Category: Security

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Security

Here Are Some of The Best VPN Service Providers Around Us

http://vpnsoftware.org/

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an advanced network technology which uses a public network to connect between private networks using various encryption methods in the process. Generally, VPN is much preferred by corporates with multiple branches at various locations, educational institutions, Government agencies. VPN is more economical compared to private networks. Plus, you get the flexibility, privacy and security.

 

VPN works on 4 protocols:

  • IP security (IPSec)
  • Point-To-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
  • Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
  • Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) i.e. TSL/SSL

These VPN protocols will be disscussed in some other blog post some other day. For now, we stick to the best VPN service providers. There are certainly a plethora of VPN service providers around the globe. The only difference between them is how they handle the secured data transit over the public network( Internet). Of all the various VPN providers, OnlineCmag brings you the best VPN service providers:

 

TorGuard:

With TorGuard, no logs are monitored. The most prominent features of TorGuard are the “no logging policy” and an extra layer of data security with a shared IP configuration, hence the user’s IP addresses always remains concealed. This VPN service provider has proxy servers and VPNs around the world, maintaining over a 1000 servers across 44 countires in the world.

The data is enclosed in a single packet by encryption using secure servers. This data encryption occurs in two stages, where one of them is just mentioned and then the data is sent to the BitTorrent cloud which gives it another layer of insulation.  TorGuard advises clients to use OpenVPN connections only and for encryption the AES256 with 2048bit RSA for enhanced security.

URL : http://torguard.net/

 

Mullvad:

As similar to TorGuard, Mullvad also has a double security feature. Here also the second layer of data security is ensured by making users to share their IP addresses both for IPv4 as well as IPv6. It offers a personal VPT which passes all the internet traffic to and from your computer through their uncensored and anonymising servers using an encrypted tunnel.

This service does not ask for your personal information, it maintains a simple numbered account. It accepts payments through BItcoin and cash in the mail and it do not log any activities of users. It is very easy to use what you have to do is that just start their open source client program that’s it after that it will take care of configuration and it continues to keep everything secure.

URL : mullvad.net/en

 

IPVanish:

IPVanish provides super-fast connections, which is a  tier-1 VPN network which provides more stable speeds for you. It protects you from cyber threats and unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots. It provides a simple point-and-click software for all your devices through which operating becomes easy. In this service before user logs onto the net it is essential to establish IPVanish VPN connection, it converts entire online data into encrypted tunnel which includes data transfers, emails, instant messaging, online banking  and all your online browsing. Once the data is encrypted, it cannot be intercepted by any third party including ISP(Internet Service Provider).

URL : bit.ly/ipvanis

 

LiquidVPN:

LiquidVPN is designed for performance and engineered to be fast. LiquidVPN is the only online VPN service provider which provides private DNS w/ SMART content streaming, shared IP addresses, IP Modulation, public IP addresses and instruction prevention.  By the IP modulation technique the user’s IP address changes continuously which makes very difficult to track the actions of user on internet.  It also provides private encrypted zero logging end to end DNS servers. It prevents malicious traffic  from reaching your device.

URL : liquidvpn.com

 

Categories
Security System Performance

5 Tips To Avoid Potential Dangers Of Cookies

5 Tips To Avoid Dangers Of Cookies

Usually, in the Internet, user details like (searches, login data etc.) are stored as cookies. They are responsible for the personalized browsing experience, and it’s the reason why we see advertising related to our browsing history. i.e cookies represent a saving of energy and time for users.

Despite being an absolutely common element, they are just little snippets of text and/or data that is transferred between the web server and browser each time you open a session. That being, they can also become a real problem for security if we do not take the proper precautions.

5 Tips To Avoid Dangers Of Cookies

The first thing to know is that there are two main types of cookies, temporary and permanent. The first, also known as ‘session’, only last for the duration of the session.

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Once the browser is closed they disappear. Instead, permanent cookies exist for a variable number of sessions or until manually eliminated. Many web applications use these cookies for finding the geo-location of the user automatically.

They are also other cookies, so-called ‘ third ‘, which are present in certain web servers in order to track the online behavior of users for commercial or advertising purposes.

