monitor all in and out computer traffic and prevent unauthorized communications. While computers typically come with firewalls installed, they are sometimes not as effective as commercial firewalls.
Another crucial defense is to install anti-virus software on your computer. While some anti-virus software is free, this is one area that you don't want to skimp on. If you install a free anti-virus program and your computer is attacked by something that slipped through the cracks, you will end up paying to fix or replace your computer anyway. It is always better to avoid the headache and ensure that your computer is receiving the best security from the get-go. Anti-key-logging and anti-spyware software are also excellent tools to use in conjunction with an anti-virus.
Spam blockers are useful for preventing spam, malicious or not, from entering your inbox. The only down side to spam blockers is that they can sometimes mistake normal e-mails for spam and filter them accordingly. If you are using a spam blocker, it is helpful to check in the box on occasion to be sure that everything is sorted correctly.
Also, on shared computers, always make sure your data is password protected. People often underestimate the security threat posed by others that have direct access to your computer. If you have information that you would not want to make readily available to other users, be sure to password-protect it with a strong password.
Useful Tips

• Ensure that every computer you own that accesses the internet has a virus protection program installed and running.
• Don't open attachments from unknown sources.
• Make your passwords complicated and difficult for others to figure out. Strong passwords make use of numbers, letters, and symbols.
• Avoid sending too much personal information, particularly credit card numbers and bank account numbers, over the internet. If you use a credit card to pay for something online, be sure that the payment system is trustworthy and secure.

Imaging Network Technology is a computer support service that specializes in computer security, 24/7 tech support, and network infrastructure. Visit Imaging Network Technology. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Crystal_Schubert

Phishing and Computer Security

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I am sure everyone has received an email advising them that their bank has introduced some new security method which requires them to enter passwords and other security details into a web page or face discontinuation of a service.
This is called phishing and is usually carried out by criminals to persuade innocent victims to give away information that they may use to gain access to bank accounts, credit card accounts or other financial accounts.
It usually starts with an email
'The xyz bank has recently upgraded its security systems to make your account more secure and to protect your account from unauthorized access. To ensure that these new security measures are applied to your account you must change your password.
Click on the link enexamplebank.com
If you click on the link you are taken to a web-site which looks remarkably like the web-site for your bank, cheekily, it may even have a warning on it that you should take care to make sure any information you provide is secure. You are invited to enter your security details. By doing this you have provided the phisher with information to permit theft of your money.
No bank or other financial institution would ever ask you to enter these details on an email.
If in any doubt carry out the following:

• Never put passwords into an email (email is not secure)
• If asked to click on a link, hover your mouse over then link and see if the link is the same as the hover information
• If possible type in the web information you hold already for your bank
• On a bank website look for the closed padlock symbol which shows that the site is secure
• If it looks at all suspicious don't do anything with it
• Forward the email to your bank for them to deal with it
• Telephone your bank and ask if the email is genuine
• If you have been fooled and do enter information into a phishing web-site contact your bank immediately and them what you have done. This may mean that your account is frozen while action is taken. You will have to change passwords of course.

Phishing is the number one method at the moment for fund generation by criminals.
Don't fall for it

Chris Eden FIBA, MISSA, AIQA is a director of Quality Matters Limited, an established consultancy specializing in Quality (ISO9001), Environment (ISO14001), Information Security (ISO27001) and IT Service Management (ISO20000).

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Strong Password Authentication Essential to Your Computer Security

1. Why Password?
 
Your computer and the websites you frequently visit contain a great deal of personal information about you. It is important, therefore to ensure that you do not allow your personal details to get into the wrong hands.
We do so much online these days: banking, shopping and social networking have become everyday activities. There are nasty people out there who want to steal from you. Not just your money, but your very identity. It is therefore very necessary to protect yourself by restricting access to your personal data. This is where passwords come in. They make sure that your personal details are only available to you.
 
2. Why a Strong Password?
 
We all like to keep things simple. Passwords can be a pain. So let us make it easy to remember and  not complicate matters. Why not use the same password for all our safe sites. It is too much hassle remembering all those different passwords, after all.
 
Passwords can be seen as the weakest link between your data and those who could most benefit from access to your personal details.  Once the password is cracked they are in. If you use the same password for different applications, your system is vulnerable, along with your online banking and credit card accounts.
 
Examples of weak passwords include your name, username, date of birth, names of your children, even your car registration number. Paul123 would not be a safeguard against my online bank account, for example. Hackers can use programs that try to guess your password by browsing through your files to search for personal information.
Criminals use a number of methods to identify passwords. Dictionary search trawls through online dictionaries to come up with a match to your password. Brute force attacks try every possible combination of keystrokes that can be used in connection with a user name. Phishing, official looking emails purportedly from banks, for example, seek to obtain passwords or PIN numbers from unsuspecting victims.  
 
3. What is a Strong Password?
 
Many websites demand passwords that exceed seven or eight digits, including letters and numbers. Security experts advise even longer passwords, 14 characters are considered sensible. Experts also suggest that you mix upper and lower case letters and utilise characters in lieu of some letters. The key is to use a password that is simple enough for you to remember but no one else, even your close family and friends would be able to identify.
 
4. Further assistance
 
Microsoft has a very good application that rates the strength or weakness of your chosen password.

Password checker can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx
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