Ten Easy Ways to Boost Your Computer Security

These days it is very easy to take our computers for granted. It is almost as if they are part of our office or household furniture. However, we all have increasing amounts of sensitive data stored on our computers and it's worth being aware of the ongoing risks so here we take a look at the best ways to maintain and improve your computer security.

Of course adding some computer security features to a pc costs a little extra money, but it is essential to do to ward off attacks from the rogues out there determined to upset home pc users as well as large scale organizations. Viruses can vary in seriousness such as harmless but annoying e-mails or spam to programs delivered to PCs that can wipe out all the data stored on the computer.

Let's take a look at ten ways all of us can improve our computer security:

1. Password Protection - A good start to computer security is to put in a barrier to unauthorised users of your computer. Protect your login id with a password. That way you can ensure that only you can access confidential information on your computer. Never disclose your passwords to other people, don't write them down and try and make them unique with a combination of letters, numbers and other characters.

2. Operating System - Keep your operating system updated frequently. Turning on the auto-update in Windows Update will boost your computer security. Microsoft releases frequent fixes to vulnerable areas of computer security so this is critically important.

3. Anti Virus Software - Ensure your pc has up to date anti-virus software installed. This is a key element of computer security and will help detect and remove viruses as well as block spam e-mails.

4. Firewall - At the same time your computer security should be enhanced by adding a firewall especially if you are part of a network either at work or home. The firewall setting on your router should be switched on as these could leave you exposed to hackers or indeed your neighbours might be able to view what you are doing on the internet.

5. Regular Scans - Your anti-virus software may do regular background checks, but it is a good idea to run a scan at least once a week. This will help clean up your system by deleting unwanted cookies and temporary internet files.

6. E-Mail Attachments - Be very wary of attachments to e-mails sent to you, especially if they are from an unknown source. These could potentially carry a virus that will prove damaging to your computer. A good computer security tip is to ignore attachments from unknown sources and delete the e-mail. You can save any attachments or downloads to your desktop and scan them with the anti-virus software.

7. E-Mail Links - It is best not to visit websites by clicking links attached to an e-mail. Most links taking you to a home page asking for log-in or account details are scams. Any details entered here can be used by the hacker who set up the link.

8. Suspicious E-Mails - Ignore e-mails that look suspicious and delete them as these could breach your computer security. Ignore any e-mails purporting to be from your bank or someone else you hold an account with asks for personal details or passwords. This breach of computer security is sometimes known as phishing.

9. Websites - Be wary of websites you wish to enter. Some anti-virus programs offer warnings next to websites to indicate whether they can be trusted. Avoid clicking on a website if it is not rated as trustworthy.

10. Online Payments - If you need to make a payment online ensure that the payment screen is protected. The page will usually indicate that it is secure and may have a padlock image at the top of the page.
Anyone still not convinced may want to bear in mind some of the facts about viruses. In January 2007 a worm called Storm appeared on the scene. Nine months later it was believed that some 50 million computers had been infected by the worm. Computer security is so important to protect you and your personal data.

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Cloud Computing Security

One of the greatest game-changing innovations of this decade is cloud computing. The shift away from pure on-premises applications and data storage is already well underway, with consumers, small and midsize businesses, and even large enterprises putting applications and data into the cloud. The ever-present question however, is whether it is safe to do so. Cloud computing security is by far the biggest concern among those considering the technology. And if you're an IT manager, it's good to be paranoid. Losses from cybercrime and attack can be enormous, and the 2008 CSI Computer Crime and Security Survey show an overall average annual loss of just under $300,000.

It may seem like a leap of faith to put your valuable data and applications in the cloud, and to trust cloud computing security to a third party. Yet faith is not a part of the equation, nor should it be. Every enterprise needs to know that its data and applications are secure, and the question of cloud computing security must be addressed.

In fact, the cloud does have several security advantages. According to NIST, these cloud computing security advantages include:

• Shifting public data to a external cloud reduces the exposure of the internal sensitive data
• Cloud homogeneity makes security auditing/testing simpler
• Clouds enable automated security management
• Redundancy / Disaster Recovery

All four points are well taken. Cloud providers naturally tend to include rigorous cloud computing security as part of their business models, often more than an individual user would do. In this respect, it's not just a matter of cloud computing providers deploying better security, the point is, rather, that they deploy the precautions that individual companies should, but often don't.

A common security model
Most application providers impose some level of security with their applications, although when cloud application providers implement their own proprietary approaches to cloud computing security, concerns arise over international privacy laws, exposure of data to foreign entities, stovepipe approaches to authentication and role-based access, and leaks in multi-tenant architectures. These security concerns have slowed the adoption of cloud computing technology, although it need not pose a problem.

The very nature of a cloud platform is that it imposes an instance of common software elements that can be used by developers to "bolt on" to their applications without having to write them from scratch. This advantage is especially useful in the area of security. The cloud "platform as a service" brings an elegant solution to the security problem by implementing a standard security model to manage user authentication and authorization, role-based access, secure storage, multi-tenancy, and privacy policies. Consequently, any SaaS application that runs on the common platform would immediately benefit from the platform's standardized and robust security model.

Superior physical security through cloud computing provider
Lack of physical security is the cause of an enormous amount of loss, and insider attacks account for a surprisingly large percentage of loss. And while the specter of black hats hacking into your network from a third world country is very much real, very often, the "black hat" is in reality a trusted employee. It's the guy from the Accounting department who you have lunch with. It's the lady who brings you coffee in the morning and always remembers that you like two sugars. It's the recent college grad with so much potential, who did such a great job on that last report.

