We participate in marketing programs, our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions. To find out more, please visit our Term and Conditions page.
We participate in marketing programs, our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions. To find out more, please visit our Term and Conditions page.
Introduction: Just four days before Google started updating website page ranks, I launched my social network to mark my 19th birthday and to create an atmosphere for you guys to reach out to people even more easily.
What to expect:
The Nairatrain Social Network comes with a lot of amazing features that favors webmasters & bloggers, programmers, internet marketers and the masses at large. Some of these amazing and rare features will include but not limited to the following:
An advance discussion board: This feature will be widely applauded for the atmosphere it creates for users. It is more or less a platform for users to share their views on the following related subjects. SubjectsDescriptionEducation/Carrier In these board, all educational, carrier and health matters will be discussed. Internet/Webmaster Discuss blogging tutorials, Internet tip, news and update, webmaster tools and seo tips in this board. Entertainment Looking for someone/something to put a smile on your face? here is the board for you.
These are the few major boards, others may include Love/Romance/Tradition, Joke, Scam Alert, Politics etc.
Live Chat: We cannot talk about Nairatrain.com without throwing lights on it’s amazing live text and video chat feature just like the one you use on facebook.. Here is a preview of the chat web application.
Pages: The issue of creating pages in social networks should not be over emphasized, however this is not just another custom page in a social network, Nairatrain.com gives you full access towards customizing your page to your test and provides you with nice tools for your page.
Blog: The blogging feature of Nairatrain.com is an important feature that should not be over looked by blog owners and users who share interest in blogging.
Media: Upload and share your favorite photos and videos, View and rate your friends photos.
Friend Finder: Find your friend from high school, college, universities, place of work etc. either with their username, real name, phone numbers, location, date of birth or their interest on Nairatrain.com.
Links: Share your favorite links on Nairatrain.com.
Your Privacy: Nairatrain respect your privacy as we have included in our privacy policy, however the concept of protecting your privacy totally depends on you, as Nairatrain.com has provided the necessary options to control who sees your profile info.
This is a simple but an amazing css gadget that changes you visitors default cursor to your custom cursor when they visit your website. The custom cursor gadget equally works on every platform including the blogger platform.
Does this slow my website load time? This gadget has a very little or no impact as regards to how your website load (in the case of load time)
How do I install this gadget on my blog? To install this gadget just follow the simple tutorials below.
Blogger
To ad this widget your blogger site, simply
Login to your blogger account.
Click on layout.
Add a new Html/Javascript Gadget.
Copy and paste the following code into you Gadget:
Adding to a website
To add this widget to a website or any other platform, simply paste the above code anywhere within the <head></head> section.
Mozilla released Firefox 16.0.1 on Thursday in order to fix a publicly disclosed vulnerability and three other security flaws identified after the release of Firefox 16.
Mozilla pulled down Firefox 16 from its website on Wednesday, one day after its release, because of a vulnerability that potentially allowed malicious Web pages to read the URLs of other websites accessed by visiting users. Such behavior should normally be prohibited by the browser’s security mechanisms. The issue was publicly disclosed by security researcher Gareth Heyes on Wednesday. Heyes published proof-of-concept code that, when loaded from an arbitrary Web page, could determine the user name of a user logged into Twitter. Mozilla determined that the issue found by Heyes only affects Firefox 16.0 and addressed it in Firefox 16.0.1. However, the new version of Firefox also fixes a separate vulnerability discovered by a Mozilla security researcher that can result in a similar behavior. In Firefox 15 and earlier versions this second security issue can also potentially lead to arbitrary code execution. In addition, Firefox 16.0.1 fixes two memory corruption bugs in the browser engine that can result in crashes and can potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code. One of these bugs only affects the Android version of Firefox when running inside custom Android firmware like CyanogenMod. Thunderbird 16.0.1 and SeaMonkey 2.13.1 were also released on Thursday in order to address the same vulnerabilities that were patched in the desktop version of Firefox.
Less than a day after Mozilla released Firefox version 16 to the public, the browser had to be pulled from the Web over security concerns.
“Mozilla is aware of a security vulnerability in the current release version of Firefox,” Michael Coates, Mozilla’s director of security assurance, explained in a blog. “We are actively working on a fix and plan to ship updates [Thursday]. Firefox version 15 is unaffected.” According to Coates, the vulnerability could allow a malicious website to capture a person’s Web history, which could be subsequently used for mischief.
“At this time we have no indication that this vulnerability is currently being exploited in the wild,” Coates wrote. Coates did not note when Mozilla became aware of the new vulnerability, or how it was discovered. Notes from a Mozilla meeting yesterday, however, show that the company was aware of it by 11 a.m. PT Wednesday, when it told developers that a “chemspill” — Mozilla’s term for an emergency update — was necessary. In a precautionary move, download versions of Firefox 16 have been removed from Mozilla’s installer page. Mozilla expects an updated version of Firefox that addresses the security vulnerability to be available Thursday. While Mozilla has taken down Firefox 16 from its website, the security-challenged version of the browser is still available on the Internet. For example, Yahoo is flogging Firefox 16 at its website and through ads in Google search results. If you have Firefox 16 on your computer, it will automatically be updated with the new version when it’s available. If you’re feeling squeamish about having Firefox 16 on your machine, Mozilla recommends that you downgrade your Firefox version to the 15.0.1 release of the software. While the version of Firefox 16 released Tuesday missed one vulnerability, it addressed a number of others including memory corruption and memory safety hazards, a buffer overflow bug and a spoofing and script-injection flaw. Update: Mozilla released Firefox 16.0.1 on Thursday, which fixes these security flaws. Read the report on this new version of Firefox.
What if windows eight doesn’t meet our expectations?
Microsoft launches Windows 8 later this month after a year of gradually making the new operating system more and more available, hoping for a big hit that will drive sales this holiday season and beyond, and giving the company new hope of grabbing a bigger share of tablet sales. But what if Windows 8 flops? For businesses, the problem won’t be that dire, says Paul DeGroot, principal consultant at Pica Communications. Businesses that are Microsoft shops already have an operating system, likely Windows 7, but if not, Windows XP with a plan to adopt Windows 7 soon before support for XP ends next spring. If Windows 8 is a complete bust, enterprises can stick with Windows 7 and wait until Microsoft picks itself up and does a better job with Windows 8 service packs or Windows 9 (or whatever it calls the next major release), he says. After all that’s what happened with Windows Vista, says Matthew Casey, an analyst with Technology Business Research, and Microsoft can handle a disappointing Windows 8. In fact that is a likely scenario, DeGroot says. “Most of the companies I work with are standardising on Windows 7. They are not going to be migrating to Windows 8.” He says many businesses will license Windows 8 but end up reimaging their networks with Windows 7, similar to how many enterprises licensed Vista but installed XP. Casey says a Microsoft stumble with Windows 8 will be handled by businesses the same way the performance of Windows Vista was handled. “If that’s the case we’ll see a similar reaction from Microsoft,” he says “It’s not going to be them closing their doors.” The company will press on with Windows 8 and its fundamental architecture. The impact on consumers won’t be that great, either. If Windows 8 doesn’t catch on a big part of the reason will be that consumers are buying some other tablet platform they like better, so they’ll be happy. But according to Gartner, Microsoft will be missing a big opportunity to make its mark in mobile devices if the Windows 8 gamble doesn’t pay off. “It is a risk that Microsoft must take to stay relevant in a world where mobile devices with new modern experiences are becoming the norm,” Gartner says in a research note “Is Windows 8 in Your Future?” The popularity of smartphones and tablets has Microsoft playing catch up, particularly with Apple, whose iPad dominates in tablets and whose iPhone holds down big large chunk of smartphones. “With Windows 8, Microsoft tries to address the excitement of the tablet market by adding a tablet interface to Windows,” Gartner says. If Windows 8 does become popular with consumers and finds its way into enterprises via the bring-your-own-device phenomenon it will still have hurdles to clear with IT departments. Ultrabooks and tablets still need to establish themselves in the corporate world where their use raises questions, Casey says. Who will pay for them? How will they be secured? “These are pieces that need to fall into place in the enterprise planning cycle,” he says. It’s also questionable whether they will gain traction as platforms for business applications, DeGroot says. “I think that is going to be a very tough sell,” DeGroot says, because the apps have to be vetted by the Microsoft Store before they will be allowed on closed Windows 8 devices. Businesses won’t want to leap that hurdle nor will they want to side-load apps on devices to get around the restriction that Windows 8 apps must be reviewed by and sold through the store. “I have some difficulty imagining many organizations are going to want to do that.” Beyond that, developers are not prepared to write for Windows 8; their training and experience leans toward traditional enterprise applications for conventional desktops without touch capabilities, DeGroot says. Touchscreen can actually be a barrier. With Windows 8 Microsoft is overhauling the underpinnings of its operating system with the introduction of Windows Runtime, a new architecture that gives a common footing to applications across a range of devices. Such applications can support both x86 and ARM hardware, potentially opening up the possibility of writing apps once that can run on any device. Microsoft hopes it can write its next major chapter with Windows 8 and Windows Runtime, Gartner says, and that is what makes a Windows 8 success – and avoiding a flop – so important. Windows 8 is simply the biggest turning point for Microsoft in decades. “Windows 8 is not your normal low- or even high-impact major release of the OS,” the research firm says. “We believe it’s the start of a new era for Microsoft, the Windows RT era, which follows the Windows NT era that began in 1993 and is just starting to wane.”
