FtEnYiwO8qTphAiOzJOhpfJJo2HNtjqW9: December 2012

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Backing Up and Security

When you have a good backup routine in place, you get the benefit of a lot of peace of mind. Before you relax too much, however, there is an important security dimension to the backed up data that you have to consider. It is advisable to keep the important information in a safe and secure place. Here are some tips to help you make sure that your backed up data is as secure as possible and that your data isn't at undue risk of being compromised.

Encryption

Generally speaking, all of the data that you back up should be encrypted. Encryption ensures that it's just a bunch of garble to anyone without the correct key to unlock it. Most backup systems take care of this for you automatically these days, so you really don't have to spend a lot of time on this, in most cases. Online backup services will also encrypt data for you.

Physical Security

In order for your data to be truly secure, you have to be able to control who has access to it. This requires some sort of room security or keeping the data in a safe where it cannot be accessed by anyone without the right credentials or key. There are several solutions on the market for this need. One of the things to keep in mind is that any physical security you provide should also insulate your data from natural disasters. It's not enough to have your backups in a room if that room is in danger of burning down in a fire, for instance.

Access Control

This is a concern that is closely related to physical security but that's a bit different in some regards. The access control for your backup system usually regards how you prevent access to our servers, drives, tapes and everything else involved in the process. A skilled and nefarious individual can be very creative about how they get access to your data. For instance, if you secure your data tapes but have the tape drive unsecured, someone could easily slip their own tape in the drive and backup-meaning copy-all of your files and take off with them.

Backing up is a process that requires you to pay considerable attention to security. If you're using online backup services, you don't really have to worry about safes or security media, but you do have to make sure that the software used to backup and restore information is secured for unauthorized usage.

Software License - How to Avoid Future Hassles Get the Email Protection You Need From a Google Message Security Reseller When It Comes to Protecting Your Personal Information or "Identity", Here's What You Need to Know Search Your Name Online: Be Prepared for a Shocking Discovery

5 Tips to Protect Your Information From Online Scavengers

Search engines are hungry for YOUR information. After all, this is the digital information age, and many businesses have found that your personal information is actually worth a lot of money. So here are our best 5 tips for minimizing the information online databases collect about you, and how to limit the amount of unwanted content that will show up in your Google search.

1. Skip The Details

When you sign up as a user for a website or any online service, provide the least amount of information you actually need to register. If at all possible, only include your name and a contact email address. This can be a catch 22- in order to rank web profiles in your Google search results they need to have a good amount of content related to you but most users also want to limit their privacy. Some websites will try to incentivize you with free gifts to give them even more information, but do not fall for their tricks. More often than not things that appear to be free online usually end up costing you.

A good compromise is to put up "fluff content" that is loosely about you and your interests, but contains very little info specific to your personal, private life. Writing about hobbies, interests, or generic professional info works well just remember- don't put it online if you don't want the whole world to see it. Even with privacy settings on information has a way of spreading around. As a safe bet, don't put addresses, phone numbers, emails, or your zip code on public pages if you can avoid it.

2. Do a Safety Check BEFORE You Pay

There are always a few things a savvy online shopper will check before entering sensitive personal financial data onto a website. One of the most important things you can do is to check if the site is secure.

In order to do this simply look at the top of your screen where the web address is displayed, and check for https:// in the web address the "s" after the "http" means that the site is secure. Having a secure site means that the data sent between you and the given website is being encrypted, or scrambled, so online thieves will not be able to steal your information.

You should also check for a padlock displayed at the bottom of your web browser screen. When the padlock is closed, you are at a secure site. If that padlock is open on any page where you are asked to give sensitive information, you should assume that the site is not secure, and we would recommend not doing business with that entity.

3. Have Dedicated Online Payment Methods

In the unfortunate event that some of your financial data is stolen, you will be much better off if all your money is not in one place. We suggest having a credit card that is dedicated to your online shopping needs. Having a dedicated online card makes it much easier to track and dispute any unauthorized transactions.

