уторак, 31. јануар 2012.
Zonet Wi-Fi Camera
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UAC UIAccess Secure Desktop
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User Account Control: Allow UIAccess Applications to Prompt w/o Secure DesktopConfiguring Vista User Account Control SettingsFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideSee More About:allow uiaccess applications to prompt for elevation without using the secure desktopuacconfigure uac in vistaThis security setting controls whether User Interface Accessibility (UIAccess or UIA) programs can automatically disable the secure desktop for elevation prompts being used by a standard user.If you enable this setting, UIA programs including Windows Remote Assistance can automatically disable the secure desktop for elevation prompts. Unless you have also disabled elevation prompts, the prompts will appear on the interactive user's desktop instead of the secure desktop.
If you disable or do not configure this setting, the secure desktop can only be disabled by the user of the interactive desktop or by disabling the "User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation" setting.
UIA programs are designed to interact with Windows and application programs on behalf of a user. This setting allows UIA programs to bypass the secure desktop to increase usability in certain cases, but allowing elevation requests to appear on the regular interactive desktop instead of the secure desktop increases your security risk.
Since UIA programs must be able to respond to prompts regarding security issues, such as the UAC elevation prompt, UIA programs must be highly trusted. In order to be considered trusted, a UIA program must be digitally signed. By default, UIA programs can be run only from the following protected paths:
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уторак, 10. јануар 2012.
Retrophitted Retrophish
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недеља, 8. јануар 2012.
Prevent Identity Theft
©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.
A part of The New York Times Company.
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Computer and Network Securi...
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Top 10 Computer and Network Security BooksFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP. MCSE2k, MCSA, AView the Original article
Free Network Monitoring
FREEping - Server Pinging
Do you want to know if all your Windows 2003-XP-2000-NT servers are alive and pinging? Do you want to receive a pop-up message when one of them is not running anymore? FREEping is a free ping software utility which will ping all your IP addresses in free-definable intervals. FREEping automatically pings in the background and shows statistics for each pinged hosts. When a host stops responding, FREEping can send popup messages to a specified destination.
Servers Alive
Servers Alive is an end-to-end network monitor program. Among the many checks it can do: it can monitor any Winsock service, ping a host, check if an NT service/process is running, check the available disk space on a server, retrieve a URL, check your database engine, and more.
Suggested ReadingFree Intrusion Detection (IDS) SoftwareFree Packet Sniffer SoftwareFree Encryption SoftwareNetsecurity Book ReviewsBuilding Secure Wireless Networks With 802.11Hacker's Challenge 2Network Perimeter Security: Building Defense In DepthNetsecurity ArticlesInterview With Eric ColeVPN's: IPSec vs. SSLIn Depth SecurityRelated ArticlesLinux IP Masquerade How-To - Configuring Microsoft Windows 95 and OSR2RSS Reader in Python - Building an RSS Reader With Python - Running on a We...Linux Network Administrators Guide - NIS Server SecurityWeb Hosting Company Customer Review - Handy Networks, LLC.Ubuntu Server Guide - Windows Networking
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Top 5 Anti-Spyware 2009
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Intro to Wireless Security
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Introduction to Wireless Network Security Birth of Wireless Home NetworkingFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideSee More About:wireless network securityprotect your wi-fi networkwpa encryptionIt wasnt too long ago that computers were a luxury rather than a necessity. Only the lucky and the wealthy had even one in their home and a network was something reserved for large corporations.Fast forward a decade or so and everyone has to have their own computer. There is one for the parents (sometimes two if the parents cant share nice) and one or more for the kids to use for homework and games. Home users have gone from no Internet access to 9600 kbps dial-up Internet access beyond 56 kbps dial-up access and are moving on to broadband connections to rival or match the T1 connections they relish at work.
As the Internet and the World Wide Web have exploded into our culture and are replacing other media forms for people to find news, weather, sports, recipes, yellow pages and a million other things, the new struggle is not only for time on the computer at home, but for time on the Internet connection.
The hardware and software vendors have come forth with a variety of solutions allowing home users to share one Internet connection among two or more computers. They all have one thing in common though- the computers must somehow be networked.
To connect your computers together has traditionally involved having some physical medium running between them. It could be phone wire, coaxial cable or the ubiquitous CAT5 cable. Recently hardware has been introduced that even lets home users network computers through the electrical wiring. But, one of the easiest and least messy ways to network computers throughout your home is to use wireless technology.
It is a fairly simple setup. The Internet connection comes in from your provider and is connected to a wireless access point or router which broadcasts the signal. You connect wireless antenna network cards to your computers to receive that signal and talk back to the wireless access point and you are in business.
The problem with having the signal broadcast though is that it is difficult to contain where that signal may travel. If it can get from upstairs to your office in the basement then it can also go that same 100 feet to your neighbors living room. Or, a hacker searching for insecure wireless connections can get into your systems from a car parked on the street.
That doesnt mean you shouldnt use wireless networking. You just have to be smart about it and take some basic precautions to make it more difficult for curiosity seekers to get into your personal information. The next section contains some simple steps you can take to secure your wireless network.Previous12" rel
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Change Wireless Password
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How to Change Your Wireless Router's Admin PasswordIt's time to change that default admin password before you get hackedBy Andy O'Donnell, About.com GuideSee More About:wireless securitywireless router admin consoleView the Original article
Configure UAC in Vista Home
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Configure or Disable UAC in Windows Vista Home (or Home Premium)From Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideSee More About:windows vistaconfiguredisableuacuser account control1 of 4Previous Next Editing The RegistryView the Original article
Comp Security 101 (tm)
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Computer Security 101 (tm) Lesson 1From Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideFiled In:Internet / Network SecurityIn order to better secure your home computer or home network it helps if you have some basic knowledge of how it all works so you can understand what exactly you are securing and why. This will be the first in a 10-part series to help provide an overview of the terms and technology used and some of the tips, tricks, tools and techniques you can use to make sure your computer is secure.To begin with, I want to provide some understanding of what these terms are so that when you read about the latest malicious code spreading through the Internet and how it gets into and infects your computer you will be able to decipher the techie terms and determine if this affects you or your computer and what steps you can or should take to prevent it. For Part 1 of this series we will cover Hosts, DNS, ISPs and Backbone.
