Securing Work Documents and Files by Art Gib

Computers today are very different than they were in the past. They are used for everything from keeping budgets in spreadsheets, homework and work assignments, maintaining contact information, storing pictures, blogging, music storage, burning discs, making slideshows, and the uses could continue for pages. Software helps create and store the files, but sometimes, the operating systems used by the software can become compromised. There are hackers in the world who maliciously attack computers and can cause files and information to be lost forever.

Computer security is vital to maintain a computer's integrity, as well as to protect the information it has stored on its drives. Using passwords and secure log in information is important to keep a computer safe. Also, each computer should have anti-virus software installed that updates and scans the computer for any possible viruses.

Some viruses are latent and are there to collect information such as passwords. Other viruses can destroy the hard drive or freeze the computer. No matter what it can do, there are ways to keep a computer safe. One has already been mentioned, using anti-virus software. Some can be downloaded for free, while others can be bought and installed.

Also, if a person uses the internet, have a firewall installed. If the internet has wireless router access, secure the wireless internet to assure that only people that know the password can use it. This will keep people from using the internet that should not be and will help keep personal information secure.

When creating a password, make sure that it is unique and also memorable. It is not good to have a password that is hard to remember. Passwords should be long with a combination of numbers, words, letters or symbols. Have a secure place to keep this information so that it can be used in case a password is forgotten. In case something happens to an individual, this will help the family have access if they need it. Passwords should be kept private and sharing them should only occur when is absolutely necessary.

Keeping a computer safe and secure is vital. Regular updates should be done and computers should be scanned to assure that there are no viruses or malicious spyware installed that can be passed from computer to computer. In the end, the computer and its information is only as safe as the owner keeps it. Do what is necessary to keep personal passwords and other vital information secure.

Protect yourself from all Types of Identity Theft by Jim Rjindael

There is no magical way to protect yourself from all types of identity theft but one of the most important keys is knowledge and common sense. If you use any online service such as online banking, ebay, paypal or anything else that could be used to access your personal details then take great care on where you login to them.

Let me tell you a little story, a scenario if you like. There are thousands of ways in which identity thieves will target you. But of course they try to minimize effort and maximise their income at your expense. The easiest way an identity theft will make money is by stealing directly from you, that is accessing something like your bank, paypal or ebooker account.

So we have the target - your login details to your online bank account. How would the identity thief steal these details? Well one way the nasty guys try and steal passwords is to install a keylogger on your computer to steal your account name and password.

A keylogger is a nasty little piece of software that records every single keystroke typed into a computer. The idea is that an identity thief will attempt to get this software onto your computer to steal your details. But instead of trying to install via viruses and websites on your home computer and battling with your antivirus programs many take another route.

There are millions of computers in internet cafes, hotel lobbies, and libraries all over the world. For instance take the computers in 5 star hotel lobbies, how many people use these to check their bank accounts, paypal accounts or webmail on these? BY their very nature, people use them to quickly check such sites, even with the growth of blackberries and smartphones you'll always find them in use.

Identity Thieves target these computers to install keyloggers, many have inexperienced IT staff and little concept of IT security. They can steal thousands of account details. Believe me many have keyloggers or other software installed on them.

My advice - never, ever use such a public computer to access any secure or password protected site, you may just be handing them over to an identity thief, there's no one way to protect yourself but this is a very real type of identity theft.

The April Fool Virus - The Conficker Worm by Azwan Asmat

The April Fool's Virus is the term used generally to refer The Conficker Worm and it supposes to activate itself during the April Fool. However, it seems like it was not activated for unknown reasons. The public generally use the term virus to refer to malware. Technically, a virus is different from a worm.

Computer worm is software that infects your computer from a host within your network and takes control of it. A worm-controlled computer is called a zombie computer and used to do various malicious purposes such as the DDoS attack. A server might crashes due to the infection.

A virus on the other hand is software that can replicate itself and will infect your files depending on the virus type. It can also make your computer to become slow due to the replications that happen in the background. It doesn't need a program to cling on unlike the worm.

As you can see, both are different and act differently. The Conficker Worm is a malicious software that storms the internet today and was detected on November 2008. It has few variations released by the creator in order to close the vulnerabilities.

It's an ongoing war between the anti-malware society and the creator. The researchers found the domain name trafficconverter.biz inside the code after they reverse engineered the worm. It attempted to download the payload from the domain name. But, because the domain was suspended, it cannot do so. However, the website owner said they're not responsible for the worm and they claimed that they can prove it.

The name "Conficker" comes from the re-arrangement of few words from the domain name.

So far, the malicious software has been successful in attacking French Navy and United Kingdom Ministry of Defense computer networks.

Luckily, there are few removal tools available on the internet for free. Try the Microsoft Malicious Removal Tools or you can use third parties Conficker Removal Tool such as McAfee and Symantec.

It is crucial to remember that knowledge about computer security is something that we cannot ignore nowadays and we need to learn it in order to protect our computer and our privacy.

Tips on How to Check if Your Computer Really Requires Repair by Ilyn

While experienced computer users can easily make a correct diagnosis out of observable signs and symptoms exhibited by their PCs, the rest of us barely have a clue as to whether or not something is really wrong with our computers. Although some problems may require an expert to fix, most glitches can easily be corrected without the need for a technician. So how do you really tell if your computer really requires repair? Here are tips on how to check:

Learning to eliminate Unless you are experienced at diagnosing what ails your computer, the best thing you can do is to try to determine the problem by elimination. First, find out the symptoms and then consider the most possible causes and eliminate those that are not plausible. This will help you discover the most possible explanation for the problem. From there, you can decide whether or not your computer really requires repair.

Learning to scan Many of the problems manifested by the computer are caused by malware such as viruses, spyware and adware. As long as your computer and antivirus software are updated, you can perform a regular scan to check for any infection. In most cases, common problems are solved this way, although others may require you to download patches to correct any errors and vulnerabilities.

No power If your computer won't turn on, don't immediately assume you'll need professional help. Check if it's connected to a power outlet and then check if there is power. Next, check the power button and the connections for the cables. If using a battery to run a laptop, determine if the battery has been sufficiently charged. Only when you've checked all possible scenarios and still failed should you consider having your computer repaired.

Slowpoke computer A slow computer may not always be a sign that it really requires repair. It may be because you're running a lot of programs that may be too much of a burden for the amount of memory your computer has. Try to close programs you don't need and delete stuff you have no use for. Empty your recycle bin right after. Defrag your system to re-organize your files.

If these steps still don't fix your problem, it may either be because you need more memory or that there's something in your system that requires a checkup from the professionals.

Missing drivers This usually comes as a surprise, when your computer shows a message indicating that a device is missing. If you are quite sure that drivers for hardware you're using have already been installed, try to re-install them using the appropriate CDs. In minor cases, that should fix the problem. If the problem continues or if your computer exhibits even stranger symptoms, that's a clear sign that you really need to have it repaired.

The need to reboot now and then Frequent rebooting is often the result of a system freezing or hanging up. This is when the computer screen just simply stops reacting to what you do and nothing you can do to the keyboard or the mouse seems to work. The only way to make the system work again is to press the reboot button. If this happens, then it's a sign that you shouldn't try to fix it yourself because your computer really requires repair.