Here are the best pieces of computing facts & advice we’ve ever heard. Useful information never goes out of style.
While the computer technologies seem so ordinary and familiar there are still some facts about them which may surprise you. The internet was born 40 years ago, in a lab at the University of California, Los Angeles. Today it wraps the entire planet and features in the daily routine of more than 1.5 billion people. Of course, it’s easy to take the internet for granted and forget that it’s very much a work in progress. So what forces are shaping it, how big has it grown, and will it ever evolve a mind of its own? Here’s a collection of facts you probably didn’t know about the computers and the internet. Check them out.
TAKE A BREAK…… Technology never stops moving foward. Hardware gets faster, and operating systems gain new features and (we hope) finesse. This is natural computing law.But just because computers are one big exercise in evolutionary progress, that doesn’t mean certain computing maxims ever go out of style. Take, for example, the nuggets of wisdom in the following list. All of these things are as true today as they were 2, 5, and in some cases even 10 or 20 years ago. Below, we give you the best pieces of computing advice we’ve ever heard. Have we left anything out? Share your suggestions in the comments section of this article.
1) When in doubt, punch out
If something isnt working on your PC, dont wring your hands and yell at the screen. Just restart the system. That simple act alone will fix many of the problems you may be experiencing. When your PC restarts, it clears out all the temporary files in the RAM and relaunches the operating system. This wipes away any files that may have been giving your PC fitsand the operating system starts fresh and unfettered by whatever was affecting it. If you want to do these things without restarting, click Start, then Run, and type %temp% into the command line.
2) Expect your battery to let you down
It’s simply Murphy’s Law: Your laptop or tablet will poop out the moment you need it most. That is life. Always bring your power cables with you on the road, and if possible invest in backup and secondary battery options.
3) Crowdsource your troubleshooting
Chances are, the help resources at your device manufacturers website wont address your exact headache, but if you type an error message or problem you’re having into Google, you’ll inevitably find helpful information from poor souls who have encountered the very same issue.
4) Back everything up
Never get caught with just one copy of anything that you want to keep. Always back up your data, and then back up your backups. Consider backing up both to an external drive and to a cloud storage service. Its a good idea to keep separate system and data partitions to back up your data partition daily, and back up your system partition (Windows as well as your installed programs) at least quarterly.
5) Remember that thumb drives are your friends
Its very easy to lose track of the recovery discs that come with a new PC, so keep a USB drive with recovery software on it in case something goes wrong. Store it away in a safe, easy-to-remember place. And in that same safe place, keep both electronic and print copies of all your software keys.
6) Look to last years model for a better value
Tech manufacturers always charge a premium for the latest and greatest hardware and typically you don’t really need the world’s fastest processor, graphics card, or I/O technology. So do yourself a favor and consider buying hardware that was best-in-class during a previous manufacturing cycle. It will likely be heavily marked down, but still wholly capable and packed with performance.
7) Skip the extended warranty
Don’t be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay offexcept for the companies that sell them.
8) Read the manual
You might be surprised at what you can learn by reading user manuals. Its natural to just jump right in and begin doing the things you expect a device or application to do, but I’ve found that by reading the manual I can learn about features and functions I didn’t know existed. Reading the manual can increase the benefit you derive from your device, and make you feel a whole lot better about buying it.
9) Consider the total cost of ownership
This maxim mostly applies to purchases of printers and subsidized phones. If you intend to do a lot of printing, pay close attention to the cost and efficiency of consumables, namely the ink or toner. And if you’re investing in a new smartphone plan, consider what you’ll be paying month to month…to month…to month…
10) Resist the urge to impulse-shop
A tech geek is never more dangerous than when perusing the aisles of a brick-and-mortar hardware store. If you absolutely must purchase a new toy in person, make sure to do your research beforehand. Don’t be swayed by the razzle-dazzle of salespeople, and arm yourself with deep product knowledge before you enter a store. Also, always ask the retailer to match lower Internet pricing, if you can find it. (You’ll want to bring your smartphone with you.)
11) Keyboard shortcuts: Use them, love them, live them
You can work far faster (and look way cooler) by mastering keyboard shortcuts for the programs, services, and operating systems you use every day. To learn these shortcuts, check out our Forum’s numerous articles containing keyboard shortcuts for every major OS and many popular applications. Get started with Windows 7 shortcuts.
12) Build your own
In many cases, building your own PC can be a less expensive proposition than buying a prefab systemand even when it isn’t cheaper, building your own ensures that you get the precise configuration that fits your needs (this is especially true for gaming PCs).
13) Keep your software up-to-date
The message windows reminding you to update your software can get annoying, but its a good idea to stop what youre doing and click the ‘Update now’ button. You’ll get the all the functionality the software has to offer, and you’ll also obtain vital security patches that can protect your system from software crashes and data loss.
14) Use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse tray
You might not realize how much time you spend at your desk. Hours can fly by when you re in the zone, and those hours of typing and mousing add up. Carpal-tunnel syndrome and other repetitive-stress injuries are a real risk for the information workers of today, and they can cost you dearly in pain and missed work. A small investment in adjustable, ergonomic keyboard and mouse trays, coupled with some research on correct positioning, can save you a lot of trouble.
15) Encrypt sensitive stuff
Encrypt any file you wouldn’t want to share with a thief, including email. My program of choice: TrueCrypt. But don’t bother to encrypt the entire drive. Just create a TrueCrypt volume and keep your sensitive files there.
16) Label your power bricks
Every time you buy a new device, you wind up with a new power adapter. They collect under desks, behind PCs, and in boxes in the closet. It’s almost as if they’re breeding. Its easy to lose track of which one goes to which device, and its possible to harm your gear by using the wrong power cable. So the first thing you should do after buying new gear is to label the power brick, permanently pairing it with the right device.
17) Hide those cables
The tangled mess of cables and wires under your desk will only get worse and worseand you wont realize how much it bugs you until you finally clean it all up. You can bundle groups of wires by running them through toilet paper tubes, or binding them with pipe cleaners or small bands of velcro, and then use binder clips to tie the bundled wires to the underside of your desk, or any place where theyre out of sight.
18) Stay wired when you want to connect
Wired ethernet will always be faster and more reliable than wireless networking. If you regularly do something (for work or play) on your home computer that relies on a constant Web connection, you may be better off using a wired internet connection. Wired connections are capable of far faster data speeds and are simply not subject to the many factors that can disrupt a wireless connection.
19) Put your router in the middle
Position your wireless router as close as you can to the center of your home. This action can help ensure that all the wireless devices in your home are within range of the access point. Youll also find that the signals coming from your router are more likely to reach their destination if the antenna is elevated off the floor a few feet.