The term host can be confusing because it has multiple meanings in the computer world. It is used to describe a computer or server that provides web pages. In this context it is said that the computer is hosting the web site. Host is also used to describe the companies that allow people to share their server hardware and Internet connection to share these as a service rather than every company or individual having to buy all their own equipment.
A host in the context of computers on the Internet is defined as any computer that has a live connection with the Internet. All computers on the Internet are peers to one another. They can all act as servers or as clients. You can run a web site on your computer just as easily as you can use your computer to view web sites from other computers. The Internet is nothing more than a global network of hosts communicating back and forth. Looked at in this way, all computers, or hosts, on the Internet are equal.
Each host has a unique address similar to the way street addressing works. It would not work to simply address a letter to Joe Smith. You have to also provide the street address- for example 1234 Main Street. However, there may be more than one 1234 Main Street in the world, so you must also provide the city- Anytown. Maybe there is a Joe Smith on 1234 Main Street in Anytown in more than one state- so you have to add that to the address as well. In this way, the postal system can work backward to get the mail to right destination. First they get it to the right state, then to the right city, then to the right delivery person for 1234 Main Street and finally to Joe Smith.
On the Internet, this is called your IP (Internet protocol) address. The IP address is made up of four blocks of three numbers between 0 and 255. Different ranges of IP addresses are owned by different companies or ISPs (Internet service providers). By deciphering the IP address it can be funneled to the right host. First it goes to the owner of that range of addresses and can then be filtered down to the specific address its intended for.
I might name my computer My Computer, but there is no way for me to know how many other people named their computer My Computer so it would not work to try to send communications to My Computer any more than addressing a letter simply to Joe Smith would get delivered properly. With millions of hosts on the Internet it is virtually impossible for users to remember the addresses of each web site or host they want to communicate with though, so a system was created to let users access sites using names that are easier to recall.Previous12" rel
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Sub7 Trojan / Backdoor
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субота, 7. јануар 2012.
5 Steps Secure WinXP Home
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Securing Windows XP Home Edition5 Simple Steps For A More Secure Home ComputerFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideSee More About:securing windowswindows xp homeinternet connection firewallcomputer passwordsUsers should follow basic security advice like that found in Security Basics In A Home Computing Environment, Password Security, or In Depth Security. But, there are some additional steps to take that are unique to Windows XP Home edition.The following list includes five things you can do to make sure your Windows XP Home edition is secure- including tricks and tips you might need to know in order to follow the advice from the other articles and implement those recommendations on this operating system.
1. Password Protect The Guest Account: This security measure is discussed in Microsoft Windows Security 101. However, it is not an easy or intuitive task in Windows XP Home. If you open the Control Panel and select User Accounts you will see a list of the users that are able to log on to the system. Selecting your own user account you will see an option that says "Assign Password" or, if a password is already assigned, "Change My Password". However, if you select the Guest account your options are limited to "Turn On The Guest Account" or "Turn Off The Guest Account" as the case may be.
Windows XP Home uses the Guest account as an integral part of network file and folder sharing. Using Simple File Sharing, when you share out a file or folder it is accessible to anyone who can "see" your computer. If you don't have other security measures in place such as a firewall that means that users on the public Internet may be able to connect to your share using the Guest account.
Even if you select "Turn Off The Guest Account" it will only be turned off in terms of its ability to log on directly to Windows. In the background, the account will still be functional because Windows XP Home uses the Guest account to authenticate users connecting remotely to shared resources on that machine. It is virtually impossible to truly disable the Guest account and doing so would cause a number of problems on a Windows XP Home computer.
