HMTech.ca

Most people are aware that opening an email attachment from someone they don’t know can cause their computer to be infected by a virus. However, many people are unaware of the new methods malware writers are using to infect unsuspecting computer users with malicious software. Although virus writers still use email spam to infect PCs, there’s a much more devious and subtle method hackers are using to penetrate computer systems. And that is to infect your computer by simply having you click on a link from a search results page.

You may have firewall and anti-virus software installed already. You may even be careful about the files you download from the web. However, you are still vulnerable to attack just by innocently surfing the web. A web site can be dangerous for a number of reasons. It could:

• Host downloadable files that are infected with spyware, adware, or trojans
• Contain links to other dangerous web sites
• Host web code (html, javascript) that could maliciously try to alter settings on your computer
• Attempt to automatically infect your computer with malware, just by visiting their page (IE: Drive-by download)

While most websites are harmless, Google has reported that nearly 5-10% of websites on the Internet will attempt to automatically infect your computer with malware. The worst offenders being sites that host free software (games, screensavers), pirated software, and pornography. However, it is possible that a legitimate website could be hacked and programmed to send its visitors malicious code.

(more…)

Wireless computer networks are now prevalent in most residential neighborhoods. If you were to take a wireless-enabled laptop and stroll down your street, you would probably detect dozens of wireless networks. Some of these networks would have tight security while the majority of them would have weak security or no security at all. The ones with no security can easily be compromised by a malicious attacker who is “war driving” and even innocently stumbled upon by your average neighbor. The ones with weak security can be compromised in minutes by a skilled hacker.

(more…)

These days we seem to have a password for everything – email, online banking, Ebay, Amazon, Facebook, Skype, online tax payments, you name it! How are we supposed to keep track of all these passwords? In the past, I would write all of my passwords on a sheet of paper. Well, make that, multiple sheets of paper. Have you ever experienced the frustration of forgetting a user name or password? Sometimes I would visit a web site that I hadn’t been to for a long time and I would forget the user name and password I created for it. So I ended up searching in file folders and old boxes trying to find the sheet that had the user name and password written on it! Thankfully, I don’t have to do that anymore. Instead, I use a free program called Password Safe to keep my passwords secure and organized.

Click For More