Keepass - Keep your password safe in one place

KeePass is a free open source password manager(Which mean 100% FREE), which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish). Get it here

And Here is a short video on how to use it


I already accumulated lots of password and now I want to be organize keep them on a safe place.

Keepas has lot more other feature to offer but keeping password is what it do best and that all I need, simply keep all my password secure.

Window 7 GodMode

GodMode on Windows 7 and Vista just a folder where the complete list of setting the you would probably need to make changes on your Windows operating system.

Do you need enable this? It depends on your need. If you have experienced spending time just trying to look where you can change a setting in Window or you just have changed something and you forgot how did you do it and you needed to undo it this is a nifty trick to make everything simple.

To have the all the settings stored on one location, create a new folder I would suggest on your desktop so you really wont miss it when you need to find something. rename that folder into " GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} " of course without the " " . After renaming it the folder would change it's icon and it will contain all the shortcut to the windows settings.

I found this short video too that demostrate how to do it.

Secure Your Wifi

Put in mind that now versions of WEP(Wired Equivalent Privacy)  password are easily cracked and disabling SSID broadcast or changing your SSID name from the default are useless also MAC filtering is useless.

For a strong security, enable 128 bit WPA security on your Wifi system. And do not use common password like names or any words that can be fount on the dictionary instead use random WPA password and change it often at lease once a month specially if you are located in a crowded area where there could be lurking hackers or wanna be. Store it in a text file on a thumb drive and use this to change the passwords on all your computers. Or use WPA-PKA if your network will support that.

The best secure way is to turn off the wifi and just use LAN cable

Clickjacking-What is this?

For simple internet users the work click jacking is kinda too technical. To make it simple we can relate this to car jacking except the car is the click of the mouse button.It may seem not so important as losing your car, but it might be. If the click that will be jacked is towards losing your identity to an identity theft.

How does it work and how we can avoid it? Clickjacking works by hiding a malicious script under a legit website like post on facebook that would activate after a user click it. After clicking it it might send to to a well fabricated look a like of a legit website like a fake paypal website or just a fake Facebook page. When you are on the fake site your just one more click or less away from being clickjacked or you may have been clickjacked already. So to avoid this is DO NOT CLICK STRANGE LINKS even it is coming from a trusted friend. Your friend could have been victimized by this clickjacking that a automated script had taken over the account and repost it self to propagate

How to be 100% Hacker Proof

If hackers can hack big companies like Sony(Click here to reference site) who pay thousand of dollars to their IT group to secure their computers what chance do you have? And in addition to that hackers can even hack some FBI computers and none of that they are also hacking. With the case stated we the simple computer users doesn't stand a chance specially with the popular hackers known as LulzSec.

I'm not paranoid about it because they are probably not interested in me or with you. First is if they are hacking for money, I only have little or nothing at all in comparison with what they could have get by hacking Sony. Second is if they are going to hack us it will be a very boring thing for them, no challenge at all, meaning they will have no fun.

But if you are still paranoid from being hacked, there is a way greater than buying expensive security protection software and firewall routers simply just turn off your computer or unhook it from the internet and do not make online transactions. That way you really have closed all the doors that they can enter and therefore you are now 100% secured on your side from hackers. I said on your side because if our bank, school, employer is online they can still hack in there to extract informations about us.

Where Do you Keep Your Passwords?

Password keeping is getting tough these days but we need to keep up with it to keep our accounts secure. Passwords and user name requirements are getting longer and requires alpha numeric characters and some capitalization thus this makes it hard to remember.

With these said most people end up using the same password on multiple account if you're one of them be warned it is dangerous. If so happen one of your account was hacked then considered all has been hacked, or if had opened an account to some bad websites the require your e-mail add as the user name and you have used the same password as your e-mails password on to that account then they already have an access to your e-mail account which might contain more links to you other accounts.

So where do you keep your password?

There are lots of password keepers software out there but it will also require you to have one password to protect all your other passwords, and if you lost this one password then you lost all (if you can't remember them). You could write your password on a text file or XLS file, but someone got their hand on it then they had your passwords too.

Leave your suggestions on the comment on where is the best place to keep your passwords.

Do Want to see Who viewed your Profile on FB?

Do want to see who viewed your profile on FB? For what ever reason you may have better think again because this is agains FB's policy (FB faq=12903 ) 

So if ever there is an app that would offer you this capability think twice or maybe more because more likely they are fake or even worst they are just rogue apps that would steal you identity. Legitimate FB apps would probably follow the guideline set by FB.

I conclude that this rogue apps is just using your curiosity enthaising you to use their app. You may need to sign up for their free service so they could capture some information from you or you maybe forwarded into a fake facebook website asking you to log-in, if your not careful enough they will have a chance and capture your FB username and password and all the information you have there.

Be Aware You Have Been Warned.

