Cyber Security’s 1st Line of Defense

Your Browser – Cyber Security’s 1st Line of Defense

 Nowadays, some people seem to have forgotten the value (and the inherent dangers) of their computer’s browser. They forgot that the browser, per se, works like a two-way street. It is where cyber security should police the two-way cyber traffic.

 A web browser’s main job is to find and display internet websites. After that, it makes possible the “communication” between your computer and the web server where a site is located.

 Cyber security risks
 But, your browser could be – and this is the dangerous part – the gateway of the cyber world into your computer. And, not all of the things from the Internet going inside your computer are good. Some are downright risky.

 Today’s browser is sophisticated enough, through the years of innovation, to handle the multiple applications needed to surf the Internet. Many of these try to boost up and heighten the surfing experience by enabling your browser’s functionalities.
 But sometimes, these functionalities are not needed and they can leave your computer vulnerable. It is therefore safe to disable them until they are needed.

 In a perfect world, one should set one’s browser security to the highest level possible. But these settings may restrict the functionality of other features and prevents some web pages to load properly. The best compromise solution would be to set your browser to the highest security level (to prevent attacks) but at the same time enabling some features to work when you need them.

 Today’s many browsers are mostly graphical browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, AOL, Opera, Safari for the Macintosh, and Lynx for the visually-impaired users.) These are capable of playing video and audio clips, aside from displaying texts and graphics. Most have user-friendly tabs and options in choosing your preferred security level setting.

 It is essential to know and be familiar with your browser and how it is different from the others. It will come in handy when you evaluate and determine the features and setting most appropriate for your use.

 For instance, to explore the basic security options in Windows’ Internet Explorer, you click Tools on the menu bar, select Internet Options, choose the Security tab, and click the Custom level. In Firefox, you click Tools first, select Options, and then click Content Privacy and Security tabs. The others have their own path systems.

 Choosing your browser

 Security should be paramount in choosing your browser. But, of course, given one’s particular needs in surfing and using the Internet, other considerations are just as important. Sometimes, a browser comes packaged with the operating system. It should not limit, however, your choice.

 Compatibility – does your browser work with the OS (operating system) of your computer?
 Ease – are you comfortable and familiar with the options, menus, system of your browser?
 Function –will it still work if other plug-ins or other devices are installed?
 Appeal – do you like how your browser looks and works?
 Functionalities - Your browser should be able to give you the option of putting web sites into different segments, or zones, and define different security restrictions for each. The best protection should be to set the security to the highest level, or maintain it at a medium level.
 If you know of some sites which can be classified as trusted, you can set your browser setting accordingly. You may require them to implement SSL or Secure Sockets Layer so you can verify if they are what they claim to be. Note, however, that it is good to avoid lowering your security levels with them. If they are attacked, you might be included.
 You may restrict particular sites you are not sure of. Prevention is always the best cure for any disease, real-life or online.

 Be careful about your Java and ActiveX controls. These scripts, used to achieve certain appearances or functionality, can be used in attacking your computer. This is also true about Plug-ins, those additional software that enhances the function of some programs. Make sure that the sites that installing them are trustworthy.

 For safety, it is advisable to disable Cookies and enable them only if the site you trust requires them.

 Cyber Security starts first in your browser. It is best that you start the safeguarding process from there, your computer’s door to the wide, wild realm of cyber space.

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Tips And Tricks

Handy Tips And Tricks For Keeping Your Pc Clean

By Author: Aida Martin

If your Windows computer is functioning sluggishly, then you should try these handy tips and tricks to optimize its speed. If you do not maintain and clean the computer, then its speed and functioning get adversely affected. Even though cleaning up the PC may seem tiresome, but it is definitely a fruitful exercise. Here are a few ways to clean up your PC:


1. Clear out the trash


Now, nobody likes taking out the trash, but it is essential to maintain cleanliness. Recycle Bin and Trash is present so that users can restore the documents that they have accidentally deleted. However, with time the Recycle Bin files up and eats up a lot of space. For this reason, you need to empty the Trash frequently. Before doing so, just quickly review the items present in the Trash or Recycle Bin and restore the ones you want.


