Protect Your PC

Having problems with your pc? Do your kids, family or friends fill it with all the stuff they find on the internet?

Your computer, just like your car, needs to be serviced regularly to keep it running efficiently. You wouldn’t fill your car up with petrol from an old rusty can with a layer of dirty water on the bottom, so you shouldn’t allow your pc to be treated that way either.

Any pc connected to the internet is a target for viruses, spyware, adware and trojan horses.

You need to protect and clean your pc of these nasties which slow down your costly computer. We will show you how to do at little or no cost in this free report.

Before we start here is our disclaimer:- we take no responsibility for any harm YOU may do to your computer with this information. Use it at your own risk and be sure you are confident of what you are doing before you start. It’s a good idea to make a restore point before installing/uninstalling or changing anything (see below for details)

Firstly Viruses, these are the most newsworthy of the baddies, and because of this most people have heard of them. They are the pc version of the Flu, or in a worse case scenario, Sars, and can kill your computer. There are new viruses released almost daily, and you need to keep up to date with Antivirus software to stop them. Fortunately there is a free program which can help you protect your pc. This is called AVG and is available at http://www.grisoft.com just follow links through the site to AVG Free Edition. Register your email address, download and install it to your pc.

The program is pretty straightforward to use but make sure you keep it updated at least weekly by double clicking the AVG icon (four coloured square) in the taskbar and then clicking on update in the window, tick internet as the source and you are good to go. It will automatically update and restart the main Antivirus program. Remember prevention is better than cure though and don’t open attachments in emails or even sent to you over instant messengers unless you are sure of the person sending them, even then if you have AVG installed right click the file and use the “scan with AVG” menu item to double check.

Trojan Horses come next on our hitlist, mostly these are small programs which record either keystrokes or other information and try to send it back to someone to steal your details. But they can be used to take over your pc completely or partially to use your resources to send spam emails, or launch attacks on other computers on the internet, often for denail of service (DOS) attacks. Most Trojan Horses are removed by the AVG antivirus software, or if not it will alert you to its presence, and you can google http://www.google.com to find how to remove it.

A good prevention measure to stop Trojans accessing the net to send their payload is to use a software firewall, again there is at least one free program you can download, called zonealarm. It will ask you wether to allow programs to access the internet or not, meaning if you get something you know you didn’t install accessing the net you can tell zonealarm not to allow it. To download zonealarm, go to http://www.zonelabs.com and follow links to the download section, and then to zonealarm (they are not so prominent as the ones for the Pro version which you pay for). It is a good idea to run a firewall to stop attacks coming in from outside as well your details going out. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed has a built in firewall, but zonealarm is much more configurable and does a better job overall.

Spyware and Adware can also be responsible for a lot of pc problems. These are often programs piggybacked onto a free download offered to help you with some other task like form filling on websites (Gator is a well known example but they are open about it). Spyware is used by less scrupulous companies and individuals to report back your surfing habits so they can send ads you’re more likely to respond to. These slow down your surfing and also run in the background using your pc’s power to do their dirty work. Sometimes the information sent back is even more sinister than just your browsing habits, so beware of software you download and check first. Adware is very similar although is usually contained in tracking cookies (small text files downloaded by your browser containing information to track you through a website).

Often these 2 terms are used interchangably. Another nasty which falls in with these is Scumware, which is a term used to describe software which hijacks another program (usually your browser or modem dialler) and displays only content which it’s maker wants you to see and often prevents you seeing anything else. The diallers reset your modems settings to dial another (usually very expensive) number rather than your ISP’s one. Thankfully some thoughtful individuals have kindly donated their time to give us free programs which will release you from the grip of these fiendish programmers.

Download firstly Adaware from http://www.lavasoft.de and install and run that (if it finds nothing on your pc I would be extremely surprised) secondly download Spybot Search and Destroy from http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html and install and run that too, it will pop up a dialog to say it has found adaware also on your machine, but it doesn’t really mind so close it and continue. As with virus software you should use these and update them both regularly, as you can be sure the people on the darkside of the internet are updating their stuff to keep you hooked into it. Both programs have a button for downloading and installing updates automatically so there is no excuse not to do it before every scan, which we would recommend doing at least monthly and more frequently if possible.

So now you are protected from viruses, trojan horses, and other pc illnesses so that’s it right?

Not quite, I have to say one of the most important things on your pc is your personal data, you can re-install Windows, Office and all the other programs on your computer from the cd’s, but your prized pictures, your kids half written essay for that all important exam or your wifes recipes handed down from generation to generation carefully typed out and saved can’t be. Back it up. NOW. Onto cd’s if you have a cd writer or if not get one installed or use floppy discs. But for the sake of your sanity BACK IT UP.

And finally some tips to keep your pc running at its optimum.

Before making any changes to your pc or programs, it’s a good idea to make a restore point by going to Start, then accessories on the start menu, then clicking System tools and finally the system restore icon. Follow the prompts and create a restore point to return to if it all goes wrong. Sometimes a slow pc is just the result of too many programs running, close down those you’re not using, obvious but often overlooked. If you’re anything like most pc users you have a bundle of programs start when your computer does, and sitting in the task tray at the right of the start menu. You can close these down manually but if you don’t use them at all then why not remove them?

If you may want them but not everytime you start up you can go to start, then click RUN and in the text box type “msconfig” without the quotes. Don’t worry now this looks daunting but all you need to do is click the tab at the right marked “Startup” and there is a list of all those programs which run as soon windows starts, now apply a little caution and lookup (http://www.google.com again comes to your aid) any you don’t recognise. Now those you’re sure you don’t need running at startup untick the box.

Next time you start windows will put up a box to tell you you’ve disabled some things, as long as your pc works ok now, tick the box to not show it again. If you took of something you need or want back run msconfig again, and retick the box in the startup tab again, next time you restart it will return. My last tip is to run defrag monthly, go to start, accessories, system tools and run defrag, this can often speed up a slowing pc as it makes all the files on your hard drive quicker to access.

Douglas Titchmarsh runs several websites, and blogs including http://www.cashinonline.info

There are folks out there who use their powers for evil, not good. Let’s not give them the opportunity to sneak into our lives and wreak havoc. Submitted for your reading pleasure are some of my tips to protect yourself and your identity.

Gone Phishin’

When I was a wee lass, my Grandpa George would take me to the pond on a warm Saturday afternoon and we’d fish for hours. Unfortunately, this type of Phishing has nothing to do with warm fuzzy memories of my Grandfather.