So, in order to protect your system and ensure that not just anybody can connect to your file or folder shares- even when using Simple File Sharing- you need to assign a password to the Guest account. Because Windows XP Home offers no "easy" point and click solution to help you, you will have to use the command prompt. Click on Start, then All Programs, then Accessories and finally select Command Prompt. Once you have the black command prompt window open you will type the following:
net user guest You will of course replace the brackets and the word "password" with the password you wish to assign. Refer to the Password Security article for tips on choosing a good password. 2. Enable The Internet Connection Firewall (ICF): Microsoft Windows XP - both Home and Professional editions- come with a built-in firewall. Unfortunately, it is not enabled by default so you have to know enough to go in and turn it on. For the record, I actually recommend that you leave ICF disabled and install a 3rd-party firewall such as Zone Labs ZoneAlarm which has a version available for free for personal use. The advantage of using a 3rd-party product like ZoneAlarm is that it monitors both inbound and outbound traffic. ICF only monitors and blocks inbound traffic. That is great for protecting you from external hacking or malicious activity, however it will not protect you from situations where a virus or Trojan on your system attempts to initiate unauthorized or malicious network activity out from your computer. In any event, ICF is better than nothing. It is free and it is built in. So, if you choose not to download and install a 3rd-party product you should at least turn on the Internet Connection Firewall. To enable ICF you need to select Network and Internet Connections from the Control Panel. Then select the Network Connections icon at the bottom of the screen. At this point you need to right-click the network connection you want to enable ICF on. For most home users there should only be one network connection present. Simply right-click it and select Properties. Click on the Advanced tab and click the checkbox next to "Protect my computer...". Once you enable ICF, the Settings button at the bottom of the Advanced tab will be enabled as well. If you click on Settings you can configure ICF to allow certain traffic through and what sorts of information you want logged. Most users will be fine leaving this on the default settings. Whether you use ICF or some 3rd-party firewall, be aware that should you suddenly start experiencing problems connecting with certain sites, computers on your network or the Internet as a whole- your firewall is the first place you should look. Odds are there is some firewall rule that is blocking traffic you would rather allow.Previous12" rel
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NetStumbler
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From Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideFiled In:Tools & Utilities> Security Tool ProfilesWhat Is ?: is a tool which allows you to detect and identify wireless access points. It can be used for a variety of wireless network troubleshooting purposes, including:Test and verify wireless network functionalityDetect other networks potentially interfering with yoursLocate and identify rogue access points within your networkHelp aim and place antennae for maximum wireless coverageWhat Is Wardriving?:Wardriving is an activity done by driving around with a wireless network-equipped laptop or other computing device to locate and catalog wireless networks or access points. It is often done using a GPS (global positioning satellite) device so that the precise coordinates of each access point can be logged.Why Beggarware?:Well, freeware is free and shareware comes with a price tag. Beggarware lies in between. It is free from a technical perspective, but the authors would greatly appreciate a donation if you keep and use the software. Download:You can download a copy of here:
DownloadProfiles Highighlighting Key Features of Security ToolsHide Folders 2009AnalogX PacketmonAnalyzerFoundstone FPortRelated Searches download what is wardriving wireless access points global positioning satellite satellite device precise coordinatesExplore Internet / Network SecurityMust ReadsI've Been Hacked! Now What?Facebook Security - How to Stay SafeWireless Hacker Secrets RevealedGoogle
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Stealth Yourself
Sometimes we just want to be left alone. It's just plain creepy to think that somewhere in a bunch of digital data warehouses there are files containing our search habits, buying preferences, socio-economic status, etc. It's gotten to the point where Amazon knows what I want to buy before I even start searching for it.
How do we get our anonymity-sexy back? I'm going to give you a few tips that you can use to keep a low profile while on the net. Please note that even after using all these methods you can still be found by digital forensic CSI-type folks, so don't do anything illegal because, as the internet sensation Antoine Dodson once said, "We gon' find you". These are merely tips to protect your privacy and anonymity and not a handbook for becoming the next Jason Bourne.
1. Use a Web Browsing Proxy Service
Using an anonymous browser proxy service is one of the easiest ways to prevent the websites you visit from determining your actual IP address. Your true IP address aids advertisers in targeting you, hackers in attacking you, and stalkers in finding you. Your IP can also provide your actual location (at least down to the city and local zip code if you're using a local internet service provider).
An anonymous web proxy service acts as an intermediary between you and the website you are trying to visit. When you try to visit a website using a proxy, your request goes through the web proxy service and then onto the website. The proxy relays the web page you requested back to you, however, since the proxy is the middle man, the website only sees their IP address information and not yours.
There are literally hundreds of both commercial and free anonymous web proxy services available, but you need to be careful before you just randomly pick one, as you're essentially relying on them to protect your data and ensure privacy. The web browsing proxy service is privy to the entire conversation so eavesdropping is still possible. A couple of the more well known commercially available proxies include Anonymizer.com and GhostSurf.
Whatever proxy service you choose, be sure to check their privacy policy to see how your identity and other information is protected.
2. Opt-out of Everything Whenever Possible
Google and other search engines feature the ability for you to remove your personal information such as your phone numbers and physical address. They even let you control whether or not the Google Street View of your house is fully available to the public. If you've never used Google Street View, I urge that you try it. Google Street View can be used by criminals to virtually "case" your home or business. They can virtually pull up right in front of your door to see what the best method of entering your home or business is. While you can't have your house completely removed you can have it blurred. Visit the Google Maps Privacy page for details.
Additionally, you can opt-out of targeted advertising and cookie tracking on some of the larger search engines and at many internet-based retailers.
Other Opt-out Resources:
Google Phone Book Name RemovalYahoo Phone Number Removal Tool
Bing Privacy
Google Privacy Center - Ad Opt Out
3. Setup a Throwaway E-mail Account for Site Registrations and Online Purchases
One thing most people hate is giving their e-mail address to everybody and his brother when they have to register for something online. Every time you give someone your e-mail address you risk having it sold to spammers or used for excessive marketing e-mails.
Many people would love to just put a fake e-mail address instead of the real thing but we all know that a confirmation e-mail has to be verified before we can register or purchase something.
Consider opening a throw-away e-mail account devoted to just your site registrations and online purchases. Chances are your ISP allows more than one e-mail account per subscriber or you can use Gmail, Microsoft, or any other free e-mail services available
4. Check and Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings
Most people set their Facebook privacy settings when they first sign up, but rarely check back to see what additional privacy options are available now. Facebook is constantly evolving and changing their privacy options. It's best to check them frequently to ensure that you haven't granted more information to the public than you intended to.Suggested ReadingAnonymous Surfing - How Does It Work?Disposable Email Address Services22 Ways to Adjust Privacy Settings In FacebookRelated ArticlesWeb Proxy - What is a Web Proxy, and How Do I Find One?Anonymous Surfing - Free Anonymous Web SurfingAt Last! Online Change of AddressHiding IP Addresses Online - What Method Works Best?Unblock Blocked Sites - How to Unblock Blocked Sites
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Free Anti-Spyware Tools
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Free Spyware and Adware Detection & Removal SoftwareDetect and Remove Spyware Which Can Affect System Performance and SecurityFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideSee More About:free softwareprotect against spywareantispywareAd-Aware SE PersonalAd-Aware SE Personal is a tool freely available for personal use on Windows platform machines. It can scan your computer for stealthy spyware programs and help you to determine what they are doing and whether they are a threat to your system. At the push of a button, Ad-Aware will delete these insidious programs from your PC. Ad-Aware has been downloaded more than 68 million times in the past year. For a review of the software you can go to Product Review: Ad-Aware
Spybot S&D
Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spybot S&D is exceptionallu popular and very effective. It can be used in conjunction with a program like Ad-Aware because they will often catch a handful of spyware that the other did not detect. Spybot S&D is available completely free of charge.
