Tips and Tricks

2011 has been called the year of the data breach, with hacker groups publishing huge troves of stolen data online almost daily. Now a new site called pwnedlist.com lets users check to see if their email address or username and associated information may have been compromised. Here is a statement from their website which tells what they are all about.

Want to avoid being attacked by viruses and other malware? Two recent studies reveal the secret: regular patching. A fully patched system with a firewall enabled offers almost complete protection against drive-by attacks and outside intruders.

Read this excellent post by Ed Bott to find the simple solutions to malware protection.

Brian Krebs is the author of a security blog. In this recent post he has three basic rules for avoiding problems while surfing. 

This first rule is perhaps the most important, "If you didn’t go looking for it, don’t install it!"

There's many reasons why Windows 7 has been the most successful operating system to date. It's very stable, can be run on very minimal hardware, the user interface has many new features which make it a pleasure to use. But the most important reason to upgrade to Windows 7 is that it's safer. I simply don't see very many malware attacks on Win 7 machines. The vast majority of cases I see are Windows XP machines. Why is that? Well, Win XP was released way back in 2001. That makes it 10 years old! They just didn't focus on security back then.

Put the taskbar on the right side of the screen instead of the bottom. Here's how: Right click on a blank spot on your taskbar. Make sure "lock the taskbar" is unchecked. Now, simply left click on the taskbar and drag it up and to the right edge of your monitor. That's it. Now go back and right click on a blank spot on the taskbar and lock it again.  You can also change the icon sizes, etc. by right clicking and choosing "properties"

Here's a snapshot of my desktop: