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How to Create Secure Passwords For Social Networking Sites

If you've been involved with social media then you've heard about the hacks on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. User accounts have been broken into and used to spread spam or links to sites carrying viruses or other malware.Time and again, the reports try to drill into your brain that you need to make your password secure. But I've yet to hear anyone report on just what a secure password is! In order to help correct that, I'm going to provide you a shortened version of what I provide my clients and students about creating secure passwords. To appreciate how easy it is to hack a social networking account, you have to look at your profile the way a hacker does. Hackers know that most people use passwords that are easy for them to remember. That means that your profile contains much of the information a hacker can use to guess your password.For example, many people will use the name of their dog, spouse, or child and their birth date to create a password. So, if you have all your family listed on your profile, along with the pet chinchilla and your birth date, that's the first thing any hacker will try. So if you have a pooch named Rex, and your birthday is 07-17, a password of rex0717 is probably a bad idea. Similarly, your spouse, John with your anniversary date - john0422 - is also easily hacked. I think you got the picture.These skills are called social engineering techniques and have been around since the dawn of hacking. But that's not the only tools these folks have at their disposal. There are freely distributed hacking tools programmed to run through the entire dictionary, along with combining numbers and characters to also break your password.So, any use of a full word contained in the dictionary is also off limits for any part of a password.By now I'm sure you're wondering how to create a password without using words, right? It's actually easier than you think!Take some phrase or concept that's very meaningful to you and create a password from it.Let's say that your favorite movie is the Wizard of Oz. You could use the phrase, "Follow the yellow brick road" to create the password. Or, Lions and tigers and bears, Oh my!Using the yellow brick road phrase, you take the first letter of each word in the phrase to start the password. So you would use the f in follow, the t in the, y from yellow, b from the brick, and r from road. Now you can come up with a multiple combination of this by also switching the case on this phrase. Some of them might be as follows: ftybr FtYbR fTyBr FTybr FtyBR Now, you need to add something to the end or the beginning to make it even harder to hack because the longer the password is, the longer it takes for someone to process the multiple variations on it.So, using the Oz from the title of the movie, you can substitute the o in Oz for a zero or number. Then your password may look like this: FtyBR0z.To add even more length to it - thus making it even harder to guess, you could add: FtyBR0zL&t&b0m!Did you guess the ending? Lions & tigers & bears with the zero representing the o in Oh my! And of course the m and exclamation point. But a tilde would do just fine also, as in: FtyBR0zL&t&b0m~You see from that example that there are no words being used that are included in the dictionary, and no identifying information that could be gleaned from your social profile. Unless of course, you have as I do, Wizard of Oz listed as one of your favorite movies on your profile! Needless to say, this not my password!Also, a word of caution. While this may keep you from getting your account hacked now, it doesn't mean that someone won't find a way to break your code and get in. So my advice to you is, don't use the same password for all your social networking sites. You can use the same theme, but switch things around so that in the event one account does get hacked, you don't give the hacker instant access to all your accounts.A final word about social engineering techniques. Don't trust just anyone with your passwords or the phrase you use to create them. You just never know who you might be sharing that information with. And do not use a phrase you are recognized with.A friend of mine is known for his tag line, "Show me the money." That would be the first phrase I'd guess if I was hacking his account. So make sure it's something known and meaningful only to you.Now you know how to create a secure password! 	 	 		 			 				 					 						Debbie Mahler is the owner of a female-owned IT company (<a href="http://mice.org" target="_new">http://mice.org</a>) that works with individuals and small-to-midsized businesses with security solutions, networking, education, and online presence. If you liked this and other articles, please sign up for our free newsletters & get the free eBook: Why is my PC so slow? <a href="http://mice.org/lists/" target="_new">http://mice.org/lists/</a>

How to Create Secure Passwords For Social Networking Sites

If you've been involved with social media then you've heard about the hacks on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. User accounts have...