Another very popular alternative is to use an online payment service such as PayPal or Checkout by Amazon. These services can eliminate a great deal of risk when it comes to paying online. All of these services are armed with the latest anti-fraud technology to keep purchases safe. The only true downside to these online payment services is that there are still a few web vendors out there that will not accept them as payment.

4. Get off the pesky people search databases

This may be the most important tip we have to offer in this article- get off the people search databases! Sites like Intelius, Spokeo, and Pipl scour the internet for public documents and other information that is legally available in local communities about you, your home value, your income, even your shopping habits and political views. In fact, these sites may even have a satellite photo of your home online. The people databases will then sell this personal information to marketing agencies who will in turn deliver more targeted adds to consumers and try to make a buck off you.

So where does this information come from? Surprisingly, often not from the internet although social networks and online shopping services do scrape some of your information. No, most of this information comes from your local brick-and-mortar public records office. Signing up for a credit card, buying a car, or even paying a bill could mean your information will end up being shared in an online database. There are a good number of somewhat shady online databases that are able to extract money out of every last piece of information they find.

The solution? most of these databases legally are required to remove your records from their database if you send them a formal request to remove your information. Each people search database is slightly different- some require you to send or fax a letter, some require a simple phone call, and Intelius even requires you fax them a photo of your driver's license to prove you're you. This may seem counterintuitive - faxing an information company a private personal document to remove your other info, but it is in fact totally safe and only used as a method of verification.

The only problem with this is that every 6 months you will have to re-submit your request to delete the info because new instances of your information will be found and added to the databases. It can be extremely tedious, but the only real option to fully remove the information is to contact databases you appear in one by one until they remove your records, and there are hundreds of such sites out there.

If that doesn't work, there's always one last option we recommend...

5. Feed Google!

If people search databases are making you lose sleep at night, we believe the best thing you can do is develop a strong web presence by feeding Google with safe, relevant information. This should be information that properly represents you to the world, and is content you are comfortable sharing.

As we just mentioned, you could hours and days trying to track down and eliminate your personal information from all the online databases, and even then it can spring back up as the people search sites find new info. The most surefire way to make sure people do not find this data is to bury it far back in your search results by using reputation management tactics.

Remember that people usually look no more than 2 pages in a search engine's results page. This means if you can fill up those first two pages with links to sites are full of positive information about yourself, no one will see your personal information! The good news in this arena is these people search databases often aren't very SEO optimized so they are often easy to bump off those first few pages with our methods.

Holiday Social Media Tips for Baby Boomers

With the holiday season upon us, more and more people are looking for ways to connect with loved ones and old friends if they can't be with them in person. Social media sites like Facebook have seen an influx of baby boomers in recent years and with the holiday season here, more and more of us are looking for ways to connect with loved ones and old friends if we can't be with them in person.

While it's wonderful to use social media to make connections, it can have a downside. Here are some holiday social media tips to keep you relatively safe:

1) Do not make public announcements about where you're going. No one needs to know you're leaving your home to go away to visit your children in another state. As a matter of fact, no one ever needs to know when you leave your home because that means it could be unattended and an open invitation to thieves.

2) Don't tell people where you are. On Twitter, people are known to post where they are while they're there. Once again, that's an open invitation to burglars.

3) Don't announce your shopping expenditures. Why brag that you've spent several hundred dollars on Christmas gifts this year? That's a signal that you HAVE money and could become a target for a robbery---or something far worse.

4) Advise your children and grandchildren not to go public with your travel plans. While the family may be excited that you're coming to visit, it isn't necessary to put the information on their Facebook page or "tweet" about it. You don't know who they're connected to that might be interested in such information.

5) Finally, don't click on links from people you don't know. People may try to send you a holiday greeting in disguise---which could actually contain a nasty virus. You may be connected to the friend of a friend of a friend but if you don't know they personally, don't click on the link. Instead, just go their page and post a personal greeting and thank them for thinking of you. If they didn't post the link, you'll be doing them a huge favor.

By following these tips, baby boomers, their families and friends can enjoy the holidays and stay safe at the same time.

Could a VPN Be Penetrated?

