PC-Armor Computer Security News Blog

Fight Back Against Intruders

The SANS Internet Storm Center (ISC) not only has valuable information regarding attacks, they also have a portal that Internet users with firewalls can use to help ISPs fight back against Internet-based attacks.  The SANS Internet Storm Center is found at:

https://isc.sans.org  Continue reading Fight Back Against Intruders…

Add more than one Favorite Site to IE7

Do you commonly open the same pages each day?  If so, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer v. 7 gives you the ability to add more than one web site to your home page.  Continue reading Add more than one Favorite Site to IE7…

It Appears the TJX Data Breach is worse than originally thought…

SearchSecurity.com reported today, officials at TJX Companies, Inc., fear the massive data breach last month is worse than originally estimated.  Their investigation is suggesting that credit and debit card data going back to January 2003 may have been compromised.

Read the article online here.

How many times will consumers have to pay the price for the failures of big companies before the nightmare stops?  It is rather insulting when then companies decide to become super security conscious AFTER their computer systems fail to protect electronic assets.

It might be time to tear up the credit cards and go back to cash, because the worse thing that can happen is that you loose the cash, but at least you’ll still have your identity!

If you use Cisco Routers for your Small Office/Home Office…READ THIS!

Cisco released an advisory February 15, 2007, warning their customers to immediately change the default user name and password on 77 of their 80 Router products.  Many people do not change these settings and if you are one of those people, you should read the following advisory:

http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sr-20070215-http.shtml

Changing default user names and passwords for any device or software is not only good common sense; it is absolutely necessary in today’s Internet-connected world. 

 Protect yourself and your electronic assets and make this simple change now!

A Word of Caution

Zero-day vulnerabilities/exploits are gaining momentum lately and do you know why?  As Zero-day vulnerabilities are made public, the bad guys are quickly writing malicious code designed to exploit the vulnerabilities before the vendors have time to release updates to correct the security holes.  Once the malicious code has been written, it must be distributed and executed before it can do any damage.  The key point here is that it needs to be “executed” and in order to do this; the bad guys must trick the end users into executing the code by enticing them to open infected files or visiting malicious web sites.  Continue reading A Word of Caution…

Have you Considered Encryption as a Method of Protecting your Sensitive Data?

Encrypting your data is similar to placing your important documents in a safety deposit box; except the lock and key are integrated into your computer.  As with other technologies, there are many aspects that may confuse end users and it could be a daunting task to find answers to all of the questions that are surely going to enter your mind.

Informit.com has some great web pages that could help you learn more about encryption and ultimately assist you with choosing a product that will best suit your needs.  You can find their encryption guide at:

http://www.informit.com/guides/content.asp?g=security&seqNum=133&rl=1

The guide also talks about encryption methods you may have used and not known about or understood, such as online ordering processes.

For security-minded computer users, this is a great learning tool.

Tired of Spam filling your Inbox?

Depending on the source, anywhere from 60% to 90% of all e-mail these days is unsolicited spam.  Many of these message have malicious code embedded deep within the images of the e-mail and can be considered dangerous.

There is new technology to help you combat spam and one of them is Spam Arrest.  This is a very affordable subscription service that allows you to define who you wish to receive e-mail from; but also allows you to verify that legitimate email did not accidentally get deleted.

It is very user friendly and you can download a free trial from their website at:

http://www.spamarrest.com/

If you want to cut down on spam, check out their tutorial and see just how easy and affordable this service is.

If you use a Broadband Router for your High Speed Internet…you better Change the Default Password!

There’s a new type of attack known as “Drive By Pharming” that targets weaknesses in broadband router passwords.  Obviously, if you have never changed the default password in your router, you are at the greatest risk.  How do the attackers compromise this weakness?  They simply lure unsuspecting computer users into visiting a malicious site that has JavaScript designed to allow the attackers to change the DNS settings on the router.  This in turn, redirects them to sites that are very good copies of legitimate sites, where they will be able to steal user account information.

How can you protect yourself?  Change your broadband router password every couple of months to a strong password and be careful when deciding which web sites to visit.

Strong passwords should be at least 14 characters in length and the best passwords will be random numbers, characters, and upper/lower case letters.

Patch Tuesday is Upon Us Again…

It’s that magical time of the month when Microsoft releases security updates to patch vulnerabilities within their products.  This month’s release is quite significant with 8 updates for Windows XP SP2, 1 update for Internet Explorer 7, and 7 updates for the Office 2003 Professional products.

If you do not have “Automatic Updates” enabled, you can go to the Microsoft Update site and download all necessary updates from:

http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

Don’t forget about the Office products; you can find them at:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/maincatalog.aspx

Do yourself a favor and install all of the Microsoft updates immediately.

Have you seen the SANS Ten Most Important Security Trends?

SANS, the SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security Institute, has a three-page PDF file outlining the top 10 most important security trends for the upcoming year.  The experts who contributed to this report have identified the following trends:

• Laptop Encryption will become mandatory in the government
• PDA Smart Phone theft will grow significantly
• Legislation to protect consumers will Increase
• Targeted attacks will become more Prevalent
• Cell Phone Worms will infect at least 100,000 Cell Phones
• Voice over IP (VoIP) will become a target of Cyber Attacks
• Spyware will continue to Grow
• Zero-day vulnerabilities will result in Major Outbreaks
• The Majority of BOTS will be bundled with Rootkits
• Network Access Control will become more common and grow in Sophistication

You can see the list and a summary of the trends at:

http://www.sans.org/resources/10_security_trends.pdf?ref=2411