How to Change Your Wi-Fi Network's Password

Whether you think the neighbor kid has finally hacked your wireless password and is now stealing your bandwidth, or you just feel like it's time for a change, changing your wireless network password is an easy endeavor.

You might not have messed with your wireless network's password since you setup your router years ago. Let's walk through the basic steps it takes to change / reset your wireless network router's password.

1. Determine the admin interface for your router and enter it in your browser

Most modern wireless internet routers on the market today are administered via a web browser. You simply need to find out what your wireless router's admin interface is and connect to it. You may have written the password down somewhere, if not then you will have to reset your router to its factory default password by resetting the router. This is usually accomplished by holding down the router's reset button for several seconds. Check your wireless router manufactures website or manual for detailed instructions for your specific router.

Most manufactures have a default IP sub net set at the factory. The default sub net will help you determine the router's IP address so that you can connect to it and access the administrator interface. You may need to consult your specific router's manual for the correct address. The following list contains default router IP addresses based on my research and may not be accurate for your specific make or model:

Linksys - 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1
DLink - 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1
Apple - 10.0.1.1
ASUS - 192.168.1.1
Buffalo - 192.168.11.1
Netgear - 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.0.227
In addition to the default router address, you may have to specify the port that the admin interface is running on by placing a ":" at the end of the IP address followed by the admin port number (i.e. :8080) if the manufacturer requires this.

2. Log in to the administrative console on the router

If you've never changed the default administrator name you can locate the default admin name (and usually the admin password as well)by visiting your router manufacturer's website or by Googling "Default Admin Password" followed by your router's brand name and model.

3. Under the wireless security configuration section, ensure that you are using the latest encryption available

If you haven't already done so you will want to change the wireless encryption from the easily hackable WEP to the much stronger WPA2 encryption. WPA2 is currently the most secure method of wireless encryption available at the time this article was published.

This would also be a good time to change your wireless network name (SSID) if you want. It's best to change it to something other than the default as hackers have precomputed cracking tables for the top 1000 most common SSIDs. Get creative and don't use any dictionary words as SSIDs with dictionary words are more likely to be cracked than an SSID with non-dictionary words..

4. Create a strong password for the Pre Shared Key (wireless network password)

After you have settled on an SSID you will need to enter in the Pre-shared Key (the wireless network password). You'll want to make this password as complex and random as possible to discourage wireless hackers. Follow our guide to creating strong passwords for some best security practices.

It's also a good idea to turn off the "allow admin via wireless" setting off so that only someone connected to the router via an Ethernet cable can administer the routers. If you turn off this feature you remove the ability to connect to the router as an administrator via wireless, which may be a slight hassle, but you gain the piece of mind that no one can mess with the admin settings of your router unless they are physically plugged into it.

How To Hide Your Wireless Network From Your Internet-Leeching Neighbors

You've been so generous without even knowing it


High-speed broadband connections don't just grow on trees. We all like getting our money's worth when it comes to our Internet connection so we often extend its reach by adding a wireless router or a wireless access point. Once we start broadcasting wireless access, our signal can potentially be picked up outside of our home by our neighbors. If we haven't secured our connection then they might be able to connect and use our Internet access.

Enter: The Wireless Internet Leech. These people live right around you or might just be passing thru so they can do a "drive-by-leeching". They have no problem connecting to your wireless network and killing your bandwidth while you pay the bill. They don't think twice about connecting to any open wireless access point they happen to find.

There are websites devoted to finding open wireless access points. Some leeches even spray graffiti or use chalk near an open wireless access point to mark or Warchalk the site so others will know where they can get free wireless access. Warchalkers use codes and symbols to indicate the SSID name, bandwidth available, encryption used, etc.

How do you prevent your neighbors and others from leeching off of your wireless internet connection?

1. Turn on WPA2 encryption on your wireless router

If you haven't already done so, consult your wireless router's manual and enable WPA2 encryption on your wireless router. You may already have encryption turned on, but you may be using the outdated and vulnerable WEP encryption. WEP is easily hacked by even the most novice hacker in less than a minute or two by using free tools found on the Internet. Turn on WPA2 encryption and set a strong password for your network.
2. Change your wireless network's name (SSID)

Your SSID is the name that you give your wireless network. You should always change this name from its manufacturer set default which is usually the brand name of the router (i.e. Linksys, Netgear, D-link, etc). Changing the name helps to prevent hackers and leeches from finding specific vulnerabilities associated with your brand of router. If hackers know the brand name, then they could find an exploit to use against it (if one exists). The brand name also helps them determine what the default admin password for the router might be (if you haven't changed it).

Make the SSID something random and try to make it as long as you are comfortable with. The longer the SSID the better as it helps prevent hackers from using Rainbow Table-based attacks to try and crack your wireless encryption.

3. Turn off the "allow admin via wireless" feature of your wireless router

As an extra precaution against hackers, turn off the "allow admin via wireless" feature on your router. This will help to prevent a wireless hacker from gaining control of your wireless router. Turning this feature off tells your router to only permit router administration from a computer that is directly connected via an Ethernet cable. This means that they would pretty much have to be in your house in order to access the admin console of your router.

Your neighbors will likely be a little mad at you for turning off their free Internet gravy train. They may sneer at you and let their dog use the bathroom in your yard from now on. At least now that they are no longer getting a free ride, maybe you will have enough bandwidth to stream an HD movie without it stuttering and getting all "blocky" for a change.

How to Hack-proof Your Wireless Router

Maybe not hack-proof but at least hack-resistant


OK, so I know there is no such thing as "hack-proof" or "hacker-proof", just like there is nothing out there that is completely "water-proof", let's just say that in this article we're going to learn how to make your wireless router as "hacker-resistant" as possible. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get down to business.

Your wireless router is a prime target for hackers wanting to infiltrate your network or freeload off your Wi-Fi connection. Here are some things you can do to make your wireless router harder to hack:

Enable WPA2 Wireless Encryption and Create a Strong SSID Network Name and Strong Pre-shared Key

If you aren't using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2) encryption to protect your wireless network then you might as well leave your front door wide open because hackers can virtually walk right into your network. If you're using outdated Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security, which is easily cracked in seconds by most hackers, you should consider upgrading to WPA2. Older routers may need a firmware upgrade to add WPA2 functionality. Check your router manufacturer's manual to learn how to enable WPA2 wireless encryption on your router.

You will also need to make a strong SSID (wireless network name). If you are using your router's default network name (i.e. Linksys, Netgear, DLINK, etc) then you are making it easier for hackers to hack your network. Using a default SSID or one that is on the Top 1000 Most Common SSID names helps hackers in their quest to crack your encryption because they can use pre-built rainbow tables associated with common SSID names to crack your wireless encryption.

Create a lengthy and random SSID name even though it might be hard to remember. You should also use a strong password for your pre-shared key to further discourage hacking attempts.

