Google has recently announced an advanced sign-in security feature for Google Accounts called 2-step verification.It adds an extra layer of security to your Google Account by requiring you to have access to your phone – as well as your username and password – when you sign in. This means that if someone steals or guesses your password, the potential hijacker still can't sign in to your account because they don't have your phone.This feature is now available for all Google Accounts.
To enable validation visit your account settings page.Here you can find an option for setting up the 2-step verification for your account.
In the next page there will be a brief instruction and click the “set up2 step verification”
Now you have to select the type of phone you are carrying, 4 options are there –Android,BlackBerry,iPhone and others option.
Enter your phone number and then click the ‘Send Code’ on the next page.Here you can choose the SMS option or he Automated voice message option.The ‘code’ will receive within seconds on your mobile.
Enter that code to verify and click next to proceed.
In the next page you have to generate the back-up of the given mobile phone support with the help of any other mobile or landline phone.But here verification is not mandatory.Backup verification codes will help you to login to your account when both the phones do not work.Each of the codes can be used to access your account for one time.
After the backup next page will be to confirm the 2 step verification.You can see some suggestions are mentioned here ,just go through it and press next.
You can now Turn on 2-step verification in the next page to complete the setup.
Each time you sign in from an unverified computer, you will be required to verify your identity with both a password and a verification code, which you can get via a mobile app, SMS text message, or phone call.When you are using the same computer and the same browser for which you can select “Remember verification for this computer for 30 days” .
This extra step significantly improves the security of Google Account because it requires the powerful combination of both your username & password and your phone.
Working on a PC or laptop that's connected to the internet offers lots of advantages. But there are plenty of disadvantages too. Our laptops, USB sticks and CDs help transport documents, photos and movies all over the world. But what happens if a stranger gets a hold of the data on your hardware? .
Whether you browse the web, check email or store sensitive data on your hard drive, you need to be protected from any possible threat .Steganos privacy suite provides all-in-one solution data protection for computing activity online and offline.With this tool you can manage your passwords, protect confidential emails with encryption, erase computer usage traces completely and destroy sensitive files, among other tasks.
Features
- Safes: Protect E-Mails, Contacts, Calendars, and Tasks from Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Mail in your Safe and allows access only with a password,Locks and encrypts documents, photos ,Secures USB sticks, CDs and DVDs when on the go.
- Password Manager: Organizes and manages all of your passwords and access information. All securely encrypted, of course. Supports Drag and Drop, or fills out website forms automatically.
- Shredder: Shreds unwanted data permanently—cannot be reconstructed by data recovery applications.
- Plus: E-mail and web favorites encryption functions, trace destructor, Steganography and optional Steganos AntiTheft.
- Virtual keyboard : Supports virtual keyboard when typing in passwords to access safes.
- 256 Bit AES : Uses an untraceable 256 Bit AES security algorithm
Steganos Privacy Suite 11 costs $69.95 but you can now grab the full version license key absolutely free.For that visit here and enter your email address (click “Abschicken” button), you'll receive the license in few minutes. Download Steganos Privacy Suite 11 from here and install it with your license key.
Steganos Privacy Suite 11 is compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.
All of us live in a password driven world.Without password protection, nothing is safe.It protect our identities on websites, discussion groups, e-mail accounts and more.It is not easy to remember them all.If your password is weak,hackers try to break into a computer or secure account by guessing passwords one at a time. 
If you use the same password everywhere, increases the risk of your accounts being compromised.Many of us are just recycling the same password for multiple accounts.A new study by security firm Trusteer found that 73 percent of Web users take their online banking password and use it at other Web sites.So always remember to Use Different Passwords Everywhere.You should change them often, don’t share them,don’t leave them out for others to see.Thus make your password a total mystery to others.
How to create an ideal password?
An ideal password is long and has letters, punctuation, symbols, and numbers.
- Whenever possible, use at least 8 characters or more. Remember, the longer the password, the stronger it is.
- The greater the variety of characters in your password, the better.
- Use the entire keyboard, not just the letters and characters you use or see most often
- Use special characters such as ! " ? $ ? % ^ & * ( ) _ - + = { [ } ] : ; @ ' ~ # | \ < , > . ? /
- Use both UPPER and lower case letters
- Do not begin or end the password with a number
- The characters should be random, and not follow from words, alphabetically, or from your keyboard layout.
