The Curbstoning Auto Scam
Curbstoning refers to auto dealers who try to bypass the law by selling their vehicles on the street, by pretending to be private sellers. In this auto scam dishonest car dealers use curbstoning as a means of circumventing their state laws which govern the sale of cars. Most states have limits in place with regards to how many vehicles a person may buy and sell in a particular time frame before being required to be a licensed car dealer. The big disadvantage of being licensed, to these people, is that licensed car dealers have to meet certain requirements in order to stay in business. Curbstoners, because they appear to be private sellers, do not have any such restrictions to work within. Inferior Cars Often, a curbstoning car dealer will utilise this scam in order to offload the type of vehicle they would struggle to sell through their dealership. Whatever part of the country you live, or wherever in the world for that fact, you have probably seen this scam in operation on a street corner near you. There will be several cars for sale in the same place, often parked along the curb, hence the name ‘curbstoners’. Typically, these cars will be ones with problems, that are hard for the dealers to sell through their official businesses. Additionally, cars bought at the roadside may have had their clocks rolled back ( odometer fraud ). ‘Internetstoning’ Popular internet sites, such as eBay, have proven to be popular with curbstoners. This is because they often afford the seller a great deal of anonymity, making it difficult for disgruntled purchasers, and government agencies alike, to track them down. Internet adverts for lemon autos allows the scammer to utilise a few different techniques in order to increase their chances of selling their vehicles. Poor resolution photographs are often used as they can hide a multitude of sins, from dents to rust, and many others besides. Another often used tactic in online sales is affinity fraud. Avoiding Curbstoning Scams Whilst there are laws in place that prohibit curbstoning, they are rarely enforced or prosecuted. Likewise, eBay cannot keep up with the problem either – if detected, a scammer will just close an account and start again with a new id. Therefore, vigilance is the key if you wish to avoid buying a car that – may have had it’s odometer rolled back could be stolen has previously been written off or damaged has someone else’s credit outstanding on it has been designated as being for export only If you really must buy a car off the street, or via an online auction then take care. Verify the seller’s identity, get any guarantees or representations in writing and, if possible arrange a viewing (with a mechanic) in advance. The Curbstoning Auto Scam is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009 Continue reading here: The Curbstoning Auto Scam
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Trend Micro Announces 30% Discount On Internet Security Products
Everybody wants to feel safe and secure when surfing the internet and the best way to achieve that goal is through having quality products protecting your computer. That means an antivirus program at the very least and quite possibly a full internet security suite. One of the most notable security vendors is Trend Micro who have today announced a 30% price reduction on many of their products. Make it a Merry Christmas for both of us by bagging a great discount whilst earning me a commission To benefit from this great discount just use the coupons below between December 25th and January 10th – For United States customers Save 30% off Trend Micro Internet Security! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Save 30% off Trend Micro Antivirus plus AntiSpyware 2010! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Save 30% on Trend Micro Internet Security Pro! Coupon Code: shoptrendm For my fellow Brits Save 30% on Trend Micro Home & Home Office products! Coupon Code: shoptrendm For everyone else Spar 30% av Trend Micros hele linjen av Home og Home Office-produkter! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Bespaar 30% van de gehele lijn van Trend Micro’s van Thuis en Thuiskantoor producten! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Sconto del 30% della intera linea di Trend Micro Home & Home Office prodotti! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Économisez 30% de toute la ligne de Trend Micro of Home & Home Office produits! Acheter maintenant Sparen Sie 30% der gesamten Linie von Trend Micro Home & Home Office Produkte! Coupon Code: shoptrendm Trend Micro Announces 30% Discount On Internet Security Products is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009 Continued here: Trend Micro Announces 30% Discount On Internet Security Products
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Inheritance Scams