Turn on Your Wireless Router's Firewall

If you haven't already done so, you should consider enabling your wireless router's built-in firewall. Enabling the firewall can help to make your network less visible to hackers looking for targets on the Internet. Many router-based firewalls have a "stealth mode" that you can enable to help reduce your network's visibility. You will also want to test your firewall to ensure that you have configured it correctly.

Use an encrypted personal VPN service at the router level

Virtual Private Networks used to be a luxury that could only be afforded by large corporations. Now you can buy your own personal VPN service for a small monthly fee. A personal VPN is one of the biggest roadblocks you can throw at a hacker. A personal VPN has the capability to anonymize your true location with a proxied IP address and can also put up a wall of strong encryption to protect your network traffic. You can purchase personal VPN service from vendors such as WiTopia, StrongVPN, and others for as little as $10 a month or less.

If your router supports personal VPN service at the router level then this would be the best way to implement a personal VPN as it allows you to encrypt all traffic entering and leaving your network without the hassle of setting up VPN client software on your computers. Using the personal VPN service at the router level also takes the encryption process burden off of your client PCs and other devices. If you want to use a personal VPN at the router level, check to see if your router is VPN-capable. Buffalo Technologies has several routers with this capability as do other router manufacturers.

Disable the "Admin Via Wireless" feature on your router

Another way to help prevent hackers from messing with your wireless router is to disable the "admin via wireless" setting. When you disable the "admin via wireless" feature on your router it makes it so that only someone who is physically connected to your router via an Ethernet cable can access the admin features of your wireless router. This helps to prevent someone from driving by your house and accessing the administrative functions of your router if they've compromised your Wi-Fi encryption.

Given enough time and resources a hacker might still be able to hack into your network, but taking the steps above will make your network a harder target which will hopefully frustrate a hacker and cause them to move on to an easier target.

Voicemail Hacking Explained

Learn how the bad guys break into your voicemail and how you can stop them


We've all heard about the voicemail hacking that allegedly took place in Britain's News International hacking scandal. Before the scandal, you rarely heard the terms voicemail and hacking in the same sentence. One thing that resulted from this scandal was that it got a lot of people thinking about how insecure their voicemail accounts might be.

Most voicemail accounts are secured with a simple 4-digit passcode. Voicemail is typically accessed from a telephone so the passcode can only be made up of numeric digits. A numeric passcode coupled with a 4-digit PIN length reduces the total number of possible combinations to just 10,000. This may seem like it would take awhile for someone to attempt, but in reality it can be done in less than a day or two, or even faster if using a computer with a modem and a scripted autodialer program.

Some people don't even bother to change their PIN / passcode from its default. In many cases the default is either the last four digits of the phone number or something as simple as "0000", "1234", or "1111".

So the harsh reality is that until voicemail password complexity catches up with the authentication methods used by other types of networks, voicemail will remain vulnerable to hacking and can be easily compromised.

What can you do to protect your own voicemail account from voicemail hackers?

1. If your voicemail system allows it, set a PIN passcode longer than 4 digits

It's nearly impossible to create a strong password on your voicemail box given the 4-digit limitation most systems impose. If your system allows for a PIN longer than 4 digits you should definitely take advantage of this feature. Simply adding two more digits increases the total number of possible combinations from 10,000 to 1,000,000 which requires significantly more time and resources to hack. An eight-digit password would yield 100,000,000 possible combos. Unless the hacker is very determined they might move on.

2. Change your PIN code at least once every couple of months

You should always change your PIN code every few months. If someone has already hacked into your voicemail this will cut their access off for at least as long as it takes for them to hack back in again. Couple this with a longer PIN, and by the time the hacker runs through the 100 million possible permutations of your 8-digit PIN, you've already changed it, and they have to start all over again.

3. Get a Google Voice account and use its voicemail features

If you haven't already gotten a Google Voice account you really should consider it.

Google Voice gives you a phone number that you can use as a permanent number for life. It never changes. You can route your Google number to whatever cellphone or land line you want and change how phone calls are handled based on different conditions. For example, say you want to have all calls coming in on your Google number go to your home phone in the evening, have them go to voicemail at night, and then have them sent to your cellphone during the day. Google voice will let you do this time-based call routing. Everything is easily setup via a secure website that you log into.

Google voice also has fairly robust voicemail security compared to what you might get with your cellphone provider. Google voice will let you use both PIN and caller-ID based login restriction, where it will only let you access your voicemail when it sees that your calling from one of the numbers that you told it to permit. This adds an additional layer of security and prevents random people from attempting to have a go at your voicemail password. (unless they have stolen your phone).

Caller ID Spoofing

Is the president really calling you at home? Probably not.


Most people have faith that the information that they see on their Caller ID is real.

If the Caller ID reads “MICROSOFT SUPPORT - 1-800-555-1212” or something similar, then most people would tend to believe that the person on the other end of the line is really from Microsoft. A lot of people don’t realize that scammers are using Voice Over IP technology and other tricks to fake or "spoof" Caller ID information.

Scammers use Caller ID spoofing to help make their scams seem more believable.

How do scammers spoof their Caller ID information?

There are several ways in which scammers spoof Caller ID information. One of the most popular ways that scammers spoof their Caller ID is through the use of special internet-based caller ID spoofing service providers. These spoofing services can be purchased cheaply and are often sold as a re-loadable calling card.

The typical Caller ID spoof works like this:

The person (scammer) wanting to conceal their number logs into a 3rd party spoofing service provider website and submits their payment information.

Once logged in to the site, the scammer provides their real phone number. They then enter the phone number of the person (victim) they are calling and provide the fake information that they want the caller ID to show as.

The spoofing service then calls the scammer back at the phone number they provided, calls the intended victim's number, and bridges the calls together along with the spoofed Caller ID information. The victim sees the fake Caller ID information as they pick up the phone and are connected to the scammer.

Caller ID spoofing can be an incredibly effective tool for scammers. The recent Ammyy scam, where victims receive phone calls from scammers claiming to be from Microsoft support, is a huge scam that has bilked people out of millions of dollars worldwide.

The Ammyy scam wouldn’t be nearly as effective if it wasn't for Caller ID spoofing. When Ammyy scam victims answer the phone, most of them have already looked at the Caller ID on their phone to see that it says that "Microsoft" is calling them, and many of them believe it.

The scamming technique used in the Ammyy scam is know as pretexting. Pretexting is when someone creates an artificial scenario so that they can mask their true intentions under the guise of something that is non-threatening. The pretext usually involves developing credibility so that it is more acceptable and believable.

An example of establishing false credibility for pretexting would be someone using a police uniform in order to pass themselves off as a police officer to get access to a section of a building that is normally off-limits.

Caller ID in scams is used in the same manner as a phony police uniform would be in the real world. When most people are trying to determine a caller’s identity all they have to go by is who the person says they are and who the Caller ID says they are. If this information matches, then most reasonable people believe the pretext and will often end up a victim of the scam.

