Completely Wipe Your Hard Drive

I remain totally baffled at the amount of pre-owned computers out there today, just handed over to complete strangers without data removed completely. I’ve heard stories of individuals buying old bank computers on eBay, and lo and behold, the bank data is still there! Or of someone just giving someone else his/her computer without making sure the data is completely erased.

Part of the problem is that people don’t know what erasing data really entails. Just tossing documents into the Recycle Bin on your desktop does not erase data. Just selecting “Empty Recycle Bin” doesn’t completely remove the data, either. The data technically still remains on the hard drive– it’s just jumbled now. For data to be completely removed from your hard drive, you have to do one of the following:

  • Remove your hard drive from your computer and smash it to smithereens with a hammer.
  • Delete your data and have the hard drive rewritten.

There’s a neat, free (!) program I’ve recently heard of that erases data. Not surprisingly, it’s called Eraser. It’s open source, so that means it’s free! Eraser rewrites information onto your hard drive several times. This erases your old data. It’s definitely safer than handing over your old unit to an eBay auction!

P.S. this is not a paid review! I know there ar ea lot of readers who buy and use older, pre-owned computers. I hope this program helps you.

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WordPress 2.8.1

Yes, WordPress users, believe it or not— there’s another WordPress update. It’s 2.8.1.

WordPress 2.8.1 fixes many bugs and tightens security for plugin administration pages. Core Security Technologies notified us that admin pages added by certain plugins could be viewed by unprivileged users, resulting in information being leaked. Not all plugins are vulnerable to this problem, but we advise upgrading to 2.8.1 to be safe.

I just updated all seven of my blogs to 2.8 just a few weeks ago. I like 2.8– it’s a great piece of software. I just tire of updating all these blogs every few weeks! But 2.8.1 fixes a bundle of security issues, so the sooner you do it, the better. Be sure to update all your plugins and make backups of your blogs’ databses before you hit the update button! I backup two separate ways– I use the WordPress admin way (Dashboard>>Tools>>Export) to download an XML file of all my posts, comments, etc. Know that this kind of backup will only backup your written data. It will not backup your theme nor your images nor your plugins. That’s why I have two separate backup systems. The second backup system I use saves all that data– through my web host’s cPanel Backup Wizard. Every host and cPanel is slightly different, so consult your web host for more details on how to do that.

Several months ago, I made a quick video on how to backup your blog into xml format throught the WordPress dashboard.

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Posted in blogs, Wordpress. Tags: , , . Comments Off »

Gaping Hole in Internet Explorer

In a rare move, Microsoft has released a statement notifying the public of a severe vulnerability in their software that they have not a fix for, yet.

Microsoft is investigating a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX Control. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. When using Internet Explorer, code execution is remote and may not require any user intervention.

We are aware of attacks attempting to exploit the vulnerability.

Our investigation has shown that there are no by-design uses for this ActiveX Control in Internet Explorer which includes all of the Class Identifiers within the msvidctl.dll that hosts this ActiveX Control. For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 customers, Microsoft is recommending removing support for this ActiveX Control within Internet Explorer using all the Class Identifiers listed in the Workaround section. Though unaffected by this vulnerability, Microsoft is recommending that Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 customers remove support for this ActiveX Control within Internet Explorer using the same Class Identifiers as a defense-in-depth measure.

Yikes.

Microsoft has a fix for this, but it will basically shut down ActiveX functionality for your Internet Explorer browser.

Other choices are to dump Internet Explorer altogether, and go with Firefox or Opera.

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The Spy in Your Cell Phone

Raise your hand if you have a love/hate relationship with your cell phone.

*raises hand*

While having a cell is a great convenience (I have a cheapo Tracfone), they are expensive. And insecure. I’ve known for a long time that cell phone transmissions are insecure– they are truly radio transmissions, and can be intercepted and received by persons other than the ones making and receiving the phone call. And it’s illegal for anyone to tap into and record phone conversations– except for government entities, like the FBI. They do it all the time, without a warrant.

