Be Careful from KeyLogger!

Know how it works:

Knowing how it works will help you make a better decision. A keylogger is a little piece of software that normally stays hidden in your system and collects information on the keys you press on your keyboard. This coupled with its ability to match these keystrokes with the application for which they are being pressed, make a keylogger an extremely dangerous hacking tool. As normally it resides in a system hidden, it can steal your information without you even noticing anything.

Use good quality anti-keylogger software:

Anti-virus anti-malware software are a requirement for every user. But they may not be able to detect and remove keylogger software. For this, you should use specific anti-keylogger software. In fact, according to a report almost all anti-virus software failed to detect a keylogger in a controlled lab test. Only a specifically tailored anti-keylogger can make sure that your information stays safe and secure.

Use secure communication channels:

As important and useful the worldwide web is, it is as much dangerous because of some people who use it for their nefarious designs. Some steal your information while others just like to bog down a system with excessive virus attacks. Make sure that you are using only secure websites for your communication, like emails, instant messaging and video calls etc. It is these unprotected sites that can spread these keylogger software easily. Avoid them at all costs for your communication needs.

Be on alert:

The best possible way to protect your computer and your information is to be on alert. It is almost always when you do not take care and follow security precautions that you fall victim to these tricks and get your system infected with viruses. Putting your information at risk is not a good idea. But thinking that anti-virus software, or anti-keylogger software for that matter, will keep your system 100% secure is a mistake. If you are not on your guard, anyone can access your system physically and compromise your security wall, thus eliminating the need of tackling anti-virus over the internet. You also need to know which sites you are visiting and whether there is any Google or other security software advisory on that site. You should also avoid clicking on suspicious links, particularly those appearing in your email, asking for your private information.

Stay updated:

You should also make sure that your system is updated with the latest system and anti-virus software security patches. This will ensure that your system is protected and can withstand attacks over the internet. In any case, you are the one who needs to be on guard more than your system.

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Now Anyone can Learn Programming with Code.org

Code.org is a non-profit organization and eponymous website led by brothers Hadi and Ali Partovi that aims to encourage people, particularly school students in the United States, to learn computer science. The website includes free coding lessons, and the initiative also targets schools in an attempt to encourage them to include more computer science classes in the curriculum. On December 9, 2013, they launched the Hour of Code 2013 challenge nationwide to promote computer science during computer science week until December 15, 2013. Major tech companies and their founders, including Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, have put up about $10 million for Code.org.

Goals:

According to its website, Code.org has the following goals:

Bringing Computer Science classes to every K-12 school in the United States, especially in urban and rural neighborhoods.

Demonstrating the successful use of online curriculum in public school classrooms
Changing policies in all 50 states to categorize C.S. as part of the math/science "core" curriculum
Harnessing the collective power of the tech community to celebrate and grow C.S. education worldwide
Increasing the representation of women and students of color in the field of Computer Science.

Launch and first video release:

Code.org was launched in January 2013 by Hadi and Ali Partovi, with the goal of making programming accessible to everyone. Their initial focus was on creating a database of all computer science classrooms in the United States. The launch was covered in a number of technology publications online, includingTechCrunch,and Geekosystem. In late February 2013, a month after launch, they released a video featuring Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey and other programmers and entrepreneurs on the importance of learning to code. This video was covered in a number of news sources. Two weeks after the launch, TechCrunch reported that the video had been a "blockbuster hit".

Hour of Code challenge:

During Computer Science Education Week  from December 9 to December 15, 2013, Code.org launched the "Hour of Code Challenge" on its website to teachcomputer science to school students, enticing them to complete short programming tutorials. The challenge involved getting people to write short snippets of code to achieve pre-specified goals using Blockly, a visual programming language of a similar flavor as Logo. The initiative had been announced about two months in advance. At the time of launch, the initiative was supported by United States President Barack Obama as well as leaders of many technology companies such as Microsoft and Apple Inc..About two weeks later, it was announced that over 20 million people had participated and over 600 million lines of code had been written as part of the challenge.