20) Stop thieves
People store gigabytes of vital information on their portable devices, yet they rarely think about protecting their devices from theft. One of the best things you can do is to install a GPS-enabled antitheft program on your laptop, tablet, or phone. If your device goes missing, the software will lock the OS, report the device’s location to you via GPS, and in some cases even capture and send some photos of the thief.
21) Investigate crashes
If your PC seems to crash frequently, the Windows Reliability Monitor (Control Panel > System and Security > Action Center > Reliability Monitor) can help isolate the cause. The utility keeps track of all hardware and software crashes and warnings, organising them by date. By clicking on one, you can see the full details of what happened.
22) For gamers: Update your drivers
Confirm whether you have the latest drivers for your PC’s graphics and sound hardware. Game developers create their titles using the latest features and functionality in graphics cards. If youre using older drivers, your graphics card might not be up to the task of rendering the game properly on screen.
23) Take a screenshot
Save a screenshot (or snap a photo and save it to Evernote) of every weird problem or crash you see. Having an image can help immensely if the problem becomes chronic and you need assistance in fixing it.
24) Use two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication simply means that logging in to a given service requires two separate forms of authentication: something you know (such as a password) and something you own, typically your smartphone. For example, you can enable two-factor authentication for your Gmail account. Doing so will require you to have your smartphone nearby every time you try to log in to your account so that the service can send you a unique alphanumeric code via SMS, but the arrangement makes it much more difficult for hackers to break into your account.
25) Change your router’s default SSID
The easiest thing you can do to improve the security of your wireless network is to change both the login and the password for your router to unique alphanumeric phrases that only you know. Since finding the default login and password for almost every router on the market is child’s play online, leaving your router at the defaults allows anyone to gain access to the wireless network in your home or small business.
26) Shun ‘Free Public Wi-Fi’
The ‘Free Public Wi-Fi’ network you might see listed on your Windows PC when you’re in various public places is the result of an old Windows XP bug that causes the OS to set up an ad hoc data-sharing network for connected PCs if it can’t connect to a trusted wireless network automatically. Connecting to this type of device-to-device ad hoc network rarely poses any immediate danger, but it won’t get you onto the Web, either. And malicious users could spy on the connection and steal valuable information from you.
27) Say no to cookies
Enable the Do Not Track feature on your browser. This feature will send a message to the websites you visit that it is not okay for them to install cookies in your browser that will record your movements around the Web. Unless you want that to happen, of course.
28) The best tip of all: Take a break
Every so often, take an electronic sabbatical. Go 24 hours without looking at a screen. It’s good for your eyes, and it reduces the chance of burnout. It also reminds you of how powerful personal computers of all shapes and sizes have become and that thought alone might make everyone a little more tolerant and patient when problems arise.
Here are the best pieces of computing facts & advice we’ve ever heard. Useful information never goes out of style.
While the computer technologies seem so ordinary and familiar there are still some facts about them which may surprise you. The internet was born 40 years ago, in a lab at the University of California, Los Angeles. Today it wraps the entire planet and features in the daily routine of more than 1.5 billion people. Of course, it’s easy to take the internet for granted and forget that it’s very much a work in progress. So what forces are shaping it, how big has it grown, and will it ever evolve a mind of its own? Here’s a collection of facts you probably didn’t know about the computers and the internet. Check them out.
TAKE A BREAK…… Technology never stops moving foward. Hardware gets faster, and operating systems gain new features and (we hope) finesse. This is natural computing law.But just because computers are one big exercise in evolutionary progress, that doesn’t mean certain computing maxims ever go out of style. Take, for example, the nuggets of wisdom in the following list. All of these things are as true today as they were 2, 5, and in some cases even 10 or 20 years ago. Below, we give you the best pieces of computing advice we’ve ever heard. Have we left anything out? Share your suggestions in the comments section of this article.
1) When in doubt, punch out
If something isnt working on your PC, dont wring your hands and yell at the screen. Just restart the system. That simple act alone will fix many of the problems you may be experiencing. When your PC restarts, it clears out all the temporary files in the RAM and relaunches the operating system. This wipes away any files that may have been giving your PC fitsand the operating system starts fresh and unfettered by whatever was affecting it. If you want to do these things without restarting, click Start, then Run, and type %temp% into the command line.
2) Expect your battery to let you down
It’s simply Murphy’s Law: Your laptop or tablet will poop out the moment you need it most. That is life. Always bring your power cables with you on the road, and if possible invest in backup and secondary battery options.
3) Crowdsource your troubleshooting
Chances are, the help resources at your device manufacturers website wont address your exact headache, but if you type an error message or problem you’re having into Google, you’ll inevitably find helpful information from poor souls who have encountered the very same issue.
4) Back everything up
Never get caught with just one copy of anything that you want to keep. Always back up your data, and then back up your backups. Consider backing up both to an external drive and to a cloud storage service. Its a good idea to keep separate system and data partitions to back up your data partition daily, and back up your system partition (Windows as well as your installed programs) at least quarterly.
5) Remember that thumb drives are your friends
Its very easy to lose track of the recovery discs that come with a new PC, so keep a USB drive with recovery software on it in case something goes wrong. Store it away in a safe, easy-to-remember place. And in that same safe place, keep both electronic and print copies of all your software keys.
6) Look to last years model for a better value
Tech manufacturers always charge a premium for the latest and greatest hardware and typically you don’t really need the world’s fastest processor, graphics card, or I/O technology. So do yourself a favor and consider buying hardware that was best-in-class during a previous manufacturing cycle. It will likely be heavily marked down, but still wholly capable and packed with performance.
7) Skip the extended warranty
Don’t be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay offexcept for the companies that sell them.
8) Read the manual
You might be surprised at what you can learn by reading user manuals. Its natural to just jump right in and begin doing the things you expect a device or application to do, but I’ve found that by reading the manual I can learn about features and functions I didn’t know existed. Reading the manual can increase the benefit you derive from your device, and make you feel a whole lot better about buying it.
9) Consider the total cost of ownership
This maxim mostly applies to purchases of printers and subsidized phones. If you intend to do a lot of printing, pay close attention to the cost and efficiency of consumables, namely the ink or toner. And if you’re investing in a new smartphone plan, consider what you’ll be paying month to month…to month…to month…
10) Resist the urge to impulse-shop
A tech geek is never more dangerous than when perusing the aisles of a brick-and-mortar hardware store. If you absolutely must purchase a new toy in person, make sure to do your research beforehand. Don’t be swayed by the razzle-dazzle of salespeople, and arm yourself with deep product knowledge before you enter a store. Also, always ask the retailer to match lower Internet pricing, if you can find it. (You’ll want to bring your smartphone with you.)
11) Keyboard shortcuts: Use them, love them, live them
You can work far faster (and look way cooler) by mastering keyboard shortcuts for the programs, services, and operating systems you use every day. To learn these shortcuts, check out our Forum’s numerous articles containing keyboard shortcuts for every major OS and many popular applications. Get started with Windows 7 shortcuts.
12) Build your own
In many cases, building your own PC can be a less expensive proposition than buying a prefab systemand even when it isn’t cheaper, building your own ensures that you get the precise configuration that fits your needs (this is especially true for gaming PCs).
13) Keep your software up-to-date
The message windows reminding you to update your software can get annoying, but its a good idea to stop what youre doing and click the ‘Update now’ button. You’ll get the all the functionality the software has to offer, and you’ll also obtain vital security patches that can protect your system from software crashes and data loss.
14) Use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse tray
You might not realize how much time you spend at your desk. Hours can fly by when you re in the zone, and those hours of typing and mousing add up. Carpal-tunnel syndrome and other repetitive-stress injuries are a real risk for the information workers of today, and they can cost you dearly in pain and missed work. A small investment in adjustable, ergonomic keyboard and mouse trays, coupled with some research on correct positioning, can save you a lot of trouble.