If you receive an email, or notification via regular mail, from an ‘estate locator’ claiming that there may be an unclaimed inheritance to which you are entitled then don’t get excited too quickly. Sure, there are times when someone dies and leaves a sum of money to people who didn’t know them, or didn’t expect to inherit anything from them, but that tends to be the exception rather than the rule. So, if you do receive such a notification from an ‘estate locator’ suggesting that you have an inheritance due then remember that if something sounds too good to be true it typically is. THE INHERITANCE CON Con artists will adopt any scheme that they think will part a fool from his money. They will tell you that you are due an inheritance and that they have found you by undertaking extensive research. Don’t feel flattered that they have found you though – inheritance scammers bulk mail the same message to hundreds, or even thousands, of people at the same time, hoping that one or two may reply. Those people who do reply are then enticed into a classic advanced fee scam , being told that they need to pay for various expenses before they can claim their inheritance. Such fees can include estate reports, legal costs and processing fees. Needless to say, this money disappears without a trace and no inheritance is ever forthcoming. PREVENTION Keeping yourself safe from inheritance scams is relatively easy and just requires some commonsense. If you receive mail from an ‘estate locator’ then check sources other than the ones they quote to you, such as relatives and obituaries. Additionally, business services such as the BBB and the AG’s office could tell you if you are being approached by an individual or company that has been investigated in connection with inheritance scams. Remember too that legitimate law firms and executors of wills will never require you to pay a fee in order to determine whether you are entitled to an inheritance or not. If you have been unfortunate enough to become a victim of such a scheme then report it to the authorities so that others do not have to experience the same fate. Inheritance Scams is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009 See the article here: Inheritance Scams
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How Can I Help My Elderly Friends And Relatives Protect Themselves On The Internet?
For many of us, we have grown up in an age of computers and electronic devices all around us. So when the era of the internet came to pass, there was a leap of knowledge that was needed to adjust but the divide was not that great. For the elderly among us, they can remember a time before the digital age and some of the new technology can seem enticing but yet strange and alien at the same time. Most scams run on the internet today are perpetrated against the elderly. Hopefully I can give you some tips to protect your loved ones. Protecting Your Loved Ones Some people will make a joke and say if you want to protect people from the dangers of the Internet then get a Mac or Linux box and tell them not to use Windows. This is funny but not true especially these days. Macs are becoming more and more popular and everyday new exploits are being found that can be used against them. Exploits are becoming more common and big business on all systems so security is a top priority for all of them. The fact is that most people use a Windows version operating system so you will have to show them how to protect themselves on such machines. Email Security The first thing that you will want to tell them is to be skeptical when it comes to email. People believe that it takes a highly technical genius to scam people on the internet. This is simply not true. Most attacks on people, especially the elderly, are low tech email scams. They will either involve sending a link to a person to get their information through phishing or just a straight out direct scam to get the person to send them money. A lot of the elderly believe everything that they read in their emails and have to be told the many, many different ways that people can be scammed through them. Malicious Programs Another thing that they must be instructed on, is not to open any programs that are sent to them outside of their family or friends. Scammers will send friendly looking e-cards and other digital goodies through an email attachment. Most people would not think that an e-card with hearts and flowers on it would hold a digital ticking time bomb. Looks can be deceiving though. The elderly, just like everyone else, must be taught that attachments, no matter what they look like, can be dangerous. Safe Communications A new attack but one that is growing everyday is the use of the software program Skype to send links to a phishing site. There are a lot of elderly people that use Skype as a cheap and easy way to talk to and see videos of their loved ones. Their relatives might set it up for them so they can be confused as to who is sending a link to them. Skype has a lot of spammers now and the elderly must be warned that it has become just like their emails so they must remain vigilant. Hopefully I have gone over several ways that you can help protect the elderly in your life when they use a computer. It is a new world that they are in so maybe you can help them navigate it. See the original post here: How Can I Help My Elderly Friends And Relatives Protect Themselves On The Internet?
