Public wifi networks – you find them at airports, coffee shops, and even at fast food restaurants. Public networks don’t have to be wireless. Hotel networks are often wired, but they are public, and the same precautions apply. You never know who else is on the network capturing your traffic. Are public networks safe? What can you do to protect yourself? First, know the risks. There are three ways others can steal your data or compromise your privacy when you are on a public network. The first one is old-school and low-tech (or even no-tech). Someone who wants to steal your passwords or just see what you are up to can simply look over your shoulder (it is called shoulder-surfing). There is a more advance version, though. It involves a small video camera strategically positioned to record what others are doing – sometimes from a distance of several meters. Watching the display and playing back video of the keystrokes while entering passwords can be an effective attack. In a crowded place, and with the right equipment, this is easier than you might think. The second one is simply capturing the traffic that you are broadcasting through the air (that’s why it’s called wireless, you know) and analyzing it later for passwords, etc. Many public networks are open (all the traffic is in “plaintext” and can be read) or use shared passwords (if you all have the same password, it is more or less the same as an open network). Assume any password given to you by someone else is not secure, since you have no way of knowing who else may know it. The third one is a little more difficult, but not much. Anyone can pretend to be a free wifi access point. It just takes a little configuration on a laptop to set up a network that others can connect to. The attacker calls it “Free Public Wifi” and then connects any victims who fall for the trick to a real public network. The victim surfs happily, but the attacker is recording everything. Ouch! That sounds dangerous. What can you do to avoid being the victim? Here are five tips: Avoid doing sensitive work when on a public network. Do you really need to check you stocks or your bank account from the hotel or the coffee shop? Only do this when it is really necessary. Look around. Be aware of your surroundings. Lean over the keyboard when typing passwords. Sit with your back toward the wall. Don’t make it easy for others to see what you are doing. Know what you are connected to. Make sure you know the name (also referred to as the SSID) of the network you want to use. Beware if you see a duplicate or similar name. Avoid unknown networks. In addition, your laptop should be configured to connect to “access points” only (also known as infrastructure mode). Do not allow your computer to connect directly to other computers (also known as ad-hoc mode).On a Macintosh, go to System Preferences > Network > Advanced and made sure “Create computer-to-computer networks is not checked. On Windows, double-click the wireless adapter icon > click the “Wireless Networks” tab > click the “Advanced” button, and make sure that “Access point (infrastructure mode) networks only” is selected. Learn about https. In the address bar of the browser, the address starts with either http:// or https://. The “s” stands for secure. In this mode, all the traffic to and from your computer is encrypted and cannot be read by anyone else – even if they record it and analyze it later. Any sensitive information should ONLY be sent over an https connection. A word of caution, though – if you are tricked into making a https connection to an attacker, they will be able to read what you send. You must be SURE you know who is at the other end of the https connection. If you receive an error about a “certificate” when on a public network, DO NOT ignore it. You may be about to become a victim. Checking email? Remember that even though you may sign in to your account using https, the mail is usually sent over http, in cleartext. The exception is Gmail, which defaults to https for everything. It is the most secure email service for use in public locations. If the last two tips sound a bit complicated – well, they are. The good news is that you can skip them both if you want and just go to tip number five. Use a VPN or a secure connection service. If you really want to be safe, use a VPN or a secure connection. With a VPN, your computer does not connect directly to the internet. Instead, it makes a completely secure (encrypted) connection to some other computer, which then connects to the internet from a non-public network. There are free versions and paid versions with more advanced features. You install these on a home or office computer, but you may have to do some configuration of your home or office router to make it all work. There are also secure services that work the same way, except that their servers establish the actual connections to the internet. They are usually easier to configure. Again, some are free, and some are paid subscription services. You see, computing from a public location can be safe. The first and second tips are just good, common-sense ways to avoid unnecessary risks. The second and third tips are a bit “nerdy”, but good safety practices. Tip number five is the easiest, and nearly bullet-proof, as long as you also follow tip number two. You don’t have to spend money, but spending a little may get you some added speed, convenience, and features. Use your head (to block the view of the keyboard when typing passwords, that is), pay attention, and be safe. Dennis Houseknecht Nerds On Site – virtually everywhere www.nerdsonsite.com
