Social Networking
by webdesign
social networking
Do you enjoy social networking or are you sick and tired of it?
Social networking websites have been popular in recent years. Hundreds of millions of users have been using websites like myspace, bebo, facebook, twitter and so on on regular basis.
The idea was to create your little circle of friends in the Cyber space to share information and to communicate. It then expanded to allow the searching and adding of new ‘friends’, friend’s friends, relatives, co-workers, and virtually everyone.
The information, personal data, photos, your whereabouts, are wide open in the wild. Anyone can use it, distribute it, or even sell it without your knowledge. There are cases that personal data have been misused, stolen and eventually harmed the users.
People get excited about it when they first discovered it. They think it’s cool to have their ‘own’ websites. They entered anything, true or false, into their cyber space. But soon they realized that they have talked too much and there was no way back.
All the stuff you talked and broadcasted, are heard and seen, and they remain out there forever. Try to delete them. Too late. They cannot be deleted virtually. They can still be found in the archives online.
Sounds scarry to you?!
Personal data and mission critical systems should never be connected to the Internet at all. It is not safe and secure out there. You should avoid using online banking, e-commerce and free email services.
Big brother is out there. You are being watched and sniffed at all times once your are connected to the Internet.
Tags: Security, social networking
Posted in Web 2.0 | 1 Comment »
Public computer safety
by webdesign
safety
If you need to use a public computer from the airport, coffee shop, or a library, you need to be very careful. If you left your footprint on the computer, you can be hit hard by cyber crooks, or anyone using the computer after you.
Many users type their user names and passwords in the computer without knowing that the computer might be recording them in files or in the computer’s memory. This happens often as most websites and operating systems save the user names and passwords in files, memory, cookies and so on by default.
Some users do not even log out of the website or instant messaging software. Browsing history is another way to sniff for openings.
Precautions for your own safety:
- Disable the auto complete option if you use Microsoft Windows. This is to prevent your user name, password, web address being remembered by the computer.
- Do not use any automatic logon service provided by the operating system, or the website.
- Keep an eye on anyone around you while typing your user name and password.
- Do not stay away from the computer with programs running.
- Log out of everything before you leave.
- Remove your footprints before you leave. In internet explorer, delete all temporary Internet files and cookies, and clear the browsing history. In other browsers, you can clear the private data.
- Try not to use any public computer for doing banking, and e-commerce. Anything to do with bank accounts, personal details, and credit card information should be avoided.
- Do not save your files in the public computer.
- Do not leave behind your USB sticks or disks.
- Do not print sensitive data and information in public.
- A keystroke logging program can be installed in the computer by a criminal to record all your key strokes in a file and sent back to the criminal via the network or Internet.
- Remember once you are on the Internet or any local area network or wireless network, there is no privacy. Everything is open.
Tags: hacker, internet, Security
Posted in Security | 3 Comments »
