Hacks and Attacks: The Inside Scoop on CCNA Security Certification

Back in the day, security barely pierced the consciousness of operators in the enterprise. The only exceptions were the nervous workers in the information technology department, and even they considered security to be secondary to the concerns of keeping the network up and running. However, in the twenty-first century, network security is job one, and not just for the IT department.
 
Protecting networks against unauthorized access and malicious attacks requires the attention of highly-trained and diligent experts. In order to meet the challenge, specialty training programs have been developed. One of the most well-regarded specialty training programs is Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Security certification. CCNA Security certification trains IT professionals about different types of security threats, and how to develop effective security protocols. At later stages of the certification training process, candidates learn more about how to work with and service specific Cisco hardware and security management tools.

CCNA Security Certification

In actuality, CCNA Security certification encompasses several levels and different specialties. The various certification levels range from basic CCNA Security certification for relatively new IT workers to Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification for seasoned professionals with more than seven years of experience. CCIE certification is widely accepted as one of the most prestigious IT certifications to hold. However, all levels of Cisco certification require would-be certified technicians to obtain a deep understanding of network security in general and Cisco security in particular.

The CCNA Security Certification Exam 
Any valid Cisco CCENT, CCNA Routing and Switching, or any CCIE certification can serve as your prerequisite for the CCNA Security exam. In addition, the updated ICND1, ICND2, and CCNA Composite exams can be applied towards the achievement of several Cisco associate-level certifications. For more information, or to check for the latest updates from Cisco, go to the Associate-level Exam Logic Tool.
The next step for qualifying for the CCNA Security exam is to take the IINS class, and then pass exam 640-554. Candidates are required to demonstrate a command of knowledge concerning various network threats and how to counteract those threats. The various areas covered by the CCNA Security certification exam includes the following subject areas:

• A general knowledge about different types of network threats
• Ability to craft effective security policies
• Implementation of virtual private networks tunnels for Cisco equipment
• Effective mitigation of Layer 2 and Layer 3 network attacks
• Understanding of the implementation of Cisco-specific technologies, such as the Cisco IOS firewall feature set and the Cisco IOS Intrusion Prevention system (IPS) feature set
• Implementing security protocols such as AAA and ACL
• Knowledge on how to install, configure Cisco security equipment  such as the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA)

As the previous list indicates, a casual acquaintance with concepts such as "router," "binary code" and "router" are far from adequate to prepare candidates to successfully pass the CCNA Security certification examination. Candidates typically devote months to preparing for the examination. Among the steps taken by candidates to prepare for the CCNA Security certification examination, including hours of rigorous self-study and taking practice examinations, completing formal training is extremely effective.

There are two options to obtain CCNA Security certification. The first option is to complete the CCNA Composite Examination. The second option is to pass two separate tests: Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices 1 and Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices 2.  After completing either of the two options, candidates can proceed to take the Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS) examination. Those who do not need the CCNA, but just the CCNA Security certification can opt to simply take the ICND1, and then complete the CCNA security exam.

After You Obtain CCNA Security Certification

Once you successfully pass the examinations to achieve CCNA Security certification, you will retain your certification for three years. To renew your certification, you must either pass the CCNA Security certification examination again or attempt to achieve another Cisco certification. One popular option for additional Cisco certifications is the Cisco Certified Networking Professional Security (CCNP) certification.  A valid CCENT Certification acts as the minimum pre-requisite requirement for CCNA Security. Candidates who have a valid CCENT Certification and who also pass the 640-554 IINS exam, can become certified in CCNA Security. Check the CCNA Security Syllabus page for the latest information.
 
Candidates for the CCNP Security certification typically have more experience than CCNA Security certificate holders. CCNA Security certificate holders are often at the beginning of their IT careers, and hold titles such as Network Security Specialist, Security Administrator or Network Security Support Engineer. By contrast, CCNP certificate candidates typically have at least three to five years of IT experience, and hold a title like Network Security Engineer or its equivalent.
 
Candidates for CCNP Security certification must demonstrate a command of various Cisco technologies, including Cisco IOS, Cisco routers and switches, ASA, Security Management, CSM, and Firewall for IPS management. In addition, to obtain CCNP Security certification, candidates must successfully pass four examinations, as opposed to the two or three examinations that candidates for CCNA certification must pass. CCNP certification is also valid for three years. If you obtain CCNP certification while your CCNA certification is still valid, your CCNA certification will be extended as well.

---

Travis Adams is an IT veteran. He often writes about his experiences and insights into industry success.

Read More

Understanding the Link between Social Media, ID Theft and Your Credit

Image by http://usopenborders.com

Chances are, not everyone on your social media site is someone you would haphazardly hand your credit card to. Yet, many people are treating social media sites like a trusted best friend or even an ATM when they share photos, travel plans, birthdays and addresses publicly with the world. Because of the lasting damage that identity theft can have on credit scores and long-term financial health, it’s important to break the link between social media, ID Theft and your credit.


According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, identity theft is broken down into three segments:

• Unauthorized use or attempted use of existing credit cards
• Unauthorized use or attempted use of other existing accounts, such as checking accounts
• Misuse of personal information to obtain new accounts or loans, or to commit other crimes.

Consumers most at risk of identity theft are those who don’t regularly check their bank accounts and credit scores, which are most often children and the elderly. According to a 2012 report from Carnegie Mellon CyLab, children are targeted 35 times for identity theft more than adults, and 15 percent of the victims are under the age of five. Kids that have grown up in the social media environment are not afraid of what they share. They also don’t apply for credit and don’t have as much activity around their bank accounts so it takes longer to see if their identity has been compromised.

While the older generation is less apt to participate on Twitter, they are also less likely to apply for a mortgage, car loan or other purchase that requires a credit check. Years can go by before any unusual activity is noticed on their credit scores.

However, 12 million Americans fell victim to identity theft last year and they certainly weren’t all children and elderly. In fact, every three seconds, someone in the United States becomes a victim of identity fraud, according to Javelin Strategy & Research 2013 Identity Fraud Report. This means over 5% of all U.S. adults were affected by identity theft in 2012.

Think you’re not at risk? Go to http://protectyourprofile.org for a realistic look into what criminals could obtain from your Facebook account. It recently won a 2013 Marcom Gold Award for the realism of the experience.



Social Media’s Role

Information in social media can let criminals piece together enough of a story to steal identities without being caught. “Hackers can take family names, addresses, phone numbers and use that data to try and figure out passwords. These people can sell your information to other criminals in their network and it’s worth a lot on the black market,” says David Anderson, directory of product at Protect Your Bubble.com.

For example, a Facebook user can be duped into giving up personal information through fake posts asking for likes, votes, or clicks. These messages look legit because they appear to be sent by a friend. The user many not think twice about entering contact details like a phone number to participate in a contest, special or poll. Once they enter this personal information, they become susceptible to identity theft as criminals start to share data that may ultimately result in capturing payment credentials like credit or debit card numbers.

