Tag Archives: security

Securely Share Files With Specific Permissions & Recipients Using SmartRM

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There are a lot of file sharing application available on the internet, but many of them don't provide you with a lot of options when it comes to the amount of control you have over who can view the file. Using various services, you can share a file via email, social media, or a URL. Most of the times, anyone can view the files using their direct links, for instance, someone with access to an image URL can easily view it by pasting it in the browser. SmartRM is an file sharing service with an open-source application for Windows that allows you to overcome that problem and lets you share files only with people that you intend to. Other than directly sending the files using any online method (email, IM, social networks), you can also share it using a USB drive or even Dropbox. Once received, only people with proper permissions can access the file, that too only during a limited time frame specified by you. Read More

Mouselock Locks Your PC & Sends Email Alerts On Unauthorized Access

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Leaving your PC unlocked when you are not in front of it while others are around is one of the worst things you can do as far as your privacy is concerned.  This way, anyone can have unauthorized access to your computer and access your personal data, makes changes to your files, send emails using your account etc. Back in December, we covered an application for Windows called Lockscreen Pro that lets you unlock your PC using a password or USB drive and captures a photo using the webcam whenever there is an unsuccessful login attempt. However, some people do not like to enable screen lock on their workstations, as it requires you to enter the password every time you want to unlock it. Mouselock is a great web app for such people that doesn’t exactly lock the computer, but sends the owner an email whenever unauthorized mouse movement is detected while you are away, and also take a photo of the person who has attempted to use the computer. Although this will not keep others from using your computer, you can at least get to know if someone has done it in your absence. Read More

Manually Scan A File With Windows Defender From Right-Click Menu

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Back when I was a tweenager who had just recently learned how to use a computer, I would spend hours a day researching into and looking for the best available security solution for my PC. I tried all sorts of basic antivirus, anti-spyware software and beefed-up, all-in-one security suites from the likes of Norton, Kaspersky, Sophos, McAfee, ESET, Trend Micro and Panda, and I still somehow managed to completely wreck my PC because of a rogue file in an infected USB flash drive. Read More

Sygic Releases Location Tracking Android & iOS App For Family Members

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Sygic, one of the most trusted names in the world of GPS navigation software, has launched a brand new Android and iOS app called Family By Sygic, with the aim to help parents keep a close tab on their kids’ security, whereabouts and activities. Available for free in both Google Play Store and iTunes App Store, Family is equipped with several protection, messaging, alerting and real-time location tracking tools that can keep you informed about your loved ones’ well-being and safety. The best part about the app is that it requires minimal setup, and allows you to manage multiple child accounts from under a single administrative ID. Once configured, the app can be used to instantly track current locations of your family members, see their real-time locations via augmented reality views, send instant & private messages to all or a select few family members, request navigation routes for required member’s location, specify safe and unsafe zones on map via geo-fencing, send SOS to your family regarding your location, notify them about your check-ins to a specific place, and receive instant notifications regarding a number of activities relevant to all your family members’ movements. Read More

Unlock Windows 8 With USB Drive & Take Webcam Photos At Failed Login With Lockscreen Pro

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The logon screen in Windows 7 cannot be customized at all using the default available options; even changing the background of the logon screen requires you to use a third-party tool. In Windows 8, the lock screen of  has been revamped to include a lot more information and users are provided with some control over it, such as the ability to change its background, specify which apps can put notifications on it and view the date, time and current battery status of your system. However, there has been no significant change in the security of the system. Today, we have a lock screen application called Lockscreen Pro that replaces the regular lock screen with a custom one, providing you with options to unlock the computer with a password or a USB flash drive, and even uses the webcam to capture a photo every time there is an unsuccessful login attempt. Thus while preventing other people from accessing your computer, it also lets you see who tried to gain access to it without your permission. Moreover, you can change the lock screen background to a custom photo. Read More

