Tag: web security

Experts Share Vital Cyber-Security Tips For 2017

Experts Share Vital Cyber-Security Tips For 2017 release from SEO Shark.  Available from <http://prwire.com.au/pr/65209/experts-share-vital-cyber-security-tips-for-2017>

SEO Shark, Australia’s leading SEO experts, have put together a list of must-know Cyber-Security tips all website owners need to consider as we begin 2017. With more than ten years of experience in SEO and web design, SEO Shark’s suggestions include installing an SSL certificate and backing up your data regularly to ensure your data remains safe.

An SSL certificate is essential for every website, ensuring your data is kept safe and encrypted. SEO Shark recommends making the installation of an SSL certificate a priority in regards to Cyber-Security in 2017. SEO Shark also advocates using strong passwords and suggests never to use the same password twice. You can use secure services such as IPassword or LastPass to keep track of all your passwords.

Due to the rising number of hackers and spammers that roam the internet, it is extremely important to have Cyber-Security measures in place. The potential damage that hackers can do if they gain access to your information makes spending the time to put strategies in place well worth the effort.

“Data security and the threat of hackers is a critical component of web ownership in 2017,” says Lucas Bikowski, Managing Director of SEO Shark. “Simple but often overlooked measures such as having an SSL Certificate and backing up your data will go a long way to ensuring you avoid any potential headaches,” according to Bikowski.

Bikowski also recommends running an inside analysis of a threat beforehand to identify any shortcomings. “If an insider can uncover data and information then a hacker most certainly will. Performing an inside analysis is essentially like proofreading your work before you submit it.”

Further, SEO Shark advises using a few different verification systems to make gaining access more difficult for hackers, while encouraging website owners to learn from their past mistakes.

Experts Share Vital Cyber-Security Tips For 2017 release from SEO Shark.  Available from <http://prwire.com.au/pr/65209/experts-share-vital-cyber-security-tips-for-2017>

How fit is your online security?

How fit is your online security? by Kirstin Davis.  Available from <http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jan/08/bbb-tip-how-fit-is-your-online-security/> [SUNDAY, JAN. 8, 2017, 6:10 A.M.]

If you are gearing up for a healthier lifestyle both physically and financially, consider starting an online security fitness plan.

Every year more and more large companies experience data breaches. With these data breaches, hackers stole private information ranging from medical records to credit card information.

Scary occurrences like data breaches show why it is important to protect your private information when you’re online. It is no longer a “set it and forget it” world and requires frequent monitoring and updating.

Update software regularly. One of the best ways to prevent breaches is by making sure the software you use is always updated. Select automatic updates when you’re setting up new programs, and you’ll always have the latest updates and security patches. Key programs that must be updated regularly includes your web browser, operating system and virus and malware prevention software. Your computer is not the only device you need to keep updated. Your tablet, smartphone and gaming systems also need updated software to prevent breaches. Virus and malware software must be active when you’re online. It’s also highly recommended that you scan your system for potential threats each day. Do so after you’ve updated virus definitions.

Make sure your wireless router is secure. When installing a wireless network in your home, make sure it’s secure. Change the router name set by the manufacturer that is not easily recognized and the change the password to something unique. Finally, turn on firewalls on the router and your operating system.

Replace passwords with pass phrases. Despite every article that discusses the importance of passwords, many still use easily guessed passwords like “123456” or “password.” If you’re using a simple password, you need to change your ways. Security experts now suggest to make your password a sentence that is at least 12 characters long. Focus on positive sentences or phrases that are easy to remember (for example, “I like to walk the dog.”). On many sites, you can even use spaces.

Unique account, unique password: Having separate passwords for every account helps to thwart cybercriminals. At a minimum, separate your work and personal accounts and make sure that your critical accounts have the strongest passwords.

Don’t store credit cards online. It’s frustrating just how many retailers store your credit card information for future use. Some will offer you the chance to decide if you want the credit or debit card stored. If given the chance, avoid it. If you don’t have the chance, after the sale is complete, go into the payment method settings and click “delete card.” It’s best to avoid having your credit or debit card stored online, even if the retailer is trusted.