In fact, just this December hackers swooped in to capture login information from over 2 million Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google accounts. Facebook accounted for over half of the compromised accounts and left victims vulnerable and uncertain about just how much information the hackers consumed.

How to Break the Link

On social media, consumers must personally self-manage information and stay on top of security settings to keep their credit secure. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, no individual, business, or government entity is solely responsible for securing the Internet.

Everyone has a role in securing their part of cyberspace because individual actions have a collective impact on making the Internet more secure. What role can you play? Here are five simple steps you can take to unlink your social media account from your credit and from the risk of identity theft.

1.  Take the time to review credit card statements each month for fraudulent charges.
2.  Remember when you share information on social media, it’s not in a bank vault.
3.  Choose a secure password that doesn’t include your birthday or pet name. Make passwords at least 8 characters long, combining uppercase and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
4.  Alternate passwords for different accounts. Using the same password on Facebook as your online banking is a huge risk.
5.  Never send money based on a Facebook post or message. If you get a request from a friend that seems out of character, be aware that their account may have been hacked and ask them directly rather than assuming it is a legitimate request.

Don’t let thieves ruin your credit or financial stability. Learn more about keeping your identity and finances safe at http://us.protectyourbubble.com/id-theft. Please take steps to protect yourself and share this information with others to help fight against identity theft.

---

About Author: Dechay Watts is Chief Content Strategist at Sprout Content.

Read More

Bolstering Your Internet Hosting Precedent with cPanel Servers

Considering the relentless innovations in the web world, it is not hard to deduce the spectacle of internet hosting precedents or services. They are organically linked to web hosting services, which permit organizations and individuals to make their respective websites accessible through the World Wide Web mechanism. These web hosts are concerned companies which allocate space or volume on a particular server leased or owned by clients. They are also used by internet connectivity or service providers within a data center. Web hosting is meant to provide connectivity and data center accommodation to the internet for auxiliary servers placed in their data ambit. This is called collocation in technical parlance.

Scope and server altitudes

The potential for web hosting services vary in totality. The fundamental precedent is small-scale and web page file hosting. You can upload files via a Web Interface or File Transfer Protocol. The files are generally delivered to the net world with minimal or minimum processing. Most internet connectivity providers channelize this service to subscribers free of cost. Organizations and individuals can obtain these hosting services from alternative providers. You need to know that personal hosting precedents are invariably free, inexpensive or advertisement-sponsored. Commercial web site hosting entails a greater expense based on the type and size of the website.

The server mechanism

This brings you to the gamut of server plug-ins for web hosting. From amongst the plethora of market directives available today, cPanelhs generated great interest and feasibility. In this mechanism, every hosting plan is bundled with a single click installs on each of the latest software you require. These are social networking applications, Xcart, blogs, Xoops, forums, ffmpeg, Word Press, Coppermine, Mamboo and Drupal. You also have Joomla, phpBB, Python, cgi/perl scripts, PHP4, PHP5 and so on. The server plug-in factorplays a clinical role in web hosting services as well as plans. The different options include disk space, data transfer/bandwidth, daily backups, unlimited FTP, Email and MYSQL, sub domains/interminable parked domains, secure SSL access and cPanel Pro. You can find unlimited facilities in this regard.



Server entailing

The concerned mechanism provides flexibility, control and ultimate performance. The most viable cPanel directives give you secure, fast, reliable web hosting services on demand. They are ideal for online business or e-commerce concerns, database hosting, media streaming, and e-mail and file storage or exchange servers. As regards the server hosting part, there are regions which provide low latency attachments alongside a global fiber network. You can find 24/7 dedicated support from adept specialists and friendly professionals. The precedence of latest technology helps you to upgrade in short time to latest servers and processors. This helps you to cater to a huge traffic in a fast and secure mode. The speed parameters entail 100Mbps unmetered bandwidth with dedicated services. The Intel Sandy Bridge servers bolster lightning fast enterprise solutions and web hosting. You can get 5 IP addresses in this framework. It caters to remote desktop, cPanel or Plesk variants.

Assuaging the best cPanel standards

There are certain suggestions pertaining to the upkeep of servers. You need to know that server security is an amalgam of compromises because server connections are always open to insecure connections. Different companies entail several integration options and various billing. The precedents are meant for different corners. As regards the self-charge option, it is meant for hosting companies which seek to give a website builder with the current packages. They own the billing component. Pertaining to the referrer, it is meant for hosting companies which seek to galvanize the solution but not integrate it totally. It is mainly for companies that actually require emphasizing their potential or brand. Billing model is another important factor since you can charge your customers and the company charges you for the entire baggage of sites on a monthly basis. You can also find prorating wherever deemed possible. Users are charged directly and you receive payments in the form of a recurring commission.

The ingrained machinery

There is generally an installation charge for every site. If you plan to build sites exceeding the 8, 000 mark the server concerns can set up dedicated servers on your behalf. There are cPanel directives which provide exemplary pre-charges and hosting packages pertaining to your site. You need to pay for every site that falls under the barricade of your account. You can share the link whenever you want to share it. In this way, you can maximize your reach. The documentation or support machinery plays a crucial role in this regard. You can also find multilingual support with singular sign-on. The branding aspect deserves special mention since you can give your own slant in the installation process. You can find different integration options with cPanel plug-in, API site creation and iFrame signup type option.

Business model and pricing

Every customer can initiate within a free fortnight trial. It gives them total access to the server’s extensive website creation, management and design platform. Customers can also upgrade to the particular server. You can get the compliant revenue sharing omissions or commissions on a recurring mode. There are no licensing charges or requisite minimums for becoming a viable partner. There is virtually not a single overhead to becoming a concerned hosting partner. You can find several premium website creators for customers. Customers can subscribe or upgrade to the cPanel server plug-in. The companies look forward to build value with the customer base. They care about mutual accord with different clients.

Quality and integrity

The concerned company’s quality gives ample testimony for the underlying quality. The quality is primarily based on customer adoption. In case customers are slow to react for definite reasons, there is no need to worry. The upgrading process takes place through a secured payment gateway. It is the same way that many popular and viable cPanel plugins like Cloud Flare and Attracta functions for upgrade options. You can find comprehensive visibility pertaining to transactions on all occasions. Customers can cancel their respective plans at any given time.

Jack is a free lancer writer of GingerDomain.

Read More

iPhone Security: 10 Apps to Keep Your Apple Smartphone Safe

Photo: ayuzo.com

Once you’ve managed to realize the importance of keeping your phone as safe as locked vault, you need to know which apps to really put your money on. To help you make the right choices, we've reviewed 10 security apps that are worth the space on your phone.

1. Get Your Tech Back With Find My Phone (Free)

What do you think about an app that would not only help you find your lost iOS device but also protect your data while it’s lost? Find My Iphone helps you do just that. You may lock your phone while its lost, send a message or it or even erase all data.