This is how we see ads related products to our interests. According to this description, cookies facilitate and simplify many processes in web browsing.

But there are also many critical voices against them, and against the use that is given to personal information that they collect. In some extreme cases, there have been attacks on computers of users who unknowingly shared their cookies.

That is why we came up with 5 simple tips to protect you from dangers of cookies:

1. Clean or delete cookies:

Nothing is as simple as deleting browsing history and cookies at the end of the session and staying safe. However, if we are forgetful or lazy, there are software that can do this work for you. Like PURE 3.0.

2. Modify browser settings:

So you have control over the information that tracks cookies. Go to privacy settings and configure your browser options. For example, Firefox and Safari offer greater control over that information.

3. Use Add-Ons:

Using this tool you can manage browser cookies more specifically and even enable only those with whom we want to share our online information.

Erase All Your Private and Sensitive Data In A Click

We will show you an application that will help you protect your privacy by easily removing all your private and sensitive data from PC with just a click on

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4. Share with moderation:

Like almost everything that happens on the Internet and in everyday life, common sense is our best ally. Thus, it is advisable not to enter personal data in places where cookies can store and always remember not leave open any account or session.

5. Protect:

The best way to protect your online privacy is to have a good security solution ( AntiVirus ) installed. Anyhow even with the most advanced antivirus installed on your computer, you may still be a victim of these attacks.

Your Thoughts

Have you tried these measures before? If so, were you successful in keeping threats due to cookies away? Share with us in the form of comments below. Also, don’t forget to share this article with your friends and stay protected from any potential threats.

Categories
PC Hacks Security

Erase All Your Private and Sensitive Data In A Click

erase all your private and sensitive data with a click

In OnlineCmag we have spoken more than once of issues related to privacy and have also discussed different methods to protect your identity and trail anywhere on the Internet.

Throughout the entire span we’ve been here we have explained several key tricks, like How to delete all traces of your activity on a click and starting the incognito mode of Google Chrome default but that’s not all, in the Windows section you will find dozens of such useful tips.

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Today we will show you another such application that will help you protect your privacy by easily removing all your private and sensitive data.

In this case, the application is the ‘Free Privacy Eraser 3.5′ and its function is to delete private data for free, as its name suggests.

Free Privacy Eraser 3.5 works in a very simple way, you just have to select the areas you want to review, press the start button and once finished press the clear button.

By this application we can eliminate many issues related to privacy, including the following:

Windows

  1. History of opened documents
  2. Search history
  3. Temporary Files
  4. Microsoft Office trace
  5. Paint trace
  6. Messaging Application
  7. logs and cache different places
  8. Etc.

Web browsers (Internet Explorer / Netscape / Firefox / Opera / Google Chrome)

  1. Cache
  2. Cookies
  3. Record
  4. Downloads
  5. AutoComplete
  6. Passwords
  7. Etc.

Furthermore, the application offers the following features added:

1. Support for accessories: Amenities including over 100 accessories for popular applications such as WinRAR, WinZip, Adobe, PowerDVD, etc.

2. Custom Options: You can save cookies, make a secure erase, etc.

Certainly, Free Privacy Eraser 3.5 is one of the simplest and most complete applications that can be found at zero cost, so we recommend its use so that you can be a bit more secure than you are now.

Cleanersoft | Free Privacy Eraser 3.5

Categories
Security

The Ultimate Cloud Data Security Mantras For Individuals and Businesses

cloud data security

Can you guarantee the data you have stored on the cloud is safe? It could be a little harsh to state it this way but the point is, you can’t. Yes, this is the fact that’s actually muddling everyone from CEOs of most reputed organizations to those of small businesses and every individual storing private data on the cloud.

The Ultimate Cloud Data Security Mantras For Individuals and Businesses

Don’t worry, its not really even that bad though with security teams of cloud service providers burning the candle on both ends in keeping away the attackers from your data. However, there are many protective measures you can take on your part to ensure maximum integrity and security of your data on the cloud. In this article we mention a few very important steps, we suggest you to implement at the earliest.