There are plenty of tools available in net which will create strong passwords for you. The PC Tools Secure Password Generator, for example, makes one based on your criteria: how long,include (or don’t) mixed case, numbers,punctuation, similar character replacement,etc. It even provides a phonetic pronunciation guide.
http://www.pctools.com/guides/password/
The Bit Mill another password generator tool , which can create passwords from one to 128 characters in length, although the default is set to eight. You can vary capital letters, numbers and punctuation
http://www.thebitmill.com/tools/password.html
Others:-
- http://strongpasswordgenerator.com/
- http://www.randompassword.com/index.php?id=Basic
- http://www.developertutorials.com/tools/secure-password-generator.php
- http://www.techzoom.net/tools/password-generator.en
Check your password — is it strong?
Many people are unaware of the importance of using strong passwords.The strength of a password depends on the different types of characters that you use, the overall length of the password, and whether the password can be found in a dictionary. Your online accounts,emails, computer files, and personal information are more secure when you use strong passwords to help protect them.
How Secure Is My Password is a site, which tries to calculate how long the hacker needs to try to crack your password.
Features
- Free and simple password strength online checker
- User friendly interface
- Reasonably accurate measure of your password’s strength.
So make sure your users' passwords are sufficiently strong in order to prevent malicious attacks.Check here
http://howsecureismypassword.net/
Other Useful Links
PC Flank a free Internet resource site which gives users the tools needed to protect their PC from various threats. It lets you determine whether your PC is vulnerable to virus and Trojan attacks. You will get a report on the quality of your system's security.You can make your surfing safer from the recommendations .
The following tests are available at PC Flank.
- Quick test
This test shows how vulnerable your computer is to various Internet threats. It consists of Advanced Port Scanner, Browser and Trojans Tests. You will get a comprehensive report with recommendations to improve the security of your system. - Stealth Test
Stealth test is to determine whether your computer is visible to others on the Internet. It also shows whether your firewall is successfully hiding your system ports. - Browser Test
This test is to check whether your browser reveals personal information about sites you have visited, the region you live in, who your Internet Service Provider is, etc. - Trojans Test
This test scans your system for the most dangerous and widespread Trojan horses and it will recommend actions to take if a Trojan is found on your computer. - Advanced Port Scanner
The Advanced Port Scanner tests your system for open ports that can be used in attacks against your computer. You can select either TCP connect scanning (standard) or TCP SYN scanning for test it. You can also select which system ports you want to scan. - Exploits Test
This test detects how vulnerable your computer is to exploits and can also be used to test firewalls and routers for stability and reactions to unexpected packets. If your system is unable to pass this test, it may crash or reboot. - Internet Speed Test
This simple test accurately measures your Internet connection speed.
New threats and viruses are appearing everyday,so it's important that the database be updated on a regular basis.So every computer user have to make sure that his anti-virus database gets checked daily.In addition to that you need various tools to secure you PC like Antispyware,Firewall ,Antimalware and other utility tools.Such software makers updated their product periodically .Updating your security software is not easy for you regularly.It is useful , if there is one click security application downloader available to combine all popular anti virus, firewalls and anti malware applications under one application to download.
SSDownloader comes to rescue you - an open source app which makes downloading current versions of popular Antivirus, Antimalware, Firewall, and Utility software a snap. This portable has a very simple user interface in which users select the security packages they wish to use. It automatically refreshes its database and all software packages in the system are completely legal and free to use.
Free security applications Included are popular free tools like Avast!, MS Security Essentials, Malwarebytes, HiJack This, Comodo Firewall, CCleaner, AutoRuns, Process Explorer and more.
SSDownloader is very useful to save our time for searching security application around the Internet and also excellent way to make sure you've always got up-to-date installers at the ready.
Features:
- Download the most popular free and paid security software with only one click.
- Don’t worry about OS or 32bit/64bit, the right version will be automatically downloaded.
- Stay up to date, always newest versions of the software will be downloaded.