2. WISE ID – Protect personal data. (Free)

This app helps you store your encrypted data safely, such as your PIN numbers, your passwords, credit cards, photos, notes, and other data. So not only do you have your data at your fingertips but you have it safe as well. This provides you with the option of password authentication, dot pattern or face recognition.

3. SECURE IT mSECURE by mSeven Software, LLC ($9.99)

How about you get an insurance for $10 for your Iphone? Yes that’s exactly how much it takes to get a 256 bit blowfish encryption, password generator, free back up utility, cloud data protection, auto-lock, email backup and optional self destruct.

4. Secure FolderPRO by iDevMobile Tec. ($1.99)

This app has some similarity with the mSECURE though is available at a cheaper rate. It can code-lock or pattern lock your pictures, videos, texts, credit cards as well as your passwords. You can easily identify any intruder with picture and gps track system. It also gives you a secret website, along with a private navigation system. This happens without a track of history.

5. Surf Safely With Kaspersky Safe Browser (Free)

We have all been fed up of inappropriate content and malicious links, Surf Safety filters such links and saves the users from fake websites.

6. Alarm.com – monitor/control security systems at home or business. (Free)

Wouldn’t it be great if you are able to keep a check on your house or your business in your absence? This app helps you do just that. Although it requires for one to have an interactive alarm.com service plan with a compatible system, the outcome is great because you have access to your home from just anywhere. This app enables you to watch a live/recorded video from your security cameras, set your thermostat temperature or even control the lights.

7. Wickr Lets You Send Self-Destructing Messages (Free)

Photo: foxnews.com

Would you rather have all your read messages lying around filling your inbox or have your inbox clean and sorted? Wickr comes to your rescue to solve this crisis by allowing you to send messages to several other users with this option of building a mechanism to destruct these messages. The mechanism they use is to forensically erase unwanted files you deleted from your device, with Secure File Shredder.

8. Hide Photos From Prying Eyes with Pic Lock 3 (Free)

All of us have our restrictions when it comes to the privacy of our pictures. With its redesigned interface and multiple layers of protection Pic Lock 3, helps you keep your media files safe and secure.

9. Avira Mobile Security App Offers Backup, Anti-Theft (Free)

This app makes storage, access and sharing data securely very easy for all the users while they are on the go. The firm’s very first cost free iOS brags of a malicious process scanner, storage and battery optimization tools which are then to the company's Secure Backup platform.

10. Lock It All Up With Keeper Password & Data Vault (Free)

If you have not heard about 256-bit AES encryption then you have probably missed this app from Keeper Security that boasts of syncs across all of your mobile devices which creates passwords which are ultra secured with the embedded password generator.

11. Kryptos (Free)

This may sound like technology for the secret services, however if you had been looking for a space where you could safely discuss the secret topics then Krypton is what you were looking for. This app equips the user with a free military-grade 256 bit AES-platform which is encrypted for keeping secrets safe,. The connection is made through voice over IP for secure calls over 3G, 4G and WiFi networks.

Written By:
Sara Xiang is a information security consultant. She has special interest in graphical aspects of security algorithms. Now a days she is studying algorithms that are use in luxbet Sports.

Read More

Lucrative support of offshore .NET development of productive outcome

Offshore .NET development has become a cliché in the global business. This has transformed the outlook of the developing companies. With the progression of technology and the increasing demand for transparency, such services has facilitated the critical needs of the business and given them the scope to rise beyond their limitation. The .NET platform is currently experiencing a significant impact in a manner in which various applications are being developed for the World Wide Web.

Associated Technologies

The utilization of the standard and web based technologies has greatly improved the interoperability of the different systems which has thus assisted the companies to easily utilize the applications and the various data from the clients. Some of the most common technologies associated with offshore .NET development include:

Solutions: Web services for application development, B2B integration, Reusable components for mobile solutions, B2C application development
Languages: C programming, Visual basic. NET, ASP.NET
Core: .NET framework, COM, COM+, DNA
XML Web Services: SOAP, XML
NET Servers: Application center, Commerce Server, BizTalk Server, Share Point Server, Content Management Server

Expertise solutions

Offshore .NET development has proved to be an effective way of offering web based solutions in expertise ways. These include:

Application upgrade management
. NET application development and system design
Development of application interface
Re-engineering of applications from legacy systems to .NET
Migration of desktop and web applications to .NET
Development of Web services using the .NET framework along with SOAP toolkit
Web enablement of legacy applications

Lucrative benefits of offshore .NET development

Since the very introduction of .NET development and the exploitation of offshore services, businesses and developers have benefited from this. Hiring offshore development services have proved to be profitable and companies have been successful in maintaining the software development outlay under control. Such a platform signifies a major stride towards encompassing object oriented designs and management of code innovations which has become a general trend in the e-business application development. The various advantages to involve offshore .NET development are:

• Reduced project cost: Outsourcing the development sector to such offshore companies minimizes the cost of the entire project without having to compromise on the quality. This assists the companies to concentrate on core areas and optimize the profits in better ways.
• Rapid application development: With competition on the rise and the increasing demands of the clients, developing companies are always on the look out for faster ways to impress their clients. The quick and flawless services of the offshore development companies within the specified time frame contribute to the success in a major way. This helps the companies to release their products in a quicker way.
• Easy mean to incorporate new changes: The increased competition requires frequent changes to be incorporated into the system which helps the business to grow. The skilled services of offshore .NET development helps to conceptualize and execute the innovative changes and ideas as per the specifications in simpler and easier ways.
• Adopting supple development: Such services adopt certain agile techniques which are utilized in a quick and flawless ways thus overcoming the limitations of the usual project management.
• Expertise resources: Skilled and well trained experts are available who are well acquainted with .NET development environment. The resources focus completely on the specified technology which results in the high end and scalable solutions.

The processes adopted by the offshore .NET development adds value to the business which assists to conceptualize the ideas in innovative and better ways.

---

About Author :
The vast domain of Offshore .Net Development in Germany has fascinated Evan Gilbort to come up with this content which reflects the preciseness in which implemented by the Asp.net Developers.

Read More

Understanding Virtual Patching — and Why It’s So Important

Image by ddpavumba from freedigitalphotos.net

Every day, hackers are looking for —and finding — vulnerabilities in secure networks and applications. Most of these vulnerabilities can be eliminated by applying patches or fixed, but by some accounts, there are as many as seven critical patches released every day. For a busy security IT team, immediately applying those patches to every server is a cumbersome, and sometimes impossible, task.

Compounding the problem is the shift to virtual environments. Traditional security and patching methods are not effective in the virtual environment for various reasons, meaning that without an effective solution, performance issues and security holes will remain, leaving your networks and data vulnerable to theft.

One of the best solutions to the issue of managing security patches is virtual patching. This agentless solution immediately identifies security vulnerabilities and applies necessary fixes, creating a secure environment until the critical or “official” patch can be applied. Such a system overcomes many of the issues presented by virtual environments as well, preventing a serious and costly data breach as a result of poor patch management.



