Tags: cyber security / hacking / infosec / review / VPN

HideIPVPN: Don't compromise on your online identity, use a VPN [Review]

- Monday, 9 February 2015 No Comments

Compromising on your online identity is like compromising your life on the internet world that is highly connected. Safeguarding one’s privacy on the internet has become a primary motive for many users and no one is trusting tools and service that brands themselves as completely anonymous. Even the latest viral Snapchat image sharing app isn’t as private as it is widely known as to be and there have been many cases of privacy breach. These issues are enough to get it established that online privacy in his connected world is too much to ask for. Compromising your online identity for browsing around the internet doesn’t seem like a valid risk.

For such activities, a VPN service is something that could be of great use for you in your online endeavours. Marissa Mayer is one of the most known women in the tech industry; the CEO of Yahoo has claimed to use VPN tools to keep a tab on her employee’s work habits. A VPN, or Virtual private network, is a tool that lets you mask your online identity and access the internet tunnelled through a server of your choice. VPN establishes a secured, physical connection between your local computer and the internet through the use of their servers located at different parts of the world. Finding the right VPN service for such activities would come down to a few key decisions and here we will be taking a look at one such premium VPN service provider – HideIPVPN.

An introduction to HideIPVPN

HideIPVPN is a premium tool that provides users with a good VPN service. A Virtual Private Network, or what it is commonly referred to as - VPN, is the tool required to channel your internet traffic over through another server. HideIPVPN offers a powerful encryption tool that lets you mask your IP Address and keep you anonymous on the web. HideIPVPN makes accessing your online activity untraceable, even though someone manages to intercept the data on their servers. The encryption makes it impossible to trace back to the originator of the data.

With its own dedicated software for Windows and Mac OS X and an easy-to-use interface, HideIPVPN is one of the best tools for all your VPN needs and it can be downloaded from their official website.

Connecting to a VPN server

Once you’ve downloaded the tool and installed it, you will be presented with a login page that would need your credentials after you register for an account. You will be mailed with these login credentials once you register, enter them at the main screen and you will be presented with another screen seen below.

Here you can choose from a host of settings before connecting to your VPN server. Among the networking protocols to choose from is the widely popular OpenVPN and others include PPTP, L2TP and SSTP. Below it is an option to choose the VPN server location, offered in US, UK, Netherlands and Germany.

Once you are done with these settings, hit ‘Connect’ and off starts your online anonymity journey.

Application killer

HideIPVPN features a powerful application killer that lets you kill applications that are using the VPN servers, in the event of a connection breakdown. Add applications to this window to choose which applications are to be closed if and when the connection to a VPN server falls down.

HideIPVPN settings

HideIPVPN offers a minimalistic-yet-powerful settings panel, accessible from the left sidebar. Among these settings are the options to launch the tool at startup and reconnect if the connection drops off.

Plans and Pricing

HideIPVPN offers competitive pricing and you can choose between different locations for your VPN servers and the pricing varies accordingly. The pricing for the US or UK VPN is $5.99 per month and for an all-inclusive US/UK/DE/NL servers, it is $9.99 per month.

For the purposes of downloading torrents, the DE and NL servers will be needed, as they are blocked on the UK and US servers.

The premium plans of HideIPVPN come bundled with a free SmartDNS proxy server.

Conclusion

HideIPVPN is a premium VPN service that offers up the chance to access blocked websites and maintain anonymity on the web. Below is a comprehensive outlook on the tool. It lets you access on 3 devices simultaneously from a single account, mask your IP Address, access Geo-restricted websites, proxy support in-browser, free SmartDNS subscription. What more do you expect?

Tags: cyber security / Information Technology / infosec / network / security / VPN

Access Geo-restricted content and hide your online activity with HideIPVPN [Review]

- Wednesday, 21 January 2015 No Comments

While the dawn of internet has bridged the barriers of communications and made intangible information within reaching distance, its state of privacy issues are still mind numbing to date. With many websites and online services being limited geographically, accessing these services need a work around. Also, as an internet user, one must be quite aware that he is never safe from the clutches of eavesdroppers on the internet. Your ISP also has access to your internet browsing activities and to keep away from eavesdroppers, accessing geo-restricted sites and to hide your IP address, you would need a smart tool that does all of them.

