So creating a balance of profitability in a web page, and still maintaining a high level of user enjoyment can be difficult. This is a bit of a rant, because some people and companies out there just don't get it. Without further stalling, here are some things that will make me want to visit your web page, or leave and never return.
1) I use Mozilla Firefox with the following plug ins:
Quicktime
Realplayer
Flash
Adobe Reader
Silverlight
If your web page requires a plug in that is not on this list, I am just going to click right on by.
2) Are you sure you want to leave windows:
Nothing says sleazy like a little java window that pops up when I try to leave a site, asking me if I am sure, and then redirecting me to some pyramid scheme. Yes I am sure. If I was not sure, I would not have tried. If I was acting in error, the forward and back buttons work both ways, and I could have easily found my way back to your site. Regardless of how amazing the content of a page may be, if one of these little suckers pops up, I leave... Never to return.
3) Those annoying ads that pop up after you have visited a site for about 5 seconds, and take up the whole page. Unless the content is really something I am looking forward to, I move on as soon as it pops up.
4) If I just finished watching some awesome music video on youtube, and my volume is all the way up, being blasted with a commercial, because an advertisement has sound is another deal breaker. I don't look for a pause button, I just move on.
5) Pop up windows - I have a pop up blocker, so normally I don't really care. If your site has pop up windows that can get around it... Once again, I'll never come back.
I understand completely that advertising revenue is important to most web pages, but please, keep the content of your web page in the forefront, and not the ads. If I feel like I am sifting through worthless advertisements to get to the content I want, I usually just move on. Similar content is out there 99% of the time, and I will go with a page that does not hassle me for it.
Sunday, July 11. 2010
Easy Fixes - The Requested Program Requires Elevation
As user account control and increased security becomes more and more the standard with windows computers, Some programs will not install or run properly without "elevation." If you start getting error messages about insufficient privileges, or lack of administrator access when trying to install or run something, the solution is usually as simple as a few clicks.
Go to the program that you are trying to access, and right click on the program icon (it cannot be a shortcut.) Choose "Run as Administrator" from the drop down menu, and then enter your password if it is needed.
That will fix the vast majority of install issues related to elevation and administrative privilege.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
Go to the program that you are trying to access, and right click on the program icon (it cannot be a shortcut.) Choose "Run as Administrator" from the drop down menu, and then enter your password if it is needed.
That will fix the vast majority of install issues related to elevation and administrative privilege.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
Disaster Recovery Planning
For most small to medium sized businesses, the stresses of accomplishing everyday work, and generating the needed revenue can cause thoughts to stray from "what if" sorts of situations when it comes to their computer infrastructure. While some of this is to be expected, a big "what if" that needs to be considered is "what if my system fails"? Many small businesses do not realize how much could be lost in the event of a system failure or disaster, and many small businesses will actually not survive a major IT catastrophe. A proper disaster recovery plan, can be the difference between an inconvenience that will more than likely be covered by insurance, and a completely crippling disaster.
Many small businesses keep a small office server, or series of computers. These computers usually contain all of the accounting information, and most of the customer information for the company. Some of the information can be highly sensitive, and for slightly more elaborate operations, everything from inventory values, to a full blown online store, or large database of leads, copyrighted content, payroll records, etc. A business owner should take a little while every now and then to contemplate exactly how much of the value of a company is stored on the computers. And the bad news... Insurance companies generally do not cover the data stored on computers, only the computers themselves.
Backup - Backup is the most important area of disaster recovery planning. A good backup procedure can make most disaster recovery operations very easy, and far less time consuming. Following some simple guidelines can make your backups very secure.
1) RAID is not a backup - If your server has mirrored drives in it, this is in some ways better than nothing, because it does protect well against hardware failure. However, it does not protect against user errors and accidental deletion, file corruption, virus attacks, etc. Any damage to one hard drive is immediately copied to the other. I wish I could dig up the name of the site, but about a year back, I saw a fairly major blog type website go down permanently because they were relying on mirrored RAID drives for backup, and both drives were deleted. Another good miscellaneous RAID tip is: Don't use RAID 0 unless you really need the space or speed.