Of course, insiders can attack your network and data regardless of where it is located, given enough incentive and information, but physical proximity of the actual hardware and data makes it much easier to gain access, and cloud data centers tend to have better internal physical security protocols, including locked rooms, regulated access, and other protections against physical theft and tampering.

Conclusion: Superior security through the cloud
Besides physical security, technical security is of the utmost importance. Hosting your own servers and applications requires extra measures. A larger organization may need to deploy dedicated IT staff to security only. Cloud computing, on the other hand, builds cloud computing security directly into the cloud platform. While the company still must maintain in-house security in any case, the provider ensures that the applications and data are safe from attack.

We tend to think that retaining control over everything is inherently more secure, when this is not the case. Smaller companies especially may lack the skilled security staff in-house, and even larger firms often just don't have the resources to dedicate to implementing rigorous security on an ongoing basis. A cloud computing provider on the other hand, which offers a detailed service level agreement and retains skilled security staff in-house, will often provide superior security when compared with the in-house alternative.

For more information about cloud computing, please visit http://www.cloudipedia.com for a free copy of "Cloud Computing Made Easy." Cloudipedia is a property of Virtual Global, a provider of cloud-enabled enterprise IT solutions and the TeamHost™ cloud computing platform for building SaaS applications without programming.

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Computer Security Cables

Computer security cables are used to ensure the physical security of a computer. Several types of computer security cables are available. There are black, putty and heavy duty computer high strength security cables. Computer security cables are a very effective method of preventing computer losses. A desktop or notebook secured with a lock and cable prevents a thief from walking off with your property and data.

Computer security cables are available in the market at varying prices. A unique black shell design with overlapping seams, coupled with a crimp ferrule strain relief results in both protection against leakage and enhanced mechanical strength. These features ensure a highly reliable cable that will pass the most severe emissions testing, while providing years of trouble free service. It also saves cost and adds an alternative cable entry direction.

A unique stamped steel internal enclosure offers hundred percent shielding and a strong strain relief. Cable assemblies with inline or reverse entry connector orientation can be produced with modest minimum requirements. Computer security cables give the equipment protection from theft.

Steel cables are not the most attractive cables. There are adhesive mount cables. Specially designed plates are affixed to your computer case, your monitor is safe with a strong adhesive compound and the cables are then threaded through loops in the plates and secured with a padlock. Fiber optic cables are also widely used.

Security cables can be chosen from PC security cables, laptop security cables and unique solid mounts using steel security plates with super adhesives. A variety of locking devices include case locks to protect the CPU. It is advisable to choose from computer security cables that let you add security plates to secure all your peripherals on one cable. These systems use straight end cable assembly.

Security cables are available in a variety of lengths. Most security cables are coated with clear vinyl. Laptop security cables are an inexpensive way to protect a laptop from being stolen. Standard, medium sized and thick security cables are available.

Computer Security provides detailed information on Computer Security, Computer Security Systems, Computer Network Securities, Computer Security Software and more. Computer Security is affiliated with Information Security Systems [http://www.e-InformationSecurity.com].

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Using the Keystrokes Dynamic for Systems of Personal Security

Access to computer systems is usually controlled by user accounts with usernames and passwords.  Such scheme has little security (Hu. J et al. (2008), Pavaday. N and Soyjaudah. K.M.S (2007)) if the information falls to wrong hands. Key cards or biometric systems (Adrian Kapczynski et al. ( 2006), Gláucya C. Boechat et al. (2007), Anil Jain et al. (2003), Duane Blackburn et al. (2007)), for example fingerprints (Lin Hong and Anil Jain, (1998)) is being used nowadays to improve the security. Biometric methods measure biological and physiological characteristics to uniquely identify individuals. The main drawback of most biometric methods is that they are expensive to implement, because most of them require specialized hardware to strengthen security. On the other hand keystroke dynamics (Fabian Monrose and Aviel D. Rubin (2000), Jarmo Ilonen, (2003)) consist of many advantages like (i) It can be used without any additional hardware (ii) Hardening the existing security.

Keystroke analysis (Christopher S. Leberknight et al. (2008)) is of two kinds Static and Dynamic. Static keystroke analysis essentially means that the analysis is performed on typing samples produced using the same predetermined text for all the individuals under observation. Dynamic keystroke analysis implies a continuous or periodic monitoring of issued keystrokes and is intended to be performed during a log-in session, after the authentication phase has passed.

One area where the use of a static approach to keystroke dynamics may be particularly interesting is in restricting source level access to the master server hosting a Kerberos (Gabriel. L. F. B. G. Azevedo et al. (2007)) key database. Any user accessing the server is prompted to type a few words or a pass phrase in conjunction with his/her username and password. Access is granted if his/her typing pattern matches within a reasonable threshold of the claimed identity. This safeguard is effective as there is usually no remote access allowed to the server, and the only entry point is via console login. Alternatively, dynamic or continuous monitoring of the interaction of users while accessing highly restricted documents or executing tasks in environments where the user must be alert at all times (for example air traffic control), is a ideal scenario for the application of a keystroke authentication system. Keystroke dynamics may be used to detect uncharacteristic typing rhythm (brought on by drowsiness, fatigue etc.) in the user and notify third parties.