Are you managing your personal information safely online? Many people do not take care of the information that they reveal online. As a result, it gives unscrupulous individuals the opportunity to steal and create mischief.

For a start, most people do not realize this but your internet browser can save many months of sensitive information on it. Anyone can easily dig out your visits to sites if you have not been clearing out your net browsing history for a long time.

Hackers can also easily access such information from your computer and take over your identity without you knowing. Trying looking up on identity thefts and scams online and you will know what I mean.
That is why you will need internet privacy software. Such softwares are meant to keep your information safe on your computer. Packed with advanced algorithms, they keep your sensitive data safe on your computer and online.

You may not know this but every time you go online, whether to check mails or to shop online with your credit card, you leave an online footprint. Hackers will prowl on these little bits of information to construct your identity. They will often steal your identity and abuse it. Most people would not admit it but many of us have been too open with our private data.

What internet privacy software does is that it scans and removes important data from your all parts of your computer system. Whether it is your Windows system or application softwares, it will work through them. By paying once, you can scan and remove all important information every time you run the program. In fact, it is recommended that you run it once every day when you shut your computer down.

Most internet privacy software allows you to scan your computer before you decide if you should buy it. However, you should be aware that many of such softwares tend to inflate their numbers. It makes it seems as if your computer has been badly affected. Do not fall for such a trick as such tactics are meant to scare you to buying the product.

The good internet privacy software should be simple for you to install and run. It should also come with good interface design that helps make navigation easy. You definitely do not want complicated programs that do not help you understand its functions. Using such programs may even cause you to remove essential information.

To find out more about Privacy Control , download your free report on how to keep your privacy.

Click Here to learn more about these little footprints, how to stop them from appearing, and how to get rid of the ones infesting your computer.

[tags]privacy control, Registry Cleaners, privacy, hackers, Internet Privacy Software, privacy software[/tags]

Are you leaving your valuable computer data in the open for anyone to access? If you have been leaving your computer lying around, you could be opening yourself to privacy breach. Anyone such as your partner, colleagues and friends could easily browse through or access your deleted files and mails easily without your permission should you leave your computer unattended.

Most of us assume that just because we have deleted our files, they are removed from our computers. However, any computer forensic expert would tell you this is not true.

Such files are not deleted. They merely leave a small footprint on your hard disk space which not only takes up valuable hard disk space and slow down your computer but also allow anyone who knows what they are doing to access these files. This is something you should protect yourself from.

Simple search through your computer will never reveal these footprints. You need special software to retrieve them and these programs are easily available online. Can you imagine the consequences should any of your confidential data become compromised?

In fact, the advances in technology makes it so easy for anyone now to retrieve deleted files without any real knowledge of how computers work. In the real world, such files can be submitted for legal actions if they are found to be incriminating. Just do a search online and you can find many stories of people who were hauled to court for information which they have long deleted.

If these people had somehow protected their privacy well in the first place, such things would not have happened. Without proper knowledge of how to protect your privacy online, you are opening yourself to a lot more trouble than you can imagine. All of us need to know how to keep our data private.

Fortunately, there is tons of privacy software out there that claim to do the job of keeping your footprints away from prying eyes while at the same time help to speed up your computer. Do your homework and seek out the best privacy software that suits your needs.

However, do be careful that there are also many malicious free software that claim to do the job but are no more than spy wares. Never install such software on your computer as they will only add more troubles to your current situation. Read up what are some of the best privacy software online to decide if they are what you need first. This will help you make a better decision.

The first step to keeping your computer more private is to understand how these footprints get on your computer, as well as how to get them off. The best way to do this is to download a new free report on Your Computer Privacy Is At Risk.

Don’t wait, protect yourself by Clicking Here!

[tags]Privacy Software, privacy control, Registry Cleaners, privacy, hackers, online theft, footprint[/tags]

Most of us do not realize it but everything that we do on our computer can be traced. This is because everything you do on your computer leaves traces known as digital footprints. As a result, anyone who wants to, can and are able to find out every digital step we make!

It will not help if you try to delete your unwanted files or emails on your computer as your computer keeps a backup file for them. Every file that you save or delete leaves a digital footprint. These footprints can be found various parts of your computer including your Windows registry. This is where you are putting your privacy at risk.

It is a terrifying thought and to make matter worse, you could have legal action brought against you if evidence gathered from your computer is found to be incriminating. Of course, if you have nothing to hide, there is nothing for you to fear.