Securely Embed Sensitive Information And Files In Images With Steg

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Sending out sensitive data on unsecured networks carries a considerable amount of risk. Anyone with malicious intentions and the proper knowledge can easily hack into your network and intercept the messages. If confidential documents containing financial information, passwords, or other important data get into the wrong hands, there can be a major security problem. In order to keep yourself safe, you can encrypt your data with a key and send the key to the intended recipient. However, some advanced hackers can even break some high level encryption if they locate the file. Another method to send your data in a safe way is by using a Steganography technique that involves infusing your data inside an image without changing the image itself. Steg is one such tool that performs the job flawlessly. This way, even if your file is intercepted by anyone, it will be a normal image file in the eyes of others, and there will be no visual indication of the encoded data. Keep reading to find out how to embed your sensitive data into an image using Steg. Read More

Lock Any Window With A Password & Hide It In System Tray

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Folder lockers or file encryptors – folks who are concerned about their privacy are always keen to use such apps. The reason? Security plays a pivotal role in electronic data. Windows users would probably know that the operating system allows you to quickly lock it down using the Win + L hotkey. But what if you temporarily want to share your PC with someone else, without giving them a peak of your current session? This is where WinLock comes in to save the day. This lightweight tool is designed to hide and password protect any focused window. Whether you’re streaming YouTube on your favorite web browser, or watching a movie on VLC, WinLock can lock anything. The application hides the focused window via a hotkey, and the window in question automatically locks and minimizes itself to system tray area. You can lock as many application windows as you like, so you can hide entire sessions. Read past the jump to find out how this amazing tool can take care of your cloak-and-dagger activities. Read More

Security Score Analyzes & Rates Your PC’s Protection Against Malware

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Action Center in Windows is designed to notify the user about all the important Security and Maintenance related messages. It collects all the messages that need the user’s attention and displays them in a single corner making it easier for the user to keep an eye on the current state. Since no antivirus software is able to detect each and every virus out there, system security is a major problem nowadays. The fact that new viruses are being created everyday, makes it difficult for users to get complete protection and if, by chance, a virus does get into your system, it creates a real mess. So how can you determine if your computer is safe enough? Read More

BoxCryptor For Windows 8 Adds Security To Your SkyDrive

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Cloud storage services have become a part and parcel of our lives. Dropbox, SkyDrive, Google Drive, iCloud etc., these are services, which, might have come across your way at some point of life – even if you hardly use cloud storage. Suffice to say, manufacturers are now shipping their smartphone and desktop devices with some sort of cloud storage services out of the box. Windows 8 is no exception and therefore it comes packed with Microsoft’s own SkyDrive. Earlier, we covered an application – for both Windows and Android platforms – called BoxCryptor that let users encrypt their cloud drives with AES-256 algorithm for that extra layer of security. The application supports Dropbox, Google Drive and SkyDrive. The developer of the app has now let out its Modern UI (Windows 8) variant named as BoxCryptor. Even though the desktop version was up for grab at Windows Store for quite while, the Modern UI-styled app is something entirely new. The application is still in Alpha and supports only SkyDrive at the moment. While integration with other cloud services is currently in the pipeline. Read More

Disable USB Drives Or Enable Flash Read-Only Mode To Avoid Malware In Windows

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USB Flash Drives have become a common storage medium for data transfers. They are smaller in size than portable hard drives, which makes them easier to carry around, while their maximum storage capacity is continuously on the rise. As much as these thumb drives have eased our lives, they can be equally dreadful if they get infected with malware. An infected thumb drive that is frequently plugged into different PCs increases the risk of spreading malicious content in multiple devices. Sadly, Windows doesn’t provide a feasible solution to temporarily prevent anyone from plugging USB flash drives into your computer, which is why third-party tools like Phrozen Safe USB exist, which allow you to enable or disable USB flash drive recognition with a single click. Today, we have another similar utility labeled USB Flash Drives Control. As the name implies, it lets you control a few different parameters of the drives, allowing you to enable read-only mode or disable running EXE files from within a drive. You can also password protect the application itself to prevent unauthorized usage, a feature that Phrozen USB lacks.

