The Little Geeni

There are a few simple maintenance tips that will optimize your game experience. These tips are for the computer amateur! Minimal technical details to follow!

Keep the discs themselves clean. You can purchase disc cleaner/repairer. But preventative maintenance is the better alternative! If you are also using downloaded games it may be necessary to uninstall and reinstall the files after repeated use.

Close any programs that are not being used. If your computer is trying to run too many programs, use too many of its resources, when also trying to play a graphic intensive game, the graphics will be choppy, and figures will move slowly.

Download CCleaner for free from www.ccleaner.com. CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your internet history. But the best parts are that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and incredibly simple (double click the icon and then click run). CCleaner contains no spyware or adware. You can run it as often as you like depending on your frequency of computer use.

Disable anti-virus software. Anti-virus programs can slow down the loading and playing of games. You can disable the anti virus software by right clicking on the icon and choosing disable. Remember to turn it back on when you log back on to the Internet!

Shutdown your computer properly. By not shutting your computer down using the start button you run the risk of losing data and in turn making files not work as efficiently.

Take advantage of free operating system updates. Often times you are prompted but in the event that you are not you can easily do a quick search for the latest updates.

By staying on top of these simple maintenance tasks you will optimize computer game’s performance!

Computer Games Amateur, Computer, Enhance, Games, Performance, Tips

1. Change the default passwords as most network devices have a pre-configured default password and these are easily found online.

2. Install a firewall directly onto your wireless devices (a host-based firewall). Attackers who directly intercept your wireless network may be able to by-pass your network firewall and so this does not offer sufficient protection.

3. Restrict access — only allow authorised users to access your network. Each piece of hardware connected to a network has a MAC (media access control) address. Restrict or allow access to your network by filtering MAC addresses. The MAC address is a unique identifier for networking hardware such as wireless network adapters. A hacker can capture details about a MAC address from your network and pretend to be that device to connect to your network. MAC filtering will still protect you from majority of the hackers. Find the MAC address for your network adapters on your devices by following these steps:

1. Go to Start > Run

2. Type command and press [Enter]

3. Type ipconfig /all in the command prompt window and press [Enter]

4. You can view the physical access address in the information displayed.

4. Check the user documentation to get specific information about the MAC Filtering process if you have any more queries.

5. Encrypt the data on your network. Encrypting the data would prevent anyone who might somehow be able to access your network from viewing your data.

6. Protect your SSID (Service Set Identifier — An SSID is the name of a WLAN). The SSID on wireless clients can be set either manually, by entering the SSID into the client network settings, or automatically, by leaving the SSID unspecified or blank. A network administrator often uses a public SSID that is set on the access point and broadcast to all wireless devices in range. You can disable the automatic SSID broadcast feature to improve network security.

For more detail on Motherboards log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/

Computer Security Networks, Secure, Tips, Wireless

Providing security against email related threats has become a burden for most IT professionals in 2006. According to a recent study by Postini, spam and email viruses now make up to 80% of all emails sent out as compared to 50% in 2000. As a result, IT professionals now face a tougher challenge in providing network security for this amount of spam. IT professionals also have the disadvantage of defending against new forms of email threats such as spam zombies, directory harvest attacks, mass mailing trojans, as well as the latest email virus.

In this article, I have listed the seven most effective spam fighting tips for organizations with in-house mail servers. These seven tips are proven techniques I have used for my customers, partners and associates who wish to tighten their perimeter (network) security.

Firewall:
A firewall is your first line of defense against hackers, crackers, and spammers. Without a firewall, your network is a disaster waiting to happen and could give any novice hacker free reign over your network. If your organization has multiple Internet users, this tool is essential for securing your network.

Block Port 25:
On your firewall, allow outbound traffic on TCP port 25 for all mail servers. Block traffic on outbound TCP port 25 for all other computers and servers. On the Internet, TCP port 25 is used for email traffic through SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol). Blocking this port is a good security practice and prevents mass mailing worms and spam zombies from sending mail from your users’ computers.

Managed Email Filtering:
Consider using a managed filtering solution such as Postini, Brightmail, or SpamSoap. Managed Email Filtering services quarantine spam, viruses, and email threats before reaching the email servers on your network. In comparison to desktop filters and server appliances, managed filtering services provide superior perimeter (network) protection by preventing delivery of spam and viruses to your network and servers.