If left alone, such digital footprints do not cause any major computer problem. The only minor disturbance that most people will face is that their computer starts to slow down with the increasing digital footsteps that are piling up in the hard disk. At the same time, more of your valuable disk space is taken up by them.

Some people recognize this problem and attempt to clear them out on their own. Unfortunately, this often leads to more trouble. Your Windows registry is an important folder and any needed file that is changed or deleted can cause your computer to fail. This is definitely a task not for the faint hearted. Without a special program, trying to gain access to these footprints is a real hassle for most people.
Fortunately, there are programs that can help delete your sensitive data properly and keep important information away from prying eyes. They can help destroy every trace of your computer activity. With a single click of the mouse, such program erases your footprints, protects your privacy and restores your system performance.

However, before you start downloading these so-called free registry cleaners, be warned that many of these cleaners contain spy wares which can harm your computer. You have to be careful when choosing the right program to clean out your computer system. I am sure you do not want your problem to be compounded with new problems. The easiest way for most people is to check out online reviews of what some of the best online internet privacy software are. Do a search and you should be able to get hold of the information you need.

What you need is a good privacy program which searches your entire hard disk
and helps you clean out unnecessary information. Read more about it in this FREE report at http://www.bestprivacysoftware.info

Click Here to learn more about these little footprints, how to stop them from appearing, and how to get rid of the ones infesting your computer.

[tags]Privacy Software, privacy control, Registry Cleaners, privacy, hackers, online theft, footprint[/tags]

MasterCard has made a recent change to their security arrangements that may have dire consequences for its merchants. They have changed an important security requirement for the company for merchants who handle about one to six million card transactions a year.

This rule will be implemented from December 31, 2010 where companies falling in this category will be called Level 2 companies. These companies will have a MasterCard approved assessor carry an onsite review of the company’s security controls.

This is in contrast to the present ruling where these merchants need to complete a self test that evaluates their agreement with the requirements of MasterCard’s Site Data Protection. At present, only Level 1 merchants, who carry out more than 6 million card transactions a year, have to carry out these onsite tests.

While all major credit card companies have all their merchants agree to a set rule of security requirements, each company has its own standards when it comes to assessing compliance with PCI rules.

This move made by MasterCard, where MasterCard had issued a security ruling before Visa is considered to be an aggressive proponent of PCI. This is why an independent consultant has mentioned that one has to see if this change is the start of a new trend of MasterCard leadership. If this is not the start of a trend, he wonders what had actually prompted MasterCard to make this change.

The reason analysts are wondering what prompted MasterCard to make this move is because of a shortage of assessors to make onsite security tests. He stated that this move will lead to an increase in the demand for quality security assessors and thus complicate matters further.

Another analyst also states that this move by MasterCard was done at the wrong time as there is a growing worry about the expertise of existing third party assessors of the payment industry.

He states that until measures are incorporated to give quality and better standardization of third party assessors and their testing practice, there is not much that will be gained by MasterCard’s move of having Level 2 merchants have onsite tests.

He also mentions that there is no proof that with this new ruling, which will cost extra fees to about 3,000 level 2 merchants, is proven. He mentioned that if MasterCard had a group of set assessors, things would have also been different.

So far, it is not known what made MasterCard do these changes. Even requests for comments placed to MasterCard had no answers.

For great SEO, Web Hosting and Article Marketing

[tags]security, cards, money[/tags]

The security industry was cautious in praising President Obama’s latest idea of providing security in cyber space and for electing a new cyber security coordinator for the White House. This is because many people consider this move to be proof of the administration recognizing cyber threat as an issue of national security.

They say that nothing can be positively spoken about how efficient this strategy will be in improving the country’s ability in dealing with cyber attacks. It was during a meeting at the White House that Obama had declared a five point cyber security plan to help protect the military, government and other private networks from increased threats.

The newly elected cyber security officer will be responsible of bringing together a strategy that will promote American activities in cyberspace. In addition to this, the government will also be responsible for safeguarding privacy concerns. This is why this new post of government includes a head of intelligence.

Centralization of cyber security matters

This strategy was approved, and developed according to suggestions forwarded by Melissa Hathaway, after conducting a government based study on cyberspace. Melissa Hathway was this year elected to be the impromptu cyberspace senior director.

Now it is in the hands of Obama management system to implement these proposals meaningfully. All this depends on the implementations the cyber security coordinator manages to develop, and the influence the person has over both the private and government sectors.

With the centralizing of authority for cyber security matters of the White House offering many benefits, it is very important that there is lots of care, to ensure a balance in power. There should not be any incidents of people panicking without any prior instructions or authorized orders from people of different levels.

