Top 10 iPhone Security Tips That Practically Works

This is a guest post by Yogesh Mankani.

Though Apple always ensure to fix the security flaws at its own end but it is really important for an iPhone user to remain cautious at his/her own end as well. Usually iPhone users do not pay any heed to their security as they believe that they are safe and sound.

But with all that web usage that one undergoes, your important information which includes your personal information lies open for hackers to hack; as they can always devise methods to intrude even the toughest of the security checks and levels.

Though, this time I am only presenting iPhone security tips but I would recommend Android users to keep a check on their phone's security as I used Samsung Galaxy S2 with t-mobile sim only value plan for almost a year.

So, here are some good enough iPhone security tips for the users:

1. Use Wi-Fi Safely

With your iPhone you can have the joy of connecting to the Wi-Fi anywhere. But keep in mind that the Wi-Fi facility that you use is secure. For this, you can use Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Yet another security check that you can have would be choosing as Settings -> Wi-Fi -> Ask to Join Networks.

2. Change Default Password of a Jailbroken iPhone

Those who have jailbroken their iPhones must follow this security tip. The root password must be changes form ‘alpine’ to some other secure password. If you do not follow this tip for a jailbroken iPhone then you let your security gates open for the hackers.

3. Using SSL to Access Emails

To access all your mails on the iPhone, you should use the SSL. See if you have this option enabled. To do so by following this path- settings>mail>select account>advanced>scroll down and set on the ‘use SSL’ option. This will secure your personal information and the account on iPhone.

4. Do Enable Passcode Lock

An auto lock just locks your iPhone screen but when you have a passcode lock for your iPhone then the security of the same is enhanced to the next level. Choose a set of your four-digit passcode by going to the general settings. This will help you to be safe in case your iPhone is stolen or misplaced.

5. Use Safari for Web Browsing

Browsing web on your iPhone with the help of Safari will ensure your security. Most of the security features are turned on as soon as you opt for the browser. But to have a better and enhanced security you can choose for the advanced browsing settings. Block the unnecessary pop-ups by following the settings in Safari.

6. Device Usage Restrictions Must Be Set

By setting the device usage restrictions on your iPhone you check that no explicit content is shown on your iPhone; in a way this helps you to stay away from tainted websites. Also, the apps are not downloaded onto your iPhone unless you provide with a passcode.

7. Stay Updated With the iOS and Other Security Updates

Always keep yourself updated on the new security updates and other iOS updates. The current updates are generally more upgraded on the security level as compared to their previous versions. This is true with both general apps and the security apps.

8. Have a Backup of Your iPhone Data

Having a backup of your iPhone with your Mac or PC is helpful. You can do this from iTunes. Here are the steps to do this:

• Connect your iPhone to computer (it will show-up in iTunes).
• Click to your iPhone name in iTunes devices section.
• Go to preferences window and click for the summary tab.
• Apply ‘encrypt iPhone backups’.
• Eject iPhone from iTunes.

9. Use Advanced Anti-theft Software

Sometimes you have to take the worst case scenario. What of your iPhone is stolen? You must then know the security tips in that case as well. If you have an advanced anti-theft programs and applications like for example SmartFuzz then you can keep your phone secure even when it’s stolen and lies in some stranger’s possession.

10. Never Use Automatic Data Transfer Apps

The data transfer apps that can automatically transfer your personal data are not a good thing to have. These can help someone to copy all your information or even the worse; sending you files or malware that you do not want at all.

About the author:

Yogesh Mankani is a blogger who loves to write about gadgets, tech news, mobile accessories, t-mobile sim only plans and much more.

How To Secure Your WordPress Site?

This is a guest post by Sarah Rexman.

WordPress sites are vulnerable to viruses and attacks from hackers. If you have a very popular WordPress site, your competitors may try to attack your site to put you out of business. Others may attack your site to try to steal your information to take money from you.

It is very important to secure your WordPress site to withstand attacks and to protect the investment you have put into building a successful blog. You don’t have to be a developer or a hacker yourself to understand how to protect your site. Here are a few easy steps you can take to secure your WordPress site:

Choose a Good User Name and Password

How many of you are still using “admin” for your WordPress login user name? If you are, hackers already have half the information they need to access your site. Using “admin” as your login user name is akin to using “1234” as your password. You’re making it too easy for someone to get into your site.