Where You’re Vulnerable and Why

In most enterprises, there are several places where vulnerabilities can be found. For example, you may be running an older operating system or application the developer no longer supports or issues patches for, and your security measures will not protect those systems. Other issues include systems that cannot be shut down to apply patches for fear of lost productivity or revenue, delayed release of patches and fixes from the developer and SQL injection attacks via Web applications that can be difficult to locate and fix on a large scale.

The virtual environment only complicates these vulnerabilities. Under a traditional security model, all of the traffic from virtual machines must flow through one central server to be scanned for malicious content or code, which causes network congestion and slows down network performance. Compounding the problem is the fact that in many virtual environments, the server locations regularly move, turn on and off according to demand or are dormant for extended periods. This all makes it difficult to consistently and effectively apply patches as needed.

How Virtual Patching Works

While correcting the source code of the vulnerability via a patch is the ideal re-mediation strategy for any potential problem, that’s not always practical. This is where virtual patching comes in.

Technically speaking, a virtual patch is an additional layer of virtualization security that prevents hackers from taking advantage of a known security vulnerability. Again, because vulnerabilities quickly change, it can be all but impossible to effectively apply every new patch as it’s released, and a system that was completely impervious one day could be ripe for an attack the next. That’s why some people call virtual patching “just in time” patching or “external patching,” because it blocks vulnerabilities before they become problems. Regardless of terminology, it provides an important layer of protection against a potentially devastating security breach.

Virtual patching relies on intrusion protection and detection (IPS/IDS) rules to protect against known vulnerabilities, including those that have not yet been addressed by patches. The advanced network security system automatically scans the network to determine the OS, applications in use, patches that have already been deployed and other factors, and determines which rules need to be activated to protect the system. As things change — new patches are installed, for example — the virtual patching system will automatically adjust the IPS/IDS rules that apply, so as to avoid service disruptions and system slowdowns. In the virtual environment, such a patching system covers all virtual machines —including new machines and those that have been dormant — and routes all traffic through a secure machine to ensure protection on every front.

Patch management is one of the most important — and most time-consuming — tasks for many IT security teams. In fact, some surveys indicate these tasks take up the majority of their time, but are largely ineffective. For those organization struggling with patch management, or even those who have a handle on it but need to ensure compliance and data integrity, virtual patching is an ideal solution, adding a layer of protection that traditional perimeter security measures simply cannot.

---

About The Author:
About the Author: Melissa Cromwell works as a content curator in the tech industry. You can follow her on Google Plus here

Read More

WordPress has Bolstered PHP and How

Even since its inception, WordPress has dwarfed all the other open source blogging platforms. With the incessant updates and developments, it continues to rise above the competition with both its feet comfortably perched on the growth curve. But what makes it even more resourceful is how it seamlessly combines the PHP functionalities with its own set of capabilities to create dynamic web pages. This has in turn lead to a resurgence of PHP, as more and more WordPress users are making sure they do not miss out on the PHP add-ones for their websites. The .php files on the WordPress add vibrant features and ease customization. Let’s take a detailed look of why it’s widely believed that WordPress has given PHP a shot in the arm:

Making Novices Take PHP More Seriously

For the fact that WordPress gives them a heap of reasons to develop their websites in PHP, website owners have been increasingly realizing the relevance of this programming language, even if they don’t have a lot of clue of its syntaxes. To begin with, if the WordPress theme you have selected is missing out on certain features, you can easily include them using PHP. To stay in sync with all the benefits of PHP, the WordPress website owners are beginning to learn PHP too.

You Believe it Because Google Says So

WordPress is also said to be buoying PHP simply for the fact that it is a much more popular technology than PHP, as PHP still can’t boast of as many advocates as WordPress can, despite the fact that it made its way into the market 8 years prior to the WordPress launch. Whilst, the simplest way to determine so is through a Google search with ‘PHP’ and ‘WordPress’ as separate queries, which lets you compare the search results and come to the conclusion. However, for the fact that Google keeps changing its algorithms, the appearing search results cannot be validated. In order to get more assured results, you can try out Google trends, is an excellent tool by Google to find out which particular term is searched the most from different locations of the world. The search stats are divided according to the different timelines, and thus it helps you establish the fact that WordPress is something that is searched and used by a large section of webmasters.

If you wish to develop your website in PHP using the PHP framework, that would mean a lot of time spent on development. WordPress ensures you slash any additional time you might have otherwise spent on writing codes. Afore mentioned, PHP can be later exercised to extend functionalities beyond what WordPress gives you.

About The Author:
Celin Smith is a PHP developer and also a technical writer working with Custom PHP Development Company offering wordpress and all PHP Frameworks services.

Read More

The Geography of Cell Phone Carriers: Who Provides The Best Coverage In Your Area?

Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are the four major carriers. If you ask anyone which is the best, then you will get a subjective response based on opinion and void of objective facts. Some people will probably even say that the carrier they're signed with is the best one simply because their two-year contract prevents them from switching over and experimenting with a different carrier.

Ultimately, there is no provider that is hands-down a cut above its competitors. With all else being near even, your geographical location may be the deciding factor in determining the right carrier for your needs.

How To Determine The Best Carrier For Your Area

There are a number of interconnected factors that one must take into consideration, such as signal strength, response time, download speed and the number of reception towers in your area. To an extent, you will be able to gauge these factors by noticing the network’s general speed and stability when browsing the Web, streaming music or downloading apps.

For the most part, carriers keep a tight lid on the data regarding those metrics. This makes it very difficult for the average user to calculate and make comparisons, that is, until now. New apps are available that enable users to determine the best carrier for any given location.

Carrier Compare

This is an IOS app that runs a speed test on your phone. It then compares the information to crowdsourced data from other smartphones in the area, including the median speed for phones of every major carrier in the vicinity.

While Carrier Compare is a great app for comparing data speeds, Apple has severely restricted its overall effectiveness by not letting the app compare signal strength. Apparently, the restriction has to do with the infamous Antennagate back in 2010, which caused an enormous PR nightmare for Apple amid complaints that the iPhone 4 lost its reception when the lower left portion of the phone is touched. According to some insiders in the tech industry, Apple fears that an Antennagate II may be impending if users are allowed to compare and contrast signal strength.

CellMaps

This is an app developed by Mosaik, a company that collects and stores data for all the major carriers to showcase a worldwide coverage map. Updates are made quarterly and enable users to set search terms to better understand where they can get the best data coverage. The app is also useful for travelers and those relocating. Users will be able to check the coverage map of the destination to see if their current carrier provides good service for that particular area.

Currently, the app is free and available for Android version2.3.3 and later. However, with a very affordable $2 upgrade, users can experience the full power of CellMaps with a feature that enables direct comparisons between providers. The app also has the ability to zoom out to show the entire country or zoom in up close to show your street. For now, CellMaps is limited to the four major carriers and doesn’t include smaller providers like MetroPCS or Cellular.