- Just choose what you want to download and you will see a notification as soon your downloads finished
Download: SSDownloader | Opensource |1.37MB | Windows XP,Vista,7
Google has recently launched secure search on feature on Google which allows you do a secret search .With Google search over SSL, you can have an end-to-end encrypted search solution between your computer and Google. This will l helps you protect your search terms and your search results pages from being intercepted by a third party. If your computer is infected with malware or a key logger, a third party might still be able to see the queries that you typed.So Google with SSL enables more secure and private search experience
In secured search Google Images and Google Maps are not currently available.You will need to install some plug-ins in Google Chrome or Firefox to use Google secure search. You can install KB SSL Enforce extension for Google Chrome and Google SSL Plugin for Firefox
Check : https://www.google.com/
BitDefender Total Security 2010 provides comprehensive proactive protection against all Internet security threats such as viruses, spyware, hackers, spam and other e-threats etc along with system maintenance and backup, without slowing down your PCs.It is compatible with Win2k, XP, Vista (32 &64 bit), and Windows 7
Features and Benefits
- Confidently download, share and open files from friends, family, co-workers – and even total strangers
•Protects against viruses and other malware using industry-leading technology
•Scans all Web, e-mail and instant messaging traffic in real-time
•Provides an unmatched detection rate of new threats based on two different proactive technologies
•Blocks spyware programs that track your online activities
- Protect your identity: shop, bank, listen and watch, privately and securely
•Blocks web pages that attempt to steal your credit card data
•Prevents personal information from leaking via e-mail, Web or instant messaging
•File Shredder permanently erases sensitive files and traces of files
- Guard your files and conversations with top-of-the line encryption
•Instant Messaging Encryption keeps your conversations private on Yahoo! and MSN Messenger
•File Vault securely stores personal information or sensitive files
•Automatically backs up files and folders
- Connect securely to any network at home, at the office, or away
•The two-way firewall automatically secures your Internet connection wherever you are
•Wi-Fi monitor helps prevent unauthorized access to your Wi-Fi network
- Protect your family and their computers
•Parental Control blocks access to inappropriate websites and e-mail
•Limits kids’ access the Internet, games, etc. to specific times
•Makes it easy for you to manage the security of your network from a single location
- Play safely, play seamlessly
•Reduces the system load and avoids requesting user interaction during game play
- Get fine-tuned performance from your computer!
•Removes unnecessary files & registry entries, for improved performance
•Optimized scanning technology skips safe files for better scan speed and lower system load
•Antispam stops unwanted e-mail from reaching your Inbox
•Laptop Mode prolongs battery life
BitDefender 2010 costs $69.95.Follow the instructions to obtain 1 year free license
1. Visit here(Romanian Website)
2.Click on the “Ma inscriu!” button.
3.A pop up window will open. Here you have to enter your name and valid email address.
3.Check your email from news@emag.ro with a link (aici).
4.Click on the link aici.Complete the survey by answering Questions. Click on any check boxes you like and write anything the textbox.For question 5 & 6 enter Amazon as an answer.After answering all 7 questions click on Raspund! Button.
5.Check your mail.You will get 90 days BIS 2010 code from eMaG.ro, note down the key below the line “BitDefender valabila 90 zile
6.Download the BIS 2010 installation file from the following link
7.Now, you have 90 days License code to activate Bit Defender Internet Security 2010.Repeat the same procedure again 3 times to get another 3 license codes with another 3 e email id’s.So that you have 4 genuine license codes in total. Each License code has 90 days validity so in total you have 4×90 = 360 days Free Genuine license.
8.Now run BIS 2010, click “register” and enter any one of the 3 keys , then click “register now” button, similarly repeat the process with rest of keys.This offer may expire very quickly, so hurry up to grab the offer.
If you get a message from Facebook saying that your Facebook password has been changed due to some security reasons and the new password is attached,be careful!.Don’t open the attachment. Remember that Facebook will never send you a new password in an attachment. The attachment is a Trojan horse program designed to infect a computer.Immediately delete such mails.
Facebook users are being warned of a malicious email password reset scam that is making its rounds and quickly spreading across the social network the past couple of days. This massive spam run is the latest version of malicious emails targeting Facebook’s 400 million global users.
Social networking sites will always be a favorite target of scammers, spammers, phishers because of the huge number of users and the large percentage of “ignorant” users. So its important that users should always be protected and be educated about these types of email scams.
- Keep your Anti virus software and firewalls up-to-date.
- Protect your PC by installing a complete security software suite that includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall protection.
- Don’t click on the embedded links and NEVER download any attachments!
- The curiosity to open the spam mails can burn your fingers. This malware is not basically targeted to steal your Facebook password, it can steal all the other user ids and passwords used on the computer .
- Don’t make any internet banking transactions from the infected PC. Immediately change the passwords/user ids.
- Frequently check your security software updates for this type of malware, install any available updates, then immediately run a full scan.
Passwords are the keys to your system.Many passwords used by users are quite easy to guess.Many occasions we hear stories of people who have had their accounts hacked . Having an easy password is like handing your house keys to a stranger. So it is very important that you choose a password that is hard to guess and that you keep this password a secret.
Importance of Password
- Password represents the identity of an individual for a system.
- This helps individuals protect personal information from being viewed by unauthorized users. Hence it is important to secure passwords.
