We are currently living in Cyber age, where Internet and computers have major impacts on our way of living, social life and the way we conduct businesses.

The usage of information technology has posed great security challenges and ethical questions in front of us. Just as every thing has positives and negatives, usage of information technology is beneficial as well as insecure.

With the growth of the internet, network security has become a major concern. Cyber crimes have emerged rapidly in the last few years and have major consequences. Cyber criminals are doing every thing from stealing money, hacking into others computer, stealing intellectual property, spreading viruses and worms to damage computers connected on the internet and committing frauds.

Stoppage of cyber crimes is a major concern today.

Cyber criminal make use of the vulnerabilities in computer soft wares and networks to their advantage.

Hacking:

Hacking or Cracking is a major cyber crime committed today. Hacker makes use of the weaknesses and loop holes in operating systems to destroy data and steal important information from victim’s computer. Cracking is normally done through the use of a backdoor program installed on your machine. A lot of crackers also try to gain access to resources through the use of password cracking softwares. Hackers can also monitor what u do on your computer and can also import files on your computer. A hacker could install several programs on to your system without your knowledge. Such programs could also be used to steal personal information such as passwords and credit card information. Important data of a company can also be hacked to get the secret information of the future plans of the company.

Cyber-Theft:

Cyber-Theft is the use of computers and communication systems to steal information in electronic format. Hackers crack into the systems of banks and transfer money into their own bank accounts. This is a major concern, as larger amounts of money can be stolen and illegally transferred.

Many newsletters on the internet provide the investors with free advice recommending stocks where they should invest. Sometimes these recommendations are totally bogus and cause loss to the investors. Credit card fraud is also very common.

Most of the companies and banks don’t reveal that they have been the victims of cyber -theft because of the fear of losing customers and share holders. Cyber-theft is the most common and the most reported of all cyber-crimes. Cyber-theft is a popular cyber-crime because it can quickly bring experienced cyber-criminal large cash resulting from very little effort. Furthermore, there is little chance a professional cyber-criminal will be apprehended by law enforcement.

Viruses and worms:

Viruses and worms is a very major threat to normal users and companies. Viruses are computer programs that are designed to damage computers. It is named virus because it spreads from one computer to another like a biological virus. A virus must be attached to some other program or documents through which it enters the computer. A worm usually exploits loop holes in soft wares or the operating system. Trojan horse is dicey. It appears to do one thing but does something else. The system may accept it as one thing. Upon execution, it may release a virus, worm or logic bomb. A logic bomb is an attack triggered by an event, like computer clock reaching a certain date. Chernobyl and Melissa viruses are the recent examples.

Experts estimate that the Mydoom worm infected approximately a quarter-million computers in a single day in January 2004. Back in March 1999, the Melissa virus was so powerful that it forced Microsoft and a number of other very large companies to completely turn off their e-mail systems until the virus could be contained.

Solutions:

An important question arises that how can these crimes be prevented. A number of techniques and solutions have been presented but the problems still exists and are increasing day by day.

Antivirus And Anti spyware Software:

Аntivirus software consists of computer programs that attempt to identify, thwart and eliminate computer viruses and other malicious software. Anti spy wares are used to restrict backdoor program, trojans and other spy wares to be installed on the computer.

Firewalls:

A firewall protects a computer network from unauthorized access. Network firewalls may be hardware devices, software programs, or a combination of the two. A network firewall typically guards an internal computer network against malicious access from outside the network.

Cryptography:

Cryptography is the science of encrypting and decrypting information. Encryption is like sending a postal mail to another party with a lock code on the envelope which is known only to the sender and the recipient. A number of cryptographic methods have been developed and some of them are still not cracked.

Cyber Ethics and Laws:

Cyber ethics and cyber laws are also being formulated to stop cyber crimes. It is a responsibility of every individual to follow cyber ethics and cyber laws so that the increasing cyber crimes shall reduce. Security softwares like anti viruses and anti spy wares should be installed on all computers, in order to remain secure from cyber crimes. Internet Service Providers should also provide high level of security at their servers in order to keep their clients secure from all types of viruses and mallicious programs.