Get Informed Before Selecting A Carrier

Before agreeing to sign the dotted line and locking yourself into a two-year contract, it is important that you arm yourself with as much information as possible. Some of the major carriers charge up to a $350 termination fee if you choose to sever ties before the two years are up.

The major carriers have good general reception in most areas though in certain places reception can get a little iffy due to uneven terrain or bad placement of towers. One carrier may have better call coverage at a certain location while another might have better data speeds. In another location, the opposite may be true. Aside from input from family and friends, you should also obtain raw and unbiased data by using an app like Carrier Compare or CellMaps.

Even those eligible to get a free phone through a government program for low income families should try to find out what kind of reception they would get. Cell phone reception is more location-dependent than most people realize and should always be taken into consideration as part of the decision making process when deciding on a carrier.

---

About The Author:

Ashley is a freelance writer and an occasional guest-blogger interested in tech, gadgets and business related topics. When she is not working she likes to travel and read as much as she can. If you have any question feel free to leave a comment.

Read More

Behavior Blocking or Artificial Intelligence: Real-Time Virus Scans

Finding solutions quickly for the latest virus is challenging. New scanning software seeks to stop viruses with real-time scanning protection. Protecting against viruses, worms, and Trojans is a major challenge to today's computer software designers. The number of viruses being released each year is alarming, and anti-virus software designers appear to be outnumbered. By the time most viruses have been detected, they have already infiltrated different levels of computer programming, including main frames and standalone processing units. Software developers have brought down their response time from weeks and days to hours and even minutes, but for some, this is too little, too late.

Anti-Virus Software

Viruses are programs which attempt to infiltrate a computer's software and operating system. Its intentions vary, but they are rarely good. Most viruses, including worms, Trojans, keyloggers, and malware, are all designed to gather information from your computer and send it to someone else. Some of these programs have strictly malicious intentions, such as the disruption of a program's normal function. These can be used to sabotage control systems for manufacturing facilities, power plants, or security systems. Those that are used for information gathering usually are helpful in conducting data breaches and identity theft.

To counter these dangerous programs, software engineers work tirelessly to provide
best-up-to-date anti-virus programs that can detect and contain the viruses. The difficulty is that most virus programs are released with little or no warning. It isn't until computer operators start noticing problems that they realize they've been infected with a virus. The challenge to anti virus software development is to find programs that are able to respond instantaneously to infection attempts. As programmers continue to work on these problems, many are leaning toward artificial intelligence and similar ideas for effective solutions. While some programs seem to be effective, they can also result in many "false-positives" when detecting malicious files and programs. Monitoring these programs can be tedious for those who are unfamiliar with software design.

Behavior Blocking

One of the many types of anti-viral software on the market today includes behavior-blocking technology. These systems serve as virus protection software for computers, and they are proving to be very effective. This type of program reviews each action that a piece of software is attempting to perform, analyzes its behavior, and either permits it to continue, or notifies the user that a program is attempting to commit a questionable act.

The biggest issue with behavior blocking software is that it requires the computer operator to be much more familiar with software design. The average office worker using a desktop computer for administrative duties, such as word processing, database maintenance, and webpage design, don't usually have a very broad understanding of software programs, and may not know if they should permit an act or deny it. Many routine programs on a computer make changes to other programs as a regular part of their process. Such routine activities could cause repeated notifications by behavior blocking software, which could slow the computer user's productivity substantially.

Real-Time Scanning

One of the current goals of anti-virus designers is to come up with software that operates in  a real-time manner. Every time a file is downloaded, opened, received, copied, or modified, a real-time scanning program analyzes it for possible security risks. Such real time scanning and virus protection software would provide immediate detection. The procedure for this type of program is, after analyzing a file for security risks, the software immediately flags the user with the name of the file and with the specific security threat being exhibited. This constant monitoring provides the highest level of security against viruses, malware, and other malicious programs.

Many of these programs can be set up to also remove any files that are dangerous, and to update the anti-virus software to look for recurrences of the threat. Programs can be configured so that they do not warn users of their anti-viral activities, thus reducing disruption in the operator's routine. Although this may not always be the desired setting for some users, most will benefit by the lack of interruption. It maybe useful to alert the user about problem files, so that the user can report the problem to the file's originator or to the organization's IT office.

Battling against computer viruses, malware, spyware, and other unwanted programs is never ending. For those who are tasked with finding appropriate software, learning more about artificial intelligence-based programs, behavior blockers, and real-time analysis will be extremely helpful. Without knowledge of these program options, lesser protection may be used, failing to adequately protect computer systems. Of course, users should do their part in minimizing the introduction of viruses by using caution when opening emails and downloading files from the internet. Minimizing the number of programs that begin during startup can also help reduce inadvertent introductions of malware and similar malicious viruses.

---

About The Author:

James has been associated with the IT industry for the past 5 years. He is working as a tech support specialist in NYC. Besides system troubleshooting, he loves to write articles related to computer security and educates people about cloud antivirus softwares in order to keep their PC safe from malware and viruses.

Read More

Security Flaw Could Give Hackers Complete Control Of Android Phones

Photo: t3.com.au

With almost everybody holding an android powered smartphone these days, and everything getting logged onto that one device, it becomes critical to understand how safe is it to let open everything that you have to this smartphone. It is stated that almost every other smartphone run on the android operating system consists of a flaw which gives hackers the chance to get access to every application that the user has installed on his device. Going by the statistics, if this is to be deemed of complete truth, more than 900 million handheld devices are at a very high risk globally.

Information through Bluebox Security

This information on the serious flaw coming with each android phone was brought to notice by the Technical Director of a security firm, Bluebox Security, Mr. Jeff Forristal. He further mentioned that if this is what he is seeing, it could almost give rise to a catastrophe. His statement claims that any hacker who’d want to get access to every sort of data on a user’s device, he would just need the installation of the “Trojan Horse” type malicious software and thats it. That would be enough to leave everything on the user's handheld open for the hacker’s access.



To make it easier to comprehend, the hacker has the supreme power to get every sort of information he wants out of an infected device. The hacker holds the ability to capture all the data on the user’s mobile which most likely has sensitive data. This could include pictures, private SMS, emailers, passwords to various IDs and other identification papers amongst other important things. The news is creepier for people who access their bank accounts on the internet through their smartphone.

Since the hole in the system flings open the access to the phone completely, even your transactions can be read and thus rendering your password and account unsafe too. The worst is.. Google does recognize the loophole! So its not something that you can dismiss as another rumour against Google’s strong operating system to pull its fan following down.

Technically Speaking….

