Network Security

Archive for December, 2011

Many people may concern about how computer gets infected with spyware, rootkits, trojans, and other malware. For arming with such knowledge can help avoid being affected by these viruses. Below is a list of the most common ways a computer can contract these infections.

All people who use the computer should be aware of how to properly use the computer and protect it from malicious software.

No anti-malware software

It’s highly recommended you have some form of anti-virus and spyware protection on your computer to help protect you from malware and other infections. Because malware programs are growing rapidly, changing into more complicated and difficult to detect forms. You need a guard to defense your PC form these malicious program.

Why you need to install anti-malware software?

When downloading some software from the Internet, you may download some programs that contain viruses and other malware. So make sure you’re downloading the software from a reliable source and scan it with your anti-virus program before open and install it.  

Accepting without reading

According to a research, the most common ways a computer becomes infected is the user accepts what he or she sees on the screen without reading the prompt or understanding what it’s asking.

Some common examples:

Accept unknown plug-ins without reading. When browse the Internet, an Internet advertisement or window might appear to tell that your computer is infected and a unique plug-in is required. Without fully understanding what it is you’re getting, you accept the prompt.

A very often situation is that these plug-ins are malicious software that designed to monitor your usage of the program.

Opening e-mail attachments

Another very common way people become infected with viruses and other spyware is by opening e-mail attachments. Sometimes, these e-mails are sent by a co-worker, friend, or family member, so you treat it lightly. However, E-mail addresses can be easily faked, what’s worse, even if they are not faked, your acquaintance may unsuspectingly be forwarding you an infected file if they get infected by some viruses.

So be careful when receiving an e-mail with an attachment. Delete it right away if the e-mail was expected from someone you don’t know, and be cautious when opening the attachment if the e-mail is from someone you know.

Not running the latest updates

This is the most easily forgotten part. Many of the updates, especially those associated with Microsoft Windows and other operating systems and programs, are security updates. Running a program or operating system that is not up-to-date can be a big security risk and can be a way your computer becomes infected.

Pirating software, music, or movies

When you download copyrighted music, movies, software, etc. for free from some websites, you may easily get affected for many of the files can contain viruses, spyware or malicious software. So next time, be careful when download something.

Have you experienced a sudden slow of your internet connection and later you completely can’t connect to internet?  You rebooted your computer, and tried all the troubleshooting ways but it still didn’t make it work. Well, someone is trying to access your router!

As the spread of laptops, wireless security has become an essential part of this computer world. Embodied yourself with certain knowledge of this filed will ensure your wireless network not stolen by other people and less susceptible to hackers. Below are some suggestions which may help:

1. Type your router’s administration control panel address into Internet Explorer. If it doesn’t work, consult your router’s user manual.

2. Type in your user name and password for the administration control panel of your router, and click OK.

3 Click the “Wireless” tab within your router’s administration control panel. The same to all routers.

4 Click “Wireless Security.”

5 Select the “Security Mode.”

6 Select the shared key or password for your wireless security type.

7 Leave the “Group Key Renewal” setting as the default. Click “Save Settings” to complete the process.

Upon doing the above settings, any laptops and other devices that connect to your wireless network will need to enter the password you set in step six. You can put all your worries down then.

When using Internet Explorer web browser, user may be notified in a certificate error message if Internet Explorer detects the security certificate of some web pages has information that is invalid. This feature is designed to protect users from web pages that contain malicious software. However, sometimes these messages become excessive and block valid web pages, so you need to disable the function to stop the error messages.

Following are some ways to stop certificate error notifications:

1. Click the “Start” button in the Windows desktop. Click the “Run” icon and type “regedit” into the text field box. Click the “OK” button to open the Microsoft Registry Editor.

2. Double-click the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE” folder that on the left-side pane of the editor, then double-click the “SOFTWARE” folder, followed by double-clicking the “Microsoft,”Internet Explorer,”Main,” and “Feature Control” folders.

3. Highlight the “New” option in the edit menu and click “Key.”

4. Type the following into the new key box:

“FEATURE_ERROR_PAGE_BYPASS_ZONE_CHECK_FOR_HTTPS_KB954312″

Press “Enter”.

5. Select and highlight the “New” option in the edit menu, then select “DWORD Value.”

6. Type the following into the value box:

“iexplore.exe”

Press “Enter.”

7. Select the “Modify” option in the edit menu.

Enter the value “1″ into the modification area and click “OK.”

Conclusion:

By following the above 7 steps you can easily get rid of certificate error notifications