How fit is your online security? by Kirstin Davis.  Available from <http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jan/08/bbb-tip-how-fit-is-your-online-security/> [SUNDAY, JAN. 8, 2017, 6:10 A.M.]

Want to Increase Your Website’s Visibility? SEO is The Answer

Want to Increase Your Website’s Visibility? SEO is The Answer by Manli Su.  Available from <http://is4profit.com/want-to-increase-your-websites-visibility-seo-is-the-answer/> [December 22, 2016]

If your business is lingering down in the dark depths of the search results, you’ll have little hope of online sales – but you can change that

For any small business with a web presence, the goal is to rank high on a search engine results lists. If your website lands anywhere past the third page of results, people are unlikely to find it in their search.

So how can you increase the visibility of your website? The key is to design your website and its content so that search engines can find the pages easily and index them. This is a practice known as search engine optimisation (SEO), which we will take a closer look at in this article, as well as the best practices to optimise your business’s SEO strategy.

How does search engine optimisation work?

SEO is more complex than filling your website’s pages with keywords to be picked up by search engines. Search engines have their own criteria for ranking web pages, which are periodically changed and updated to prevent websites from falsely obtaining a permanent high ranking. Their intricate algorithms take into account keywords within the content, website traffic and accessibility.

For example, Google’s Penguin algorithm update, first launched in April 2012, was developed to catch websites deemed to be spamming its search results. It targeted techniques used to artificially inflate rankings, such as keyword stuffing and link spam. This meant that pages with lower quality content were considered less authoritative and therefore ranked lower.

Keyword research

Determining which keywords and phrases your website should target is an important start for good SEO. If your page targets keywords that no one is searching for, then the search engines won’t send you any traffic.

There are several free keyword research tools that you can use to help you. Google’s AdWords Tool allows you to search for keyword ideas, look at historical statistics and see how a list of keywords might perform. You should build a target list of keywords for your business and re-visit it periodically. If your industry is prone to quick changes, try to check and update your keywords every three to six months.

Particularly competitive industries, such as fashion, may struggle to utilise keywords to gain more exposure and rank higher on search engines. This is when professionals can help. You can use a digital marketing company’s expertise in SEO to give you a competitive edge.

Optimised content

High quality content is still the best way for a website to rank higher on search engine results.  Your keyword research will come in handy when deciding on what content you should be writing for your audience or customer. Focusing on useful content that helps to answer the questions that people are searching for will help your website to receive traffic.

Quality content should be informative, interesting and rich in keywords, establishing your authority on the subject. If your customer feels as though they have learned something, then they are more likely to return to your website.

In addition, strong content will encourage external sites to link to your site, making you more authoritative in Google’s eyes. The ways of increasing your website traffic and gaining more external links can be helped by your social media strategy.

Social media marketing

A business’s social media strategy goes hand in hand with SEO. Both aim to attract visitors to your website and having a strong strategy for both will increase your search result rankings.

A good tactic to gain visibility on social media is by using hashtags and encouraging social sharing. Likes, shares, favourites and retweets will all contribute to your website being viewed as an authority by search engines and draw in links, traffic and positive brand awareness. There are many ways to do this, including surveys that encourage people to like your post if they agree, or competitions where users are asked to like and share your posts.

Optimising for mobiles

As internet usage is moving more towards mobile devices and smartphones, you need to ensure that your site is mobile-friendly.

Google have recently introduced an updated mobile-friendly algorithm that ranks sites higher if they are easily accessible on mobile sites. It considers how your website’s information and usability is optimised for use on mobiles, taking into account site design, structure and page speed.

Here are some tips for optimising your business’s website for mobile devices:

  • Don’t use Flash – this plugin may not be available on your user’s phone so they may miss the effects.
  • Limit your use pop-ups – it can be difficult to close these on a mobile and frustrated users may leave your site, leading to a high bounce rate.
  • Remember the importance of page speed – optimise any images and reduce redirects.

