How to create outbound rules in Ubuntu Firewall with Firestarter
When it comes to blocking data emanating from your computer, Firestarter can enact two different modes: whitelist, and blacklist.
All articles tagged: security
How to disable signed driver checking using BCDEdit in Windows Server 2008
An undocumented method of disabling the signed driver requirement for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 is to use the BCDEdit utility to make a change to the boot configuration. Because this feature isn't documented, Microsoft could remove it at any time. This procedure isn't something that a novice administrator should attempt to do, but it's doable.
How to create inbound rules in Ubuntu Firewall with Firestarter
Inbound rules allow you to filter all incoming connections. By default, all uninvited incoming connections are turned away. Creating an inbound rule effectively allows you to create a "hole" in the firewall for certain types of connection to get through, as needed by particular programs.
How to add a new repository key in Ubuntu
Sometimes a repository contains digitally signed packages. Signing is a method of ensuring packages haven't been tampered with, or forged. The programmer stamps each package with an ID that only she can create. This is done using a cryptographic key, the public component of which is offered for download and must be installed by end users.
How to Login automatically after boot-up in Ubuntu
If you want to stop seeing the username/password prompt when you start Ubuntu, click System > Administration > Login Window. Then click the Security tab, and put a check in Enable Automatic Login.
Understanding Security for Wireless Networks
On a conventional wired network, physical security is a given: If someone plugs a computer into your hub, you'll know about it immediately, and you can trace the physical wire back to the intruders computer. On wireless networks, however, anyone who comes into range of your wireless access point can tap into your network and intercept signals from it.
Change the duration of a Remote Assistance invitation in Vista
By default, a Remote Assistance invitation expires six hours after it's created. For the best security, reduce the expiration time if the expert can respond quickly to your request.
Enabling and Disabling Windows Firewall in Vista
Administrators can enable or disable Windows Firewall on all connections or on a per connection basis. To do so, click Windows Firewall from within Windows Security Center and then click Change Settings to display the Windows Firewall dialog box.
Commonly used TCP/IP ports and how they are used
When your web browser or email program connects to another computer on the Internet, it does so through a TCP/IP port. If you have a web server or FTP server running on your PC, it opens a port through which other computers can connect to those services. Port numbers are used to distinguish one network service from another.
Setup a Proxy in Ubuntu
Some networks in offices require that you use a web proxy (often referred to as an HTTP proxy). A proxy is a server computer that provides additional security by providing a single portal to all web pages. It also helps speed up Internet access by storing frequently accessed pages. This means that if ten people request the same web page, there's no need to get the same ten pieces of data from the Internet. The proxy computer can send them its own copies.
Programs commonly running in the background in VIsta
Windows is basically just a collection of components, and at any given time, some of those components may be loaded into memory and listed as running processes in Task Manager. In fact, you'll probably see more programs running than you expected, especially after you turn on Task Manager's Show processes from all users option.
Log In a User Automatically in Vista
If you assign a password to your account, or if you add a second user account in Control Panel, Vista will show you the Welcome screen when Windows first starts.
How Malware Spreads on Windows
Once they've infected a system, viruses and the like can be very difficult to remove. For that reason, your best defense against them is to prevent them from infecting your computer in the first place.
WEP VS. WPA in Ubuntu
Some wireless networks are protected using either the Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi
Protected Access (WPA) systems. WPA is effectively an updated version of WEP and offers stronger protection. There are actually two versions of WPA: WPA and WPA2. WPA2 is newer and corrected several security flaws in WPA. Both work in roughly the same way.