Written by:

Shaikh Mohsin Ayaz

Department of Computer Science, University of Karachi

Finding a good job at the present time is difficult, especially in this time of recession when instead of getting a new job, many people are losing their jobs regularly. However, managing a job that pays well is not as difficult as it seems to be. To get such a job, one has to look at the right place and most importantly has to think outside of the typical way. In today’s world, the notion of job has changed a lot. Now, people do not need to be a ‘Director’ or a ‘Chairman to make big bucks. In this day, one can make big amount of money just by choosing an unusual job that not everyone can or will do. Here, is a list of 6 unusual jobs that pay ridiculously well:

Crab Fisherman. It may sound strange, but it is true that the profession of a crab catcher is a highly paid one. However, the hazards and dangers involved with this profession justify the high earning related to it. Apart from the risks of losing limbs and catching hypothermia, crab catchers have to compete with the crews of other companies. However, just 3 months of the working period and earnings of over $50,000 per year have made it one of the most lucrative yet unusual jobs.

Bounty Hunter. Bounty hunting is another unusual job that pays ridiculously well. This job involves catching fugitives who have left town by violating their parole. The bounty hunters earn 10 to 45 percent of the amount deposited by the criminals as their bale money. An experienced bounty hunter can earn $50,000 to $100,000 per year. However, the job is quite risky, as a bounty hunter has to deal with dangerous criminals.

Ethical Hacker. Ethical hackers have made the cyber world a safer place for everyone. Unlike the typical hackers, who create havocs in the cyber security systems and steal information from other’s computers, ethical hackers help companies to find weakness in their cyber security system. An experienced and skilled ethical hacker can earn over $124,000 per year.

Golf Ball Diver. The job of a golf ball diver includes collecting balls that lost during the time of playing golf. This job requires scuba skills as divers need to collect balls from under the water. This is comparatively a less risky job that can earn good bucks. Professionals can earn handsome amount of money from this job.

Flavorist. This unusual job is related to the food industry but does not involve any kind of cooking, baking, or chopping. All is needed for this job is to have a scientific mind and a tongue with a fine taste. Flavorists analyze natural flavors and recreate them in the laboratory. They sometimes synthesize new flavors too.

Trash Collector. Many people will make a strange face on the mention of this job. However, this job is quite easy to perform and pays handsome amount in return. Anybody can consider this profession as a viable career option as it only requires collecting trash from homes and emptying them into a big truck. A trash collector in New York City can earn $100,000 per year.

These unusual jobs are not only means of making money but also can offer relief to those who are sick of the typical job environments. These are also good means to impress others with unusual job titles. People who love diversity and variety can opt for these 6 unusual but well paid jobs.

The first step that a beginner hacker or programmer takes towards a technical and logical deepening is to program the famous Hello World. It is a kind of computer pattern, so, the first step for future algorithms. And there is no computer programmer or hacker in the world who has not already created a Hello World, even just to test a new compiler or a new programming language. However, if there is this pattern, or rather, this START for hackers and computer programmers, then what would be the best model pattern or start for biohackers? Some method for beginners to have as a model in the field of biosciences.

Biosciences are not something popular yet, and there is a great barrier for ordinary people to work on issues like genetics. It seems absurd to think that common people could work with genetics, even as Hobby, as well as work with other classical sciences. The same was true about computing in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, but with the advancement of the microtechnology industry, especially microelectronics, devices such as hardware have had a reduction in world prices and scales. With this advancement in popularization and access to materials, we all know how the advance in computing took place, forming a breeding ground for hackers. What is questioned now is the possibility of this same fact with biosciences. A popularization and access to materials, devices and knowledge to further strengthen the incipient hacker movement. There are cheap KITs and materials for biohackers, it’s are already being made available, although considered amateur by some specialists, but, which hacker did not begin as an amateur, and in a short time, it flouted the highest technologies. We cannot deny that it is already a beginning, and there is a huge field to be improved. However, the focus of this article is on the search for a method, not the materials now. In the case, the method for biohackers is connected in a Hello World for the biosciences, for a model or a START to the new biohackers. Something so simple, but that carries the maximum of concept. A method to become standard for biohackers, just like there is Hello World. This method is what we are looking for right now! Recalling, the concept of method is an organized set of procedure, technique, or means of doing something methodically and patronized according to a highly organized, logical, and systematic plan or process of research, instruction, investigation and presentation.

