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.
Since the days of DOS, we have been told to install an antivirus program on our computers to keep our computers protected from viruses and other malicious software. Over the years, though, malware developers have become more advanced in their development of malware to the point where many antivirus programs are constantly playing catch up, or have failed to find malware installed on a computer.
Antivirus programs have also become more advanced in how they have detected malware, but have fallen short of protecting a computer 100% from various malware. In reality, most antivirus products are “reactive protection” from malware, and not “proactive protection”, meaning that they are able to find and remove malware once the malware has infected computers. While antivirus programs are still an important piece of securing your computer, it is now recommended to have a layered defense when it comes to security.
The Internet is a haven for both viruses and malware that infect millions of computers each year. These types of software are coded to do a specific task, such as steal personal information, restrict access to a computer to extort money, or just make a computer inoperable. There are many bad things that can happen because of malware, and most, if not all malware, originates from the Internet.
While it may seem like an impossible task to prevent malware from being installed on your computer, in reality, it can easily be controlled by practicing “safe computing.” My current desktop is over 4 years old, has the same first install of Windows 7, and has had no virus or malware installed because I practice “safe computing.” Safe computing isn’t complex to understand, and usually just requires setting up both your computer and network to help protect all devices that are connected to your network – most settings you will only need to change once.
To you, a computer is something that you may use for going online, checking your e-mail, playing video games or do work. To a hacker, however, your computer is much more. A computer to a hacker is about the processing power, the applications that are installed, and, of course, the data that is stored on the hard drive. All this information combined is like gold to a hacker.
There are many ways in which hackers can use what you have stored on your computer, as well as what you have installed on your computer. Below are some of the reasons a hacker may be interested in your computer, and what you can do to help prevent hackers from gaining access to your computer.
There may be times when you are having issues with your Linksys EA2700 wireless router, such as not being able to connect to the Internet, or even your wireless network. You may even have forgotten the administrator password or the network passphrase, and retrieving such information is impossible without logging into the router.
If you are having issues with your router, one solution is to reset the router back to factory defaults. When you do such a reset on the router, you will be erasing any custom security and router settings that you have established, so you will need to secure your wireless network after the reset. There are two ways you can reset the Linksys EA2700 wireless router, and both are described below.
Using the Reset Button
All routers have at least one physical button that you can press to reset the router back to factory defaults. The Linksys EA2700 wireless router has two reset buttons – on the bottom and one on the back. Using either button will reset the router.
Ensure your router is plugged in and turned on.
Press and hold either the reset button on the bottom for about 15 seconds. You can stop pressing when the power light indicator flashes.
The location of the reset button on the Linksys EA2700 wireless router.
Using the Router’s Setup
If you remember the password to get access to your router’s setup, then you can reset the router directly from the router’s dashboard. To reset the router from the dashboard, use the following steps:
Open a Web browser and type “http://192.168.1.1” (without quotes) in the address bar. Press ENTER.
When a login windows appears, enter the username and password for your router.
From the top menu, click the “Administration” option.
The Linksys EA2700 “Administration” option.
From the second-level menu at the top, click the “Factory Defaults” option.
Linksys EA2700 “Factory Defaults” option.
On the “Factory Defaults” page, click the “Restore Factory Defaults” button.
Linksys EA2700 “Restore Factory Defaults” button.
Click the “OK” button when a warning message is displayed.
Once you have reset your router back to the factory defaults, you should then follow the steps to properly secure your wireless network. If you are unsure of how to do this, you can follow the instructions in How to Secure the Linksys EA2700 (N600) Wireless Router.
Most people have many logins for many sites. The problem is managing all the user IDs and passwords, at least keeping track of them in a secure way. For me, I store all my login information in LastPass. While it can be difficult to trust a service that stores my login information on the cloud, I understand how LastPass keeps my data safe, so I’m not worried about security.
As with most things about security – you can never be too careful. With that in mind, I have compiled a list of some options that I have set within my LastPass account that will help give even more peace-of-mind relief about storing my passwords online with LastPass. The following are my tips for keeping your passwords safe with LastPass.
When you buy a wireless router – any wireless router – you must make sure you properly secure the router and your wireless network. If you don’t secure both the wireless router and the network, you allow unauthorized users into either your router, your network, and possible any device attached to your wireless network.
While securing the Linksys EA2700 (N600) wireless router may sound complex, there are only a few setting changes that you need to change to secure both your router and network. Below are the steps that you need to take to secure your wireless network.