Check Relay Setting:
A mail server’s relay setting controls which computers and servers are able to send SMTP email on your organization’s behalf. Check your settings and limit the IP address range to email users on your local network. Some mail servers have settings to limit email relay through authentication. If authentication-based relay is available, setup and configure it too. NOTE: If the relay is not set properly, spammers will be able to send email from your mail server. This exploit is commonly known as an “Open Relay” or a “Spam Relay.” Use the Open Relay test at http://www.abuse.net/relay.htm to check if spammers can relay mail from your server.

Black Lists:
Setup your mail server(s) with a black list. A black list (black hole list) is a database or listing of known spam sources. Most modern email servers can be configured to query inbound email against online blacklists. Messages originating from these sources can then be blocked. I recommend configuring your email server with SpamHaus blacklist. Spamhaus.org is an excellent free service to use. Some other good blacklists are DBSL and SpamCop.

Reverse DNS:
Reverse DNS (rDNS) associates an IP Address with a Domain Name. Most mail servers, as an anti-spam feature, often use a reverse DNS lookup to compare an email address domain name with its IP address. If the IP address found from the rDNS lookup does not match the domain name, it is probably spam. If you haven’t done so, setup and configure reverse DNS records on your DNS server.

Anti-Virus Scan:
There are many tools that provide adequate anti-virus protection for desktops at the workplace. Most anti-virus software is good at detecting viral threats that proliferate email spam such as mass mailing worms, trojans, and directory harvesters. Large organizations might want to use enterprise anti-spam software with management and monitoring tools that will allow tracking of network virus outbreaks.

Recommended Links:
- http://www.spam-x.com [Postini service - managed filtering, 1 to 500 users]
- http://www.postini.com [Postini service - managed filtering, 500+ users]
- http://www.spamhaus.org [Blacklist]
- http://www.dbsl.org [Blacklist]
- http://www.spamcop.net [Blacklist]
- http://www.abuse.net/relay.htm [Open relay test]
- http://www.dnsreport.com [DNS report/open relay test]
- http://www.dnsstuff.com [Spam database lookup and open relay test]
- http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/02/17/spam.zombies.ap [Spam Zombie Article]

Email viruses and related threats delivered through spam have cost businesses billions of dollars in expenses and lost productivity. Each spam email sent or received from your domain costs your organization money and bandwidth. By implementing these seven tips, your organization can reduce spam and recover costs.

This article: © Copyright 2006 Todd Green and free for republishing.

Computer Security email, From, Network, organization´s, securing, Seven, spam, Tips, viruses

PHP is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, PHP is a programming language for dynamically built web sites. Security should be a top concern throughout the development of any PHP web application. There are some very simple measures you can take to protect your application from potential abuse.
PHP is arguably the most powerful of all open-source programming languages.  No longer used solely for web pages, it is becoming an increasingly popular tool for stand-alone programs and corporate applications.  Despite all its power and flexibility, the PHP framework is far from secure.  The countless number of successful hacks on popular web applications such as Drupal, Joomla and WordPress serve as solid evidence.  In this article, we will go over some of the most significant security issues to help strengthen your shared, VPS or dedicated hosting environment.

Dangerous PHP Functions

All potentially dangerous PHP functions should be disabled and never used unless absolutely necessary.  Three that pose the biggest threats to security are “passthru”, “EVAL” and “shell_ exec.”  These functions can be disabled by editing the “disable_functions” value in the “php.ini” file.  EVAL is perhaps the most vulnerable of all because it enables the execution of remote PHP code.  If used in conjunction with an insecure global value, this particular function can result in a potentially catastrophic security breach.  Because applications such as ImageMagick require shell_exec, you should perform some research to find out which functions are required before disabling them.

Remote URL Injection

When enabled on a server, the “allow_url_fopen” option permits file functions like “file_get_contents()”, which could allow data to be retrieved from locations such as a remote website or FTP connection.  Since a standard PHP configuration has this function enabled by default, it is highly recommended that it be manually disabled to prevent potentially dangerous code exploits.  allow_url_fopen is very rarely used, thus, you should be able to disable it and still enjoy the full functionality of your website.