15) Encrypt sensitive stuff
Encrypt any file you wouldn’t want to share with a thief, including email. My program of choice: TrueCrypt. But don’t bother to encrypt the entire drive. Just create a TrueCrypt volume and keep your sensitive files there.
16) Label your power bricks
Every time you buy a new device, you wind up with a new power adapter. They collect under desks, behind PCs, and in boxes in the closet. It’s almost as if they’re breeding. Its easy to lose track of which one goes to which device, and its possible to harm your gear by using the wrong power cable. So the first thing you should do after buying new gear is to label the power brick, permanently pairing it with the right device.
17) Hide those cables
The tangled mess of cables and wires under your desk will only get worse and worseand you wont realize how much it bugs you until you finally clean it all up. You can bundle groups of wires by running them through toilet paper tubes, or binding them with pipe cleaners or small bands of velcro, and then use binder clips to tie the bundled wires to the underside of your desk, or any place where theyre out of sight.
18) Stay wired when you want to connect
Wired ethernet will always be faster and more reliable than wireless networking. If you regularly do something (for work or play) on your home computer that relies on a constant Web connection, you may be better off using a wired internet connection. Wired connections are capable of far faster data speeds and are simply not subject to the many factors that can disrupt a wireless connection.
19) Put your router in the middle
Position your wireless router as close as you can to the center of your home. This action can help ensure that all the wireless devices in your home are within range of the access point. Youll also find that the signals coming from your router are more likely to reach their destination if the antenna is elevated off the floor a few feet.
20) Stop thieves
People store gigabytes of vital information on their portable devices, yet they rarely think about protecting their devices from theft. One of the best things you can do is to install a GPS-enabled antitheft program on your laptop, tablet, or phone. If your device goes missing, the software will lock the OS, report the device’s location to you via GPS, and in some cases even capture and send some photos of the thief.
21) Investigate crashes
If your PC seems to crash frequently, the Windows Reliability Monitor (Control Panel > System and Security > Action Center > Reliability Monitor) can help isolate the cause. The utility keeps track of all hardware and software crashes and warnings, organising them by date. By clicking on one, you can see the full details of what happened.
22) For gamers: Update your drivers
Confirm whether you have the latest drivers for your PC’s graphics and sound hardware. Game developers create their titles using the latest features and functionality in graphics cards. If youre using older drivers, your graphics card might not be up to the task of rendering the game properly on screen.
23) Take a screenshot
Save a screenshot (or snap a photo and save it to Evernote) of every weird problem or crash you see. Having an image can help immensely if the problem becomes chronic and you need assistance in fixing it.
24) Use two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication simply means that logging in to a given service requires two separate forms of authentication: something you know (such as a password) and something you own, typically your smartphone. For example, you can enable two-factor authentication for your Gmail account. Doing so will require you to have your smartphone nearby every time you try to log in to your account so that the service can send you a unique alphanumeric code via SMS, but the arrangement makes it much more difficult for hackers to break into your account.
25) Change your router’s default SSID
The easiest thing you can do to improve the security of your wireless network is to change both the login and the password for your router to unique alphanumeric phrases that only you know. Since finding the default login and password for almost every router on the market is child’s play online, leaving your router at the defaults allows anyone to gain access to the wireless network in your home or small business.
26) Shun ‘Free Public Wi-Fi’
The ‘Free Public Wi-Fi’ network you might see listed on your Windows PC when you’re in various public places is the result of an old Windows XP bug that causes the OS to set up an ad hoc data-sharing network for connected PCs if it can’t connect to a trusted wireless network automatically. Connecting to this type of device-to-device ad hoc network rarely poses any immediate danger, but it won’t get you onto the Web, either. And malicious users could spy on the connection and steal valuable information from you.
27) Say no to cookies
Enable the Do Not Track feature on your browser. This feature will send a message to the websites you visit that it is not okay for them to install cookies in your browser that will record your movements around the Web. Unless you want that to happen, of course.
28) The best tip of all: Take a break
Every so often, take an electronic sabbatical. Go 24 hours without looking at a screen. It’s good for your eyes, and it reduces the chance of burnout. It also reminds you of how powerful personal computers of all shapes and sizes have become and that thought alone might make everyone a little more tolerant and patient when problems arise.
Shortly after Firefox regained its No. 2 position in the browser arena, Mozilla on Tuesday unleashed the next version of its popular open source browser complete with fixes for numerous critical vulnerabilities
Holes associated with a full 14 security advisories were closed in the new Firefox 16, in fact, 11 of them rated “critical.” Also notable about Firefox 16 are features including a new developer toolbar, early Web app support, preliminary VoiceOver support in the Mac OS X version, and a new Reader Mode in the Android version. ‘A growing set of novel features’ Among the vulnerabilities fixed by Firefox 16 are memory corruption and memory safety hazards, a buffer overflow bug, and a spoofing and script-injection flaw. Most were also corrected in Thunderbird 16 and SeaMonkey 2.13, both of which were released on Tuesday as well, in addition to being backported to the business-oriented Extended Support Release (ESR) versions of Firefox and Thunderbird. With initial support for Web apps in the desktop Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of Firefox 16, meanwhile, developers can now begin building self-contained versions of their websites that are installed by the user, can run offline, and “don’t always require the chrome of a browser window,” Mozilla explains. Web apps also “have access to a growing set of novel features, such as synchronizing across all of a user’s devices,” it adds.
Eventually, Web apps will be distributed through the forthcoming Mozilla Marketplace. ‘Removes all the clutter’ Mac users will find that preliminary support for the VoiceOver screen reader is now turned on by default in Firefox 16, while new features in the Android version include a Safari-like Reader Mode that “removes all the clutter from Web pages and shows you only what you want to read in a minimalist UI,” as Firefox Mobile developer Lucas Rocha explained in a blog post this summer. Also new on the Android side are the ability to use a “Share” menu item to send tabs to other devices through the “Firefox Sync” option and a feature designed to ensure that malicious “tel: URLs” crafted to wipe the phone can no longer be opened. Ready to give the latest and greatest Firefox a try for yourself? It’s now available as a free download in desktop and mobile versions on the Mozilla site.
Last year blogger.com introduced mobile templates on Blogger, and Dynamic Views for the desktop. Since then, over 2 million blogs have started using Dynamic Views on desktop, and users have been asking for more mobile features. Just recently, blogger announced that the will be bringing speed and advanced reading experience of Dynamic Views to mobile. Configuring your blog to use a Dynamic View on mobile will result in a reading experience that mirrors the desktop, but is optimized for mobile. To configure a Dynamic View for mobile on your blog, select the “Template” tab, and then click on the settings cog under the “Mobile” preview.
If you’re currently using Dynamic Views on the desktop and have the “Default” mobile template selected, you don’t need to do anything — your blog will automatically start using the mobile optimized view when viewed from a compatible mobile browser.
Currently, only the “Classic” view, which is best suited for small screens, will be shown on mobile. Tablets with large screens will get the full desktop experience. As with the older mobile templates, supported browsers are WebKit-based browsers (such as Android Browser, Chrome for Android and iOS, and Mobile Safari).
We hope your readers enjoy the modern, compelling experience that this mobile update provides.
Outdated software is the weak spot of Android phones, according to a security firm’s recent study that finds more than half of the Android-powered devices checked have unpatched vulnerabilities, putting their users at risk of mobile malware. Duo Security, a Michigan-based company whose investors include Google, gathered data from more than 20,000 Android devices around the world that loaded its free app, X-Ray, released two months ago. Unlike traditional mobile antivirus software that scans for known malware, X-Ray scans Android devices to see whether they have unpatched vulnerabilities that may put them at risk.
The firm found that more than half of Android devices worldwide have unpatched vulnerabilities that could be exploited by rogue apps. The X-Ray FAQ explains that a number of such vulnerabilities have been discovered in the core Android platform, affecting nearly all Android devices. Even more are found in manufacturer-specific extensions that may affect a smaller subset of Android users. “Yes, it’s a scary number, but it exemplifies how important expedient patching is to mobile security and how poorly the industry (carriers, device manufacturers, etc.) has performed thus far,” says Jon Oberheide, CTO at Duo Security, in the company’s blog posting about its research. “We feel this is actually a fairly conservative estimate based on our preliminary results, the current set of vulnerabilities detected by X-Ray, and the current distribution of Android versions globally.” Oberheide was recently named one of Forbes’ “30 under 30” for his Android security research.