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Why using VPN is important

Here are three words for you: Virtual Private Network (more commonly referred to as VPN). If you’ve never heard of the term, or aren’t sure about its exact nature in our info tech world, then chances are you’ve never utilized one. A VPN is facilitated for several reasons, by individuals and the business sector alike. Anyone who initiates one for their time on the internet will have a variety of reasons. They can vary according to the individual’s needs and wants; scaling from minimal personal usage to access international television programs not available in their region, to encryption and security during time spent in cyberspace. In essence, a VPN is used to secure and encrypt communications when using an untrusted network which is in the public domain.

The latter is the more common theme. In this day and age where big brother seems to lurk in every corner of our internet browser, more and more people, and companies, are resorting to the use of a VPN provider. In fact, as people are educating themselves on the realms of the digital jungle that is fast becoming a second home, the VPN is becoming a common household name. And why not? With hackers at the ready to steal your sensitive information, and government regimes watching and monitoring your every move, the VPN is now an essential addition to add to our daily internet rituals. In essence, public networks are cesspits, and if we dwell in them too long, without the correct protective elements, then we tend to ‘pick up’ those bugs which dwell in them.

When you use a VPN, the usual presentation is to launch a VPN client on your personal computer. You log in; your computer then “exchanges trusted keys with a server,” and once both systems have been authentically verified, your communication on the internet is secure.

However, not all VPNs are created equally. When searching for the right VPN for your own use, it is important to know what it is you are signing up for, and who with. You need to take into consideration connectivity protocols, features and server locations. The best VPNs will offer a good selection on these criteria. Most importantly, the VPN Provider should have a so called ‘no-logging policy’ which ensures that no user activity will be logged.

You need to be aware of other considerations such as trusting your provider with your data. In other words, what do they log? Everything outside of your VPN server is secure from eavesdropping, but those sharing the same provider may have access to your data. Some VPN providers keep logs in case a government requests them, so decide what is acceptable to you when it comes to logging. AnonHQ recommends IPVanish as it fulfills all criteria regarding speed, security, support of all mobile devices and most importantly anonymity and safety: “IPVanish does not collect or log any traffic or use of its Virtual Private Network service”

Other features you may want to consider are:
Does your VPN provider offers Anti Malware/Spyware?
Do you have the option of securing your phone along with your computer via Mobile Apps?
Pricing of the provider.
Exit Servers if you want a country specific VPN.

Essentially, the million dollar question to ask yourself when you are considering a VPN (or not) is: how secure do you want to be next time you surf the net?

Links: IPVanish VPN (recommended by AnonHQ.com)

.................................................................................Collected From http://anonhq.com/ 

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First Microsoft Lumia phone to be revealed on 11th November 2014

The first Microsoft Lumia smartphone is looming, with its unveiling set for Tuesday,11.11.2014

The company posted late Thursday a teaser of a smartphone with #MoreLumia hashtag, showing off an orange frame around what is presumably the front of the camera.

The new Lumia smartphone will mark the first time the product line drops the Nokia moniker in favor of Microsoft's name, signifying a new chapter for the mobile devices, which have struggled in the marketplace. The smartphones, which have featured bright colors and a reputation for powerful cameras, barely make a dent as far as sales go, except in a few emerging markets. But Lumia smartphones may have a new lease on life under Microsoft -- at least that's the company's hope.

"Microsoft is delivering the power of everyday mobile technology to everyone," states the new post on the renamed Conversations blog where Microsoft and previously Nokia share Lumia-related news.

The Windows Phone operating system likewise needs a spark. The OS has yet to catch on and powers just 2.5 percent of the world's mobile devices, according to market researcher IDC. In comparison, Google's Android OS runs on nearly 85 percent of mobile devices worldwide.

The orange frame of the teaser image ties together with the orange image that Microsoft revealed last month that touted the Microsoft logo alone. Although the image showed only part of what could be a new smartphone, the company name and Windows-shaped logo aren't actually joined by the word Lumia.


"We are looking forward to unveiling a Microsoft Lumia device soon," Tuula Rytilä, senior vice president of marketing of phones for Microsoft, said at the time, while denying that the name change would render today's Nokia Lumia phones obsolete.

The logo switch is part of Microsoft's effort to more fully take control over its new smartphone business. The Lumia line plays an important role as an ambassador of sorts for the company's Windows Phone platform. Even before Microsoft acquired Nokia's mobile devices unit for $7.2 billion in April, the Lumia smartphone line was often used to tout the latest version of Windows Phone.