Social Networking Sites - Security Concerns

Over the past few years social networking has become increasingly popular. Everyone is scrambling for the latest piece of technology and these new devices ensure that you can use social networks anytime you want. The topic of security has been an issue of the years with specific cases cropping up, however when the hype fades, people forget and continue to use and love these social sites.With everyone loving social networking sites as much as they do, it's hard for people to think about them having flaws. They provide a way to share photos, information with friends and share a laugh or two through thoughts of the day and instant messaging. When a family lives all over the world from each other or friends moves far apart, they give a way to communicate and share their lives with each other on a technical level.The problem with sharing your life online is that it is subject to being looked at by people that you do not know. It may seem scary to think of someone else viewing your pictures or seeing your profile but it is even worse when you think about them accessing your password and getting into your files, or just seeing your files and using the info or pictures for their own good.Security needs to be beefed up on social sites. Many social sites do not view security as a huge issue. They know that more important internet situations do not provide heavy duty security so they feel that social networking is important but not as important of the ones who are lacking it as well. There are SSL codes that can be in scripted to make privacy an addressed issue, but many internet sites refuse to use them.A popular social network website had a hacker that broke into everyone's account. He spread a virus around that got into everyone's account and while he didn't do any harm or damage he proved his point, that it can be done and it can hurt a lot of people.A site that allows people to post journal entries had someone break into someone's account. The hacker changed things around and deleted entries, they also hacked into friend's accounts through the one account. Lots of information was leaked and people were hurt. It made the account holder upset but they just went on with changing their password and resuming their life.Most social network websites started off small and a few turned into something massive. The idea really caught on because everyone likes the idea of being so connected and close to people through the internet... something many people use all day and every day. The problem is that all the little cute programs that people are so tempted to load on to their accounts may allow people access to all their information.And while it seems many people don't think about it too hard, it may do some harm. Whenever someone can see your private info without consent that is a security issue that should be a hot issue. Some networking sites have tried to make it seem that people have control over who sees certain information but there must be other ways such as loading applications that allow for security issues to happen regardless.It is amazing to think that people do not really care that much about internet security, if they did then everyone wouldn't be on social networking sites. It is also concerning to think that hackers are using the internet to target people and use them for their own advantages and scams.	 	 		 			 				 					 						Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for <a href="http://polomercantil.livejournal.com/" target="_new">Polomercantil</a>

Social Networking Sites - Security Concerns

Over the past few years social networking has become increasingly popular. Everyone is scrambling for the latest piece of technology and ...

How to Delete Sites Visited on a Computer History

Double-click on <a class="StrongLink" href="http://www.ehow.com/internet/">the Internet</A> Explorer icon to open a new window in your browser.Click the "Tools" button on the menu at the top of the page. A drop-down menu will appear. Select the "Delete Browsing History" option. A new box will open with options.Click the "Delete History" button next to the options you want to delete. "Temporary Internet Files" contain copies of <a class="StrongLink" href="http://www.ehow.com/internet/">the web</A> pages you've visited; "Cookies" are files websites place on your computer so the site remembers your information the next time you visit; "History" is a list of all the sites you've visited; "Form Data" is all of the information you've ever typed into forms on websites; and "Passwords" is any password you've asked a website to remember for login purposes.Click "Delete All" if you want to delete every type of history on your computer. A new pop-up will appear asking if you want to complete the action. Click "Yes."Open a new Mozilla Firefox window by double-clicking on the icon. Click the "Tools" button in the menu across the top of the screen. If you are running Firefox 2.0 or 3.0, proceed to the next step. If you are running Firefox 3.5, skip step 2 and proceed to step 3.Click the "Options" button in the menu. A window will appear with various options for your browser. Click the "Privacy" button. In Firefox version 2.0, click the button that says, "Clear Browsing History Now." In Firefox version 3.0, click the button that says, "Clear Now." If you are running Firefox version 3.5, proceed to the next step.Click the "Tools" button in the top menu, then click the option that says, "Clear Recent History." A new window will open that says, "Time range to clear:" with a drop-down box next to it. Click the drop-down box and select "Everything." Finally, click "Clear Now."Open a new browser window by clicking on the Safari icon in the "Dock" of your screen. Click the "History" button in the top bar across the screen.Select "Clear History," located at the bottom of the menu. A box will open that says, "Are you sure you want to clear history?"Click "Clear." To select specific history to clear, click "Show All History," highlight the history you want to remove and hit the "Delete" button.

How to Delete Sites Visited on a Computer History

Double-click on the Internet Explorer icon to open a new window in your browser. Click the "Tools" button on the menu at the top...