(If at all you are new to the entire cloud thing, here’s what you should check out first – click here)

 

Here are 5 Mantras on Cloud Data Security for you:

 

  1. Passwords – Be More Than Careful

You must have come across this warning many a times in your daily routine. But the fact is, people don’t really learn from others mistakes. If it were the case, the stats that 90% of all the passwords can be cracked within seconds would have just been a myth. But unfortunately it’s the truth. Until and unless you create strong passwords, almost everything you put on the internet can be compromised in no time. So make sure you follow these fundamental rules while setting up passwords anywhere on the internet:

  • Use a strong and difficult to guess password.
  • Never share your passwords with strangers, and to some point even with peers.
  • Also set up different passwords to different accounts.
  • Prefer using a standard password manager, and for lot more about them, click here.

 

  1. Sensitive Information – Opt storing elsewhere

This might sound crazy, but considering the safety first rule, use the virtual world for data storage as less as possible. There’s actually no other alternative to storing your data on the internet and praying for no evil eyes to target it. However the best suggestion, if you are an individual would be to store less sensitive information on the cloud and opt for other means.

In case you are a company, you could go for the hybrid cloud model and deploy other tools like, say, honeypot etc.

 

  1. Encrypted Cloud Storage – For Businesses

If you are ready to invest big on cloud data security, then this option is always available for you. These encrypted cloud storage services in addition to storage and backup, also provides facilities like encryption and decryption of all the data in your local machine. This is termed as the ‘zero-knowledge’ privacy, and is the highest level of cloud security in the market.

Under this condition, no one except you, not even the personals running the cloud (service providers) can access your information. To name a few, Spideroak, Dropbox, Box are all such service providers. But the most important part lies in identifying the potency of data at hand and deciding whether or not to invest big for its security.

 

  1. B1 Free Archiver – The low budget encryption

Not every business can invest that big in reaching out for encrypted cloud services, but there are a lot of other alternatives as well. B1 Free Archiver, for example does a really good job. Likewise, there are a lot of tools over there in the internet which can encrypt all your data and protect it with a password.

The additional benefit especially with B1 Free Archiver is that once encrypted, the entire data is converted into the B1 file format and any computer on which this data is being accessed needs to have B1 Free Archiver installed on it and this tool (archiver) is believed to be more safer and effective than the zip files.

 

  1. Cloud Data Security – Knowledge Matters!

Believe it or not, without knowing what you are doing, just deploying a cloud model will only get you into trouble. The best way to be prepared to any of the bizarre consequences is to have complete knowledge on the cloud model (public, private or hybrid) you require, the terms of the cloud service provider and lots of analysis to maintain the perfect balance between protection and time/money.

 

Other than all these, with the sensitivity of data stored, physical security denying unauthorized access into the data center is also mostly suggested. Call it preparing for bad times, in addition to the above mentioned mantras make sure you read the terms and conditions of the cloud service provider carefully, believe me you don’t want to hand your most valuable data into the hands of someone playing fool with you.

 

Categories
Security

Here Are Some Disadvantages With The SSL Certificate

Not many can doubt the enormous advantages of using a SSL certificate on your website. But wait; are there any disadvantages or bottlenecks in using this certificate? Let’s take a look at it.

Not many can doubt the enormous advantages of using a SSL certificate on your website. But wait; are there any disadvantages or bottlenecks in using this certificate? Let’s take a look at it.

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SSL Certificate

Here Are Some Of The Disadvantages Of SSL Certificate:

Cost is an obvious disadvantage, suppliers of SSL certificates need to implement a reliable infrastructure and validate the identity of the purchaser and in all this there is an associated cost that is transferred to the final value. Obviously those suppliers of SSL certificates that are more popular considerably increase their values. The performance can further be a disadvantage with SSL certification. As the information you submit must be encrypted by the server which requires more resources than usual. Although this difference in performance can only be detected on websites with a large number of visitors and can be minimized with a special hardware.

SSL security certificate will only deliver the information safely to visitors from your site; do not expect it to defend against all the evils of the web. Well there are plenty of things for which an SSL certificate is not designed. The SSL Certificate protects only the data integrity when in transit from one system to another. If the information happens to contain a virus, SSL also transmit the virus. In other words, while SSL is excellent to protect data in motion on a network link, both the users as well as website owners should still take all necessary precautions to avoid any undesirable malware or any action within the systems themselves.