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Dancing Skeletons And Other Things That Go Bump At Halloween
Malware is an ever-present concern to users of the internet. Or at least it should be. On any given day there are thousands of threats lurking all around the web, just waiting to get onto or into your computer. Special occasions and notable dates tend to bring more ghouls and goblins out of their closets though and Halloween is no exception. I don’t yet know what the biggest threats will be this year but here are some from the past that may be recycled again this Halloween – The Dancing Skeleton Do you think that dancing skeletons are cute or funny? They may be, but then again, it depends on where you get them from. An application that runs an image of a dancing skeleton may be appealing at first glance until you realise that it may just give you more than you bargained for. The application goes by many Halloween themed names but all have the same effect – installation of the Storm Trojan – which gives your computer free entrance to a botnet. Halloween Bargains That Can Leave You Feeling Like A Pumpkin Everyone likes a good deal and retailers don’t need much in the way of reasons to offer them right now. Halloween specials are available on more than just pumpkins but beware of deals that come via email. Identity thieves can spoof emails to appear as though they come from major brand leaders and all you have to do is click the link and pay by credit card in order to save huge amounts of $$$s. Of course you don’t need me to tell you that clicking links in emails and then handing out financial details is stupid. Do you? Halloween e-Cards Yeah, I know, whatever next huh? I only give out cards for birthdays and Christmas but some people give them out just because. If you get a Halloween e-card then make sure you know the sender and the e-card website before clicking on the link to view said card. Otherwise, well, you should know by now. Party On Dude Are you sociable? Wanna go to a Halloween party? Cool… just make sure its with friends and not the stranger who invited you via email – he doesn’t really like you, he just wants you to R.S.V.P. via the malicious link he put in that invite. If you survive all of those then you are halfway home, though you will still have to contend with the great Halloween scam …. See the original post here: Dancing Skeletons And Other Things That Go Bump At Halloween
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How To Avoid Viruses That Come In The Mail
There are dozens of attack vectors that people must look out for when they are surfing the Internet. One of the oldest but still effective vectors of attack that you must look out for is the use of email. People still tend to treat email very casually and are not on their guard when they use it. I will show you how email can be used against you and what you can do to keep from getting infected. Beware Of Email Attachments There are many things that you must look out for when you open your email but the number one thing that can get you in trouble is by opening up your attachments. Email attachments are files that are sent to you when you receive an email. They may be in the form of a music file, a pdf, a word document, or a funny little video. All of these types of files can be classified under the term of “attachments”. These files while overall harmless can also be used to send a virus to your computer. Some of these files such as a pdf or a flash file have known exploits that can be taken advantage of to infect your computer. Other files can be disguised to look like one type of file such as a mp3 music file but in actuality be an executable file. This is known as a Trojan. An executable file is a file that runs an actual program on your computer. This program can be the virus or a Trojan itself and you will never know that it is running. Also an email can be used to send a link to someone to direct them towards going to another web page. This can also be used as an attack vector against an unwitting victim. Most links that you will be sent in an email are harmless, but some are not, so it pays to always be prepared. Once the person clicks the link in the email, they will be sent to a web page which can either load a virus onto their computer or ask them vital personal details in a technique called phishing . This is a very popular attack vector and one of the most easiest to implement. You can avoid getting a virus onto your computer several different ways. Some techniques include common sense, others include outside program that will help keep you safe. The first step is to make sure that you only open attachments and visit links sent by people that you know. This is not a hundred percent effective method of avoiding getting infected but it does help slim down the chances. Strange emails that send attachments and links are always a sure sign that someone is up to no good. Avoid clicking these types of emails whenever possible. If you receive a link from a friend, email them back first to verify that they did indeed send a link and their email is not being spoofed. Once that is verified it should be pretty safe to go to that link. Some email programs such yahoo and gmail come with virus scanners already attached but it helps if you have your own anti virus already going on your computer. This is the most effective way to avoid getting attacked. When someone that you know sends you an attachment in your email, just download it onto your computer, and scan it with your antivirus program before you click on it to run it. Always Keep Your Antivirus Program Updated An updated virus scanner is a great way to beat the scammers at their own game. An updated anti virus program is the number one protection. Hopefully we made you more familiar on how people will try to attack your computer through email and have given you the means on how to defeat such an attack. Remember that an updated anti virus program is your best bet. An updated antivirus and the use of your own common sense is the best way to go. Go here to see the original: How To Avoid Viruses That Come In The Mail