You should choose a different name for your login – something hard to guess (not your name!) – and create a password that’s hard to choose. Some good tips for selecting a password include:

• Choose a phrase instead of a single word.
• Combine letters with numbers and symbols
• Do not use personal information such as birthdays, addresses, or names.
• Do not use common phrases or combinations such as “hello” or “password”.
• Be sure to change your password often to keep it secure.

Keep Software Up-to-Date

Out-of-date plugins, themes and even the WordPress software itself can create security risks for your site. Be sure to check for updates regularly. WordPress offers options for you to check for and download updates automatically.

If there are any plugins or themes on your site that you are no longer using, you should delete them. They present a security risk and make your site vulnerable to hackers.

Choose Trusted Sources

Before you ever download any plugins or themes, you should research the developer to make sure you are downloading from a trusted source. You never know whether your plugin or theme may be coded with a Trojan horse, worm, or other virus.

If you don’t have experience with a provider, research the company’s reputation on forums and sites that offer profiles and reviews of companies. Look for any reports about problems with the software and follow up where possible. If a developer is distributing themes or plugins with harmful content, news will spread around the web quickly.

Don’t Allow Users to Register

If you allow for guest posting or community contributions on your site, it may be tempting to allow members to register themselves to post content on your site. However, doing so may put your site at risk for attacks.

Be sure to manually register all users authorized to post content on your site, and make sure you have selected the appropriate controls.

Back Up Data

Regularly backing up your data is a good security practice for your computer, as well as any online activity. For a WordPress site, backing up your data is as simple as opening up your FTP client and copying all the folders to a location on your computer or an external hard drive.

There are also plugins that make backing up your data easy, and information can be stored by cloud providers. Check WordPress for a complete list of recommended backup plugins.

You don’t have to be a computer expert to keep your WordPress site secure from hackers. Taking these simple steps can help keep out most unwanted visitors. If you feel that you are particularly vulnerable – because you have a very high-profile or lucrative site – you can hire a professional to create custom security measures for you.

About the author:

Sarah Rexman is the main researcher and writer for bedbugs.org. Her most recent accomplishment includes graduating from Florida State, with a degree in environmental science. Her current focus for the site involves researching bed bug products and bed bug elimination.

Trick To Get Free Facebook Advertising Coupon Worth $50, ₹ 1500

Hello everyone! Ad networks are one of the better ways for promoting Websites worldwide. Google AdWords, LinkedIn, BuySellAds, Facebook are the major ad networks where advertisers can advertise their sites, products etc. Today I’m going to tell about a trick to get free facebook advertising coupon worth $50, ₹ 1500 depending upon the country in which you are residing.

• Login to facebook account.
• Go to the Facebook Ads creator link by clicking here.
• Setup your Ad.
• After you're done creating, click on Review Ad button placed at the bottom of the page.
• It will take you to the next page where you can see an option of Place Order.
• Click on it, it will ask for payment method.
• Choose Credit Card option and click on Continue.
• Under Credit Card information, enter invalid Credit Card number with other details correct like Name, Address and then click on Submit.

Note: Don’t enter any other person's details; a better way is to interchange your own Credit Card number’s digits. 

• It will show an error like "The authorization for this card was declined. Please verify that all card information you've provided is accurate, and try again. If you continue to experience these problems, you will have to contact your bank or card issuer to find out why the authorization was declined."
• Repeat the whole process for 2-3 days continuously (once in a day) and wait for some days.
• After some days, you will receive an email associated with your facebook account from Facebook Ads Team with title:
  
  
  "Get $50 in Free Advertising on Facebook" OR
  "Get Rs.1500 in Free Advertising on Facebook"
  

  And body:
  
  "Hi User,

  
  We noticed that you tried to create a Facebook Ad in the past. For a limited time we're offering you a #### coupon to launch your first ad for FREE!"
• That’s all, try it today and let me know if you’ve succeeded in it.

Note: Currently I've one coupon worth Rs. 1500 expiring on 4th July, 2012. Any interested person can contact me from here.