VPN services use sophisticated technology to provide anonymity and data security for users. They enable users in foreign nations to access content that may be restricted. They also enable secure communication across the Internet by including information as it is exchanged. These services are some of the most useful for businesses and for individuals who have a need for more advanced security than what can be provided by free products. Whenever a discussion about security software and hardware takes place, the question of whether or not the security of those products could be defeated comes up.

Are VPN Services Secure?

The level of security available on the commercial VPN services is really quite high. In fact, it wasn't until the advent of the personal computer that the level of security commonly available to consumers was even a realistic option. The encryption used on VPN servers can be sophisticated enough that, if you were to try to penetrate it randomly, it would take more than the combined processing power of all the computers in existence longer than the total age of the universe to actually guess at the key used to secure the data. For all practical purposes, people are not going to get through the encryption used to protect your data.

The anonymity features on VPN networks are provided by using a different server's IP address in place of your own. Between the encrypted communications and the fact that the IP address may be hidden by layers of false IP addresses, it's unlikely that anybody is going to track where you are actually coming from when you use a VPN service. Again, the overall security of these commercial products is very good in this regard. For the vast majority of users and the vast majority of purposes, you should be able to rely completely upon the security provided to you by a commercial VPN service. There are free versions of anonymous and VPN servers out there. These, of course, are not quite so trustworthy because nobody is directly accountable for them functioning properly.

Compromising a VPN?

The question remains: could a VPN be penetrated? Of course, the answer is yes. If the National Security Administration or another huge and well-funded intelligence agency really wanted to get through a VPN badly enough, they probably could. This rather strays into the realm of the silly, however. Any security can be penetrated given the right resources, a creative and intelligent group of individuals working on the problem and the right levels of technology.

For the vast majority of business users and certainly for personal users, VPN security is more than adequate. In fact, it's really quite amazing how secure these services are. If you are using a commercial VPN service, there's really no reason to worry about accessing private networks over the Internet, visiting websites or doing any other activities that require anonymity and encryption. Simply because of the rules of probability, nothing is 100 percent secure. Modern VPN technology, however, comes very close and is certainly not vulnerable to the average, or even very advanced, hacker.

How To Find Suitable Online Backup Services For Confidential Data

In case your home or office computer harbors plenty of confidential business data, you should subscribe for the best online backup service in order to save necessary files and to gain instant access to the main database. When you have an automatic backup ready for your pre-existing data, you need not worry about data crashes, loss or theft. It's interesting to note that not all online backup services are of same type. Some are free of cost while a selected few providers charge monthly fees or ask you to par on the basis of storage space.

Searching For Backup Services:

If you're looking for a suitable backup service, you need to search through the market in order to select a suitable storage space available at low rates. There are several factors that need to be considered while comparing different services. This includes technical aspects, offered services and the prices charged on them! Firstly, browse through different online stores that offer storage services and compare the basic features of their service. Pick 4-5 companies that you find suitable and get in touch with the providers. Inquire them the status of their storage, price rates, automatic backup services and additional features, if any.

Using Backup Services:

Determine your online backup storage requirements. Don't forget to encrypt necessary files before sending them to your selected company. You should store large files in compressed folders to save space. Access the main server interface and start uploading your files online. Download the necessary software provided by your vendor (if it offers the provision of automatic backup creation). Create an account and log into it. Select copy and transfer the data from your PC. You can also set passwords for enhanced security.

There are different online backup providers to choose from. Their services may depend on numerous factors like internet connection, size of the file and business requirements etc. Sometimes, internet providers offer free of cost backup services as a part of their net plan. On the contrary, some free services or low-priced services (like DropBox) are used free backup and sharing services. They're for non-commercial use. In case you want a business oriented, expensive and highly secure service, you should check out different online backup reviews in order to find a suitable one.

Different online backup providing agencies offer you the facility of scheduling backup checks. Some agencies help you in storing files on multiple locations while others provide enhanced security features. Depending upon these features, your monthly budget and your personal budget requirements, you should select the best online backup service for your use. If you consider the tips mentioned in this article, you shall successfully accomplish this purpose.