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Kaspersky Internet Security 2009
If you use a computer and have ever searched for an internet security program or antivirus then you will almost certainly have come across the name Kaspersky. The Russian Security specialist has earned a respectable name in a very short period of time. As you hopefully know by now, a computer without an antivirus program is much like a bank vault without a door. Enter Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 – one of the best all-in-one security packages for all types of users. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 integrates all the significant programs that can protect your computer from a wide range of external threats. This is achieved through the inclusion of – a robust anti-virus scanner a strong firewall an anti-spyware scanner and parental controls. The quality of these components has led to Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 winning several awards. From the moment you install this internet security program on your computer, you will surely find life easier, as well as being protected from virtually all current threats. Features Below are some of Kaspersky Internet Security 2009’s features which make is a hot favorite in this competitive market – User-friendly graphical interface This is a feature on which the designers have obviously worked really hard. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 has got a very clean and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate. All it’s features and options are well laid out and this can only help you take care of your computer better. Antivirus Program, Spam and Anti-Phishing Program I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you must have an antivirus program installed if you are a Windows user. Kaspersky’s antivirus component is supported with a huge database (which can also be updated), which makes sure that your computer is safe from all the latest viral infections. KIS 2009 goes beyond some of the alternative antivirus programs as it is provided with e mail scanner which detects and deletes spam and phishing emails too. KIS 2009 also introduces Secunia vulnerability scanning, which is one of it’s best features. KIS 2009 scans all the applications that are installed on your computer to let you know about the vulnerable programs and by removing those applications you can enhance the security parameters of your computer. This makes KIS 2009 far more advanced than some other basic antivirus programs that you could get elsewhere. Robust Firewall Having an alternative firewall to the default Windows one is always beneficial. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 offers its users robust Firewall protection against many different types of rogue applications and programs. KIS 2009 also allows its users to customize the settings of the Firewall as per their own individual requirements. Proactive defense tool and Parental Control If standard antivirus programs are meant to protect your system from standard viruses then KIS 2009 features its Proactive defense tool which detects any king of suspicious activity on your computer and terminates such applications. Parental Control features enable you to customize the settings of your computer to ensure a safe browsing environment for your kids. The Kaspersky brand is highly popular because they ensure a high level of trust in the minds of their users when it comes to protecting their computers for any viral threats such as rootkits, spam, malware and adware. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is extremely worthy of your money and is undoubtedly one the best options available on the market today. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out The Best Internet Security Programs Of 2009 Read more from the original source: Kaspersky Internet Security 2009
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How To Lock Your Network’s Front Door
