Technically Easy

Category: Security Tips

Outside of other security topics, these posts provide tips and tricks to staying safe while using various technologies.

  • How Encryption Works

    Everyday there are possibly millions of transactions made that involve the exchange of personal information. Obviously, those that provide that information would like to know that the information they send is safe and secure. On the Internet making information secure is handled by encrypting the data before it is sent, and decrypting it once it reaches its destination.

    This post will describe the encryption process and how it is used to keep information safe.

    Definition of Encryption

    Encryption is the process of encoding data to ensure that unauthorized parties cannot view it. When data is encrypted, the data is first passed through an algorithm and is converted into cyphertext, which is the encrypted data. To accomplish the encryption, a key or code provided by you is used to encrypt the data, which will make the encryption difficult to crack.

    There are two systems used for encryption: Symmetric-key encryption and Public-key encryption (asymmetric). The next section will discuss the two systems.

    Encryption Systems

    A symmetric-key encryption system uses a secret key or code to encode the data. When the information is passed to another computer, the code is passed along separately. The second computer then uses the secret code to decode the data. A symmetric-key system is fast but is not as secure as the public-key system. If someone were to intercept the data and the code, then they could easily decode the data.

    In a public-key system there are two keys: a public key and a private key. A public key is given out by a secured computer to any computer that wants to establish a secure communication. When the data is to passed from the client’s computer, it is first encoded with the public key and then sent to the secured computer. The secured computer then uses the private key along with the public key to decode the data.

    Number of Public Keys

    So how many keys are possible for encryption? It all depends on the bit strength of the encryption. The bit strength of the encryption can vary such as 40-bit or 128-bit. To get the number of keys, simply raise 2 to the power of the bit strength. For example, for 128-bit encryption the number of possible keys is 2128 or 340,282,366,920,938,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 keys.

    Although it may look like determining the correct key is impossible, just remember that computers are getting more powerful, so it is taking less time to determine the key through brute force. This is not to say that your data is not secure, as it still takes a long time to crack 128-bit encryption, at least to the point where it may not be worth while.

  • How To Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly

    In my post titled Protecting Your Computer From Viruses and Spyware I outline several points that you should follow to ensure your computer is problem free. I decided to list the tools that I have used, as well as provide a simple schedule you can follow to ensure your computer runs smoothly.

    Note: I do realize that there are many more applications than the ones listed, however, I have listed the ones that I have used in the past.

    Anti-Virus

    These tools are used to detect and remove viruses that have infected a computer. They can be scheduled to run a scan of your computer at a specific time, or a scan can be manually run at any time. All anti-virus software should be updated on a regular basis to ensure any new viruses can be detected. Most, if not all, of the software tools listed here can be set to automatically check and download updates. Also, ensure that only one anti-virus tool is installed, as more than one can cause problems.

    Anti-Spyware

    Spyware is a major cause of computer problems, including slow-downs, processor usage and application crashes. Some of the spyware can be very dangerous to have on your computer as they can also send information from your computer over the Internet. Along with anti-virus software you should also install anti-spyware software to help keep your computer clean. Unlike anti-virus software, you can install many anti-spyware applications on you computer. I encourage you to do so as one application may not clean all spyware from your computer.

    Software Firewall

    The software in this category is becoming more important, especially now with always-on broadband Internet connections. Software firewalls are your last line of defence to your computer from the Internet, and the first line from your computer to the Internet. They are used to keep the viruses and spyware from getting in your computer, and if they do get in, prevent them from sending information out to the Internet.

    Defrag Utilities

    Fragmentation can be a problem if you install and uninstall applications, or simply add and delete files. When a file is removed from a computer, and another file is added, then it may fill up the space used by the deleted file. If the new file is larger than the previous, then it may be split into parts and stored throughout your hard drive. This means that your computer will have to look in different places on your hard drive to read the entire file. Defragging a hard drive will put all the pieces of a file next to each other so your computer doesn’t have to spend time retrieving the entire file.

    • Windows defrag (included with Windows)
    • Diskeeper (http://www.diskeeper.com)
    • PerfectDisk (http://www.raxco.com/products/perfectdisk2k)
    • JkDefrag (free) (http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag)

    Scheduling and Updating

    To assist with maintaining your computer, you should perform the following tasks at the suggested time.

    Application Type Schedule
    Anti-virus Weekly
    Anti-spyware

    		Weekly
    Defrag Monthly

    It is important that you keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware applications up to date. To make is easier for you, you may be able to have the applications automatically download the updates for you, or have them download the updates when starting the application.

    Along with the anti-virus and anti-spyware applications, it is also important to ensure you have all the latest security updates for your operating system.

  • Protecting Your Computer From Viruses and Spyware

    Security has become a huge concern for many users, especially if you are online on a frequent basis. It is important to ensure that your computer is as secure as possible to prevent unauthorized users from poking around in your computer.

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  • Creating Secure Passwords

    In a recent post I described how to connect a network at home to your broadband Internet connection. In that post I mentioned how you should create a password that is "easy to remember, but not easy to guess." I will elaborate more on how to create passwords that are hard to guess, easy to remember, and very secure.

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