VPN Services and Privacy

VPN services provide a way to protect your privacy. The interesting thing about how these networks work is that the privacy protection does more than you might think at first. Most people would expect privacy protection to simply obscure or mask their IP address. VPN services, in fact, do provide that form of privacy. There are other ways that this privacy affects your Internet experience, however, and some of the make VPN services more interesting.

Restrictions

There are many nations in the world and some particular locations within otherwise free nations where access to information on the Internet is severely restricted. This is usually done via sophisticated firewalls and other technologies that are used to prevent people from accessing information that is inconvenient to one interest or another. To defeat this, a VPN network is a valuable tool.

The VPN network can masquerade as a computer from anywhere. If computers from a particular nation, for example, are restricted from accessing certain websites, the VPN provides a cover, allowing them to access those websites. The VPN simply provides an IP address from a nation that is allowed to view that site and, through the technology involved in making the VPN networks function, sends that information onto the user.

Information freedom is possible with the VPN network, even in an environment where it is severely restricted technologically.

Anonymity

The anonymizing service of VPN providers is the main reason that people sign up for these services as far as privacy is concerned. These services mean that, when you visit a website address, an IP other than your own shows up as the originating address for the request to view whatever material you want to see. This means that, for example, a site that logs IP addresses and uses them to sell to marketing companies wouldn't be able to get yours. It also means that any malicious attacks launched against the IP address that you seem to come from wouldn't have any effect.

The anonymity advantages of VPN service aren't always used for simple privacy needs, however. Internet security professionals oftentimes need to obscure the address that they are working from to test their own security systems. For example, a security professional may want to try launching attacks from a particular nation or from a range of IP addresses to see how well a security system they have installed does at filtering out unwanted traffic. There are reasons people use VPN service that have nothing to do with anonymity but where the anonymizing features of the VPN service are still beneficial.

Protecting your privacy online is a major concern for anybody who uses the Internet a great deal. Using a VPN service is one way that you can keep your personal information protected. You always have to give an IP address to get access to any resource on the Internet. With a VPN service, you don't actually have to give the server that you're requesting information from your real IP address and for some people that makes all the difference in the world.

Threats Antivirus Software Eliminates

One of the most significant threats that a good piece of up-to-date antivirus software can help you eliminate is the threat of data loss. If you use your computer for business, then you may have some pretty important data on there, such as customer databases, sales records, and expense reports. Thus, a computer virus could potentially be just as harmful to your financial health as to your system's health. Even of you don't use your computer for business, you still could have thousands of dollars worth of files on there, not to mention the sentimental value of files such as digital family photos and video footage. Still, there are more specific threats, particular types of viruses, that are actually what your software protects you from directly.

Adware

Two of the most common threats to your computer are adware and spyware, which we'll discuss later. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, the following explanations should help out tremendously. First, adware is short for advertising-supported software. It refers to a software package that automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertising to your desktop or laptop. Quite often, adware is found in the form of pop ups, some of which, when closed, only open more ads. Adware is used to generate traffic and revenue for the author of the software. While this type of software by itself is harmless, many times it comes with more harmful additions, like keyloggers and spyware.

Spyware

Spyware is a type of malware (malicious software) that is typically installed secretly on your computer, where it collects private information about you. Though it is usually hidden from users, sometimes people choose to install spyware like keyloggers in order to monitor the computer usage of others. Spyware can be relatively harmless, or it can be very dangerous. Some types only collect browsing trends and patterns, while others record much more personal information, like bank account information. Other common practices of spyware include changing browser settings, like a home page, without user authorization and downloading unwanted software and programs. Many times, an individual will only notice something is wrong because of slow computer performance. It is a serious concern because rarely does an infected computer have only one spyware program; there are normally multiple infections.

Worms and Trojan Horses

Worms and Trojan horses tend to be more damaging than spyware, though not always. Worms are programs essentially designed to send copies of themselves to other computers. They generally always cause at least some harm to networks, even if it's only the harm of consuming bandwidth. That's why they can get into your system more easily than some of the other risks if you aren't careful. The most common way worms are spread is through unexpected email. Trojan horses steal information from you or harm your system in addition to performing some desirable function. All of these risks are ones of which the creators of ant-virus software are intricately aware, and they are constantly vigilant in their quest to protect you, your hardware, and your data from them.