Phishing (sounds just like fishing) usually arrives in your inbox in the form of a spoofed e-mail message. It sure looks legit, huh? Well, it’s not. Phishers blast e-mail messages in the hopes you’ll take the bait and click the links, which will redirect you to a fake website. What do they want? Your account numbers, PIN numbers, SSNs — anything they can use to gain entry to bank and brokerage accounts and other financial information.

Remember, your brokerage, bank, credit union and credit card provider will never ask for this information via e-mail. They will never ask you to login to your account to confirm information.

If you feel you’ve been phished, do not access the links included in the e-mail. Also, report the phishing to your ISP and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (http://www.antiphishing.org/).

The Paper Trail – Snatch that Receipt

I bet you’re the type to leave the receipt at the gas pump and at the ATM when you make that late night deposit. Smack on the hand and shame on you – stop doing that! Take ALL receipts when you make a purchase or a deposit, when you return items, etc. When you go to the clothing store, take the receipt out of the bag and place it in your wallet.

Save all receipts until you receive your end-of-month statements (see Two Dollars below). Also, don’t throw away your receipts; see my notes on shredding.

It’s … Like … Magic!

Pet Peeve: Folks who use cheesy passwords to protect their online accounts – you folks make me crazy! I recently hired a client and I’m managing several e-mail accounts for him. Guess what password he used for ALL of them? You guessed it: magic. I immediately changed the passwords on all of the accounts and then we had a chat.

You should never use a word you can find in a dictionary as your password. You should never use your birthday, the names of your wife or children or dog as passwords. Use a combination of letters and numbers and where possible, add special characters such as a bang (!) to your password. Also, change your passwords frequently, such as once a quarter or every six months.

What’s the “s” for, Anyway?

Ever notice certain website changes when you’re making online purchases? There’s an “s” which appears after HTTP, for starters. This let’s you know you’re on a secure server. Also, check the status bar on the window you’re using to make the purchase. You should see a yellow padlock — mouse over the lock and you’ll see the encryption level for the site.

If you don’t see both of these items, do not make the purchase right now and notify the vendor. Go back and make the purchase at a later time.

I Didn’t Charge Two Dollars

Every month, without fail, I want to you check your statements from your credit union, bank, brokerage, credit card companies — any institution from which you receive a paper statement or an online statement. If the bad guys have access to your account information, they may try and slip in a small charge before coming with the big guns. Take a look at each and every line item and verify you’ve made the purchase. If something is amiss, call that institution immediately.

The Joy of Shredding

I have a special “shred” basket near my desk and shred all of the basket’s contents at the end of the work day. My personal receipts, which I no longer need and have reconciled against my online statements, get shredded. All working documents I’ve printed or proofed, especially for my attorney clients, are blitzed at the end of day, as well. Anything which may personally identify me or my clients gets the treatment.

You have no logical excuse for not owning a shredder. Price? Not an issue, as shredders are incredibly affordable. You don’t have a car to get to the office supply store? If you’re reading this article that means you’ve got internet access. Start a new browser window NOW and access your favorite online office supply vendor. You’ll have your new shredder in a matter of days and you too can become a Shredder Queen (or King).

We live in a different world from just a generation ago. Be smart, be aware and remember that if something seems too good to be true, it is.

Lori Davis is Director of the Future at Davis Virtual Assistants, a New York-based VA firm. DavisVA offers a wide variety of administrative, creative and technical services to small business owners and entrepreneurs. To learn more about Lori and DavisVA, please visit http://www.davisva.com and http://loridavis.typepad.com/davisva/. You may contact Lori at 917.319.8224 and via e-mail at lori@davisva.com.

Blaster, Welchia, Sobig, W32, Backdoor, Trojan, Melissa, Klez, Worm, Loveletter, Nimda… Do these names sound Familiar?

Have you been as bothered by viruses this past year as I have? Does it seem like there are more viruses, worms and Trojans out now then ever before? It is only getting worse.

For the general public, "virus" has become a catchall term for any unwanted program that spreads from computer-to-computer; yet, in reality, there are differences between viruses, worms and Trojan horses.

Worms reside in active memory, are self replicating, and usually use native operating system components to do so. Trojans are programs in which malicious or harmful code is contained inside apparently harmless programming or data. Viruses are pieces of programming code that cause some unexpected and usually undesirable event. All of them can really ruin your day.

Everyone who uses a computer can catch a virus. Borrowing disks, swapping floppies, moving data from one machine to another, sending and receiving e-mail, the list goes on. If you use the Internet, your chances increase, even if you use a dial-up modem. Some viruses can be caught just by visiting infected websites.

There are over 50,000 active viruses today. But on any given day, only a few hundred viruses pose a serious threat to your computer. Some of the most destructive–Melissa, Love Letter, and more recent Blaster–caused millions of dollars in damage.

Many systems and networks never completely recover from a virus attack. Though a virus protection program is imperative to your computer’s health, it does not in any way ensure your safety.

To be effective antivirus programs require proper setup and frequent updates. Newer applications have built in updaters and if installed properly require almost mo maintenance. However, older programs required user interaction to get the latest definitions.

In a corporate environment, a system can be installed in which the users have no dealings with the antivirus application at all. All monitoring is done by the network administrator and on the server level.

A primary server with groups and group leaders can be defined during setup. Specific systems are assigned to groups usually based on their physical location. The primary server automatically gets its updates from the antivirus vendor. The group leaders then get their updates from the primary server and distribute them to all the members on a daily basis. The network administrator monitors one system that can control the scanning, updating and managing for the entire network.

How can you stay protected?

1. Install anti-virus software and keep the virus definitions up to date.

2. Don’t automatically open attachments and make sure your email program doesn’t do so automatically.

3. Scan all e-mail attachments.

4. Configure your anti-virus software to boot automatically on start-up and run at all times.

5. Avoid downloading files you can’t be sure are safe. This includes freeware, screensavers, games, and any other executable program.

6. Don’t use floppies, but if you must, scan them before using them.

7. Educate yourself and your users to learn how to spot viruses.

All past articles written by Greg Richburg are available at http://www.netricks.com/news. Please address article suggestions to: info@netricks.com. Greg Richburg a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and the owner of Netricks, Inc. for wed design adn hosting, and KlickCommerce for Internet Marketing Strategies. Please visit http://www.klickcommerce.com/.

What is computer security?
Computer security is the process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of your computer. Prevention measures help you to stop unauthorized users (also known as "intruders") from accessing any part of your computer system. Detection helps you to determine whether or not someone attempted to break into your system, if they were successful, and what they may have done.