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Compose Encrypted Emails From Within Gmail With SafeGmail For Chrome

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Email is generally regarded as a safe and secure communication method, but that doesn’t mean emails can’t be hacked. Just the fact that you could accidentally send an important email to the wrong person is reason enough to be extra cautious while transferring sensitive information. If you often need to send emails more securely than usual, SafeGmail is a Chrome extension that might help. The extension lets you encrypt email messages when you compose them. Unlike most services or extensions that redirect you to a different service or interface, SafeGmail works from within the Gmail interface and uses PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) encryption technique - a common standard for encrypting emails, signatures and documents that has been in use for many years. The message is protected, not by a password, but with a secret question, the answer to which is only known to you and your recipient. Read More

Protect Your Android Device From ‘Dirty USSD’ Hack Using ESET USSD Control

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Just recently, we discussed in detail about a vulnerability in Android’s stock dialer app that can allow certain USSD codes hidden behind web links to completely wipe your personal data, and how you can prevent such hack attempts using the Bitdefender USSD Wipe Stopper tool. Available in the Google Play Store for free, ESET USSD Control is yet another handy solution coming from a trusted company that helps you protect your Android device from falling an easy prey to 'dirty USSD' hack attempts. Once installed, the tool keeps running in the background, alerting users in case a potentially harmful USSD code is about to be executed on their devices. If a situation arises where your network provider, or worse, a hacker tries to access your device via some sort of a USSD code, the app prompts you to first determine the nature of the code by using ESET USSD Control as the default dialer app. It then scans the code for any potential threat and informs you whether it is safe to execute the code or not. Read More

Bitdefender USSD Wipe Stopper Protects Against ‘Dirty USSD’ Remote Reset Hack On Android

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Android might be making steady progress as a hyper-customizable and user-friendly mobile operating system, but on the other hand, it also doesn’t seem to part ways with the various system-level vulnerabilities that keep rearing their heads at frequent intervals. The latest threat to haunt Google’s mobile OS is perhaps the most destructive of the lot. Initially detected in just a handful of Samsung phones (starting from Samsung Galaxy S III), the problem has reportedly spread across a broad range of devices, including Motorola Defy (running the custom CyanogenMod ROM) and HTC One X (running HTC Sense 4.0) etc. Apparently, it’s the Android’s stock dialer app that is reported to be accepting certain unauthorized USSD codes (from malicious code that could be hiding behind links on webpages), which results in your device being wiped completely. Numerous security companies have been releasing solutions to tackle the issue, and the familiar name of Bitdefender too has come to the forefront. The company’s latest security tool, USSD Wipe Stopper, does exactly what its name implies. Once installed, the app displays whether your device is infected by the ‘dirty USSD’ attack or not. In addition, it lets you select the default dialer app that should confront any such remote attacks. Read More

iOS 6 Privacy Feature: What Is It & How Does It Work?

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There’s a lot of debate around the internet over the practicality and future of the Privacy feature introduced in iOS 6. There’s talk about the feature becoming annoying for users as iOS 6 grows, since installation and consequently the first time use of an app that requires access to Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Photos, Bluetooth Sharing, Facebook, Twitter and of course Location Services, will prompt a dialogue box whether the user wants to allow that app access to one or more of those elements. The current buzz around the blogosphere is that this feature may ultimately backfire, but if you ask me, it’s a move bound to be welcomed by iOS users, as it provides them greater control over their devices. Requiring stringent app approval methods for the App Store is one thing, but it’s about time Apple trusted iOS users to make their own calls over Privacy concerns. For more on the Privacy feature and how it actually works, read on! Read More

Privacy Manager Is A Control Panel For Chrome Security Settings & Junk Data Cleaning

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Having too many extensions installed in Google Chrome can be very messy. Personally, I prefer to keep only those extensions that can perform two or more functions for me, instead of using multiple single-feature extensions, just to keep things tidy. Recently, I came across a feature-rich extension for Google Chrome called Privacy Manager, which allows users to manage privacy settings, manipulate security options, and perform browser temp data & history deletion operations from a single window. In addition, it also lets you quickly open any active page in incognito mode (private browsing mode). Read More