2) Backup every day - Leave computers with vital data on them on, and set backups to run every night. With many systems, it is possible to set them to back up to the server, and have the server back up all of the systems vicariously when it does its routine shortly afterward.
3) Never Backup to the same disk your system is running on - It can be tempting to save on hardware costs, and simply backup to a secondary partition, but while this can help against corruption and software issues in many cases, it does nothing to protect from physical failure.
4) Keep 2 backup drives or devices as a BARE minimum - What if the disaster that you need to recover from is more than a disk failure. If the disaster is a fire, flood, burglary, structural collapse, or anything of the sort, it is vital to have a backup kept off site. Multiple backup drives should be used, and it should be rotated so that all of the backups are never in the same place at the same time. Use a network storage device apart from your existing setup as well to ensure that you can keep a backup if something happens to one part of your office in specific. Many companies now offer remote backup over the internet, and some of these can be very reliable if you are willing to pay the monthly expense to keep it running. Be sure to ask the provider about the nature of their data center, though... If they are operating only one data center, it will have all of the same venerability. Redundancy is a very good thing, and while it can be overdone, it is a bit difficult to have too much security.
5) Check your automated backups often - Make sure they are running properly, and not reporting errors.
Encryption - Many businesses have computer systems that contain data that is highly sensitive. This could be the accounting records of the business itself, or personal customer information. All drives containing sensitive information should be encrypted, so that they are useless if removed from your system. With proper encryption, you may still have to worry about the loss of the drive, but you will not have to worry about your data being compromised.
Do not store your passwords, server setup information, and other things, on the computer that requires it. Keep paper copies of all of this information in a secure location somewhere.
Know how quickly you need to be back up and running in the event of a disaster, and keep that in mind when procuring equipment. If you cannot afford a few days of unreliable computer service, you should keep redundant equipment for your vital processes somewhere else, so that it can be switched quickly and efficiently. You may find yourself paying far more than you have to if you buy new equipment in a pinch.
No plan for disaster recovery is 100% foolproof, but with a few simple steps, the odds of major data loss can be reduced very dramatically.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
Many small businesses keep a small office server, or series of computers. These computers usually contain all of the accounting information, and most of the customer information for the company. Some of the information can be highly sensitive, and for slightly more elaborate operations, everything from inventory values, to a full blown online store, or large database of leads, copyrighted content, payroll records, etc. A business owner should take a little while every now and then to contemplate exactly how much of the value of a company is stored on the computers. And the bad news... Insurance companies generally do not cover the data stored on computers, only the computers themselves.
Backup - Backup is the most important area of disaster recovery planning. A good backup procedure can make most disaster recovery operations very easy, and far less time consuming. Following some simple guidelines can make your backups very secure.
1) RAID is not a backup - If your server has mirrored drives in it, this is in some ways better than nothing, because it does protect well against hardware failure. However, it does not protect against user errors and accidental deletion, file corruption, virus attacks, etc. Any damage to one hard drive is immediately copied to the other. I wish I could dig up the name of the site, but about a year back, I saw a fairly major blog type website go down permanently because they were relying on mirrored RAID drives for backup, and both drives were deleted. Another good miscellaneous RAID tip is: Don't use RAID 0 unless you really need the space or speed.
2) Backup every day - Leave computers with vital data on them on, and set backups to run every night. With many systems, it is possible to set them to back up to the server, and have the server back up all of the systems vicariously when it does its routine shortly afterward.
3) Never Backup to the same disk your system is running on - It can be tempting to save on hardware costs, and simply backup to a secondary partition, but while this can help against corruption and software issues in many cases, it does nothing to protect from physical failure.
4) Keep 2 backup drives or devices as a BARE minimum - What if the disaster that you need to recover from is more than a disk failure. If the disaster is a fire, flood, burglary, structural collapse, or anything of the sort, it is vital to have a backup kept off site. Multiple backup drives should be used, and it should be rotated so that all of the backups are never in the same place at the same time. Use a network storage device apart from your existing setup as well to ensure that you can keep a backup if something happens to one part of your office in specific. Many companies now offer remote backup over the internet, and some of these can be very reliable if you are willing to pay the monthly expense to keep it running. Be sure to ask the provider about the nature of their data center, though... If they are operating only one data center, it will have all of the same venerability. Redundancy is a very good thing, and while it can be overdone, it is a bit difficult to have too much security.
