Security is an important topic when it comes to technology. There are many different areas of security, so this category is divided into various sub-categories to help navigate through the posts on security.
This post brought to you by Carbonite. All opinions are 100% mine.
Carbonite allows you to easily backup your important documents online without having to remember to perform the task. Data backup is an important task that everyone should take seriously, especially if you store important documents.
When you lose your files, it can be gut-wrenching to think about how you will recover the files, if you can. With Carbonite, you can easily, safely, and automatically ensure that you can recover your files with minimal effort if you need to.
After signing up with the Incapsula service, you will then be required to setup Incapsula to work properly with your web site. While it may seem complex, the setup requires you to change DNS settings for your site to point to the Incapsula servers.
The steps outlined below in this post show you how to setup Incapsula using your host’s cPanel. If you use something other than cPanel, the basic concepts are the same, but the actual steps may be different.
I am always looking for ways to increase both the security and performance of my blog, so I decided to have a look at Incapsula. A recent comment was left on my blog that introduced me to the service, and I was also recently invited to try out their service. I have recently been using CloudFlare to improvie my blog’s performance, but I decided to see what Incapsula had to offer.
On July 14th, I signed up with Incapsula and have been testing out their service for the past two weeks. In this post I will provide some information, stats, and thoughts on the service so you can determine if you wish to use the service for your site or blog.
There may be times when you may need to reset the Linksys E4200 wireless router back to factory defaults. You may need to do this if there is a problem with the router, or you forget the administrative password needed to access the router’s setup pages.
Once you have reset the Linksys E4200 wireless router, it is important that you take the time to secure the Linksys E4200 wireless router. The reason for this is because once the router is reset, it is no longer secured. There are two methods to reset the router, and both are explained below.
The Two Methods to Reset the Linksys E4200 Wireless Router
There are two methods that you can use to reset your wireless router. The first method requires physical access to the router to press the reset button. The second method requires you to login to the router’s administrative web pages.
The steps to use both methods are as follows:
Reset the Wireless Router Using the Reset Button
Turn the router upside down.
On the bottom, press and hold the reset button for 5-10 seconds.
Reset the Linksys E4200 Wireless Router Using the Browser-Based Utility
The second method involes actually logging into the router’s administrative pages. Obviously, if you forgot the router’s password, you will need to use the first method to reset the router.
Open a web browser and navigate to http://192.168.1.1, or whatever the IP address of your router.
Enter the user name and password for the router.
Select “Administration” from the top menu, and then select “Factory Defaults” from the submenu.
Click the “Restore Factory Defaults” button.
In the popup message window, click the “OK” button.
The post explained two methods that you can use to reset your wireless router. Once the router has been reset, it is important to ensure you take the necessary steps to secure the router once you reset the Linksys E4200 wireless router.
As with any wireless router, it is important that you ensure you secure the Linksys E4200 wireless router to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your network. Ensuring that your wireless router is secure is the first step to keeping your data and private information safe.
Included with this router is a CD-ROM that contains the Cisco Connect software that allows you to setup your router. This post, however, will provide the manual steps you can take to manually secure the Linksys E4200 wireless router.
Steps to Secure the Linksys E4200 Wireless Router
The steps outlined below will help you to secure the Linksys E4200 wireless router. Ensure you follow the steps exactly, and if you think you have missed a step, or are having problems, you can always reset the router back to factory defaults and start again.
Note:
When accessing the router’s administrative web pages, I recommend that you use Internet Explorer if it is installed. It seems many of the administrative pages in routers tend to be more compatible with Internet Explorer.
Open up your web browser and then go to 192.168.1.1.
When the router prompts you for a user name and password, leave the user name blank and type “admin” as the password.
Change the Router Password
Click the “Administration” tab the top, and then click “Management”.
In the “Router Access” section, enter a new password for your login, and then enter the same password a second time to confirm it.
Click the “Save Settings” button and then re-login with the new password. The user name will still be blank.
Linksys E4200 Wireless Router – Changing the Administrator Password (Click to enlarge)
Set Network Name
Click the “Wireless” tab, which should display the “Basic Wireless Settings” page.
Select “Manual” for “Configuration View”.
In the “Network Name (SSID)” field, in the 5 GHz Wireless settings section, enter a name for your network.
In the “Network Name (SSID)” field, in the 2.4 GHz Wireless settings section, enter a name for your network.
Note:
You can use the same network name for both the 5 GHz and 2.4 Ghz settings. Doing so will allow devices to use either frequency band when connecting.
Click the “Save Settings” button.