Secunia PSI 3.0 Brings Interface Overhaul & Automatic Updates

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Do you know that any outdated application on your PC lead to greater the risk of compromising system security? Perhaps yes, and that might be the reason you are reading this, anyway. The primary purpose developers push newer software updates of their applications so frequently, is to implement various enhancements. The secondary, on the other hand, is to deal with a number of system vulnerabilities. As viruses and malwares are continuously on the rise (and some are even revamped), many obsolete programs on your computer can easily get infected. If memory serves you well, you might recall that we reviewed Secunia PSI that to update obsolete applications on your PC, which might be compromising system security. Secunia has finally come up with a new version (version 3.0) of Secunia PSI (Personal Software Inspector), giving it a facelift and a few other enhancements here and there. Should you unaware of the application itself (or you like spending time under a rock), the application is a one-stop-shop for updating all your installed programs from within a single location. It generates a SSS (Secunia System Score), letting you know of the chances of vulnerability, that is, the lower it is, the more cautious you should be. We went ahead to find out what changes have been made to this handsome utility. Read More

Bookmark Permissions: Enable Or Disable Specific HTML Elements For Individual Bookmarks In Firefox

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Bookmarks can be of a great use for not only saving web links to check later, but also to have quick access to frequented websites through the Bookmark Toolbar. Almost all browsers come with some sort of bookmarking facility - some more comprehensive than others. However, what most of these offer by default is bookmarking, sorting and categorizing at best, but that's pretty much it. To gain better control over your bookmarks, you may want to check out Bookmarks Permissions. It is a security add-on for Firefox that allows you to set specific permissions for individual bookmarks, which override global permissions. The add-on gives you the ability to enable or disable certain aspects of a website, like images, pop-up windows etc, to make your browsing experience smooth. Blocking specific items can also help you navigate to your favorites faster. Read More

Comodo Anti-theft: Remotely Track Your Lost Android Phone Through Simple SMS Commands

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Privacy and data security is one of the major concerns among smartphone aficionados. Our phones now carry so much of our credentials and personal information that we simply can’t afford to lose them. Nevertheless, accidents do happen, and whether you forget your phone at your local bar or someone intentionally steals this precious thing out of your pocket, all your personal data is compromised within a few minutes. Luckily enough, there are now various third-party apps available that give you the ability to pin point a stolen phone’s location, alert the surrounding folks and even remotely wipe-off your personal data from a stolen device. We have covered a number of such apps that provide device tracking and data protection facilities for your Android, including the popular TekTrak (reviewed here). Although this renowned app was shut down, you need not worry, as there are other alternatives to it, like Plan-B (reviewed here) or Bitdefender Mobile Security (reviewed here). Now, computer software security giant Comodo has come up with its own flavor of anti-theft technology, employed in its new app, Comodo Anti-theft. Read on find out how it works. Read More

BufferZone Pro Uses Application Sandboxing To Secure Your System

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Sandboxing is a highly effective way of protecting your PC from malware attacks and online threats. If you have used programs like Sandboxie or Avast’s Sandbox feature, for instance, you must have an idea what sandboxing is all about. In layman's terms, it’s a technique to safeguard your PC by putting programs in a sandbox, i.e., separating the programs from host system and put them in a virtual environment. Developed by Trustedware, BufferZone Pro is a Sandboxie-like security application that automatically puts your frequently used programs (especially those which are prone to external attacks) in a Bufferzone. It easily detects your web browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Firefox etc.) and other applications like Skype, P2P programs, Instant messengers, and launches them in the virtual environment. Just like Avast's Auto-Sandbox feature, it runs sandboxed applications in a red-bordered window. In addition, it also has the ability to create state snapshots, which help users roll back to a previous state by restoring a snapshot. Details to follow after the jump. Read More

DeEgger Embedder: Hide Private Files Within Images, Videos Or Audio (Media Steganography)

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If you are oblivious of the term Steganography, you might be missing on one of the most widely used methods of securing important data. It is a technique that allows you to embed one file into another. The purpose of which, is to hide the original file, make it devious to an unintended recipient by concealing it within a fake one. If a certain sensitive information you consider is yours prerogative only, then using a steganography application is advisable to keep it away from others. There are various Windows application at your disposal (both paid and free) that does this job and back in 2010, Aatif reviewed SilentEye, which uses the steganography technique to hide confidential data. We have another similar application for you labeled as Deegger Embedder,  which offers the same facility, but with support for additional media formats. This free steganography software is designed to merge two or more files together, supports a wide range of file extensions you can hide and lets you create the bogus file in AVI, JPEG, MP3, MP4, PDF, PNG and other formats. Read More