Sites That Allow Bill Me Later Option for Baby Items

<a and="" baby="" bill="" later="" makes="" me="" online="" quick="" shopping="" title="#jsArticleStepImageCredit1 rel=thinbox><IMG title=" with=""></A> attractive woman using computer image by Paul Hill from <A" href="http://www.fotolia.com/">Fotolia.com</A> Online shopping with Bill Me Later makes baby shopping quick and easy.There are literally hundreds of online retailers that offer baby items with the Bill Me Later paying option. Additionally, many of these stores offer free or discounted freight charges when shipping directly to their retail stores. Some of the online shops provide special deals for purchases over a certain dollar amount.Baby ProductsNumerous sites exist that specifically offer baby and toddler merchandise. Some give specific attention to natural <a class="StrongLink" href="http://www.ehow.com/family/">parenting</A> products and others offer practical products for baby needs. Some examples where Bill Me Later can be opted include OneStepAhead.com and Diapers.com.Surplus and AuctionsBaby items can be purchased through e-commerce sites that offer products from many different merchants. Well known sites for Bill Me Later purchasing that offer baby merchandise include Overstock.com, Amazon.com and Ebay.National RetailersMost large national retailers that offer baby products have websites with the Bill Me Later option. Many sites also have layaway programs for online purchases that can be picked up in their stores. Common companies for baby items allowing Bill Me Later include baby-specific stores like BabiesRUs.com or mainstream retailers like Walmart.com.Manufacturer or Brand-SpecificMany companies have online stores dedicated specifically to certain toy brands or baby furniture. A few that allow customers to utilize the Bill Me Later option include eToys.com, LittleTikes.com or KidsFurnitureMart.com. References <a href="http://wwwb.search.billmelater.com/query.php?query=baby" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bill Me Later: Baby Shop Merchants</A>

Sites That Allow Bill Me Later Option for Baby Items

attractive woman using computer image by Paul Hill from Fotolia.com Online shopping with Bill Me Later makes baby shopping quick and easy.T...

How to Remove the Suggested Sites Link From My Toolbar

How to Remove the Suggested Sites Link From My Toolbar

Right-click on the "Suggested Sites" link on your IE8 toolbar. Select "Delete." Click "OK" when the "Do ...

Are Predators Waiting , Watching, and Engaging on Your Child's Social Networking Sites?