Is spoofing Caller ID information illegal?

In the US and many other countries, it is illegal to falsify Caller ID information. The United States Truth in Caller ID Act was recently signed into law and makes it illegal to spoof caller ID information for unlawful purposes.

If you live in the US and believe that someone calling you has spoofed their caller ID information in order to scam or mislead you, then you can report it to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

What can you do to protect yourself against Caller ID Spoofing?

Don’t place all your trust in the Caller ID information presented to you

Now that you know that this information is easily spoofed by the use of 3rd party Caller ID spoofing services and other tools, you won't be as trusting in the technology as you have been. This should help you in the quest to Scam-proof Your Brain.

Never give credit card information out to someone who has called you

It’s a personal rule of mine that I don’t conduct any business over the phone where I haven’t initiated the call. Get a call back number and call back if you are interested in a product or service. Use Google to reverse lookup their phone number and see if it is associated with a known scam.

How Criminals Use Google Maps Street View to 'Case The Joint'

Learn how to blur your home from view so the bad guys can't see squat

The Google Maps service just keeps getting better and better. The recent addition of true 3-D terrain makes them even more true to life. Google Maps Street View is one of my favorite features. It lets you virtually stand in the middle of a road just about anywhere in the world and look around.

Want to see what your old school looks like 10 years later? Punch in the address into Google Maps Street View and, BOOM, you are whisked away to exactly where you told it to go.

Once you choose Street View, you can use your mouse to look up and down, spin around, walk down the block, zoom in on something, just as if you were there. You can see people on the street, all of them seemingly frozen in time by Google's Street View Capture Camera Van that drove by and snapped a panoramic picture that was later stitched together with others to provide you with the surreal experience of being there without really being there.

After you've marveled at the technological wonder that is Google Maps Street View, take a step back and put your 'bad guy hat' on for a second. If you are a criminal, then Google Maps Street View is the best thing since sliced bread. What could be better than being able to virtually 'case the joint' from the privacy of your own home?

Criminals can go to Google Maps, punch in an address, turn on Street View, and check out a residence or building of interest to perform virtual reconnaissance before they break and enter or perform some other nasty deed. Sure the data isn't close to real-time and can be very stale for some areas, but most major buildings aren't going to change a lot over a short period of time. Usually the map data is time-stamped at the bottom of the image so the bad guys know exactly when the image was taken.

Criminals can use Google Maps Street View to:

Locate entrances to buildings
Determine locations of security cameras, gates, etc
Find good hiding places such as in shrubs and other areas
Find holes or weak spots in perimeter fences
Locate utility boxes (power, water, gas, etc)
See what make, model, and color of vehicle a building occupant or resident drives
See if locks, guards, dogs, etc, are normally present
Measure distances between objects (using Google Earth) to determine how quickly it would take to run or drive from one point to another.
All of this information can be found without the bad guys ever setting foot near the building or property they are interested in. Using Google Maps Street View arouses a lot less suspicion than if they were to actually visit the site and stand in the middle of the road for a look-see.

Now granted, the Google Street Camera Capture Vans won't drive up a private drive, but if the building is on or near a public street then it is fair game. Google maps is also supposed to automatically obscure (blur) text on buildings, license plates, peoples faces, etc, but even without those tidbits of data, there is still a lot of useful information that is provided via Street View.

How can you prevent your home or business from being seen on Google Street View?

Say you want to blur your home from view on Street View, Google states that they "provide easily accessible tools allowing users to request the further blurring of any image that features the user, their family, their car, or their home." For businesses, the opt out process is less clear.

You can request to have your home, car, etc, removed from Google Maps Street View by completing the following process:

Go to Google Maps and enter your address
Click on the Street View by clicking the little yellow person in the corner of the image window on the left side of the screen
Make sure that the image of your home (or whatever you want blurred) is shown
Click on the "Report a Problem" link in the bottom left corner of the image in the Street View pane on the right side of the screen
Complete the form and click the "Submit" button
Microsoft's Bing Maps has a similar street view feature called "Streetside View". The opt out process is similar except that you choose the arrow at the bottom right corner of the image and choose the link that says "Report an Image of Concern" to request an opt out image blur.

Your other option is to put a giant blue tarp over your house but I don't think that would be practical so I suggest the opt out method instead.

Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client

Enjoy secure and spam free email for free


I was once a die-hard Microsoft Outlook user and I know many people use Outlook Express since it comes free with Windows. When Outlook 2002 came out, I upgraded and found that it was so full of bugs that I couldn't stand to use it. That prompted me to migrate all six of the email accounts I monitor to Mozilla Mail. I've been very happy with Mozilla Mail ever since.

If you read my most recent previous article, you know that I switched from using the Mozilla browser to using its lighter, faster, little brother Mozilla Firebird. Well, Mozilla Mail also has lighter, and faster sibling called Mozilla Thunderbird. I’m currently using Mozilla Thunderbird to manage all six email accounts.

If you pay attention to version numbers of software, you may have noticed that at this writing, Mozilla Thunderbird is at version .3 and Mozilla Firebird is at version .7. Neither one has reached the magic 1.0 version number, but from what I have seen so far, both are very stable and work better than many programs that have had a long history of version releases.

The following are the major reasons to consider using Mozilla Thunderbird as your email client:
Spam is Canned: Mozilla Thunderbird uses Bayesian analysis to filter out spam. The filters actually learn what should be considered as spam based on what you manually tag as junk. After a few days of manually tagging spam, Mozilla Thunderbird will be accurately tagging most of it for you. The junk email rules are easy to configure. I suggest having all your junk email sent to the junk email folder where you can do a quick check on it and delete it all at once. In my experience, I have yet to see a false positive on any of my accounts and about 95% or so of all spam gets canned automatically now.

Security Blanket: Outlook and Outlook Express, are very vulnerable to viruses and other malicious email messages, especially if you have not applied all of the security patches for Outlook and Internet Explorer. I typically have Mozilla Thunderbird set to display email as text only, but even when set to display HTML mail I feel much safer from viruses and trojans than with the corresponding products from Microsoft.

Don’t Bug Me: Yes, there are some bugs in Mozilla Thunderbird, but so far none have caused me significant headaches. I can’t say the same for my experiences with Microsoft Outlook.
Mozilla Thunderbird has made email management a pleasure instead of a chore for me. If you want to give it a try you can download it from Mozilla.org.

Top 13 Free Spam Filters for Windows

Filtering spam is not a nice job. Fortunately, there's smart software that can rid your Inbox of all the junk mail efficiently and easily. Would you be surprised if some of the best anti-spam tools for Windows were free?

1. POPFile - Free Spam Filter
POPFile is a powerful and flexible email classification POP and NNTP proxy that you can use to filter spam efficiently and categorize good mail automatically. Unfortunately, POPFile can grow a bit heavy on memory and cpu load if you have trained on lots of mail.