Why should I care about computer security?
We use computers for everything from banking and investing to shopping and communicating with others through email or chat programs. Although you may not consider your communications "top secret," you probably do not want strangers reading your email, using your computer to attack other systems, sending forged email from your computer, or examining personal information stored on your computer (such as financial statements).

Who would want to break into my computer at home?
Intruders (also referred to as hackers, attackers, or crackers) may not care about your identity. Often they want to gain control of your computer so they can use it to launch attacks on other computer systems.

Having control of your computer gives them the ability to hide their true location as they launch attacks, often against high-profile computer systems such as government or financial systems. Even if you have a computer connected to the Internet only to play the latest games or to send email to friends and family, your computer may be a target.

Intruders may be able to watch all your actions on the computer, or cause damage to your computer by reformatting your hard drive or changing your data.

How easy is it to break into my computer?
Unfortunately, intruders are always discovering new vulnerabilities (informally called "holes") to exploit in computer software. The complexity of software makes it increasingly difficult to thoroughly test the security of computer systems.

When holes are discovered, computer vendors will usually develop patches to address the problem(s). However, it is up to you, the user, to obtain and install the patches, or correctly configure the software to operate more securely. Most of the incident reports of computer break-ins received at the CERT/CC could have been prevented if system administrators and users kept their computers up-to-date with patches and security fixes.

Also, some software applications have default settings that allow other users to access your computer unless you change the settings to be more secure. Examples include chat programs that let outsiders execute commands on your computer or web browsers that could allow someone to place harmful programs on your computer that run when you click on them.

Technology
This section provides a basic introduction to the technologies that underlie the Internet. It was written with the novice end-user in mind and is not intended to be a comprehensive survey of all Internet-based technologies. Subsections provide a short overview of each topic. This section is a basic primer on the relevant technologies. For those who desire a deeper understanding of the concepts covered here, we include links to additional information.

What does broadband mean?
"Broadband" is the general term used to refer to high-speed network connections. In this context, Internet connections via cable modem and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) are frequently referred to as broadband Internet connections. "Bandwidth" is the term used to describe the relative speed of a network connection — for example, most current dial-up modems can support a bandwidth of 56 kbps (thousand bits per second). There is no set bandwidth threshold required for a connection to be referred to as "broadband", but it is typical for connections in excess of 1 Megabit per second (Mbps) to be so named.

What is cable modem access?
A cable modem allows a single computer (or network of computers) to connect to the Internet via the cable TV network. The cable modem usually has an Ethernet LAN (Local Area Network) connection to the computer, and is capable of speeds in excess of 5 Mbps.

Typical speeds tend to be lower than the maximum, however, since cable providers turn entire neighborhoods into LANs which share the same bandwidth. Because of this "shared-medium" topology, cable modem users may experience somewhat slower network access during periods of peak demand, and may be more susceptible to risks such as packet sniffing and unprotected windows shares than users with other types of connectivity. (See the "Computer security risks to home users" section of this document.)

What is DSL access?
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet connectivity, unlike cable modem-based service, provides the user with dedicated bandwidth. However, the maximum bandwidth available to DSL users is usually lower than the maximum cable modem rate because of differences in their respective network technologies. Also, the "dedicated bandwidth" is only dedicated between your home and the DSL provider’s central office — the providers offer little or no guarantee of bandwidth all the way across the Internet.

DSL access is not as susceptible to packet sniffing as cable modem access, but many of the other security risks we’ll cover apply to both DSL and cable modem access. (See the "Computer security risks to home users" section of this document.)

How are broadband services different from traditional dial-up services? Traditional dial-up Internet services are sometimes referred to as "dial-on-demand" services. That is, your computer only connects to the Internet when it has something to send, such as email or a request to load a web page. Once there is no more data to be sent, or after a certain amount of idle time, the computer disconnects the call. Also, in most cases each call connects to a pool of modems at the ISP, and since the modem IP addresses are dynamically assigned, your computer is usually assigned a different IP address on each call. As a result, it is more difficult (not impossible, just difficult) for an attacker to take advantage of vulnerable network services to take control of your computer.

Broadband services are referred to as "always-on" services because there is no call setup when your computer has something to send. The computer is always on the network, ready to send or receive data through its network interface card (NIC). Since the connection is always up, your computer’s IP address will change less frequently (if at all), thus making it more of a fixed target for attack.

What’s more, many broadband service providers use well-known IP addresses for home users. So while an attacker may not be able to single out your specific computer as belonging to you, they may at least be able to know that your service providers’ broadband customers are within a certain address range, thereby making your computer a more likely target than it might have been otherwise.

The table below shows a brief comparison of traditional dial-up and broadband services.

Dial-up Broadband
Connection type Dial on demand Always on
IP address Changes on each call Static or infrequently changing
Relative connection speed Low High
Remote control potential Computer must be dialed in to control remotely
Computer is always connected, so remote control can occur anytime
ISP-provided security Little or none Little or none
Table 1: Comparison of Dial-up and Broadband Services

How is broadband access different from the network I use at work?
Corporate and government networks are typically protected by many layers of security, ranging from network firewalls to encryption. In addition, they usually have support staff who maintain the security and availability of these network connections.

Although your ISP is responsible for maintaining the services they provide to you, you probably won’t have dedicated staff on hand to manage and operate your home network. You are ultimately responsible for your own computers. As a result, it is up to you to take reasonable precautions to secure your computers from accidental or intentional misuse.

What is a protocol?
A protocol is a well-defined specification that allows computers to communicate across a network. In a way, protocols define the "grammar" that computers can use to "talk" to each other.

What is IP?
IP stands for "Internet Protocol". It can be thought of as the common language of computers on the Internet. There are a number of detailed descriptions of IP given elsewhere, so we won’t cover it in detail in this document. However, it is important to know a few things about IP in order to understand how to secure your computer. Here we’ll cover IP addresses, static vs. dynamic addressing, NAT, and TCP and UDP Ports.

An overview of TCP/IP can be found in the TCP/IP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) at

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/internet/tcp-ip/tcp-ip-faq/part1/ and

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/internet/tcp-ip/tcp-ip-faq/part2/

What is an IP address?
IP addresses are analogous to telephone numbers – when you want to call someone on the telephone, you must first know their telephone number. Similarly, when a computer on the Internet needs to send data to another computer, it must first know its IP address. IP addresses are typically shown as four numbers separated by decimal points, or “dots”. For example, 10.24.254.3 and 192.168.62.231 are IP addresses.