MySpace and other social networking sites offer thriving communities where young people engage in countless hours of banal chatter and photo sharing. Not coincidentally, these social networking sites also have become hangouts for child predators, child pornographers, and other cybercriminals.To stay one step ahead of authorities, these cybercriminals use tricks to conceal their identities online. One of the most common is lying about their ages, claiming to be younger than they are. And to hide their IP addresses and locations, predators and other cybercriminals often piggyback on Wi-Fi connections or use proxy servers. They use decentralized peer-to-peer networks to prevent material from being tracked to a specific server. They also use encryption to allow them to keep online chats private from those policing the Web. When law enforcement, ISPs, and others take down the websites of these pedophiles, predators, and cybercriminals, it's not long before they're back up, hosted by a different service.Skillful with their cell phones, instant messaging accounts, and with access to personal computers at home and school, young people are easy targets for sexual predators. Too many of them are ready and willing to share personal information online without a thought to how it might be misused by others. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that one in five kids online has been solicited or enticed. Reports of child pornography on the center's CyberTipline have increased six of the last seven years.Business and technology professionals may think of online child safety as a family issue, but it's a workplace issue, too. Social networks aren't just a teen phenomenon. A recent survey by Web filtering company, Websense, found that 8% of respondents visit social networking sites while at work. Companies can use Web filters to limit access to the sites, though Websense says its customers don't seem overly concerned. Whiling away company time on social networks is a productivity issue; luring children for sex is a criminal one.There's little evidence that sexual predators are trolling from workplace personal computers, but it's been known to happen. In 2003, a Cincinnati-area police chief admitted to soliciting sex from someone he thought was a 15-year-old, using his work computer. And a deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, arrested in March for attempting to seduce a child, had his workplace computer seized as part of the investigation and gave the number to his government-issued cell phone to a police office posing as a 14-year-old girl.Child porn stored on company computers and servers has been a bigger problem. Filtering and blocking can help keep the images off networks, though it's not failsafe. Keyword and URL-based filters have spotty coverage. Other software scans images for limbs and skin tones and blocks pictures it identifies as porn, but skin often takes up too little of the photographs, and innocuous material can be inadvertently blocked.The Internet Crimes Against Children program last year investigated 2,329 cases of enticement and of predators traveling to meet minors, and 252,000 cases of child pornography. Yet those numbers provide just a glimpse of the activity, since many local police forces are too small to investigate child porn. "It's absolutely overwhelming," says Brad Russ, director of Internet Crimes Against Children's training and technical assistance program, which trains 1,000 officers each year. "The scope and the scale of the problem far exceeds our capacity." Intensifying the epidemic is that more than half the world has no laws dealing with child pornography.Vigilante groups are fighting back. In January, NBC's Dateline featured a report about one such group, Perverted-Justice.org, which set up a sting that resulted in 51 men being busted in three nights. The group hasn't seen one acquittal from those it's helped bring to justice, and nearly all of its work is done with law enforcement. Yet some in law enforcement are wary of such efforts. "We certainly take any information that anyone has regarding an offender," says Randy Newcomb, an investigator with the New York State Police in Canandaigua, N.Y. However, vigilantes expose themselves to liability for entrapment or possession of child porn and might not properly maintain digital evidence, Newcomb says.Putting filtering and monitoring software on kids' computers provides some protection. SearchHelp's Sentry line, for example, blocks Web sites based on keywords and creates a log of visited sites. It also lets parents and other guardians monitor a child's activity from other computers. Parents can be notified of violations via E-mail or cell phone. Sentry also monitors IM conversations, using expertise culled from law enforcement to flag phrases commonly used by predators. Any IT pro knows of the limitations of such tools. The filters don't work perfectly, and even if kids post and browse safely, social networking sites present a new set of problems. Profiles on the sites often link to other online information sources, providing the type of data a fixated predator might use to locate a child, such as a school name, says Michelle Collins, a unit director at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.Investigator Newcomb recently spoke to an auditorium of elementary schoolers in western New York. He asked kids in the audience how many of them had more than 200 friends on their online buddy list--a bunch of hands shot up. Out of those, he asked how many have only friends on that list they can put a face to, and half of the hands remained raised. Finally, he asked if any of the kids had ever gone and met someone they'd got to know online, and a few hands were raised. "That's just totally frightening to me," Newcomb says. "The superintendent looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head." It may take a village to raise a child, but in a world of online social networking, decentralized networks and servers, and increasingly tech-savvy child predators, it's going to take a united effort among government, industry, and families to keep them safe. To protect your child, you need an Internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure.The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose.	 	 		 			 				 					 						Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Safety Advocate, recommends to individuals and small business owners the protection (including free lifetime technical support and $25,000 identity theft insurance and recovery) package he uses. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.saynotohackersandspyware.com" target="_new">http://www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/</a>.

Are Predators Waiting , Watching, and Engaging on Your Child's Social Networking Sites?

MySpace and other social networking sites offer thriving communities where young people engage in countless hours of banal chatter and ph...

How to Unlock Proxy Sites

Navigate to the Proxy 4 Free website and access new proxy sites that haven't been blocked on your network. Proxy 4 Free gives you the ability to access an extensive list of new proxy sites. On the upper-left region of the Proxy 4 Free page, you will find different list options including proxy sites by domain, rating, country, access time and by last test. The lists of proxy sites are displayed on the main body of the page and they are categorized by rating, country and URL, plus they also show you how long each proxy has been online and the last time each proxy was tested. To select a proxy, click on its corresponding link and Proxy 4 Free will redirect you to the proxy's website. 
Visit the Proxy Top site and use its list of most recently added proxy sites to find one that isn't blocked on your network. Proxy Top delivers a variety of proxy site lists. On the right side of the Proxy Top page, you will see an extensive list with thousands of proxy sites to choose from; however, to be proactive you should select proxy sites that are displayed on the list displayed below where it says "Most Recently Added Proxy Sites," as these are the newest proxy sites and have a higher chance of being unblocked. To access an unblocked proxy site, click on its link and Proxy Top will send you to the proxy's site. 
Go to the Public Proxy Servers website and scroll through its list of new proxy sites to find one that is not restricted on your network. Public Proxy Servers host a wide array of proxy lists including ones that are sorted by domain, access time, last test, online time and country of origin. The proxy sites featured on this website are categorized by rating, proxy link and country, plus each proxy site displays how long its been online and when it was last tested. To choose a proxy site that isn't blocked on your network, click on its corresponding link and Public Proxy Servers will fetch the proxy so you can begin using it to surf the Net.

How to Unlock Proxy Sites

Navigate to the Proxy 4 Free website and access new proxy sites that haven't been blocked on your network. Proxy 4 Free gives you the ab...