IE-SPYAD
IE-SPYAD is a Registry file (IE-ADS.REG) that adds a long list of known advertisers, marketers, and spyware pushers to the Restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer to block those sites from being accessed.
SpywareBlaster
Rather than detecting and removing spyware after the fact, SpywareBlaster proactively protects your system to block spyware and adware from infiltrating in the first place.
HiJack This
Despite all of your security and protection you may still get infected with spyware or a web browser hijacker that the other tools are unable to detect for some reason. HiJack This will generate a report of all browser add-ons, buttons and start-up items to help you determine rogue items and remove them.
XP-AntiSpy
XP-AntiSpy does not detect or disable spyware in the traditional sense. There are services running by default on many Windows XP systems which some may consider a privacy or security concern. You can disable them on your own, but using XP-AntiSpy you can view and disable these services much quicker and allow you to re-enable them just as quickly if you choose.
X-Cleaner
X-Cleaner performs cookie cleaning, Internet cache cleaning, scans for many popular spy software packages and performs permanent file shredding. This version is available for free, but the developer also offers a Professional version with more functionality for purchase.Suggested ReadingFree Antivirus SoftwareFree Spam-Blocking SoftwareFree Pop-Up Ad Blocking SoftwareRelated ArticlesThe Top 3 Anti-Spyware Programs, 2010Free Spyware Removal - Tools on the Web for Free Spyware RemovalSpybot Search & DestroyFree Spyware Remover - Find a Free Spyware RemoverHow to Remove Adware and SpywareRelated Searches web browser hijacker spyware and adware ie spyad xp antispy platform machines internet explorerExplore Internet / Network SecurityMust ReadsI've Been Hacked! Now What?Facebook Security - How to Stay SafeWireless Hacker Secrets RevealedGoogle
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Free Antivirus
Here, you can get your free copy of the AVG 7.0 Anti-Virus System - AVG 7.0 Free Edition and you will be able to use it without any limitations for life of the product.
Avast Home Edition
avast! 4 Home Edition is a software for home noncommercial use. It scans for viruses, worms and Trojans on disk, CDs, in E-mail, IM and P2P . Incremental updates of virus database (twice a week) are small, fast and reliable.
AntiVir Personal Edition
The AntiVir Personal Edition offers the effective protection against computer viruses for the individual and private use on a single PC-workstation.
Clam Antivirus
ClamWin is a for Microsoft Windows NT/98/Me/2000/XP/2003. It provides a graphical user interface to the Clam AntiVirus scanning engine.
ScripTrap
ScripTrap traps scripts when they attempt to run on your computer and provides the option of blocking them or letting them continue to run. You can also check the intercepted script with your anti-virus program before you decide to run it or not.
Trend Micro Online Scan
Give your PC a FREE check-up! HouseCall is a demonstration of the power of Web-based technologies that Trend Micro is developing to make deployment and management of virus protection in corporate settings fast and easy.
McAfee Stinger Virus Removal Tool
Stinger is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system.
Symantec Virus Removal Tools
Symantec Security Response has developed tools to automatically conduct what would often amount to extensive and tedious manual removal tasks. Check this link for a list of virus removal tools.
BitDefender Virus Removal Tools
SOFTWIN provides you with a powerful set of Virus Cleaning Tools, designed to detect and remove viruses that infected your system. These applications are also valuable because of their size, making them easily downloadable even with a slow Internet connection. Check this link for a list of virus removal tools. Suggested ReadingFree Spyware Removal SoftwareFree Spam-Blocking SoftwareFree Pop-Up Ad Blocking SoftwareRelated Book ReviewsMalware: Fighting Malicious CodeE-Mail Virus Protection HandbookMalicious CryptographyRelated ArticlesFree Virus Removal Tools, Tips, and TricksRemove Viruses - Tips, Tricks, and Tools for Removing Computer VirusesFree Spyware Removal - Tools on the Web for Free Spyware RemovalProtection You Can Count Ongnome-utils - What is gnome-utilsRelated Video
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Firefox Security Tips and Tools
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What is ASLR?
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ZA Force Field
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Zone Alarm Force Field Software Overview and FeaturesAbout.com Rating 3.5 Star RatingBe the first to write a reviewFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideSee More About:product reviewzone alarmforce fieldsecurityweb browserView the Original article
Enable Security Auditing in...
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How To Enable Security Auditing in Windows XP ProFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP, MCSE2k, MCSA, AView the Original article
Avoid Internet Job Search Scams
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четвртак, 5. јануар 2012.
Fair Information Practice and unfair name calling
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Cyber crime aftermath: Beyond the indictment
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Top of the potshots
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2012 cyber crime predictions: More arrests and Willie Sutton 2.0
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FBI wraps up 2011 with 30 more cyber crime indictments
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Facebook Security
Facebook has become the Google of social networks. If you're not updating your status right now, chances are that you are uploading photos or taking some sort of odd quiz. We post tons of intimate details about our lives that we normally wouldn't share with anyone. We think that as long as we make sure our privacy settings are set correctly that we are safe and snug within our circle of friends.