If you need to make a telephone call but you only know the person’s name, you can look them up in the telephone directory (or call directory services) to get their telephone number. On the Internet, that directory is called the Domain Name System, or DNS for short. If you know the name of a server, say www.cert.org, and you type this into your web browser, your computer will then go ask its DNS server what the numeric IP address is that is associated with that name.

Every computer on the Internet has an IP address associated with it that uniquely identifies it. However, that address may change over time, especially if the computer is

dialing into an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
connected behind a network firewall
connected to a broadband service using dynamic IP addressing.

What are static and dynamic addressing?
Static IP addressing occurs when an ISP permanently assigns one or more IP addresses for each user. These addresses do not change over time. However, if a static address is assigned but not in use, it is effectively wasted. Since ISPs have a limited number of addresses allocated to them, they sometimes need to make more efficient use of their addresses.

Dynamic IP addressing allows the ISP to efficiently utilize their address space. Using dynamic IP addressing, the IP addresses of individual user computers may change over time. If a dynamic address is not in use, it can be automatically reassigned to another computer as needed.

What is NAT?
Network Address Translation (NAT) provides a way to hide the IP addresses of a private network from the Internet while still allowing computers on that network to access the Internet. NAT can be used in many different ways, but one method frequently used by home users is called "masquerading".

Using NAT masquerading, one or more devices on a LAN can be made to appear as a single IP address to the outside Internet. This allows for multiple computers in a home network to use a single cable modem or DSL connection without requiring the ISP to provide more than one IP address to the user. Using this method, the ISP-assigned IP address can be either static or dynamic. Most network firewalls support NAT masquerading.

What are TCP and UDP Ports?
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are both protocols that use IP. Whereas IP allows two computers to talk to each other across the Internet, TCP and UDP allow individual applications (also known as "services") on those computers to talk to each other.

In the same way that a telephone number or physical mail box might be associated with more than one person, a computer might have multiple applications (e.g. email, file services, web services) running on the same IP address. Ports allow a computer to differentiate services such as email data from web data. A port is simply a number associated with each application that uniquely identifies that service on that computer. Both TCP and UDP use ports to identify services. Some common port numbers are 80 for web (HTTP), 25 for email (SMTP), and 53 for Domain Name System (DNS).

What is a firewall?
The Firewalls FAQ (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/firewalls-faq/) defines a firewall as "a system or group of systems that enforces an access control policy between two networks." In the context of home networks, a firewall typically takes one of two forms:

Software firewall - specialized software running on an individual computer, or

Network firewall - a dedicated device designed to protect one or more computers.

Both types of firewall allow the user to define access policies for inbound connections to the computers they are protecting. Many also provide the ability to control what services (ports) the protected computers are able to access on the Internet (outbound access). Most firewalls intended for home use come with pre-configured security policies from which the user chooses, and some allow the user to customize these policies for their specific needs.

More information on firewalls can be found in the Additional resources section of this document.

What does antivirus software do?
There are a variety of antivirus software packages that operate in many different ways, depending on how the vendor chose to implement their software. What they have in common, though, is that they all look for patterns in the files or memory of your computer that indicate the possible presence of a known virus. Antivirus packages know what to look for through the use of virus profiles (sometimes called "signatures") provided by the vendor.

New viruses are discovered daily. The effectiveness of antivirus software is dependent on having the latest virus profiles installed on your computer so that it can look for recently discovered viruses. It is important to keep these profiles up to date.

More information about viruses and antivirus software can be found on the CERT Computer Virus Resource page

http://www.cert.org/other_sources/viruses.html Computer security risks to home users

What is at risk?
Information security is concerned with three main areas:

Confidentiality - information should be available only to those who rightfully have access to it

Integrity — information should be modified only by those who are authorized to do so

Availability — information should be accessible to those who need it when they need it

These concepts apply to home Internet users just as much as they would to any corporate or government network. You probably wouldn’t let a stranger look through your important documents. In the same way, you may want to keep the tasks you perform on your computer confidential, whether it’s tracking your investments or sending email messages to family and friends. Also, you should have some assurance that the information you enter into your computer remains intact and is available when you need it.

Some security risks arise from the possibility of intentional misuse of your computer by intruders via the Internet. Others are risks that you would face even if you weren’t connected to the Internet (e.g. hard disk failures, theft, power outages). The bad news is that you probably cannot plan for every possible risk. The good news is that you can take some simple steps to reduce the chance that you’ll be affected by the most common threats — and some of those steps help with both the intentional and accidental risks you’re likely to face.

Before we get to what you can do to protect your computer or home network, let’s take a closer look at some of these risks.

Intentional misuse of your computer
The most common methods used by intruders to gain control of home computers are briefly described below. More detailed information is available by reviewing the URLs listed in the References section below.

Trojan horse programs
Back door and remote administration programs
Denial of service
Being an intermediary for another attack
Unprotected Windows shares
Mobile code (Java, JavaScript, and ActiveX)
Cross-site scripting
Email spoofing
Email-borne viruses
Hidden file extensions
Chat clients
Packet sniffing
Trojan horse programs
Trojan horse programs are a common way for intruders to trick you (sometimes referred to as "social engineering") into installing "back door" programs. These can allow intruders easy access to your computer without your knowledge, change your system configurations, or infect your computer with a computer virus. More information about Trojan horses can be found in the following document.

http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-1999-02.html

Back door and remote administration programs
On Windows computers, three tools commonly used by intruders to gain remote access to your computer are BackOrifice, Netbus, and SubSeven. These back door or remote administration programs, once installed, allow other people to access and control your computer. We recommend that you review the CERT vulnerability note about Back Orifice. This document describes how it works, how to detect it, and how to protect your computers from it:

http://www.cert.org/vul_notes/VN-98.07.backorifice.html

Denial of service
Another form of attack is called a denial-of-service (DoS) attack. This type of attack causes your computer to crash or to become so busy processing data that you are unable to use it. In most cases, the latest patches will prevent the attack. The following documents describe denial-of-service attacks in greater detail.

http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-2000-01.html
http://www.cert.org/archive/pdf/DoS_trends.pdf

It is important to note that in addition to being the target of a DoS attack, it is possible for your computer to be used as a participant in a denial-of-service attack on another system.