If you want, then you can change the size of your Recycle Bin. This way the Recycle Bin will empty itself at a more frequent pace as it will get filled more quickly. Just click right on the Desktop, and choose Properties from the drop-down menu. Now, quickly customize the Custom size.


2. Conduct a hard drive cleanup


One good thing about Windows is that it comes with a preloaded tool for clearing the hard drive of redundant data. Therefore, you must perform a hard disk clean up every couple of months. Open the Computer, and right-click on the hard drive. After that, click on Properties. In the Properties pop-up box, just click on the General tab and select Disk Clean-up.


The operating system will quickly scan the entire drive. After that, a list of all the sorts of files to clear will get displayed. Now, select all or some of the data you wish to remove. You can also view the files before cleaning the hard disk. Click on the OK button and confirm the action when prompted.


3. Run Disk Defragmentation


In order to optimize your computer experience, you need to defragment the files in the hard drive. Doing so will drastically boost the PC performance. Even though disk defragmentation is a process that takes a while, but you must conduct it on a regular basis. Here are the steps for defragmenting a hard drive:Open the PC and click on the Start button.Now, select Control Panel.

Navigate to System and Security.

Allow the Administrative Tools window to launch.

Now, press the Defragment your hard drive option.

Allow the Disk Defragmenter window to pop-up.

Now, you need to hit the Analyze disk option.

After that, check how much drive needs to be defragmented.

Select the Defragment disk option from the lower right corner.

Wait for the process to get over.

Finally, click on the Close button.



4. Remove and uninstall unused programs


Often, people install apps and programs and forget to delete them when they become useless. If your computer has several programs which you have not even opened for a long time, then you may try uninstalling them. Several apps have their own uninstaller and removal tools. Or else, you can remove the redundant apps from Settings. Here’s how:


Open the Settings app.

Now, click on Apps.

Select the app you wish to remove.

Press the Uninstall button.

Follow the prompts that appear on the screen.

Aida Martin is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cybersecurity. She writes about the latest updates regarding mcafee.com/activate and how it can improve the work experience of users. Her articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs, and websites.


Source:- https://go-mcafee-activate.com/handy-tips-and-tricks-for-keeping-your-pc-clean/



More About the Author

IT expert having deep knowledge about PC antivirus products. Mainly researching and writing blogs.

Today’s biggest cyber security concern is Identity Theft.

Cyber Security and Identity Theft

Today’s biggest cyber security concern is Identity Theft. Cyber thieves use all kinds of methods (hacking, use of spyware for intercepting information, etc.) in stealing personal or financial information from their victims, mostly from the computers. 

The latest of these nefarious activities even sports a name: phishing (pronounced like ‘‘fishing”). The thief sends a simple e-mail that looks like it came from a genuine site (mostly from financial institutions as Citibank, eBay, PayPal, Best Buy and others), telling you there is a problem with your account. 

They would then ask you to click on a certain link in the e-mail, and you are taken to a site that looks exactly like that of your bank.  Here, they will ask you to fill out again your Social Security or credit card numbers, and/or other confidential numbers.

The following are some ways to minimize the risk of your identity being stolen:

Do business with reputable companies
Some attackers may try to trick you by creating web sites that appear to be legitimate. 
Don’t visit any site that is using third party links. Open a new browser and type the address yourself if you want to visit a site. 

You can also check privacy policies to see how the company in question use and distribute information. Many companies allow customers to request that their information not be shared with other companies.

Maintain a security mindset – always be skeptical of unfamiliar sites and links, suspicious e-mails and IM messages.

Anti-virus software and firewall
As standard practice, use and maintenance of an anti-virus software and firewall will protect your computer from attacks that may steal or modify data in your computer.
Make sure to keep your anti-virus program and firewall up to date. 

Fighting identity robbery
As precautionary steps, regularly check your credit reports for strange transactions or transactions you don’t recall, unusual charges on your bills, bills for products and services you don’t have, or worse, unexpected denial of your credit card.

Once the identity robbery has been confirmed, calls to appropriate companies and agencies have to be done immediately. Have your credit card accounts closed right away so future charges will be denied. 

