Software And Internet Blog

A computer network is something that is highly interesting and very helpful to you as you start to set up your computer. With the right network firewall, you can provide yourself with protection from anything that might be damaging to you or to your computer.

A network is something that is great for you to use. It can connect your personal computer to the internet, or it can connect you to other computers and to the internet as well. Many people are part of several networks – often the computers in their home are connected to each other as well as to the internet. There are networks at schools, and businesses, and even in some communities. Networks help you to share information with the others who are in the network as well, and allow for a stronger and more secure internet connection.

However, networks can also be dangerous. When you are using your own computer, you know that you are being safe about what you download and about what programs you are using. You’ve got your own virus protection and probably your own firewall protection, just to make sure that if you miss anything, you won’t damage your computer with the malicious software. However, when you are connected to a network, you are connected to all of the computers on the network, which means, in essence, that all of the other uses are connected to you. You don’t have control over what other people are doing on the network, which means that anything they download or anything that gets into their computer can easily travel to yours, even if you don’t download, simply because you are on the same network. You can’t control what everyone else does online, which can cause quite the problem for you.
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Detailed Review

Because of its remote viewing capabilities, there is definitely a “Wow” factor to Web Watcher. There is just something high-tech and cool about being able to see what is being recorded from a remote location. On top of that, for anyone with limited access to the computer they are trying to record, this feature is a must-have. Couple this ability with WebWatcher’s exceptional arsenal of monitoring tools, and it’s easy to see why they are our Editor’s Choice.

WebWatcher monitors almost everything including:

• Emails (Both sent and received)
• Instant Messages/Chats
• Tracks all websites that are visited
• Tracks all keystrokes typed on the computer
• Takes screenshot pictures of the monitored computer so you can see graphics, etc.

WebWatcher is a well-rounded application that is capable of both monitoring and Internet filtering, and it has most of the features that you’d expect a serious monitoring application to contain. In addition to that, WebWatcher also offers industrial-grade invisibility. We dug in pretty deeply, and there was no visible trace of the software anywhere.

WebWatcher’s interface is simple and easy to use, and even a computer novice should find that it only takes a few minutes to figure out how everything works. WebWatcher has a few advanced features that border on unnecessary, but for those that take the time to figure them out they’re a nice addition. And since WebWatcher’s interface is actually a website, searching through the recorded information for the juicy items is very easy. In fact, if you use their alert word system, you’ll find that you can save a lot of time by reading just the emails and things that contain words that you are interested in. So, for instance, Web Watcher can display for you just emails that contain specific words, or just the Instant Message conversations with a certain person. It makes finding what you are looking for really easy.
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Introduction

Windows Server 2008 R2 and the Windows 7 client were made for each other - and made to provide better and more secure computing when used together. DirectAccess is a new feature that allows Windows 7 users to establish a remote connection without a VPN, and the Remote Workspace, along with Presentation Virtualization and Remote Desktop Gateway can allow users to access their company desktops from anywhere, safely and securely. In this article, we will look at these and other features that make the Server 2008 R2/Windows 7 combination the best bet for organizations looking to improve the security of their Windows-based networks.

With the emphasis at Microsoft on trustworthy computing, each edition of the server and client operating systems gets more secure. Windows Server 2008, and especially its latest incarnation, R2, provides IT administrators with many built-in security mechanisms. However, securing the server is only half the battle. The client machine is often targeted for exploit – especially in today’s mobile world where users connect from laptops that leave the company premises and thus are not always under the absolute control of the IT department. If your organization needs a high level of security (and in the current compliance-mandated environment, who doesn’t?), you should be planning ahead for the deployment of the Windows 7 client in combination with Windows Server 2008 R2 as soon after the Win 7 release as possible. Let’s look at some of the advanced security features you’ll be able to take advantage of by doing so.

Note:
Many organizations make it a policy to wait for the first service pack before rolling out a new client OS. Should you wait for SP1 before you deploy Windows 7? The Gartner Group says no. “The first Service Pack for Windows 7 is not necessary for the operating system’s stability and security readiness.”
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Understanding the threats and how to protect your network against them

Convenience at a Price
Wireless networks have the potential to make enterprise networking much more efficient and cost effective. It is much easier to set a user up with a wireless network connection than to run Ethernet cabling from the nearest switch, through the walls and install a network jack at their desk. Wireless networks also help resolve the fairly ubiquitous problem of having too few network connections in conference rooms, and the fact that the conference room network connections are always at the least functional location possible.

The convenience of wireless networks comes with a price though. Wired network access can be controlled because the data is contained within the cabling that connects the computer to the switch. With a wireless network, the “cabling” between the computer and the switch is called “air”, which any device within range can potentially access. If a user can connect with a wireless access point from 300 feet away, then in theory so can anyone else within a 300 foot radius of the wireless access point.