Carriers are very conservative in rolling out patches to fix vulnerabilities in the Android platform, users’ mobile devices often remain vulnerable for months and even years,” Oberheide adds. Apple releases software patches for its iOS software regularly and users have immediate access to any updates, but the nature of Android means that carriers and device manufactures hold the key when it comes to updating phones. Sometimes Android updates are not rolled out to all phones in order to entice users to buy newer devices. If you’re one of those people running an older version of Android, make sure to take extra precaution when installing apps or browsing the Web on your device. Never install apps from sources you don’t trust, and take some time to grab a mobile security app like Lookout, TrustGo, or Norton Mobile Security. While you may not be able to close the holes in the OS itself, you can at least prevent apps that use these exploits from getting onto your device. More than 500 million Android devices are activated, according to Google’s own stats, and the majority of them (57 percent) run on Gingerbread (2.3.X), a version introduced in late 2010, while only 1.2 percent run on the latest Jelly Bean (4.1) update. Just under 20 percent of Android devices run older versions of Android, dating back to 2009. Post Credit: techhive.com
It’s a huge year for Microsoft. The venerable tech giant is essentially reinventing itself from the ground up for 2012. A new server OS, new desktop OS, new Microsoft Office suite, new mobile platform, and new tablet hardware are all being launched virtually simultaneously. To say Microsoft has a lot riding on the success of the new products is an understatement. Apparently, Microsoft is willing to put its money where its proverbial mouth is, though, and lead its customers by example. There are reports that Microsoft plans to accelerate its normal PC refresh cycle to give all employees new Windows 8 desktops and laptops. But, wait—there’s more! Microsoft is also allegedly issuing new Windows Phone 8 smartphones and Surface RT tablets to all employees as well. Microsoft allegedly plans to give all employees their very own Surface RT tablet.
Aside from Microsoft playing Santa Claus (or Oprah—choose your own benevolent icon), and bringing Christmas to employees a tad early, the move also demonstrates Microsoft’s confidence in the new platforms and software. It is arguably the most extreme example of the “eat your own dog food” mantra ever implemented. It’s probably not entirely altruistic, though. It seems safe to assume that there is a deeper business strategy behind the decision. Onuora Amobi, editor of Windows8Update.com, thinks it’s a brilliant move by Microsoft. Aside from fostering loyalty and good will with employees, it allows Microsoft to do a massive real-world test of its manufacturing and distribution channels, and it enables Microsoft to demonstrate–on a massive, global scale—that Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are ready for enterprise customers to roll out themselves. From a marketing and consumer standpoint, the strategy makes sense as well. With more than 90,000 employees carrying and using Windows 8 smartphones and Surface RT tablets, the devices will get a huge boost in exposure. The friends and family of those 90,000 employees will have a chance to touch and feel the new Windows 8 smartphones and tablets, and the word of mouth marketing will be much more invaluable to Microsoft than any advertising it can buy. Of course, Microsoft followed a similar strategy a couple years ago when it gave all employees Windows Phone 7 smartphones. Despite the word of mouth marketing and excitement that should’ve been generated among Microsoft family and friends, the Windows Phone platform has still been struggling to earn a seat at the table with other mobile platforms like iOS and Android. Microsoft is putting its money on the line in other ways as well, though. Previous versions of Windows have cost consumers hundreds of dollars to upgrade, but with Windows 8 Microsoft is offering the upgrade for a mere $40 for a limited time. There’s also a rumor that Microsoft could price its Surface RT tablet at around $200—a very aggressive price for a tablet of that caliber, and something, which is sure to draw attention if it proves true. Microsoft isn’t just developing incremental tweaks to existing product lines. The operating systems, platforms, software and devices Microsoft is unleashing this year represent a bold departure from traditional Microsoft products and strategies. Much of what Microsoft is doing is essentially a gamble—but it’s a gamble that Microsoft is going all in on. We’ll see if the strategy pays off.
It hasn’t been the best of months for Anonymous, the loose hacktivist collective that likes to view itself as the most potent threat on the Web to big government, big business, and those who do not share its views on pretty much anything — law enforcement, the environment, internet freedom, copyright laws, politics etc. Several of its recent claims have been exposed as not just inflated, but outright fabrications.
The group claimed to have personal mailing addresses and phone numbers besides the UDIDs, plus device tokens for the Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) for numerous types of Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. The FBI immediately denied that any of its computers had been compromised. Apple said it had never provided UDIDs to the FBI. And, as Michael Mimoso noted on the Kaspersky Labs blog Threatpost, David Schuetz, a senior consultant with Intrepidus Group, found that the real source of the breach was BlueToad, a Florida based technology provider for digital publishers. “[Schuetz] found a password dump online for BlueToad dated March 14, the same week AntiSec said it had breached the FBI computer. Any hesitancy Schuetz had regarding BlueToad’s connection to the breach was evaporating,” Mimoso wrote. Earlier this week, BlueToad CEO Paul DeHart publicly confirmed via the company’s blog that it was the source of the breach, that it had contacted law enforcement and was cooperating in the investigation.
Then there was the claim last month that Anonymous was looking to break into the communication system between NASA and the Mars rover Curiosity. That didn’t even pass the laugh test for most security professionals, who viewed it as a bad joke or a weak attempt at trolling. Last March, LulzSec, which operated under the Anonymous umbrella, after the FBI arrested and then flipped its leader, Hector Xavier Monsegur, who went by the hacker name of “Sabu.” Does all this mean that the Anonymous brand has been undermined? Do its boasts and threats have any credibility in the security community?
Anonymous uneven
Yes and no, say those who track its exploits. Most agree with Cole Stryker, an author who has researched Anonymous and who The New York Timesquoted describing it as “a handful of geniuses surrounded by a legion of idiots.” Those idiots, say experts, are going to make a host of errors and laughable claims. But that does not mean there is no danger from the core group.
“What we have here is a bunch of kids, largely in UK and here and dozens of other places such as Brazil, Turkey, Iran, China, Ukraine, Romania and lesser numbers in other places across the planet — a bunch of really bored kids who want to be a part of something, but have no clue,” said Kevin McAleavey, cofounder of the KNOS Project and a malware and hacking expert.
“How seriously do I take Anonymous’s claims? About as seriously as I take ‘The Daily Show,'” he said. “Yes, there are a handful of really dangerous people who those kids admire and who occasionally feed them a breath mint. One or two of them have already been apprehended. The rest have gone back to collecting exploits and writing malware, and selling them to criminals and government spooks for real cash. They won’t touch Anonymous any more because the heat is too high.” Nick Selby, a Texas police officer and information security consultant who runs a police-led intelligence blog, noted at the time of the LulzSec bust that there is essentially no barrier to claim membership in Anonymous. “It doesn’t require massive technical skills — just reasonable knowledge and a willingness to break the law,” he said. But Aaron Cohen, founder of the Hacker Academy, said he thinks it would be foolish to discount the group’s skill and power. He said he has a hard time talking about Anonymous, “because we don’t know who they are. People are out there doing things under the name of Anonymous, but you don’t really know if that’s true.” Cohen said the whole idea of an Anonymous brand misses the point. “They’re not looking for branding,” he said. “They’re doing it under a pseudo name. There is no call to arms to get somebody. But if one person says they’re going to get a company, then everybody tends to rally around that person.” But Cohen adds that he thinks Anonymous has been “pretty reliable so far,” in both its claims and its threats. And he said whether it is Anonymous or some other group, good hackers are proof that “if people want to break into something badly enough, they can.” “So if you’re a target, it’s best to tighten up,” he said.
