Best Security Solution for your Laptop Security

Laptops, which now-a-days a have become the prime target of thefts and security breaches can be secured by using various laptop security measures. A combination of both is considered to the best security solution that can protect against almost all threats. One must remember that merely installing and anti-virus software or anti-spyware software or any other anti-software is not enough for laptop security, a regular check and update of these installed software is very necessary in order to counter the latest viruses and malwares. Software laptop security is comparatively easy and can be achieved by downloading different types of anti-spam, anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc kinds of software. The only drawback is that the software need to be updated regularly. Software firewalls come with number in-built software like anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, anti-popup, etc. Most of the firewalls are very flexible and easily get accustomed to the pre-installed anti-software. Everyday a new virus is found; hence it is very important to at least have one anti-virus support optimum laptop security. Never forget to use and update anti-spyware software in addition to the anti-virus software for laptop security. Spywares are not viruses and are not detected by anti-virus software. They are very safe and the best way to keep your secure. The computer security cables come in various forms like the ones having an anchor or the ones having an alarm system, they also come in combination lock format. Computer security cables are very strong and protect your computers and laptops form being stoles. These cables are available in varying length and sizes and each serves a different requirement. Many come with steel plated locks, while some come with alarm, a few come with ‘micro-chip’ which can be inserted in the security slot on your machine. These cables help you fix your laptop to a permanent spot and make it rigid. These cables are very sophisticated laptop security tools and come at an affordable price.

Data security solutions

'Take an information-centric view of security' On one side digitization of information is providing quicker access and easy sharing using the information technology (IT) platform, while on the other side, it further demands great control and management of information. Today, the rising incidents of unauthorized information access, data thefts or ineffectiveness of security mechanisms to protect information has raised major concerns among enterprises and organizations. Seclore Technologies' CEO, Vishal Gupta talks to Pankaj Maru of Cyber Media News about information digitization and its changing dimensions, evolving information threats or risks, information security mechanism in the recessionary times and much more. Excerpts: Digitization of information or data has completely changed the information dimensions and also the way it is used and managed today. Do you think the information digitization has brought in an entirely different perspective on information's risk, its security and management, particularly at the enterprise level? Absolutely. The methods to contain information risks before and after digitization are completely different. Before digitization, physical access control to information was the only method of its security. Examples of such are large document vaults which still exist in some pharmaceutical companies and law firms. With digitization and the collaboration that it brings, access control methods are rendered ineffective since replication and transmission of information is easy. Consequently, any system which restricts access, replication or transmission quickly becomes ineffective due to new methods coming for the same purpose. There is no option but to take an information-centric view of security and ensure that security is built into the information itself instead of the infrastructure around it. Which are the evolving threats or risks about information? And how can it be managed using IT? Risks of information breaches are continuously evolving like a 'cops-and-robbers' game, i.e. you mitigate one risk and another one springs up. Also the solutions to problems typically become the problem themselves after a while. Amongst the largest threats today are risks associated with "internal employee or partner" data breach (Blog reference) as well as risks associated with the rapidly vanishing "enterprise perimeter". Most security systems today, like firewalls, UTMs etc, do not take care of "internal" resources being the cause of an information breach. The only way to mitigate such risks is to have an "information-centric" policy for usage, i.e. define and implement a policy for information usage which is dependent on the "as-of-now" relationship between the owner of information and its user.

One-Click Encryption, Decryption, Shredding

For years, computer users have stored sensitive files on their computers, and even emailed them on the Internet, without encrypting them. While most computer users recognize that they were at risk of exposing personal data to the world, it was simply too cumbersome to encrypt these files. Today, with Encrypt Easy v. 3.3 from Baltsoft Software, there's an affordable, intuitive Windows security application that lets you encrypt and decrypt files, folders, and entire directory trees, with a single click. After encryption, information may be stored on unsecured drives or emailed over the Internet, and only the person with the proper password will have access to the data. Choose Your Level of Encryption Encrypt Easy lets you choose from the most powerful cryptographic algorithms available, including Rijndael, Blowfish, Twofish, DES, TripleDES, and RC2. To further strengthen cryptographic security, the program uses powerful predictive compression. The combination of encryption and compression ensures that your information remains safe and secure. It's So Easy, You'll Actually Use It. Encrypt Easy is fully integrated into Microsoft Windows Explorer, so it is easy and intuitive to use. Simply right-click a file or folder to be encrypted, and with a single mouse-click and a password, the program locks your files securely. One mouse click and the password are all that are required by the person decrypting the files, too. Using the program's self-extracting function, the person decrypting your files need not have Encrypt Easy installed. Shred Files and Make Them Unusable The program's shredder makes it easy to remove files or folders from the drive when they are no longer needed. Unlike Windows Explorer's delete function, Encrypt Easy shreds files permanently so that they cannot be recovered. The built-in shredder conforms to the US Department of Defense's 5220.22-M protocol for removing computer files. Wipe Your Tracks from the Internet Encrypt Easy also has a built-in wipe utility that removes all traces of Internet and system activities. If someone accesses your computer, they will be unable to determine which web sites you have visited, which documents you have recently accessed, or which programs you have been running. Whether you're a business person who needs to email credit card and other sensitive financial information to colleagues, a business owner who wants to ensure that planning and financial data will never be viewed by competitors, or a home user who needs to communicate privately with other family members, Encrypt Easy has the tools that you need.