5) Check your automated backups often - Make sure they are running properly, and not reporting errors.
Encryption - Many businesses have computer systems that contain data that is highly sensitive. This could be the accounting records of the business itself, or personal customer information. All drives containing sensitive information should be encrypted, so that they are useless if removed from your system. With proper encryption, you may still have to worry about the loss of the drive, but you will not have to worry about your data being compromised.
Do not store your passwords, server setup information, and other things, on the computer that requires it. Keep paper copies of all of this information in a secure location somewhere.
Know how quickly you need to be back up and running in the event of a disaster, and keep that in mind when procuring equipment. If you cannot afford a few days of unreliable computer service, you should keep redundant equipment for your vital processes somewhere else, so that it can be switched quickly and efficiently. You may find yourself paying far more than you have to if you buy new equipment in a pinch.
No plan for disaster recovery is 100% foolproof, but with a few simple steps, the odds of major data loss can be reduced very dramatically.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
Saturday, July 10. 2010
Good Open Source Illustrator Software
Why should you pay hundreds of dollars for an illustration or graphic design program, when you can get something very comparable to Adobe Illustrator for free!Inkscape is a good basic program to do all sorts of basic visual design for companies and single users.
Its free and safe, so go on! Give it a try! If you don't like it... Well, you didn't lose anything, that's for sure.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
How to Dispose Of Your Old Computer(s) - IN FUN WAYS!
If you happen to have one, or a bunch of old computers laying around... Yeah, you could recycle them... But why not have some fun with them first. Below is a compilation of amusing things that people have found to do with old computers.
Take it to Kentucky!
Make Computer Dominoes!
Create Some Modern Art!
Microwave it!
Freak out and smash it!
And if all else fails... Just Blow it up!
Disclaimer - Varnes Computers, LLC does not endorse the improper disposal of technology equipment. This article is compiled from external sources, and is intended for amusement, not instruction.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
Take it to Kentucky!
Make Computer Dominoes!
Create Some Modern Art!
Microwave it!
Freak out and smash it!
And if all else fails... Just Blow it up!
Disclaimer - Varnes Computers, LLC does not endorse the improper disposal of technology equipment. This article is compiled from external sources, and is intended for amusement, not instruction.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
It Advice For Small and Growing Businesses
As a small business owner, it is easy to fall into a trap with computers. The trap is very simple... Out of sight, out of mind. That is to say, that if everything works as the company is accustomed to, the computer system is rarely given a second thought. In this article, I will cover some basic steps that companies should take, or be mindful of, in order to be able to grow their operation with ease and functionality when it comes to IT.
Many small businesses start with just one or 2 computers, and little to no plans for expansion as the company grows. As a small business owner myself, I am aware of just how chaotic that role can be, and how difficult it is to focus on the little stuff that more or less works. The problem here, is that I have seen several companies that have started this way, and have grown in a very similar manner. When these companies reach 10-15 work stations, things can really begin to become inconvenient, slow down, stop fulfilling their required roles, or just plain break. The lack of functionality is generally caused by an attitude of "Well, we need to start doing X, so grab that piece of equipment and slap it in there." As a result, as the system grows without direction or guidance, it becomes very hodgepodge and decentralized. This creates many more points for possible breaks and glitches, and can be a tremendous hindrance to efficiency. Additionally, it is much harder to secure and backup data on a very decentralized network, and the overall value of data security continues to rise every day. Companies stand to lose more and more if their data is lost. Planning and forethought is key.
There are a few solutions to this issue. My biggest recommendation would be to consult a professional early on in the development of your company, so that they can offer good advice on where to move next with your IT. If you would prefer to do it yourself, the general model that I would follow is centralize early, and buy less equipment that can do more. With the growing popularity of cloud computing, virtual centralization is becoming very easy. The goal is to make a computer system like an organized series of spokes, connected to well maintained hubs, and with this, maintenance, backup, and troubleshooting all become much easier.