Why use a VPN?

VPN or Virtual Private Network providing tool is what that will be needed in your online invincibility endeavours. What the VPN technology does exactly is that routes your outgoing online data through its own server to keep the data away from other third parties. This data is completely encrypted and as many users simultaneously access these servers, the potential eavesdropper couldn’t possibly trace back to the content owner.

Once you’ve decided you will need a VPN for protecting your online activities, you will need to find a tool that fits the perfect mould for you. Here we will be taking look at one such powerful VPN tool.

HideIPVPN – An Introduction

Having the right tool for the task goes a long way in helping you accomplish what you set out for. HideIPVPN is a premium VPN tool for safeguarding your online activities. What makes this tool the best fit for your online activities is that this tool comes bundled with features that make it easily benefitting to both the novice and advanced internet users. For getting started and trying things out, you can download the 24 hours free trial VPN server at their official website. You can download the Mac OS X or the Windows variant, depending on your operating system. The download comes in at 2.5MB and the installation is straightforward. You will be presented with a screen as shown below upon launching the tool.

The login details for your account will be emailed to you once you register at their official website. Further ahead, we will be taking a look at the simplicity and robustness of this tool that makes it better placed to be your VPN service.

Setting up VPN with HideIPVPN

The setup of VPN with HideIPVPN is completely straightforward. Once you have your login details ready, enter those at the home screen and hit sign in. Now you will be presented with a screen seen below.

At this window, you can select a few things like your preferred VPN Protocol, the server location and once done, hit connect. That’s it! And now your online data is untraceable by eavesdroppers.  This simplicity makes HideIPVPN very popular amongst its users.

We will be taking a look at some of the other options it provides while accessing the VPN.

HideIPVPN Settings

You can easily access the settings panel from the left-sidebar and see a few toggle bars and support for further updates. Among these settings are the options to run-at-startup and reconnect if connection drops.

These are the basic settings for the application that let you decide when to connect to your VPN service.

HideIPVPN Advantages

Access Geo-Restricted content

If you access networks like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, ESPN, and such; you must know that they are inaccessible if you are at a location they are not officially supported at.  Now you can easily access these networks by choosing the VPN location that is supported by these networks and hit ‘Connect’.

Now you will never miss your favourite shows and content on geo-restricted websites.

Spoof your IP Address

Spoofing your IP address is one way to stay off the grid. HideIPVPN automatically does that for you when you connect to one of their VPN servers.

Application killer

HideIPVPN includes a handy little feature that lets you define the applications that get automatically closed when the connection drops. This feature prevents you from sending data unprotected, when your VPN connection automatically gets disconnected.

Access VPN on three devices simultaneously

With support for multiple devices, HideIPVPN supports access to one single account from three devices, simultaneously.

Free SmartDNS

When you register to the premium plans at HideIPVPN, you get SmartDNS along with it.

Pricing

Users can make use of the standard OpenVPN encryption technology or choose from PPTP or SSTP from the tool. Users can also select their VPN server between United States, Germany, UK and Netherlands. The pricing for US or UK VPN is at $5.99 per month. For an all-inclusive US/UK/DE/NL server, it is priced at $9.99 per month.

Conclusion – Simple and Powerful VPN for everyday user

HideIPVPN is the simplest VPN tool that provides better service for both the novice and the power user. Safeguard your internet data and identity by using this nifty VPN service. Being lightweight and ease of shifting between multiple servers, this is the best VPN service in its price range. Although it has a few servers compared to its competitors, it gets the job done perfectly, on a budget.

Simply one of the most recommended tool for internet users sceptical about their online privacy.

Our Rating – 4.8 Out of 5

Tags: cyber crime / cyber security / infosec / mobility / NSA / security / smartphone

Operation AURORAGOLD - How NSA Hacking Every Cellphone Network in the World

- Wednesday, 10 December 2014 No Comments

In March 2011, the National Security Agency received a secret message prior to the Western intervention in Libya. An intelligence unit in the United States military’s Africa Command required help to hack Libya’s cell phone network to be able to monitor their text messages. This task was easy for the NSA as they had already gotten their hands on technical information about their carrier’s internet system by spying on the documents sent among their company employees which were perfect to provide help to break into the networks.

