Every time a person logs on to a public Wi-Fi access point, they are transmitting their login name and password over open airwaves, and often a credit card number as well, and sensitive business information.
Businesses are intrigued with the idea of Wi Fi blocking paint. In theory, it will keep your wireless in, and more importantly, keep others out. Radio wave blocking shields have been used in theaters for years. More than the fear that this paint contains lead has stirred the controversy.
Business is always looking for a way to keep corporate secrets a secret.
Keeping a network's susceptibility to malicious attacks as low as possible is an ongoing concern for many businesses. Cell phones, black berries, and wi fi are all at risk. Private residents only need to worry about neighbors or strangers who park outside th ir home and overload their network with spam and illegal downloads.
The best way people currently keep intruders out of their internet is by enabling WEP or WPA encryption on the network and by changing the password on the router, something very few people realize must be done.
EM-SEC currently sells laptop inserts and phone holsters with an electromagnetic shield, which restricts the detection of Wi-Fi signals. This is meant to deter laptop thieves.
Boyd, Vice President and Director of Technology for EM-SEC Technologies, LLC. -
“As hackers, identity thieves and even terrorists become more sophisticated in the methods they use to obtain information or inflict damage, this experiment confirmed EM-SEC Coating reduces the threat from electronic eavesdropping and blocks out electromagnetic interference for the protection of electronic data.”
Now, SEC Technologies provides another option: wireless blocking paint. One coat of this paint "creates an electromagnetic fortress by preventing airborne hackers from intercepting signals."
Great for a business who leases an office in a building with several competing businesses, but does it work? Some theaters use this paint, but it doesn’t stop cell signals. In fact, random tests on this product show that it reduces the flow of RF signals but does not stop them.
One problem is that you’d need to paint floors, ceiling, walls, and windows with a thick layer of paint that contains a metal if you want to stop all the leakage.
The EM-SEC Coating was initially developed to aid the U.S. Government and Military in shielding operation centers. “We have developed an innovative shielding system that cannot only be utilized by corporate offices, boardrooms, server and computer rooms and research and development laboratories to protect their digital assets from electronic eavesdropping, but it will also ensure the safe operation of wireless networks”, said Wayne LeGrande, President and Chief Technical Officer, EM-SEC Technologies, LLC.
Businesses are not in a hurry to incorporate the new paint. Their fear is that cell phone and Wi Fi blocking paint will disrupt service and quickly drive the cases to the Federal court.
Should business worry? As recently as two years ago, surveys revealed that most Wi Fi networks used no encryption. Anyone with a laptop and Wi Fi card can intercept and read data packets sent and received by users. While most networks use encryption now, they use WEP, which is easily by hackers with readily downloadable "sniffing" tools, such as those used by "wardrivers." Haven’t heard the term? Wardrivers wander the streets looking for networks to join. Most are hobbyists or bandwidth seekers, but some are malicious.
Home improvement company Lowe's learned this the hard way. A Wi-Fi network was transmitting credit card and data from cashiers. Three college-age men in the parking lot of the Southfield, Michigan store broke it into the system and captured credit card information,. altering the software code used by Lowe's to process credit cards, and gained access to computers in six other stores.
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Showing posts with label Internet Security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Internet Security. Show all posts
Beat Web Traffic Scammers At Their Own Game
Every web business will eventually receive the phone call. It starts by sounding like a professional call from a local business. In fact, at first, it sounds like someone wants to build a joint venture, or make a purchase. It might even sound like someone needs your help.
Once the small business owner is hooked, the tone changes slightly, the company has something to offer you, but they are not spammers. They are always a partner with someone big that you have formed an alliance with such as Google Adsense, Ebay, Prostores, Amazon.com, or maybe your web host.
Now, the bomb drops. They promise to increase your traffic and put your web site at the top of the search engines, guaranteed.
There is only one plan of action – hang up.
Avoid Web Traffic Schemes
There are a few dozen schemes out there, none of them are legit. There is no legal way to guarantee that a website will stay on the first page unless a) the keywords are obscure or have a low ROI, and b) they are selling the top spot in the PPC program.
One way to identify a scheme is by asking them to step away from their script and answer some SEO questions:
1. Does this program use a link farm?
2. Will this program involve newsletters or email campaigns?
3. Do you guarantee that the site will never be banned?
4. Is a banner exchange involved?
5. Does a PPC type of script need to be posted on the web page?
It is almost guaranteed that the conversation will end before a single question is answered.