2. Spamfence - Free Spam Filter
Spamfence is an effortless but highly effective spam (and virus) filtering service.
Its only real shortcoming is that Spamfence relies on forwarding and requires two different email accounts.

3. Spamihilator - Free Spam Filter
Spamihilator is a pretty, easy to use anti-spam tool that works with any email client and, thanks to Bayesian filters, has a good detection rate. You cannot remotely administer or teach Spamihilator, however.

4. Spamato - Free Spam Filter
Spamato filters POP and IMAP accounts for spam with the potential for high precision and plug-ins that make it easy to use in Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird. Unfortunately, Spamato can be a bit overwhelming with its multitude of options and little help.

5. SpamBayes - Free Spam Filter
SpamBayes employs sophisticated analysis using Bayesian statistics to rid your email Inbox of junk mail precisely and in an effortless manner.

6. SpamExperts Desktop - Free Spam Filter
SpamExperts Desktop identifies and eliminates spam precisely and, thanks to its plugging right into the email transport, works without configuration with any email program and just about any email account. It's a pity SpamExperts Desktop is slow to process mail (though that can be countered by having it download mail periodically), and the process that lets you correct the filter's errors could be improved.

7. K9 - Free Spam Filter
K9 is a wonderfully precise, easy to use and fast learning Bayesian spam filtering tool. It's a pity this gem only works with POP accounts and lacks remote administration.

8. Cactus Spam Filter - Free Spam Filter
Cactus Spam Filter is a really easy to use and pretty precise spam filter. It's a pity it only works with POP accounts and does not leverage its power for further pre-sorting the good mail.


9. SpamRIP - Free Spam Filter
SpamRIP is a highly precise spam filter for any POP email account. A separate program, it lets you preview and delete junk before it reaches your default inbox. Unfortunately, SpamRIP does not work with IMAP accounts, is a tad clumsy to use and may crash now and then.

10. BullGuard Spamfilter - Free Spam Filter
BullGuard Spamfilter plugs into Outlook, Outlook Express and Mozilla Thunderbird to filter spam quite effectively and without much effort on your part.


11. G-Lock SpamCombat - Free Spam Filter
G-Lock SpamCombat is a comprehensive and competent Bayesian spam filter that can make use of DNS blacklists, too. It's a pity it only works with POP accounts and requires a bit more user action than should be necessary.


12. MailWasher Free - Free Spam Filter
MailWasher Free is a flexible, elegant and quite effective spam filtering solution. Unfortunately, MailWasher Free only works with one POP account and lacks the statistics- blacklist- and server-based filtering so conveniently found in MailWasher Pro.

13. SpamWeasel - Free Spam Filter
With a full-fledged scripting language for filters, SpamWeasel is one of the more powerful anti-spam tools. While it works great out of the box, writing new filters isn't easy.

Free Spam-Blocking Software

Tools and Utilities To Eliminate Unsolicited Junk Mail From Your Inbox


SpamBayes
The SpamBayes project is working on developing a Bayesian anti-spam filter, initially based on the work of Paul Graham. The major difference between this and other, similar projects is the emphasis on testing newer approaches to scoring messages.

K9
K9 is an email filtering application that works in conjunction with your regular POP3 email program and automatically classifies incoming emails as spam (junk email) or non-spam without the need for maintaining dozens of rules or constant updates to be downloaded.

MailWasher
MailWasher is a powerful email checker with effective spam elimination. Discover the safe way to stop unwanted viruses and e-mails before they get to your computer.

Spamihilator
Spamihilator is a program that examines your Emails while downloading from the server and deletes unwanted advertising messages.

SpamPal
Check your mail against the freely-usable DNSBL lists (aka "blocking lists") of your choice. The list of available DNSBL services is automatically updated, so new DNSBL lists can be used as they appear! Whitelist the email addresses of your friends and family so that mail from them will never be tagged as spam! Don't agree with a listing in a DNSBL list? You can whitelist entire netblocks so you'll never be troubled by that listing again!

Spam-Aid
Spam-Aid takes an opposite, more secure, approach than other anti-spam software: rather than checking an email for spam characteristics, it checks an email for non-spam characteristics. Most email users want only mail from persons who know them in some manner: either people already in their address book, old friends who happened to find their email address, or customers wanting information regarding their product. Spam-Aid allows you to determine whose messages are accepted. EmC
EmC combines comprehensive spam email detection and blocking with a basic antivirus scan engine to protect you from malicious file attachments at the same time.

How to Trace Spam Email Origins

Don’t know if it’s a legit e-mail or spam? We’ll show you how to trace where it originated.

What Email Headers can Tell You About the Origin of Spam

How to Display the HTML Source of an Email in Windows Live Mail, Outlook

How to Display the HTML Source of an Email in Windows Live Mail, Outlook Express

Sometimes, you may want to view the HTML source of those pretty messages you have received in Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express. Maybe you want to find out how they did that with the scrolling stationery, or you're just plain nosy.
Display the HTML Source of an Email in Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express

To see the raw HTML source of a message in Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express:

Open the message in Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express.
Press Ctrl-F2.
This brings up your default editor with the source as a temporary file.

Note that Ctrl-F2 only shows the body of a message, not any of the headers (you can display them in Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail and Outlook Express, too, though).

What Email Headers can Tell You About the Origin of Spam

Just like a postal letter will go through a number of post offices on its way from sender to recipient, an email message is processed and forwarded by several mail servers.
Imagine every post office putting a special stamp on each letter. The stamp would say exactly when the letter was received, where it came from and where it was forwarded to by the post office. If you got the letter, you could determine the exact path taken by the letter.

This is exactly what happens with email.

Received: Lines for Tracing

As a mail server processes a message, it adds a special line, the Received: line to the message's header. The Received: line contains, most interestingly,

the server name and IP address of the machine the server received the message from and
the name of the mail server itself.
The Received: line is always inserted at the top of the message headers. If we want to reconstruct an email's journey from sender to recipient we also start at the topmost Received: line (why we do this will become apparent in a moment) and walk our way down until we have arrived at the last one, which is where the email originated.

Received: Line Forging

Spammers know that we will apply exactly this procedure to uncover their whereabouts. To fool us, they may insert forged Received: lines that point to somebody else sending the message.

Since every mail server will always put its Received: line at the top, the spammers' forged headers can only be at the bottom of the Received: line chain. This is why we start our analysis at the top and don't just derive the point where an email originated from the first Received: line (at the bottom).

How to Tell a Forged Received: Header Line

The forged Received: lines inserted by spammers to fool us will look like all the other Received: lines (unless they make an obvious mistake, of course). By itself, you can't tell a forged Received: line from a genuine one.

This is where one distinct feature of Received: lines comes into play. As we've noted above, every server will not only note who it is but also where it got the message from (in IP address form).