Fun With Google! Some More Cool Google Tricks

Hi! Last 2 months remained too hard for my site as it has affected by Google Penguin badly. I’m trying to recover from it and waiting for the next penguin update.

I have written about 10 funny Google tricks and some useful Google dorks before and today I’m adding some more funny Google tricks. Check out the list:

• Recursion
• Type ‘recursion’ in Google search and check out the suggestion query.
• Google Tilt & Askew
• Type ‘tilt’ or ‘askew’ in Google search, you will see Google search window to be tilted to the right side.
• Google Axis
• Type ‘google axis’ in Google search and click on the first link.
  
  Alternate: http://www.googleaxis.com/
• Google Sink
  
  • http://www.google.com.hk/intl/zh-CN/landing/shuixia/
• PAC-MAN
  
  • Type ‘pacman’ in Google search and click on the first link Alternate: http://www.google.com/pacman/
• Ninja
• Go to Google Reader, then press arrows keys ‘up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right,’ followed by alphabets ‘b, a’. A ninja will pop-up with a search box.

How To Stop Your Phone From Being Hacked?

This is a guest post by Payton Price.

The use of cell phones is ever on the rise. The phones themselves continue to have more features than ever before. Technological improvements are convenient, but have their drawbacks. It seems like the more advances that are made, the greater your chance of the phone being compromised. If someone does gain access to your phone, it could be used to make calls virtually anywhere that has telephone service. They could also steal any personal information contained on the phone or gain access to your voicemail. Following are a few tips on how to stop your phone from being hacked.

Have a Protective Mindset

In order to give yourself every opportunity to keep your phone from being hacked, you should have a protective mindset. You have to assume that someone somewhere is attempting to tap into your phone and use it to make calls of their own or steal your personal information for nefarious purposes. If you keep this in mind, you will be more apt to take precautionary measures to keep your phone from being compromised. It's not paranoia--its common sense.

Use Passwords Whenever You Can

Whenever it is possible to use a password to protect the services your phone gives you access to, it would be prudent to do so. You may be a trusting soul, and refrain from using passwords because you want to believe in other people's good character. However, not everyone is as honest as you may be, and some people wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of your trust. When you're setting up your phone, use a password whenever you have the option to do so. Make sure the passwords you use aren't the same in every case, and make them difficult to guess. For instance, many people, simply for the sake of expediency will use a simple password, like 1,2,3,4. Sure, it's easy to remember, but it may the first one a hacker will try. You should also refrain from using the same password for everything--you should vary your passwords and use a variety of random numbers and letters. Also, you shouldn't tell anyone else what your passwords are.

Keep Your Voicemail Safe

One the most important aspects of your phone that need protection from hackers is your voicemail. For a business person, or anyone for that matter, it could be vital to keep your messages from being accessed by an outsider. The best way to make sure your voicemail is safe is to use a password, and make sure the password isn't easy to guess. You may even want to change your password from time to time, just to make sure you haven't inadvertently revealed it to someone--or to cross-up a hacker may have invaded your phone and is eavesdropping without you knowing it.

Remove the Battery When You're Not Using the Phone

A surefire way to make sure your phone can't be hacked when you're not using it is to take the battery out. When the battery is not in the phone, it won't be sending out any signals that a hacker can infringe on. While it's true that it could get old very quickly, removing your battery is really the only guaranteed method of protecting your phone.

Use Security Software

If your phone will accept it, installing security software will help protect your phone from hackers. Similar to antivirus protection on a computer, security software will make sure no outside signal is getting into your phone, or will notify you if a signal does get in. There are some apps that can be downloaded that will allow you to access your own phone remotely in the event it's stolen or compromised. These apps will let you turn on protective software so the phone can't be used, or allow you to change your password remotely.

Change Your PIN Often

Many mobile phones have voicemail service. As previously mentioned, it is possible for others to invade your privacy by hacking into your voicemail. In order to protect yourself, you will more than likely have to enter a personal identification number (PIN) to gain access to your voicemail. It would be a good idea to change your PIN often. As with any type of password, the harder you make your PIN number to guess, the better you'll be protected. Use random numbers, and when you change your PIN, don't repeat the same numbers. For instance, you may use the number combination, 1, 3, 6, 5, then change it to 2,5,4,3. When you change it again, don't use your original number sequence, but come up with different random numbers.