Need for a cultural transformation

Some people agree that Obama’s idea of summarizing all the cyber security problems and methods used to solve them to be a great idea. They mention that special emphasis has to be made on the emphasis the president’s focus has on reaching goals and in creating accountability in the government.

In addition to this, Obama’s idea of providing the cyber security coordinator with more authority in making sure that governmental agencies are doing all that is required to implement cyber security is a positive step on Obama’s part. It is however felt that for all this to be successful, government agencies will have to go through lots of transformation.

For great SEO, Web Hosting and Article Marketing

[tags]cyber, internet, security[/tags]

Criminals who use the Internet to fuel their illegal activities are becoming increasingly organised, with some adopting strategies from the corporate world to further their illicit gains.

The news comes with the release of the Cisco 2009 Midyear Security Report, which details the tactics used by modern internet criminals in the commission of a variety of attacks such as the breach of corporate computer network and web site security, and the theft of personal information and funds.

For example, online criminals exploit current events to help spread viruses. When the story of the outbreak of ’swine flu’ began to emerge throughout the world in April 2009, criminals quickly distributed emails promising preventative drugs to encourage unwitting recipients to click on harmful links that could either spread viruses or attempt to ‘phish’ for personal information such as card payment details by purporting to be a legitimate pharmacy site.

The report also details a practice known as ’spamdexing’ where Internet criminals load websites with key words that are commonly searched for in search engines so as to entice great volumes of search traffic - a technique borrowed from the marketing world where it is known as ’search engine optimisation’. Such sites typically offer downloads which appear to be legitimate software but in fact disguise malware such as viruses or ‘Trojan horses’, capable of passing partial or full control of a user’s machine to a third party.

While some attackers are adopting modern corporate strategies, some malware creators are tracking security efforts and releasing new strains to circumvent detection and prevention. For example, despite its detection in November 2008, the Conficker worm, which began infecting computer systems late last year by exploiting a Windows operating system vulnerability, continues to spread, with several million computer systems infected as of June 2009.

However, the report also warns against complacency towards some ‘old school’ threats that can be just as complex and rife as newer threats. For example, while many internet users are now aware of the danger of clicking on a suspicious link or attachment in an unsolicited email, the growth in popularity of social networking has made it easier for such attacks to spread as users are more willing to access content that appears to be endorsed by people they know and trust. As such, computer security and computer forensic experts need to be looking in new places to uncover old threats.

Patrick Peterson, Cisco fellow and chief security researcher said:

“Securing the Internet has long been a moving target as criminals develop increasingly sophisticated ways to breach corporate networks and obtain valuable personal data. What is striking in our latest findings is how, in addition to using their technical skills to cast a wide net and avoid detection, these criminals are also demonstrating some strong business acumen.

“They are collaborating with each other, preying on individuals’ greatest fears and interests, and increasingly making use of legitimate Internet tools like search engines and the software-as-a-service model. Some also continue to succeed using well-documented methods that in recent years have been downplayed as threats given the preponderance of new tactics.

“With criminals being so quick to identify weaknesses both in online networks and in consumers’ psyches, businesses need to adopt ever more advanced ways to fight cybercrime and remain vigilant across all attack vectors.”

IntaForensics a BS EN ISO 9001:2000 registered firm providing Computer Forensics, Expert Witness, Mobile Phone Forensics, and Forensic Data Recovery to the Legal Sector, Police Forces, Local Authorities and Commercial organisations internationally. Visit Computer Forensics for further information.

[tags]computer forensics, computer security, internet security, malware, trojan, virus, worm[/tags]

The rate of identity theft has not seen a decrease in recent years despite the knowledge on the topic that has spread. Your online identity can be more vulnerable to thieves than physical things like stolen credit cards and pilfered mail because if they can one tidbit about you, they can usually have access to other information as well. In 2007, identity theft ranked first on the list of reported frauds according to the Federal Trade Commission. As these reports have surged, more information about protecting yourself has been made available.

Thanks to the internet, great conveniences like making purchases, holding reservations and even accessing your bank account 24/7 is made possible. On the flipside, this has provided identity thieves with a whole new venue for stealing personal information, finances and more. You must learn to protect your online identity. If you are asked to provide personal information like your name, address, phone number, Social Security number or any kind of account numbers online, find out their procedures for sharing your information. No matter what, avoid giving your Social Security number to any website unless you are opening a bank account or applying for a loan. Every trustworthy site will have a secure socket layer to prevent thieves from accessing your personal information. Reading up on a site’s privacy policy will tell you more.