If you are in the stage where your computers are beginning to fall into disarray, it is probably time to call a Pro out to have a look at things. This generally happens when a specific piece of equipment fails, or a service goes down, or anything IT related in general happens that impacts day to day operations. As an IT consultant, I beseech you to listen to what the professional has to say, and to begin to very seriously entertain the possibility of implementing more than a temporary band-aid solution. It may cost substantially more than a band aid, but if your business is in this state of kerfufflery, you will see a much higher long term benefit from stabilizing the system properly to accommodate the new higher load, than you will from having a fix that will break every so often.
Another good piece of advice: Get yourself a GOOD IT guy early! It is highly advisable to use a local IT firm, and one that is small enough to remember your company. The benefits of this can be tremendous. Simply having someone look at your system a couple times per year, and know it will allow them to give you far better advice as your system grows. I say that it is important to find a good IT firm or professional, because there are some bad ones out there, and you may find yourself having to switch firms, and paying someone new to fix the mistakes that you paid the previous firm to make. There are many things to look for when looking for a good IT support professional:
Look for a proper company (be extremely wary of that 15 dollar per hour guy on craigslist.)
Look for relevant certifications ( A+, Network Plus, Microsoft Certified Professional, etc)
Ask for references, and for companies, try to get references of companies of comparable size. (this is tremendously valuable)
If, at the beginning, you simply establish that you have one firm that you are going to call with your IT issues, what you will wind up doing is building a relationship with technicians that know your system inside and out from the ground up, and are able to grow and service your system far more efficiently than anyone else could. Don't wait for your computers to break to call a pro... Start calling them now! Chat them up until you find one you like, and then save their information. At the very least, then you will have a good person to call should something catastrophic happen, as opposed to panicking over the yellow pages, and hoping that the person who comes out is competent, and not going to empty your wallet.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
Many small businesses start with just one or 2 computers, and little to no plans for expansion as the company grows. As a small business owner myself, I am aware of just how chaotic that role can be, and how difficult it is to focus on the little stuff that more or less works. The problem here, is that I have seen several companies that have started this way, and have grown in a very similar manner. When these companies reach 10-15 work stations, things can really begin to become inconvenient, slow down, stop fulfilling their required roles, or just plain break. The lack of functionality is generally caused by an attitude of "Well, we need to start doing X, so grab that piece of equipment and slap it in there." As a result, as the system grows without direction or guidance, it becomes very hodgepodge and decentralized. This creates many more points for possible breaks and glitches, and can be a tremendous hindrance to efficiency. Additionally, it is much harder to secure and backup data on a very decentralized network, and the overall value of data security continues to rise every day. Companies stand to lose more and more if their data is lost. Planning and forethought is key.
There are a few solutions to this issue. My biggest recommendation would be to consult a professional early on in the development of your company, so that they can offer good advice on where to move next with your IT. If you would prefer to do it yourself, the general model that I would follow is centralize early, and buy less equipment that can do more. With the growing popularity of cloud computing, virtual centralization is becoming very easy. The goal is to make a computer system like an organized series of spokes, connected to well maintained hubs, and with this, maintenance, backup, and troubleshooting all become much easier.
If you are in the stage where your computers are beginning to fall into disarray, it is probably time to call a Pro out to have a look at things. This generally happens when a specific piece of equipment fails, or a service goes down, or anything IT related in general happens that impacts day to day operations. As an IT consultant, I beseech you to listen to what the professional has to say, and to begin to very seriously entertain the possibility of implementing more than a temporary band-aid solution. It may cost substantially more than a band aid, but if your business is in this state of kerfufflery, you will see a much higher long term benefit from stabilizing the system properly to accommodate the new higher load, than you will from having a fix that will break every so often.