Finally, use Google Analytics to track how your SEO is performing. With this handy tool, you can see trends and how users interact with your website, and use the data to improve anything that may not be working well.

If you want to improve your business’s SEO strategy and increase your visibility on search engine rankings, then consider our five top tips. Optimising your SEO will help your website get ranked higher on search engine results, gain more followers and encourage customers and clients to return to your website.

Want to Increase Your Website’s Visibility? SEO is The Answer by Manli Su.  Available from <http://is4profit.com/want-to-increase-your-websites-visibility-seo-is-the-answer/> [December 22, 2016]

Expert Tips and Tools You Can Use to Safeguard Your Privacy Online

Expert Tips and Tools You Can Use to Safeguard Your Privacy Online  by Mike Peterson.  Available from <https://www.idropnews.com/how-to/how-to-remain-private-or-anonymous-online/28441/> [December 23, 2016]

As we’ve become more and more reliant on devices and the internet in our day-to-day lives, the more of our data and information has been uploaded to the web. Not only that, but many of us rely on the internet for work or play — and internet security is essential to that. Whether you’re worried about nefarious hackers, government spying, or nosy advertisers, you can help protect your data by following a few easy steps and using a few different (and free) tools.

Here are the cybersecurity essentials — used by everyone from security experts to journalists — to get you started.

Ground Rules

If you’re worried about privacy and protecting your information, you can follow some simple rules to make sure you have a head start against any would-be spies.

First, use a strong password. The best kind of password doesn’t contain words or fragments, but rather a random assortment of letters, numbers and special characters. You can also use a password manager like LastPass, Password Safe, or KeePass. 1Password is a popular option for iOS. Additionally, don’t use the same password across all of your accounts.

Next, make sure not to over-share information on social media. You really don’t need your phone number, email address or birth dates readily accessible to the public, do you?

Set up a Google alert for your name, so you can keep tabs on how your identity is being perceived or used without your consent. Don’t like advertisers gathering information about you? Use a non-tracking search engine like DuckDuckGo.

Lastly, try to enable two-factor authentication whenever you can. In that case, your accounts will have an extra layer of security even if your passwords become compromised.

Message Safer

There are many options when it comes to encrypted messaging services, but two of the best are WhatsApp and Signal.

WhatsApp is a popular messaging app, and it might be one that you already use. But what you might not know is that WhatsApp actually features end-to-end encryption: the messages you send are scrambled, ensuring that only you and the recipient have the key needed to read them.

Signal is another excellent choice, and is popular among journalist and security experts. Along with end-to-end encryption, it also features disappearing messages — meaning that there will be no record of the conversation after the messages expire.

Signal is arguably better encrypted, but a messaging app is only useful if you use it — and you probably have more friends on WhatsApp.

Get a Secure Email Client

If you’re worried about various entities reading your email, you should look into Proton. It’s a free, secure email client based in Switzerland — meaning that it falls under Swiss, rather than American, privacy laws. That means the U.S. government can’t force Proton to give up your data. Forbes famously called it “the only email system NSA can’t access.

All emails sent through the service are end-to-end encrypted, and the client never logs your IP address. Besides a browser-based version, the service also has an Android and iOS app so you can take your secure emails on-the-go.

Some other options are Tutanota and KolabNow. Both are open-source and free-to-use. For something a bit more feature-packed, Berlin-based Posteo.de is held in very high regard among security experts. It doesn’t ask for any information when you sign up, it features two-factor authentication, and it allows you to pay others anonymously. Unfortunately, it’s not free.

Download TOR

If you’re serious about encrypting your online activities on your computer, there’s The Onion Router, also known as the TOR project.

TOR Browser is a lightweight program, available to download for both PC and Mac, that obscures your online browsing via a proxy network. When you use TOR, your computer doesn’t directly access a site — the program sends your request through various servers spread across the world. That way, the site you’re accessing never actually sees your IP address.

Of course, this security doesn’t work if you’re accessing a site that asks for login or other personal information — like Facebook or other account-based services. While your computer and IP address might be anonymous, TOR doesn’t hide the specific, possibly compromising activities that could give your identity away.

