With the increasing reliance on technology, it is becoming more and more important to secure every aspect of online data and information. One of the best ways to secure your data is to make sure your network is protected.

Network security is the any protection of access, misuse, and hacking of files and directories in a computer network system. Some of the most common threats to a network include viruses, worms, spyware, adware and identity theft. One of the most important aspects is the multiple layers of security. There is no single package or system that will offer complete protection against every threat to your network, so it is important to remember to use multiple layers of security for your network.

Many threats today are spread over the Internet. The most common include:

• Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses
• Spyware and adware
• Zero-day attacks, also called zero-hour attacks
• Hacker attacks
• Denial of service attacks
• Data interception and theft
• Identity theft

All of these different types of attacks can be grouped into two different groups; structured and unstructured. A structured attack is an attack by an individual who has advanced computer skills and intentionally targeted a specific group or company. An unstructured attack is an attack by an individual who does not understand who they are targeting and only use tools that can be found easily. Both types of attacks should be taken seriously because they can expose confidential information and create distrust between a company and their clients.

There are four steps to protect your network from attacks and they are:

1. Implement
2. Analyze
3. Test
4. Modify

Implement: The first step is to create and implement a network security system that provides protection and has sufficient authorization policies.

Analyze: Once the network security system is created and implemented, the system needs to be analyzed to determine if the current security system is appropriate for the network it is protecting.

Test: When an appropriate network security system is in place, it is time to conduct tests to make sure all of the securities are working and will completely protect your network against any threats.

Modify: After conducting the tests, collect the data and enhance your protections. The results will reveal where your security system is effective and where it can be improved. Hackers are always improving their attacking procedures, so it is essential to test your system frequently to remain protected and stay one step ahead of them.

By having network security in place, your company will experience business benefits. Your company is protected against business disruption, this helps keep employees productive. It helps your company meet mandatory regulations. Because network security helps protect your customers’ data, it reduces the risk of legal action from data theft.

The Risks of Bitcoin that investors need to be aware of

Risk one-The volatility of bitcoin

Everyone knows how volatile bitcoin is and those who invest in this will see the value of this cryptocurrency fluctuate quite dramatically. Unless you can cope with the rises and falls of bitcoin then investing in bitcoin is not for you. There is little to be gained if the loss of your capital is going to cause you to lose sleep. I cannot stress enough the importance of using your discretionary spending money to play the cryptocurrency market.

What is discretionary spending?

It is money which is spent on travel, eating out, entertainment, hobbies and sports.

You would never spend the rent money or money which has been set aside for your retirement on entertainment such as a day out at the races so you should not use that money for playing the cryptocurrency market either.

Risk two-Hacking

A company called “Cryptopia ” which was an online bitcoin trading platform held funds invested in Bitcoin. It was hacked into and all those with bitcoin invested with cryptopia lost their money. There were some sad stories concerning the large amount of money lost by some individuals.

It has to be repeated that you should never play cryptocurrency money with funds you cannot afford to lose or to place too many eggs in the one basket as many of these investors appear to have done.

The other thing I have to add is that the actual amount of money lost by cryptopia investors is likely to be grossly inflated due to the rising price of bitcoin. If someone invested $1,000 in bitcoin and this rose to $10,000 in a few years only for them to lose the lot. It will go on record that this person has lost 10k when in actual fact, it was just 1k they lost.

Risk three-Lost passwords

An Australian man is locked out of his bitcoin wallet because he cannot even remember his password. The website where he has his bitcoin will lock him out of his wallet permanently if he has made ten failed login attempts. He has made eight. He has over 300k in his bitcoin wallet.

The lesson here is to write down your password and keep it locked away in a safe place.

The other piece of advice is to diversify your portfolio so that if something goes horribly wrong you will not lose too much in one hit.

Risk four-Government controls

Governments have the ability to ban crypto trading; China has done just that. Several agencies in China have joined forces to ban what they describe as “illegal” cryptocurrency activity. This is not to say other countries will follow suit but it just illustrates a point that governments do have the power to do this.

Risk five-Taxation

Two things in life are certain, death and taxes. You can be sure that at some point the taxman will want a piece of your bitcoin pie. Whether it be in the form of a Capital Gains Tax or the increased value of bitcoin. It should be remembered that if you are being taxed on the Capital Gains of your bitcoin then it may be possible to claim tax back on any capital losses. A good accountant will be able to advise you here.

Whatever form of capital gains you are investing in it should always be remembered that when there is the opportunity for capital gains there is also the possibility of capital loss. Investing in cryptocurrency is risky therefore, it cannot be stressed enough that the money you invest in bitcoin must be money you can afford to lose.

You must already be familiar with data [data: information without context, for example, a list of students with serial numbers, is data. When these figures represent the placement in a 100 meter race, the data becomes an information] and computer misuse [the data stored electronically is easier to access]; with software [software: a general term used to describe an application or program], which may not be reproduced without permission. The consequences leads to Software piracy [piracy: the acquisition, benefit from the use or making changes to copyright material without prior permission]; and hacking, and can lead to data corruption; accidental or deliberate.

Types of Computer Misuses

Misuse of computers and communication can be in different forms:

Hacking

Hacking is when an unauthorized person uses a network [Network: A group of interconnected computers]and an Internet modem [modem: a piece of hardware that connects the computer to the Internet] to access security passwords or other security of data stored on another computer. Hackers sometimes use software hacking tools and often target some sites on the Internet. Their exploitation is not only limited to private networks but also to government and corporate computer networks.