Many of these programs use hundreds of spam MFA (Made For AdSense) sites floating around the web. In fact, one company was closed down in 2005 for using an automated software program that published 2000 new websites a day. In 2007, Google started a new program that involved banning MFA sites and cancelling the owner’s AdSense account, forever. Unfortunately, many of the advertisers are also at risk for being banned from AdSense. Once banned, no one in your family, or yourself, may ever have an AdSense account again.
Black Hat SEO
The best way to avoid web traffic schemes is to become aware of ‘Black Hat SEO.’ These are tricks that will result in a website receiving high hits, for a few months. But, once the search engines find the ‘trick’ they ban the site forever.
There are a few dozen popular Black Hat SEO tricks: doorway pages, link farms, invisible text, mirror websites, etc..
Quality Hits
Many of these companies have software programs that not only hit a website repeatedly, but even click the PPC campaigns. This is not ‘real traffic’. People who get caught on an MFA site and ‘clicked out’ just to escape is not a good click.
A quality hit is a visitor who actually wants to buy what is on your site. Success is not about hits, but quality hits.
Make Money
The best way to beat web traffic scam artists at their own game is to understand the different types of traffic. The most important type of traffic is a person who has been surfing the web looking for something to buy – and they find your website.
One website can make $10 000 a month, with only 100 000 hits. Another site can make $100 a month, with more than 2 million hits. Success, and the chances of making money, is all tied up in the quality of hits.
Once the small business owner is hooked, the tone changes slightly, the company has something to offer you, but they are not spammers. They are always a partner with someone big that you have formed an alliance with such as Google Adsense, Ebay, Prostores, Amazon.com, or maybe your web host.
Now, the bomb drops. They promise to increase your traffic and put your web site at the top of the search engines, guaranteed.
There is only one plan of action – hang up.
Avoid Web Traffic Schemes
There are a few dozen schemes out there, none of them are legit. There is no legal way to guarantee that a website will stay on the first page unless a) the keywords are obscure or have a low ROI, and b) they are selling the top spot in the PPC program.
One way to identify a scheme is by asking them to step away from their script and answer some SEO questions:
1. Does this program use a link farm?
2. Will this program involve newsletters or email campaigns?
3. Do you guarantee that the site will never be banned?
4. Is a banner exchange involved?
5. Does a PPC type of script need to be posted on the web page?
It is almost guaranteed that the conversation will end before a single question is answered.
Many of these programs use hundreds of spam MFA (Made For AdSense) sites floating around the web. In fact, one company was closed down in 2005 for using an automated software program that published 2000 new websites a day. In 2007, Google started a new program that involved banning MFA sites and cancelling the owner’s AdSense account, forever. Unfortunately, many of the advertisers are also at risk for being banned from AdSense. Once banned, no one in your family, or yourself, may ever have an AdSense account again.
Black Hat SEO
The best way to avoid web traffic schemes is to become aware of ‘Black Hat SEO.’ These are tricks that will result in a website receiving high hits, for a few months. But, once the search engines find the ‘trick’ they ban the site forever.
There are a few dozen popular Black Hat SEO tricks: doorway pages, link farms, invisible text, mirror websites, etc..
Quality Hits
Many of these companies have software programs that not only hit a website repeatedly, but even click the PPC campaigns. This is not ‘real traffic’. People who get caught on an MFA site and ‘clicked out’ just to escape is not a good click.
A quality hit is a visitor who actually wants to buy what is on your site. Success is not about hits, but quality hits.
Make Money
The best way to beat web traffic scam artists at their own game is to understand the different types of traffic. The most important type of traffic is a person who has been surfing the web looking for something to buy – and they find your website.
One website can make $10 000 a month, with only 100 000 hits. Another site can make $100 a month, with more than 2 million hits. Success, and the chances of making money, is all tied up in the quality of hits.
Outsmart Fraudsters and Protect Your Identity
One of the most frustrating aspects of Internet Marketing is born in the WHOSITS database. This database, owned by Google, lets anyone see the information submitted when a small business owners purchases a domain name.
Unfortunately, anyone can gain access to the information. Most small business owners learn this within hours of buying a domain. The first calls come from internet marketing companies that promise to get their clients at the top of the search engines for a paltry $20 - $100 a month. Of course, what they don’t tell the prospective client is they use black hat SEO tactics which usually lead to the site being banned – forever.