NSA giving its assistance in this matter was not an isolated case, rather it was part of a much a larger surveillance program. Documents which were part of the material provided to The Intercept, NSA had spied on a number of companies and international organizations to be able to find weaknesses in their cell phone technology which they could exploit. It also reveals how NSA plans on introducing new flaws intocommunication systems which they can tap into which is seen to be a controversial tactic.

The covert operation is known as AURORAGOLDand has monitored content which has been sent and received by more than 1200 email accounts as part of major cell phone network operators and has also intercepted confidential papers which have helped NSA hack into cell phone networks.

According to a cell phone security expert and cryptographer, Karsten Nohl, the broad scope of the information collected from AURORAGOLD appears to be aimed at ensuring that NSA can access every cell phone network possible. He also said that collecting such an inventory on world networks is likely to have ramifications as well since it does allow the NSA to track and circumvent upgrades in encryption technology, which is used by cell phone companies to prevent calls and texts from being eavesdropped. The operation is one which is carried out by special surveillance units of the NSA whose existence hasn’t been disclosed.

The information which is collected from the companies is passed to the signals development team of the NSA which focuses on infiltrating communication networks. It is also shared with other agencies which are NSA’s counterparts in countries known as the Five Eyes surveillance which include the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The NSA documents do not have the names of many operations apart from those in Iran, China and Libya. However a world map feature in 2012 suggests that the NSA has network coverage in almost every country in every continent. One of the main targets under the AURORAGOLD program is the GSM Association, headquartered in London which represents the interests of more than 800 cell phone software and internet companies from almost 220 countries.

The NSA focuses on getting their hands on important and obscure information which is circulated among the GSMA’s members which are known as IR.21s most cell phone network operators share IR.21 documents with each other as part of their agreement allowing customers to connect to the foreign networks while they are abroad.

The details of the IR.21 serve as a warning mechanism which flags any new technology, which is used by network operators. This allows NSA to identify any security vulnerabilities in latest communication systems which can be exploited and helps efforts made to introduce further vulnerabilities where they may not even exist.

The IR. 21’s also contain information about the encryption which is used by cell phone companies in order to keep their customers communication safe and private while they are transmitted across the networks. These details are of interest to the NSA as they can help in listening to conversations.

Last year, the Washington Post stated that the NSA had managed in breaking the most common encryption algorithm used which is known as A5/1. The information which is collected under AURORAGOLD however, allows the agency to focus on circumventing stronger and newer versions of the cell phone encryption system such as the A5/3.

Extensive attempts to attack cell phone encryption has been replicated throughout the Five Eyes surveillance alliance as well.

Documents by the NSA show that the focus is placed on collecting details about all technical standards which are used by cell phone operators and their efforts to stay ahead in technology yields surprising results. In 2010, its operatives had found new ways to penetrate the fourth generation of smart phone era technology for surveillance, years before it was adopted by people all around the world.

The agency says that their targets are terrorists, weapons proliferators and other foreign targets and not ordinary people. However the methods used by them and their partners pose significant risks. In April, officials from the White House confirmed that Obama had told the NSA to disclose any vulnerabilities it may find, however qualified that with a loophole flaws should be secretly exploited as long as there is deemed to be a clear national security or law enforcement use.

Author:

Nicki is a tech blogger and gadget lover, she loves to write about Android and iOS security and cell phone spy apps.

Tags: android / app / cyber security / hacking

Hackode : The hacker's Toolbox Android App

- Monday, 2 December 2013 No Comments

Hackode : The hacker's Toolbox is an application for penetration tester, Ethical hackers, IT administrator and Cyber security professional to perform different tasks like reconnaissance, scanning performing exploits etc.

This Application contains different tools like:

* Reconnaissance

* Google Hacking

* Google Dorks

* Whois

* Scanning

* Ping

* Traceroute

* DNS lookup

* IP

* MX Records

* DNS Dig

* Exploits

* Security Rss Feed

This Application is still in beta version. We will be releasing soon its full version with some more better tools and utilities. Stay tuned for more updates.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.techfond.hackode

