Registry,Phishing, Myth vs.Fact

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Registry,

All computers running Windows have something called a registry. You can think of your registry as a living archive, constantly updating and keeping track of everything. Its knowledge ranges from everything about what you installed, ran and scheduled to all of your user accounts and passwords needed to log on to your machine.

We read something about the registry a while ago, and the author used a great analogy that we would like to share with you: if we think of computer infiltration as a game of capture-the-flag, there is no doubt that the registry would be the flag. As you may have already guessed, the registry is one of the primary places intruders go to learn about your machine and figure out its weaknesses. Not only this, but with the appropriate privileges, intruders can modify your registry, which could lead to a variety of things such as removing evidence of their presence on your computer to corrupting programs or even your entire operating system.

Computer Registry Information:

So, what can you do to protect your registry? Well, that's a difficult question to answer. For starters, it is strongly advised that you do not mess around and alter things in your registry unless you know what you are doing. Altering your registry with the assumption that you are fixing your computer could lead to the exact opposite in terms of results. This is the unfortunate thing when it comes to registry modification: both manual and automatic methods can cause false-positives, meaning that you could remove essential information while thinking that you are removing entries affiliated with malicious software (malicious software is a broad categorization of viruses, trojans, worms and other forms of programs that damage your system); consider yourself warned.

Computer Registry - Taking Action...

With the above in mind, the first thing you should do is the following:

BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY BEFORE YOU DO ANY MODIFICATIONS TO IT!

To backup your registry, do the following:

Click Start, then Run...
In the new box that opens, type "regedit" (without the quotes) and click OK. If by chance regedit doesn't work, try typing in regedit32 for older versions of Windows.
You are now in the registry. Now click File, and then Export...
Enter a name and directory where you want to save your registy and click OK.
Go to File and Exit to exit out of the registry.

We will not describe how to manually do anything with your registry because it is a very sensitive and dangerous thing to mess around with if you do not know what you are doing. The best thing to do is use automated tools that have been specifically designed to modify your registry without damaging it.

Phishing

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Myth vs. Fact

Separating the fact from the fiction...

Over the years, we have held discussions with users that range from owners of business networks to owners of a single personal computer. In these discussions, we were suprised to hear what owners and users had to say about their security and how they thought they were completely safe on the Internet. To alleviate this misinformation, below is a list of the most commonly heard assumptions on computer security and their validity.

Myth:
There are so many users on the Internet that the chances of being a target are slim to none.
Fact:
Granted, there are millions of people constantly on the Internet, but that doesn't mean you have a lower chance of being a target than the next person. There are tools freely dispersed throughout the Internet that let anyone quickly (and easily) scan large amounts of computers for vulnerabilities.

Myth:
No one will try to break into my computer because it has nothing of value.
Fact:
Unfortunately, you have more information than you may think on your computer. Do you do your banking online? Do you send and receive emails that contain sensitive or personal information? Have you ever entered personal information such as a social security number, credit card number, or even a username and password into a website? Well, there are tools available on the Internet that allow people to discover and identify this information on your computer if they can get access to your network.
Also, if you are in that small percentage bracket that does none of the above, think about this: if an intruder was able to break into your system and gain control of it, they can use it to attack other computers. Sadly, even though you weren't responsible for attacking other computers (or even having the knowledge that your computer was attacking other computers), you will be held liable for all of the damages that your computer causes.

Myth:
I have an anti-virus scanner, so I am secure.
Fact:
This is partially true. While having an anti-virus scanner is a crucial element to securing your computer, it is not enough.

Myth:
I have a firewall, so I have nothing to worry about.
Fact:
This is also partially true. Firewalls are imperative for any computer, but they are only a single piece of the puzzle to securing your computer(s).

Myth:
Computer Security is only for the experts.
Fact:
Not true. There are many security tools that have been developed with simplicity in mind. Some of these security tools have even been developed so that all the user has to do is install it, and it does the rest itself!