As important now as the growth of the biohacker movement is the pursuit of this standard, this method. Something like performing a PCR polymerase chain reaction, or even extracting DNA from cells, and even more sophisticated devices like the connection or interfaces between biological platform and computing. In relation to hackers these are self-taught, and referring to the concepts to work with biosciences there are no excuses. Because we have never had so much knowledge on an open and organized platform as today, one example is the Microsoft ™ Khan Academy ™ platform. In addition to so many other examples. In short words, anyone today can become a hacker, as well as, become a biohacker with a basic method. A method for biohacking – An agile method, a step by step, with the basic introduction, as the famous Hello World in programming, in which it will result in a revolution HYPE for biosciences. What would be required for a hacker or novice programmer is summed up with a machine that is a computer, a compiler, and the concept of programming logic. The first step of every computer is started by the famous “Hello World”. You can say that programming Hello World is the gateway to the hacker and programming world. It is a practice, a standard in this field. The question we are raising in biohacking. It is formalized by the question: What would be the best “Hello World” for biosciences?

So far, biosciences have been stuck in academies and private laboratories, but with the advancement of knowledge and easy access to new gadgets and handmade equipment’s and instruments, at reduced prices, it has become easy and cheap to purchase materials for bioscience work in a popular way. It is a revolution like the advance of computers in its popularization, generating hackers. At present, the new breakthrough hacker is in adding the classic sciences in their actions. Thus, appearing characters or agents named biohackers and even nanohackers. These will make use of biosciences to hack into the human genome, as well as generate innovation. No one can deny a sentence: what would current computing be without hacking a few decades ago? We can even say that we are in a dilemma nowadays. The traditional means of producing science are stagnant and slow. And this new agent the biohacker as you begin your global operation will bring HYPE gas and acceleration to innovative science and technological innovations.

About the actual science, an interesting case is presented in the plateau effect concept – more details can be seen in the book of the same name. This concept refers to a kind of paralysis in the progress of knowledge and science, a psychological slowness and other factors. The concept is well exemplified to those who are learning a new language, but at a certain stage, progress suffers a slow and paralysed due to several factors. It is not very different in the progress of biosciences, and one of the reasons for this laziness, faced with so many variables is the high complexity. However, just as the hacker movement has oxygenated computing with many innovations, the biohacker movement, while there are pros and cons, will undoubtedly oxygenate biosciences and other conceptual sciences. This new action matrix will bring an icebreaker, a kind of HYPE acceleration in what is stagnant. There is much academic concept and little practical use now. There is no denying, there is a new complex matrix in the formation. The CRISPR and biohacker movement has even been a subject of Nature ™ journals in 2017.

In fact, not only is the question of the best method to generate a START, for amateur biohackers, in this case, a suggestion would be in a popularization of the PCR method, remember PCR as Polymerase Chain Reaction, but this is one of the possibilities in front of so many others. Opening to new business with the biohacking movement is unprecedented. The possibility of outsourcing for analytical tests, the leasing of laboratories, the sale of KITs for biohackers, new means of testing and a plethora of collaboration and unlimited competition. It is practically a new world that is forming in biosciences, a matrix in complex formation.

As with time, while we developed the technology and we are keeping busy like a bee, we have been able to drastically evolve and improve the level of technology. But with the evolution of technology, it also left behind, its residue and that has turned out to be the vulnerability and the loops of the technology which could lead to a situation of hacking, where the important information and data might be accessed in the purpose of theft, modification or destruction etc. So, these hackers turned to be the troubled-genius of the information systems where they can combat and breach the enabled security in your device and can leave you mugged.

In recent times, the need for the Information security also increased, where someone can help in preventing the situation like these and can save you from the moments of apocalypse. Now, these people who are the nemesis to their unethical counterparts, have been able to help us in providing the proactive Information security and save us from going into sleepless nights. They ensure the safety and the security of our data and information and guard it from any catastrophe. We call them “Ethical Hackers”. So, how does it sound to be an ethical hacker? Does it fancy you? If yes, there are few brief points you might want to look and understand to be a professional ethical hacker.