Free Anti-Virus Software for Simple Users - Part 2

I have written about free anti virus program in the past but now it is not about free antivirus program that has limited functionality, this about a full version.

Did you know that most of the high speed internet providers offer a free anti-virus program? Yes it is free and it is full version. Check out the website or call them to find out how you could get a free antivirus program. I have Comcast as my ISP and through them I was able to download and install the latest Norton Security Suite for free.

MEDIACOM
CHARTER
COMCAST

For Comcast you will need to download install comcast security software called Constant Guard before you can download and install the free Norton Suite. Constant Guard is Comcast software that adds another layer of security for you internet banking passwords. I just had a minor problem with Constant Guard, I cant use the Yahoo Messenger while it is running so I had to uninstall it and just use Norton Security Suite.

Free Anti-Virus Software for Simple Users

For simple computer users, like you and me(I assume since your reading this blog). We don't need those heavy duty anti-virus software that cost $30-$100 per year or even more to be protected from computer virus. There are free the is just perfect for our need.
What do we need? We just need to be free of virus that comes from the internet, e-mail and removable storage device like a USB thumb drive. The free anti-virus does this job as great as the paid versions since it also uses the same engine to detect viruses. The difference between paid and free versions is that the paid will offer extra protection like a back up option, sand box, identity theft protection, spam mail filter and protection from spy wares. We can ask our self do we really need those extra protection? Are we, the simple computer users exposed with those threats? If you just use the computer to process some office documents, watch youtube, go to face book, read and send your e-mail, pay your bills and maybe visit a couple of respected sites like CNN, NBC, Yahoo, e-bay I would say the free anti-virus program is enough to keep you safe. But if you go watch porn, go download illegal copies of movies and program, use torrent and other files sharing program then you are prone to be attacked by computer viruses, the free anti-virus is not enough but then again this blog is not for you because the also means your not a simple computer user.

What are the free anti-virus program?
1. Avast
2. AVG
3. Avira

I have personally tried all of the above, they all worked for me and had kept me safe. There was I time we had 3 computer at home so I use one for each computer just to compare them but now I ended up using just Avast. I have nothing negative to tell about the others it is just my personal preference. If you have an expire anti-virus program, un-install it first then download and install one of the free anti-virus program.

Here is a quick un-installation guide-Click Here

The thing that these free anti-virus program missed to detect are spy ware but I don't blame them because even paid version do so.I would recommend Spybot a free anti spy ware program. Just download and install then follow the pop up instructions.

Paypal scam

PayPal is good to protect you from fraud and provide safe online transactions, but even if you are a PayPal user, you are not completely safe from internet scams, you are rather a target for scams. You are a greate target because they know you have money and you are doing online transactions.

The scam works this way, they will front as Paypal and will send you an e-mail that tells you that Paypal have detected that there is an unauthorized used on your account. They will be using Paypal logo, graphics and fonts so it will really look good and sounds officiall, they would even include links that point to the official Paypal site.
 BUT BEWARE they will offer you something like activate a security to prevent the unauthorized use by click a button or a link and there where the trick is, the button or the link will point you to a FAKE Paypal website that will ask you to log in but instead they will just capture you Paypal user name and password so they can have access to it and use your money.

What to do if you receive this type of e-mail.
1. Ignore it or rather report it as a scam so other people may be alerted.

How to identify if it is a Paypal Scam?
1. The e-mail address is not officially from Paypal.
2. The greetings is using generic term like"Dear Paypal User", Paypal will usually greet you with the name you registered to them.
3. They are asking for private information.
4. There are links the points to a different site location and not to paypal.com
5. The links are not secured - http:// only and not the secure https://
6. It is asking you to verify your account by logging in or sending your password.

Help Me, Please Send Money Scam

On my previous post I have lay down some tips to prevent Facebook account from being stolen. Now I just want go share a real example of what happened to someone when his account was stolen. I will not mention names anymore to provide privacy.My only intent is to share some point so we may learn from their experience.  The first one noticed that there is something wrong was his daughter when she noticed that there is is a post her dad needs help. Basically the approach of the hacker is make it sound that the victim in trouble by posting something on their walls that would make their friends and relatives worry. Then he would send email and PM to those that would seems to concerned. He would try to ask help and make them transfer money electronically and the that where real trick comes in because the receiving end of the money was the hackers bank account (it was open somewhere in Nigeria or other country where US authorities has less power to investigate).

Here are the points we need know in case this happen to on of our friends:
1. Commonsense, as always. Sometime our emotion takes over whenever we hear bad news about our friends and love ones.
2. Confirm the situation personally don't just rely on the Facebook message, give him a call or call some that could personally confirm the situation. Confirm with the hospital by calling it directly in case the hacker would use health as the threat.
3. Never send money electronically, maybe send a check named and addressed to your friend.

Leave a comment and add more info, together we can warn our friends with regard to this scam.