Another good piece of advice: Get yourself a GOOD IT guy early! It is highly advisable to use a local IT firm, and one that is small enough to remember your company. The benefits of this can be tremendous. Simply having someone look at your system a couple times per year, and know it will allow them to give you far better advice as your system grows. I say that it is important to find a good IT firm or professional, because there are some bad ones out there, and you may find yourself having to switch firms, and paying someone new to fix the mistakes that you paid the previous firm to make. There are many things to look for when looking for a good IT support professional:
Look for a proper company (be extremely wary of that 15 dollar per hour guy on craigslist.)
Look for relevant certifications ( A+, Network Plus, Microsoft Certified Professional, etc)
Ask for references, and for companies, try to get references of companies of comparable size. (this is tremendously valuable)
If, at the beginning, you simply establish that you have one firm that you are going to call with your IT issues, what you will wind up doing is building a relationship with technicians that know your system inside and out from the ground up, and are able to grow and service your system far more efficiently than anyone else could. Don't wait for your computers to break to call a pro... Start calling them now! Chat them up until you find one you like, and then save their information. At the very least, then you will have a good person to call should something catastrophic happen, as opposed to panicking over the yellow pages, and hoping that the person who comes out is competent, and not going to empty your wallet.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
Friday, July 9. 2010
Kaboom Crash
So in an incredible fit of irony, our blog server crashed right after I finished an article on disaster recovery. The blog is currently being recovered, but may behave erratically for a few days.
Sorry for any inconvenience!
Sorry for any inconvenience!
Averatec Really Lives up to It's Name
So we had a lovely computer come through our shop a couple days ago... it was an Averatec 3700 laptop. It kind of took us aback, how poorly this computer had been put together.
Below is a picture of the hard drive location on this computer... On the underside of the motherboard. It is our understanding that Averatec no longer produces computers, but should you come across a used one... We would recommend holding out for something better.
Below is a picture of the hard drive location on this computer... On the underside of the motherboard. It is our understanding that Averatec no longer produces computers, but should you come across a used one... We would recommend holding out for something better.
Thursday, July 1. 2010
Keeping a Computer Secure - Password Etiquette
Sadly, fraud and crime are fairly rampant on the internet. Some of the biggest threats come from scammers, who will just try to rip you off, and other groups, who trade in stolen credit card and bank information. StopTheHacker.com did a study in early 2010, and located hundreds of websites where credit card numbers and paypal account information was sold for $2 to $40 per account or number. The market for this is booming, and consumers need to protect themselves.
In this entry, I will explain a few basic steps to help keep the front lines of your information safe... Anyone who wants to steal your data on the internet, will first need access to your account, or somewhere else they can get important information. Therefore, we will focus on the main line of defense there: your password. Your online data is generally very safe, provided that some basic precautions are followed. Most banks, as well as paypal are pretty good about making sure you have chosen a secure password. Nevertheless, it does not hurt to be aware.
Things that should never be a part of your password:
Your birthday
Any part of your name
Your Address
Your children
Someone with intent to steal your password can generally research many of the above items through publicly available internet databases. If it is a part of your password, you have already given an accomplished thief a good chance at guessing it.
In modern days, almost all websites that deal with monetary transactions will have a bad password lockout function. That is, if someone enters the wrong password a predetermined number of times, the account will lock up... usually for 15 to 30 minutes, and will not accept any more login attempts. This does a great job of combating programs that enter random passwords over and over again in hopes of getting it, but an added line of defense in the spirit of the random guess method of password hacking is to not use any words in your password that are contained inn a dictionary.
When it comes to what to do... What I personally use, and recommend to all of our clients is a 9 digit, randomly selected password that consists of lower case letters, upper case letters, and numbers. Following this pattern, there are billions of different possible combination's, and it is almost impossible to guess. It is beneficial to change your password every 90 days.
Lastly, it is a good idea to keep different passwords for your most important accounts. Many people use the same email address and password for everything, and if one account is compromised, it may be possible for a thief to locate other accounts with the same information, and break into them. You can prevent this from happening by keeping multiple passwords. That way, if one password is discovered, only a portion of your online records are threatened. Personally, I use a single complex password for banking and financial transactions, and a simpler one for sites that have no monetary value stored on them.