• You need to understand the various kind of hacking, which can be classified into White Hat, Grey Hat and non-ethical hacking. You need to evaluate the all three to understand them very well. Only a deep knowledge can help in combating any sort of breach or unauthorised access in the information system. Also, it can help you in ensuring the proactive security to the systems, while discovering the vulnerability of the Information systems. A deep knowledge and potent skills can help you in becoming a good ethical hacker.
• You need to identify the basic requirements to be an ethical hacker. Whether you need to undertake a course or a diploma or you need any other licensing done. Make sure you do your homework well and then go hit the bullseye.
• Upon successful evaluation of the basic requirements, you need to run the horses of your brain where you need to decide, whether would you like to work in hardware or software securities? Believe me, this field is so vast and you do want to take the chances of riding on two boats at a time. Master a formula first and then go for another. So, choose it carefully.
• Along with your conventional diploma or the certificate program, don’t forget the UNIX operating system. It is known as the bible of the hacking, and it is known as the original operating system developed and designed by the hackers only. Make sure you learn it well.
• Once you acquired your knowledge, it’s the time to know your strength and your weaknesses. Now, give yourself a try and implement your knowledge by practically doing things on your own system. Write down the complete analysis and then go for another round. Go until you succeed and turn highly skilled.
• Last but not the least; identify the commercial aspect of your program. Find out the job prospects or running your own showmanship. There are many lucrative jobs and positions required in the market with both private and government sector or you can make yourself a living in facilitating the services. Once you get with it, Jobs done.

Congratulations, you have become a professional hacker. Go, on and save the world.

Cybercrime has caused a tremendous loss both directly and indirectly as far as small and medium enterprises are concerned, be they online or not. Amassing thousands of dollars as cyber criminals’ illegal means affecting time and productivity has become a growing concern not only to big companies but also among small time business owners. With this emerging fraud online, all the more online marketers must take precautionary measures to protect their online business.

Marketers have to understand that cyber security threats are just around the corner anytime. In fact, the Government Security Breaches Survey discovered that almost three-quarters (74%) of small enterprises reported a security breach last year, and has increased in the years 2013 and 2014. This goes to show that SMEs are now being targeted by digital criminals.

Why do hackers target small businesses?

Businesses relying on Internet and online transactions are susceptible to fraud and theft. It’s hard to track hackers or cybercriminals as they are lurking in anonymity but they have one thing in common – to sneak and get your money and property. They have a devious means to target not only big companies but also the SMEs capitalizing on their weak security. While there are frauds happening in big companies, the small businesses are becoming the easiest prey among the cybercriminals.

As supported by Ross Walker, Symantec’s director of small business said that hackers are going after ‘low hanging fruits’. Said ‘low hanging fruits’ refer to the companies that have less security awareness and do not have the proper defenses in place.

Compared to bigger organizations with tighter security measures in place, these types of companies care less of being targeted because of the notion that they are just a small company with nothing to offer. But hackers’ secret confession all depends on what they can reap when the target is already laid down in the open.

Small businesses are an appealing target because they don’t have information infrastructure and security solutions to detect penetration and frauds.

What if your online business is attacked?

Well, hacking has already become a normal thing in any online business. Website developers are all the more informed and aware of this already. So, what if your website is attacked? The answer is simple! Start with getting a good web developer to secure your site all the time. While cybercrimes are inevitable, they can somehow be prevented if you know the right thing to do.

If you suddenly noticed that a monetary transaction is done in your account, especially if it’s a huge money transfer from a certain place or somewhere else where you don’t do business done in incognito, chances are, you have been hacked! Contact your bank immediately and report this matter to your web developer so he can do something about it, change the settings, perhaps, or block the fraud.

Immediate action is necessary in cases like this. As soon as you have identified an incident, act right away. By doing so, you will more likely get your money back, undo the transaction or minimize the damage as per reports.

However, prevention is still, always better than cure. If you notice any initial intrusion by an unidentified person, change your passwords right away and keep an eye on your account balances – your personal funds and that of your employees’.

If you want to fight against these cyber hackers, you may use a software to bog them down and disarm them. Mykonos Web Security Software is one of the programs that can help you fight back. This San Francisco-based company program can deceive the criminals by reverse-hacking: sending them on wild goose chases using falsified information, bogging them down with the wrong information, and slowing down their Internet machines literally until they cannot do anything online at all.

The best thing to do is to actually become observant all the time, keeping malicious transactions from happening, and not allowing any unauthorized person opens your admin account. Your website developer can actually help you in this matter.

Your online business is too precious to compromise. Don’t allow cybercrimes block you from getting into the ladder of success in online business. Get the best web developer to develop your business website with complete security against cyber fraud. Tap their expertise immediately!

The difference between data and information is that data is in the raw of form, as found as 0s and 1s in a computer, which can not be understood by everyone. Information, on the other hand, is the processed and analyzed data which is presented in the form of charts, tables, figures, analysis, etc which can be used to infer many finds. Both data and information is vital for an organization because without the data, information can not be derived and without being translated to the form of information, data can not be studied. Learn how to secure the data from adversities using the server colocation techniques.

