The Lazy Users Guide to Hosted Email Security

Okay, so I'll admit it's a bit of a provocative title - don't you think? In fact, I explicitly chose the word "lazy" since we're all a little bit guilty when it comes to understanding the different technical things that make our e-mail system work. This can apply whether you're an e-mail junkie, or if you are a newbie in this field. And after all, why should we have to bear the extra burden of keeping our e-mail system safe and secure when solutions exist for minimizing this burden?

As a regular user, we will often decide to use a cloud-based e-mail system so that we don't have to worry about the technical implementation, right? We don't want to worry about the latest security update that need to be applied to our servers, nor should we have to worry about those worms and viruses that are spreading like wild fire on the internet: we want to go with a cloud-based solution provider that we think is trustworthy enough to manage it for us. So here's the reason behind the "lazy user's guide".

Indeed, in order to be confident enough so as to play it the "lazy" way, we should have done our homework first when choosing our cloud-based e-mail service provider. We all want life to be simple, correct? We all just want to be able to rely on something we can trust - so here are the things you should check while doing your homework.

Does the cloud e-mail provider provide an antivirus system?

Viruses are everywhere, and e-mail is one of the biggest vectors used to spread them. We all receive business or work e-mails, chain letters from our friends, mailing-lists subscriptions and all kind of e-mails from known and unknown senders. Techniques used by virus makers are improving everyday and there's not one day on earth where there's not a new virus (or its variant) that is spreading over the internet. Cloud based e-mail providers just can't expect their users to be aware of the latest news on the virus industry, then have them apply the required patches - that's the job of the cloud provider's antivirus system and their technical teams.

Does the offer come with an anti-spam system?

Spam - ah spam, we've all received at least one of them. What amazes me with spammers is that they're so creative that they always find a way for circumventing the anti-spam solutions that most e-mail providers put in place. It just blows my mind, especially when I know that very sharp anti-spam solution providers will even use artificial intelligence to learn the signatures of spammers - but yet, some spam still goes through. That's why, most e-mail systems (including cloud-based e-mail systems) include a feature that allows each e-mail user to tag e-mail as spam should it go through all the anti-spam features that have been setup. No one is 100% safe from spam since you can't always control who puts your e-mail address into a mailing list.

If there's one thing I want to emphasize for concluding this article, it's the fact that every cloud provider out there would claim that they have those features installed. So shop around, and go with the ones who have proven track records, experience in email security and who have been "certified" by serious third-party entities.

Cloud services such as hosted Exchange and hosted SharePoint are available from Giacom World Networks. For more information, visit http://www.giacom.com/.

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Don't Fall Victim to Spyware

Computer users are pretty much familiar with a virus. However, only a small number knows what a spyware does. A spyware is a program that was designed to spy you and compromise your privacy. It's a different kind of threat, one that may not cause serious damage to the computer system but poses a different kind of danger. This malicious file can track the activities on your computer and can even duplicate important files from your computer. It can allow hackers to use important personal information such as credit and financial information. It is important to be protected from this kind of threat. You can check antivirus reviews to see which programs are bundled with spyware protection. Specific spyware protection programs are also available online.

So what can you do to not become a victim of spyware? First, you have to install an effective anti-spyware software and an anti-virus software. Security products today now bundle antivirus and anti-spyware programs. You can visit websites that has anti-spyware and antivirus reviews to compare products. But a stand alone anti-spyware product is the best choice since it is specifically designed to detect spyware.

Your choice of anti-spyware should always be updated. Hackers are also adapting and learning, and new threats are developed every minute. Only a software that's up to date can detect these new threats.

Second, you need to limit your internet browsing to safe websites. Sites that allow illegal downloads or contain porn have questionable security and might have suspicious files embedded in them that can affect your machine. While one glory of the Internet is the chance to view and download anything for free, sometimes it's not worth visiting dubious sites if the result is stolen identity or credit card fraud.