Tags: Cloud computing / cyber security / data / security

4 Important Steps Every Business Should Take Before Moving Their Data over to the Cloud

- Wednesday, 20 November 2013 No Comments

One of the biggest concerns for business owners moving over to the cloud has and always will be security. Not having hard copies of the data in your business seems scary to a lot of people as they constantly fear all of their hard work can be erased at the click of a mouse or stolen by some random person with a laptop at Starbucks. Data recovery is another hotly debated topic. Any quality cloud provider with IT managed services will have your data saved in a primary server offsite from your business and a backup in case that one fails. This is why the cloud is considered a safer option for those whose business is in an area prone to natural disasters. The big question business owners ask here is who all can access their data from this server. All of this and more is addressed when initially setting up managed hosting through your cloud provider. Here are seven key points to address when signing a contract with a cloud provider to ensure quality security of your data:

1.      Do Your Research on Security Requirements

With industries like banking and healthcare, the government or industry regulations may dictate that standards for how your electronic data is stored and handled. Some businesses may not even be able to use cloud services or are required to have their data stored in a server within your country’s borders. Make sure both you and the cloud provider are willing to adhere to any necessary regulations or you could get in big trouble.

2.      Research the Potential Provider’s Methods

For some people talking to the IT pros can be intimidating but it always important to make sure you understand every aspect of the service they are providing you. Ask about the data centers. What happens if one is damaged or destroyed? Will there be more than one data center? How many different places will store one? What sort of reporting/check-ins does the provider do? Will they notify you in case of a breach? All of these are important questions to research and ask potential providers about.

3.      Determine Who Will Have Access to Server Data Outside of Work

So many security breaches or system compromises occur because people are using an unsecure connection to access important data or messing with unsafe applications. Determine which employees will have access to more secure information and plan to have certain files encrypted just in case.

4.      Read and Study the Cloud Security Alliance Guidance Document

The CSA (Cloud Security Alliance) has released a guide for companies who are new to the cloud. Study it and be sure to understand the major aspects of operating in the cloud before making a final decision.

Reanna Gutierrez is a writer for OneNeck Solutions. She enjoys helping small businesses better understand the cloud and the perks of IT managed services.

Tags: cyber crime / cyber security / internet / patent

Patenting and Intellectual Property Trends

- Saturday, 10 November 2012 No Comments

There are quite a few trends in patenting and intellectual property when it comes to recent years in the mobile and computing industry. As with other intellectual property rights such as exist for various art forms, both software and hardware can be patented and considered to be intellectual property for creative purposes.

The purpose of patents

The purpose of patents and intellectual property is for all basic intents and purposes to allow the original creator of the product to benefit from receiving financial compensation for his or her work for a fairly limited time period. Nobody should be expected to work for free, but the basic premise of the law is to guarantee that once an idea has had some good traction, it become open for exploitation by competitors so that innovation and development can be fostered.

In recent years we have seen increasing litigation regarding patents and infringement, involving companies such as Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, Apple, Google and Sony. In many cases what happens is that open source development tools are used and incorporated into a company’s methods so much so that because of poor record keeping and data maintenance code is unintentionally or in some cases deliberately used without permission.

How to protect your ideas

If you are developing software or hardware, it is important to keep good records of all of your processes. Code that you develop should be annotated and sourced wherever necessary appropriately. You should always have your legal team verify any new licenses that are adopted into your software and you should ascertain that all of your coders have appropriate sensitivity training towards intellectual property.

How mobile devices can help you

Mobile computing devices such as iPhones, Androids and tablet devices have risen in popularity over the last few decades as businesses were able to go more mobile due to better technology. Nowadays, your entire development process from concept to patent to product can be diligently tracked and recorded instantly, with wireless technologies used to update all relevant information centrally. This cuts down on administration time and in the long run deters legal issues as with live, diligent tracking of processes, it is more likely that infringements will be noted early and corrected.

In the long run then, when considering the gravity of the cases that have been on trial and the awards handed out to companies who were found to be victims of infringement it makes perfect sense to invest in proper record keeping procedures with mobile devices.

Irene Perlog is a dedicated writer at VPNServices.net, where she writes vpn reviews on providers like Hidemyass (only objective and original reviews).

