How to Prevent Unauthorized Computer Access

Steps

1. 1
   Set up password protection.
   
   
   
   • Enable password protection on your computer if it is not already set up. Make sure you are using a personal password you have chosen versus the default password.
   • When creating your password, be sure to incorporate numbers or special characters to make it difficult for others to guess.
   • Change your password often, at least every 2 months.
   • Do not leave your password written down in a place where others can easily find it.
2. 2
   Install a hardware or software firewall.
   • A hardware firewall will protect all the computers connected to the network and can often be set up through the network router.
     
   • A software firewall requires you to install software that will protect only that specific computer.
     
3. 
   3
   Install antivirus software or a spyware protection program.
   • To prevent hackers or other programs from spying on your Internet habits or collecting your passwords and credit card data, be sure to install antivirus software or spyware protection.
4. 
   4
   Use caution when reading email.
   • Open email attachments only if you trust the party that sent it. Many times, email attachments will house viruses and malicious spyware that will allow unauthorized access to your computer.
   • Ignore or delete phishing emails, which are email messages that masquerade as official emails from your bank or shipping companies that want you to divulge sensitive and private information; such as your social security number, passwords and more.
5. 
   5
   Learn how to lock your computer. If you need to step away from your computer for a break and want to keep it powered on, lock your computer so it requires a password, preventing unauthorized access.
   • For Windows 7 users, go to the Start menu, select the right pointing area from the Shutdown category and select "Lock."
   • For Macintosh users, use keystrokes of "Shift," "Command," and the letter "q," pressing all buttons at the same time. You may also select "Log Out" from the Apple pull-down menu.
   • For Windows XP users, use keystrokes of "Ctrl," "Alt," and "Delete," pressing all buttons at the same time, and select "Lock Workstation."

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How to Prevent Hacking

Computer hacking can occur in a number of ways. Your computer system itself can be hacked and mined for personal information. Your blog or website can be compromised if a hacker obtains your password. Your email can be hacked if you click on a fraudulent link and you may not be able to retrieve your email and other information you've registered in your account. Use these steps to safeguard your computer and prevent computer hacking. 

Steps

1. 
   1
   Perform required software updates for your operating system and web browser.
   • Hackers attack where they see weakness. A system that hasn't been updated recently has flaws in it that can be taken advantage of by hackers.
   • Go to the Microsoft Update website to download patches and secure the most recent version of your operating system. If you have a Mac, click on the apple in the top left of your screen and choose "Software Update."
   • Type your browser plus "update" into a search engine to find the company's site and download the newest version.
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2. 
   2
   Install a firewall on your computer.
   • Firewalls forbid outside threats such as hackers and viruses from gaining access to your system.
   • Personalize your firewall settings during the setup process to reflect how much data you want to allow into your system from the Internet.
   • Update your firewall regularly.
3. 
   3
   Change your passwords every month.
   • Use multiple, intricate passwords for each website you log onto. Banking and other financial websites are especially important to maintain security.
4. 
   4
   Purchase or download anti-virus software.
   • Many computers come pre-installed with certain anti-virus software, but if not, or if you want more powerful software, research online to find what product suits you. Anti-virus software is crucial to keep your computer healthy. A "sick" computer, or one racked with viruses, is more susceptible to hacking.
   • Set your preferences so your anti-virus software updates automatically.
5. 
   5
   Install anti-spyware/adware programs onto your system.
   • This type of intrusion is not as dangerous as a virus, but adware places advertisements onto your browser and incorporates pop-ups into your programs. This can slow down your computer, making you vulnerable to a hacker. Spyware can survey your Internet behavior and copy your passwords to use for illegitimate purposes.
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   6
   Delete emails from unknown sources. Never click on an emailed link that looks questionable.

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How to Minimise Security Risks from Hackers and Crackers

Hackers and crackers are people who make unauthorized access to a network, a computer, or data belonging to someone else. Sometimes they may cause damage to information, remove it or may even cause distress to the real owner of the information. The following are some steps, tips, and warnings that you should be aware of, in order to prevent network problems that are likely to occur from hackers and crackers.

Steps

1. 
   1
   Use secure passwords. The passwords you use should contain at least 7, and more than 12 characters if your network supports this limit. It will be useful to use passwords which include letters, numbers and punctuation marks. No need to worry if your network does not allow punctuation marks for your password, you can use a combination of letters and numbers. The passwords will be more secure if you drop vowels and replace letters in memorable words. For example, instead of writing "personal" you can use "p3sne11" as a password.
2. 
   2
   Change passwords regularly. If you are not using a single use password system, you should change your passwords regularly. Nowadays, most of the modern management systems force passwords to expire after a particular amount of time. So you need to be aware of that.
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   3
   Get permission before modifying the network. If you are a network service provider, this function is of significant importance. You can also set up a policy for making network changes that makes it easy to follow and carry out.
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   4
   Do not tell crackers and hackers anything. Do not tell them which type of software you are using. If you reveal this information you are reducing cracker's time to crack into your network system. Some network administrators reveal this sort of information to the crackers without realizing it.
5. 
   5
   If you are not in the office, secure your computer system. There are many network access programs that allow users to save user IDs, passwords, dial in numbers, user name, email addresses and so on to make it easy for the user to log in to those programs. You need to be careful. Overall, it is useful not to save any of these user IDs or passwords or anything like that except if it is relevant. One of the best ways is to secure your computer system with a password, both on the computer BIOS and on screen saver.