The problem is that we never know who's really looking at our information. Our friend's account could have been hacked when they installed some rogue application, or their creepy uncle might be using their account because they forgot to log out. For the sake of the safety of you and your family, there is some information that you should never post on Facebook. Here are 5 things you should consider removing or not posting to Facebook and/or other social networks.
1. You or Your Family's Full Birth Dates
We all love getting “happy birthdays” from our friends on our Facebook wall. It makes us feel all warm inside knowing that people remembered and cared enough to write us a short note on our special day. The problem is when you list your birthday you are providing identity thieves with one of the 3 or 4 pieces of personal information that is needed to steal your identity. It’s best to not list the date at all, but if you must, at least leave out the year. Your real friends should know this info anyway.
2. Your Relationship Status
Whether you are in a relationship or not, it may be best not to make it public knowledge. Stalkers would love to know that you just became newly single. If you change your status to "single" it gives them the green light they were looking for to resume stalking now that you're back on the market. It also lets them know that you might be home alone since your significant other is no longer around. Your best bet is to just leave this blank on your profile.
3. Your Current Location
There are a lot of people who love the location tagging feature on Facebook that allows them to let people know where they are 24/7. The problem is that you have just told everyone that you're on vacation (and not at your house). If you add how long your trip is then thieves know exactly how much time they have to rob you. My advice is not to provide your location at all. You can always upload your vacation pictures when you get home or text your friends to let them know how jealous they should be that you're sipping an umbrella drink while they toil away at work.
4. The Fact That You Are Home Alone
It is extremely important that parents make sure their children never put the fact that they are home alone in their status. Again, you wouldn’t walk into a room of strangers and tell them you are going to be all alone at your house so don’t do it on Facebook either.
We may think that only our friends have access to our status, but we really have no idea who is reading it. Your friend may have had their account hacked or someone could be reading over their shoulder at the library. The best rule of thumb is not to put anything in your profile or status that you wouldn’t want a stranger to know. You may have the most stringent privacy settings possible, but if your friend’s account gets compromised than those settings go out the window.
5. Pictures of Your Kids Tagged With Their Names
We love our kids. We would do anything to keep them safe, but most people post hundreds of tagged pictures and videos of their kids to Facebook without even giving it a second thought. We even go so far as to replace our profile pictures with that of our children.
Probably 9 out of 10 parents posted their child’s full name, and exact date and time of birth while they were still in the hospital after delivery. We post pictures of our kids and tag them and their friends, siblings, and other relatives. This kind of information could be used by predators to lure your child. They could use your child’s name and the names of their relatives and friends to build trust and convince them that they are not really a stranger because they know detailed information that allows them to build a rapport with your child.
If you must post pictures of your children then you should at least remove personally identifying information such as their full names and birth dates. Untag them in pictures. Your real friends know their names anyway.
I would be a hypocrite if I said that I have completely removed all tagged pictures of my kids on facebook. It is a daunting task given the amount of pictures that we take as proud parents, but I have started on it and I'll do a little bit each day until it's finished.
Lastly, think twice before you tag pictures of the children of friends and relatives. They might not want you tagging their kids for the reasons mentioned above. You can send them a link to the pictures and they can tag themselves in place of their children if they want to.
Suggested ReadingStealth Yourself - 5 Ways to Stealth Yourself Online8 Ways to Kid-proof Your Internet Parental Controls5 Security Tips to Make Your MacBook a Mobile Fort KnoxRelated ArticlesHow Online Predators Make Use of Your Facebook ProfileAdvantages of Facebook - What Grandparents Should Know About the Advantages...Facebook Friend Lists - Share Facebook Sweepstakes without Annoying Your Fr... - How to Tell a Facebook Friend From a Facebook HackerFacebook Privacy Levels - Understanding Facebook's Privacy LevelsView the Original article
Disable AutoComplete Passwords
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Disable AutoComplete Password StorageStored Passwords Are A Security RiskFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideSee More About:configure internet explorerdisable password storinginternet explorer securityView the Original article
Intro to Vulnerability Scans
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Introduction to Vulnerability ScanningFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP, MCSE2k, MCSA, AView the Original article
Windows Vista Backup
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Is Jailbreaking Your iPhone Safe?
©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.
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Secure iPhone Apps
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Secure Information Storage on iPhone / iPod TouchApps to Protect Your Personal and Sensitive InformationFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideFiled In:Tools & Utilities> iPhone / iPod Touch AppsFor many people, the mobile phone has become much more than a phone. The mobile 'phone' now sends and receives emails and text messages, it takes and sends pictures, it surfs the Web, it chats via SMS text and using instant messaging clients, it plays music and more. One aspect in the 'more' category is data storage. Mobile phones can have 8Gb, 16Gb or more of data storage capacity.One mobile phone which has raised the bar for the others and represents the phenomenon of life revolving around the device is the Apple iPhone. Apple also provides the same device sans phone capabilities as the iPod Touch. However, the iPod Touch doesn't have the cost subsidization from the mobile phone provider so it actually costs about twice as much. I suppose if you already have a mobile phone with another provider and you are locked into the contract, maybe it makes sense. But, for the extra money you spend on the iPod Touch you could just pay the early termination fee on your existing mobile phone contract and get an iPhone. But, I digress.