Myth:
Securing my computer/network is too expensive.
Fact:
While there are expensive security tools available, there are also an whole bunch of effective tools that are cheap (and even free) that anyone can use to secure their systems.

Myth:
Securing my computer/network will make it more difficult to use.
Fact:
This is probably more true than it is false. While security tools do have the potential of dramatically changing the way you currently use your computer, they can also have simple modifications as asking you if you want certain programs to run or connect to the Internet. It all depends on the tools and their features that you choose to install.

Myth:
I can't secure my computer/network because it is too complex.
Fact:
Once again, with the tools that have been developed, you can increase your security awareness by simply installing applications or pushing a button.

Myth:
I know what I installed and what is running on my computer, so I have nothing to worry about.
Fact:
Don't be so sure that you know what is running on your computer. In fact, we think it would be a good assumption to think that the majority of computer users do not know about everything that is running on their computer. There are very clever people out there that have discovered how to masquerade and hide programs that they don't want users to see.

Myth:
I only need to worry about security when an incident occurs.
Fact:
This is always a difficult assumption to hear from others. It is imperative that you take a proactive approach to security and not a reactive one. If you worry about security when an incident occurs, it is too late. You will have absolutely no idea what critical files or information was deleted, modified, or even stolen.

Myth:
Computer security is only relevant to large businesses and corporations.
Fact:
Also, not true. With the continuously-evolving tools that are widely available on the Internet in combination with the rapid technological advancements in computer speed and performance, people are finding more and more ways of spotting insecure machines on a large scale.

Myth:	There are so many users on the Internet that the chances of being a target are slim to none.
Fact:	Granted, there are millions of people constantly on the Internet, but that doesn't mean you have a lower chance of being a target than the next person. There are tools freely dispersed throughout the Internet that let anyone quickly (and easily) scan large amounts of computers for vulnerabilities.

Myth:	I have an anti-virus scanner, so I am secure.
Fact:	This is partially true. While having an anti-virus scanner is a crucial element to securing your computer, it is not enough.

Myth:	I have a firewall, so I have nothing to worry about.
Fact:	This is also partially true. Firewalls are imperative for any computer, but they are only a single piece of the puzzle to securing your computer(s).

Myth:	Computer Security is only for the experts.
Fact:	Not true. There are many security tools that have been developed with simplicity in mind. Some of these security tools have even been developed so that all the user has to do is install it, and it does the rest itself!

Myth:	Securing my computer/network is too expensive.
Fact:	While there are expensive security tools available, there are also an whole bunch of effective tools that are cheap (and even free) that anyone can use to secure their systems.

Myth:	Securing my computer/network will make it more difficult to use.
Fact:	This is probably more true than it is false. While security tools do have the potential of dramatically changing the way you currently use your computer, they can also have simple modifications as asking you if you want certain programs to run or connect to the Internet. It all depends on the tools and their features that you choose to install.

Myth:	I can't secure my computer/network because it is too complex.
Fact:	Once again, with the tools that have been developed, you can increase your security awareness by simply installing applications or pushing a button.

Myth:	I know what I installed and what is running on my computer, so I have nothing to worry about.
Fact:	Don't be so sure that you know what is running on your computer. In fact, we think it would be a good assumption to think that the majority of computer users do not know about everything that is running on their computer. There are very clever people out there that have discovered how to masquerade and hide programs that they don't want users to see.

Myth:	I only need to worry about security when an incident occurs.
Fact:	This is always a difficult assumption to hear from others. It is imperative that you take a proactive approach to security and not a reactive one. If you worry about security when an incident occurs, it is too late. You will have absolutely no idea what critical files or information was deleted, modified, or even stolen.

Myth:	Computer security is only relevant to large businesses and corporations.
Fact:	Also, not true. With the continuously-evolving tools that are widely available on the Internet in combination with the rapid technological advancements in computer speed and performance, people are finding more and more ways of spotting insecure machines on a large scale.