Adaptive Private Networking (APN) is a new technology that combines affordable and easily obtainable IP bandwidth sources such as broadband with high performance, more expensive WAN (wide area network) technologies like MPLS. The end result is next-generation enterprise WANs that can deliver 30 to 100 times the bandwidth per dollar while reducing WAN costs by anywhere from 40 to 90%. Additionally, APN technology offers greater reliability than any modern single provider Frame Relay or MPLS WANs. The Enterprise WAN market has not seen a lot of change for many years. In the early 1990′s, Frame Relay brought better bandwidth at a lower cost to IT Managers looking for alternatives to X.25 and point-to-point leased lines when building their WANs. Frame Relay, along with the comparably expensive single-sourced MPLS services are still the predominant technologies for corporate Intranet traffic today. Both technologies have the benefit of offering highly reliable (“3½ nines,” i.e., 99.95%, or better) service from a single carrier. However, the cost of these services comes at a price that is still equal to 1998 pricing on a cost-per-Mbps basis. The disconnect with regards to pricing becomes very noticeable when compared with the improved affordability of broadband connectivity such as DSL or Cable internet over the same period of time. These services are as cheap as $3 to $15/month per Mbps, and in some cases even less. However, the reason why enterprise businesses have continued to use more expensive solutions such as Frame Relay and MPLS is because the reliability of broadband and internet networks is no business quality and unlikely to ever get to a 99.99% reliability level. This is where Adaptive Private Networking bridges the gap. APN appliances leverage network bandwidth from multiple sources with a WAN, such as high-speed MPLS connections at central locations and broadband connections at branch locations. In the same way that a VOIP service such as Skype uses overlay networking techniques, APN does the same thing. In layman’s terms, this concept allows your wide area network to use large amounts of inexpensive broadband bandwidth combined with small amounts of more expensive MPLS or Frame Relay in order to deliver business-quality connections over the entire network at a fraction of the cost. The APN appliance performs real-time, per-packet traffic engineering and proprietary end to end algorithms to deliver reliability. The benefits of this technology are massive when consider the reliability and bandwidth required for applications such as VOIP and videoconferencing across an enterprise level corporation. Now a central office in New York can conduct videoconferencing with dozens of branches spread across the country using a hybrid consisting of large percentage of affordable broadband bandwidth and a small percentage of more expensive private bandwidth in order to deliver business quality connections at a fraction of the price. http://reviews-mann.blogspot.com/2010/02/final-fantasy-xiii-preview.html http://www.google.com/profiles/mannzunty http://twitter.com/lizareckon
Data leakage protection (or data loss prevention) is a process that involves numerous methods that prevent loss of data. A data leakage protection tool can be a hardware or software tool that can protect every type of data that is in use, in rest or in motion, on a computer network. It can also conduct intense content inspection with the help of a centralized management framework. The tool can conduct a contextual security analysis of transaction that includes detecting attributes of: Originator Destination Data object Medium Timing Remember, a leakage prevention tool aims to diagnose and prevent unauthorized access to data. Data Leakage Protection Common Tools Basic tools that are widely used in computer networks for secured data transmission are as follows: Firewall: A security device that acts as a barrier between two networks. It is configured to accept or deny network access requests. It can also encrypt or decrypt network traffic between different security domains. These are widely used in hardware or software, depending upon its type, to protect intranets and internet data from unauthorized access. All the data flowing through the network has to meet specific security criteria to be approved and authenticated by the firewall. Routers: Two or more routers in a computer network can be configured to use session encryption. Many users who have access to resources can see the data flowing on the Internet. Routers promote protected connectivity between two sites, making the routes secured. Virtual Private Networks: It is a computer network that aims to provide secured access to a private network for remote offices or individual users using Internet or other public telecommunication infrastructure. This happens through an additional logical layer that forms on the existing larger network. Network Tap: This enables network administrators to access data that passes through a computer network. Computer networks are based on the technologies including Ethernet, 802.11 and FDDI. It is vital to monitor the data using a third party device, such as a network tap. A network tap features minimum three ports and can be used for: VoIP recording RMON probes network intrusion detection systems packet sniffers network probes A network tap does not affect the flow of data or any other device attached in the network. Network Critical provides network intrusion prevention systems to stop threats on the network. Check out their website at NetworkCritical.com.