Being an intermediary for another attack
Intruders will frequently use compromised computers as launching pads for attacking other systems. An example of this is how distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) tools are used. The intruders install an "agent" (frequently through a Trojan horse program) that runs on the compromised computer awaiting further instructions. Then, when a number of agents are running on different computers, a single "handler" can instruct all of them to launch a denial-of-service attack on another system. Thus, the end target of the attack is not your own computer, but someone else’s — your computer is just a convenient tool in a larger attack.

Unprotected Windows shares
Unprotected Windows networking shares can be exploited by intruders in an automated way to place tools on large numbers of Windows-based computers attached to the Internet. Because site security on the Internet is interdependent, a compromised computer not only creates problems for the computer’s owner, but it is also a threat to other sites on the Internet. The greater immediate risk to the Internet community is the potentially large number of computers attached to the Internet with unprotected Windows networking shares combined with distributed attack tools such as those described in http://www.cert.org/incident_notes/IN-2000-01.html

Another threat includes malicious and destructive code, such as viruses or worms, which leverage unprotected Windows networking shares to propagate. One such example is the 911 worm described in http://www.cert.org/incident_notes/IN-2000-03.html

There is great potential for the emergence of other intruder tools that leverage unprotected Windows networking shares on a widespread basis.

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For complete article please visit: http://ramis.aspfreeserver.com/Home_Network_Security.asp

Recently, my site and other internet accounts ( http://www.nabaza.com/sites.htm ) have been hacked maliciously for the purpose of getting all my online sales and transferring it to his/her account. I’ve learned a valuable lesson that I would like to share with you so as to avoid becoming the next victim for this hacker.

Steps to protect your web site:

1. Don’t give out your username/password to anyone else.

Even if it’s your own net/web/system admin. Chances are he/she already knows it for he/she can just login as admin to the control panel and look at your password.

2. Change your password once in a while.

It’s better to write them down instead of saving them on a hard disk with insufficient firewall protection.

3. Don’t use any word that can be found in dictionary or anything that signifies your birthdate, your street number to make it difficult for the hackers to guess.

4. Disable the "Forgot Password" utility on your site. This utility is very convenient to most end users, so fast that it gives out password so easy to for hackers to play with.

5. Make your password question / password answer (the one used to remind your forgotten password) difficult to guess. Treat it as a password. If anyone can just guess it, chances are hackers will start exploring with your account.

6. Make sure you are in constant contact with your web provider so they know your real identity and they can help you out as soon as there’s hacking going on in your site.

7. Don’t use any irc (internet relay chat) based chat system for it connects to ports 6660 to 6669. Hackers will exploit these ports and will upload trojan virus in your computer that can get your username/password on most of your accounts.

If you are going to use any irc chat system, don’t even use it without the aid of psybnc or bnc. For more details and pricing of this tool, email: sales@nabaza.com with Subject: psybnc or go to http://www.nabaza.com/support.htm and post your request there.

8. Don’t trust any email (even if it’s an email message coming from your trusted friend) message that has .exe file attachment. Chances are it came from a malicious programmer and this .exe file already spreadand infected/duplicated in all email addresses in your addressbook including yours. For antivirus information, go to http://www.nabaza.com/antivirus.htm

Nabaza.comspecializes in building, designing, implementing, managing and maintaining corporate website to boost sales of your company. Email william@nabaza.com for information on functional, dynamic webpage designing with affordable packages. Subscribe for free! http://www.nabaza.com/subscribe.htm

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Manual Spy Bot Removal > BookedSpace

BookedSpace is an Internet Explorer Browser Helper Object used to show advertising.

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Variants
BookedSpace/Remanent : early variant (around July 2003) with filename rem00001.dll, controlling server 66.225.192.199.

BookedSpace/BS2 and BookedSpace/BS3 : newer revisions (August 2003) with filename bs2.dll or bs3.dll, controlling server www.bookedspace.com.

Distribution
BookedSpace/Remanent is silently installed by MThree MP3 to WAV converter. BookedSpace/BS2 is silently installed by FreeWire’s FreeMP3Player. The origin of BookedSpace/BS3 is currently unknown.

Advertising
Yes. BookedSpace can contact its controlling server when a new page is visited, which may direct it to open pop-up ads.

Privacy violation
Yes. When the controlling server is contacted, the URL of the current page is passed along with a user ID for tracking purposes.

Security issues
Yes. May download and install third-party software as directed by its controlling server. BookedSpace/BS2 has been seen to install the BargainBuddy , nCase and eBates parasites.

Stability problems
Seems to stop IE address bar searches from working.

Removal
Open a DOS command prompt windows (from Start->Programs->Accessories), and enter the following commands, for the Remanent variant:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "..\rem00001.dll"
Or, for the BS2 variant:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "..\bs2.dll"
Or, for the BS3 variant:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "..\bs3.dll"

Next, for BS2 and BS3, open the registry (click ‘Start’, choose ‘Run’, enter ‘regedit’), find the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, and delete the entry ‘BookedSpace’ (BS2 variant) or ‘Bsx3′ (BS3 variant).

Restart the computer and you should be able to delete the ‘rem00001.dll’, ‘bs2.dll’ or ‘bs3.dll’ file in the Windows folder. You can also open the registry and delete the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Remanent or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_Software\BookedSpace to clean up, if you like.

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MS Media Player GUID

Overview
MS Media Player GUID is a warning that the Window Media player may transmits an anonymous Global Uniquie IDentifier (GUID) to the streaming servers when you download content.

The following is the information given at Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-029: "… a potential privacy vulnerability that was recently identified. This issue could be exploited by a malicious set of web sites to distinguish a user. While this issue would not by itself enable a web site to identify the user, it could enable the correlation of user information to potentially build a composite description of the user." Source

The existance of this GUID on your system may also indicated that your system does not have all critical updates and service packs installed.

Detection
Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner detects MS Media Player GUID. Bazooka is freeware and detects spyware, adware, foistware, trojan horses, viruses, worms and other potentially unwanted applications. Read more »

How to remove the GUID

Go to www.windowsupdate.com and install all critical updates and service packs. Go on with the following steps if Bazooka still reports MS Media Player GUID.

Windows Media Player 6.4 users: the privacy setting is selected via a new option, which can be reached by going to the menu item View / Options then selecting the player tab and de-selecting "Allow Internet sites to uniquely identify your player".

Windows Media Player 7.1 users: the privacy setting is toggled via the existing option under the tools menu, on the player tab and deselect the option "Allow Internet sites to uniquely identify your player". Windows Media Player 9.0 users: Click Tools -> Options -> Privacy, uncheck "Send unique Player ID to content providers."

If Bazooka still reports MS Media Player GUID, go on with the following steps.

