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

 Carnegie Mellon University has produced a little phishing game to test you skills at spotting fake Internet addresses (URL’s).

The game can be accessed at the following address:

http://cups.cs.cmu.edu/antiphishing_phil/

Do you help friends and/or customers with their computer problems?

Tired of spending hours on the phone trying to fix some complex software issue?

There is no substitute to seeing what they see, first hand. You can work faster, and they can watch and maybe learn a thing or two.

To see things first hand, you either have to physically be at their computer, or you have to use a “remote access” utility. For this, you have several options, including Microsoft’s “Remote Assistance” utility. Unfortunately, “Remote Assistance” has problems connecting through some firewalls, and requires either a functional email program or Windows Live Messenger. Once the connectionis established, Remote Assistance works quite well.

We recommend two “free” alternatives. Perhaps one of these will fit your needs.

#1 - LogMeIn, found at logmein.com

LogMeIn has the advantage, once the client is installed, of being able to access remote computers (or your computer) without user intervention. It has the disadvantage of not being able to do two-way file transfers.

#2 - CrossLoop, found at crossloop.com

CrossLoop has the advantage of being able to do file transfers, but is has the disadvantage of requiring user intervention at the other end. (For some users, this may be an advantage if they don’t want to allow unlimited access, and therefore CrossLoop may be more suitable to customer support). It makes it kind of tough if you want to access your own computer.

Security:
Both use a secure connection. But both require a very secure password or pass phrase in order to prevent unauthorized access. Plus CrossLoop requires the user at the other end to accept assistance, and they have the option of only allowing viewing access, or full remote control access.

The storm worm remains very dangerous and is the most prolific SPAM in recent history.

It’s success is undoubtedly related to the clever social engineering that it uses to entice people to open the attached .zip file.

It warns the user that their computer is infected and their email will be cut off if they don’t install the attached “patch”.

Ironically, the “patch” actually installed the Storm Worm Trojan, and the user will indeed be infected.

For more info please refer to the Computer World article.