Colocation is to store the confidential data in servers and move the servers physically to different location managed by colocation service providers.

• Keep them guessing: Since the data is not there in the same concessions of the business, it is impossible for the intruder to guess where the information would be stored, in case if they approach with the intention to take away the server shelf plates.

• Power drips: The power flows are the first foe of data flow and safety in data management. If the data is on the internet and thousands of other computers may need access to it, say for instance in case of ATM network, then it is not feasible to even drip the power for a millisecond. The data should keep on transferring. The service provider takes care of the power backup plans and would have uninterrupted power supply in place as part of quality service.

• Data backup: Periodical data backup and recovery of necessary data is part of the value added services that are offered to those who outsource server management.

• Hackers: There are many types of hackers, the legitimate white hat hackers and the cruel black hat hackers. Access to the black hat hackers is denied by installation of very strong firewalls and upgradation of the firewalls periodically.

• Theft: The physical theft of the server racks are avoided by installation of proper security systems at the place of the outsourcer.

• Fire: The place should have contingency plans in a way that fire does not affect the server contents.

• Floods: In case of low-lying areas, even slight rains would raise a few inches of water. Therefore, protection to such natural forces should be given by the colocation provider as part of the agreement.

WordPress Security Checklist

Here is a simple checklist for WordPress owners and publishers. WordPress is one of the most popular website platforms because of it’s ease of use however, it has its problems, and it is because of its popularity that hackers use this platform to attempt to inject their malware and malicious scripts. WordPress Security has become essential today to protect not only your website but your brand reputation.

Unknown Infections

Often WordPress owners are unaware that their website has been hacked. Just because your website has been hacked it doesn’t necessarily mean you will see a strange image when you access your website. Hackers often disguise the fact they have hacked your site as they have injected a mailbot and are spamming from your IP address.

Use our checklist for the foundations of good WordPress Security

1. Clean and remove spyware, malware and viruses from your PC/Mac before entering the backend of your WordPress installation

2. Backup your website before you do anything, this is easily done with the use of Backup Buddy.

3. Never use ‘admin’ as a username.

4. Always use a strong password.

5. Stay Updated – Ensure your WordPress Installation and WordPress Plugins are always up to date. See Latest WP Security Updates in the resources section below.

6. Limit Login Attempts – Ensure you reduce the login attempts down to around 3 attempts. Don’t make it easy for the hackers.

7. Remove unwanted WordPress Themes – When themes are still on your website and they go out of date Hackers use these to gain entry. Only have the theme you are using installed and keep that up to date.

8. Spring Clean – Your WordPress website may have other folders on the root of your server. Do you really need them or are they development areas. If you don’t need the folders delete them.

9. Your Hosting Company – Make sure you are using a hosting company that specialises in WordPress installations. WordPress servers need special attention to protect your website.

10. Double Layer Authentication – Use an added layer of security.

Summary

Whilst the checklist above is not an exhaustive list, it is a foundation level of security. Protection is the start of the process, monitoring your website on a daily basis is important. We realise that many website owners just dont have time or the knowledge, so we provide 3 services that can be found in the resources section below.

We hope you have found this checklist useful.

Creating a wireless network at your house is an excellent idea, it’s really easy to do plus it enables you to surf the net conveniently from anywhere at your house.The problem is that lots of people are unaware of the danger that’s added when using the home Wireless in an insecure manner.

If you want to protect your WiFi in order to prevent your neighbors from using up your bandwidth, then sure that’s a sound cause to protect your WiFi, however it mustn’t be your primary worry. The greatest problem with insecure WiFis happens when a hacker is able to connect to your WiFi, if he succeeds on doing that then he can easily read the information that’s sent between you and the router and reveal your usernames, passwords or everything else that’s sent between your devices, regardless of whether you are using SSL. This attack is known as “Man In The Middle” or MITM and it can easily be performed by even a rookie hacker rather quickly. Securing your Wireless will greatly lessen the chance of this occurring. Almost all hackers that try to get into WiFi’s will quickly give up attempting to hack a secure wireless network as there are countless insecure networks out there which provide a considerably simpler target.

All of the approaches that are going to be explained here require that you log in to your access point’s user interface and change a few of its options. If you don’t know how to do that then go over to your access point manufacturer’s web site and look for the guide for your particular model. Try to find information about how to gain access to that router’s web interface.