I did not know that spyware is readily available on the Internet, and is being used by crooks to stalk and spy on people. There’s a revealing video at YouTube called Tapping Your Cell Phone that’s quite an eye-opener. The embedding function is disabled for the video, but you can view it at the YouTube website. The video is some kind of cheesy 20/20 or Dateline show– it’s very sensational and overdone. But the basic point is true: your cell phone calls can (and probably are being) monitored, whether by accident by some radio aficionado, or by a stalker, or by the FBI. Cell phones are not safe and secure means of communication- don’t be fooled.

With all this technology, and a good deal of it becoming more personal for us and to us, we really need to remember that it is a weakness. Sure, it’s so convenient; but all this communication technology and other stuff like RFID and barcode scanner technology that lists and monitors our goods and food is a weakness– it’s digital information that is easily tampered with, easily malfunctioning, and easily monitored. It can be used against us. This YouTube video never comes out and say HOW spyware is installed on a cell phone, but it is implied that a hacker has to get access to your phone to install the software. I would also assume that some of those ringtones and other junk you can download into your phone may have spyware. And Bluetooth-enabled phones don’t need any installed software on the phone for spying on them.

So does this mean I am going to ditch my Tracfone? No. I’ll still have it; I use it for emergencies and the convenience outweighs the threats. Here are some ways to secure your cell phone:

  • Never leave your cell phone laying around, where someone can tamper with it.
  • Remove the battery.
  • Remove the SIM card.
  • Place the cell phone in a foil bag or wrapper. This is a little extreme, and it means you cannot receive phone calls as well as make them until you remove the phone fromthe foil; but it’s a great way to block all radio transmissions and a way to block your movement.
  • Shutting off the cell phone does little. The FBI, for example, is able to activate the speaker to your phone even though your phone may be turned off.
  • Place the cell phone in a ziploc bag. Sounds are distorted through the plastic. This is a great way to still have your phone on and you are able to hear it ring, but a hacker cannot hear your non-phone conversations.
  • And one final bit of trivia for you: did you realize that cell phone capability on airplanes was non-existent before the 9/11 incident? How could all those passengers have made cell phone calls to their loved ones if airlines hadn’t permitted cell phone calls back then??

Thanks to WXPNews for the link to the video.

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Posted in crime, news, surveillance, technology. Tags: , , . Comments Off »

Securing Your Computer with a Firewall

Gone are the days when you could just connect your computer to your Internet connection and let ‘er rip. Viruses, worms, trojans, and malware are circulating on the Internet, seeking an open door or window (commonly called ports for computers) or an unsuspecting user who will download a file, open an email, or visit a malicious site to steal personal information. It is absolutely crucial that you secure your computer before you ever plug it into the modem. In this post, I’m going to give you some information and links to free firewall programs that you can download and install.

In a nutshell, think of a firewall as a door. Your computer has many doors, to let information in and out. But you want to control the stuff that comes in and out of the doors– this is where the firewall comes in. The firewall will watch which doors are opening and closing, and will ask you if you want to let certain information in and out. Without a firewall, your doors are wide open for anything and everything to flow in and out. Also, when you first install and use your firewall, the firewall will ask you a LOT of questions at first. It will notify you every time it senses some data wanting to come in or out. Some people grow weary of all the questions, but the firewall will remember your answers if you tell it to (usually this requires checking a box that says “remember my answer” or something like it). Over time, the firewall will build a list of programs you are allowing in and programs you are blocking. So don’t go crazy when your new firewall pummels you with a ton of questions in the beginning; it will quiet down.

If you are interested in learning more about how firewalls work, there’s a good article about it at How Stuff Works.

Photobucket

Photo courtesy of How Stuff Works.

You may be thinking, “How can I download and install anything when I shouldn’t even connect to the Internet yet?” Well, there are a few ways to go about this:

1. You can use a different computer (a secure one) to download the programs. For example, a friend’s computer- your friend can download the programs and put them on a CD or a flash drive. You can install them from the CD or flash drive before connecting to the Internet.

2. You can temporarily activate the Windows firewall. Windows firewall is a program only on XP or Vista computers (older versions do not have it).

