Internet Security – Page 9 – Anti-virus Software, Spyware Protection & Firewall

Jon September 9, 2009

5 Simple Tips to Staying Secure Online.

There’s a lot to worry about online, and as an internet security software company we hope that you use our StopSign products to help keep you safe. But even if you don’t use our software, there are a few things you can easily do to ensure that you are less likely to be the victim of phishing, malware, or internet fraud.

Secure? For sure! – “https”.
When a web page requests personal information, like your Social Security number, when you’re making an online purchase, or if you need to access your bank account online, make sure that you look in the address bar of your browser to make sure you are on a secure server.

It’s easy to see if the site you’re on is secure by seeing if the URL starts with “https”. Non-secure websites use “http”, so just look for that additional “s”. No real company who is concerned for your security will ever ask you for any sensitive, banking, or credit card-related information without a secure server in place. Anything else is a scam, pure and simple.
Watch where you’re browsing.
A lot of phishing attempts are done by using similarly-named domains or by tricks with the URL. The domain name of the website you are trying to view should always be before the “.com” (or “.net”, or whatever top level domain they use).

For example, our blog is supposed to be on stopsign.com. If you saw blog.stopsign.example.com, that is not the official StopSign blog, because our domain name (stopsign) isn’t before the “.com”. See our blog post “How to Spot a Fake Website” for more information on fake websites.
Use a secure password.
Making a secure password is a simple solution to staving off the casual hacker who wants to try to break into one of your online accounts. Often one of the first things they do is use a “dictionary” of common passwords and/or common words to try to access accounts. See our blog post “12 Tips for Making a Good Password” for additional details and tips on secure password creation.
Don’t open that email attachment.
Like most people you probably get dozens of emails per day. It’s not uncommon to get attachments to your email with pictures from friends and family, but make sure that you never open an email attachment from an unknown person. Lots of viruses and spyware are spread online by email, and if you open one of them you’ll be instantly infected.
If it’s too good to be true.
Beware the scam artists online who prey on the kind-hearted and the uninformed. The Nigerian scams (and their many variants), “donation” seekers who want your bank account information, and other pests flood the internet daily. If something you’re being told seems too good to be true, it is, and if an email or website is asking you for private information it’s more than likely a scam or some other type of internet fraud. Unless of course it really is from your bank or the government, but it would still be on a secure server (when in doubt, give them a call and ask if they actually sent the email), and you should also be sure to watch where you’re browsing!

So there you go… 5 simple things that you can easily do to make sure that your browsing experience is safe and worry-free.

If you're looking for great anti-virus software that won't break the bank, try StopSign. You don't pay extra for tech support for difficult malware, and our web protection software just works. Download & install StopSign to find out why our members choose us over the other options.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: internet fraud, Internet Safety, Internet Security, online scams, passwords, phishing

Jon September 2, 2009

12 Tips for Making a Good Password

Banking websites, email accounts, instant message software and social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace all have one thing in common: passwords. Not having a good password makes it easier for hackers to break into your online accounts. Don’t feel bad though, because even businesses like Twitter.com aren’t above using a bad password.

Creating and using a good password is very important, but it’s only one layer of internet security and it’s certain not foolproof. Given enough time and computing power virtually any password can be broken. What we’re presenting is a list of several rules (suggestions, really) for creating a safe and secure a password without it being a big hassle.

First off is the don’t list. It’s one of those “including, but not limited to” things, so be sure to use your own judgment along with our suggestions. While no password is 100% secure, the more you can do to make it difficult to brute force, the better.

Don’t use a single common word or phrase such as “password”, “qwerty” or “apple”. Anything found in a dictionary or is common knowledge is a bad idea. Also steer clear of abbreviations, movie names, book titles, etc. Use multiple words if at all possible.
Don’t use a proper noun. Steer clear of using your name, the name of your kids or spouse, a state capital, etc.
Don’t write it down. While you can argue that you have a secret/safe place that no one will ever find (under your keyboard, in your wallet, under a filing cabinet drawer, etc.) trust us… it’s not secret and it’s not safe. Keep that password in your head, not in your hand.
Don’t use your password on a public computer. As tempting as it is to check your Gmail account at the library, you have no idea if anyone has installed a key logger or other password sniffing software. It’s safer to wait until you get home.
Don’t give your password to anyone. Anyone. No site or service worth its salt will ever ask you for your password. Any attempt by a CSR, website, or even an email asking for your password is a scam, period.
Don’t reuse a password. If you somehow have a password compromised (whether you know it or not), reusing a previously good password has now opened you up to trouble.