Photo: zdnet.com

If you are trying to figure out how this whole phishing act takes place, lets explain you how. Every app is coded to run on the android operating system. Once a hacker realises he needs to break into the system of a smartphone and installs the virus, the flaw in the security system allows a certain change in the code of the app without causing any change to the cryptographic signature. Since the signature remains unaltered, the application still reads as authentic irrespective of the fact that it has been changed and modified by an external agent.

Progress in solving the issue and Precautions

The flaw had been brought into the notice of Google in the month of February this year. The vulnerability issue is supposed to hit devices that run on the version 1.6 or superlative. Post research and development on the same, it is confirmed that Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is the only mobile device as of yet that is free from the malware. Thus it clearly indicates that progress is being made in the right direction. Yet still, until something stringent is accommodated by the company, most companies advice android users to update their OS regularly and to only download the mobile apps that they are absolutely sure of.

---

About The Author:
Adam Prattler is a corporate gifting consultant who works with 001flowerflower.com to come up with gifting schemes for employees in Hong Kong. His keen interest in technology is evident from his thorough posts on various technology issues.

Read More

Gadgets and Gizmos While Driving

Glancing through the pages of history, it is evident that travelling was always considered a mission that required time, thought and a lot of effort. It was reflected as a source of exertion and most of the times, exhaustion. However, as we progressed, not only did we see wheels replacing foot; we also witnessed comfort and pleasure replacing exhaustion.
Today, travelling has become an art, where vehicles and the process of driving have evolved into something edging towards the borders of experimentation. Now, with a car, a million more tools accompany it to make it a “worth the while” ride. In UK, an institute under the government known as Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) thrives to keep track of the drivers and to help them. The DVLA, has recently started to lend a friendly hand to its clients, and has proposed personalized DVLA number plates. The registration number and the plates are personalized according to the drivers’ choice, hence, brightening up the vehicles.



Other than this small widget used to enhance the outlook of your car, DVLA has also approved of many other gadgets. One of the most amazing gadgets includes a back camera that notifies the driver if any vehicle comes within five feet of its range. The camera allows safety and caution even if the beeping is a little annoying.
One more camera that has gained access in vehicles is the Cowen Auto Capsule AC1 camera. The camera makes a video 15 seconds before and 30 seconds after any accident- thus, removing any doubt about the driver responsible for the accident. This gadget can be operated manually or automatically.
Of course, the GPS system should not stay quiet in such a discussion. This piece of technology is so helpful that it gives directions to any kind of destination. Just name the place and the GPS guider leads the way; so fear no more, no one can get lost any longer!
Don’t we all need to attend an important call during driving? And to think, how many times have we been subjected to a warning just because of a simple call. To end our misery, Super Tooth HD has been invented. It simply has to be installed in the vehicle, and after that it needs no human contact. It recognizes any voice and can bear all of the orders. Plus, the HD delivers a paramount level of clarity in voice transmission. With just this simple device, we can not only avoid the grubby hands of the law but also stay secure.

Finally, a device named “Cobra I Radar Atom” has captured our hearts. The device has the special capability to inform about speed trap locations and to warn us whenever we cross a speed limit. It starts beeping as soon as the speed increases the limit, eventually saving us from an uncomfortable encounter with the law.
All these gadgets and widgets are becoming the focus of different vehicle owners. They are fun, amusing; enhance the worth of your car and most of the times extremely helpful!
Information regarding these gadgets can be availed from various websites and by contacting the DVLA agency guide through the DVLA number or by email. So take this tiny step, and make your lives easier.

---

About The Author:
Fia Augusta is a Passionate blogger. She writes on behalf of DVLA. She loves to write as a guest blogger with interest in Travel and Automotive.You can get in touch with her at fia.augusta2308@gmail.com.

Read More

How to Write Killer Content Quickly

Ten Tips to Get Great Content Created in a Snap

Photo by Kristin Nador / Flickr

Quick! Dash off 500 words of content that will shake the foundations of the world! While you may never get a request like this, could you get it done in an hour? What about six hours? While writing well this quickly may seem like mission impossible, there are things you can do to help you achieve this lofty goal.


Tips for Writing Quality Content Quick

Here are ten tips for getting the words out quickly while still having something that's valuable and hopefully entertaining as well.

• Organize - The first thing you want to do is make sure you're organized. This means knowing your topic and spending time to collect and organize notes that you will need to make the article really shine.
• Schedule - Come up with a writing schedule that works for you and stick to it as often as possible. When trying to create great content in a flash, you want to make sure you have the discipline needed to sit down and write without interruptions.
• Concentrate - Speaking of being interrupted, learning how to block everything else out and concentrate on the writing task at hand takes time, but it's a valuable skill to have for a copywriter. Whether you do this by listening to music or writing where there are few distractions doesn't matter. Come up with something that works for you and stick with it.
• Ideas - Coming up with an idea at the drop of a hat isn't always easy. To get around this, have a file or spreadsheet that lists out ideas for future articles. If you're not feeling inspired, you can check this for inspiration. This isn't always going to be possible, but it's a good idea to do this anyway.
• Practice - One of the best ways you can write great content in a short amount of time is to practice, practice, practice. The more you write, the better you're going to become at pulling something together - even if it's at the last minute. If you have extra time, set yourself a challenge and see if you can finish it. For example, once or twice a week sit down and try to write out a great 500 word article in just an hour. Over time, you'll notice that you become better - even with the added pressure of a deadline looming over you.
• Outline - If you're trying to write 500 words - or any amount - it's best to break that down into smaller chunks. For example, write out your headline first, but don't stop there. Go ahead and throw in some subheads and bullet points to break up the main topic or idea of the article. Filling in these smaller sections with words can be easier than sitting and staring at a blank page.

Following the advice above, you should have an easier time writing killer content quickly. Taking your time to edit the piece is still advisable - even for the best writer - but the tips outlined can really help you learn to be more productive when you're writing.

---

About The Author:

Sheila Kurdinger has been a fan of the Internet - and a writer - for many years now. She likes the work she sees done by Posirank SEO Resellers.

Read More

Cross Platform Application Development – Mobile User Base

The start Smartphones increasingly means there are more strength in both organizations and developers for mobile application development platform. Trade cannot afford to ask for a single iOS platform, and focuses on the Android operating system and elsewhere. Until the last platform requires to be focused mainly known for smart phone users are not simply the use of devices that run on specific frames.

It is important to have a mobile application that can run on all devices you are using. One of the main purposes why organizations are moving in the direction of cross-platform development because they cannot lose your money by using it as well as generate more revenue than another development process.

Unexpectedly, that using these organizations saves development costs.

# Process for Making

Development platform includes the use of different systems development platform mobile applications such as PhoneGap, MoSync, WidgetPad, Appcelerator, Rhomobile Whoop and helping to eliminate the time required to develop applications. Actually, this lowers the cost of making the applications.

The cross platform application development techniques using platforms have a reverse effect on the cost of application development. Similarly, the code generated by the programmer can continue as a perspective for different tasks produced by one of the many mobile operating framework for which it was created the final code.