- Passwords acts like a barrier between the user and his personal information
If you want to test the strength of a password , then here are some free online links where you can check your password strength.
Password Meter gives you a full description about the positive and negative points about your password.The instantaneous visual feedback provides the user a means to improve the strength of their passwords.
Password Checker: Microsoft Security
The security of the passwords typed into this password checker is similar to the security of the password you enter if you log on to Windows.Just type in your password and get an instant strength rating: Weak, Medium, Strong, or Best.
https://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/passwords/checker.aspx
A strong password is not necessarily difficult to be memorized, there are some small changes that can transform a common word in a strong password.To make a common word in a strong password, it combines uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
WinTinker Password Generator a small free tool, which makes sure that the passwords you will use for online banking, social networking sites and computers are strong and secure. Simply type the word and it will convert it into a strong password.This tool allows you to create random passwords combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
For example, you can type "SparksSpace" and generate a secure password unreadable.The coolest feature is that you do not need to memorize the password you created when you need to use it, simply access the program, type "SparksSpace" and the program displays the password you created.
Features
- Creates an easy-to-remember secure passwords that combines all Upper Case, Lower Case, Numbers and Symbol.
- Creates an unreadable Randomly generated password that you can write down.
- Generates a password that balances the unrecognizable difficult secure passwords and easy-to-remember password ones. From a very simple suggested password like “carlo” into a strong and encrypted words
Download : WinTinker Password Generator
Other Useful Links
http://www.testyourpassword.com/
http://www.yetanotherpasswordmeter.com/
Also Read:Test the Strength of Your Passwords
From beginning of the Internet people have shared URLs with each other .Bit.ly, Tr.im,and Goo.gl. ow.ly are some services that takes long URLs and squeezes them into fewer characters to make a link that is easier to share, tweet, or email to friends.The URL aliases are handy, but they pose a risk, too: Since short URLs give no hint of the destination, attackers can exploit them to send you to malicious sites. A person might send the short URL to a you. When the short URL is clicked, the website looks up the longer URL and redirects the user to the longer URL.The most obvious risk associated with URL shortening is that it's difficult to know where the URL will take you, until you click it.
There are several sites that you can use to view a long URL by cutting and pasting a shortened link like longurl.org.Programs such as TweetDeck include options in their settings to display previews of shortened URLs. With such a setting enabled, clicking a shortened URL within a tweet brings up a screen that shows the destination page’s title, as well as its full-length URL and a tally of how many other people have clicked that link. With this information at your disposal, you can make an informed decision about whether to click through and visit the actual site.
When you create a shortened address with the TinyURL service, for instance, you can choose an option to create a preview version so that recipients can see where it goes before clicking. Conversely, if you’re considering visiting a TinyURL link, you can enable its preview service (tinyurl.com/preview.php) to see the complete URL. For the TinyURL previews to work, though, you must have cookies enabled in your browser.
ExpandMyURL and LongURLPlease both provide Web browser plug-ins or applets that will verify the safety of the full URLs behind abbreviated links from all the major URL-shortening services.LongURL Please supports 80 shortened services . Rather than changing the shortened links to their full URLs,however, ExpandMyURL checks destination sites in the background and marks the short URLs green if they are safe.Goo.gl, Google’s URL-shortening service, provides security by automatically scanning the destination URL to detect and identify malicious Websites,and by warning users when the shortened URL might be a security concern. Unfortunately, Goo.gl has limited application because it works only through other Google products and services.Sucuri.net is another free online service to retrieve the original URL from a short URL shortened using any of the service like bit.ly, tinyurl.com, su.pr etc .Untiny which retrieves the original URL from short URL of tinyurl.com or bit.ly only.
Sharing your computer with others? Worrying that other user may pry into your private files?Worrying that they may modify your system settings arbitrarily?MK Drive Access Control is a small and easy to use application that helps you lock your drives from unwanted access.It doesn’t matter whether it is a portable USB drive, Local Drive on hard disk or it is a CD / DVD drive you can lock them.This tool will lock these drives and prevent unwanted access by other users on these locked drives which you define with this software, so it prevents others to copy your private files and view them.
