Articles

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Privacy Risks with Social Networking Sites

Most of us are under the impression that social networking sites are safe havens for our thoughts, feelings and just about anything that we want to share with our friends, family and contacts. However, one must not forget that whatever you put online is up for the whole world to see, not just your close friends, family or coworker.

As such, we have seen “scandal” photos taken off people’s MySpace, Facebook and other social networking accounts circulating in the Internet.

Your best bet, of course, would be to be prudent about what information you make available online. Before you post photographs or blog posts, make sure that it is something that you are comfortable having your mother, spiritual adviser or boss read through your blog post or seeing these photos. If you do not think they will approve, better not post them.

This goes for relatively tame personal information. If you are planning a party, you might think that posting the details on MySpace is the easiest way to get the word out. You might indicate the time of the party and your home address in the invites.

On the day of your party, people you do not know show up at your doorstep or someone might obtain that address for other reasons. Make sure that you do not post personal information, such as your home address, mobile number, where you work, where you are going to be, online. This would only help strangers find you.

(more…)

7 Advantages of SSL Web hosting

Secure Sockets Layer or SSL, is a protocol developed by Netscape that enables servers to communicate securely with its Web clients. In the world of e-commerce, SSL Web hosting is essential. One would need to install SSL on a secure server to take full advantage of its security features.

SSL certificates provide protection by making it difficult for just anyone to intercept and view any information sent to the server. In short, SSL makes it possible for anyone to transmit private documents over the Internet.

Here are seven advantages of using SSL in your Web hosts:

(more…)

Conficker Work (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Rumors are spreading that a new version of the Conficker worm will be causing widespread havoc again on April 1, its anniversary date. Media reports have related that Conficker could be activated on that day giving a hacker access to millions of computers affected by the worm. Others reported that the French military has grounded a few of its fighter planes due to the threat.

While the media are concocting doomsday scenarios, worm and virus experts are shrugging off the threats. Anti-virus company F-secure has already said that there is no likelihood of a widespread, global attack. Only those that are still infected by the Conficker worm will be affected, if such an event should happen.

(more…)

(The ESPN website was internally hacked last year. The hacker inserted a hidden code to the website. When launched, the code will over-ride the website’s design with several unicorn and rainbow images.)

We have lost counting the number of active websites today, at least those that matters. Because we are not maybe on the alert that as the number of websites grew, so do the casualties. We are talking about the casualties of hacking.

It is clear to us now that hackers do have the capabilities to infiltrate, to deface, or tear down websites. The White House, the CIA, NASA, NATO, Yahoo, eBay, and The New York Times, to name a few, have fallen prey to hacking. The web servers of even the mighty organizations and businesses of the world are vulnerable. Apparently, there are no guarantees to having a hacker-proof website.

You see, we cannot completely find fault with the way the CIA handles its security, as far as websites are concerned. They knew better. It is not so much that website owners were slack or careless. We’re sure, one way or the other, the likes of NASA and NATO have taken some mandatory measures to protect their websites. But, seemingly, hackers get in the way. Hackers are up to the challenge like they are thrilled of the game.

Leave the hackers to their schemes. Let’s take a deeper understanding of the word “vulnerability.” Perhaps our websites are such a delight to them. Is your website a hacker’s delight? Or, what makes your website potentially ‘attackable’?

These are some of the potential risks inherent in most websites:

•Hackers can find exposures in the web server or by exploiting bugs in CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts. It is best not to post nude pictures or items that might alter information on which the public relies, such as prices.

•As much as possible, you should not put anything proprietary on the web server, such as internal accounting information. Web systems containing internal data should be segregated on separate servers – a far distance from the hackers.

•Internet services, such as telnet – which gives users remote control over the computer – can open up avenues of attack. It is recommended to use the Web server only for Web services.

•If your website needs to be updated frequently it will require access from the inside by the system administrator. That access, via telnet or another service, constitutes a potential point for a hacker to reach the Web server. This is where firewalls come in handy.

•Websites with no intrusion detection system (IDS) are vulnerable. Many pieces of IDS software have this built-in update capability to detect the newest "attack signatures" – or methods of invading Web sites – used by hackers.