Tags: cyber security / innovation

The Varied Uses of Facial Recognition Software

- Monday, 22 October 2012 No Comments

A facial recognition enabled device is able to compare the features of a passing face to those in a database, thereby recognizing the passerby’s identity, perhaps without them even knowing they were targeted. Our faces are all mathematical equations, with certain angles defining the shape of our jawbones and cheekbones, and acertain distance between our eyes, ears and nose, making us distinctive. Facial recognition software uses algorithms thatutilize these differences by reading these features and comparing them to a database of images, looking for a match. There are various forms of this technology already in place, including 3-D facial recognition technology that is able to distinguish contour, and skin texture analysis that takes into account patterns and lines on the skin. Facial recognition has been used for diverse purposes. Take a look at the following examples of facial recognition use and consider if your face has ever been read.

Criminals and Terrorists

Unsurprisingly, members of government and law enforcement were the original consumers of this technology. They used the software to pick faces out of a crowd and match them against the faces of wanted criminals. Border and immigration services in airports and train stations have also begun to use this service when they issue visas, checking the results against known and wanted criminals. Fingerprint scans are also used to verifythat the person entering the country is the one to whom the visa was originally issued. This technology is also used by many banks and airports for security and as a preventative measure.

Missing Children

There are several programs in place that allow parents to bring their children into local police departments or government offices in order to have their fingerprints, biometrics and DNA samples placed into a database in case of abduction. There are also other scenarios in which such information would be useful, such as when you’reseparated from your children because of a natural disaster, a child runaway or a child gettinglost or disoriented.

Secure Sites

This technology is in use at secure sites across the globe, from weapon manufacturers to nuclear missile sites and secret government sites. This allows site administrators to be aware of the movements of staff and visitors, and to determine whetheran individual has the correct access credentials.

The Spy in your Pocket

Many devices now have the option of facial recognition security for personal use, such as PCs and laptops. There are also apps available for Apple, Android and BlackBerry phones. For instance, the FaceFirst mobile app has the ability to run facial identifications across watch lists, providing the user with match probability and records. Used primarily by security companies, this works by inputting facial recognition software into compatible mobile phones, such as the BlackBerry Bold 3 smartphone. The software algorithm then compares the faces that are captured with the phone’s camera against a massive database.When matches are found, alerts are sent to all phones and other devices.

Keeping You from Making Bad Decisions

Not sure if you can handle one more drink on your night out? Well, advanced facial recognition technology can decide for you. Researchers at a Greek university are working on a facial recognition camera thatwill be able to determine someone’s intoxication level based on measuring facial temperature and color. By matching someone’s face against a database of intoxicated faces, it can make a prediction as to whether you’re one drink gone.

The possibilities for this technology are endless. Some claim that one day we will be able to use this technology instead of identification cards, ATM cards or even passports. This would not happen anytime soon, however, as there are still many kinks to work out. For instance, the software often has difficulty adapting to certain factors like aging and facial distortion by outside factors, such as accidents or disease. There is also a major concern about identity theft as this technology is often utilized in places unbeknownst to the general public. The control of information generated from these devices is of paramount importance. Notwithstanding these concerns, this technology is already widely used in the realm of security and travel and we should expect to see an expansion of use in the near future. 

Tags: Anonymous / cyber security / internet

How to disappear yourself from the Internet

- Saturday, 23 June 2012 No Comments

The Internet companies that power your online life know that data equals money, and they're becoming bolder about using that data to track you. If they get their way, your every online step would be not only irrevocable, but traceable back to you. Fortunately, there are some positive steps you can take to reclaim your online history for yourself.

The online privacy software company Abine, which makes Do Not Track Plus, also offers a service called DeleteMe, which removes your data from numerous tracking sites and keeps it from coming back. In an unusual gesture, though, they've made public how to do for yourselfeverything that DeleteMe does. Here's my take on their advice.

Be warned, though. The following are not easy instructions, and it's not because they're technically complex. They require a tenacity and wherewithal that is likely to either exhaust you, drive you borderline bonkers, or both. (And no, I haven't followed the instructions to remove myself because it's essential to my job that I can be found by strangers.)

Step 1: Prepare yourself: You're going to have to be polite.
These instructions require patience for the antics of others and determination to get the job done. It's not a bad idea to get something inanimate to take your frustrations out on, because often getting your data successfully removed or changed will require the good faith of the person you're dealing with. Things are not likely to go your way the first time around.

