IT Security Blog

How to Avoid Online Purchase Scam

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An irresistible online purchase only comes to us in two ways: while surfing the Internet or through an unsolicited offer through email.  If we are prepared to judge the reliability of a site purely by the appearance of a site, we are most probably courting serious trouble for ourselves.  If we can use appearance as a basis for judgment for brick-and-mortar stores, we might not fare quite as well with online stores.

It is far more difficult for physical stores to deceive customers because of the actual preparation required to create the right elements for deception. A deceptive online store simply needs a flashy website and prospective customers who do not care much for confirming that status of the business they are transacting with.  Deceivers are masters of detecting opportunities as manifested by readily trusting buyers.

The reputation of online businesses can be verified with certain agencies such as the Better Business Bureau in the area where a seller is supposed to be located.  This is why it is important to obtain a physical address and not merely settle for a P.O. Box or telephone number.  The given phone number should also be tested to check if it is actually working or existing.   The same can be done for emails just to make sure that the given accounts are active.

A legitimate business will be willing, if not eager to provide its real contact information.  What is the sense of hiding such important information when the main purpose is to get customers?  It is best to avoid transacting with companies that are less than forthright with their information.  Extra care should be accorded to transactions that involve foreign addresses since it is usually more difficult to confirm legitimacy.  Paying through credit cards is a safer option because there is a chance for recovery in case a problem arises.  Online purchase scams can be avoided with a little more effort than usual.

Opening Doors to Cybercrime

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Many people are not aware that they are making it very easy for cyber criminals to invade their privacy.  This typically happens when convenience is prioritized over the more critical matter of security.  People relax their guard as they choose the easiest path to go about their online transactions.  Let’s face it, the use of the Internet is a risk in itself but we multiply that risk when we fail to consider the factors that make us susceptible to fraud and theft.

Protecting our most basic online defenses is a primary concern.  User names and passwords are our first line of defense but they tend to be compromised by the tendency to use the same names and passwords for all online transactions.  The main problem here is that we make it easy for cyber criminals  to penetrate our transactions in the same manner as we give easy access to ourselves.  The practice can admittedly save time during the initial stage but the probable resulting loss requires more time and effort to correct.  Identity theft can be a traumatic experience both in the physical and emotional aspects.

Cyber criminals are at their work without people realizing it.  They are constantly trying to discover passwords by fishing for personal information such as names and dates related to family or work.  They can also try to steal passwords saved from memory. They can even be looking into various word and number permutations that will provide them the key to the doors of your private world.

A little effort towards making yourself less predictable to cyber thieves goes a long way.  It can be readily understood why some people persist on unsafe online practices especially if they don’t have prior bad experience in transacting online.  Due to the sheer amount of information we are encouraged not to put in writing for our own protection,  we try to help our memory by choosing letters and numbers that we can easily recall.  That is the very weakness which cyber criminals are looking out for.

How to Prevent a Computer Virus New Tips

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Computer viruses are one of the most annoying problems of the modern digital age. Often created by computer coders with too much time on their hands, these bugs can be quite troublesome and can destroy valuable in

formation stored on your computer. There are a number of anti-virus software programs available to help you monitor any possible infection, but prevention is always better than the cure. There are a few ways you can make sure you lower your chances of contracting a computer virus. [Read more…]

Would You Download an Anti-Virus Freeware for Purchase?

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Getting hold of an anti-virus software these days is not as hard as before. Normally, you had to the nearest computer shop and ask around which best anti-virus software can keep your protected and then install it once you buy it outright. Through the years, software companies have allowed anyone to download their software, try it and then eventually be given the option to buy it. Some are even lucky enough when geniuses develop certain key generators to which they can crack the trialware into the full version. But all that seems checked now.

To date, there are still an abundant number of sites like forums that house such cracks and codes. Some of them work but not as plenty as before. Software companies have religiously sought to skim them one by one, blacklisting said codes to which makes freeloaders scratch their heads and continue to get a working key just to avoid a couple of dollars. Sadly, that is not as rampant as before.

If you think about it, this may only be the tip of the iceberg. Software companies may soon follow the cue of Microsoft in blacking out their screens if they are using pirated versions. If Microsoft can do it, then why not companies like McAfee or Norton? They are not small time companies and for sure, they have the funds to make it work like Bill Gates did.

Cheaters cannot complain and so do pirated users. So if that happens, it will all be due to the nature of being a cheapskate that did these people in.

Be Wary of Giving out Your Email Address

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Emails are supposed to make life easier but sometimes, it may be wise to choose who you give out your email to. Today, a lot of mischief can be done and normally this comes in forms of email attacks or email bombs. In such scenarios, don’t be surprised if you find your email downloading hundred to a thousand emails in one sitting. That is not the best part. You would be lucky if this was done only once since others would schedule it daily.

Why do they do it? One is for trials of these foolish software and the other can perhaps be for malicious reason. It is a fact that while many people on the web cannot be harmed physically, they can create headaches for you in the form of discomforts from the privileges you get from the web. One of the main elements an online user would need to use is his email and by doing these email attacks, it burdens the person on how to get important information usually sent through the web.

One cannot avoid such instances. But the best way to prevent it is to choose the people you give it too. For people you meet on the web, it would be wise to use free mail accounts from Gmail or Yahoo over your personal one. Avoid the troubles of such since it will not only be a discomfort, but a forgettable experience as well.

Cheaper Isn’t Always Better

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cheaphostBlogs are the in-thing today and everybody on the planet wants to have one. WordPress being one of the most trusted and used platforms has suffered a great deal from the relentless attacks conducted by hackers who use it for spreading malware to the millions of users on the platform. Another weak link in the blogging trends are the millions of hosting companies, who all want to host as many people on earth they can so they earn as much profit as possible. These hosting servers and service providers might smell good on the outside but can be quite rotten on the outside so getting the right information on the hosting service you aim to use is vital for the survival of your blogging efforts. Web hosting review sites have sprung all over the place and are proving to be the best source of information for budding bloggers and SEO marketers. They offer unbiased information regarding the several or so hosting services giving you the tools to determine the best web hosting information around. These analytical tools may spell success or failure for your blog and thus SEO efforts, so don’t go out without them.