Start the registry editor. This is done by clicking Start then Run. (The Run dialog will appear.) Type regedit and click OK. (The registry editor will open.)

Delete ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ MediaPlayer \ Player \ Settings \ Client ID’.

Exit the registry editor.

Problems uninstalling? Click here.

Please support me
Thank you for using my site. Please help me to keep this site and software up-to-date.

Contact information for MS Media Player GUID’s vendor In order to provide correct, accurate and updated information about MS Media Player GUID I encourage the vendor to contact me if any part of this write-up needs a revision.

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W32.Backdoor.Nibu

Overview
W32.Backdoor.Nibu is a trojan horse, with many variants. You can read more at Symantec.

Classification
Trojan Horse

Files
load32.exe, Dllreg.exe, Vxdmgr32.exe, Rundllw.exe, patch.exe, netda.exe, swchost.exe

Log references
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Detection
Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner detects W32.Backdoor.Nibu. Bazooka is freeware and detects spyware, adware, foistware, trojan horses, viruses, worms and other potentially unwanted applications. Read more »

Uninstall procedure
Please go to the anti-virus recommendation page. You can find both free products or use one of the trials to remove the virus.

Manual removal
Please follow the instructions below if you would like to remove W32.Backdoor.Nibu manually. Please notice that you must follow the instructions very carefully and delete everything that is mentioned. In most cases the removal will fail if one single item is not deleted. If W32.Backdoor.Nibu remains on your system after stepping through the removal instructions, please double-check by stepping through them again. Start your computer in safe mode.

Start the registry editor. This is done by clicking Start then Run. (The Run dialog will appear.) Type regedit and click OK. (The registry editor will open.)

Browse to the key:

‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run’
In the right pane, delete the value called ‘load32′, if it exists.
Exit the registry editor.
Restart your computer.
Start Windows Explorer and delete:
%SystemDir%\swchost.exe
%SystemDir%\netda.exe
%SystemDir%\load32.exe
Note: %SystemDir% is a variable (?). By default, this is C:\Windows\System (Windows 95/98/Me), C:\WINNT\System32 (Windows NT/2000), or C:\Windows\System32 (Windows XP).

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FavoriteMan has many variants:

FavoriteMan/Lwz installs lwz.dll. Data file is SysLdr.dll. Controlling server is www.f1organizer.com.
FavoriteMan/F1 installs F1.dll. Data file is SysLdr.dll. Controlling server is www.prize4all.com.
FavoriteMan/FOne
FavoriteMan/FOne is a replacement for the Lwz variant. Filename is FOne.dll, data file is SysLdr.dll. Controlling server is www.f1organizer.com.
FavoriteMan/Ofrg’s program file is called ofrg.dll. It stores its data in a file called favboot.dll. Its controlling server is www.yourspecialoffers.com. FavoriteMan/Favorite installs favorite.dll. Data file is FavMan.dll. Controlling server is also www.yourspecialoffers.com.

FavoriteMan/SpyAssault
FavoriteMan sometimes causes IE to lock up for a variable period of time, occasionally indefinitely, when a new browser process is started. This may be something to do with its trying to contact its servers on startup. Also crashes may occur when very long URLs are used.

How to Remove FavoriteMan?

FavoriteMan/F1 and FavoriteMan/ZZ offer a removal feature: Click Start >Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove programs, choose ‘F1′ or ‘ZZ’ and click ‘Remove’.

To manually remove other variants of FavoriteMan:

Unregister FavoriteMan. Open a DOS command prompt window (Click Start > Run, type ‘command’(for Windows 98/Me) or ‘cmd’ (for Windows 2000/XP) and enter the following commands: cd "%WinDir%\System" regsvr32 /u favorite.dll

Note: Change the filename ‘favorite.dll’ to match the variant you have. This can be ofrg.dll, favorite.dll, lwz.dll, F1.dll, ZZ.dll, mpz300.dll, trk.dll, Gr02.dll, Aess.dll, Ss32.dll or emesx.dll; in in the case of the IMZ variant it will have a random eleven-letter filename. (eg. troallystbr.dll). You can usually find the culprit by opening the System folder choosing View->Arrange icons by->Modified, then looking near the bottom of the window.

Restarting the computer.

Delete the program file. The software can be found in the System folder. On Windows 95/98/Me this is the folder called ‘System’ in the Windows folder; on Windows NT, 2000 and XP it is called ‘System32′. Look for one of the filenames listed above.

Delete the data file favboot.dll, FavMan.dll, SysLdr.dll, mbr32.dll, im64.dll or dlh0st.dll in the same folder (it isn’t a DLL at all). Open the registry editor ( Start > Run, type regedit) , locate the key ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows’,find and delete the entries ‘Counter’, ‘Server’ and ‘Object’ in it.

Free PC Health Check - find bad files fast! How many corrupt and redundant files are lurking inside your PC ready to cause harmful errors? Find these harmful "time-bomb" files instantly and keep your computer ERROR FREE 24 hours a day!

Online Trojan

Overview
Online Trojan changes your Internet Explorer settings.

Classification
Trojan Horse

Files
svchost.exe, msto32.dll, svchostc.exe, svchosts.exe

Log references
Log 89

Vendor
Unknown

Privacy policy
No privacy policy available.

Detection
Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner detects Online Trojan. Bazooka is freeware and detects spyware, adware, foistware, trojan horses, viruses, worms and other potentially unwanted applications. Read more »

Manual removal
Please follow the instructions below if you would like to remove Online Trojan manually. Please notice that you must follow the instructions very carefully and delete everything that is mentioned. In most cases the removal will fail if one single item is not deleted. If Online Trojan remains on your system after stepping through the removal instructions, please double-check by stepping through them again. Start your computer in safe mode.

Start the registry editor. This is done by clicking Start then Run. (The Run dialog will appear.) Type regedit and click OK. (The registry editor will open.)

Browse to the key:
‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run’
In the right pane, delete the value called ‘Online Service’, if it exists.
Exit the registry editor.
Start Windows Explorer and delete:
%WinDir%\svchost.exe
%WinDir%\msto32.dll
%SystemDir%\svchostc.exe
%SystemDir%\svchosts.exe
Note: %SystemDir% is a variable (?). By default, this is C:\Windows\System (Windows 95/98/Me), C:\WINNT\System32 (Windows NT/2000), or C:\Windows\System32 (Windows XP).

Note: %WinDir% is a variable (?). By default, this is C:\Windows (Windows 95/98/Me/XP) or C:\WINNT (Windows NT/2000).