Microsoft has increasingly attempted to push its platforms through its own efforts in hardware. On the Windows side, Microsoft has its Surfacetablets, which despite a rough start are beginning to see momentum. The company reported revenue of $908 million on Surface sales in its fiscal first quarter that ended September 30, up 127 percent from a year ago. It's hoping to do the same with the Lumia line of smartphones.

Even as Microsoft's logo begins to take over, the company has said the Nokia name will remain on entry-level devices, which continue to resonate in emerging markets.

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Researchers Discover New 'WireLurker' Malware Affecting Macs and iOS Devices in China

 Most people today know that Apple products aren’t bulletproof, but 350,000 Mac and iPhone users in China are finding that out the hard way. New malware called WireLurker is quietly stealing data from their devices.

It’s a nasty little infection, too. Once it has infected a Mac, WireLurker waits in the shadows for an iOS device to be plugged it. It then takes advantage of Apple’s trusted pairing to siphon specific data off the device, including its serial number, phone number, and iTunes store identifier.
The device doesn’t have to be jailbroken for WireLurker to infect it (the malware abuses Apple’s enterprise provisioning plumbing to pull that off), but jailbroken devices do get special attention. WireLurker steals additional info from the iMessage history, address book, and a handful of other files. According to security researcher Johnathan Zdziarski, WireLurker’s primary target doesn’t appear to be the data in the devices it infects. Rather, it seems as though it’s trying to identify software pirates — nice to know, but not necessarily all that reassuring. Someone is still pushing your personal information to a remote server.

WireLurker also tries to sneak malicious apps onto the device while it’s connected — and many users won’t even notice their installation. Zdziarski says that “user education is the biggest problem” when it comes to WireLurker, adding that “Apple has a poor reputation for helping their users make smarter decisions about security.”

The good news is that there are tools out there to combat WireLurker. Palo Alto Networks offers a free WireLurker detector, and you’re probably not in any danger of infection if you don’t download warez from shady websites.

If your Mac is clean, then you should be fine. Just don’t go plugging your iPhone or iPad into someone else’s Mac for a little recharge or to swap some files without knowing whether or not it’s clean. You could end up transferring more than you wanted to.

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Remove Shortcut Virus permanently from your Computer

Shortcut virus has become a common problem in almost all the computer users. actually its not a virus its a VBS Script. To get rid of this problem  You have to do some simple task on your computer system. so here's some method>>>>

Using CMD

1. Open CMD (Command Prompt – DOS, go to start then search cmd)
2. Type the command word foe word

attrib -h -s -r -a /s /d DriveName:*.*

Now Type the drive letter which you want to delete the short cut virus in stead of DriveName For example: if you want to make virus free C drive then it will be :  attrib -h -s -r -a /s /d c:*.*
3. Hit the Enter button
4. So you'll see that your computer is back to normal now.

Using .bat

Bat file is a executable file that is written in notepad. once it is cliked it will start its action.

1. Open Notepad

2. Copy this code :

@echo off
attrib -h -s -r -a /s /d DriveName:*.*

attrib -h -s -r -a /s /d DriveName:*.*

attrib -h -s -r -a /s /d DriveName:*.*

@echo complete.

3. Now Type the drive letter which you want to delete the short cut virus in stead of DriveName 
4. Give this file's name removevirus.bat and save it in your convenient place of your PC
5. Now close the file and open it by double click
6. Now Your Computer is virus free (*not all kind of virus*)

To save from victimised pendrive

1. Go to RUN
2. Type wscript.exe  then press ENTER
3. Type 1 in  Stop script after specified number of seconds: and then APPLY .

To save victimised PC

1. Type CTRL+SHIFT+ESC from your keyboard
2. Go to PROCESS tab
3. Select wscript.exe file
4. Click End Process
5. Now Go to C:/ drive on your computer
6. search wscript in search box
7. SHIFT+DELETE all the file named wscript
8. skip those file which are not deleting
9. Now go to RUN

2. Type wscript.exe  then press ENTER
3. Type 1 in  Stop script after specified number of seconds: and then APPLY .

Thats it! Now your computer is free from ShortCut Virus!

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Brute-Force Attacks Explained: How All Encryption is Vulnerable

Brute-force attacks are fairly simple to understand, but difficult to protect against. Encryption is math, and as computers become faster at math, they become faster at trying all the solutions and seeing which one fits.
These attacks can be used against any type of encryption, with varying degrees of success. Brute-force attacks become faster and more effective with each passing day as newer, faster computer hardware is released.