1. Make use of a secure encryption

Using a secure encryption is an essential course of action, this makes certain that you can only connect by using a password. Choosing this options is generally done from the security tab in the Wireless setup menu. You may generally pick from three or four options: Disabled, WEP, WPA, WPA2. You’ll want to choose WPA2 or WPA – and absolutely under no circumstances choose disabled or WEP! WEP encryption is an extremely broken encryption algorithm that can be broken in a few minutes by a completely inexperienced hacker. If your router only supports WEP encryption but not WPA then you should replace that router ASAP.

2. Utilize a strong encryption password

I’m certain you hear this phrase a lot “Use a strong password” and numerous people are thinking to themselves that on WiFis it’s not too important, new flash – On WiFis it’s extremely important to use strong passwords. Its a piece of cake for a hacker to use a program that scans the WiFi for millions of password combinations in mere minutes and crack it. Use at least eight to ten characters and a mixture of numbers, special symbols and letters. Avoid using dates, names or phones numbers – This is the very first thing hackers try.

3. Alter the SSID name

The SSID is the name of your wireless network, it’s that name you choose from the list of nearby networks when you try to join. It’s recommended that you alter that name and not use the default name. Modify it to a name that doesn’t completely reveal who is the one who owns this wireless network, such as your surname – this is especially essential if you’re living in a dense population area for instance an apartment building.

4. Restrict the Wifi’s range

Restricting the transmit range will decrease the possibility of someone looking to hack your network. In many homes the Wireless may be detected from outside of it and there’s generally no reason for this. Limit the transmission range, go outside your property and look to find out if it could be discovered from there. When possible you may relocate your router towards the center of the household to gain optimum coverage without creating blind spots caused by the restricted Wireless network range.

5. Alter the router’s interface security password

The router’s password is the password you need to type whenever logging in to the web interface. Technically if the hacker can connect to the access point’s web interface then it’s already too late and the hacker has gained access to the wireless network already, but nonetheless, this is a good precaution step to take and it will limit the control that the hacker has over your wireless network. Modify the password to a one that’s difficult to guess and is different than the one used for the encryption.

6. Check who is connected to the network

If you suspect that an intruder is using your WiFi then most wireless routers have a feature that enables you to check the IP and MAC addresses of each device that’s logged in to your access point. You can check out that list and make sure that you know each of the devices. This list is frequently named active DHCP list or something like that.

When you put into practice these pointers then you’ve got a great chance versus even the most motivated hackers. Enabling these options takes little time and the security gain is incredibly considerable. All of the tips are important, however most vital one is encryption password, in case you don’t adopt this tip then your network’s security is completely broken.

There are some simple steps that you can take to protect every WordPress installation you set up. But why worry about security?

This is why:

I have had two WordPress blogs hacked into in the past. That was at a time when I was doing very little internet marketing, and until I found time to address the situation (months later), these sites were penalised in the search engines. They were not removed, but the rankings were reduced.

I fixed it in the end, but I did not deal with it for several months. For a good amount of time, I was unaware even of the problem.

The result? I estimate that I lost out on a couple of hundred pounds of advertising revenue.

Much of WordPress security is simply common sense. Are you using a strong password? Are you using a different password for every website?

For years, I did not do that. I had three or four passwords I commonly used. But there are two ways which you can always generate a good, strong password for every site you register with. (Of course, this includes your WordPress blogs.)

The weaker approach (but still pretty good) is to start with a common password; add some numbers to it that you are likely to remember, such as the house number of your first address; then add the first few, say, five letters of the domain name. For example, if the password you were starting with was reindeer230, if you were using a site called example.com, that would become reindeer230examp. That is a pretty strong password. This technique protects against dictionary attacks where an attacker may repeatedly try to log into your account using English words, words of other languages, names, and so on.

The stronger approach, and the one I personally recommend, is to use one of the password generation and storage plugins available for your browser. Many people like RoboForm, but I think after a free trial period, you have to pay for it. I use the free version of Lastpass, and I recommend it for those of you who use Internet Explorer or Firefox. That will generate secure passwords for you; you then use one master password to log in.

Now we are getting into things specific to WordPress. Whenever you install WordPress, you have to edit the file config-sample.php and rename it to config.php. You need to install the database details there.

There are a few other changes you should do as well.