Imagine turning on a brand new, fresh-from-the-factory laptop and already having a virus on it before you even do anything. That’s the scary situation Microsoft uncovered on several PCs in China, and now the tech giant is fighting the botnet responsible for the infections in court. Microsoft digital crime investigators in China discovered the Nitol virus when looking into the sale of counterfeit software. The virus was preinstalled on 20 percent of the laptops and desktops tested, Microsoft states on its blog. Somewhere between the assembly line and the retail purchase, cybercriminals were able to introduce the malware. The majority—85 percent—of Nitol infections have been detected in China, but nearly 10 percent have also been found in the U.S., Microsoft reveals.
Nitol-infected PCs immediately and automatically search the Internet for other computers to connect to and attack. Microsoft’s further investigation unearthed more than 500 other types of malware being hosted by this illegal network. The malware found was capable of keystroke logging, remotely turning on the video camera and microphone, launching denial of service attacks, and more. The Microsoft Digital Crime Unit has been investigating the malware since last August. This week, a U.S. District court granted Microsoft permission to take over the 3322.org domain and its 70,000 sub-domains, which the company says is the source of the infection and a major hub of illegal activity. Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against server owner Peng Yong. Combating botnets by shutting down the domain providers is a strategy Microsoft has had great success with in the past. This is the second botnet disruption for the software giant in the last six months. It’s also the largest single repository of infected software the company has found to date. More than 37 million malware connections have been blocked from 3322.org since Microsoft won the court order.
It is rare to find a new PC that doesn’t come with additional bells and whistles in addition to the operating system itself. The “bloatware” that PC vendors add on often includes useful tools like third-party security software. It seems, though, that some PCs also come with something more insidious—pre-installed malware. Microsoft researchers investigating counterfeit software in China were stunned to find that brand new systems being booted for the first time ever were already compromised with botnet malware right out of the box. Microsoft has filed a computer fraud suit against a Web domain registered to a Chinese businessman. The suit alleges that the Nitol malware on the new PCs points the compromised systems to 3322.org. Microsoft believes the site is a major hub of malware and malicious online activity. Microsoft claims that site in question hosts Nitol, as well as 500 other types of malware. A Washington Post report states that it’s the largest single repository of malicious software ever encountered by Microsoft.
Most users—particularly most users of the Microsoft Windows operating systems—are aware of the many online threats. They’ve been conditioned to install antimalware and other security software, and update it frequently to ensure it can detect and block the latest, emerging threats. It’s a problem, though, if the PC is already compromised with malware before the antimalware software is even installed or enabled. Part of the concern lies in how the pre-installed malware works, or how deeply embedded it is. Most malware can still be identified and removed by security software after the fact. However, malware threats that are planted at the kernel level of the operating system, or in the PC BIOS operate at a level that is too deep, and can avoid detection by most antimalware tools. Malicious software is big business, and the criminals running the business are often quite clever and innovative when it comes to finding new ways to spread it. Planting malware in PCs, smartphones, or tablets before they’re even purchased and unboxed is certainly one way to go about it. What can you do then to defend against these threats? For starters, buy your PC, tablet, or smartphone hardware from established, respected vendors. If you buy an HP, Dell, Acer, Sony, or other such brand name PC the odds of it being compromised with pre-installed malware out of the box are pretty low. If you buy an Apple iPad, Google Nexus 7, or Amazon Kindle Fire you will most likely get a device free of malware infections. But, if you go bargain shopping online and buy a PC or knock-off tablet from a shady, unknown site the risk is higher. Regardless, don’t assume that just because your PC or mobile device is brand new that it must be safe and free from malware. And, you might not want to trust the pre-installed security software, either, since you can’t verify that it’s legitimate and free from malware itself. Make sure you install a reliable cross-device security tool to detect and identify malware that may already be present.
Mozilla released Firefox 15.0.1 on Thursday in order to fix a bug that potentially exposed the websites visited by users while in “Private Browsing” mode. The goal of the “Private Browsing” mode is to enable Firefox users to surf the Web without leaving any traces of the visited websites behind. According to a support article on Mozilla’s website, while running in Private Browsing mode the browser shouldn’t save visited pages, form and search bar entries, passwords, download entries, cookies, or temporary Internet files, which are collectively known as cached Web content. The cached Web content consists of images, script files and other resources downloaded automatically by the browser from visited websites. These files are saved and loaded directly from the disk when a Web page is revisited in order to decrease the page’s overall loading time. The bug addressed in Firefox 15.0.1 caused temporary Internet files to be saved inside the browser’s disk cache instead of its memory cache when browsing in private mode. Unlike the disk cache, the memory cache is automatically cleared when the browsing session is terminated. Because temporary files are saved inside the cache together with their original URLs, they can expose what websites users visited while the browser was running in Private Browsing mode. According to a discussion on Mozilla’s Firefox bug tracker, the bug was introduced in Firefox 15.0, but was also present in development builds of Firefox 16, 17 and 18. Users should be aware that when upgrading from Firefox 15.0 to Firefox 15.0.1, the temporary files already stored in the browser’s disk cache are not automatically removed. While in Private Browsing mode, Firefox 15.0.1 will no longer create temporary files on the disk, but the files already created because of the Firefox 15.0 bug will persist until manually removed. Instructions on how to clear the entire Internet cache in Firefox are described in a support article on Mozilla’s website. Users who want to review their disk cache entries can type about:cache in the browser’s address bar and click on the “List Cache Entries” link from “Disk cache device” section.
Microsoft has taken its server OS a giant step forward with Tuesday’s release of Windows Server 2012, making this version the first that can be controlled remotely so it is more suitable for data centers.“Microsoft has delivered on the promise of an operating system that can be completely managed from the command line,” said Don Jones, an author of a series of Windows 2012 instructional videos that have been released by the training firm CBT Nuggets. “The technologies are in place to manage 100 servers as easily as you can manage one server.” The first major upgrade since 2009 features a bevy of new features, most designed to make it more suitable for large-scale data-center deployments. Satya Nadella, Microsoft president for Server and Tools, has touted this release as Microsoft’s “Cloud OS.” Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization can now support up to 64 virtual processors and 1TB of memory for guests, a marked improvement from the old limit of four virtual processors and 64GB of memory. The Server Message Block (SMB) network communication protocol has been updated to handle faster data transfers and the OS’s Server Manager has been updated to handle multiple servers at once. But perhaps the most significant enhancement is one that may not be noticed among these flashy new features. Thanks to the inclusion of the PowerShell, first introduced six years ago, this will be the first version of Windows Server that can be completely controlled through the command line, making it controllable remotely. PowerShell provides the Windows similar capabilities that chief competitor Unix has long offered, such as the ability to forward, or pipe, the output of one process to the input of another process. It even adds a few new tricks, such as the ability to handle software objects, which have come about from studying Unix’s limitations. “It is an incredibly well-designed shell,” Jones said. Of course, the GUI is still available for those who require it, but “you can remove the GUI and it will be a fully functional server,” Jones said. Doing away with the need for a GUI (graphical user interface) means that servers can be managed more efficiently in multiple numbers, Jones said. “If you are still using management techniques where you are still physically touching the server, you need to move to the 21st century and managing it like a server in a data center.” For instance, an administrator may now have to execute a routine task on a server once a week — such as backing up data — by clicking through a series of options on a graphical program. With the command line, the administrator can write a script in PowerShell to run though all of those steps automatically and that script can run against multiple machines. PowerShell may require some studied learning for those used to GUIs, but it is time well invested, Jones said, adding that his videos were designed to help give users an introduction to the technology. In addition to PowerShell, Windows Server 2012 also features a data-center-friendly installation method called Server Core, which provides a way to install the OS over the network. One hardware partner, Dell, has wasted no time in updating its line of servers to run Windows Server 2012. The company designed its PowerEdge 12th generation (12G) servers around Windows Server 2012. The new blade, rack and tower servers run Intel Xeon E5-2600 processors and feature extreme memory density, hot-swappable hard drives and solid state drives, and a range of advanced features to support networking. Microsoft “engineered the Windows Server 2012 for the private cloud. Our part of the equation is to deliver hardware and systems that are enabled for virtualization,” said Brian Payne, executive director of Dell PowerEdge servers. The 12G was designed to host the many multiple virtual machines that Hyper-V can host, he noted. Dell also designed software to take advantage of Windows Server 2012’s ODX (Offload Data Transfer) protocol, which allows data to be moved among different server nodes without the need of the server CPU.