About the author:

Guest post by Payton Price. Payton writes for TermLifeInsurance.org.

Advice On How To Protect Your Online Profiles From Hackers

This is a guest post by Robert Coulter.

Earlier this month, mega social media site LinkedIn announced that their system had been hit by hackers and an estimated 6.5 million passwords had been lost. In another recent announcement, Facebook estimated that 600,000 logins every 24 hour period on the site are people trying to hack into other people’s accounts to access personal information.

With our personal information more exposed than ever via social media profiles, online banking sites, and more, one would expect individuals to take rigorous efforts to protect that data. And yet a just released ElcomSoft study estimates that just 25% of people regularly change their password. The good news is that protecting your personal data doesn’t have to be hard, here are some tips to get you started.

1. Don’t overly share your personal life: It’s easy with social media to share more than necessary. Even things like your birthday, your family member’s names, where you go (check-ins) and your interests should be considered before making that information public. If you have online banking, chances are most of the security questions are “what city were you born in?” or “mother’s maiden name?” in cases where you need to change your password. Therefore, a determined hacker can easily find that information on a social media profile and get access to your sensitive accounts.
2. Tighten up your privacy settings: All social media sites have privacy and security settings that allow you to tighten up your profile. Consumer Report recently did a study that indicated 13 million people do not use or pay any attention to their privacy settings on Facebook. While in the grand scheme of Facebook users, that’s not a large percentage, it should be the top priority for social media users.
3. Do not choose obvious passwords: It should go without saying at this point that your password should never be your birthday, your phone number, or your pet or child’s name. Similarly, strings of characters such as 123456 are never a good idea; yet the security firm Rapid7 analyzed the hacked passwords from LinkedIn and found this to be among the most common permutation of passwords. Assorted strings of numbers after a short word, such as the name of the site or your name, are also easily decodable, Jill1234. The vast majority of professional hackers use automated programs to break passwords – thus, it’s the complexity, rather than the obscurity, that gives you security. Use combinations of numbers, letters, and allowable symbols.
4. Never use the same password for everything: One of the most common mistakes is using the same password for everything. This doubles the risk posed by hackers – if someone breaks into your email account and can deduce your bank accounts, your social media profiles, and other services and then access those because all your passwords are the same, the cleanup process and the potential for loss just increased exponentially.
5. Set up a schedule to change your passwords: Change your passwords frequently. Consider setting up a reminder monthly to rotate your passwords, or at the very least quarterly.
6. If you need assistance remembering your passwords, there’s an app for that: Don’t store passwords on a file on your computer entitled “passwords” or on a sticky note in your wallet or desk. Instead, look at apps such as Kee Pass or 1Password that automate the process and use the best encryption methods for managing your passwords.

About the author:

Robert Coulter works in the security industry offering multi-factor authentication solutions for companies who need increased security protection for their clients.

The Basics Of Key Cryptography

This is a guest post by Catalin.

Some might say that I am not qualified enough to do the following task and to some extend I will agree with them. Currently I am employed by an Austin TX SEO firm, with my main function relying on search engine optimization. However, for the purpose of this article I will go over some basics surrounding encryption, namely, the Diffie-Hellman key exchange. This system is employed in public key cryptography.

I will try to keep the article as simple as possible, despite the complexity of the subject at hand. To better understand how public key cryptography works and why it is essential, we will have to understand how exactly the scenario works.

Let us say that you have a file that you wish to share with a friend. As someone that works with an Austin internet marketing company, this happens a lot of time for me. Sometimes these files can contain sensitive information from one of our clients or maybe I do not wish to endanger any of the information found in those files.

If I send the file and it is intercepted, the 3rd party can easily gain access to it. By using a password protection, a simple password protection system, with enough time or processing power, someone can break the password by simply bruteforcing the file. This simply means that you try all possible combinations and the more power your machine or network of machines has, the quicker this will end.