Brute-Force Basics

Brute-force attacks are simple to understand. An attacker has an encrypted file — say, yourLastPass or KeePass password database. They know that this file contains data they want to see, and they know that there’s an encryption key that unlocks it. To decrypt it, they can begin to try every single possible password and see if that results in a decrypted file.

They do this automatically with a computer program, so the speed at which someone can brute-force encryption increases as available computer hardware becomes faster and faster, capable of doing more calculations per second. The brute-force attack would likely start at one-digit passwords before moving to two-digit passwords and so on, trying all possible combinations until one works.

A “dictionary attack” is similar and tries words in a dictionary — or a list of common passwords — instead of all possible passwords. This can be very effective, as many people use such weak and common passwords.

Why Attackers Can’t Brute-Force Web Services

There’s a difference between online and offline brute-force attacks. For example, if an attacker wants to brute-force their way into your Gmail account, they can begin to try every single possible password — but Google will quickly cut them off. Services that provide access to such accounts will throttle access attempts and ban IP addresses that attempt to log in so many times. Thus, an attack against an online service wouldn’t work too well because very few attempts can be made before the attack would be halted.

For example, after a few failed login attempts, Gmail will show you a CATPCHA image to verify you aren’t a computer automatically trying passwords. They’ll likely stop your login attempts completely if you managed to continue for long enough.



On the other hand, let’s say an attacker snagged an encrypted file from your computer or managed to compromise an online service and download such encrypted files. The attacker now has the encrypted data on their own hardware and can try as many passwords as they want at their leisure. If they have access to the encrypted data, there’s no way to prevent them from trying a large number of passwords in a short period of time. Even if you’re using strong encryption, it’s to your benefit to keep your data safe and ensure others can’t access it.

Hashing

Strong hashing algorithms can slow down brute-force attacks. Essentially, hashing algorithms perform additional mathematical work on a password before storing a value derived from the password on disk. If a slower hashing algorithm is used, it will require thousands of times as much mathematical work to try each password and dramatically slow down brute-force attacks. However, the more work required, the more work a server or other computer has to do each time as user logs in with their password. Software must balance resilience against brute-force attacks with resource usage.

Brute-Force Speed

Speed all depends on hardware. Intelligence agencies may build specialized hardware just for brute-force attacks, just as Bitcoin miners build their own specialized hardware optimized for Bitcoin mining. When it comes to consumer hardware, the most effective type of hardware for brute-force attacks is a graphics card (GPU). As it’s easy to try many different encryption keys at once, many graphics cards running in parallel are ideal.

At the end of 2012, Ars Technica reported that a 25-GPU cluster could crack every Windows password under 8 characters in less than six hours. The NTLM algorithm Microsoft used just wasn’t resilient enough. However, when NTLM was created, it would have taken much longer to try all these passwords. This wasn’t considered enough of a threat for Microsoft to make the encryption stronger.

Speed is increasing, and in a few decades we may discover that even the strongest cryptographic algorithms and encryption keys we use today can be quickly cracked by quantum computers or whatever other hardware we’re using in the future.

Protecting Your Data From Brute-Force Attacks

There’s no way to protect yourself completely. It’s impossible to say just how fast computer hardware will get and whether any of the encryption algorithms we use today have weaknesses that will be discovered and exploited in the future. However, here are the basics:

● Keep your encrypted data safe where attackers can’t get access to it. Once they have your data copied to their hardware, they can try brute-force attacks against it at their leisure.

● If you run any service that accepts logins over the Internet, ensure that it limits login attempts and blocks people who attempt to log in with many different passwords in a short period of time. Server software is generally set to do this out of the box, as it’s a good security practice.

● Use strong encryption algorithms, such as SHA-512. Ensure you’re not using old encryption algorithms with known weaknesses that are easy to crack.

● Use long, secure passwords. All the encryption technology in the world isn’t going to help if you’re using “password” or the ever-popular “hunter2″.

Brute-force attacks are something to be concerned about when protecting your data, choosing encryption algorithms, and selecting passwords. They’re also a reason to keep developing stronger cryptographic algorithms — encryption has to keep up with how fast it’s being rendered ineffective by new hardware.

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