Contact the Social Security Administration if your SSS card number has been accessed or the DMV if your driver’s license or car registration papers were stolen. This is to warn these agencies for possible unauthorized use of your personal ID information. Of course, you need to file a criminal report with the local police. 

For U.S. citizens, you need to contact the main credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to see if there had been any unexpected or unauthorized activity.  Have fraud alerts placed on your credit reports to prevent new accounts from being opened without verification. File a complaint with the FTC and IFCC. 


A website, IdentityTheftActionPlan.com, had been created to help citizens prevent, detect, and respond to identity theft and fraud. Within the site is information on how identity theft occurs, the latest prevention tips, what to do in case you are victimized and pertinent information of law enforcement agencies that investigate these crimes. Two other sites to learn more about phishing and ID theft are the following: consumer.gov/idtheft/ and 
idtheftcenter.org

Vigilance, information and action
Cyber security dictates that every cyber citizen (those using computers and the Internet in most of their activities) needs to be vigilant at all times.

Everyone is enjoined to keep up with the latest information, so that they can do the appropriate action by themselves. 

Teen Video Game Obsession

Dealing With Teen Video Game Obsession
Games can be addictive - But obsession is something else.

The following article is meant for parents of a teen who might be obsessed with video and/or computer games. While in some of our other articles we may sound as though we encourage obsession, we share a concern over teens who tend to shun other interests in life in favor for gaming activities to the point where they withdraw from society. We would never encourage this kind of behavior, and that's why we've taken time to describe some of the signs of game obsession and offer some advice on how to deal with it.

Recognizing the signs of teen game obsession isn't as easy as one thinks. It always starts off as first, an interest, and it then starts to grow into an addiction. The problem with identifying the beginning stages of game obsession begins with the teen. By the time our children are 15 and up, they've learned some rather impressive debating skills. So when we question their motivations for repetitive game play, they may rebut our concerns with logic and even make it a point to question our own flaws as parents. 

Since no parent ever really wants to admit a flaw, we can sometimes cave in and convince ourselves that maybe 4 hours in front of a video game isn't that bad. After all, we spend that much time at the computer, on the phone, or transmitting data back and forth between our Palms, Blackberries, and Cingular cell phones. 

Be careful not to fall prey to the logical teen. Video games can be addictive and if the time spent playing them is not carefully monitored, they'll consume everything that a teen used to care about. 

The moment you notice your teen's grades falling, homework missing, or social life starting to drop off, nip that game time in the bud. If you wait too late to restrict game time, you may experience pre-adult temper tantrums that you aren't prepared to handle correctly (cursing, breaking things, stealing, running away from home, etc.). At this point, the child is obsessed and will do anything to get his or her hands on a game controller.

Another sign of obsession is a behavioral change. A child obsessed with gaming will lose patience with things and with others, be quick to anger, and react to situations without fully thinking of the consequences. If you've paid any attention to video and/or computer games, you'll notice that they require this kind of behavior to win or to advance to a higher level. 

It's unfortunate, but a teen obsessed with this kind of violent gaming is literally being trained to react in the manner described above. That's why it's pertinent that as an adult, you restrict access to this kind of entertainment and replace it with activities that slow thinking (such as art, music, theater, etc.) and expose your child to other non-violent pleasures (swimming, dance, skating, etc.).

There are a lot of debates circulating around about the impact that video games have on today's youth and some of it might warrant paying closer attention to. As a mother or father of a teen, you will do well with your teen's desire to "get his game on" by keeping a close eye out for undesirable changes. 

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Video game addiction is described as an impulse control disorder, which does not involve use of an intoxicating drug and is very similar to pathological gambling. Video game addiction has also been referred to as video game overuse, pathological or compulsive/excessive use of computer games and/or video games.

Although it is not yet recognized by the American Medical Association as a diagnosable disorder, video game addiction is a very real problem for many people. According to the University of New Mexico, recent studies suggest that 6 to 15 percent of all gamers exhibit signs that could be characterized as addiction. Though this disorder can have significant consequences to those suffering from it, its signs and symptoms can sometimes be very difficult to recognize.