A hacker collective known as AntiSec has published over a million Apple device IDs that it claims were captured from the laptop of an FBI agent. If you own an iPhone or iPad, you might be wondering what this hack means to you, and you might also be curious about why the FBI had your Apple UDID in the first place. The information was acquired and released by the hackers as a political statement. The lengthy diatribe posted on Pastebin along with the hacked Apple ID info rants about government oppression and hypocrisy. Why does the FBI have 12 million Apple device UDIDs on a laptop?While the group has published one million and one hacked Apple device IDs, it should be given at least a little credit for restraint. The details stolen from the FBI laptop included more personal information as well—such as full names, cell phone numbers, addresses and zip codes. According to the letter from AntiSec, there were approximately 12 million Apple device IDs stored in the file on the FBI laptop. It chose to release just a portion rather than publishing all 12 million. AntiSec could have simply published the data it acquired without scrubbing it first, but the point it’s trying to make is against the government and the FBI—not the individuals whose information happened to be in the hands of the FBI. Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle, stresses that the Apple device UDID information itself doesn’t really pose a risk to users. “UDIDs in isolation aren’t a big deal. In fact, Apple used to permit apps to spew UDIDs all over the place, so there’s a lot of UDID data already in the public domain. For a while, there were a lot of apps using UDID and personal data to track users activity and selling it to advertisers.” But, the hack of an FBI laptop yielding information on 12 million Apple devices does bring up another very valid question. As Storms puts it, “This release does make you wonder what the heck the FBI and the DOJ were doing with 12 million UDIDs. Are they working on a case involving Apple or an app maker? And, assuming there is a legitimate reason for the FBI to have this data, why wasn’t it better protected?” I have reached out the FBI Office of Public Affairs seeking an official explanation or statement regarding why the FBI was in possession of the Apple device UDID information at all, as well as whether or not there should have been stronger protection in place to guard such sensitive data. As of this moment, the FBI has not yet responded. [Update] The FBI has issued a statement flatly denying that the hacked Apple device IDs published by AntiSec came from an FBI computer, or that the FBI is in any way involved in collecting such data in the first place: “The FBI is aware of published reports alleging that an FBI laptop was compromised and private data regarding Apple UDIDs was exposed. At this time, there is no evidence indicating that an FBI laptop was compromised or that the FBI either sought or obtained this data.” The FBI statement puts the ball back in AntiSec’s court. One side or the other isn’t being completely honest here. AntiSec does seem to be in possession of vast quantity of Apple device ID data. The question is, if the data didn’t come from a hacked FBI laptop, where did the information come from and how did AntiSec acquire it?
Smartphones and tablets are vulnerable to attack, too. Here’s what to look for in a comprehensive security solution. By now you should already know the basics of online security: Don’t send money to a Nigerian prince, don’t click on that picture of Britney in a bikini, don’t call the Rev. Father from senegal and don’t run your PC without a security suite. All those basics still apply, but as technology moves forward, so do threats to your privacy and your devices. Today, we need to protect not only our computers, but also our smartphones and tablets. Fortunately, protecting yourself and all your devices can be easy with the help of some sound practices and good software. The first step, however, is to understand what threats are out there. Never forget that your smartphone or tablet is actually a full-fledged computer in a smaller package. You can surf the web with it; check email; and use it to download and upload documents, photos, mp3s, videos, and software in the form of apps. That’s why we love handheld devices, of course, but it also means they are susceptible to attacks just like PCs are. To make matters worse, your phone or tablet can be the seed that carries an attack to all the hardware devices in your network, as well as those of anyone you email, text, or share data with. Know The Threats There are so many different kinds of threats out there, it can be hard to keep track: worms, botnets, viruses, spyware, phishing… You’ve probably heard of all of these without knowing exactly what they look like or how they work. They’re all basically different types of software threats, known collectively as “malware,” or malicious software.
A worm is malware that is designed to spread itself from computer to computer across the Internet. Once it’s in your system, device, or network, it can make your computer perform unwanted actions.
A botnet is malware that turns infected hardware (like your PC or phone) into an unwitting host for its creator. You won’t necessarily know you’re infected, but meanwhile your hardware is being used as part of a large, powerful network of similar “bots” that their programmer weaves together into one big system. Botnets can be used to attack other networks, such as the “denial of service” attacks on the news to sites like Amazon, Citibank, and even the U.S. government.
A virus is self-replicating malware that is usually attached to legitimate programs or files, so that when you launch the infected program or file, the virus launches too. Similar to a virus is a Trojan horse, which starts out as a file that you feel confident opening, such as a picture or presentation file, but is actually a virus in disguise. Once a virus is on your computer, it can make a wide variety of unwanted changes to your files.
Spyware is any type of software that collects information about the user of an infected device. Some spyware can be legitimate—parents or others might install spyware to monitor how a computer is being used. When spyware installs as a threat, it often arrives as a Trojan horse or through adware, which is any advertisement that installs malware after it is clicked.
Phishing is a type of threat that requires you to interact with it. Typically, the purpose of a phishing attack is to collect your information—like your web logins, passwords, and credit card or bank account information. Phishing attacks are often disguised as emails or websites for large banks or online retailers, prompting you to click a link to log in and enter personal information. If you do as prompted, you will be giving your login info away to a predator.
Why You Should Care All of these types of attacks can compromise smartphones and tablets just as readily as they can hit your PC. These threats can come to you through email, text message, social networks, QR codes, or even through cloud computing—all of which you probably use on a regular basis, if you’re like most people with a PC, smartphone, or tablet. So, what can happen if you fall prey to these threats? First of all, most threats will slow your device down because they are using up memory running malware. Sometimes they even install programs that can make it impossible to use your device. And many of these threats can steal your personal data and use it for fraudulent purposes. Your information might even be used to give someone a passport or government identification using your name, social security number, and other details. In milder cases, your Facebook login, email account, and other personal data can fall under the control of malicious strangers intent on stealing from you and your friends. Solve It with Software Now that you know the worst of it, what can you do to stop these threats? Good security software can keep you off the victims list, and there are also several simple things you can do just by changing how you use your device settings. Start by buying a trusted security suite that protects all of your connected devices. Be sure to choose a product that will protect smartphones and tablets in addition to your computer. Considering the number of things we plug into our computers these days—from “thumb” drives to smartphones—having single, trusted source of protection is a huge advantage. If you choose separate antivirus protection for each piece of hardware, you’ll lose the advantage of having a single place to see and control all of the threats on your network. A single piece of software also has the advantage of only having to “learn” a threat once, rather than risking that it will be caught every time it hits one of your devices. Good security software should be highly customizable, so that it can automatically run checks on your system as often as you like and check exactly what you ask it to check. Some software will even watch over you as you surf the web and signal that a given site or link is safe to use. These automatic checks can even extend into your social networks, showing which posted links are safe. If you need to check an individual site to find out if it’s safe, you should only be a click away, with icons for the software appearing on your desktop and in your browser. Buying and using antivirus software is critical, but it’s also important to use good sense as you use your online devices. Many threats come in predictable forms: attachments in email, links that set off malicious downloads or lead to malicious apps, or QR codes from unknown sources. All of these have one thing in common: You have to set them off. Without your input, these threats are harmless. Learning just a little about malware and phishing can give you almost everything you need to beat these threats on your own. Almost, that is. Unfortunately, the folks who build malware tend to be pretty sneaky, so it’s essential that you have up-to-date software on all your devices to back you up. Full Service, Please In addition to security scanning, backup is another feature your full-service security software should offer you. By backing up your data automatically into the cloud, you can be sure that regardless of what happens to your hardware—broken, lost, stolen, or hacked—you will have access to all of your files. What about protecting the files left on a lost device? You’ll want to look for the ability to remotely lock your device and wipe your files from it. With these software features, your loss is minimized to merely hardware instead of all your valuable data. Smartphones and mobile computing have solved many problems in modern life, but they have created some new ones, too. Everyone knows someone who has lost his phone or had her computer stolen from a public place. Harassing calls and texts, whether from bill collectors or angry exes, are also a 21st century problem. A robust software solution should give you the ability to track a lost device via GPS mapping, as well as to filter calls or text messages from an unwanted source. Mobile computing, whether by laptop, tablet, or smartphone, has permanently changed how we live our lives, mostly for the good, but there are new threats as well. To protect yourself, learn all you can about the threats that exist, use common sense practices, and, most importantly, find a turnkey antivirus software that protects all of your devices and offers a wide range of services to access your devices remotely. Relying on one good cross-device software solution will make responding to threats fast and easy, giving you peace of mind as you bravely go forth to surf the web.