If organizations have to make a capture application – stage similar code could be used as a starting development process. This is once again the company maintains a large money.

# For More

Cross platform development provides an opportunity for your brand to make more progress. Near its application is limited to iOS or Android devices. Your application connects to smart phone users cross on different mobile operating systems that connects to a broader base of mobile phone users mixed. Both Android and iOS are two operating systems are exceptionally famous and discussed with one another to become the largest mobile operating system in the world. As a result of that is right for your application to be in the audience focused. Why take risks, creating an application that works well and good on both the iOS and Android Smartphone.

The benefits of cross-platform development is gradually increasing and maintain. There is a lost conviction that this type of cross platform application development used for laundry purposes make scalable truly native applications.

# Conclusion

In any case, it is a traditional history to be dispersed, since it is quite conceivable for the development of applications that meets the destinations native platform all customers. It is a method of sealing the target mobile development that is specially made for business growth.

---

About The Author:

This Guest Post Contributed by Nilesh Talaviya, working with Cygnet Infotech, top notch mobile app development company based in India. For more detail follow him at @nileshtalaviya

Read More

Fast and Furious File Management Techniques for Clearing Up Your Computer Clutter

Just like paper files, the files on your computer and mobile devices need to be organized for easy retrieval. A methodical approach to file management will make it easy to update and locate your files even when you’re looking for them many years later. Here are some file management tips for organized and accessible files.

Organize by file types

Applications are best stored in a folder dedicated to Program Files. If your operating system doesn’t automatically install new programs within that directory, create a folder and store all your executables like Excel, Firefox, and Photoshop there.

A central place for documents

All your documents – no matter what they are- must go into your My Documents folder. So your spreadsheets, contracts, and your mockups must be saved into My Documents. Storing your files in this central location will make it easier to find what you need and run backups.

Organize files within My Documents

Your growing list of files in My Documents can be further organized into separate drawers. Create folders within My Documents to separate your files. Use clear and concise terms to name each folder, so you’ll be able to identify them in the future.

Nest folders for deeper organization

Depending on your activity and your volume of files, you might need to create folders within the main folders. For example, your folder called “Minutes” might contain folders for “2013”, “2012”, and so forth. A client folder may contain folders for correspondence, projects, and client data. The objective is to place all files in folders rather than have them floating around as individual files.

Honor file naming conventions

Don’t use spaces in file names, use all lower case, and limit the names to 27 characters or less. So a file name should be customerdata instead of Customer Data. Maintain some consistency in the file naming process.

Be specific

Use specific and logical names, and include the date when naming your file. The objective is to identify what the file is without having to open it. Therefore, if you’re sending a payment reminder to your customers, you can name the file “pymentreminder091613” rather than just naming it “reminder”. In the latter case, you’ll have to open the file to know what it contains.

Real time filing

Place your documents in the correct folder the moment you create them. Develop the habit of using the "Save As" to save and file your documents at the same time. This will save time and the effort of organizing a cluttered mess later on.

Order your files for convenience

Place an “AA” or “!” at the beginning of the file name for those files that you use often. Those characters will ensure that the files are always at the top for easy access.

Cull your files regularly

Sometimes it’s easy to identify old files if you organize them into dated folders. But you can reduce clutter and move files out of the way by deleting unwanted files or creating a folder for “Inactive” files. Micro Com Systems offer a similar solution for reducing clutter caused by your paper docs.

Don’t forget to backup

Create a schedule to consistently backup your files. It’s the only way to ensure you have them if something happens to your computer or mobile device.

---

About The Author:

John Hoskins recently helped his office go paperless. An avid blogger, he enjoys sharing what he has learned by posting on the Web.

Read More

Threat Modeling – S.T.R.I.D.E

Image By OWASP 

Finding a proven pattern to find defects early in your cycle saves not just money but also the time required to patch those defects. Threat modeling is a tested and proven method to meet this objective. This procedure evaluates the vulnerabilities that can potentially exist in a target under observation. The vulnerabilities may or may not exist, but assuming that they do and then proceeding with the Software development Life Cycle is a pro-active way of securing your applications.

Prioritizing the area that needs more focus in order to reduce the attack surface is the primary aim of this model. This assessment is done as an iterative process which comes in to picture when new modules are added in to the application. The end result of this assessment is the security profile of that particular application under observation.


Threat modeling categories
Threat modeling has three major categories according to how it is implemented in action: end-point- centric, design-centric, and asset-centric.

An end-point-centric threat model basically deals with the attacker perspective of looking at the application. We know that an attacker initially studies the target completely such that he would have complete available information to carry out an attack successfully. The development team then sits together and speculates the way in which an attacker might penetrate their product. Based on this assessment, they come up with defenses to those attack vectors. Design-centric threat modeling deals with the design process of the application. Vulnerabilities do not only exist in code; faulty design can also allow attackers to find loopholes in the application and use it to their advantage. The design is processed based on inputs from various members and then a final draft is made.

Asset-centric threat modeling deals with the information that is passed to and from the application. Attackers have great affinity towards finding sensitive information with which they can perform successful social engineering, thereby gaining access to the target. This phase deals with all such possibilities where the team decides the manner in which sensitive information is handled within the application.

In this article, I shall explain about a famous security engineering pattern called the STRIDE model. The acronym STRIDE stands for:

1. Spoofing
2. Tampering
3. Repudiation
4. Information Disclosure
5. Denial of Service attacks
6. Elevation of privilege

In this article, I shall show you an in-depth analysis of each item mentioned in the STRIDE model.

Spoofing:
In simplest terms, spoofing refers to an action by a person/device who claims to be the one which they are not. Various known cases of spoofing includes DNS Spoofing, IP Spoofing, MAC Address spoofing, Email spoofing, SMS Spoofing and Biometric spoofing. In all these cases, the only common thing is that there are one or several forms of impersonation.

DNS Spoofing attacks, in other words, are also called as Man-in-the-middle attacks. Every DNS transaction begins and gets incremented by 1. The spoofed packet of the attacker should reach the victim before the legitimate response reaches him, thus poisoning the DNS Cache. This kind of vulnerability is very rare to find these days and can be prioritized to be very low in your threat modeling.

IP spoofing is a classic example of masking one’s identity when performing an attack. Proxy servers and zombie systems are generally used by attackers when they carry out full-fledged attacks.

Another all-time favorite attack of most attackers is Phishing. When performing a phishing attack, Email Spoofing and SMS spoofing come into the picture. This is done in order to gain the trust of the victim to get him to click the malicious link that is craftily sent to him.

Bio Metric spoofing is only a recent threat vector. Biometric traces are left behind whenever a person speaks, walks, or touches, making it one of the most challenging areas of security. Tampering:
Information sent from a sample Machine ‘A’ traverses over an N number of machines. In this situation, there is every possibility that a message sent from ‘A’ may not reach the destination in the same form as it was at its source. A classic example is the use of the Tamper Data plugin in Firefox. The plugin has the ability to successfully tamper the checkout request coming from e-commerce sites and manipulate it according to the needs of the attacker. Another example is that of a proxy agent like burp, which can see as well as manipulate requests from the original sender before it reaches the intended destination.