Along SSL Certificate one must add a good security system (or find a provider hosting that can guarantee it) this way you will be one step ahead of everyone in improving confidence and experience in the web of your visitors.

Remember that although there are some disadvantages of using this SSL certificate, those are very few compared to the enormous benefits that it brings. It is very important to use them on all Websites that require sending sensitive information. Proper use of an SSL Certificate helps protect your customers and you.

 

Categories
Security

5 Ways You Can Make 2015 ‘The Year of Security’

Here's How You Can Make 2015 As " The Year Of Security "

2014 left us with the idea of being ” The Year of Hack ” with major organizations reporting cyber attacks, thus for the year 2015 to be ” The Year of Security “, here are five trends that security managers should consider this year.

Here's How You Can Make 2015 As " The Year Of Security "

The Year Of Security:

1. Cyber Crime And “Hacktivism” :

Criminals, activists and terrorists are increasingly turning to the Internet to make money, attention, or maliciously affect the operations of a company. According to Steve Durbin, Director of Internet Security Forum, cyber criminals are showing a greater degree of collaboration and technical capacity, which caught the attention of many large organizations.

This year all the organizations ought to be prepared for the unexpected and unthinkable or might simply succumb to attacks from the wild web. Working with a cloud service provider however,could simplify the various disaster recovery plans testing and implementation processes to ensure data is always protected and accessible at any instant.

2. Privacy And Regulation :

In 2014, the Office for Civil Rights USA imposed heavy fines on organizations that failed to safeguard and encrypt information of citizens that are stored electronically. This type of data or any related privacy of individuals are becoming more accessible to professionals who need to review them, but at the same time, the regulations concerning the collection, storage and use of these should be clarified.

Organizations must align with service providers who can not only offer supported cloud that can safeguard such information services, but also help them achieve and maintain a vision as security.

3. Threats Of Third Party Providers :

Organizations often rely on valuable and sensitive data from reputable suppliers. However, when this data is shared, there is a greater possibility that the data could be compromised. The cyber attack which targeted MultiStore is just one example for this. Wherein, hackers infiltrated this target by a web service application that is used by provider company to submit invoices.

Executives from all organizations should collaborate with experts in information security to specify ” what ” in the various scenarios in which critical business data can be accidentally or intentionally shared by others. Companies that have their data stored in the cloud should review security plans and disaster recovery with the providers and their SLAs to ensure they have proactive measures to increase their resilience to potential security breaches and hacks.

4. Personal Devices At Work :

The fact that employees use their own devices for work and personals, can lead to the risk that the devices are lost or stolen, besides the danger of illegal downloading of security updates, patches and reliable business applications.

Organizations that have this type of a policy or plan to deploy one must also consider the benefits of the desktops in the cloud. With such a solution, desktops end users can operate safely from an external Data Center and access data through a traditional PC or laptop. Thus, critical business data and applications remain safe while employees have access to them through any device they choose.

5. Employee Engagement :

The employees of an organization can be your greatest asset in implementing proactive security measures. For years, companies have spent millions of dollars on the formation of “security awareness” for their teams. In the future, they must promote policies that encourage their employees to take simple steps to help maintain a secure environment.This may include measures such as creating strong passwords, protecting their mobile devices like pros and the use of two-factor authentication devices as key encrypted.

Are virtual hosting and cyber security on your list of priorities for 2015? The security hosting with cloud solutions helps organizations to proactively address potential vulnerabilities, protecting critical business information. Remember to contact your service provider to have advice on what you require for your specific needs.

 

Categories
Security Web Guides

Network Security 101: The Evolution of Different Firewall Types

firewall types

Network Security, with time, has become a more prominent term to individuals, institutions, and businesses. With the number of attacks from the public networks over private network firewalls increasing, there has always been the necessity to set up stronger and better security systems.

In achieving this, firewalls have gone through quite a lot changes in the recent past. In this article, we show you the evolution of different firewall types which focus merely on providing better ‘security’ to your private networks.