Users have to remember a variety of passwords and account information details. Often, faced with the difficulty of recalling them all, users resort to writing them down or keeping them in some sort of text file that could compromise everything if it fell into the wrong hands. Since the mobile phone, in this case the iPhone, is generally on hand it makes perfect sense to store this kind of information on it. No matter where you are, you probably have your iPhone handy and can pull up the information in a few seconds.
Of course, criminals also realize the value of these devices and the information they contain. Mobile phones like the iPhone are small by design and are easily lost or stolen- along with all of the information they contain. An App that lets users securely store personal information in an encrypted 'vault' so that even if the device is lost or stolen lets people store their personal and confidential data in confidence. Take a look at these iPhone / iPod Touch Apps:
SplashIDiVaultmSecure
I created these profiles to summarize the features, price, and other pertinent information about these apps, but I have not extensively reviewed all three myself yet. If you have used any of them, by all means click on write a review and let everyone know what your experience was like. If you have used others, you can also feel free to drop me an email and let me know and I can get them added to this list.Related ArticlesmSecure iPhone / iPod Touch AppiVault iPhone / iPod Touch AppSplashID iPhone / iPod Touch AppSetting Up Apple FaceTime for iPod Touch - Intro to Setting Up iTouch Facet...Evaluating the iPhone vs. iPod touchRelated Searches apple iphone mobile phone provider iphone phone contract storage capacity confidential dataExplore Internet / Network SecurityMust ReadsI've Been Hacked! Now What?Facebook Security - How to Stay SafeWireless Hacker Secrets RevealedGoogle
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Wireless Hack
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Wipe Hard Drive
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WinXP SP2 Firewall
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Windows XP SP2 FirewallHow To Configure The Windows XP FirewallFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideFiled In:Basic Security> Secure Your Windows PC> Securing Windows XP / 2003View the Original article
Stop Pop-Ups
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Wireshark Packet Sniffer
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Wireshark Network Protocol AnalyzerFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideSee More About:packet snifferprotocol analyzerwiresharketherealWhat Happened To Ethereal?:Wireshark is Ethereal. Gerald Combs, creator of Ethereal, took a position with CACE, developers of the WinPcap library. He wanted to bring Ethereal with him, but due to a trademark dispute he was forced to fork the development code under a new name, Wireshark. Ethereal still exists, but Combs and the core development team of Ethereal will be developing under Wireshark. Wireshark is accepted as the "true" version of Ethereal, which is why it ranked Number 2 on the Top 100 Security Tools.What Is Wireshark?:In short, a network protocol analyzer, otherwise known as a "packet sniffer", captures and decodes packets of information from a network. Wireshark can capture live network traffic or read data from a file and translate the data to be presented in a format the user can understand. Network analyzers such as Wireshark are invaluable tools for administrators to diagnose and troubleshoot problems with, but are also used by intruders to obtain unauthorized information.What Does Wireshark Do?:Wireshark can be used to capture and analyze network packets and discover a wide array of information such as:Troubleshooting network issues and locating bottlenecksNetwork intrusion detectionLog network traffic for forensic analysisDiscovering a DoS (denial-of-service) attackIt can also be used by attackers for more nefarious purposes such as:
Capturing usernames and passwordsOS fingerprintingCapturing sensitive or proprietary informationNetwork mappingRunning Wireshark:Distributions of Wireshark are available for a wide range of Unix and Linux platforms as well as Windows.
To actually capture the packets from the network requires a packet capture driver like WinPcap. Wireshark is sponsored by CACE, developers of the WinPcap library. The packet driver you use will vary depending on the exact Unix, Linux or Windows platform you are running Wireshark on.
For details on downloading and installing Wireshark, you can visit www.wireshark.org/download/.Wireshark Resources:These web sites and books will help you use Wireshark. Some are aimed at Ethereal, Wireshark's predecessor, but the information is still useful:
wireshark.orgThe Most Powerful Packet Sniffers AvailableBook Review: Ethereal Packet SniffingOrigins of Wireshark:Wireshark is a development fork of the popular Ethereal Protocol Analyzer. Wireshark is maintained by the creator and core team from the Ethereal Project.
Ethereal was first released in 1998 by Gerald Combs. It was released under a GNU General Public License (GPL) and has been improved, modified and maintained by open source developer support. You can find a complete list of the developers who have contributed to Ethereal on their site at www.ethereal.com/introduction.html#authors.Supported Protocols:Wireshark, like Ethereal, supports almost 700 protocols, more than most even know exist. Because it is open source, new dissectors, the drivers that let Wireshark decode and translate different protocols, are created regularly as users have a need for them. For that reason, the list of supported protocols grows on a regular basis and could well have changed by the time you read this. To see the complete list of supported protocols, visit the Wireshark FAQ.Netsecurity ArticlesIntroduction to Packet SniffingIntroduction to Port Scanning2006 Top 100 Security ToolsNetsecurity Book ReviewsEthereal Packet SniffingNessus Network AuditingIntrusion Detection With SnortRelated ArticlesFree Packet Sniffer SoftwareVPN Self TestIP - The Internet Protocol. What it is and how it worksX.25 - X.25 in Computer NetworkingLinux Network Administrators Guide - 1.2.3. Other Types of HardwareRelated Searches network protocol analyzer network intrusion detection core development team nefarious purposes usernames and passwords linux platformsExplore Internet / Network SecurityMust ReadsI've Been Hacked! Now What?Facebook Security - How to Stay SafeWireless Hacker Secrets RevealedGoogle
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Introduction to IDS
Andy O'Donnell
Internet / Network Security Guide
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Top 100 Security Tools
There are a total of 42 new tools on the list. That means that 42 out of 100 tools on the list did not appear on the 2003 Top 75. Thirteen of the new tools even made the top 50. Had the list been maintained at the Top 75, the length of the list in 2003, 27 of the tools (almost half) would be new to the list.