Threats to Wireless Network Security
Aside from the threat of unauthorized users accessing your network and eavesdropping your internal network communications by connecting with your wireless LAN (WLAN), there are a variety of threats posed by insecure, or improperly secured WLAN’s. Here is a brief list with descriptions of some of the primary threats:

• Rogue WLAN’s – Whether your enterprise has an officially sanctioned wireless network or not, wireless routers are relatively inexpensive, and ambitious users may plug unauthorized equipment into the network. These rogue wireless networks may be insecure or improperly secured and pose a risk to the network at large.
• Spoofing Internal Communications – An attack from outside of the network can usually be identified as such. If an attacker can connect with your WLAN, they can spoof communications that appear to come from internal domains. Users are much more likely to trust and act on spoofed internal communications.
• Theft of Network Resources – Even if an intruder does not attack your computers or compromise your data, they may connect to your WLAN and hijack your network bandwidth to surf the Web. They can leverage the higher bandwidth found on most enterprise networks to download music and video clips, using your precious network resources and impacting network performance for your legitimate users.

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For the second time in five weeks, Microsoft Corp. warned that hackers were exploiting a critical unpatched bug in its popular Office application suite. In a pre-patch security advisory issued late yesterday, Microsoft confirmed that attackers were using rigged PowerPoint files to trigger the vulnerability in older editions of the presentation maker. In fact, several different exploits are on the prowl, said company researchers Cristian Craioveanu and Ziv Mador in a posting to the Microsoft Malware Protection Center’s blog.

Microsoft spokesman Bill Sisk downplayed the threat. “At this time, Microsoft is only aware of limited and targeted attacks that attempt to use this vulnerability,” he said in an e-mail. Unlike five weeks ago, when Sisk said the same thing about a “zero-day” flaw in Excel, Microsoft’s spreadsheet software, he didn’t explicitly promise that the company would patch the problem. “Microsoft will take the appropriate action to protect our customers, which may include providing a solution through our monthly security update release process, or an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs,” he said Thursday. The Excel vulnerability has not yet been patched.

Yesterday’s bug affects PowerPoint 2000, PowerPoint 2002 and PowerPoint 2003 on Windows, and the edition included with Office 2004 for Mac. According to Microsoft, the vulnerability is in the way that PowerPoint parses the older file format used by those versions, and can be used by attackers to run additional malware and hijack the PC. “The question is, when will it end?” said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security Inc., referring to the regular disclosure of vulnerabilities in Office applications’ file formats. “They’ll probably never find all of the vulnerabilities in the file formats,” he continued, “because they may not be going back into these older products to [test] them with newer fuzzers.”
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32-bit IP addressing is the IP address scheme used in Internet Protocol 4 (IPv6 uses a 128-bit system). In IPv4, an IP address is a 32-bit number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packets across the Internet.The 32-bit IP address (we have a separate definition of it with IP address) is often depicted as a dot address (also called dotted quad notation) - that is, four groups (or quads) of decimal numbers separated by periods. Here’s an example:
130.5.5.25

Each of the decimal numbers represents a string of eight binary digits. Thus, the above IP address really is this string of 0s and 1s:
10000010.00000101.00000101.00011001

As you can see, we inserted periods between each eight-digit sequence just as we did for the decimal version of the IP address. Obviously, the decimal version of the IP address is easier to read and that’s the form most commonly used.

Some portion of the IP address represents the network number or address and some portion represents the local machine address (also known as the host number or address). IP addresses can be one of several classes, each determining how many bits represent the network number and how many represent the host number. The most common class used by large organizations (Class B) allows 16 bits for the network number and 16 for the host number. Using the above example, here’s how the IP address is divided:
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Computer networks bring many good things into the home: more convenient Internet access, sharing of files and printers, additional home entertainment options, and so on. Yet home network technology also poses challenges. Many folks don’t know where to start. Things often don’t work right the first time. Sometimes, people settle for an inferior setup and never realize the full potential of their home network. The advice below helps you steer clear of these common problems.

1. Can’t Decide Which Network Gear You Need
Networks can be built with different combinations of hardware and software. The sheer number of choices overwhelms most beginners, who too often jump at the first “solution” they find. However, setups that perfectly meet the needs of some families just won’t cut it for others. Follow the link above to learn more about your options.

2. Network Won’t Reach Certain Areas
In many homes, networks won’t conveniently reach all of the areas a person needs. This fact surprises many folks. Stringing network cables to some rooms can prove impractical, of course. But even with wireless networks, “cold spots” where Wi-Fi radio signals won’t reach corner bedrooms, a study, or a porch are also common. Be ready to make a few concessions in your network installation plan.

3. Computers Can’t See Each Other on the Network
You’ve finished connecting all your network gear to the best of your ability, but nothing works. None of the devices can “see” each other or “talk” to the printer. No error messages are being displayed. You’re developing a sneaking suspicion that your network is laughing at you. Relax. Take a step-by-step approach to this problem, and your network will be up and running soon.
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