How to Have the Best Computer Passwords

In today age of inter connectivity where almost everything can be stored and access via the internet, one important aspect of storing our things behind lock and keys is the PASSWORD. Yup the old fashion lock and key has a digital equivalent called the PASSWORD. The PASSWORD is one of the most important aspect of security for keeping safe our files. We often used them in our computer so we lock the computer itself or put a password on the account that we used to log-in into our computer.

No sane person would ever like somebody else reading her email, or logging into their computer and swiping their allegedly secure search engine optimization information. Or for what it's worth some other person using her password and breaking into a monetary institution. You should, choose a powerful, secure password in such a manner that will be a hard nut to crack for others and easy for you to recollect. The more random and mixed-up you make it, the harder it is for others to break. Mind you, if your password is compromised, the password crackers will even take over your identity.

The password that we use to access all our account can be the same or every bit different from each account. If we use different password in all of our account then we need to write down or use a password manager. A password, if too short, is vulnerable to attack if an attacker gets hold of the cryptographic hash of the password. Present-day PCs are fast enough to try all alphabetic passwords shorter than 7 characters. We will be able to call a password puny if it is short or is a default, or which can sometimes be rapidly guessed by searching a subset of all possible passwords such as words in the compendium, correct names, words based totally on the user name or common variations on these themes.

On the other hand, a robust password would be sufficiently long, random, or which can be produced only by the user who chose it, so that ‘guessing ‘ for it will require too long a time.

For maximum security, the user should follow some simple guidelines:

1) Passwords should preferably be at least 8 characters long and not more than 14.

2) Passwords should contain a mix of numbers, letters, and special characters (%&3ac_ht4m7).

3) Passwords shouldn't contain a compendium word from any compendium, be it French, Spanish, medical, etc.

4) Each password should be different from the user’s User-ID and any permutation of that User-ID.

5) New passwords and old passwords should differ by at least 3 characters.

6) Avoid picking names or nicknames of folk, pets, or places, or personal info that may be simply found out,eg your birthday, address etc.

7) It’s sensible to stay away from common keyboard sequences,eg dfgh678 or abc345.

8) Never form a password by appending a digit to a word. That can be simply guessed.

9) Avoid writing your password down or storing it on your PC.

10) Never share your password with any other person.

Making sure that our password is safe and is hard to guess is just one of the many ways of keeping our digital information safe. We must also be very careful in using our computer in public places  or using public computers, because we never know what who or what kind of application is watching us input those very sacred alpha numeric combination. We must always be vigilant in everything that we do whenever we are logging in into our account wherever we may be.

How to Get a Secure Voicemail

Voicemail security is one of the things that is making headlines nowadays. This is because there are now more and more cases of hackers suddenly attacking both popular and regular individuals and trying to extract information from their voicemail accounts.

To help protect yourself, here are a few tips for being able to get a secure voicemail.

Image by spDuchamp via FlickrStrong Pin codes:

One of the responses that the telecommunications providers made to the threat of voicemail security and other phone line breeches was providing people with a way to utilize pin codes for account security. Previously, simply dialing the voicemail number would already connect you to your voice mailbox. However, the latest trend is to now ask users to input a pin code before they could start accessing their accounts.

Remember that pin codes would be useless for voice mail security if you would not provide a strong one. Try to utilize a combination of numbers and characters (if allowed) and not just rely on the basic series like 123456.

Do not give your number to just anyone:

A very basic method of getting a secure phone would be to not give away your personal number to anyone. If hackers would not have any direct access to your phone line, then they would have a very difficult time of having to guess around for your mobile number. This means that they would just rather try to target other people who they know are already active mobile phone users.

On the other hand, simply listing your numbers anywhere and everywhere would make it very easy for hackers and other unscrupulous people to target you and your voicemail account. If you would really need to publicize your number, we recommend getting both a public one and a private line.

Get a separate provider that offers voice-mail security:

The most secure your way that you can ensure that you have a secure voicemail would be by actually going with a company that offers you one. There are some companies who are able to provide you with a voice-mail account which use military grade encryption technology to make it difficult for hackers and other types of fraudsters to tap into your account.

This advanced capability of having a complex method for protecting your voicemail would be a major deterrent for people who are trying to get into your voicemail account and browse the messages that you have saved in there.

Julia started out as an intern for a Secure Voice Mail Company in Northwest. She parlayed this position and moved up the ranks to become a lead administrator for network security issues. She believes that her innate interest in computer security and networking technology enabled her to rise up in this position immediately.

Using Encryption To Improve Your IT Security

One of the major fears of modern IT users centers around hackers becoming increasingly versatile in the ways they attempt to steal personal information and data. Once a hacker has gained possession of these sensitive details it is possible for them to commit various acts of fraud, exploiting them for commercial gain. Due to this it is imperative for computer users to invest in IT security solutions which will best protect them; whereas spyware detection software and anti-virus programs are a good start, there are more fool proof ways to successfully defend against hackers.

Encryption is one such solution. By encrypting files, a user is protecting them from potential cyber-attacks or hackers and this solution can be employed as a preventative measure to varying degrees; ranging from individual folder and file protection to more complicated techniques utilized by professionals to protect larger or more sensitive files encryption is considered one of the most hack-proof methods of IT security.

What is Encryption?

Encryption is a process of taking data stored on a system, server or network and scrambling this information so it becomes unreadable to anyone who does not have the right password, or “key”, to access and read the original, untainted information. 

Image via Wikipedia

There are a number of different types of encryption keys. The first of these are known as “public keys” and are shared between companies or users who send encrypted information to each other over the internet or through portable devices such as USB drives. This means they are able to access and read the files with a degree of safety as anyone attempting to intercept the information will be unable to “unscramble” it without the correct encryption key; thusly all sensitive details will remain impenetrable and of no use to potential hackers. Private encryption keys represent IT security solutions which are specific to a certain network and will have only the administrator or IT tech of the company be able to access the private key information.

 
How Does Encryption Prevent Hacking?

Without an encryption key it is impossible for a potential hacker to access the information contained within the encrypted file, folder or network; keys are essential for unscrambling encrypted data and getting access to the coded information contained within. Due to this encryption represents a simple and practical method of adding protection on top of that already gained from anti-virus programs and spyware packages.

One of the main benefits, however, from encryption is how simple it is to do.  To encrypt a file all that is necessary is right clicking on the folder it is stored in and, from the options that appear, clicking on the advanced attributes setting. The next step will often be simply selecting the option that allows for compression and encryption of data. All files that are kept within the folder will become automatically encrypted; this is followed by a prompt to back up the encryption key.

Larger businesses will usually have much bigger networks, a greater degree of online information and sensitive corporate information to protect and, as such, will require IT security specialists to use more advanced techniques to protect this data. An example of more complicated encryption techniques being needed is in the example of online stores who will have any number of customers inputting their credit card or bank details into a system; if a hacker were to get hold of this information an untold amount of money could be stolen.