There is a section of config-sample.php that is headed “Authentication Unique Keys.” There are four definitions that appear within the block. There is a hyperlink within that section of code. You need to enter that link into your browser, copy the contents that you get back, and replace the keys you have with the unique, pseudo-random keys provided by the site. This makes it harder for attackers to automatically generate a “logged-in” cookie for your site.

The next step is to change the table prefix from the default “wp_”. This is in the WordPress Database Table Prefix section. It does not really matter what you change it to; you can use alphanumeric characters, hyphens and underscores. This should thwart so-called SQL injection attacks, where an attempt is made by an attacker to cause WordPress to run some SQL code that has an undesirable effect on your site. That code could add a new user with superuser privileges to your WordPress site.

Note that you should only do this last step for new installations. If you want to do it for existing installations, you will also have to change all the table names in the database.

Finally, installing the WordPress Security Scan plugin will check most of this for you, and alert you to anything that you might have missed. It will also tell you that a user named “admin” exists. Of course, that is your administrative user name. You can follow a link and find instructions for changing that name, if you wish. I personally believe that a strong password is good enough protection, and since I followed these steps, there have been no successful attacks on the numerous blogs that I run.

Finally, WordPress Security will also tell you that there is no htaccess in the wp-admin/ directory. You can put a.htaccess file into this directory if you wish, and you can use it to control access to the wp-admin directory by IP address or address range. Details of how to do that are readily available on the net.

However, I recommend that you install the Login LockDown plugin in place of any.htaccess controls. That will stop login requests from being allowed from a specific IP address for an hour after three failed login attempts. If you do that, you can still access your admin panel while away from your office, and yet you still have good protection against hackers.

Few people know that like the computer apps and software, mobile apps are also quite vulnerable to the hackers. Hacking is the technical prowess that executes negatively by accessing the vital & confidential information and leaking it out illegally. The advancement of technology has provided so many tools in the hands of the hackers that have actually facilitated the process of hacking and have made it simple and go clean!

Returning home after loading an important document file in the office PC and finding it nil on the very next morning is not a very rare picture. But as hackers have gone technically sound too, this is not a very rare picture in mobile apps also. This is the reason, the big companies try to secure their devices spending a lot of money, but yet failing abruptly due to the unsecured application layer of the OS that is easily accessible for the hackers till now. This ruins the reputation of the company, so the developers need to develop the security measure for the mobile apps. This action should be taken at the time of mobile app development to avoid such phishing attacks.

But the human brain always finds a solution to every problem. Thus, developers strive to find the protection against the hacking in order to secure the industry more firmly. Here are some steps that the developers should take to safeguard their apps well-

Scrutinizing at the fundamental stage

Analyzing the app at the time of sketching the app is the prime concern of the app developers and the security monitoring team of an organization. This begins with realization and identifying the potential threats that can affect the apps and harm the repute of the company. This process should be included in the app development life cycle by evaluating the status, targets & objectives of the organization, the technical environment for the manufacturing & employment of the app, the tasks taken for the development and impertinence and the demand for the app in the current marketplace. A SWOT analysis thus can be quite helpful in this matter.

Effective threat modeling process

Here, the developers and the security monitoring team should work hand in hand. The task begins by focusing on the sensitive data storage points where most of the crucial information is stored. Once the threats are identified, the actions should be taken to eliminate them, which can be safely done by the threat modeling procedure.

Assessment of the design

Evaluation of the design is a major requirement in the process of mobile app development. This is needed to recognize the errors and risks at the initial stage of the development. This improves the app and its quality. But it goes better when this task is performed by an outsider, as the judgment will be neutral and the errors can be easily recognized which the developers have overlooked.

Re-checking of codes

This is certainly the major risk part as codes are the essential things in this matter. The units of the codes should be re-assessed in the development phase to avoid loopholes which make the app well secured.

Identifying the threats

Checking the quality of the manufactured product or service before delivering it to the customers is essential. Therefore, a quality analyst should be deployed in order to evaluate the apps in order to identify the threats and to test thoroughly all the parameters to reduce the risks.

Optimizing the app on the basis of the industry standard

Developing the app is not enough, you need to attain the security scorecard according to the global industry standards and thus, to acquire a security certificate, you need your app to be tested against industry standard benchmarks. It’s ideal to assess the app’s success, according to the industry standards and enhancements are made if required.

Safeguarding an app is not a matter of joke. From the app’s personal safety to the company repute, everything depends on it. This can be attained if the processes are utilized in every stage perfectly.