Features
· Lock CD/DVD drives doors to prevent write CD / DVD from your files
· Lock and Unlock all kind of drives from access and show in Windows Explorer, include Windows Drive
· Password Protecting Program Changes
Download MK Drive Access |Mirror| SysReq: Windows NT/ 2K / XP / 2003 / Vista / 2008 / 7|813 KB
After Chinese hackers broke into Google's services, it has tightened up Gmail encryption. All Gmail accounts will automatically be set in an "https" mode. HTTPS encryption keeps your mail secure as it travels between your web browser and Gmail servers.This added layer of security can make Gmail slower, so if you don't use unencrypted wireless connections, you can choose to disable this option in your account Settings. Even if you change this setting, Gmail will always encrypt the login page to protect your password. If you trust the security of your network, you can turn this feature off at any time.
To disable or re-enable this feature in Gmail:
1.Sign in to Gmail.
2.Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.
3.Set 'Browser Connection' to 'Don't use https' or 'Always use https.'
4.Click Save Changes.
5.Manually change the URL to http://mail.google.com to start accessing Gmail via http.
The shift to the more secure setting began late Tuesday, just a few hours after Chinese hackers attacks. Google is now considering pulling out of China and shutting down its search engine there because of the attacks.
If you’re more interested in speed than security, you can switch off HTTPS in the Gmail settings menu.
Security researchers found a new piece of ransomware that blocks an infected computer from accessing the Internet until a fee is paid via SMS.The ransomware file is bundled with a tool called uFast Download Manager. If your PC is infected, a message is posted in Russian demanding a ransom under the guise of activating the uFast Download Manager application.
Image courtesy: CA Community
Read full Article here:Ransomware Blocks Internet Access
Today (30th November ) is observed as Computer security Day all over the world. With computers occupying more and more important role in daily life, we are becoming more and more dependent on the use of information technology to carry out our duties.Computer Security Day was started in 1988 by the Association for Computer Security Day to help raise awareness of computer-related security issues and to remind people how important it is to protect their computers and information.
Every year there is a theme for the Computer Security day. This year's theme is "Managing Risk". IT risk cannot be controlled totally by deployment of technology. Technology has to be supported by Human efforts for IT Security to be effective.
With the increased networking , the spread of malware has also increased drastically. There are threats such as malicious or criminal actions, employee error, system failure, natural disaster, and lack of proper security infrastructure.Security is not the job of a single person or a group of persons. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us.Computer Security Day provides an opportunity for information security professionals worldwide to raise awareness of computer- and network-related security issues among their users.
Creating several user accounts on a common PC is annoying: You want to work quickly, yet at the same time keep logging on to individual accounts separately for configuring special settings. Instead, you can do all that centrally as well as be able to use an existing account as a template for other accounts.
In a shared PC you may face following threats
- Hard disk filled with downloaded files
- Strange options configured
- Programs installed that you don't want
- System infected with viruses and spyware
- Computer bogged down for unknown reasons
You can manage user accounts centrally with Microsoft’s SteadyState.With this you can manage whole groups of users as single user accounts.On the right side of the window, all user accounts set up on the system are listed under ‘User Settings’ with the exception of the one that is currently being used. Click on the desired account. You can now access the account settings via the ‘General’, ‘Windows Restrictions’,‘Feature Restrictions’ and ‘Block Programs’ tabs. Options that cannot be accessed directly have been explained in the English manual that can be downloaded from here
Using Windows SteadyState has another advantage: You can use existing accounts as templates. To do this, follow the ‘Export User’ link on the home page. In the following dialog, enter a name under ‘File name’ under which you want to store the account profile as a template. It has the file extension ‘.SSU’. Then select the account under ‘User name’ and click on ‘Import User’. In the next dialog, select the SSU file and click on ‘Open’. You can now define the name and also a password for the new user account. Confirm this information and click ‘OK’.
Protect your PC from hackers and viruses. With full anti-virus, firewall and backup protection, BullGuard secures your PC from the menaces of the Web. It has full e-mail protection, no matter what e-mail client you use. The anti-virus database is maintained and updated around the clock. Powerful scan engines ensure detection and removal of all the newest viruses. Also, you can protect all peer-to-peer applications such as Kazaa, ICQ, and MSN Instant Messenger . BullGuard is with firewall technology licensed from Agnitum (Outpost) and anti-malware components from BitDefender .
Features
- On-access and on-demand scanning
- Security updates every 2 hours
- Webfiltering for proactive website scanning
- Rootkit detection capabilities
- Protection against identity theft
- A powerful firewall
- Intrusion and transmission detection
- Antispyware
- Spam filter
- Support: “ Free 24/7 Live support in plain English" accessed from the application interface.
- Offer 5 GB backup to protect all your most valued files and photos
Gizmo visitors can get a free 1 year genuine license of Bullguard Internet Security Suite worth $69.95. This offer is only for 2 days. Read more here