We simply compare who a server claims to be with what the server one notch up in the chain says it really is. If the two don't match, the earlier Received: line has been forged.

In this case, the origin of the email is what the server immediately after the forged Received: line has to say about who it got the message from.

How To Configure Internet Explorer Security

Internet Explorer offers four different zones to help you classify security level depending on how well you know or trust the site: Trusted, Restricted, Internet and Intranet or Local.
Classifying the sites you visit and configuring your Internet Explorer security settings for each zone can help to ensure you can safely surf the Web without fear of malicious ActiveX or Java applets.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 10 Minutes
Here's How:

Click on Tools on the menu bar at the top of Internet Explorer
Click on Internet Options from the Tools drop-down menu
When Internet Options opens up, click on the Security tab
Internet Explorer begins by categorizing sites into either Internet, Local Intranet, Trusted Site or Restricted Site zones. You can specify the security settings for each zone. Select the zone you wish to configure.
You can use the Default Level button to select from the pre-defined security settings Microsoft set up in Internet Explorer. See Tips for details of each setting.
MEDIUM is most appropriate for the majority of Internet surfing. It has safeguards against malicious code, but is not so restrictive as to prohibit you from viewing most web sites.
You can also click on the Custom Level button and alter individual settings, starting with one of the Default levels as a baseline and then changing specific settings.
Tips:

LOW -Minimal safeguards and warning prompts are provided -Most content is downloadable and run without prompts -All active content can run -Appropriate for sites that you absolutely trust
MEDIUM-LOW -Same as Medium without prompts -Most content will be run without prompts -Unsigned ActiveX controls will not be downloaded -Appropriate for sites on your local network (Intranet)
MEDIUM -Safe browsing and still functional -Prompts before downloading potentially unsafe content -Unsigned ActiveX controls will not be downloaded -Appropriate for most Internet sites
HIGH -The safest way to browse, but also the least functional -Less secure features are disabled -Appropriate for sites that might have harmful content

What You Need

Computer
Internet Explorer

Google Chrome Security

What is Google Chrome?:

While Microsoft essentially is the PC by virtue of its dominance in the operating system and application arenas, Google is just as synonymous with in the Web realm. In fact, Google has evolved well beyond its origins as a Web search engine and has sought to rewrite the rules of engagement and take on Microsoft head-to-head in many areas.
Because Google is a web-based company that designs web-based applications, they decided to develop their own web browser from the ground up to work more efficiently, productively, and securely than with current browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Crash Control:

One of the most innovative features of Google Chrome is the sandboxing functionality. Internet Explorer and other browsers run one instance of the browser engine with multiple associated processes. That means that if one or more browser windows or tabs crash or run into issues, it will most likely crash the web browser engine and take down every other instance with it.
Google Chrome runs each instance separately. Malware or issues in one tab can not affect other open browser instances, and the browser is unable to write to or modify the operating system in any way- protecting your PC from attack.

Incognito Surfing:

Maybe you are just private and don't think that details of your web surfing should be retained on your system. Perhaps you are trying to shop for a spouse online and you don't want the search or history data to reveal what you might be shopping for. Whatever your reason, Google Chrome has an Incognito feature which lets you surf the Web with relative anonymity.
The Incognito mode can also be useful when browsing on public systems like library or school PC's. With Incognito the sites you open and files you download are not logged in the browser history and all new cookies are removed when the session closes.

Safe Browsing:

Secure web browsing relies on certificates to verify the authenticity of the server you are connected to. Some attacks can be accomplished though by providing a certificate to convince your browser it is safe, but redirect you to a different, malicious web site.
Google Chrome compares the information provided in the certificate with the actual server being connected to and alerts you if the information doesn't jive. If Chrome detects that the address specified in the certificate and the actual server you connect to are not the same, it issues this warning "'This is probably not the site you are looking for!"

Vulnerabilities and Flaws:

Almost as soon as Google released the public Beta version of the software security researchers began to identify flaws and vulnerabilities. Any new software is typically run through the ringer, but a web browser from the company synonymous with the web gets some extra attention.
Chrome was quickly discovered to be vulnerable to a 'carpet-bombing' flaw originally identified in Apple's Safari browser. A few days later it was found to have a buffer overflow flaw that could also be exploited for malicious attacks.

The Verdict:

While there have been a couple security flaws and vulnerabilities identified, no web browser is perfect and in Google's defense Chrome is still in Beta testing.
Chrome does have a variety of innovative features and a unique interface that many users have quickly come to prfer over Internet Explorer and Firefox. Many users also report that it is faster at loading pages than other web browsers. The additional security controls should prove valuable in helping you surf the Web safely. Google Chrome is definitely worth taking a look at.

Firefox Security Tips and Tools

Tips to help you stay safe while browsing the web with Firefox


The browser wars rage on. Some people love Google Chrome, some choose Safari. I personally prefer Firefox. I've had a lot of trouble with other browsers, but Firefox seems to be pretty stable, except for the occasional random shutdown or two. Firefox also has some great security features that make it my preferred browser of choice.

Hackers also like Firefox because it allows them to do all kinds of nasty stuff such as using a plug-in called Firesheep to capture web traffic at coffee shops and other open public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Let's focus on how you can make your Firefox web-browsing experience a safer one. Follow the tips below to help fortify your Firefox browser:

Turn on Firefox's "Do Not Track" feature:

There is a privacy-related feature in Firefox that tells websites that you don't want to have your actions tracked by the website you are visiting. This doesn't mean that websites will respect your privacy or fulfill your request, but it at least makes your intentions known. Hopefully some sites will honor your wishes.

To enable the "Do Not Track" feature:

1. Click on the Firefox "Preferences" menu.

2. Choose the "Privacy" Tab.

3. Check the box that says "Tell websites that I don't want to be tracked"

Turn on Firefox's Phishing and Malware Blocking features

Another couple of security features in Firefox that are worth enabling are its built-in phishing and malware protection. These features check the site you are attempting to connect to against a list of known phishing or malware sites and alerts you when you try to connect to a known-bad site. The list is updated every 30 minutes in order to stay current.

To enable Firefox's built in Phishing and Malware blocking feature.

1. Click on the Firefox "Preferences" menu.

2. Choose the "Security" Tab.

3. Check the boxes for "Block Reported Attack Sites" and "Block Reported Web Forgeries".

The phishing and malware feature is not a substitute for dedicated malware and virus protection, but it will act as a second layer of defense in your overall defense-in-depth security strategy.

Install the Noscript Anti-XSS and Anti-Clickjacking Firefox add-on

Allowing scripts to run on webpages is a double-edged sword. Scripts are used by site designers to do all kinds of necessary stuff like load and format content, provide navigation elements necessary for the site to function, and other stuff, however, scripts can also used by malware developers and phishers for clickjacking and cross-site scripting attacks.