Insecure Code

There are many aspects that make PHP one of the most flexible platforms for web development.  However, it is this very flexibility that often results in security gaps that can lead to a compromised server or website.  This is especially true with the widely used web programs coded in the PHP language.  Some of today’s most popular content management systems have bugs and security holes in the supported plugins and even the core code itself.  For this reason, you should make it a priority to run the most recent and secure versions of PHP scripts and remain weary of plugins and modules.  In fact, unless their functionality is truly needed, you should try to keep your web application platforms simple with as few extensions as possible.

Conclusion

Programmers these days are faced with significant challenges due to the fact that the list of potential PHP security issues is rather extensive.  Even worse, the list continues to expand with the release of each new version.   That is why it is a developer’s job to take the necessary steps to ensure their code is secure as possible.  This can be done by smart coding, only using necessary functions and using updated PHP scripts.  In addition, better protection can be assured by doing business with a hosting firm who makes security a priority.  In order to give you secure environment for PHP projects, their hosting platform must be properly configured.  The combination of an inadequate PHP/web server is one of the major causes of successful security breaches.

php Developers, Some, Tips

With so much of today’s business being transacted online, computer security is a major issue affecting businesses and consumers. For online businesses, there can be problems in the form of stolen credit card information, mailing or personal information. If you are selling information, your content may be hacked into and copied. This affects the business and customer adversely, since the customer is likely to blame the online business. This erodes the image of your business and discourages other customers from trusting you with their information. No one likes their email inbox to be bombarded with viruses and spam. If they feel that your site has something to do with it, your business and reputation will suffer long term damage. To avoid problems with your business’s computer security, follow the guidelines listed below.

Never allow external storage devices:–

Do not permit anyone to take data out of your system in any form of external storage device, such as floppy disks, CDs etc. for any reason. Obviously, this compromises your safety and that of your customers.

Limit employee access:–

Restrict employee access to files, folders and areas within the system that they require in their day to day work. Do not allow anyone to gain access to any information that they do not require. Make sure that you install systems that lock out employees who do not have authorization.

Third party outsourcing:–

Outsource your payment system to a third party such as PayPal, so that your liability is reduced in case of any computer security problems. This third party will have the necessary technological support to ensure that the customer and your business are safe. But to be sure of this, you will need to do a thorough check on your selected provider or choose a reputable one.

Check on your technology vendor:–

It is important to ensure that your technology vendor has taken steps to protect the server and the software in your system appropriately with firewalls etc. If it is possible and affordable, look into getting a third party security audit of the system from both ends – the server provider & the software at your end since leaks may be from either end. Pages that contain sensitive data should be appropriately protected with software security locks.

Newsletter email lists:–

If you have a newsletter, make sure that your online business keeps its mailing list secure and that no recipient can tamper with it or gain access to the list. This is essential in protecting the privacy of your customer information.

Affiliations with reputable associations:–

Form affiliations with trusted business and computer security organizations, such as BBBOnline, to ensure that customers feel safe coming to your site. The additional benefit of this is the identification of any flaws in the security through a check up.

Educate customers:–

It is imperative to educate your customers about computer safety. Ensure that they know your online business will not send them emails soliciting information and that if they receive any such mail, they should report it to you at once.

Content:–

Protect your content by ensuring that it is safe behind firewalls and other applications that prohibit unauthorized entry. As for public content, simply provide your visitors with updated and informative content regularly since good quality cannot be copied.

Computer Security Avoid, Computer, Concern, Matter, Security, Tips, Trouble

PHP is arguably the most powerful of all open-source programming languages.  No longer used solely for web pages, it is becoming an increasingly popular tool for stand-alone programs and corporate applications.  Despite all its power and flexibility, the PHP framework is far from secure.  The countless number of successful hacks on popular web applications such as Drupal, Joomla and WordPress serve as solid evidence.  In this article, we will go over some of the most significant security issues to help strengthen your shared, VPS or dedicated hosting environment

Dangerous PHP Functions

All potentially dangerous PHP functions should be disabled and never used unless absolutely necessary.  Three that pose the biggest threats to security are “passthru”, “EVAL” and “shell_ exec.”  These functions can be disabled by editing the “disable_functions” value in the “php.ini” file.  EVAL is perhaps the most vulnerable of all because it enables the execution of remote PHP code.  If used in conjunction with an insecure global value, this particular function can result in a potentially catastrophic security breach.  Because applications such as ImageMagick require shell_exec, you should perform some research to find out which functions are required before disabling them.