Universal MasterCode Tool is a free software that can be used to calculate unlock codes for ZTE, NEC, LGk110, Nokia, Huawei and VK phones and USB modems. It’s one the tools required to unlock stubborn E303 Glo Bolt modems. Needless to say, the software can be used to unlock other USB modems including MTN, Etisalat, Airtel and Glo Modems. It has a very light, portable and user friendly interface. Even the biggest computer novice can use it.
Universal Master Code Calculator to Unlock my Phone and Modems
The try-to-success rate of the Universal Master Code Calculator app used for Unlocking several models of Phone and Modems is amazing for an app of this size.
It answered the question of how to unlock my phone for us back in the days and so, should be a reliable tool for unlocking a wide range of modem and mobile internet devices.
A tech journalist learned a tough lesson recently. But using two-factor log-ons help guard your Google, Facebook, and Twitter accounts from being hijacked. If you haven’t read about Wired reporter Mat Honan’s ordeal at the hands of malicious hackers, take some time and read it now. (I’ll wait.) His story about how a passel of juvenile hackers managed to get into his Apple account and wipe all the data off his iPhone, iPad, and Mac— as well as hijack his Google, Twitter, and Amazon accounts – should be required reading for anyone who uses those services, and especially those of us who’ve blithely linked our social media accounts together using the same e-mail address. Honan didn’t do anything to tick those hackers off. He was targeted simply because they coveted his @mat Twitter handle. Which means that the same thing could happen to you or me just as easily, and we wouldn’t know we’d been jobbed until far too late. One thing Honan notes with regret is his failure to turn on two-factor authentication for his Gmail account. If he’d done that, anyone who tried to access his e-mail would have also had to enter a six-digit PIN, which is randomly generated and sent via text message to his phone. So your first order of business for today: Setting up two-factor authentication for Google. To do that, you’ll need to go into your Gmail Settings (it’s the icon that looks like a little gear in the upper right corner of your inbox). From there:
Select Settings, then Accounts and Import.
Under Change account settings select “Other Google Account settings”.
That will take you to a Web page for your Accounts. Select Security from the left-hand menu. You may be prompted for your password again.
Under “2-step verification” you’ll see “Status: OFF.” Click the Edit button next to that. That will take you to a Web page wizard that will walk you through the process of having a six-digit verification code sent to you via text or a robo-call.
Enter the code into the appropriate box, and you’re all set – for that device, anyway. Admittedly, this is not as easy as simply using a password. You’ll have to do this for every device and every application that uses your Gmail logon, and every device and application doesn’t work exactly the same way. For example, I was able to log on to Gmail using a PIN on my desktop, laptop, and iPad, but not my Android tablet or Windows smartphone. For those, I had to set up separate one-time-use “subtokens” that look something like this: fztz dgpm oxfi uthb. You’ll need to go back to the Accounts Security page and select the Edit button next to “Authorizing Applications and sites” to set up disposable passwords for each device and app. You can also use this tool to manage your list of trusted devices and applications, and revoke access to them at any time. So that covers Google. What about Facebook? Here, too, you can beef up your security settings with two-factor authentication. This will prompt you to enter a similar SMS code whenever you log onto Facebook from a new device. The drill is remarkably similar:
Go to your Facebook Account Settings page (found under the down arrow next to the Home tab).
Select Security from the menu on the left.
Under “Login Approvals” click edit and put a check in the box that appears (see below). You may have to adjust your browser settings to accommodate the cookie that Facebook wants to deposit.
In the dialog box that appears, click “Set up now.” You may be prompted again for your Facebook password and to add your mobile phone number if you haven’t provided one already.
Click Continue. If you’ve done this correctly you should receive a six-character PIN. Enter that and the name of your device into the dialog boxes that appear.
Earlier this year, the Internet was abuzz with what appeared to be a version of Microsoft Word running on the iPad. Today, we’re no closer to seeing Word as a native iPad app than we were when it was spotted briefly in the wild six months ago. That doesn’t mean that you can’t edit or create Word documents on an iPad. There are a number of offerings that bring the Microsoft Office experience to the iPad, such as DataViz’s Docs to Go or Quickoffice, as well as services such as CloudOn, Nivio Online Desktop and InstallFree Nexus. You can even use Microsoft’s web apps to edit Word documents in a pinch, if you have Google’s web browser, Chrome, installed on your iPad. Of the various alternatives available to Word lovers, InstallFree Nexus is an intriguing one, even though it seems to be ill named. Its use of “Nexus” is bound to get the app confused with Google-backed hardware of the same name. Moreover, there’s nothing to “install” — the service runs entirely from the cloud — and there’s nothing “free” for subscribers who want to use Microsoft Office apps from the service over the long haul. Joining the service is fast and easy. During the registration process you provide an e-mail address, create a password and associate a cloud storage service with your account. Storage services supported by InstallFree Nexus include Dropbox, Skydrive, Google drive and Box.com. Once logged in to InstallFree Nexus, you can swiftly import files from your cloud storage service then work on them in any Microsoft Office program. When you’re finished, you can save your file to your cloud storage and return to it from any device that can run a browser, including the iPad’s version of Safari. On the iPad, gestures can be used to work within Word or other applications. A three-finger tap, for instance, displays a virtual keyboard in Word with a traditional QWERTY layout, including numbers and symbols in the top row, and embedded function keys, F1-F12. Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard can also be used with Word in InstallFree Nexus. However, it does require that the virtual keyboard be shut off from the settings menu. A problem Word users will immediately find with using the word processor on the iPad is that most of the icons on the ribbon bar are too tiny to be very useful. And with the ribbon bar and keyboard displayed on the screen, very little text space is left on the tablet’s screen. As a service, InstallFree Nexus doesn’t seem ready for prime time either. Word crashed occasionally. Sometimes the site freezes. My link to Dropbox was dropped and I couldn’t access my files from within Word. And the performance within Word was sluggish. All of which added up to not a very pleasant experience. Currently, InstallFree Nexus is offering a free 60-day trial of its service that includes use of Office 2010 apps. After that, those apps are offered on a subscription basis: $4.99 a month/$49.99 a year for students; $19.99 a month/$199.99 a year for non-students. In addition to offering cloud access to Microsoft programs, InstallFree Nexus offers free access to the LibreOffice suite.
Introduction: Just four days before Google started updating website page ranks, I launched my social network to mark my 19th birthday and to create an atmosphere for you guys to reach out to people even more easily.
Microsoft launches Windows 8 later this month after a year of gradually making the new operating system more and more available, hoping for a big hit that will drive sales this holiday season and beyond, and giving the company new hope of grabbing a bigger share of tablet sales.
Outdated software is the weak spot of Android phones, according to a security firm’s 
The firm found that more than half of Android devices worldwide have unpatched vulnerabilities that could be exploited by rogue apps. The 
Apple releases software patches for its iOS software regularly and users have immediate access to any updates, but the nature of Android means that carriers and device manufactures hold the key when it comes to updating phones. Sometimes Android updates are not rolled out to all phones in order to entice users to buy newer devices.
Post Credit: techhive.com