In case of the Diffie-Hellman key exchange, both me and my friend agree on two different numbers that are publicly announced. These can be intercepted, but their meaning is unknown to any third party. In this case, we use modular functions. Modular functions are also known as clock arithmetic, since you take a number and see if you divide a rope to that number resulting in equal units and wind it around a clock, what number the rope ends at.

Now both me and my friend know which function we will use but we share out own personal results. In a sense, we both know the basic elements of the equation and our own individual exponents. By sharing our own personal results, we can calculate what the others’ private exponent is, then we combine our own personal exponent with our friends exponent and apply that to the basic elements of the equation.

If a third party were to “listen in” they would only get our publicly share results which are based on our own calculations. However, they cannot backtrack that system to find out what our own private keys were. The other highly important element is that no user has access to both keys from the start. Each key is private and personal and the only information officially shared cannot be used to track any of the two numbers.

This however is not entirely true, since you could bruteforce this as well. Unlike simple password encryption though, this can literally take thousands of years even with the most advanced computers in the world. The system is easy in one direction (from me to my friend and vice versa) but it is close to impossible in the other direction.

About the author:

Catalin works for an Austin TX SEO company, providing clients with the best solutions for their business. If you are looking for any Austin internet marketing company, the one he works at will be your first recommendation.

Common Dangers And Instances Of Cell Phone Hacking

This is a guest post by Maria Elena.

In these modern times, cell phones allow you to make calls, send instant messages and emails, surf the web, and even pay your bills. But did you ever think about whether it is safe to do all these things simply through your mobile device? Of course you realize that all these activities require you to input valuable and personal information.  This can become a usual target for most hackers. However, with the convenience that using a cell phone brings, a lot of people tend to neglect thoughts of hacking.

It is important to know that by simply using Bluetooth or wireless connections, hackers can easily access your cell phone even without physical contact. They can listen to your calls and use your personal information for various functions such as online banking or shopping. These possibilities can put your identity and your safety at risk.

Even though newer phone models no longer come with default PIN’s, the way you select your digits can also lead to cell phone hacking. It is for this reason that most cell phone users are advised not to use birthdays and other relevant information as access or security codes.

Other than these instances, your social media accounts may also become an entry point for cell phone hackers. Most of these sites display personal information including profile photos, birthdays, cell phone numbers and addresses. Some updates even include your recent location or appointments. Through these type of data, hackers can get to you with minimal effort.

Tips for Avoiding Cell Phone Hacking

Most cell phone hacking incidents occur when you use an international calling service through a GSM mobile phone. This service makes use of a SIM card which allows your phone to establish a connection with a wireless carrier in the vicinity. As you know, hackers take advantage of wireless access. Therefore, you have to avoid displaying valuable data when using WIFI services.

When visiting other countries, cell phone users are provided with an option to choose a prepaid international calling service over other types of international calling service. Prepaid international calling services do not require any contracts or any hidden fees. It also does not require you to remember any PIN codes. Since the prepaid international calling service expires once the prepaid SIM is out of credit lines, hackers will not have the chance to access your cell phone and keep track of your activities and other important information.

Though using a prepaid international calling service is one of the best options for avoiding cell phone hacking, you can increase your level of protection through other options. If you do not wish hackers to intrude or intercept in your conversations, keep your cell phone secured.

Hackers make use of various techniques to access other people’s cell phones. When using an international calling service, they can intercept your calls or send messages and emails with malware, spyware or other infectious software that can be installed into your phone. Handsets cloning as well as caller ID spoofing are other hacking techniques that you should watch out for. With these techniques, an incoming call may appear from someone you know but it actually isn't.

With the potential threat cell phone hacking may cause, it is important that you remain cautious at all times. Set up PIN codes or passwords that are not easy to break into. Refrain from using WIFI services and do not download any applications from unknown or unsafe sources. If your phone has been hacked, it is best to contact your phone company. For prepaid users, discharge your battery or simply get rid of the SIM that you are using. All these tips can help you avoid losing valuable information to hackers when you use your cell phones to access your accounts. This way, you won’t be taken by surprise.