Other miscellaneous security tips regarding passwords.
Do not email your password. If a company like a bank, or an email service provider emails you, saying that they are checking for live accounts, and you need to reply with your login and password in order to keep your account active, do not fall for it. It is standard operating procedure for all major companies NEVER to ask for your password through email.
If you are making a purchase through a website that is not a major name, and you have not used it before, there is usually an authentication logo, generally made by the company VeriSign. These should be clickable, and should lead you back to the VeriSign.com domain... If they are not, it could be a forgery, and you could be giving your credit card information to a thief.
For the full report on the stolen credit card study, click here.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
In this entry, I will explain a few basic steps to help keep the front lines of your information safe... Anyone who wants to steal your data on the internet, will first need access to your account, or somewhere else they can get important information. Therefore, we will focus on the main line of defense there: your password. Your online data is generally very safe, provided that some basic precautions are followed. Most banks, as well as paypal are pretty good about making sure you have chosen a secure password. Nevertheless, it does not hurt to be aware.
Things that should never be a part of your password:
Your birthday
Any part of your name
Your Address
Your children
Someone with intent to steal your password can generally research many of the above items through publicly available internet databases. If it is a part of your password, you have already given an accomplished thief a good chance at guessing it.
In modern days, almost all websites that deal with monetary transactions will have a bad password lockout function. That is, if someone enters the wrong password a predetermined number of times, the account will lock up... usually for 15 to 30 minutes, and will not accept any more login attempts. This does a great job of combating programs that enter random passwords over and over again in hopes of getting it, but an added line of defense in the spirit of the random guess method of password hacking is to not use any words in your password that are contained inn a dictionary.
When it comes to what to do... What I personally use, and recommend to all of our clients is a 9 digit, randomly selected password that consists of lower case letters, upper case letters, and numbers. Following this pattern, there are billions of different possible combination's, and it is almost impossible to guess. It is beneficial to change your password every 90 days.
Lastly, it is a good idea to keep different passwords for your most important accounts. Many people use the same email address and password for everything, and if one account is compromised, it may be possible for a thief to locate other accounts with the same information, and break into them. You can prevent this from happening by keeping multiple passwords. That way, if one password is discovered, only a portion of your online records are threatened. Personally, I use a single complex password for banking and financial transactions, and a simpler one for sites that have no monetary value stored on them.
Other miscellaneous security tips regarding passwords.
Do not email your password. If a company like a bank, or an email service provider emails you, saying that they are checking for live accounts, and you need to reply with your login and password in order to keep your account active, do not fall for it. It is standard operating procedure for all major companies NEVER to ask for your password through email.
If you are making a purchase through a website that is not a major name, and you have not used it before, there is usually an authentication logo, generally made by the company VeriSign. These should be clickable, and should lead you back to the VeriSign.com domain... If they are not, it could be a forgery, and you could be giving your credit card information to a thief.
For the full report on the stolen credit card study, click here.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
Keeping a Computer Secure - Password Etiquette
Sadly, fraud and crime are fairly rampant on the internet. Some of the biggest threats come from scammers, who will just try to rip you off, and other groups, who trade in stolen credit card and bank information. StopTheHacker.com did a study in early 2010, and located hundreds of websites where credit card numbers and paypal account information was sold for $2 to $40 per account or number. The market for this is booming, and consumers need to protect themselves.
In this entry, I will explain a few basic steps to help keep the front lines of your information safe... Anyone who wants to steal your data on the internet, will first need access to your account, or somewhere else they can get important information. Therefore, we will focus on the main line of defense there: your password. Your online data is generally very safe, provided that some basic precautions are followed. Most banks, as well as paypal are pretty good about making sure you have chosen a secure password. Nevertheless, it does not hurt to be aware.
Things that should never be a part of your password:
Your birthday
Any part of your name
Your Address
Your children
Someone with intent to steal your password can generally research many of the above items through publicly available internet databases. If it is a part of your password, you have already given an accomplished thief a good chance at guessing it.