For the complete, detailed listing of all 100 tools, complete with links to download them, you should visit the listing on Insecure.org. I will summarize here the top 10, as well as providing a list of the new tools on the list.
Top 10 ToolsNessus (vulnerability scanners)Wireshark (packet sniffers- previously known as Ethereal)Snort (IDS - intrusion detection system)Netcat (Netcat)Metasploit Framework (vulnerability exploitation tools)HPing2 (packet crafting tools)Kismet (wireless tools or packet sniffers)TCPDump
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Free Vulnerability Scanners
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Free Vulnerability Scanner SoftwareSoftware to Scan Your Computers and Find The Holes Before The Bad GuysFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideFiled In:Tools & Utilities> Free Security Tools> Vulnerability ScannersNessusThe "Nessus" Project aims to provide to the internet community a free, powerful, up-to-date and easy to use remote security scanner. For more details you can see the Profile: Nessus Vulnerability Scanner or the article Nessus Vulnerability Scanner: Missing Bells & Whistles?
MBSA (Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer)
In response to the avalanche of criticism Microsoft has received regarding the security of their products, Microsoft created a free tool to analyze your security configuration. Read a review of this free tool. For more details about this tool you can see Product Review: Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.
HFNetChk
HFNetChk is a command-line tool that enables an administrator to check the patch status of all the machines in a network from a central location.
GFi LANguard Network Security Scanner
GFI LANguard S.E.L.M. archives and analyses the event logs of all network machines and alerts you in real time to security issues, attacks and other critical events.
Tripwire
Tripwire software is a tool that checks to see what has changed on your system. The program monitors key attributes of files that should not change, including binary signature, size, expected change of size, etc.
NeWT
This easy-to-use windows network vulnerability scanner installs on any Windows 2000 or Windows XP computer. Multiple scanners can be managed by the Lightning Console. "NeWT" can scan any system on a local Class C network while "NeWT Pro" can be used to scan any host. "NeWT" is available as a complimentary download to the public while "NeWT Pro" is a commercially supported product from Tenable. Related ArticlesTools & TipsProduct Review: NeWT Vulnerability Scanner from Tenable Network SecurityThe Case For Unified Threat ManagementIntroduction to Vulnerability ScanningProduct Review: Microsoft Baseline Security AnalyzerRelated Searches network vulnerability scanner microsoft baseline security network security scanner languard network security scannerExplore Internet / Network SecurityMust ReadsI've Been Hacked! Now What?Facebook Security - How to Stay SafeWireless Hacker Secrets RevealedGoogle
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Disable Remote Access
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Security Basics At Home
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Security Basics For Home Computing Three Easy StepsFrom Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, former About.com GuideFiled In:Internet / Network SecurityAs a home computer user accessing the Internet, whether through a broadband connection or traditional dial-up, you should do the following three things at a minimum to protect your compute:Install and maintain anti-virus software. There are plenty of great anti-virus software packages available. This software checks for known viruses by scanning your computer periodically. Most will also check for viruses on incoming email. It is important to update the software as well though.
New viruses are discovered almost daily. At least once a week you should check the web site of the vendor that makes your anti-virus software to see if there is an update available.
Do not open unknown or suspicious email. Many viruses and worms use what is called social engineering. That is, they attempt to trick you into becoming a participant in the process. The latest viruses can spoof the sending email address so that it looks like it is coming from someone other than the computer that infected it.
If an email is not from someone you know, it is usually best to simply delete it without looking at it. If the email appears to be from someone you know, you should read the message carefully before opening any attached files. Viruses and worms often have bad English and poor grammar. Consider whether the person you know would really have written that message or forwarded you the attached file. If in doubt, contact that person you know to confirm they truly sent it before opening the attachment.
Keep your computer patched against known vulnerabilities. Almost as often as new viruses are discovered, new vulnerabilities are discovered as well. Many times they are in the operating system (like Windows), but vulnerabilities are also found in tools like your web browser, email software and other 3rd party tools. Left unpatched, these vulnerabilities can be exploited by hackers to obtain access and control of your computer.
Staying up to date can be difficult. Some vendors, such as Microsoft, have automated utilities that check for updates and notify you. Other vendors may have an email mailing list you can join so they can notify you of any new updates. If your vendor doesnt offer one of these solutions, you may just need to periodically visit their support web site to check for any new patches or updates.Suggested ReadingHow To Configure IE SecurityMicrosoft Windows Security 101"In Depth" SecurityFrom Other GuidesHome Networking SecurityWhere Security Software Should BeBest Home Networking BooksElsewhere on the WebMicrosoft Privacy and SecurityHome Network SecurityRelated ArticlesFree Virus ProtectionSafety 101How to Use Current Antivirus Software, Keep it Up to Date and Scan for Free...'Osama Bin Laden Hanged' Virus Warning - Urban LegendsNew Computer Protection CenterRelated Searches home computer user poor grammar new viruses software checks anti virus software incoming emailExplore Internet / Network SecurityMust ReadsI've Been Hacked! Now What?Facebook Security - How to Stay SafeWireless Hacker Secrets RevealedGoogle
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Email Encryption
I don't actually disagree with those statements at times. There are common sense steps everyone should take to secure their computers and networks, but there is certainly no shortage of hype in the news. Like the latest hot mutual fund- by the time it makes it into a newspaper or magazine it is old news and most likely too late for you to react to anyway.
However, as one of the common sense measures that aren't pure hype you should consider encrypting your email communications. If you are on vacation you might send a picture postcard to a friend or family member with a quick "wish you were here" sort of message. But, if you are writing a personal letter to that same friend or family member you would be more inclined to seal it in an envelope.