Securing your network The following security measures are relatively easy to implement, provided you read the manuals that came with your wireless devices. “The manual?” you ask. Yes, the manual. You know, it’s the thing propping up the short leg on your computer desk. Take it out for now; you’ll only have to deal with the wobble until we’re done. None of the measures described here are particularly dramatic, and there are ways to get around them. But, doing so requires some skill and understanding of networking. In this case, they serve as a sort of “intellectual firewall ” that prevents script kiddies from cracking your network. These steps include the following: 1. Change the default SSID. 2. Disable SSID broadcast. 3. Change the default IP subnet. 4. Consider disabling DHCP. 5. Enable MAC address filtering. 6. Change default administrative passwords. 7. Change default user names. 8. Enable WEP or WPA encryption. 9. Adjust broadcast power. 10. Set minimum connection speeds. 11. Set access times. Change the default SSID The first step toward making a WLAN reasonably secure is changing the default SSID. This is important because anyone using a wireless sniffer can determine what sort of access point you use by looking at the default SSID. Knowing your access point model allows the cracker to guess the rest of the default settings and attack your WLAN that much easier. Don’t change the name to something obvious like your street address (I have actually seen this done) or your name. Consider using random numbers or even changing it to something tike “NOTPUBLIC” or “NOTRESSPASSING” just to make a point. Disable SSID broadcast Wireless access points are set to broadcast the SSID by default. Turn this feature off to make it harder for casual wardrivers to discover your network’s name. It won’t stop a determined cracker from discovering it, though, because wireless NICs always broadcast the SSB3 when communicating with the access point. The procedure for disabling SSID broadcast is different for each manufacturer, so consult your access point’s manual. Once you turn off SSID broadcast, you have to configure each NIC manually and input the new SSID. Change the default IP subnet The next thing you should consider doing is changing the default subnet IP addresses. Each manufacturer has a default IP subnet, and this can make it easy for an attacker to discover the IP address of your access point. Consider also disabling DHCP and assigning static IP addresses. Consider disabling DHCP Most access points support built-in DHCP service. This allows the access point to assign IP addresses dynamically to new computers as they connect to the network and to computers that are reconnecting after a shutdown or reboot. This also allows an intruder to connect to the WLAN and have the access point assign him an IP address, which makes the intruder’s computer a legitimate member of the WLAN. By disabling DHCP, you make this far more difficult. You have to assign permanent (static) IP addresses to each computer on your WLAN and manually configure them. Once again, this is an extra step, but it is well worth the effort. Insider insight : Without DHCP enabled, an intruder has to monitor and analyze network traffic in an attempt to determine the IP subnet and addresses in use He can then assign himself an IP address and attempt to establish a connection. This makes it difficult for casual sniffers and neophyte intruders to access your WLAN. Enable MAC address filtering Another step that you can, and should, take is to enable MAC address filtering. Remember that each network device has a unique MAC address assigned by the manufacturer. Many access points have an option that allows you to restrict access to specific MAC addresses. This should block any MAC addresses that are not on the “allow” list from connecting to the network. This is effective, but it is not perfect. An intruder can monitor network traffic and discover the MAC addresses of legitimate computers on the WLAN. He can then change the MAC address of his NIC, which allows him to masquerade as a member of the network and connect even when filtering is turned on. Change default administrative passwords Change the default administrative passwords on all access points. Once again, these are public knowledge, and, if a cracker knows what type of access point you use, he’ll know the default password. This will aid him in attacking your access point. Caution : Write down the new settings and passwords, and store the list in a secure place. This will be helpful if you forget this information and need it at a later date. Change default user names Likewise, the tips above apply to your username too as these are also common knowledge. Enable WEP or WPA encryption As I mentioned earlier, even though WEP encryption is flawed and vulnerable, you should use it. Enable 128-bit WEP on your WLAN, and use it. With the relatively low traffic on a WLAN in a home, it could take a cracker several hours to collect enough packets to crack your WEP key. Again, each step you perform just adds another piece to the intellectual firewall you’re building. As a whole, these measures with discourage most script kiddies and casual wardrivers. Adjust broadcast power On some access points, you can adjust the broadcast power of the unit. I recommend that you experiment and turn this down as low as you can while still maintaining decent connection speeds between computers on your WLAN. The idea is to keep the signal within the confines of your house rather than having it reach across the street. This makes the signal more difficult to receive for outsiders. Wardrivers can use directional antennas to pick up weak signals at a greater distance, but doing this will at least make it harder for them. Set minimum connection speeds On many access points, you can set a minimum access connection speed. The further away from an access point an intruder is, the weaker the signal will be (both ways). Therefore, if you set the minimum connection speed higher, computers will have to be closer to the access point to connect and stay connected. Once again, this makes it harder for an intruder to access your WLAN because he will have to be closer to connect. Anyone standing on your lawn with a wireless laptop is probably up to no good unless he’s the water meter reader. Set access times Lastly, some access points allow you to configure the times of day to allow access. If it supports this, consider using it. If no-one is home during the day, consider configuring it to block all access between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. See original here: How To Lock Your Network’s Front Door