Step 2: Aggressively track sites that aggressively track you.
This is where the DeleteMe service comes in. They currently charge you $99 to un-track you from the tracking data clearinghouses, which in turn sell your data to others entities. You can follow Abine's list of services and do the deed yourself, and that means writing many e-mails, sending numerous faxes, and placing enough phone calls to make you wish for a time machine so you can go back to the 19th century to do violence unto Alexander Graham Bell.

One thing that isn't clear from Abine's list is that most of these data aggregators will re-add you within a few months, so I recommend at least bi-annual checks to see if they've sucked up your data again. Be tenacious, be polite, and if this is important to you, stick with it until you get what you want.

If you're concerned about privacy and people making connections between your birthday, your address, and your Social Security number, you owe it to yourself to perform at least one Web search for your name and see what comes up. You might be unpleasantly surprised.

Step 3: To protect your reputation, removal must be done from the source.
To get Google, Bing, and other search engines to notice a change in information as it is presented on the Web, the original site hosting that information must change. It doesn't matter which site is the source. It could be Facebook, or a local blog, or a gaming forum. If it's showing up in search results, it has little to do with the search engine and everything to do with the site of origin. Once that site has changed, then you'll see a change in the search results.

Getting something removed from a site is not a scientific process, even though you must be methodical about it. Ask politely, and as I noted above, you're likely to have to ask more than once and using more than one way to communicate. You likely will have to be a rake at the gates of Hell, but one that uses words like "please" and "thank you".

Look for the name of a writer, or Web site manager, and if no contact information is listed, do a WhoIs search by typing "whois www.site-name.com". Be sure to include the quotes. That will tell you who registered the site, which is a good place to start on smaller Web sites. Look for phone numbers, e-mail, and fax numbers, and follow up your initial communication.

Once you have a name, even if you can't find a phone number or e-mail, you can probably take an educated stab at one. Use a site like E-mail Format to help you out. And in your e-mail, be sure to explain clearly, concisely, and logically why your request ought to be honored.

A willingness to compromise can get you better results, too. If, for example, your initial request to fully remove your name gets refused, see if asking to have your identity anonymized will work. And if one person at the site you've contacted keeps stalling you, see if there's another you can contact instead.

Step 4: Get Google to hustle on search engine changes.
If you've been successful in changing a site, but Google is still showing the older version, you can use Google's URL Removal Tool to accelerate the process. Note that this will require a Google account, and that if you get Google to change, you're going to have to submit requests to other major search engines like Bing separately.

Step 5: Paint over the bad with good.
In cases where you can't get the site to remove the content that's negatively affecting your reputation, you can create new, fresh, positive content to counteract it. The idea is that the Positive You will bury the Negative You. Rick Santorum is a great example of how this can work in reverse, and no, I'm not going to link to it for you.

You can also use social-networking sites to bury bad news. From About.Me to Flickr to Twitter, social networks tend to rank highly in search results. By creating and maintaining accounts that use your real name, you can elevate the social networking results for your name and, ideally, drop the results you want to bury onto the second page of results. Since studies show that second-page results are viewed significantly less often than first-page, this could be a successful burying strategy.

However, a key component of this is linking the networks, so be prepared to do far more social networking than you had been.

Also read :Your every internet activity is tracking by trackers - TED Talk by Gary Kovacs

via : cnet

Tags: cyber security / internet

Your every internet activity is tracking by trackers - TED Talk by Gary Kovacs

- Friday, 8 June 2012 No Comments

As you surf the Web, information is being collected about you. Web tracking is not 100% evil -- personal data can make your browsing more efficient; cookies can help your favorite websites stay in business. But, says Gary Kovacs, it's your right to know what data is being collected about you and how it affects your online life. He unveils a Firefox add-on to do just that.

Firefox add-on to track the trackers - Collusion


About this Add-on

Collusion is an experimental add-on for Firefox that allows you to see which sites are using third-party cookies to track your movements across the Web. It shows, in real time, how that data creates a spider-web of interaction between companies and other trackers.


Download Now

Tags: cyber security / future technology / innovation

Next step in security to be online biometrics

- Monday, 4 June 2012 No Comments

The main attraction to cloud based storage is the fact that users have the ability to access their information from wherever they maybe all over the globe. A consideration to this excellent service however is the degree to how safe using cloud computing actually is. The latest development in securing the cloud storage feature is the introduction of biometric recognition which is being implemented by BioID. This will be specific to Intel’s SSO and has been set out for users just earlier this month. Biometric scans will not require for you to always have access to a finger print reader or any other scanner for that matter in fact it will run of any camera which may be available to you such as a webcam or the webcams integrated in most laptops which are available to day.