Where to Find the Best Fraud Investigation Services

Fraud is becoming an ever increasing problem in today's business world. As much as a business owner may try to guard his or her business from fraud, fraudsters are always a step a head. This means that sometimes, a business will employ a company to investigate. There is some helpful information below to help guide you through finding an efficient fraud investigation service. There are many such companies out there; however, this process need not be tedious. First, seek referrals from fellow business owners or those in the security industry. Good investigation companies are always known. Remember, some of these companies may be involved with various types of investigations; therefore, choose one that specializes in the kind of fraud you want investigated.

A good thing to consider when looking for a fraud investigation service is the amount of experience they have. Due to the nature of the market they are in, fraud investigation services are always changing. This is because fraudsters keep coming up with new methods, meaning the ones they were using five years ago are now probably obsolete.

This means that it would usually be best to select a company that has been in business for a good number of years as they are used to the changing trends in fraudsters techniques.

You must also ensure the company you choose has a high standard of technology available to them in order to crack down on the fraudsters. Most good fraud investigation companies will use technology to carry out their searches. Furthermore, its manpower should be well trained. You may prefer a company that is run by ex-police or ex-military personnel with further training on business crime investigation. The majority of people find the easiest place to find these services is online. Beware however, as many fake companies offer these services. The best way to check how safe a company are is to find their physical address. Another way to make sure a company is genuine is to check whether they are registered with the local services or not. If you do not check these companies properly then it is likely that you will end up in even more fraud mix ups.

When it comes to investigations, time is always of the essence. You should find your fraud investigation services promptly to avoid any further damage being done. You should also choose a company that has a short turn around time. The more investigations delay, the harder it may be to get back your money. The post office or telephone directory often has contacts of fraud investigators. By choosing a company who has the most experience in the field in which you want your investigation carried out then you can be sure to be getting a good level of service with a view to getting your money back.

Network Security for the Finance Industry

Network security, from policies to regular assessments, is integral to businesses of all sizes. Certain industries, on the other hand, mandate network security compliance. Finance is one, and businesses and organizations under this vast umbrella must comply with the following standards.

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) outlines all principles, standards, and reports for federal examination of financial institutions, and the Information Technology Handbook portion addresses network security and assessments. While touching on audits to e-banking standards and all other aspects in between, the FFIEC Information Technology Handbook essentially requires all such institutions to have strategies in place for identifying risk exposure, enforcing confidentiality and availability of all information, determining the effectiveness of management planning, and evaluating processes and compliance. As part of business continuity planning, a network security policy must align with a financial institution's strategy for minimizing financial losses, improving customer experience, and reducing any negative effects.

Going into greater detail, the FFIEC Information Technology Handbook delineates standards for Information Security. Because such threats constantly evolve, a financial institution's network security policy must change with them. More specifically, an information security policy needs to react to changing threats to reduce and assess risks through identification, management, implementation of new strategies, testing, and monitoring.

As many financial institutions have developed e-banking systems in recent years, the FFIEC Information Technology Handbook is devoted to addressing related risks and procedures. E-banking makes such institutions particularly vulnerable online, and in response, such businesses or other entities must implement controls for guarding and securing customer information, including an authentication process for customers. As such institutions are liable for unauthorized transactions, a network security policy needs to address potential losses from fraud and violations of customer privacy.

The Gramm Leach Bliley Act, or simply GLBA, is part of the FFIEC Information Technology Handbook but stands on its own. GLBA 501(b) is also known as Interagency Guidelines Establishing Information Security Standards, but regardless of name, this section mandates security and confidentiality of all non-public personal information through safeguards; protection against anticipated security threats, unauthorized access, or use of information; establishing a risk-based security program through assessment and management of threats; training and testing, and monitoring, auditing, adjusting, and reporting.