Next up is the do list. These tips are here to help you create not only a good password, but also to to make it difficult for someone else to crack it. Not easily, at least. 🙂

Do make it memorable, but not easily guessed. Using a mnemonic, or memory aid, is a great way to remember passwords.
Do use at least 6 characters. Use 8 or more if you can swing it.
Do use more than one password. Each site or account, or at the very least the important ones (banks, etc.) should have it’s own, unique password.
Do avoid sequences of letters or numbers. “1223334444” is an example of a very bad password.
Do change your password. Every 3-6 months should be fine for personal accounts.
Do feel free to be creative with spelling. There’s no reason you can’t do things like substitute an “i” with a “y” every now and again, use upper- and lower-case letters, and even use numbers, punctuation, or special characters if possible.

Sounds like a lot to have to think about, right? Actually it’s not as bad as it sounds; making a good password is more about common sense than anything else.

In closing, here are some samples of a good 8-character password. While the samples below are great for educational purposes, please don’t use them for your real password because that would go against the tip that you don’t reuse a password.

phU+$sHu: This is a combination of “foot” and “shoe”. Notice how the “f” is replaced with a “ph”, the “oo” with a “U” and so on.
Tyg3rtLE: This is a combination of “tiger” and “tail”. The “i” in tiger is changed to a “y”, “tail” was replaced with an alternate spelling (“tale”) and a vowel is removed to keep the password at 8 characters.
2ND-d0*R: This is a combination of “second” and “door”. Similar character substitutions as the first 2 examples abound in this one, too.

Update: 12/27/2009 Mashable has a new article on banned Twitter passwords.

Image courtesy of paulorear

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Internet Security, passwords, strong password

Jon August 25, 2009

Basics of Internet Security.

With over 239 million web sites on the Internet it’s no surprise that Internet security is a hot topic. While it’s virtually impossible to nail down a solid number, it’s safe to say that there are millions of computer viruses, spyware applications, and assorted malware out there that can infect your computer. Some of that malware is merely an annoyance and some of it can do real damage. That’s where basic Internet security comes into play. You can protect yourself with a few simple tools and set them up to automatically protect you 24/7/365.

We’ve compiled a list of 3 pieces of software that most Internet security experts should agree are the core components of basic Internet security for your computer.

Firewall

A firewall is a piece of software or a device that sits between your computer and the Internet and blocks and/or filters all of the traffic before it gets into your system. In the home computing world, a firewall is more often than not software. At it’s heart, a firewall only allows certain kinds of traffic or requests to get through, and most modern firewalls allow you to customize what kind of traffic is accessible, such as email and web surfing.

Installing and configuring a firewall is is a great first-line defense against hackers trying to remotely access your computer. Once the bad guys have a foothold on your computer there’s not telling what they might do. Keep in mind, however, that a misconfigured firewall can be just as bad as not having one, so it’s best to either carefully read the firewall’s instructions or allow the default configuration to be set up by the firewall itself.

Antivirus

Detection, protection and deletion of malware such as computer worms, computer viruses, etc. are the bread and butter of antivirus software. Using a variety of virus detection techniques, antivirus software secures your emails, instant messages, and web browsers.

With the sheer number of viruses that are written and released every day, much less every year, it’s easy to see why you need antivirus software installed on your computer. Just be sure to stay updated with new patches, virus definitions, etc. otherwise you might leave yourself open to malware.

Antispyware

Spyware is generally considered to be any piece of software that is installed on your computer (usually without your permission) that tracks your computer usage, your browsing habits, and may even collect your personal information. Like it’s name implies, spyware snoops on what you do on your computer and sends that information back to the folks who wrote the spyware.

Think about all of the sensitive data on your computer (tax information, social security numbers, pictures of your kids, etc.) and all the different web sites that you visit. Now imagine if a complete stranger has access to all of that information and you have no idea they are snooping on you. Without antispyware software installed that’s a very real possibility, and you are leaving yourself open to potential computer infections.

In Closing…

There are bad guys out there who know that there are still plenty of people who aren’t protecting their computers. Keep your family’s information safe on your computer with a firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware software.

Image courtesy of 49889874@N05

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: antispyware, antivirus, firewall, Internet Security