A new visual

Recently the changes in SaaS applications have been giving several firms difficulties in regard to correctly taking care of a safe Cloud experience. The large numbers of identity stores, security approaches and access policies have made securing the situation that much more difficult. Intel has existed longer than anyone of the competition in this field and hence that is why BioID has taken Intel to be the first client it will be providing this solution to. This Biometric system will differ from others like it in the fact that it uses the live detection technology, this means that the system will be fool proof to photo’s or images being used as a scan to access data. The users will have to use a camera phone or any other source to get their faces detected in real time to gain access.

Sounds good in theory

On paper the entire approach appears to be a promising one as users now no longer have to be concerned about things such as keylogger being active an a foreign system which they may be using to access their data from the Cloud. Other harmful software such as spyware which takes note of keystrokes or take any other strategy to figure out the users Cloud credentials will all be of no use as cloud storage will no longer require users to access their data through such a channel. Intel SSO will be the new gateway through which users have to make their way to get their data stored on the cloud and it sounds to be a very secure, simple and easy to use approach.

Probable limitations

This is a great step forward when speaking of securing certain data, though another problem lies in the fact that the data itself is stored on a server somewhere else and has to be accessed online. It is understood that software such as brute force attacks or key loggers will be of no use since there is no key or code to uncover or decrypt however as one is inside their account on cloud and viewing their information which is remotely stored they are using an internet connection. This means that if someone was to attempt to use spyware which would allow the browsers history to be stored; they have in a way gained access. More so software such as Firesheep are designed to intercept data packets, once again doing the same job of providing someone with the valuable data with out having to break in themselves. It may not grant them access to all the data of the user on the cloud though the data which was visited during one spell will be able to be viewed as the pages themselves are what would have been stored or transmitted. In this respect hackers and others with the same mind set can gain access to information you may have stored and have accessed.

Guest post by : Natalia David


Author Bio:

Natalia David, a blogger by profession an author significantly contributes towards PC security, android spy software and iPhone spyware. If you want to know more about Natalia you can follow her on twitter @NataliaDavid4

Tags: cyber security

India ahead of USA, Japan in computer security: Report by McAfee

- No Comments

India may have low penetration of computers, but it is ahead of countries like US, Japan and Singapore when it comes to basic PC protection, says a report by security software maker McAfee. It conducted a global study across 24 nations, analysing data from voluntary scans of an average of 27-28 million PCs per month to determine a global estimate of the number of consumers who have basic security software installed.
Finland had the highest number of 90.3% PCs with a basic security software solution in place, followed by Italy (86.2%) and Germany (85.55%). Basic security protection is defined as working anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall technologies.



India ranked 14th on the list with 82.67%, while China ranked 17th (82%), followed by Japan and US at the 19th spot (80.65%) and Singapore at 22nd position (78.25%). The global average stood at 83%. According to estimates, India had a total installed base of over 60 million PCs at the end of 2011. "Its gratifying to see that the majority of consumers have gotten the message that at the very least they need to have basic security protection installed," McAfee Co-President Todd Gebhart said.


"Protecting digital devices against cybercrime from malware not only benefits each of us personally, but also serves to discourage illicit activity and preserve the integrity of the Internet," he added. Cases of cyber-attacks against banks, technology firms, e-stores and government agencies are on the rise and have cost millions of dollars worth of losses, McAfee said. However, 17% of the PCs scanned either had no anti-virus installed or the software was installed, but disabled.


Spain (16.3%) topped the list of countries where the PCs scanned did not have a security solution in place, followed by Japan (13.2%) and China (12.9%). About 10.9% of the PCs scanned in India did not have a security solution, placing India at the 8th spot. The study suggests often people do not understand that once the trial subscription expires (which came pre-installed with the PC), they are no longer protected. Some consumers may disable their security protection on purpose, for example to play online games, while some PC users believe they do not need protection if they simply adhere to safe surfing best practices, it added.


"Security software is consumers' first and, in many cases, only defence against cybercrime," the study said.