Another way you can protect yourself is to never reply to pop-ups or emails offering credit cards or loans. If you are interested in these things, go straight to a reputable bank or agency to take care of these transactions. When you get emails from unknown senders, avoid clicking on links if you are interested in seeing what it offers. Instead type the address directly into your browser. Always keep your computer secure with an anti-virus program and keep your computer passwords secret. Never use obvious information like birthdays, anniversaries or names of loved ones for passwords. These are easy for thieves who may already have some information about you to guess and gain access to your online identity information. A good tip is to use both letters and numbers in any password.

While there is no way to absolutely guarantee the safety of your online identity from unscrupulous people, these precautions will certainly deter the likelihood of a theft. Protecting your personal information is the most important thing you can do when staying safe online. Share with your family the necessary safety measures they should take to keep themselves safe from online scammers.

Jason Oh has an interest in computers and technology. His blog Refurbished Computer Explained provides detailed information on refurbished desktop computers. The website also offers useful tips of what to look for before purchasing refurbished desktop computers.

[tags]identity theft[/tags]

The investigation of crimes involving computers is not a simple process. In the vast majority of cases, the assistance of a computer forensic expert is required to extract information for an electronic device without corrupting or contaminating the original data, which could render any evidence recovered inadmissible in a court of law.

The requirement for an auditable approach to the analysis of digital data is set out by the Association of Police Officers (ACPO) guidelines for the handling of computer-based evidence. These guidelines outline rules for every step of the process - from crime scene and seizure protocol through to analysis, storage and reporting - to ensure evidential continuity and integrity.

Because the preservation of evidence in its original state is so vital, computer forensic experts use a process known as forensic disc imaging, or forensic imaging, which involves creating an exact copy of the computer hard drive in question. This is not a case of copying files from one drive to another, rather it is the process of copying the exact state of every piece of data of the drive, so that artefacts such as registry entries - which record information pertaining to activities performed on the computer such as a connection and disconnection of an external storage device - and even apparently ‘deleted’ files are copied exactly to the new image.

Creating a perfect forensic image of a hard drive can be very time consuming and the greater storage capacity of the drive, the greater the time required. The method used to extract the data is also a factor, so with a ‘FireWire’ connection, imaging may occur at a rate of approximately 1 gigabit (GB) per minute, but using specialist hardware, this rate could rise to an average of 4GB per minute. This means that imaging a 1 terabyte (TB) drive, currently available for purchase for less than 80 GBP, would take around five to 18 hours to complete.

However, copying the data is only half of the imaging procedure, the second part of the process is to verify the integrity of the copy and to confirm that it is an exact duplicate of the original. Image verification takes a similar amount of time to imaging, effectively doubling the time taken to complete the imaging process. And if any inconsistencies are located, the process must begin again from scratch, meaning that a failed first attempt at imaging a 1TB drive would mean that the full imaging and verification process could take 20 to 72 hours to complete.

While forensic imaging is a vital process to ensure that evidential continuity and integrity is preserved, the time consuming nature of the process can put investigations under pressure, particularly in cases of kidnap or terrorism where a delay in recovering evidence could have disastrous consequences. And this is a problem that seems unlikely to be solved in the short term, because as new technologies are developed to increase the speed with which a drive can be imaged, so too grows the storage capacity available to the average consumer.

IntaForensics a BS EN ISO 9001:2000 registered firm providing Computer Forensics, Expert Witness, Mobile Phone Forensics, and Forensic Data Recovery to the Legal Sector, Police Forces, Local Authorities and Commercial organisations internationally. Visit Computer Forensics for further information.

[tags]computer forensics, forensic imaging, disc imaging, computer-based evidence, image verification[/tags]

Where it is suspected that a computer has been used in the commission of a crime, the equipment is usually passed by law enforcement officials to computer forensic experts for analysis. In the event that any of the evidence extracted is successfully used to secure a conviction, the question then arises as to how long the evidence should be stored.

Generally, there is a legal requirement to retain all forms of evidence unless the police seek permission to lawfully dispose of it, which is usually not granted until all avenues of appeal have been exhausted.

In the case of digital evidence, the reasoning behind this is quite clear: as new information or scientific methodologies come to light, it is possible that an appeal could be lodged, and the computer forensic analysts could be asked to go back and analyse the drive again.

For example, in recent years, the ‘Trojan horse defence’ has developed where an accused person claims that a Trojan - a form of malware which allows third party control of a computer by an unauthorised person - was responsible for the illegal activity that has been proven to have taken place on their computer. If a convicted criminal were to appeal on these grounds, analysts would need to revisit the evidence to attempt to prove or disprove the presence of malware.

