Wireless Networking Precautions

Using a wireless internet network ( Wi-Fi) has many advantages for internet users. It allows you to be able to work in any room of your home and even outside your house and still be able to connect to the internet. Along with the advantages, Wi-Fi also comes with some security issues. If you can pick your Wi-Fi signal from outside your house, that means that others will be able to do the same. Wireless internet users need to take some extra precautions to protect their information from being taken or hacked into by others.

The best way to protect our computer when you have Wi-Fi is to make sure that you have an up-to-date antivirus program installed on your computer. Most anti-virus software will automatically scan your computer to check for any possible threats or viruses. By enabling a WEP or WPA (encryptions on your computer) you can help prevent any intruders from accessing your computer and installing a virus or worm on it. This is very important for wireless internet users as any half-way decent hacker can use your Wi-Fi connection to get into your computer.

http://www.itlist.com/security-precautions-for-wireless-internet-users/

Internet Parental Control Software

Software controls can help parents monitor or restrict the online activities of their children. The best Internet parental control software not only prevents access to age-inappropriate content, but it also keeps children safe when they use chat programs or social networking sites. Internet parental controls most often come in standalone software for installation on household computers. More recently, some parental controls are offered as online, cloud-based services, making remote monitoring and use on multiple computers easier.

Most parental control programs operate on a yearly subscription, similar to antivirus software. If the subscription lapses, the software no longer works. Subscription-based parental controls usually include round-the-clock support and free updates as part of the service. Some types of parental control software is free to use, ranging from standalone freeware to the built-in functions of operating systems like Windows or Mac OS X. However, software critics say that free internet parental controls may not be comprehensive enough.

http://www.suite101.com/content/finding-the-best-internet-parental-control-software-a221803

How to create and use strong passwords

One of the problems with passwords is that users forget them. In an effort to not forget them, they use simple things like their dog’s name, their son’s first name and birthdate, the name of the current month- anything that will give them a clue to remember what their password is.

For the curious hacker who has somehow gained access to your computer system this is the equivalent of locking your door and leaving the key under the doormat. Without even resorting to any specialized tools a hacker can discover your basic personal information- name, children’s names, birthdates, pets names, etc. and try all of those out as potential passwords. To create a secure password that is easy to remember, do not use personal information, do not use real words, mix different character types, use a passphrase, and / or use a password management tool.

http://netsecurity.about.com/cs/generalsecurity/a/aa112103b.htm

Internet Filters

Internet filters are software tools that can help monitor Web content that can be viewed on a certain computer or network. In the case of family safetey settings, Internet filters can also help parents manage who kids can communicate with or how long kids can use the computer. Parents, guardians, or school administrators protect kids from viewing inappropriate material as well as identify which Web sites kids can visit.

Parents and guardians block sites by content type or only allow access to certain sites. You can prevent unwanted, explicit sexual content from appearing in your search results. Businesses block Web sites or applications that they don't want their employees to use at work. Setting Internet filters can help warn you about and block you from suspicious Web sites that might be fraudulent, also known as phishing filters. You can also keep spam out of your inbox, also known as spam filters.

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/terms/internetfilters.aspx

Internet Parental Guidance

Today's responsible parents are using internet filtering software to protect their children from predators on the internet. Responsible parents want to know and monitor what their children are doing online, safeguard their privacy, stop pornography and other objectionable material from coming into their home, and limit their children's online activities. Children and teenagers use computers and the internet more than any other age group.

The major film studios, television networks, and record labels have been forced by Federal legislation to restrict minors' access to adult material. However, no such legislation has been passed covering the internet. We fully support the unrestricted right of any adult of legal age to view any legal content they so desire. But our children need to be supervised and restricted from either accidentally stumbling into an adults-only area on the internet, or being lured there by a predator.

http://www.parentalguidance.org/

Digital Image Steganography

The term steganography comes from the Greek words meaning "to cover tightly" and "writing." It refers to the practice or art of concealing a message in any medium. Digital steganography refers to concealing a message in a digital format. Digital Steganography makes use of the fact that in a number of file formats, data is reduplicated or some data is of little importance, and the hidden message does not cause noticable changes to the file. It is used in graphics files, HTML, sound files, video, and text files, for example, but image files are favored and referred to as stego-images.

Digital steganography is related to hidden digital watermarking, but watermarking often uses smaller messages and has different purposes — often copyright, although to a certain extent, they are interchangeable. There is special software to enable the practice of digital steganography, and it may enable hiding a message within a digital watermark, although other methods may be more common. Some digital steganography software is better than others at effectively concealing messages.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-digital-steganography.htm

Computer Forensics

Computer forensics is the specialized practice of investigating computer media for the purpose of discovering and analyzing available, deleted, or "hidden" information that may serve as useful evidence in a legal matter. It can be used to uncover potential evidence like copyright infringement, fraud, blackmail, piracy, sexual harassment, and more. Computer forensics combines specialized techniques with the use of sophisticated software to view and analyze information that cannot be accessed by the ordinary user. This information may have been "deleted" by the user months or even years prior to the investigation, or may never have been saved to begin with - but it may still exist in whole or in part on the computer's drive.

In order to determine whether a computer holds information that may serve as evidence, the professional must first create an exact image of the drive. The examiner examines only this image drive to protect the original from inadvertent alterations. These images must be actual bit-by-bit or "mirror" images of the originals, not just simple copies of the data. Acquiring these kinds of exact copies requires the use of specialized forensics techniques. These mirror images are critical because each time someone turns a computer on, many changes are automatically made to the files. In a Windows® system, for example, more than 160 alterations are made to the files when the computer is turned on. These changes are not visible to the user, but the changes that do occur can alter or even delete evidence, for example, critical dates related to criminal activity.

http://www.expertlaw.com/library/forensic_evidence/computer_forensics_101.html