Sarbanes-Oxley is an additional set of network security standards for financial institutions. Also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Protection Act of 2002, Sarbanes-Oxley goes into depth for reporting. Section 404, the most pertinent, specifies that sufficient controls to prevent fraud, misuse, and loss of financial data and transactions must be put in place. To be effective, controls must quickly detect any intruders and take swift counteractive actions but also note any exceptions. Sarbanes-Oxley 404 additionally specifies that a network security audit must be part of any overall assessment of a financial institution.

What To Do If Someone Gets Access to Your WordPress Site

Getting your WordPress blog hacked is a very scary thought. After all, you spent so many hours updating that site and making it perfect and now someone is coming along and they might have destroyed it, changed it, or is now trying to extort you for access.

There are a few things you can do when someone gets access to your site. The very first thing you should do is backup everything. Backup your blog, backup your files, keep it all in a safe place, and let your web host know immediately that someone has access. They can go in and make sure to change your passwords and clean out any extra FTP or Shell accounts that the hacker may have added.

The very important thing you should do is backup everything, change all passwords, and delete and restore your site.

Now backing up everything is a pretty straight-forward process. If you have a WordPress backup plugin and you should, make sure to run that and grab the backup that it has generated. Then also be sure to grab a backup of the entire account. If you don't know how to do this, your web host should be able to do it for you. Now you have a copy of all your files, so that even if the hacker deletes everything you still have a copy.

The next step is to change all of your passwords, and I do mean ALL. Change your email account password, change your WordPress account passwords, your FTP login, your account login, change any and all passwords to make sure this hacker can't get in later on.

And then what you should do is delete and restore. Most web hosts will recommend that if someone has really gained access to your site to back it up, blow away the entire account and set it up somewhere else, because you don't know if they have set up some kind of a plugin or some kind of a script that will monitor for any new logins or any new passwords.

Delete whatever is on there, especially any new pages or content the hacker may have added, and restore your account somewhere else.

After you restore it, you are going to have to comb through it and make sure that these new restored passwords are changed as well, just to make sure that someone can't get in. But at the end of the day, if you have removed any new things the hacker has added and changed all of your passwords, there really is not a lot they can do to get back in.

I think the most important thing for you to do is backup your site on a regular basis, that way if someone gets access to your site, it's simply a minor inconvenience of changing passwords and restoring. There is no loss of information. That is what you do if someone gains access to your WordPress site. Backup everything, change all passwords and delete and restore what's there.

How To Avoid Credit Card Fraud

Avoiding credit card fraud should be a top priority for your business, especially as the world moves further away from paper money and further into the realm of plastic transactions. If you are a business, whether brick and mortar or online, you are going to need to be proactive to stay ahead of the schemers that are out there. Many businesses mistakenly believe that counterfeiters cannot operate under a plastic system. However, they would be wrong. There are a number of ways that people can pass through credit card transactions for which they have no authorization to tender. To avoid it, you will need to put the power in the hands of your employees, whether that is just you or an entire team of vigilant associates, who believe in putting the safety of the customer first.

1) Ask for a picture ID whenever possible.

This method of avoidance applies more to the brick and mortar business than the online business, but it is nevertheless essential. When a card is lost or stolen, alerts may be placed on the account that require the presentation of a valid ID. However, don't wait for legislation to tell you to do the right thing. Train your employees to always check for a photo ID, and be open and honest with your customers about why you are having to do so. Your customers will 99.9 percent of the time understand the increased vigilance. If they don't, then you should probably be leery of them as identity theft and stealing of financial data should be a concern for everyone, and it should also be something that your legitimate customers will want you to police against.

2) Sign up with a reputable bank identification number database.

There are many options out there, but not all of them will stay on top of the most current numbers. You want your database to be fully updated so you can be aware of any alerts and avoid chargebacks. This is important whether your business is online or brick and mortar. From the online perspective, you need some means of verification that will require the card to be in the hand of the buyer. Even so, you could still suffer a chargeback if you ignore an established alert. Of course, you would not do that if you had an up to date database.

3) Be safe rather than sorry.

If the card has problems, then do not accept it as a form of payment. When you go ahead and pass a transaction through anyway, you put yourself in jeopardy of losing the merchandise and the money. You also anger the customer, who took proper precautions for fraud prevention, and you risk never gaining their actual business.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

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