To ensure that evidence is not corrupted or contaminated during the analysis, the first stage of a forensic investigation is to create a ‘forensic image’, where an exact copy of the hard drive is created. It is this perfect copy of the drive that is analysed by computer forensic experts, while the original drive is moved to a secure storage area.

How long, then, should the original media be preserved, given that the forensic image is an exact and verified copy? The original, in most cases, would only be required if the validity of the forensic image was called into question. As a rule, this should not be an issue, since imaging must be carried out in a fully auditable fashion in line with the best practice guidelines for computer based evidence set out by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). However, in cases where a conviction carries a sentence of 20-30 years, it is possible that the original media could naturally degrade over time, rendering it inaccessible should an appeal be lodged on these grounds.

For police high tech crime units and computer forensic laboratories, the natural deterioration of the digital media used to store the copied image is also a problem. A hard drive in regular use could be expected to last two to five years, with the potential to fail at any time, sometimes causing the permanent loss of the data held within it. While media containing copied images can be kept in heat and moisture controlled environments to limit degradation, there is therefore some question as to whether the fidelity of all data could be guaranteed for the full duration of a conviction.

It seems then that new technologies will become increasingly necessary to fulfil the need for a long term storage solution for digital evidence. Until that time, there is always the real danger that evidence could be lost at the expense of the thorough investigation of a crime.

IntaForensics a BS EN ISO 9001:2000 registered firm providing Computer Forensics, Expert Witness, Mobile Phone Forensics, and Forensic Data Recovery to the Legal Sector, Police Forces, Local Authorities and Commercial organisations internationally. Visit Computer Forensics for further information.

[tags]computer forensics, acpo, digital evidence, hard drive deterioration, computer crime[/tags]

The rate of fraud growth in Britain has nearly doubled in the past six months, according to the latest six monthly update to BDO Stoy Hayward’s annual fraud report.

The update reveals that reported fraud during the whole of 2008 cost Britain 1.2 billion GBP, but just six months into 2009, the cost of reported fraud has already reached 960 million GBP. Further, the total number of fraud cases has jumped by a third.

Simon Bevan, head of the fraud services team at BDO Stoy Hayward, said, “From a fraud point of view we are a long way from bottom. It is extremely likely that the total fraud figures will treble during the course of the recession”.

The report identifies a serious problem of internal fraud threatening the survival of corporate and public sector entities. As management level employees face pay freezes, bonus withdrawals and redundancy threats, some are straying off the path to keep their jobs and salaries in tact.

The report found that fraud committed by management makes up 29% of reported cases of fraud, costing the country 339 million GBP in 2007 and 358 million GBP in 2008. A common deception among managers is the falsifying of company performance data to make pay rises seem justified and redundancies unnecessary. Companies with several offices were found to be particularly vulnerable to this threat as perpetrators are able to control exactly what information is reported back to head office.

In addition, the report reveals that 8% of fraud in 2008 was committed by employees, costing the country 22 million GBP in 2007 and 95 million GBP in 2008. The report highlights proper vetting as vital in the fight against staff fraud. Deception often begins with a curriculum vitae containing exaggerations or indeed total fabrications. As unemployment levels rise, the motivation to lie to secure a job rises, so background checks have become all the more vital as a defence against fraud.

As most cases of workplace fraud will involve the use of a computer, reporting procedures should be regularly audited and staff should be trained in how to deal with a computer that may contain evidence of fraudulent activity. In many cases, this will involve engaging the services of a computer forensic expert, as the analysis of computer evidence by IT personnel can render any evidence recovered inadmissible in a court of law or employment tribunal.

Highlighting the need for adequate detection measures, Mr. Bevan stressed that the honesty and vigilance of others should not be relied upon.

“Unhelpfully, I predict that whistle blowing may fall during a recession due to employees wanting to keep their jobs in a precarious employment situation. Redundancies are now common and many people are just thankful to have a job,” he said. “Why would they want to cause trouble by whistle blowing? More likely, they will put their heads down and close their eyes and ears.”

IntaForensics a BS EN ISO 9001:2000 registered firm providing Computer Forensics, Expert Witness, Mobile Phone Forensics, and Forensic Data Recovery to the Legal Sector, Police Forces, Local Authorities and Commercial organisations internationally. Visit Computer Forensics for further information.

[tags]computer forensics, fraud, internal fraud, management fraud, computer fraud, computer crime[/tags]