Recent surges in identity theft calls for an increase in online consumer identity protection.
Anti-Virus Integration
If your computer gets a virus; it’s not something a little lie-down and a bowl of chicken soup is going to fix.
Note: Computer viruses are similar to real flu virus in which they are always working around the clock to acclimate to new security updates and patches.
That’s why your computer’s anti-virus should always be renewed immediately after your subscription expires to ensure that you have the latest security updates and patches.
And now, a look at how you can have your own back:
Plugin Check
Plugins like Flash, QuickTime and Java can make your computer vulnerable if not up to date. Check and update them regularly with our Plugin Check for happy computers and safe browsing.
Customized Security Settings
Depending on how comfortable and confident you are with your virus prevention, take a look at what your browser of choice provides for you on security settings. You can change these settings to your preference to accommodate for children that share computers with the household etc.
Secure Passwords
Hopefully none of your online passwords are “password.” And hopefully you didn’t just answer, “why not?” And hopefully you’ve chosen as strong a password as possible.
Choosing more secure passwords will help keep your identity safe on the internet. Here are a few tips to start with:
- Take a moment to think of a phrase that’s meaningful to you. Use that phrase to create a secure password that you can customize for each website you visit. (Ex:
Hihas4ei) - Add special characters. (Ex:
#Hihas4ei) - Associate it with a website. (Ex:
fCb#Hihas4ei: for Facebook)
While this technique lets you reuse the phrase-generated part of the password on a number of different websites, it would still be a bad idea to use it on a site like a bank account which contains high-value information. Sites like that deserve their own password selection phrase.
The Tech Team at Orange County Computer, wants to help you protect your confidential financial and personal information from hackers.
We keep ourselves up to date on the latest information on how our customers and keep their information secure. For more tips to keep your information secure, you can visit our site, www.orangecountycomputer.com, call our Tech Repair Center: 949-699-6619, or email us support@orangecountycomputer.com.
By: Elinor Mills
Researchers disclosed on a public security e-mail list today three vulnerabilities in the Web site of security firm McAfee, whose site has been found to have bugs several times before.
The YGN Ethical Hacker Group told the Full Disclosure list that it had reported the problems to McAfee on February 10 and two days later the company said it was working to resolve them. The group disclosed them publicly after noticing that they remained open this weekend–a month and a half later.
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If your Network Security is in question, this article might motivate you to take action. Orange County Computer is here to help.
Article written by USA Today’s Brian Acohido, October 13, 2010
Be nice to the tech folks who keep your company’s computers safe.
Microsoft Tuesday issued its largest ever batch of security patches — essential fixes for a record 49 security holes. What’s more, Oracle this week published its quarterly security update pushing out patches for 81 vulnerabilities in a wide array of Oracle and Sun Microsystems software. (Oracle recently acquired Sun.)
“It’s yet another record ‘Patch Tuesday’ for Microsoft, with updates spanning across products,” said James Walter, manager of the McAfee Threat Intelligence Service. “The volume is indicative of a trend where we’re seeing among various software vendors. As the awareness of vulnerabilities increases, the number of patches get bigger as well.”
But that’s not all. Apple also recently released a security patch for a file-sharing issue in OS X, which could allow a remote hacker to take control of your Mac. Adobe last week pushed out critical patches for 23 vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat for Windows, Mac and Linux.
“There’s no rest for the weary,” says Paul Henry, cybersecurity firm Lumension’s forensics and security analyst. “Patching this many total vulnerabilities is scary indeed and, if not managed correctly, they will certainly have a massive impact on corporate productivity.”
Security experts predict workday interruptions as these patches are tested and installed. “These updates will require a restart, shutting down computer systems for a period of time,” says Henry. “In some instances, this can take up to 20 minutes.”
Many of the Microsoft patches are for older versions of Office and Internet Explorer Web browser, including critical updates for Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8, that are “relatively easy to exploit,” says Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of patch management firm Qualys.
Some 24 vulnerabilities are patched in older versions of Office, so “users should apply both updates as quickly as possible,” says Kandek. “Even the new Word 2010 is affected by two of the vulnerabilities. This shows that achieving a bug-free record is near-impossible.”
Why is Microsoft still finding and patching so many security holes?
Much of it has to do with the software giant’s continued aggressive approach to finding holes before cybercriminals do. “Microsoft is working closer than ever with security researchers,” says Jason Miller, data and security team leader at Shavlik Technologies. “By working with researchers, Microsoft is closing the gap on the time to release fixes for vulnerabilities found. This is a key factor that a lot of people have been asking for, so we shouldn’t be too surprised that we are seeing an uptick in security bulletins.”
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