The Different Types Of Firewalls:

#1 Access Control Lists

The ACLs were the basic and the earliest firewalls that ever existed on routers. They are so different compared to any modern day firewalls but the basic idea on which they were built has been carrying forward ever since, i.e. packet filtering.

These are particularly good for scalability and performance but unfortunately, can read nothing more than the packet headers.

As traffic enters, these ACLs screen them based on protocol, source/destination IP Address etc, and permit or deny each individual packet.

#2 Proxy firewalls

The Proxy Firewalls are indeed the most secure types of firewalls. The way a proxy firewall works is different from all the other firewall types.

These firewalls are employed at the application layer of the OSI model. Hence a proxy firewall can also be called the application firewall.

Proxy firewall, just like any other firewall accepts or denies traffic considering each individual packet separately. The reason for heightened security in this type of firewalls there is no direct contact between network systems.

The proxy server manages, or in other words brokers all the connections between the network and the outside world. Thus there’s no harm to a particular network either from a public network or any other wing of the private network.

The added security capabilities mean that these firewalls slow things down. Also their complexity of not allowing more than a few popular network protocols could give us a real headache!

#3 Stateful inspection firewalls

The Stateful Inspection Firewalls are sort of advanced versions of the ACLs. They are also referred to as dynamic packet filtering firewalls.

As opposed to static packet filtering firewalls, these firewalls instead of just checking the headers of packets can also monitor the exact state of all active connections.

These firewalls monitor both the incoming and outgoing packets for a period of time. In the process of tracking the outgoing packets, the required incoming packets are identified and only those packets are allowed through the firewall.

Their ability to prevent port scanning, by keeping the ports closed unless requested by incoming packets adds additional defense.

#4 Unified Threat Management (UTM) Firewalls

These are the best security solutions, where in the firewall is included with an antivirus, data leak prevention, load balancing, anti-spam, VPN etc.

The resultant product is a single console through which the entire complexity is reduced. With an UTM in hand, you can forget about installing all the software separately and then their maintenance.

All you have to do now is understand this one product in detail and that’s all it takes in establishing the entire security system for your private network.

There are disadvantages also though with this approach, where the single point of failure comes in.The Unified Threat Management solutions are also referred to as Next Generation Firewalls.

Categories
PC Guides PC Hacks Security Web Guides

Computer Security : How To Stay Hidden In A Computer Network

Computer Security : How To Stay Hidden In A Computer Network

Whenever you surf the Internet, you leave pieces of information through which one can track your activities. All this information is recorded by your ISP.

What can we in order to leave no trace at all? One of the options would be browse TOR ( The Onion Router ), a large network of computers that are completely anonymous. But the only risk is that any registered computer in that network can sniff your information.

Another option would be through a VPN (Virtual Private Network) , even here we can not ensure hundred percent security as they have some security flaws , and also payment are too faces.

To overcome this problem, we are introducing a simple and quick way to surf the net by hiding your presence. That is by using the application Hotspot Shield. This program acts as a VPN to mask your IP address, and here we explain how.

Also See: All The Other Means To Hide Your IP Address

Steps To Hide Your Trace By Using Hotspot Shield :

1. Download Hotspot Shield program from their official page here and install it.

2. Once installed it will automatically proceed to the configuration.

Computer Security : How To Stay Hidden In A Computer Network

3. Now you will be directed to the ” Tab Detection Network ” where you can configure the behavior of Hotspot Shield to detect internet connections. By default, the VPN tunnel is activated when you connect to a new or an unknown network, so it is advisable to leave it as same.

4. General Menu, here you can configure some of the common settings like display in notification panel, add as a start up program and many more.

5. To enable protection, just click on connect and begin the process of VPN connection. After a few minutes it goes from yellow to green which confirms everything went well. If you want to stop then just press the red button.

6. To choose the country from which you want to connect, just move on to the main screen where you can set your Virtual location (select the country from which you want to connect). By this you can even access the websites that are restricted in your country keeping your identity safe.

 

After this last step we can extend our VPN where we can navigate without a trace. Hotspot Shield has a free version and also a paid one. Other similar programs for this purpose are Spotflux and TunnelBear.

Also See: How To Find The IP Address Of Your Computer