The next set of calls come from telemarketers selling everything from magazines, to loans, to business opportunities. It is frustrating.
Filling in Forms
There are several ways to remain anonymous on the web. The most popular method is to use a bogus business name that leads to a PO box in a ‘mailing center.’ This way, the fraudsters are frustrated by the ‘ghost.’ And, if lucky, the business owner may entice the fraudster to use the information resulting in legal retribution.
There is also no reason to enter your real information into forms. Remaining vague, or using the wrong prefix before your name, can protect your identity.
Save Your Password
Everyone knows what spyware is. Few people know that it can tap into the ‘save your information’ services on your PC. Many people use the ‘fill form’ tools in Windows and in their computer browser. Spyware comes in, collects this data, and then sends it to fraudsters.
Never include any information in these boxes. Another way the PC collects sensitive data is the drop down box that asks “Do you want to save this password.” Always select no.
PC Protection
Any website that is linked to the internet needs a firewall, spyware cleaner, malware cleaner, and virus scan. AVG has a free virus scan that many businesses swear is the best in the world. It not only removes viruses, worms, and trogans, but also can remove malware.
Yahoo has a nifty little spyware remover on their browser tool bar. This tool, in conjunction with lavasoft’s spyware remover has offered many businesses almost 100% protection.
Windows comes complete with a firewall. However, many business owners shut this down and use ZoneAlarm.
These tools will protect most PCs from phishing attacks and spyware that roves the net looking for small business owners who must include their information on the web.
Web Information
Many small businesses must include their address, and contact information on their website. However, saving the information in a gif image makes it invisible to spyware and hackers.
Encrypting the email or leaving a space is another way to protect email addresses. Many small business owners are starting to show their email addresses like this: smallbusinessowner @mydomainname.com
Notice the space – this makes the email addy invisible to spyware. However, users can copy and paste the link into their browser.
Instead of posting the email at all, why not consider adding a form to the website. Most forms can be set to automatically email the owner the moment the form is submitted – but the information remains invisible to hackers.
One last tip: Change passwords once every two to three months.
Unfortunately, anyone can gain access to the information. Most small business owners learn this within hours of buying a domain. The first calls come from internet marketing companies that promise to get their clients at the top of the search engines for a paltry $20 - $100 a month. Of course, what they don’t tell the prospective client is they use black hat SEO tactics which usually lead to the site being banned – forever.
The next set of calls come from telemarketers selling everything from magazines, to loans, to business opportunities. It is frustrating.
Filling in Forms
There are several ways to remain anonymous on the web. The most popular method is to use a bogus business name that leads to a PO box in a ‘mailing center.’ This way, the fraudsters are frustrated by the ‘ghost.’ And, if lucky, the business owner may entice the fraudster to use the information resulting in legal retribution.
There is also no reason to enter your real information into forms. Remaining vague, or using the wrong prefix before your name, can protect your identity.
Save Your Password
Everyone knows what spyware is. Few people know that it can tap into the ‘save your information’ services on your PC. Many people use the ‘fill form’ tools in Windows and in their computer browser. Spyware comes in, collects this data, and then sends it to fraudsters.
Never include any information in these boxes. Another way the PC collects sensitive data is the drop down box that asks “Do you want to save this password.” Always select no.
PC Protection
Any website that is linked to the internet needs a firewall, spyware cleaner, malware cleaner, and virus scan. AVG has a free virus scan that many businesses swear is the best in the world. It not only removes viruses, worms, and trogans, but also can remove malware.
Yahoo has a nifty little spyware remover on their browser tool bar. This tool, in conjunction with lavasoft’s spyware remover has offered many businesses almost 100% protection.
Windows comes complete with a firewall. However, many business owners shut this down and use ZoneAlarm.
These tools will protect most PCs from phishing attacks and spyware that roves the net looking for small business owners who must include their information on the web.
Web Information
Many small businesses must include their address, and contact information on their website. However, saving the information in a gif image makes it invisible to spyware and hackers.
Encrypting the email or leaving a space is another way to protect email addresses. Many small business owners are starting to show their email addresses like this: smallbusinessowner @mydomainname.com
Notice the space – this makes the email addy invisible to spyware. However, users can copy and paste the link into their browser.
Instead of posting the email at all, why not consider adding a form to the website. Most forms can be set to automatically email the owner the moment the form is submitted – but the information remains invisible to hackers.
One last tip: Change passwords once every two to three months.
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