Third, it is essential to keep a backup of all important files on your computer. Viruses and spyware often corrupt files. Backing up your files and important documents may sound tedious but it helps a lot especially if the damage is extensive enough to require reinstallation of your operating system.

Spyware often sneaks into computers easily. You may not notice this kind of threat right away and may cause a lot of damage before you even recognize the infection. But knowing the right information and actions to take can protect you from this tricky infection. You need to choose the right program by going over some anti-spyware and antivirus reviews. You should know what websites to avoid. And most importantly, you should protect important files by backing them up.

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New Cyber Security Measures Threaten Small Enterprises

When you download something online, you need to give up some personal information. When you try a free antivirus, for example, you may need to fill out an online form that requires your name and email. That company now has a bit of your personal data. A breach sometimes happens and all of the data collected by the company can be compromised. Lawmakers are now creating measures to try and protect the security of people online. Online regulation in this country is now taking a different direction. That is quite alarming. New measures on cyber security are under deliberation in the U.S. Congress. While many can admire what these lawmakers are trying to do, many more simply know that these measures do not really go after the root of the problem. These can instead punish those small start-ups and enterprises that do not have the resources to comply with these kind of measures.

Some put forth the idea that bigger businesses are supporting certain bills and proposals in the Congress. Lawmakers now want companies to be fully responsible when there is security breach and when data are compromised. Companies do try to protect data at all costs. Bigger companies have no problem with this since they have the funds to access the latest technology. Smaller companies, however, may not be able to keep up. Going back to our earlier example, a company that previously offers a free antivirus may end up putting a price on their product and that is one free product less for users.

All software do have a certain amount of vulnerability. Hackers can take advantage of even the tiniest vulnerability in software. Some conspiracy theorists believe that even though software developers want to plug these holes they are limited to do by the government because they want some form of access, too.

If small companies are punished for not being able to protect data then they may decide not to collect data at all just to avoid prosecution. If they are limited to collect data, they may be further limited in doing business online. This may in turn put their business itself in danger. In the earlier years, the internet provided a tool for small companies to be able to catch up to larger competitors. Now small entrepreneurs may not be able to take advantage of the internet anymore.

The social networking industry has been taking personal information and selling them to third party companies. This practice has been done without any qualms and consideration for the privacy of individual users. The problem is a lot of people now rely on online companies to keep some of their files and personal data safe. Online companies do remind its users to be more responsible. But users have the notion that all responsibility lies on these companies.

The problem with these politicians and lawmakers is that they are so keen at looking at the end and have a complete disregard for the means to achieve such an end. If a boutique employs more than enough security measures and a robber still manages to get into the store and ends up endangering a customer, does the boutique owner get punished for the incident?

This country has more than enough and even more important problems that should concern our leaders and lawmakers. It is quite easy for them to look for likely scapegoats when what they should do is analyze the problem and look for a real solution to threats against cyber security. Whether it's a free antivirus, a place in the cloud to store your backup files, or a shop online, small companies provide consumers with choices on different products. They have to be protected, too, if we are to keep a healthy economy.

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The Internet Defender and How You Can Get Rid of It

A brand new virus online is called Internet defender. It's a fake anti-spyware program that is made by the same people that brought us Security Defender. Like their last creation, this one is also activated every time your computer starts. It will also do a fake scan of your computer showing you that you have many viruses, spyware and even intruders on your computer. It will do this to try to pressure you into using your credit card to buy the full version of the software. Never give your credit card information or it will be used to steal from you and once upgraded, the software will make your life even worse. It's of vital important to have a good antivirus installed on your computer to avoid this and other viruses like it. If you currently don't have an antivirus, then please check out the antivirus reviews to select the best one for your needs.

If you don't remove this virus program from your computer you'll be constantly harassed with pop-ups, error and warning messages and an inability to open and use some of your system programs. Some of the warnings you might see will say things like there is an intruder on your system or that someone has changed system files. These warnings will use technical language to try to confuse you and trick you in to using your credit card. With the severity of virus programs like this it is essential that we read antivirus reviews and find the best software that we can find. In finding and downloading the best antivirus in the antivirus reviews we can avoid ever getting these types of problems.