The Noscript add-on puts you in the driver seat and let's you decide which of the sites that you visit are allowed to execute scripts. You will obviously want to enable sites you trust such as your bank. It may take awhile to enable all the sites you trust as you will have to visit them and click the "Allow" button for each site you want to allow scripts to run on. After a few days or so you won't even know it's there until you visit a site that you normally don't frequent

If you notice that a site doesn't seem to be working after you have the Noscript add-on loaded it is probably because you forgot to click the "Allow" scripts button for that site. You can also "forbid" sites that you previously allowed if you feel like a site might have been compromised.

To add Noscript to Firefox:
1. Go to the Mozilla Add-ons Site.

2. Search for "noscript".

3. Click on the "Add to Firefox" button to the right of the add-on.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Noscript.

Turn on Firefox's Pop-up Blocker:

Unless you like pop-ups interrupting your browsing every two minutes, the pop-up blocker is one of those must-have features that you will want to make sure is turned on. You can always add exceptions for sites that require pop-ups like certain shopping or banking sites.

To enable Firefox's pop-up blocker:

1. Click on the Firefox "Preferences" menu.

2. Choose the "Content" Tab.

3. Check the "Block pop-up windows box"

Please note that if you're using Firefox 9.x or later for Windows then most of these settings will be located under the "Tools" menu under "Options".

The Dangers of Short Links

These little links could be a big problem

They're known as short links, shortened URLs, and Tiny URLs. Whatever you call them, their purpose is the same. Link shortening services such as Bitly, TinyURL, and over 200 others, allow users to take a link that might be too long to post within the confines of a twitter post and generate a shorter link that redirects to the longer URL that the user wants to post.


http://netsecurity.about.com/od/newsandeditorial1/a/Facebook-Security-5-Things-You-Should-Never-Post-On-Facebook.htm
and use a link shortening service to make it into a nice short link that looks like this:
http://tinyurl.com/82w7hgf

Not only does the link not look anything like the original, it completely obscures the intended link destination. There is no way by looking at the short link that you can tell what the intended target link is. All you see in the short link is the link shortening service site name followed by a string of seemingly random numbers and letters.

Why is this a bad thing? If I was an Internet-based bad guy and wanted to trick you into visiting a link that would install malware on your computer, you would be more likely to fall for clicking http://tinyurl.com/82w7hgf then you would be for visiting http://badguysite.123.this.is.a nasty.virus.and.will.infect.your.computer.exe. The tiny URL doesn't have anything in it that would tip you off to the fact that it is a malware link

Bad guys love using link shortening services to hide their malware links. Using link shortening to post malware and phishing links on social media sites is a very popular way to reach a wide audience of people who often click on things impulsively.

How can you tell where the destination of a short link leads without clicking on it first?

Before you click on that random short link you saw on Facebook, Twitter, or elsewhere, you should use a link expansion service to inspect it so you can decide whether its destination is somewhere you really want to go.

Fortunately, there are a couple of sites and tools that can help you learn where the hidden path of most any short link leads without having to visit it.

Untiny.me is a link expansion service that lets you input a short link, such as the example above, and see what the destination link is, without you having to visit it. You simply copy the link you want to check out, go to the untiny.me site, paste the shortened link into the search field, and it will show you the intended destination of the short link.

LongURL is another link expander / extractor that is simple to use. In addition to the LongURL website that allows for link expansion, LongURL also features a LongURL Mobile Expander Firefox Browser extension that allows you to hover your mouse over a shortened link which then shows a pop-up tool tip that displays the true destination of the short link. This saves you the hassle of having to visit LongURL's website every time you want to inspect a link.

Short URLs aren't going away anytime soon. They make sense for when you are trying to stay within the character limits of Twitter posts and they are just plain handy when you have some massive link that you are trying to read someone over the phone or in similar situations. Hopefully, in the near future we will see more browser integration for link preview expansion and maybe someday we will see destination link scanning, where the destination link is compared to a list of known bad URLs so we can be warned before we make the leap of faith to visit an unknown site.

Password Policy Settings Explained

Understanding Password Policy Settings in Windows Vista Local Security Policy
Windows Vista enables you to control many of the features and functions by configuring Local Security Policy settings. There are six components that make up the Password Policy under Vista Local Security Policy. Click the links below for more details about what each of these six policy settings means and how you should configure them to manage passwords on your Windows Vista system.

Internet Explorer Protected Mode

How Vista Protects You From Malicious Web Content


With Windows Vista, Microsoft includes the latest version of Internet Explorer, IE7. However, on Windows Vista IE7 has some new security options which help make surfing the Web even safer, namely Protected Mode.
Protected Mode is a security measure which relies on Windows Vista's new WIC (Windows Integrity Control) security to control how objects interact with each other. By default, when Protected Mode is enabled, every process and file associated with Internet Explorer is assigned a Low integrity level.

By comparison, standard users are granted a Medium integrity level and any object (file, process, etc.) that is not specifically granted a different integrity level is considered Medium by default. WIC will not let an object act on, or interact with an object of a higher integrity level than itself, so malicious processes and files from the Internet that try to infect or compromise the computer system will be rejected. Low can not overwrite or interact with Medium, so Internet Explorer loses.

There are, of course, instances where you want or need a web site to write to or work with your system. When you encounter a site like this, you might be inclined to just disable Protected Mode, even just for a little while. This is not advisable however because it leaves your whole system wide open to attack.

Like previous versions of Internet Explorer, IE7 has Security Zones which you can use to segregate web sites into different levels of trust. If you need certain processes or applets to work on a specific site and they won't work in Protected Mode, rather than turning off Protected Mode you should add the site in question to the Trusted zone, which has Protected Mode disabled by default.

Creating a New User Account in Windows Vista

And Assigning a Secure Password

1. Click Start (its disguised as the little Windows logo ball at the bottom left of the screen)
2. Select Control Panel
3. Choose Add or remove user accounts under User Accounts and Family Safety
   Note: If you have switched from the Vista Control Panel to the Classic View, you will choose User Accounts and then click Manage another account
4. If you are prompted with a User Account Control (UAC) authorization, click Continue
5. Click on Create a new account
6. Type a name for the new user account
7. Select the account type for the new account
   • Standard user is the recommended option for most users and the default choice in Windows Vista
   • Administrator accounts have complete access to the operating system and may lead to unwanted system changes or elevated privileges for malware attacks. Use the Administrator account only when necessary.
8. Click the Create Account button
9. It appears that you are done, but if you want to make the account secure there are a few more steps. Windows Vista creates the user account without a password by default
10. Click on the user account you just created to make changes to it
11. Choose the Create a password option
12. Enter a password in the New password field
    Note: Choose a secure password that you can remember, but that can not be easily guessed or cracked
13. Enter the password again in the Confirm new password field
14. As an option, you can also enter a password hint in the Type a password hint field
    Note: The password hint is displayed after failed logon attempts. Be careful how explicit your hint is because anyone else attempting to log on to your PC will also be able to see the password hint. You don't want the hint to be so obvious that anyone can guess your password.
15. Click the Create password button

Critical Vulnerability in Apple Mac OS X

Apple Releases Patch To Fix Flaw


While there have always been and probably always will be debates between the Apple diehards and the Microsoft Windows users about which is a "better" operating system, what determines "better" is largely subjective and open to individual interpretation. Security and stability however is another story.
The security and stability of an operating system is more or less objective- it is either stable and secure or it is not. In this regard, even as a user of Microsoft operating systems a majority of the time, I have to concede that the Apple Mac OS X operating system tends to come out on top. Microsoft is diligently working to improve, but Mac OS X is still superior in these departments for the most part (I know there are vehement differences of opinion on both sides of the fence and fairly logical arguments can probably be made for either stance- this is just my opinion).