Use a VPN

A VPN works by extending a private network over the public connections we use daily. VPNs use a series of discrete networks or computers to secure and encrypt communication when using the internet. A user logging into a VPN would typically access it via a client/browser window, log-in with special credentials (really similar to how you’d log into your email) and voila — once inside the VPN, the user is secure from any eavesdropping or spying.

Any time you’re doing something on the internet, you’re exchanging and sending data to another source. A VPN ensures that each time you do so, all the data that’s being sent from your end is encrypted, and safe from people seeking to steal it. Learn more about VPNs and some of the best VPN services available, here.

Additional Considerations

Even with using privacy services like TOR, some of your DNS traffic might still leak through, potentially compromising your anonymity. To find and plug those leaks, you can use DNSLeakTest.com.

Similarly, you can see just how much information your computer web browser is giving away by going to BrowserLeaks.com or Panopticlick. You can take notes and additional steps to plug those leaks, too — like turning off cookies and disabling site tracking.

Many apps on the iPhone use location services — while this can be great for remembering exactly where you took that iPhone picture, it also means that your data might have scarily specific locations attached to them. For example, the Exif data embedded into your bathroom selfie can potentially let attackers know exactly where you live. Paranoid? Just turn off location services for any or all apps via Settings > Privacy > Location Services.

Expert Tips and Tools You Can Use to Safeguard Your Privacy Online  by Mike Peterson.  Available from <https://www.idropnews.com/how-to/how-to-remain-private-or-anonymous-online/28441/> [December 23, 2016]

Protecting Your Online Presence with 3 Simple Tips

Protecting Your Online Presence with 3 Simple Tips by Carolina.  Available from <https://www.hackread.com/protecting-your-online-presence-with-3-simple-tips/> [Dec 19, 2016]

It is safe to say that over 80% of our lives are now stored in the cloud. Work and study are now conducted online. Universities such as Bradley University are making it possible to pursue an FNP degree of your choice without leaving the comfort of your home. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of cases of identity and information theft over the past few months. As we get closer to the end of 2016, information security becomes more important than ever.

Go through our How-To section here at HackRead and you will find a lot of tips and tricks on how to protect your online presence. In this article, we’re going to review some more tips that will help you work and study online without having to worry about your information getting stolen.

Have a Trusted Computer

One of the easiest ways to minimize the risks of information theft is by accessing your office network or the online learning program’s platform using a computer you can trust. This can be your own laptop or desktop computer that only you can use.

Take proper steps to add security measures to the laptop. An up-to-date antivirus, firewall software and good user management are all that you need to get started. When you access the family nurse practitioner course you’re taking online, for instance, you don’t have to worry about other users stealing your login info.

Write It Down

Do you know that you’re more likely to have your password stolen online than when it is written down in a notebook and stored at home? Writing down passwords actually enables you to have different passwords for different accounts, which means you can secure your online presence further without a problem.

Work out a way to write down passwords without actually mentioning the account they are for. For example, you can use initials to mark which passwords are for which accounts. Keep the note safe by storing it in a locked drawer or another safe place around the house.

You should also consider using a tested-and-tried password management software. 1-Password and similar software can help you store passwords for multiple accounts safely. Even better, these apps can also suggest a strong password for your accounts by generating random strings you can use in one click.

Test Your Security Questions

One last weak link to fix is the password recovery option you use on different accounts. We often choose security questions that are easy to remember. Unfortunately, most of the security questions – and their answers – are about things that information thieves can also find online.

The name of your first dog may be posted on your Instagram or Twitter account. Your story about that visit to your aunt’s house may reveal her name and the answer to another security question. Your favorite teacher at high school and other common security questions are just as easy to guess or figure out.

Switch to a security question only you can answer, apply the previous tips we’ve covered in this article, and be sure to stay up to date with the latest security tips here on HackRead.

Protecting Your Online Presence with 3 Simple Tips by Carolina.  Available from <https://www.hackread.com/protecting-your-online-presence-with-3-simple-tips/> [Dec 19, 2016]