Yes, it’s true.  With a few relatively simple programming tricks, a web site can effectively discern your browsing history.  Any web site, if they so desire, can figure out quite a lot of information about where you have been on the Internet as well as what you have searched for on well known search engines.

How:  Most people who surf the net have their browsers set to remember several weeks of browsing history, and they could visit a lot of web sites over that period of time. 

Well, unbeknownst to you, you may be letting on a lot more than you realize.

Cookies can also be used to spy on your browsing habits, but this techmique has nothing to do with cookies.  Therefore even if you diligently delete cookies, you may falsely believe your browsing habits will not be passed on to some other site you visit. 

How is this done?  All it takes is a simple bit of CSS and/or JavaScript code, and a database of links to test.  They can test up to a million links per minute.  That is right, I said a million links per minute.  And you won’t have a clue it is going on.

Now, what do you suppose a web site would want to test for?   Huh?  Just use a little imagination and you will answer that question for yourself.

The results can be added to another database that includes your I.P. address and whatever other identifying info can be gleaned from cookies and standard data that all browsers give out.  This standard data includes the brand of browser you are using, screen resolution and enough other information to uniquely identify your computer with a high degree of accuracy.  And that is not all.  Other techniques can test for content in your browsers cache.

 How to combat this?  Some suggestions:

• The most reliable way is to set your browser to not keep a browsing history (or to keep a very minimal history, say a day or two), and delete the history you already have.  
• Set your browser so that new and visited links have the exact same color.
• Keep your cache relatively small and delete it regularly, if not for every session. 
• Surf with a variety of browsers.

For more info, and to test your browser, you may visit the following links:

 http://www.whattheinternetknowsaboutyou.com

 http://startpanic.com/

Remember: Practice Safe Computing!

Our favorite search engine, Ixquick, is now also known as Startpage.   Actually, Startpage and Ixquick are really one and the same.  Startpage is simply an easier name to remember.  Why is it our favorite search engine?  Privacy, Accuracy, Speed.  This is the only search engine awarded the European Privacy Seal.  It does not record your searches, and it does not even record your IP address. Give it a try.

http:startpage.com

or

http://ixquick.com

From a security standpoint, it makes a lot of sense to move to Windows 7 ASAP.  Windows 7 will have a small fraction of the security vulnerabilities and requisite update fixes as did Windows XP.  Why? Windows 7 was built from the ground up with security in mind, which was only an afterthought with Windows XP.  No doubt, there will be vulnerabilities to fix.  But in the long run, it should prove to be a very good move for the average user.  We have been running Windows 7 on a test machine since the Beta was first available, and are quite pleased with its performance and functionality.  Not totally pleased, mind you, but pleased enough to be recommending it to all our customers and readers.  Let us know what you think.

OK, this is a decent Internet connection.

Password Meter provides a good way to test your passwords for security.  Password Meter can be found at the following web site:  http://www.passwordmeter.com/

Your password can be tested online, or the application may be downloaded for use on your computer.

The 4th amendment of the US Constitution states:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

The 5th amendment states:

  ”No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

We have used quite a variety of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) programs and we recently tried Core FTP LE.  We are very happy with its performance and it has become our new favorite.  It doesn’t have the fanciest interface, but its performance was solid and predictable.

Core FTP LE can be downloaded from the maker at http://www.coreftp.com/

Jeremiah Grossman is the founder and Chief Technology Officer of WhiteHat Security.  His blog site is a good resource for security related knowledge, therefore we are adding his blog to our official Blogroll.

Everybody who uses the Internet uses  DNS servers.  DNS servers translate the familiar web site names to the numerical code of IP addresses. 

Think of DNS as the phone book of the Internet.  With a phone book, you look up a name and it gives yo a number.  Well, this is what the DNS system does for the Internet.  Only, it automatically looks up the numerical address for you, and tells your browser where to find that web site that you are after.

The DNS server address is actually entered in Network (TCP/IP Protocol) properties.  Most people use the address provided by their Internet Service Provider.  And most of the time these properties are set to ‘Obtain DNS server address automatically’.

Moat uses don’t realize that you are not required to use the DNS servers that your ISP provides.  You can enter any DNS server you choose.  But finding alternate servers is a problem.   We recommend that you consider using Open DNS.  This company is independent of any specific ISP and provided enhanced DNS services, some of which you may find valuable, such as correcting common misspellings.

 For more information and specific instructions, visit http://opendns.com

Keeping Windows up to date is critical for maintaining a secure computer.  But downloading all those updates over a slow connection can be an onerous time consuming task.  Let alone hours of busy signals on you phone line.  Follow this link to PCmag.com instructions on how to transfer the required updates from a fast connection to a slow connection via a flash drive or CD.

 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2017577,00.asp