Start Microsoft Internet Explorer.
In Internet Explorer, click Tools -> Internet Options.
Click the Programs tab -> Reset Web Settings.

Nabaza.com specializes in building, designing, implementing, managing and maintaining corporate website to boost sales of your company. Email william@nabaza.com for information on functional, dynamic webpage designing with affordable packages. Subscribe for free: http://www.nabaza.com/subscribe.htm

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Identity Theft and Your Personal Information
——————————————–
Identity theft is apparently the “in thing” these days. By media accounts, hackers and evildoers lurk everywhere trying to steal your personal information. In the past few months, one company after another is being forced to admit customer data has been lost or stolen.

In many cases, they have then come forth repeatedly over the next few weeks, or even months revising the estimated number of impacted customers. To date, I don’t think any have ever lowered those numbers.

Identity Theft and Respected Companies
————————————–
Generally speaking, these aren’t fly-by-night organizations. These are respected companies who we’ve come to trust. In many instances, the loss wasn’t even the work of a “malicious hacker” or other mystical force beyond their control; it was simple carelessness. The frequency of such reports of identity theft is making it difficult for consumers to feel confident in those with whom we do business. Customers are outraged that companies are not doing more to protect their information from the forces of evil.

You and Your Personal Information
———————————
What about you? How are you at keeping you personal information under wraps? Some of these high profile incidents were the result of a trivial mistake that could have happened to anyone, including you.

Let’s consider two events that didn’t make the front page of C|Net or CNN.

The Keys To The Castle
———————-
I consult for a client who doesn’t trust me. It’s nothing personal, they don’t trust anyone. Whenever I visit this site, I am forced to contact the client throughout the visit to have them type a credential, or password, to grant access to a server or router. It’s really annoying.

I really respect this client.

They don’t really know me; I’m “the consultant”. They’re taking the proper steps when dealing with a consultant, providing the absolute minimum amount of information required. They would never give me unsupervised access to the network, and certainly wouldn’t consider giving me passwords to their servers or routers. Not on purpose anyway.

Then there was the day I was working alongside the client and needed to reconfigure a router to complete a task. It’s a long walk to the client’s office to get the password for that particular router. Yes, this is a client who apparently has a unique password for every piece of equipment they own. Conveniently the client does keep a password protected file on a USB key that contained the needed information. The client was completely appropriate and even asked permission before using my laptop to fetch the file. I consented, and even made the gesture of turning away while he unlocked the file and retrieved the required password.

Have you ever used Google Desktop Search? It’s a very cool, and aptly named, program that is a Google for your PC. It will index your files and make them searchable through a fast, flexible, and easy to use interface. It’ll even cache the contents of files so if you move it off your hard drive, you’ll still be able to see the contents of what was once there. Normally it does all this in the background when you computer is sitting idle. It also does it anytime you open a file.

Your Personal Information Is The Prize
————————————–
You guessed it. Logins, passwords, public and private IP addresses. You name it, I had it. The client who would never give me a single password had turned over all of them at once.

What kind of wondrous data was now available? Personnel records, salary data, trade secrets? Maybe, if this was a corporate client. What about an academic, a University even? Student records, financial aid forms, and grant information. The possibilities were endless.

I promptly deleted the cache. The customer didn’t want me to have the information, nor did I.

Would You Hand Your Credit Card To A Stranger?
———————————————-
The previous example showed how simple it is to inadvertently reveal a large amount of data. It’s funny how easily a person can dismiss this type of loss. After all, it’s not your data, right?

So let’s get a bit more personal.

Convenience And Computer Security Are Rarely Compatible
——————————————————-
I have a good trust relationship with my next client. She is quite comfortable with me administering and securing the corporate network. When it comes to her personal credit card information however, well, not so much.

Pretty much every web browser available these days has quite a few convenience features designed to make your day to day “net experience simpler”. One of these convenience features came into play in this example, specifically the Firefox browser’s auto-completion feature.

Not too long ago, I was tasked by this client to make arrangements for transfer of an internet domain to their ownership. Not a difficult task, she could have handled it herself. She was quite a capable computer user; she just didn’t want to be bothered with the process.

I set aside 20 minutes to go through her domain registrar’s step-by-step transfer wizard. I summoned the client to explain the details of the transfer displayed on my laptop screen. Facing the payment options screen the client asked if she could proceed. I relinquished control of my laptop and she entered the credit card information required to complete the transaction.

Web Browsers Cache Your Personal Information
——————————————–
Most modern web browsers, for convenience, will cache information entered into web forms. The intent is to be able to recall this information if it’s requested by another form. The following day, I was in the process of registering another domain with the same registrar and was surprised, for half a second, when the payment screen pre-populated using the same information used the day before. In addition to the credit card information I also had my client’s personal home address, and telephone number. This was quite a bit of personal information the client never had any intention of giving me.

So What’s Your Point?
———————
These two examples are very different but do share two important attributes. First, data the client intended to keep private was revealed to me. Second, the reason for the “compromise” of the data was due to the “victim” working with said data on a computer they neither owned nor were familiar with. Under different circumstances, the end results could have been quite devastating.

Conclusion
———-
When using a computer system you do not own, perhaps at a kiosk, or Internet Café, be aware that the computer itself is going to remember a lot of what you’ve done as part of basic functionality. Additionally, most entities that are going to provide you with access to a computer, including your employer, probably have systems in place that could collect additional data you don’t desire to share. Even WiFi hotspots that allow you to use your own notebook or PDA to surf the web while sipping coffee can be a potential information collector.

The moral of the story is, when dealing with computer systems that aren’t your own, never handle data or documents that you wouldn’t want left behind unprotected. In all odds, once you walk away from that computer, you’ve done just that.

About The Author
—————-
Erich currently specializes in providing network and security solutions for small to medium businesses that frequently have to resolve the conflict of need versus budget. His commitment to precision and excellence is eclipsed only by his fascination with gadgets, particularly ones that are shiny, or that blink, or that beep. Erich is a staff writer for http://www.defendingthenet.com and several other e-zines. If you would like to contact Erich you can e-mail him at erich.heintz@gmail.com or DefendTheNet@ParaLogic.Net.

Viruses, Bugs, Worms, Dataminers, Spybots, and Trojan horses. The Internet is a veritable minefield of things that can invade your PC and affect it’s Security and Performance.

You can do something about it and you can do it FREE, using some or all of the following programs and tips.

Anti-Virus protection.