About the author:

Maria Elena, is Content Marketing Editor with Pingo. Pingo is a prepaid calling service that offers great rates on international and domestic long distance calls along with unbeatable quality, simplicity and convenience. Pingo offers 100% call quality and money back guarantee to ensure a risk free service that you can rely on. Pingo works great with your Smartphone with the Pingo EZ Dial app that brings your contact’s phone number right at your finger tips while also saving you money and rewarding you for trying it!

Phishing Season For Scammers To Hack Passwords

This is a guest post by Stella Rebecca.

Barracuda labs have found that scammers worldwide have set out an attack against users of OpenID in order to hunt down their user information such as log in details.

Many custom made log in pages are coming in to view, and are being made to look very similar to the sign in pages that are used during the OpenID authentication process, said Chapetti and Michmerhuizen, security researchers from Barracuda The OpenID log in process slightly differs in the manner that users can sign in to one website using their credentials from another website, such as Google, Facebook or Twitter. However what is happening now is that once the user has typed in their user name and password and hit enter the information is forwarded on to phishy website, from where an automated message is sent back to the user confirming their user details and that it has been validated.

According to the researchers’ finding this scam campaign makes use of either of two email messages. One email takes users to a real estate page based in Australia which is of course a compromised site and a trap. On the other hand the user may be given a UPS notification which is again a setup and then directed to a phishing site in the form of a UPS log in page.

In no way does this mean that there is a security laps in the OpenID system itself, as in fact the problem is the users’ unfamiliarity with the process of how their information is exchanged. As users are unable to differentiate between real and phishing sites, this is what scammers capitalize on.

Generally this is how the process takes place. First of all the user who wants to log in to or authenticate to a given website which is using the OpenID protocol is presented with a log in page from the domain of the website which provided the identity. This website id known as the identity provider (IdP), this page is where the person types in their log in details.

The scam which is stealing peoples’ information makes use of some sort of an on-page JavaScript in order to present a log in page with the logos of IdP’s such as Google or Twitter. The catch is that the user is not within the domain of the IdP, as they should be for normal OpenID authentication.

However there is a way for users to tell if the log in page is a fraud and that is by checking for a lack of the browser bar. As is stated by some sources, initially OpenID only supported full frame redirection to the IdP in order to make the browser bar clear. Though now even though some IdP’s do support a pop up window none of them should be making use of an iframe.

Furthermore users who have already signed in to their IdP’s domain and are using their account should never be asked to verify or re-enter their user details.

For now IdP’s are trying to train their users to understand how their sites work. For example when they revisit a web page, and they are already logged in, they should see a consent page, and not have to sign back in to their account.

For now the OpenID foundation is coming closer to completing a newer and more powerful OpenID protocol known as the OpenID connect. Together with this they are also working in a user interface which will be standardized for all users know as Account Chooser and will have a uniform log in page for all OpenID users and providers.

About the author:

Stella Rebecca has been in the business of providing quality information on tracking app for Iphone. Her main expertise lies within the spectrum of Moniotring software for Android and Spy app for cell phone which are making waves in the technology world today.

The Benevolent Brain And The Birth Of The PC Virus

This is a guest post by Zachary Lee.

The chronicle of the computer virus dates back to computing antiquity. First appearing in 1949 as theoretical self-replicating automata in the minds of mathematicians like John Von Neumann, the first living computer viruses appeared in the 70's as data storage war games (to later inspire the Tron zeitgeist), practical jokes and pranks – never spreading beyond the native environment in which they were born.

These early computer 'viruses' were more like controllable programs, having no malicious intent or capabilities. It was not until the advancement of operating systems and mobile storage media like floppy discs, mobile storage (and now the internet) that the computer virus became popular culture – and an actual threat to data.

The first quick-to-go-global PC virus did not appear until 1986, when the "Brain" spread beyond its humble origins of Pakistan, and went 'wild' as it was passed from floppy disk to system, and back to floppy disc.

Written 26 years ago by two Pakistani brothers trying to protect their own medical software code, Brain would affect computers by replacing the boot sectors of floppy discs with a copy of itself. The native boot sector would be marked as bad, and then be moved to another sector. The virus would slow down the floppy disc, aggravating users with a message like:

Welcome to the Dungeon (c) 1986 Brain & Amjads (pvt) Ltd VIRUS_SHOE RECORD V9.0 Dedicated to the dynamic memories of millions of viruses who are no longer with us today - Thanks GOODNESS!! BEWARE OF THE er..VIRUS : this program is catching program follows after these messages....$#@%$@!!