Logging into the Router
Open a Web browser and type “http://192.168.1.1” (without quotes) in the address bar. Press ENTER.
When a login windows appears, enter “admin” (without quotes) in both the username and password boxes.
If a warning windows appears, check the “Do not show me this again” checkbox and click the “OK” button.
Note:
If the IP address of the router has changed, or 192.168.1.1 doesn’t work you can look up the IP address of your router by using the steps outlined in How to Get the IP Address or Your Router.
Note:
If the username and password have been changed before, and you can’t remember the login credentials, you can reset the router back to factory defaults and then continue with securing the router. To reset the router you can follow the steps outlined here: How to Reset the Linksys EA2700 (N600) Wireless Router.
Securing the Administrator User
Before securing your wireless network, you will first need to secure the administrator account to your router’s setup. That is the account you logged into in the previous section.
All router default username’s and passwords can easily be found online, so it is important to change the login credentials to protect your router and wireless network.
Log into your router, and then click the “Administration” option from the top menu.
In the “Router Access” section, enter a long and strong password in the “Router Password” box.
Enter the same password in the “Re-enter to Confirm” box.
At the bottom, click the “Save Settings” button.
Changing the Linksys EA2700 (N600) router’s administrator password.
When prompted, enter “admin” as the username, and then your new password to re-access the setup to your router.
Securing Your Wireless Network
Now that your router’s setup is secured with a new administrative password, you can go ahead and secure the network.
If you haven’t done so, log into your wireless router.
Click the “Wireless” menu option at the top.
Click the “Disable” option beside “WPS” and then click the “Manual” option just above it.
Note:
While Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) may sound like an easy way to secure your router, it is a major security vulnerability (please read Why Your Wireless Network May Not Be As Secure As You Think. While there are more steps to manually securing your router, and then connecting devices to your wireless network, you will have a more secure network.
The Linksys EA2700 has two frequencies – 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. You can set up a single wireless network on each, but it would be best to have both frequencies used by one wireless network. Beside “Network Name (SSID), give your wireless network a name. Ensure you enter the same name in both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz sections.
For “Security Mode”, select the “WPA2 Personal” option. Do the same for both frequency sections.
Beside both “Passphrase” options, enter a long and strong passphrase. This is what you will enter when you connect a device to your wireless network.
Click the “Save Settings” button.
Wireless settings to secure the Linksys EA2700 (N600) wireless router.
At this point your wireless network is secured. To connect a device to your network, you simply select your network from the list and then enter the passphrase you created.
If you forget your passphrase, you can simply connect a computer into the router with an ethernet cable and then re-enter the setup by entering “192.168.1.1” into a Web browser.
Additional Security Settings
While the preceding sections are enough to have a secured wireless network, there are a few other settings you may want to look at to fully secure both your network and your router.
Log into the setup of your wireless router using a Web browser.
Click the “Administration” menu option at the top – the “Management” section should be displayed.
In the “Remote Management Access” section, make sure the “Remote Management” option is “Disabled”.
In the “UPnP” section, click the “Disabled” option next to the “UPnP” option
Click the “Save Settings” button.
Changing additional security settings on the Linksys EA2700 (N600) wireless router.
At this point your wireless router is secured and you can feel confident that only authorized devices can connect to your network.
Any software product that is installed on a computer can have vulnerabilities. When it comes to such vulnerabilities, Microsoft products are usually some of the most popular to have their vulnerabilities published. The number of Microsoft products in use have a lot to do with such publicity.
A report recently released by Avecto has shed some light on Microsoft product vulnerabilities, and how a simple change in the way we access our computers can mitigate 92% of all vulnerabilities released in 2013. The change is one that I have advocated everyone make when running Windows 7 and above, and this report shows the difference the change can make.
A few years ago my cloud backup provider changed their pricing plans. The change made backing up my data with them very expensive. I also knew that I would be having much more data that needed to be backed up each year, so the price would continue to rise. Fortunately, then I had about one and a half years left in my current plan with that provider, so I had time to review other cloud backup providers before I had to change.
During that time I looked at many different providers and many had pricing packages that had limits to the amount of data I could store. Of course, the larger the storage space and more money it would cost. I looked at two services – Backblaze and Carbonite. Each provided unlimited storage for a flat, affordable, rate per month. Just what I was looking for to back up my data. In the end I went with Backblaze, and my reasons are outlined below.