Online Antivirus Software for Windows XP Security

Search for free antivirus software for Windows XP systems today is not easy and is due mainly to the fact that most antivirus tools are not free to download. There is no denying that there may be some free security applications that can be used on your system, but one has to wonder if it's worth using free antivirus software for Windows XP today. The infection is one that needs no introduction, and even the most illiterate computer users have a basic idea of what it is only by name. Access virus and infect your operating system via software, music, games, documents and other content that is downloaded from the Web that is contagious. It can also attack the system, although the e-mail attachment sent by hackers or malicious third parties and, if connected to a network that could spread and infect your system too. About the only effective way to completely eliminate the threat of viruses is to use antivirus software for Windows and this is because these are programs created for this purpose. This demonstrates once again why the security software will only be able to eliminate these infections. It can sometimes be difficult to know if it's infected with a virus, but the most common symptoms include slow performance, computer crashes, restarting intermittent crashing of web browsers, toolbars, new website, modified website, redirecting browser and background wallpaper changed. Most worrisome of these malicious infections is its ability to corrupt registry keys and modify file structures and some are also known to have formatted hard drives. So it's up to you to decide whether to use paid or free antivirus software for Windows XP, but my advice is to just pay the fee that guarantees a security tool for quality of life.

Instant Memory With A Pen Drive

We`ve all been in the situation where we`ve had important data that needs transferring. Be it a system we`ve developed, or music or photographs. The inception of the pen drive enables you to do all this and more. A pen drive is a flash memory storage device which can be used in any PC or laptop. Smaller, faster and more convenient that a floppy disk; these little gadgets are useful for students, businessmen and just about everyone. A pen drive is very small and light, typically weighing less that 28g. They work in the same way as a floppy disk as they are re-writable. Until 2005, all PC equipment came with floppy disk drives as well as USB ports. As the untapped possibilities of the USB became apparent, the floppy disk became obsolete. A USB, or Universal Serial Bus, is the small hole in the back or side of your equipment where you can plug in a variety of hardware. A mouse, wireless adaptor and the wire to transfer information from your cell phone to your PC are just some of the most common things that go into a USB port. PC`s are a major part of our lives now, at home, school and work. Imagine you are at work, it`s getting late but you have to get that project finished by tomorrow. The pen drive has given you the luxury of downloading the data you need so you can finish the work at home. The biggest users of pen drives are students. As teaching has moved away from traditional methods to use computer technology, this little portable, memory device has become a must have for every student. They can download the data that they need from their school or college computer and do the work at home. They are essential for teachers too. They research the work for their classes in the comfort of their own home, download the data onto the pen drive, take it to work in their pocket then just pop it into the PC in their classroom. Amongst non professionals, pen drives are mostly used for photographs and music, before you purchase one, think about how much memory you need as they come in various memory capacities. The smallest is 32MB; this gives you the capacity for 15 photographs and 8 MP3 files. Next up is 64MB, with 30 photos and 15 MP3. 128MB allows you 61 photos and 30 MP3. On a 256MB you can save 122 photos and 61 MP3. 512MB gives you 243 photos and 122 MP. Now we get to the big boys; 1GB equals 486 photos and 243 photos. These keep doubling up as you go to 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB until you reach the mighty 128GB pen drive, which can store 62259 photographs, 31130 MP3 files and 249 video minutes.

Computer Virus Celebrates

Computer virus, one of the most infamous aspects of both the web and personal computing, celebrated its 26th year. Happy birthday computer virus!!! It was 1983 when the first official virus was born giving a fundamental change in computer security. Fred Cohen, a graduate student from University of Southern California, demonstrated a computer virus during a security seminar at Lehign University in Pennsylvania. Cohen made a self-replicating program likened to a virus by his adviser, Len Adleman, coining the term virus. Cohen’s malware was not the first of its kind. Other computer scientists had also theorized self-replicating programs that could spread from computer to computer. Rich Skrenta – a 15-year old programmer from Pennsylvania who beat Cohen, wrote the Elk Cloner program. It is a self-replicating boot-sector virus infecting Apple II computers through a floppy disk. In 1986, two Pakistani brothers wrote the “Brain” virus only intended to infect IBM PCs running bootleg copies of a heart-monitoring program. The said virus has their names and phone numbers included in its copyright notice for people to contact them for vaccination if their PC gets infected. In 1988, the first widely-propagating worm, called Morris worm, was unleashed by Robert Tappan Morris, Jr., a Cornell University graduate student and son of a National Security Agency chief scientist, spreading to thousands of machines worldwide. He was the first person to be convicted under Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986. In 1999, David L. Smith wrote the Melissa virus infecting e-mail programs by clogging them with infected e-mails issuing from the worm. It is the first successful mass-mailing worm. In 2000, the Love Bug virus was made by a student from the Philippines. It spreads worldwide – Hongkong, Europe and to US, causing billions of damage and also affected The Pentagon, CIA and the British Parliament. Its writer was able to escape prosecution because the Philippines had no computer-crime law during that time. Viruses are growing and new threats come every year. Malware writers used to do annoying tricks to your computer to get your attention but their motives have changed now. Nowadays, they create malware to infect your PC, steal data and money from online bank accounts or make your system into one of those popular spam-sewing botnets.