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_(computer_virus))

Brain was hardly malicious compared to today's data mining viruses, worms and Trojans. In fact, Brain lacked the necessary code for drive partitioning, and would barely ever infect the hard disk. Rather, Brain remained fairly undetected as long as users did not realize their floppy was slow.

"Our work was not intended to harm anyone. It was a friendly virus. We wrote it for our medical software to be protected from piracy…," explains Amjad Alvi, one of the brothers who wrote Brain.

(source: http://bloggerine.com/to-the-roots-of-pc-virus/)

Today, the evolution of computer viruses continues as the age of digital data envelopes us all. Hopefully in the future (when friendly self-replicating automata is improving computing for us all), we will be celebrating the history of computer viruses in jubilee. If ethical hacking continues to be a core tenant of computer virus evolution, perhaps we will reflect upon the birth of viruses as merely benevolent aspirations of hackers to learn, understand and improve how data is stored, shared and transported.

About the author:

Article written by Zachary Lee. To learn more about the latest evolution of computing viruses, worms, Trojans, rootkits and more, check out IT Security Watch.

Make Your Online Shopping Cart Solutions Hacker-Proof

This is a guest post by Jayati Bhattacharjee.

As owner of online shopping cart solutions, considering the issue of security seriously is important. To improve security of your online store, opt for simple strategies, such as buying a SSL certificate, using a powerful password, and using latest version of e commerce software.

Most people who own e-commerce stores believe that paying attention to web design and product selection are sufficient for enhancing conversation rate. Unfortunately, this is a wrong concept. For most users, the issue of security, rather the design, holds more importance.

To buy an item from an e-commerce store, offering credit card information is essential. Users are aware of the fact that if this sensitive information is passed on to any third-party, it can bring in negative consequences. This means that if you own an online store, opting for security measures for protecting your shop and customers is essential. Here are few steps you can take for enhancing security of your online shopping cart solutions.

Opt For a Security Certificate

Opting for a SSL certificate is a vital step for securing your e-commerce store. You can purchase this certificate via your web hosting service provider. Acquiring a SSL certificate will prevent hackers from obtaining sensitive information about your customers and misusing it.

SSL certificates are valid for 1 year. Therefore, you need to renew them regularly for securing your website.

Select a Strong Password

While most of us are aware of the importance of a strong password, few of us actually implement the strategy in reality. However, when you own an online store, you should not take any risk. Stay on the safe side by creating a password that includes numbers as well as alphabets. Avoid using passwords that are easy to guess-such as your car number or birthday. Ideally, they should be 7-8 characters long (at least).

For extra protection, request your customers to create strong passwords. Also, ask them to change their passwords regularly.

Avoid Trusting Your Employees Blindly

If you possess a team that manages your online store, be careful about their actions. If possible, avoid sharing billing information of the customers even with your employees. In case a trusted employee resigns, close his account. This will prevent others from acquiring sensitive information via his account.

If you require to hire a website designer for modifying the site or performing any other action, opt for a new password immediately after the job is completed.

Choose Latest Version of E Commerce Software

To prevent any unwanted situation, opt for the latest version of your e commerce software. Visit website of the developer regularly to acquire information about bugs and security. You also need to ensure that the web server hosting your online store is up-to-date. Additionally, make sure that the host uses a firewall for protecting personal information of visitors.

In the midst of all these, do not forget to protect your own computer by choosing good anti-virus programs and recommended firewalls.

Paper Print-Outs Should Not Include Sensitive Information

If you are planning to print order forms, ensure that these forms do not include billing or personal information of customers. Neglecting this issue can result in unwanted consequences.

Consider these tips to improve security of your online shop. If you require any help, get in touch with any renowned web development expert. He will guide you in making your online shop hacker-proof.

About the author:

Jayati is a techinal author at quality Web solutions which is a web design and development company in India. If you want to build a hacker-proof website you can contact or follow quality web solution on Facebook.