Remote URL Injection

When enabled on a server, the “allow_url_fopen” option permits file functions like “file_get_contents()”, which could allow data to be retrieved from locations such as a remote website or FTP connection.  Since a standard PHP configuration has this function enabled by default, it is highly recommended that it be manually disabled to prevent potentially dangerous code exploits.  allow_url_fopen is very rarely used, thus, you should be able to disable it and still enjoy the full functionality of your website.

Insecure Code

There are many aspects that make PHP one of the most flexible platforms for web development.  However, it is this very flexibility that often results in security gaps that can lead to a compromised server or website.  This is especially true with the widely used web programs coded in the PHP language.  Some of today’s most popular content management systems have bugs and security holes in the supported plugins and even the core code itself.  For this reason, you should make it a priority to run the most recent and secure versions of PHP scripts and remain weary of plugins and modules.  In fact, unless their functionality is truly needed, you should try to keep your web application platforms simple with as few extensions as possible.

Conclusion

Programmers these days are faced with significant challenges due to the fact that the list of potential PHP security issues is rather extensive.  Even worse, the list continues to expand with the release of each new version.   That is why it is a developer’s job to take the necessary steps to ensure their code is secure as possible.  This can be done by smart coding, only using necessary functions and using updated PHP scripts.  In addition, better protection can be assured by doing business with a hosting firm who makes security a priority.  In order to give you secure environment for PHP projects, their hosting platform must be properly configured.  The combination of an inadequate PHP/web server is one of the major causes of successful security breaches.

php Developers, Security, Tips

There are certain computer security theft programs that get installed in the system without your knowledge and consent.

Why pop-up ads are erratically displayed in the web page?

How about your home page or start page changing every time?

Why do the search results suddenly change and why is the computer dialing out?

Are there chances for you to be a victim of hijackers, keyloggers, adware, spyware and dialers?

Terms Defined

Let us know about the basics of the computer security threats:

1. Hijackers – They are also called hijackware. These are Malware that alter your browser settings. It will take you to the site that you have not asked for. These will help you detect them. The re-direction is an annoying effect of this software. They are often the search pages and start pages for those who pay for their service. This software can slow down the performance of the system and there are chances for the browser to crash.

2. Keyloggers – They are also called as keystroke loggers. The strokes in the keyboard are recorded and later these are reported to the intruders who own the software. The commercial type of keyloggers is used by companies for monitoring purpose. For example, they are used to monitor corporate spies or employee resource use. They are also used by certain people to spy on the bosses and co-workers.

3. Adware – This software plays advertisements or pops out ads every time you open a website. These are not the usual ones you find in a webpage. They pop-up erratically and annoy the user. This way you can detect them. Sometimes even voice messages are received. They are intricately connected to that website but they are the adware program. Clicking on them might install spyware in your system.

4. Spyware – These are programs that get installed in the computer while downloading or even visiting certain websites. They are infectious and once it enters the system it starts tracking all your activity in the including you confidential matters, friends and even passwords. This information is then reported to the intruders.

5. Dialers – They are programs installed in the system that will raise the telephone bill amount to thousands of dollars if affected. This gets installed like the virus (Trojan) or through other codes via attachments in the email or while downloading software. Once it gets installed it will charge lines even while the user isn’t visiting the pay-per-view site in the web. The charges vary from dollars to few pennies per minute.

Protection

What is the solution to the computer security threats?

Should we go for free spyware program and is there any risk factor involved?

We must consider certain factors prior to the installation of free download in the system from the internet, they are:

1. The software to remove the spyware must be very effective in its performance and all other spy programs against any harm.

2. The cleaners must be available in those programs so that any spyware when online is detected and destroyed. The free cleaner programs remove the existing spyware in your system. Such reliable ones must be installed.

The anti-virus definitions must be installed followed by the installation of spyware cleaner and removal programs. This will give you not as to whether all the spyware, adware and other malicious programs are deleted from the system. Regular scan can be done every week. All the incoming and outgoing emails must be scanned by the protection software.

Effective risk management will keep you safe from the harmful computer security thefts.

Computer Security Computer, From, Protect, Security, Them, Threats, Tips