In modern days, almost all websites that deal with monetary transactions will have a bad password lockout function. That is, if someone enters the wrong password a predetermined number of times, the account will lock up... usually for 15 to 30 minutes, and will not accept any more login attempts. This does a great job of combating programs that enter random passwords over and over again in hopes of getting it, but an added line of defense in the spirit of the random guess method of password hacking is to not use any words in your password that are contained inn a dictionary.
When it comes to what to do... What I personally use, and recommend to all of our clients is a 9 digit, randomly selected password that consists of lower case letters, upper case letters, and numbers. Following this pattern, there are billions of different possible combination's, and it is almost impossible to guess. It is beneficial to change your password every 90 days.
Lastly, it is a good idea to keep different passwords for your most important accounts. Many people use the same email address and password for everything, and if one account is compromised, it may be possible for a thief to locate other accounts with the same information, and break into them. You can prevent this from happening by keeping multiple passwords. That way, if one password is discovered, only a portion of your online records are threatened. Personally, I use a single complex password for banking and financial transactions, and a simpler one for sites that have no monetary value stored on them.
Other miscellaneous security tips regarding passwords.
Do not email your password. If a company like a bank, or an email service provider emails you, saying that they are checking for live accounts, and you need to reply with your login and password in order to keep your account active, do not fall for it. It is standard operating procedure for all major companies NEVER to ask for your password through email.
If you are making a purchase through a website that is not a major name, and you have not used it before, there is usually an authentication logo, generally made by the company VeriSign. These should be clickable, and should lead you back to the VeriSign.com domain... If they are not, it could be a forgery, and you could be giving your credit card information to a thief.
For the full report on the stolen credit card study, click here.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
In this entry, I will explain a few basic steps to help keep the front lines of your information safe... Anyone who wants to steal your data on the internet, will first need access to your account, or somewhere else they can get important information. Therefore, we will focus on the main line of defense there: your password. Your online data is generally very safe, provided that some basic precautions are followed. Most banks, as well as paypal are pretty good about making sure you have chosen a secure password. Nevertheless, it does not hurt to be aware.
Things that should never be a part of your password:
Your birthday
Any part of your name
Your Address
Your children
Someone with intent to steal your password can generally research many of the above items through publicly available internet databases. If it is a part of your password, you have already given an accomplished thief a good chance at guessing it.
In modern days, almost all websites that deal with monetary transactions will have a bad password lockout function. That is, if someone enters the wrong password a predetermined number of times, the account will lock up... usually for 15 to 30 minutes, and will not accept any more login attempts. This does a great job of combating programs that enter random passwords over and over again in hopes of getting it, but an added line of defense in the spirit of the random guess method of password hacking is to not use any words in your password that are contained inn a dictionary.
When it comes to what to do... What I personally use, and recommend to all of our clients is a 9 digit, randomly selected password that consists of lower case letters, upper case letters, and numbers. Following this pattern, there are billions of different possible combination's, and it is almost impossible to guess. It is beneficial to change your password every 90 days.
Lastly, it is a good idea to keep different passwords for your most important accounts. Many people use the same email address and password for everything, and if one account is compromised, it may be possible for a thief to locate other accounts with the same information, and break into them. You can prevent this from happening by keeping multiple passwords. That way, if one password is discovered, only a portion of your online records are threatened. Personally, I use a single complex password for banking and financial transactions, and a simpler one for sites that have no monetary value stored on them.
Other miscellaneous security tips regarding passwords.
Do not email your password. If a company like a bank, or an email service provider emails you, saying that they are checking for live accounts, and you need to reply with your login and password in order to keep your account active, do not fall for it. It is standard operating procedure for all major companies NEVER to ask for your password through email.
If you are making a purchase through a website that is not a major name, and you have not used it before, there is usually an authentication logo, generally made by the company VeriSign. These should be clickable, and should lead you back to the VeriSign.com domain... If they are not, it could be a forgery, and you could be giving your credit card information to a thief.
For the full report on the stolen credit card study, click here.
Varnes Computers, LLC provides high quality computer service and IT consulting to the Denver area, and beyond. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at http://www.varnespc.com
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