So, how do we remove it if we do get infected? Well, if you are an advanced user you can go into the system registry, locate and delete all keys and values that have anything to do with the virus program. You would then want to find and delete all files and folders that contain any trace of the Security Defender virus program. This is a long process and it can do quite a lot of damage to your computer if you make even a small mistake.

There is also the automatic way of doing this. Simply read antivirus reviews, select the antivirus that is right for you and then download it and install. Once it's installed, it's just a matter of a few clicks and it will get rid of the Security Defender and restore your computer to you.

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Internet Identity Theft and How PayPal Can Help You

(Note: the author has no affiliation with PayPal other than an active account)

There is no escape from internet identity theft it seems, or is there? You know the problem. Everyone is telling you that your identity is going to be stolen and how you may come home one day to find someone has taken out a personal loan in your name, without you knowing anything about it.

Now that is seriously scary, but there is a lot that you can do to prevent identity theft. Let me give you a quick example of how this can work.

A few years ago I had a call from someone claiming to be from my credit card company. They said that first they needed to go through some of my security details, and that immediately put me on my guard! I declined to speak with them any further, but I did ask for their telephone number, a name and a reference or log number.

Having got the telephone number, I then contacted my local branch for the bank and asked them to confirm if it was one of their numbers, and it was as it happened. I then returned their call and asked why they were calling me. It turned out that someone had tried to order some windsurfing equipment from overseas, and with my card details.

We discussed my recent purchase history and decided that it may have been a firm in my own country where I live that I had given my details to for an on-line purchase. Someone there might have tried to use my details; after all they had my name, my home address and my card details, including the security number from the back of my card.

Fortunately for me and for you who are reading this, the credit card company concerned flagged this particular transaction as suspicious on two counts. The first was, it took my card over the credit limit, and the second was the fact that it was for an overseas purchase at some ungodly hour of the early morning. Turns out the credit card company's monitor our spending patterns and if something abnormal shows up it is flagged and often stopped. Now that is the sort of "spying" I do not mind!

So what has all this got to do with PayPal and Internet Identity Theft you may ask? Well, let me tell you why you should consider using PayPal as a safety net to prevent identity theft yourself.

PayPal acts like a safety net in the sense that the person or company that you are dealing with never gets to see any more of your personal details than the bare minimum to conclude the transaction. Obviously they need to know your name and address in order to know where to send your goods.

You open a free, PayPal account and you register your bank account details and your credit card details with them. They are secure and only known to you and PayPal. This is a great layer to prevent internet identity theft and stops you having to reveal any more than necessary to a supplier.

More and more companies that do business online offer the usual well know cards as payment options and PayPal as an alternative. You simply choose the PayPal option when you buy something and you are taken to your PayPal account where you log-in with your username and password, check the transaction details and then pay the invoice.

You do not even have to use a credit card if you choose not to. You simply make your debit card the primary source of funds for payment.

PayPal is not available for use in every country or every venue, so you do need to check, and they probably have very good reasons for that.

It is so easy today to become complacent when it comes to sharing our information online, and the criminals are so aware of that. At the same time, there is no need to get paranoid about it, but taking a few easy steps to protect your information can go a long way to safeguarding you from identity theft and all the heartache that comes with it.

I have always found it easy to get hold of PayPal by telephone and their staff has always been able to help me with any issues as a customer.

If you really want to prevent internet identity theft you can do no better than putting an extra layer of protection on your personal information. At the end of the day, if the thief has nothing to steal then you are much safer.

Jon Gould is the publisher of Computer Protection Gazette, a free newsletter, focused on showing you how to protect yourself from Internet Identity Theft. For a free analysis of your computer and a free subscription to the Computer Protection Gazette, drop by http://www.mycomputerprotected.com/ today.