Repudiation:
If an application cannot handle validations and internal transactions such that it fails to log all of the user actions, then any attacker can take advantage of this design flaw. He can cause transactions to happen and leave no trace since the application could not handle the user actions judiciously.

For example, suppose the attacker is successful in finding a window through which he can perform actions anonymously (due to the flaw in the design/implementation), then all the transactions done by the attacker is not handled by the code, which results in dirty entries in the database, and thereby making the entire database invalid (since it now contains dirty data from the attacker). In such scenarios of repudiation attacks, we can conclude that most of the entries in logs or other storage spaces are misleading and invalid and would need to be cleaned up.

Information Disclosure:
There has been a recently discovered bug in Internet Explorer – mouse tracking vulnerability. This is a classic example of information disclosure. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by tracking mouse events and using it to their advantage to visit crafted links and scripts, thereby gaining full access to the system. A design flaw can also induce this kind of vulnerability in an application. One example I can recollect is that of a Drupal vulnerability, which as a result of design flaw revealed sensitive information to the attacker.

Denial of Service:
One of the major attributes of Information Security in the CI5A (Confidentiality, Integrity, Accountability, Availability, Authorization, Authentication and Anonymity) is Availability. Denial of Service attacks lead to the unavailability of a machine or a device. This kind of attack affects the performance of the network and might also lead to unavailability of certain services.

The most basic forms of DoS attacks are to consume the bandwidth of the target. Another is purposefully causing configuration errors such that the service is disrupted. An attacker can also place some obstacles of communication (be it physical or digital) to carry out a DoS attack.

The evolution of DoS attacks to DDoS poses a serious threat to enterprises. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are implemented by multiple devices/individuals attacking a single target. This reduces the time needed to perform the attack and it is very effective. In such a scenario, it’s very difficult to trace it back to the attacker when millions of devices attack a single target. For a deeper understanding of keeping your network secure, check out the CCNA training course provided by Intense School.

Escalation of Privilege:
As you are aware, the highest rights in a Windows system are given to SYSTEM and not to the Administrator. As an attacker, I would always like to have the highest access rights on the victim such that I can fulfill my tasks successfully without any issues of access control. This also comes in to picture as a result of a design flaw which allows the attacker to successfully penetrate the system.

STRIDE in Threat modeling
After a brief explanation of what STRIDE is all about, let’s see its role in Threat modeling. When you begin the process of threat modeling, the entire team should sit together and enumerate all the various kinds of attacks that can be possible on the application that you are trying to secure. Following the STRIDE model where in you start from S and end at E gives a solid sense of direction as well as a definitive pattern to form a model. Once discussion is over, the points that have been discussed are documented on the individual modules of the application. This is a defensive way of securing your program, where you know the kinds of attacks that you can expect and you program accordingly to counter each attack.

A brief scenario of threat model includes:
Let me try to enumerate a threat model for a login page with a search input in it. S: Spoofing identity through SQL injection
Spoofing cookies through Cross site scripting in the Search tab ….. And so on
T: Tampering of login credentials on the wire
Observe the GET/POST requests
R: Repudiation of data by stealing a session
I: Encrypting login credentials so that they aren’t disclosed
D: Trying to Fuzz the input and see if it leads to any crash
Trying to send numerous login requests such that bandwidth is consumed
… And so on
E: Escalation of privilege can take place if there is an SQL injection/Cookie hijacking vulnerability.

This is just an example and not the real threat model document. In corporate when you submit a threat modeling documents you need to adhere to various norms and condition specific to each organization.

This article is just a starting point to find security defects early in your software development life cycle. As you gain experience, exploratory testing can be combined with this methodology to yield maximum results in this regard.

---

Article By Karthik of InfoSec Institute

Read More

6 Tips to Upgrade Your SEO Presence Immediately

SEO, also known as search engine optimization, is essential to boosting your presence on the Internet. There are various ways to improve your search engine results to obtain a higher ranking for your website for optimal performance. Be sure to execute one SEO tip at a time to get the best results. Your first objective is to create fresh content on a blog with targeted keywords associated with each post. Other tips include:

Specific keywords

Your goal should be to reach your targeted audience. To do this, you should use targeted keywords repeatedly in your website sales copy without breaking the flow of the content. The search engine will detect your keywords and improve your ranking. Be sure to use keywords in your title, description, body and in the headings throughout the content.

Site map

Spiders crawl the web and go through your content to distinguish your website from other similar websites that do not have targeted keywords. Be sure to have a site map. This will help the spiders to understand what your website is all about and each webpage will be appropriately indexed.

Dofollow links

Dofollow links on your blog will allow you to have more targeted visitors and your blog will become more popular; not to mention having backlinks because of your web page’s placement in the search engine. Make valuable comments on blogs with high page ranking. Leave your webpage URL in your comments. This is a good way to get dofollow links back to your website. Do the same thing on related forums that allow comments and links within your signature. When linking to other websites, be sure to use anchor text labeled with the targeted keywords or phrases. Some people make the mistake of using “Click here,” which is not a keyword.

Product feed

If you use product feed, it can also help to draw traffic to your website. Product feeds consists of information about the products, business, descriptions and prices. Submit these product feeds to websites and search engines so that shoppers can find you.

Social media

Social media is important when it comes to SEO. Followers to your social media site will be apt to share your posts with users on other social networks. You will get more clicks on your links and visitors will come to your website. You don’t want to rely only on the search engines because so many search engine updates occur that force you to make changes.

Blogs

A blog is such an easy way to get noticed by the search engines. You can rank easily in the search engines; especially if your blog continues to put out fresh content daily. The algorithms of the search engine work best with highly structured information and fresh content. If you provide quality content on your blog, it will attract other website owners who will want to feature your website to their visitors and customers. This is a great way to create backlinks and the search engines LOVE backlinks. Search engines give more credibility to links going to other websites compared to links to other webpages on your website. Look for possibilities to get links that return to your page from other websites as this will increase your rank and bring you more targeted traffic. A blog or website that continues to provide useful and valuable information will be noticed by the search engine and your page ranking will continue to improve. Include informative videos on your blog that will provide relevant topics to benefit your visitors. The video descriptions will show up in the search engines and you will be appropriately ranked. Your visitors will also spend more time on your website if you provide value and relevance.

Article submission

Write informative and quality articles. Submit them to various popular article directories. Give your opinion at the end of the article and invite readers to comment. These article directories have high page ranking that will also gain you popularity.

---

About The Author:

Dave Landry is a blogger and advisor for several business and tech related publications. Dave also writes personal finance advisement articles for debt relief organizations to help those in dire financial crisis.

Read More