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How to Protect Your Facebook Account from Hackers

Unethical hackers (in bad sense of this word) are always looking for weaker points in a network system to hack the security system of your company and get a hold of confidential and new information.

Some "black-hat hackers" derive a vicarious pleasure from wreaking havoc on security systems and some hackers do it for money. Whatever may be the reason, malicious hackers are giving nightmares to companies and organizations of almost all sizes. Especially, large corporate houses, banks, financial institutions, security establishments are favorite targets for hackers. However, this menace can be prevented to a great extent if proper security measures are taken at the right time.

Steps

1. 
   1
   Follow forums. It is always a good idea to follow hacking forums as you will be able to pick up on all the latest methods being used. A good ethical hacking forum can be found at http://zero-security.org
2. 
   2
   Change default password immediately. Some software has built-in password to allow the first log in after installation; it is extremely unwise to leave it unchanged.
3. 
   3
   Identify entry points. Install proper scanning software programs to identify all entry points from the internet into the internal network of the company. Any attack to the network needs to start from these points. Identifying these entry points, however is not at all an easy task. It is better to take the help of skilled ethical hackers who have taken special network security training to perform this task successfully.
4. 
   4
   Perform attack and penetration tests. By running the attack and penetration tests, you can identify those vulnerable points in the network that can be easily accessed from both external and internal users. After identifying these points, you would be able to thwart attacks from external sources and correct the pitfalls that could become the entry points for intruders to hack into your network. The test must be done from both the internal as well as external perspectives to detect all the vulnerable points.
5. 
   5
   Make user-awareness campaigns. All possible steps must be taken to make all the users of the network aware of the pitfalls of security and the necessary security practices to minimize these risks. You can conduct the social-engineering tests to determine the user awareness. Until all the users are aware of certain factors related to the network, protection cannot be carried out in the true sense of the term.
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   6
   Configure firewalls. A firewall if not configured properly can act like an open door for any intruder. Hence it is vitally important to set the rules to allow traffic through the firewall that is important to the business. A firewall must have its own configurations depending upon the security aspect of your organization. From time to time proper analysis of the composition and nature of the traffic itself is also necessary to maintain security.
7. 
   7
   Implement and use password policies. Use strong password policies by having passwords of seven characters which are of secure length and relatively easy to remember. Passwords must be changed in every 60 days. The password should also be made up of both alpha and numeric characters to make it more unique.
8. 
   8
   Use paswordless authentication. Regardless of the policies above, passwords are less secure than SSH or VPN keys so think about using these or similar technologies instead. Where possible, use smart cards and other advanced methods.
9. 
   9
   Delete comments in website source code. Comments used in source code may contain indirect information that can help to crack the site, sometimes even usernames and passwords. All the comments in source code that look inaccessible to external users should also be removed as there are some techniques to view the source code of nearly all web applications.
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    10
    Remove unnecessary services from devices. You will not be dependent on reliability of the modules you actually do not use.
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    11
    Remove default, test and example pages and applications that usually come with web server software. They may be a weak point to attack and as they are the same in many system the cracking experience can be easily reused.
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    12
    Install anti-virus software. Both intrusion detection systems and anti-virus software must be updated regularly and if possible on a daily basis. The updated version of anti-virus software is necessary as it helps in detecting even the latest virus.
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    13
    Ensure physical security. Apart from ensuring the internal security of the network, you need to think about the physical security of your organization. Until and unless your organization has full security, any intruder can simply walk in your office premises to gain whatever information he wants. Hence with technical security, you must also ensure that the physical security mechanisms of your organization are fully functional and effective.

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How to Protect Data from Getting Hacked

Poor security in computer systems can be very harmful for any business, no matter what is the size of the company. The information about your business and its processes is too valuable to get in the hand of some illegal hacker. However by incorporating the right security infrastructure you can minimize the chances of viruses entering your network and the theft of data.

Things you will need to protect the precious data stored in computer systems from getting hacked:

- Knowledge of the network system - Knowledge of simple network operations - Scanning software programs - Anti-virus software programs

Steps

1. 
   1
   Use a port scanner on your network to find all the open ports, as well as what software is running on them, keep all of these programs up to date.
2. 
   2
   Carry out regular backups of your data and test the backups to ensure they are in good working condition.
3. 
   3
   If necessary store the backup files off line for ensuring security.
4. 
   4
   Encrypt the data, with the help of encrypting software, which carry important details about your company that are in transit mode such as email messages traveling in and out of the business.
5. 
   5
   Use latest versions of antivirus software to protect against viruses, particularly in email messages.
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   6
   Also use anti-adware and spyware software. This software provides protection against illegal programs tracking internet use or monitoring keystrokes to gather data such as passwords.
7. 
   7
   Install intrusion detection software to alert you when someone tries to access your system illegally.
8. 
   8
   Install a firewall to maintain a secure interface between the computers of your company and public networks.
9. 
   9
   Regularly update the software programs you are using to ensure that the security patches are installed properly and all default passwords have been reset.
10. 
    10
    Make sure that correct wireless protocols are used in the network systems so that all the valuable data on mobile computers is also secure to use as the data on your business computers.
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    11
    Never ignore the issue of spam, or unsolicited email. Hence tell your employees using the network not to open every mail attachment.
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    12
    Develop a consciousness amongst your employees about the need for security and an understanding of what could happen if a disastrous hacking takes place for lack of security culture.
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    If it is not possible for you to follow these measures, or if your systems are too complex for you to handle alone, you can always hire someone else to take care of your valuable data from getting hacked. Hire someone who has undergone embedded system training, network security trailing or information security training from some reputed institution.

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