Linksys E4200 Wireless Router – Setting the Network Name (Click to enlarge)
Secure the Linksys E4200 Wireless Router
Click the “Wireless” tab.
Next, click the “Wireless Security” option.
In the 5 GHz section, for the “Security Mode” drop-down list, select “WPA2 Personal” or “WPA2/WPA Mixed Mode” for the best security, and enter a long passphrase that will be used to connect to your wireless network.
Repeat the same steps for the 2.4 GHz section. If you used the same network name for both the 5.5 GHz and 2.4 GHz, then use the same passphrase, otherwise you can specify a different passphrase.
Linksys E4200 Wireless Router – Setting the Wireless Security (Click to enlarge)
After following the above steps, you should now have a secured router. If you have problems in the future, you can reset the router and follow the steps again to secure the Linksys E4200 wireless router.
If you are using Windows 7, I highly recommend that you create a standard user account in Windows 7. Most people tend to always use an administrator account, which means that every application that they run has complete access to the system. You can probably see why using such an account all the time can be a problem.
If you create a standard user account in Windows 7, and then use that account as your every day account, you will restrict applications from making changes to important directories, such as the Windows and Program Files directories. This helps secure your Windows 7 system. I will go through the steps needed to create a standard user account in Windows 7 below.
Steps to Create a Standard User Account in Windows 7
It isn’t difficult to create a standard user account in Windows 7, but you will need to use an administrative account to create a new account. If you are logged in with a standard user account, then you will be asked to supply the administrative password once you click the “Add or remove user accounts” link in the control panel.
Click the Windows icon and then select “Control Panel” from the menu.
From the “Control Panel”, click the “Add or remove user accounts” link under the “User Accounts and Family Safety” category.
Windows 7 – Add or Remove User Accounts (Click to enlarge)
Click the “Create a new account” link below the list of current user accounts.
Windows 7 – Create a New Account (Click to enlarge)
Enter the new account name and ensure the “Standard user” account option is selected.
Click the “Create Account” button.
Windows 7 – Standard User Name Details (Click to enlarge)
Once the account is created, the user account list should be displayed. Click the name of the standard user account that was just created.
Click the “Create a password” link to create a password for the new account.
Windows 7 – Change an Account (Click to enlarge)
Enter in a new password, and then confirm the password. Finally, type in a password hint.
Click the “Change password” button to change the password for the new user.
Windows 7 – Create User Password (Click to enlarge)
You have now completed the steps needed to create a standard user account in Windows 7. At this point you should now have a new user created which you can then log in with once you start Windows 7. If you are curious why you should use a standard user account instead of an administrative account, then you should continue reading.
Why You Should Create a Standard User Account in Windows 7
As I explained in the opening paragraph of this post, an administrator account has complete access to the entire computer, and can do anything to manage and administer the computer. While this may seem great, it can also cause problems.
If you are logged in as an administrator account, then any program that is run while logged in are run with the permissions of the administrator account. This means that the program has unrestricted access to your computer, including all files and folders.
With a standard user account, specific settings that affect all users, such as global settings, common directories such as Windows and Program Files can’t be changed. This also means that a program run under a standard user account will also be restricted by the account. This is a good reason why you should use a standard user account instead of an administrative account.
If you would like to install software, or setup a device, Windows 7 will prompt you for the administrator password before continuing. You don’t need to logout and login as an administrator to perform such actions, you simply provide the password in the dialog that appears.
You can also run programs under the administrator account by right-clicking the file to run and select “Run as administrator” from the context menu.
To help secure your Windows 7 system, I highly recommend that you create a standard user account in Windows 7 and use it as your main account.
Keeping your data safe online can seem hard since some of the biggest news in the technology world recently involves stories around hacking. The most infamous stories are about Sony and their lack of security when it comes to managing their client’s accounts for it’s services. Other stories include the hacking of the FoxNews.com Twitter account to the CIA. The hacking groups behind the hacking have published user names and passwords of thousands of individuals once they have received the data from various hacking attempts.
When it comes to security, the responsibility not only lies with the corporations managing the data, but also with the clients of the corporation. Each company must ensure that they do what is necessary to keep the data of their clients secure. At the same time, each client must also take necessary steps to protect themselves in the event of a security breach.
While it may seem like a pain at times to connect a wireless device to your wireless network, there are very good reasons why you should take the necessary steps to ensure that your network is secure. Some people may choose to keep their network unsecured, but they are unaware of the consequences of allowing anyone to connect.
Wired networks are different because in order to connect to a wired network, you would need to physically connect a cable from your computer to the router in order to join the network. With wireless networks, anyone within range of your router can join and use your wireless network if it isn’t secure.
