Protect Windows 7 when visiting social media web sites

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:11:46 +0000

Even though they are all of the rage now, there is something about social media networks that most people do not know. They have become a place where black hat hackers like to hang out at because there are so many people gathered in one place. The one thing that a hacker needs to be able to pull off some of the scams that they do is a place where they can find plenty of victims. The web is a big place and people are usually scattered around on it. So when a big social media network comes along like Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook, then this is a black hat hacker perfect opportunity to be able to strike. Luckily if you are using Windows 7 then you are using one of the most secure operating systems that is on the market. But you will still need the right tools to be able to protect it completely. Let’s take a look at what you will need when you surf on one of the many social media web sites that are out there.

The right software
The first thing that you need when you surf on one of these types of sites is the right software that will help you ward off these attacks. The first piece of software that you need is the right browser for you to use while you are surfing the internet. If you are using Internet Explorer, you should make sure that it is updated to the latest version of the browser. Earlier versions such as Internet Explorer 6 and to a lesser degree 7 are not considered very secure browsers. So if you are running either one of them, you should either upgrade to IE 8 or as an alternative change to Firefox or Chrome.

After you are running a more secure browser, you are now going to need something that will help you against malicious downloads. When you are on a social media web site, there are going to be times when you will be sent a link to click on so you can download a file. Before you start to do that, you must make sure that you are protected. To guarantee that you are protected, you will need a good antivirus running in the background of Windows 7. This way if there is anything wrong with the file that you just downloaded, you will be able to notice right away. When you download and install an antivirus to use, you must make sure that you keep it updated regularly. You will receive a new update once a day with the signatures of new viruses that have been found in the wild. Make sure that there is nothing stopping your antivirus software from downloading this update. If you do not then your system will be in trouble against the newer viruses.

Common sense
Now that you know the software that you will need when visiting these types of web sites, let’s take a look at what you as the user needs to do. You must make sure that you are careful when you are clicking on the links that people in your social network send to you. Most of the links will be safe but some of them will be corrupted. Even the people who send the links to you might not know that the links that they are sharing is corrupted.

Social networks are fun for the most part but they can be dangerous. Make sure that you are taking the proper precautions when you visit them.

Windows 7 Security Tips

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:17:06 +0000

Windows 7 is supposed to the most secure version of Windows yet.
Windows7 Operating System software is built on top of Windows Vista base code and hence it offers much of the same level of security that Windows Vista offered. However, Windows 7 has added some more new features to operating system security and streamlined the user account control.

The default user account that is created during the installation in Windows 7 is a protected administrator that would only be prompted when programs try to make changes to the system’s configuration or when the user modifies the operating system settings and the User Account Control does not raise any flag.

This setting is apparently very comfortable for the user, particularly in terms of usability, because the Operating System is not incessantly bothering the user with a popup window and requesting several clicks in order to permit a program execution.

Still, it already been shown that the default value can easily change into an undesired security problem that could easily permit the self elevation of malware to full administrative privileges and run malicious code with no trouble at all. In order to safeguard your data and protect your system and prevent random codes from being executed, you should modify the default value of the User Account Control (UAC).

AutoPlay and/or AutoRun is one of the most, if not the most prolific tools for spreading e threats, including viruses and Trojans and depends on the exploitation of a rather simple yet very effective feature of the Windows 7 operating system.

AutoRun and/or AutoPlay permits the initiation or execution of numerous actions, such as to launch particular software or play the video and/or audio content in the correct player, namely a setup routine when DVDs or CDs are inserted and the USB sticks and flash drives or portable HDDs are plugged in or inserted.

This innocent behavior can be hijacked for malicious purposes, via the corruption of the files that actually store the information required by the operating system to perform a suite of actions or read the media content.

Therefore, instead of just opening the initial panel for setting up an application, such as playing a movie that is stored on a DVD or reading a Word document, the user could actually involuntarily trigger a piece of concealed malware.

The malware then steals his or her sensitive data, such as recorded key strokes, address book entries, passwords, and usernames and either opens the door to even more unwanted e threats or, worse yet, sends the details about the users on line transactions, such as credit card numbers.

To protect your system and data and to prevent malware infections, disable the AutoRun and/or AutoPlay feature.

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Protect Windows 7 when visiting social media web sites

Windows 7 Security Tips