One of the best Free programs for this is AntiVir Personal Edition Anti-Virus software. Download it from: http://www.free-av.com Install on your PC and leave it running to block any incoming bugs or viruses! It can also be used to scan your system for any previous invasions, but be patient, this takes about 15 minutes to complete. Worth running periodically, to check all is ok.

FireWalls and Broadband.

If you are on Broadband, consider using Firewall software. Most good ISP’s now supply free. (eg AOL). If yours doesn’t, you can get a reasonably good Free personal firewall system from ‘ZoneAlarm’ at http://www.zonelabs.com . Tip – DON’T leave your PC connected to the Internet when you are not using it! Reduce the chance of something loading while you are not monitoring things !

SpyBot finders and Ad blockers.

Various programs available on the web, both ‘Paid’ and ‘Free’. You can get good results from using 2 Free packages that are available. These are ‘SpyBot Search & Destroy’ and ‘Ad-Aware’. Downloads available at http://www.lavasoft.de for AD-Aware http://www.safer-networking.org for SpyBot Using both of these packages ensures that, you get with one, any ‘bots’ that the other one misses.

Suspect you have a virus?

If you think you already have a virus, a good Free tool for checking and killing them is McAfee Stinger. Free download at: http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=stinger

Some General Tips

Get in the habit of, every time you disconnect from the web, deleting ALL files from the following folders:

C:/WINDOWS/Cookies
C:/WINDOWS/Temporary Internet

Beware ‘Boys Toys’ and ‘Freebies’! Think, if someone wants to spread a bug, get tracking software onto your PC etc, the best place for them to do it is places where you go to get ‘freebies’ to download! The above sites are normally ‘ad free’, but be aware that if you download porn, free music, free games, free software, there is often a ‘price’ to pay. Always use the above programs after visiting ANY of these sorts of sites!

John Roberts is a Freelance Training Consultant and Director of JayrConsulting Ltd. (http://www.jayrconsulting.co.uk) John is also an active member of TrainerBase (http://www.trainerbase.co.uk) and is always open to discussion on any training topics.

It’s a sad statistic, but hundreds of unsuspecting kids are lured away from home every year by strangers they meet in online chat rooms.

As frightening as this seems, it gets scarce attention in the media. We often hear about missing children, but only occasionally do we actually hear of a chat room connection.

Chat rooms are very popular because they are an easy way to talk to others annonymously. Anyone can enter a chat room with an identity- real names are rarely, if ever, given. A shy person, for example, someone who finds it hard to talk to others in person, may find it much easier to communicate because they can hide behind their identity, which gives them a sense of security.

But hiding behind an identity also poses a very real danger for young, immature minds which can be easily influenced.

To put it in the vernacular, "bad guys" hide behind identities, too. Men, and sometimes women, who have less than noble interests in mind. These people prey on young teens, looking for their next victim.

Once they find one, they can be oh, so persuasive! They get to know the kids, often flattering them, complimenting them, saying nice things about them and to them. They know exactly what to say and how to say it.

Soon, they’ve drawn them into their web and the kids fall for whatever they tell them, hook, line, and sinker.

The next thing you know- another youngster has gone missing. All too often, they are never seen alive again.

I realize this is a very graphic way of putting things, but how else can I impress upon anyone just how real this is? The Internet is a DANGEROUS place for our kids!

The tragedy is in almost every case it could have been prevented, if parents had taken proper precautions.

However, none of us wants to watch our kids "like a hawk"! We want them to have a measure of freedom, and that’s only right and proper. But there is a simple process whereby you CAN give your kids a great deal of freedom, while at the same time protecting them.

Software is available now that allows you, the parent, to control where your kids go, what they do, who they talk to online. It’s inexpensive, and it works! With it you can block unwanted or prohibited sites, prevent downloading of unsafe programs, eliminate unwanted or unsafe email. Since it’s also password protected, and YOU set the password, your kids cannot unblock what you’ve blocked.

Most of this software is also inexpensive, and some of it can be instantly downloaded for immediate protection. There are several places online where it can be purchased, but one word of caution: Be certain the seller includes a guarantee with it, because some of it is bogus! (Yes, there are people who will even rip you off when it comes to protecting your kids!)

Last year, over 1,000 young people became victims of pedophiles and deviants lurking in chat rooms. This year the number could go higher than that. Please take action now to protect your kids. Don’t let them become the next victim!

David Hallett is a ten year veteran of the internet. As president and CEO of TakeBackTheInternet.com, he is working to make the internet a safer place for everyone.

Despite the current wave of identity theft and corporate security breaches it’s amazing how very few people treat their passwords with any level of seriousness. Most computers users, both at home and in the office, see passwords as a nuisance and therefore make them as easy to remember as possible. This can be a catastrophic mistake.

There are certain specific guidelines you need to follow to choose a safe and secure password. Use the following tips as a "how to" on making your password secure.

1. Your password must be alphanumeric. That simply means a mixture of numbers and letters such as xpf2778z. Why? When a hacker tries to break into a system they often use what are called dictionary or brute force hacks. A dictionary hack is an application that simply uses standard words and word combinations in an attempt to guess your password. For example many computer users use the word "password" as their actual password. A dictionary hack would crack that password in a few moments. Using alphanumeric passwords increases the number of possible password combinations by millions.

2. It should be 6 - 8 characters in length. The longer the password the harder it is for a hacking program to get around. If your password was abc then there are 6 possible password combinations. If your password was abc123 there are now over 720 password combinations possible. If your password was abc1234 there are now almost 6,000 possible combinations. Never, ever use a short password only comprised of letters.

3. Never use personal details in your password. People often use their home address, their age, husband or wives name, their social security number or their date of birth. These are incredibly easy to get access to by either a fellow employee or potential system hacker. Your password needs to be secure and hard to guess and personal details meet neither of these criteria.

4. Do not write your password down anywhere. Keeping a record of your password for somebody to find is as dangerous as keeping a copy of your ATM pin number in your wallet beside your ATM card. Create a memorable password that you’ll have no problem recalling. This is not as hard as it sounds and if you jot some password ideas down you’ll quickly come up with some good ones. Obviously burn the piece of paper you jotted your ideas down on.

5. Do not use the same password for more than 90 days. Create several variants of the same password and recycle them every 60 - 90 days. This adds an extra layer of security to your data. By recycling your password frequently you make your data 1000% more secure. You’ll notice that most large corporates force their employees to change their password every month for this exact reason.

Hopefully these tips will help you choose a password that’s both safe and secure and that you’ll have some fun creating your new passwords too!

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