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Getting Started With Data Protection – Using A USB Flash Drive For Backups
One inexpensive purchase that you can make that will help you with backing up your data and avoiding losing everything is a flash card or a USB memory flash drive. Most people tend to go for flash drives. A great thing about getting a flash drive is that they can read and write data at a much greater speed, and they last longer, than a floppy disk. They also don’t suffer from scratches and other forms of damage in the way that CDs and DVDs do. Some people confuse USB Flash Drives with USB Hard Drives when they are not in fact the same thing. USB hard drives tend to be much larger in capacity and are suited to backing up entire systems or at least larger files. A flash drive is tends to have a lower capacity, at a lower cost of course, and is better suited to backing up smaller files, such as your photo albums. For instance, a 32 GB flash drive is relatively cheap these days and would probably be sufficient for storing all the pictures on your computer, and much more besides. Flash Drives Are Easy To Install It’s very easy to install a flash drive, though I would recommend learning a little about security first so that you can avoid transporting malware, such as the dreaded Conficker virus . Every modern computer has ports that are shaped like a rectangle – they tend to be small ports located on the top, back or front of your PC. Turn on your computer and insert the flash drive into one of these ports. It doesn’t matter which one you use. A menu should then appear on your screen confirming that the device you just plugged in is ready for use. From then on you should be able to use your flash drive like a regular drive – just drag and drop, or copy and paste, the files you wish to backup onto it. See the rest here: Getting Started With Data Protection – Using A USB Flash Drive For Backups
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Why I Like F-Secure Internet Security 2009
F-Secure have always had a great reputation for making top quality internet security and antivirus products. Their latest offering, F-Secure Internet Security 2009, is a solid package which offers antivirus, antispyware, spam and phishing filter features. It also features DeepGuard 2.0 cloud computing technology which provides automatic updates and protects your computer from severe threats which include terrors such as rootkits and malware. It is very easy to install F-Secure Internet Security 2009 and it offers a whole host of features that will protect your computer from just about every type of virus, malware, Trojan and rootkit thats out there right now. Protection from virus and spyware You may be amazed to discover that F-Secure Internet Security 2009 actually has the Kaspersky antivirus engine integrated with its technology. What this means is that F-Secure Internet Security 2009 is able to detect and delete any kind of virus or spyware from your computer. F-Secure BlackLight No antivirus program detects and deletes rootkits by itself. There are many programs available which have to be run separately so that they can eliminate the rootkit-related problems from your computer. F-Secure BlackLight, however, always stays alert and detects the presence of rootkits and instantly eliminates them from your computer. DeepGuard 2.0 Enabled F-Secure Internet Security 2009 is the first ever antivirus to incorporate DeepGuard technology. Deepguard is actually a cloud computing system, which enables it to protect your computer from any new threat within 60 seconds of its confirmation. It recognizes each and every unauthorized external activity and prevents your computer from getting infected by new threats. Firewall Any Internet Security system is incomplete without a healthy and trustworthy Firewall. The most amazing thing about F-Secure Internet Security 2009’s Firewall is that its settings can be customized as per the user’s wish. It keeps check on all incoming and outgoing Internet activities. Whenever it detects malicious traffic, it blocks the Internet access to that particular application and instantly protects your system from viral threats. You can even set your Firewall to work in Normal Mode, which would grant access to some of the basic activities like IM, email and IRC. Spam Filter and Anti-phishing toolbar Spam is one of the most serious and common problems for just about every Internet user. F-Secure Internet Security 2009 has an integrated program which protects your systems from unsolicited emails. It’s anti-phishing toolbar provides extra layer of protection from serious spam and phishing scams. Parental Control This feature is especially for all those parents who are worried about the kind of web sites visited by their children. Parental Control features enable you to password protect some of the applications and programs to ensure that the Internet does not turn out to be BAD for your kids. It even enables you to whitelist or blacklist