Email 101

Scammers are getting more elaborate with their schemes. They are able to phish and spoof people emails address. If you receive and unexpected emails from someone that you know make sure that you check with them before opening any attachments. Unsolicited attachments or emails may contain malicious software that may put your computer at risk by either destroying data or sending data to the author of the malicious code.

Wireless Gateway

My last post was about wireless encryption so I want to stay in the ball park. Now days, cable is kind of outdated. As technology evolves, wireless communications are pretty much becoming the standard. More people are going wireless, which means that more people are becoming vulnerable to wireless attacks. There are two main types of wireless encryption algorithm for your wireless router: WEP and WPA/WPA2. 

WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. Sorry but I will not bother going into detail why not to use WEP. When it first came out, it was the most secure form. Now it is the least secure. Anyone who knows what type of encryption they can implement in their router will avoid at all costs using WEP.  The passkey to be able log into the router/network is easily cracked by free tools such as AIRCRACK-NG. If you know you are running WEP but have the option of using WP2, go ahead.

The second method is WAP or Wi-Fi Protected Access. It offers TKIP, which is a 128-bit per-packet key, meaning that it dynamically generates a new key for each packet, different from WEP’s 40-bit encryption. It is commonly used in enterprise sized companies that use wireless and most people will not even try to break into it simply because it is extremely hard and tedious.  My top choice of security setup is:

WPA2  TKIP-AES

Passwords…. The Golden Key to Data

Passwords are responsible for keeping data safe when we log into a website. The most common problem is that some website’s password criteria is too complex for an easy password. From experience, users get frustrated as to why is the policy so strict. The table below, courtesy of Lock Down shows how long it would take to crack an alphanumerical (numbers and letters) password. The types of attacks refer to the cracking speed (10,000+ passwords/sec).

Mixed upper and lower case alphabetic characters plus numbers.
Mixed Alpha and Numerals 0123456789AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz

Length Combinations Class A    Class B   Class C   Class D   Class E    Class F
2          3,844              Instant     Instant   Instant    Instant    Instant     Instant
3          238,328 23      Secs     < 3 Secs   Instant    Instant    Instant     Instant
4          15 Million        24½ Mins 2½ Mins 15 Secs < 2 Secs Instant      Instant
5          916 Million     1 Day    2½ Hours  15¼ Mins 1½ Mins 9 Secs      Instant
6          57 Billion       66 Days 6½ Days    16 Hours  1½ Hours 9½ Mins 56 Secs
7          3.5 Trillion    11 Years   1 Year       41 Days    4 Days  10 Hours   58 Mins
8          218 Trillion   692 Years 69¼ Years 7 Years 253 Days 25¼ Days 60½ Hrs.


The longer and more complex the password is, the safer the data will be since it will take longer to crack, thus allowing crackers to be detected before damage is done.

Antivirus: The Computer Vigilante

With everything going on today with the internet, viruses are evolving and techniques used to break into systems and steal data are getting more efficient. It is important to make sure you have an updated antivirus. The purpose of an antivirus is to prevent malware and other malicious components to enter your computer as well as to make sure your system does not already contain viruses.

In reality, there is a myriad of antiviruses to choose from in this day and age. All vary in prices and performance. Companies are willing to pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for licenses to these programs because they know how vital they are in the protection of their assets. Everyone in the IT field will have their opinion on what the best ones are; however I’ll give you a couple of suggestions for your system and wallet. Some of these are: Symantec Antiviruses, McAfee, AVG, Comodo, and Microsoft Security Essentials. There are plenty more to choose from but these are the ones I have seen work the best. Some are completely free (AVG,MSE), others are not(Norton,McAfee). Others such as Comodo and many more offer both free and licensed versions. In closing, my top pick for a HOME computer would be Microsoft Security Essentials. MSE prides itself in being a lightweight (does not take too many system resources) yet effective. It loads very fast and the system runs smoothly even as MSE is scanning. For a more WORK related computer, I would put my money in Symantec Endpoint Protection. This is a very robust software package that has proven itself to the top choice amongst FORTUNE 500 companies and it is on the list defense-approved software.

The BIG Three

Ever since I can remember Windows, Apple and Linux’s Operating Systems have been competing for affection from the public and so far Windows and Apple have won. I want to talk about the underdog and explain why it has not gained market share as much as big brothers and how it can change. It is all about the user and the user’s comfort. Human behavior does not like change and when we are used to something it all we know and like which is why most people prefer Windows or Apple OS.

The dark side…..

The dark side is the side of operating systems some do not know: LINUX. Linux is better defined as Unix-like operating systems that use kernel called “Linux” which was written by Linus Torvald. People may have heard some things here and there about Linux but not enough to want to learn how to use it since the myths of use complexity have clouded the end user’s judgment. In all honesty, it is not hard at all to use. Here are some facts:

1. IT IS OPEN SOURCE!!!! This means that not only is it FREE to download and use, but the code can also be customized to the user’s liking.

2. Just like ice cream, it comes in different “flavors” o r “distributions” which means there plenty to choose from. Some known flavors are: Ubuntu, Fedora, Mandriva, Open SUSE, FreBSD and Red Hat.

3. FREE SOFTWARE!!!! Linux distros offer thousands of free software packages that are easy to install from the OS shopping cart.

4. No drivers. Everyone knows that having to deal with drivers is kind of annoying. NO MORE. Linux distributions are driver-free and will be able to recognize almost every computer component on the market.

5. Support is given by people that really care about the open source movement and will stop at nothing to help others. Even though there is not number you can call to for support, you will always find the answer.

The list goes on and on, but there are so many good things about running such a robust OS that it would be hard to completely say everything. My advice is to try it out and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Laptop vs. Desktop

I remember the first computer I ever played with was a Macintosh Classic in 1990. The first computer that I bought with my own money was a Compaq Presario Desktop. I tell you this story because I believe that every time a new computer leaves the store, a new life starts. Back in the day it was understood that a laptop could never replace a desktop because of hardware constraints.  When a customer asks,” what should I buy?” I always stress to the customer not to buy what they do not need. Besides saving the customer money, I’m also building trust because I am a technician not a salesman trying to make a quick commission (No offense to salesmen).  As technology evolves, computer equipment price is going down, but inherently hardware quality is going up. Normally I assess the reason why my customer wants new equipment. To me this is the best approach because I can better assist the client in picking out a product that satisfies all aspects of the requirements as well as getting the most of their money.

There is not black and white when choosing the equipment. It all depends on the user’s needs and budget. You can get a great desktop for under $500 but you would be sacrificing things like portability, space and quantity of required equipment. On the other hand you are gaining performance, easier upgrade and power. Laptops do not fall too short from the tree. A good laptop can start at $699 which I know is more expensive than a starter desktop but you are gaining the freedom of portability and not having to worry about nuances such as extra equipment and power surges since you have battery supply. Most end users just need a computer for Internet and Gaming which means that high end computer equipment is not needed. Most people that needed a high performance machine normally buy a desktop because of the myriad of options when it comes to buying new internals.  People that travel and like light equipments get a laptop. Plain and simple, it is all in the customers need the lies the necessity for certain equipment.