As computer networks continue to grow designers are faced with the challenge of catering for an ever increasing range of business requirements without blowing out the cost of the solution. Businesses today are placing more of an emphasis on security and converged [voice, video and data] as well as a more efficient use of computer resources across expensive links. Fortunately for network designers, network virtualization technologies such as Virtual Router Forwarding (VRF), Virtual LANs (VLAN), Virtual Device Context (VDC) and Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are providing the flexibility that modern networks demand. How? The short answer is that virtualization technologies allow one piece of hardware to be split into a number of logical devices. This way, technology can adapt to evolving organizational changes such as restructures, mergers and growth without compromising the existing network. This can reduce the risks associated with network changes, reduce the need for large scale capital investment in infrastructure and make the most efficient use of existing network resources. Take an organizational merger as an example of a changing business landscape. Conflicting IP address schemas can delay the sharing of network resources due to the complexity of renumbering servers and other critical infrastructure. But using virtualization technologies, designers can run the conflicting network IP ranges in parallel across the same wire without the need to renumber either organization’s infrastructure. Central translation points can then be configured to provide access between the networks completing the interim solution and making resources available across organizations quickly and inexpensively! Buying more time through this type of solution means that the more permanent consolidation activities can take place over time without the pressure from the business who are happily accessing each other’s resources over virtualized network components. Remaining consolidation activities can then also be aligned with existing network hardware refresh projects (typically network hardware is replaced every 4-5 years) further streamlining costs due to the reduction of scope in the initial consolidation work. This is just one example of the flexibility that network designers have through the use of network virtualization technologies. Of course, virtualization also lends itself to permanent network design solutions as well. VPNs, for example can be used to save money by utilizing public or third party network infrastructure as opposed to commissioning costly private infrastructure to provide connectivity. VLANS are another example of virtual segregation on a network. For Directors, CIO and CEOs knowledge that there may be alternatives to additional links and hardware when growth or organizational flexibility is required may come as an oasis in a sea of ones and zeros. Virtualization technologies excel in delivering innovative solutions and should be given due consideration on any network design. Co-founder of IT-pathways.com and author Andres Villalva B.IT, AssDip(Eng), MCNE, CCNP, Project+ is an Information Technology professional specializing in Telecommunications Architecture.
The world is in a new era of technological advancement where the word “web” no longer pertains to a spider’s home; the universe has its counterpart in the form of cyberspace; a mouse does not run under the table all the time, but stays put on a table; RAM can be seen inside a box called CPU aside from running in lush green fields; and wallpaper no longer needs adhesives to stick to the surface it covers. Having said this, it is evident that things are not how they used to be and that applies to how tasks are finished in offices. Physical presence is now a thing of the past in troubleshooting. Remote desktop softwareallows borderless computer activity that makes work easier, faster and cheaper. This is perfect for a business that operates more than 10 computers at a time – and all of which need continual checking from the technical support team. For some people, using this kind of software is an excuse for laziness, and is thus one of the things that make technology less than beneficial to mankind. However other people see it, though, it is still practical that businesses use it. But at what price? Many brands of remote control software can finish a number of tasks in no time. But there are also downsides to this innovation that if not closely monitored, may result to the exact opposite of its advantages – the death of a business. For instance, having your technical problems fixed without lifting a finger is no question very convenient. But what if there is no problem to begin with? Privacy – something which is very important in the workplace – will also be affected. As the one controlling the software can access your computer together with all the files stored in it, any confidential or personal (if the company policies allow you) data can be readily taken from you without your consent. Likewise, using unsecured software in this space can invite hackers to take complete control over your computer. This is why it is crucial to use only remote accesswith the highest security features. To allay the fears of many consumers, makers of this software have worked hard on security concerns. Though many brands offer good protection, absolute security is something that cannot be attained. Another problem here is that technical staff should be familiar with this kind of technology to avoid business mishaps. A popular brand offered by Apple Inc. called Apple Remote Desktop for example released several versions within just a short period of time to fix bugs that have been lingering in the old version. Some brands aside from this also released many versions that made using and upgrading the software a tad complicated. Continuous training for the staff is required to maximize software usage. This article was written by Phillip Presley on behalf of Proxy Networks. He recommends you consider Proxy Networks for all your Remote Desktop Software, Remote Control Software, and PC Remote Access needs.