Microsoft used to release Security Bulletins detailing new vulnerabilities and announcing new patches on an ad hoc basis that at times was a daily occurrence. They have since moved to a monthly release date for Security Bulletins and usually have two or three new vulnerabilities and patches to announce each month. By contrast, Mac OS X flaws seem to be a rare event so when there is one it is fairly big news. Especially when it is as serious as this latest security hole.

This vulnerability, ranked as "Extremely Critical" by Secunia, could allow an attacker to execute potentially any Unix command they choose on the target system including erasing the entire home directory of the user.

The vulnerability was ranked "Extreme" for primarily two reasons. First, the flaw was proven to exist even on a Mac OS X system which was fully patched up through the recent "help" URI handler vulnerability. Second, because there are working exploits that exist for this vulnerability already.

Apple considered the flaw serious enough that they released their own bulletin, something they don't normally do, and have released a patch for the flaw as well. All Mac OS X users are advised to update their systems and apply this patch as soon as possible. For more information you can see the Mac OS X Flaws article by About.com Antivirus Guide Mary Landesman.

5 Security Tips to Make Your MacBook a Mobile Fort Knox

It’s powerful, it’s shiny, and everyone wants one, including thieves and hackers. Your MacBook holds your world: work files, music, photos, videos, and a lot of other stuff you care about, but is your MacBook safe and protected from harm?  Let’s take a look at 5 MacBook Security Tips you use to make your MacBook an impenetrable and unstealable mobile data fortress:


1. LoJack Your Mac Now So You Can Recover it After it’s Been Stolen

We’ve all heard about the iPhone and it’s Find My iPhone app, where users of Apple’s MobileMe service can track down their lost or stolen iPhone via a website by leveraging the iPhone’s location awareness capabilities.  That’s great for iPhones, but what about your MacBook? Is there an app for that? Yes there is!

For a yearly subscription fee, Absolute Software’s LoJack for Laptops software will provide both data security and theft recovery services for your MacBook.  The software starts at $35.99 and is available in 1-3 year subscription plans.  LoJack integrates at the BIOS firmware level, so a thief who thinks that just wiping the hard drive of your stolen computer will make it untraceable is in for a real surprise when he connects to the net and LoJack starts broadcasting the location of your MacBook, without him even knowing it.  Knock, knock!  Who’s there?  It’s not housekeeping!

There is no guarantee that you will get your shiny MacBook back, but the odds are greatly improved if you have LoJack installed versus if you don’t.  According to their website, Absolute Software’s Theft Recovery Team averages about 90 laptop recoveries per week.

2. Enable your MacBook’s OS X Security Features (Because Apple Didn’t)

The Mac operating system, known as OS X, has some great security features that are available to the user. The main problem is that while the features are installed, they are not usually enabled by default. Users must enable these security features on their own.  Here are the basic settings that you should configure to make your MacBook more secure:

Disable Automatic Login and Set a System Password
While it’s convenient not to have to enter your password every time you boot up your computer, or when the screensaver kicks in, you might as well leave the front door to your house wide open because your MacBook is now an all-you-can-eat data buffet for the guy who just stole it. With one click of a checkbox and the creation of a strong password you can enable this feature and put another roadblock in the hacker or thief’s path.
Enable OS X’s FileVault Encryption
Your MacBook just got stolen but you put a password on your account so your data is safe, right? Wrong!

Most hackers and data thieves will just pull the hard drive out of your MacBook and hook it to another computer using an IDE/SATA to USB cable. Their computer will read your MacBook’s drive just like any other DVD or USB drive plugged into it. They won’t need an account or password to access your data because they have bypassed the operating system’s built-in file security. They now have direct access to your files regardless of who is logged in.

The easiest way to prevent this is to enable file encryption using OSX’s built-in FileVault tool. FileVault encrypts and decrypts files associated with your profile on the fly using a password that you set. It sounds complicated, but everything happens in the background so you don’t even know anything is going on. Meanwhile, your data is being protected so unless they have the password the data is unreadable and useless to thieves even if they take the drive out and hook it to another computer.

For stronger, whole disk encryption with advanced features, check out TrueCrypt, a free, open source file and disk encryption tool.


Turn on Your Mac’s Built-in Firewall
The built-in OS X Firewall will thwart most hacker’s attempts to break into your MacBook from the Internet. It’s very easy to setup. Once enabled, the Firewall will block malicious inbound network connections and regulates outbound traffic as well. Applications must ask permission from you (via a pop up box) before they attempt an outbound connection. You can grant or deny access on a temporary or permanent basis as you see fit.

We have detailed, step--by-step guidance on how to Enable OS X's Security Features

All of the security features mentioned here can be accessed by clicking on the Security icon in the OS X System Preferences window

3. Install Patches? We Don’t Need no Stinking Patches! (yes we do)
The exploit/patch cat and mouse game is alive and well. Hackers find a weakness in an application and develop an exploit. The application’s developer addresses the vulnerability and releases a patch to fix it.  Users install the patch and the circle of life continues.

Mac OS X will automatically check for Apple-branded software updates on a regular basis and will often prompt you to download and install them. Many 3rd party software packages such as Microsoft Office have their own software update app that will periodically check to see if there are any patches available. Other applications have a manual “Check for Updates” feature often located in the Help menu. It is a good idea to perform or schedule an update check on at least a weekly basis for your most used applications so that you aren’t as vulnerable to software-based exploits.

4. Lock it Down. Literally.
If someone wants to steal your computer bad enough they are going to, no matter how many layers of defense you put up.  Your goal should be to make it as difficult as possible for a thief to steal your MacBook.  You want them to become discouraged enough to move on to easier targets.

The Kensington Lock, which has been around for decades, is a security device for physically connecting your laptop with a steel cable loop to a large piece of furniture or some other object that is not easily moved.  Every MacBook has a Kensignton Security Slot, also know as a K-Slot.  The K-Slot will accept a Kensington-type lock. On newer MacBooks, the K-Slot is located to the right of the headphone jack on the left side of the device.