If you are mailing a check to pay a bill or perhaps a letter telling a friend or family member that the extra key to your house is hidden under the large rock to the left of the back porch you might use a security envelope with hatched lines to obfuscate or hide the contents of the envelope even better. The post office offers a number of other means of tracking messages- sending the letter certified, asking for a return receipt, insuring the contents of a package, etc.
Why then would you send personal or confidential information in an unprotected email? Sending information like the location of your extra house key under the large rock to the left of the back porch in an unencrypted email is the equivalent of writing it on a postcard for all to see.
Encrypting your email will keep all but the most dedicated hackers from intercepting and reading your private communications. Using a personal email certificate like the one freely available from Thawte you can digitally sign your email so that recipients can verify that its really from you as well as encrypt your messages so that only the intended recipients can view it. Comodo is another company offering free digital certificates for personal use. You can obtain your free certificate by filling out a very short and simple registration form.
That actually introduces an added benefit. By obtaining and using a personal email certificate to digitally sign your messages you can help to stem the tide of spam and malware being distributed in your name. If your friends and family are conditioned to know that messages from you will contain your digital signature, when they receive an unsigned message with your email address spoofed as the source they will realize that its not really from you and delete it.
The way typical works is that you have a public key and a private key (this sort of encryption is also known as Public Key Infrastructure or PKI). You, and only you, will have and use your private key. Your public key is handed out to anyone you choose or even made publicly available.
If someone wants to send you a message that is meant only for you to see, they would encrypt it using your public key. Your private key is required to decrypt such a message, so even if someone intercepted the email it would be useless gibberish to them. When you send an email to someone else you can use your private key to digitally "sign" the message so that the recipient can be sure it is from you.
It is important to note that you should sign or encrypt all of your messages, not just the confidential or sensitive ones. If you only encrypt a single email message because it contains your credit card information and an attacker is intercepting your email traffic they will see that 99% of your email is unencrypted plain-text, and one message is encrypted. That is like attaching a bright red neon sign that says "Hack Me" to the message.
If you encrypt all of your messages it would be a much more daunting task for even a dedicated attacker to sift through. After investing the time and effort into decrypting 50 messages that just say "Happy Birthday" or "Do you want to golf this weekend?" or "Yes, I agree" the attacker will most likely not waste any more time on your email.
For more information about where to obtain free personal digital certificates see the links to the right of this article. For details and instructions from Microsoft for using digital certificates to sign and encrypt email in Outlook Express click here: Step-by-Step Guide to Public Key Features in Outlook Express 5.0 and Above.Free Digital CertificatesPGP FreewareThawteComodoNetsecurity Book ReviewsEMail Virus Protection HandbookMalware: Fighting Malicious CodeWindows XP HacksNetsecurity ArticlesHost-Based Intrusion PreventionSecuring Windows XP Home EditionSecurity Through ObscurityRelated ArticlesDomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Definition - About EmailMental Health Resources - Feature: How Private is Net Counseling?Secure Email - Securing Data in TransitIdentity-Based Encryption (IBE) Definition - About EmailHow To Pgp-encrypt Any Email MessageRelated Video
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среда, 4. јануар 2012.
BackTrack
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: The Hacker's Swiss Army KnifeDid I mention it's free?By Andy O'Donnell, About.com GuideSee More About:hacker toolssecurity toolspenetration testingView the Original article
Foscam FI8905W Review
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Foscam FI8905W Outdoor Wireless Security Camera ReviewBy Andy O'Donnell, About.com GuideSee More About:security cameraView the Original article
IP Sniffer
Monitor bandwidth usageCompile network adapter statisticsList and manage ARP entriesResolve IP addresses to MAC addresses and (or MAC to IP)List and manage routesEnable or disable a host as a routerList and manage open ports and attached processes.Security Auditing Features:Aside from the standard-issue packet sniffer features like filtering, decoding, parsing and replaying packets, can also be used for security or auditing functions such as:
Enumerating Windows servers by typeShutdown Windows machinesDetermine remote propertiesAcquire netbios namesReveal asterisk passwordsDecode RDP and MDB Edit LSA secret passwordsDownload :You can download your free copy of from Erwan's Lab here:
DownloadRelated ArticlesMAC - How Can I Get a MAC Address from an IP Address?Free Packet Sniffer SoftwareMAC To IP - Can IP Addresses be Determined From MAC Addresses?MAC Addressing - Introduction to the MAC AddressHow To Identify Network Hardware IP Addresses on a Local NetworkRelated Searches packet sniffer microsoft windows operating system arp entries secret passwords raw sockets bandwidth issuesExplore Internet / Network SecurityMust ReadsI've Been Hacked! Now What?Facebook Security - How to Stay SafeWireless Hacker Secrets RevealedGoogle
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Reset Passwords
Type Administrator for the usernameEnter the password for the Administrator accountPrevious Forgot Your Password? Use Computer Administrator Account Log In As Administrator Open User Accounts Reset Password Caveats and Warnings" rel
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The Da Vinci Code
There is no shortage of critics of Brown's research or his depictions of events. When you introduce evidence and arguments which, if true, shake the foundation on which the entire religion of Christianity is based, there are bound to be skeptics.
In Brown's defense, he is a writer first and foremost, not an art historian or theologian. In defense of Brown's research, he is not a heretic who thought up the concepts he describes. There are plenty of resources that agree with the version of history and events described in .
Frankly, even an art historian or a theologian in my opinion can not state for certain how things are. That is why it is called "faith". Brown's book gives you plenty to think about though in exploring the roots of that faith.
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Facebook Timeline Security
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