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Conspiracy Theories About Antivirus Vendors

The notion that antivirus businesses are the instigators of virus attacks is not commendable and something that they would strongly deny. Such connivance has been going on for quite some time now and there's no sign of it being put to an end. The idea hasn't been put to rest and is made even worse by the proliferation of pseudo antivirus software packages that copy the best antivirus ones. They have a similar appearance and possess similar tools. They also promise to eradicate all the spyware threats that the authentic software are created to take away. They are actually Trojans which hurt your PC and filch your personal information.

Another concept is that the antivirus companies don't have a clear reason to do a good work of eradicating threats which would make you purchase their best antivirus software. This may seem more reasonable, but it's as silly as the notion that these businesses author the malware themselves. These notions are as unreasonable as suggesting that your pharmacist or doctor tries to inflict you with a disease so they are able to sell you additional prescriptions. Moreover, as strange as these notions are, there's usually one that lingers. Antivirus sellers invest billions annually into creating tools for dealing with all kinds of hacker and spyware threats.

These virus threats are concocted by crooks that use expertly coded tools to gain earnings from cyber-related crime. Malware and cyber crime has undergone various shapes and have evolved into a highly profitable market venture. Recently, The Financial Mirror brought out a finding about cybercrime that states one only needs to spend only $1,200 to engage in cyber-crimes. Furthermore, antivirus makers are constantly fighting these threats. They've even employed dedicated workers who would anticipate criminals' actions on a day to day basis.

At present, there are over 20 prominent antivirus sellers worldwide, all involved in a rat race to make their software the top ranked in the anti-virus industry. It's only by successfully defeating and fighting spyware threats that these companies gain recognition. That's why they are always in competition to outsmart each other in battling cyber threats. Customers gain a lot from this since they have the chance to choose the best antivirus program to meet their needs.

It's definitely true that the best antivirus programs wouldn't materialize if there were no worms and viruses but that is not the same as saying that antivirus companies employ people to author these virus threats. The positive and negative aspects coexist in all facets of life, and there's a plethora of human beings who feel nothing more but amused whenever they make a malicious code. Without a single doubt, if there's a money profiting scheme involving antivirus businesses and virus authors, law enforcement offices would have learned of it long ago.

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An Antivirus Program Is Simply Not Enough

Broadband internet has been in existence for more than a decade now but in the earlier years people relied mostly on dial-up connections. The 'archaic' versions of computer operating software and slow connection did not do much for and limited the online threats back then. As the accessibility to high-speed connection increased, so did the risks from viruses and spyware. The increased risks also meant greater demand for online security. These days, a person has a variety of choices in antivirus software, anywhere from free downloadable ones to top-of-the-line products. Today, having the best antivirus is a necessity for computer users.

All antivirus products pretty much work in the same way. Most programs rely on a list of known threats called virus definitions to which the signature of a suspicious file is compared before it can be repaired or removed. This is called blacklisting technology. Some antivirus software also utilizes heuristic scanning. This type of operation tries to smoke out suspicious files that have unknown but predictable signatures. However, most antivirus programs today still rely on blacklists.

With thousands of threats that spring up every minute, computer vulnerability is at an all-time high. Even the best antivirus software is only as good as the updated virus definitions. When a new threat is created, like the so called zero-day viruses, it may take days or even weeks before they can be included in the virus definitions list. Most antivirus software developers are not aware of what new zero-day virus comes out. So this new threat can sneak into a computer and cause some damage before it can even be detected, and by the time it is detected, it might be too late.

Because of the different threats to computer security, having an antivirus installed may not be the only solution. One idea that can work well with antivirus software is allowing a computer to make a whitelist, a list of 'allowable' programs that can be run. This is similar to how we block spam in our emails. Any other program that tries to run on its own will be blocked. Maintaining the integrity of the computer now relies solely on the user who has to decide whether or not to include a program into the 'allowable' list. This idea combined with the best antivirus software can work really well in giving the most optimal protection against computer and online security threats.

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