Can these locks be picked?  Yes.  Can the cable be cut with the right tools?  Yes. The important thing is that the lock will deter the casual theft of opportunity.  A would-be thief who breaks out his lock picking kit and Jaws of Life wire cutters in the Library to steal your MacBook will likely arouse more suspicion than if he just walked away with the laptop sitting next to yours that wasn’t tethered to a magazine rack.

The basic Kensington Lock comes in many varieties, costs about $25, and is widely available at most office supply stores.

5. Protect Your Mac’s Gooey Center With a Hard-shell Configuration

If you are really serious about security and want to delve way down deep into your settings to make sure your Mac’s security is as bulletproof as possible, then surf on over to the Apple support website and download the OS X security configuration guides. These well put together documents detail all the settings that are available to lock down every aspect of the OS to make it as secure as possible.

Just be careful that you balance security with usability. You don’t want to lock your MacBook up so tight that you can’t get into it yourself.

How to Enable Mac OS X’s Built-in Security Features

Mac OS X is capable of providing robust security right out of the box; however, some of OS X’s best security features are disabled by default, requiring the user to set them up. This guide will walk you through configuration of the most important settings you need to make your Mac more secure.

To access the Mac OS X security settings, click the “System Preferences” icon from the Mac OS X dock at the bottom of your screen.

Choose the “Security” icon from the “Personal” settings area.

Note: If any of the options is grayed out, click the padlock icon at the bottom of each settings page.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5-10 minutes
Here's How:

Require a Password on Login and for Screensaver Deactivation. These settings require a system password to be entered before use of the system or when returning from the screen saver or waking up from sleep mode.

From the “General” tab, choose the following options:

Check the box for “Require Password after Sleep or Screen Saver Begins” and choose “Immediately” from the drop down menu.
Check the box for “Disable Automatic Login.”
Check the box for “Use Secure Virtual Memory.”
Enable FileVault Data Encryption. FileVault secures and encrypts the contents of the home folder so that no one other than the owner can access the data, even if the hard drive is removed and connected to another Mac or PC.

From the “FileVault” tab, choose the following:

Create a Master Password by clicking on the “Set Master Password” button under the FileVault menu tab.
Enter the password you would like to use as your Master Password in the “Master Password” box and verify it in the "Verify box."
Add a password hint in the “Hint” box.
Click the “Turn File Vault On” button.
Turn On the Mac OS X Firewall. The OS X firewall can selectively block inbound and outbound connections and allows the user to choose which connections are permitted or denied. The user can approve or deny connections on a temporary or permanent basis.

From the “Firewall” tab of the Security Menu, choose the following:

Click the “Start” button to turn the Firewall on.
Tips:

Optionally, you can choose to have OS X log out the current user after a set number of minutes of inactivity, disable location services, and disable the infrared remote sensor by checking the appropriate boxes in the "General" Tab.
To make your Mac more difficult for Hackers to find, Check the box for “Enable stealth mode” in the Firewall tab. This option will prevent your Mac from responding to Ping requests from port scanning malware.
To keep the Firewall from constantly asking if an application can access the the network, check the box for “Automatically allow signed software to receive incoming connections."
To lock all security settings so that other users cannot change them, click the padlock icon at the bottom of each settings page.
If you would like more details on how to configure these and other Mac OS X security features, you can view Apple’s In-depth OS X Security Configuration Guides available at its support site.

Is Your Mac Safe From the Flashback Attack?

Experts say it's already infected over 600,000 computers, is yours one of them?

There is a new piece of malware that is targeting Apple Mac users. This new nasty bit of code is called the Flashback or Flashfake Trojan. Some reports have suggested that it has already infected over 600,000 Macs worldwide.

Earlier versions of the Flashback Trojan masqueraded as a fake Adobe Flash updater program which tricked users into installing it and infecting their computers.

This new variant is more virulent because it can infect a Mac by a user simply visiting a website that is serving the malicious payload. This type of attack, known as a "drive-by" attack, doesn't rely on fooling a user into clicking on an attachment or installing something. This method of infection is likely why the malware has managed to spread so far so fast.

What does the Flashback malware do?

According to F-secure, the malware known as a Trojan-Downloader, connects to a remote site and downloads a malicious payload. Once the trojan successfully downloads its payload it then infects the host computer and modifies targeted webpages displayed in the user's web browser. Some reports say the main purpose of the Flashback attack is to capture user login credentials and other personal information.

Other reports suggest that the infected machines may become part of a botnet that could potentially be tasked to carry out large-scale denial of service attacks or other tasks as desired by the botnet's master controller.

How can I prevent my Mac from becoming infected with the Flashback Trojan?

The best way to prevent your Mac from being infected by the Flashback Trojan is to perform a software update from the Apple menu in the title bar. Apple has already published the Java-related patch that you need to install to ensure that your computer is not vulnerable to the Flashback attack.

If you don't need to use JavaScript (which is how this malware enters your system) you should consider disabling it in your web browser's Java Preferences settings.

If you do use sites that require JavaScript to be enabled, then the best way to protect yourself is to install the latest Java update provided by Apple via the Apple Software Update.

To check for the updated software:

1. Click on the Apple icon in the top right corner of your screen in the title bar menu.

2. Click the "Software Update" selection from the drop down menu.

3. Wait for the list of applicable software updates to appear.

4. Ensure that all java-related updates are selected as well as any other major system and security updates.

5. Enter your password if required to instal the update.

6. Wait for the system to restart and repeat steps 1-3 to ensure that the update succeeded and that there are no additional updates waiting to be installed.

You should also ensure that your anti-malware / anti-virus software has it's latest patches installed as well, although at this time I'm not sure there are any capable of detecting this particular attack

How can I find out if my Mac is infected by the Flashback malware?

Kaspersky Labs recently released the Kaspersky Flashfake Removal Tool that will scan your Mac to see if the Flashback malware is present. Alternatively, they have set up a website that will allow you to paste your Mac's unique identifier to it so that it can determine if your Mac's ID matches one on a list of computers known to be infected with the Flashback malware. The website will also scan your Mac to see if its Java is the most current version If it is not, then it will advise you to run Apple's software update to get the most recent patch.

How do I remove the Flashback malware if my Mac is already infected?

You can scan for and remove the Flashback malware by using the Kaspersky Flashfake removal tool mentioned above. If you went to the Kaspersky website and found that your Mac's unique ID is on the list of compromised ones, Kaspersky's website will also direct your to the free removal tool.

As time goes by, other anti-malware vendors will likely release detection and removal tools as well. Don't download one unless you are sure that it comes from one of the major anti-malware providers or you may become the victim of a scareware scam.

Flashback is not the first piece of malware written for the Mac, nor will it be the last. The "no one writes malware for Mac" mindset is over with. Apple is a hot brand with an ever growing user base. Apple will likely become a victim of its own success as malware developers seek to extend their reach beyond the MS Windows crowd.