particular web pages. With all these features, F-Secure Internet Security 2009 has been released with one sole objective, “protection of your system from virus, spam, malware, rootkits and every other similar threat”. With the innovative factors like DeepGuard 2.0 protection and BlackLight, F-Secure Internet Security 2009 is a stand out option for users who are looking for a trustworthy Internet Security package. Whilst there are many feature-rich antivirus and security programs available today I do have to say that F-Secure Internet Security 2009 offers robust protection for all types of users at an affordable price. Why I Like F-Secure Internet Security 2009 is a post from: Scam Types dot Com Check out 101 Internet Security Programs and Tips See the original post here: Why I Like F-Secure Internet Security 2009
The Perfect Illustration Of What Koobface Can Do To Your Computer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15708236@N07/2846915408/ If you wake up one morning to find your computer smiling back at you with a face like the one above then you’re well and truly screwed – you’ve been infected by the mischievous Koobface Virus ! Read more: The Perfect Illustration Of What Koobface Can Do To Your Computer
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Securing Your WLAN With Encryption
Encryption has been in use for a long time. The ancient Greeks and Romans used early encryption techniques to secure their communications, and governments and individuals have used encryption ever since. Many early types of encryption are still in use in some form today, including steganography, restrictive algorithms, and proprietary encryption schemes. These older encryption techniques often suffer from numerous design and implementation flaws, and, when companies integrate them into networking products, security ultimately suffers. Modern encryption techniques Modern encryption techniques utilizing computers and advanced mathematical science are far more secure than those that preceded them. They use unrestricted algorithms in conjunction with numeric keys to secure information. Because unrestricted algorithms are public, and have been tested and withstood scrutiny and attack by the world’s best cryptanalysts, they are more secure than the older restrictive algorithms. These techniques, even though they are not foolproof, have proven to be robust and reasonably secure. WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is the encryption standard developed for wireless networking. WEP encrypts data traveling between access points and computers on the network. It’s a nice name, but the technology hasn’t lived up to its promise. WEP suffers from a number of flaws that allow attackers to discover keys by analyzing network traffic. Attackers can then decrypt all data in real time and continue to compromise the network. WPA In order to improve security, the Wi-Fi Alliance developed a new standard known as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WPA is much more secure than WEP, however, some older devices may not be upgradeable to WPA, and older mobile devices (Pocket PC and Palm) may not have enough processing power to take advantage of WPA. Although it is better, WPA is vulnerable to simple DoS attack. If an attacker sends two forged data packets to a WPA-enabled access point in under one second, he can trick WPA into thinking it’s under attack and force it to shut down for over a minute. This effectively locks all users out of the access point. If the attacker does this repeatedly, he can cause real headaches. All protocols are susceptible to DoS attacks in some form, so this is a trivial vulnerability. I say don’t worry about it; if your system allows you to do so, upgrade to WPA as soon as you can. If WPA is compatible with your network, then enable it. You can enable WPA (and WEP) using the configuration utility for your device or through its Web interface. If you can’t use WPA, then use WEP. Even if WEP can be broken, it takes some effort, and you can deter all but the most determined crackers. Faced with having to crack WEP or simply moving on to the next open WLAN, most crackers will just move along. VPN If you telecommute or work from home and need extra protection, use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN acts as a “tunnel” to protect data traveling between your workplace and home (or laptop). Chances are good that your company already has one installed so all you need to do is contact your IT dept and (very nicely!) ask for a VPN client. This allows you to check and send e-mail and other data through an encrypted link with the company mail server. Dealing with Default Settings Failing to change the default settings on WLAN equipment can facilitate attacks and allow unskilled script kiddies to access your network with little effort. Each manufacturer has default settings for all the equipment they produce. These settings facilitate installing the equipment; unfortunately, many users never change them. They just take their router out of the box, hook it up, and start using it. Default settings are public knowledge to crackers, who post them all over the Internet. There are default settings for passwords, SSIDs, broadcast strength, and IP addresses. Failing to change any of these can leave your network vulnerable to attack. Go here to see the original: Securing Your WLAN With Encryption
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