In the previous XP versions, the Windows firewall was disabled by default. I found this out the hard way when, several years ago, I plugged in my new XP laptop into the modem. Within 1/2 an hour of being online without a firewall, my new computer was infected with the Blaster worm. The computer kept shutting down and rebooting– I had to completely reformat my computer to get rid of it. :-p

I understand that Windows Vista, and new computers with Windows XP, now come with the Windows firewall enabled. But it would be wise to check first. Go to Control Panel and look for something that says “Security Center” or “Windows Firewall.” (The names vary, depending on your Windows version). Look for “firewall” and make sure it is operational.

OK, so now perhaps you are thinking, “Well, why get a different firewall when Windows already has one?” The Windows firewall is not very powerful. It will keep most bad traffic from entering your computer system, but it doesn’t do much to stop any malware from “phoning home” from your computer to other computers out on the Internet. And the Windows firewall is extremely basic, with few options. Firewalls can be a bit complicated to configure, but you don’t want anything as simple as Windows firewall. It’s too risky. There are free firewall programs that do a much better job protecting your computer. Some come with added stuff, like an anti-virus program, spyware checkers, etc. I prefer to keep my programs simple, rather than have the “one size fits all” kind of program. I have a separate firewall, a separate anti-virus, several different spyware checkers, and etc. That’s what I prefer. You may decide otherwise.

Here are some links to some good, free firewalls. You may have to hunt around for the free programs because the manufacturers like to promote their “professional” versions. But the free ones are there! Just for the record, I use Comodo.

Comodo Firewall Pro
Zone Alarm
Agnitum
Ashampoo Firewall Free
Sunbelt Kerio Free Firewall

You should only have one firewall running on your computer. Two or more may cause connection problems. So after you download and install your third-party firewall, disable the Windows Firewall.

Note: be aware that with free firewalls and anti-virus programs, there is no personal support for them. If you need help figuring out the program or troubleshooting errors, you are on your own. The paid-for versions offer tech support.

Firewall software vendors usually have support forums or knowledgebases to help you use the program or solve problems. You have to search for answers and configure the program yourself. Another option if you run into trouble: you can always do a search by asking a question in the search engine. It helps to be as specific as possible when you search.

In the next post about computer security, I’ll address the importance of anti-virus and malware programs.

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Posted in firewalls, free programs, security how-to. Tags: , . Comments Off »

Learning More About Your Computer

The average computer user is now more knowledgeable and more savvy with computers and related software, since we’ve been owning and using them for about 15 years now. I have been purposely learning terms, techniques, studying processes and etc because 1) I am a naturally curious person, and 2) learning about how computers/software works makes me a much better computer user, and 3) I can be our family’s IT person, rather than forking out hundreds of dollars to pay a technician. It’s been worth it. I love tinkering with computers. Most of my education has been through trial and error, though!

If you are interested in learning more about what’s in your computer, you need to start by learning the many terms and definitions. For example, do you know what an iso file is? You may need to know what that is, and how to create one, if you ever want to make a “bootable” CD, DVD, or SD card for your computer. I learned that an iso file is an image file with data– I needed to burn my Linux operating system data into an iso file in order for the computer to read it and start up with it.

There are numerous helpful resources to aid in learning about computers and software. One tip I always give to new computer users is to subscribe to e-zines from technology sites. Some great e-zines are from Kim Komando (komando.com), WindowsXPNews.com and VistaNews.com, and the Cnet.com emails. All are free.  Kim Komando’s emails are wide-ranging– she addresses things beyond the computer, like GPAs, cell phones, televisions, cameras. The WindowsXPNews is excellent, and centers on issues pertaining to, obviously, users with Windows XP. All these emails are free. Check those out.

Learning more about computers isn’t hard. I knew nothing about computers when I got my first PC in 1999 (a used 1984 Macintosh it was!). Of course, I am still learning and there’s a lot more to learn- but at least at this point I am able to help others with the stuff I have figured out.

In the next few posts, I will be going over some basics to computer Internet security and use. I’ll highlight some important issues and run through things you can do to secure your computer and make it more efficient. Stay tuned!

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