Misuse of data and unauthorized transfer or copy

Copying and illegally transferring data quickly and easily online using computers and large storage devices such as hard disk drives [HDD: a device used to store large volumes of data, on a hard disk], memory sticks [memory stick: a thumb-sized portable storage device mainly used for transferring files between computers] and DVDs [Digital Versatile Disc- used to store data, for example, a film]. Personal data, company research and written work, such as novels and textbooks cannot be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

Copying and distribution of copyright software, music and film

This also applies to the copying of music and movies to circulate on the Internet without the copyrights [copyright: Indicates the creator of an original piece of work and controller of the publication, distribution, and adaptation] authorization holder. This is a widespread misuse of both computers and the Internet that overlooks the copyrights rules and regulations.

Pornography

A large part of indecent material and pornography is available via the Internet and can be stored in electronic form. There have been several cases of materials that are classified as illegal, or that show illegal acts, found stored on computers, liable to prosecution for possession of these materials.

Identity and financial misuses

This topic covers misuse of stolen credit card numbers to obtain goods or services on the Internet, and the use of computers in financial frauds. These can range from complex well thought deceptions to simple applications, such as printing of counterfeit currency using color printers.

Viruses

Viruses: ultra microscopic non-cellular organism that self-replicates itself in the host files and programs, are relatively simple programs [program: a list of instructions written in sequence] written by men and designed to cause nuisance or harm to computer system or their files.

The term hack has been used in recent years to refer to a short cut, or more efficient way of doing things. From time to time I will continue to post reading hacks that can help you with both your speed and comprehension, as well as being tactics for more efficient reading. Today`s reading hack is going to look at your day and your time management as it relates to reading, whether you read traditionally, or with a Dynamic Speed Reading approach.

If you`re like most people, one, if not the very first thing you do when you sit at your work station is to open up your email application. Of course you want to do that because you want to:

• Be responsive to your customers,

• Be responsive to your co-workers,

• Be respectful to your friends,

Or, for some other reason that may or may not be as praiseworthy, such as a procrastination technique because your brain hasn’t fully awakened Right?

Wrong!!!

Be honest with yourself. What have you noticed about this habit? For most people they realize that a big chunk of their most productive time has vanished leaving them late to get other important tasks and activities accomplished.

Additionally, time challenged people most often find their day being consumed by all kinds of activities that require them to focus outside themselves to the other people in the workplace – phones, email, texts. Im`s, meetings, drop-ins, etc. Because they want to be perceived as being an accessible team player, they put off their important work related reading (except for email) for when things quiet down. Or, they adopt an attitude of, when I can get around to it.

But here`s the problem – around to it never comes. By the time it does come, you find yourself exhausted from all the other activities of the day. You may try your best to do the reading at these times. But what happens? Do you find yourself falling asleep? Or, do you find your mind drifts off to all sorts of other things rather than the meaning of the material you are supposedly reading?

Unless you are the exception, this is the norm. Not just for you, but for most people in today`s digital world.

So here`s your Speed Reading and Time Management Hack

(there`s actually 2 parts to this that will save you enormous amounts of time)

1. Do not open email first thing in the morning (there are some rare exceptions to this rule). Take care of other important high payoff activities first.

2. Schedule and block off time slots to do your important readings. If you need to read things that will take more than 2-5 minutes, if it doesn`t get scheduled, you will fall into the trap as described above. Why shouldn`t it scheduled and blocked off like any other important meeting or activity? Schedule your reading time for when your brain is freshest for the day. During work hours you may have to put up temporary do not disturb signs, or go to a quieter place in the office.

What do you think?

Is your Yorkshire Terrier coughing? Dogs don’t cough the way people do, so when you hear your dog making a coughing sound, that needs to alert you that there might be a problem on the horizon. If it’s a hacking sound, maybe there’s something stuck in your dog’s throat. If it’s a non-productive, honking type of cough and your dog is a Yorkshire Terrier, then it could be the early beginnings of collapsing trachea. Collapsing trachea can effect other breeds also, but it seems to be a health issue for Yorkies. Sometimes it is genetic and breeders should try very hard to breed this out of Yorkies. It can be caused by wearing collars or leads that are tight and then when the dog pulls on his leash, he chokes. The constant pulling and choking will eventually damage the windpipe. This applies to all breeds, also.

My Yorkie began a slight cough during the summer of 2007. At the time, we were having renovations done on our home and I thought his throat was dry from the plaster dust and sawdust in the air. The coughing didn’t occur daily so I didn’t worry about progression. I made every effort to keep the dust down by vacuuming and dusting daily.

In the Fall, he had a vet check and I mentioned the cough. Our vet said it was probably collapsing trachea. She prescribed Torbutrol as a cough suppressant and after his first dose he was so drugged that he couldn’t stand, eat or get to his water bowl. She had said that he’d probably have to be on this the rest of his life, taking 2 pills a day. After this reaction, I called the vet and it was decided that he couldn’t tolerate this drug. He only weighed 4 pounds 6 ounces. After that I tried herbal cough medicines. I also gave him vitamin E and vitamin C.

During the Winter of 2008, he had several vet visits and it was always the same–his heart checked out good and his lungs were good. His appetite was good, there didn’t seem to be anything to be concerned over. At no time was I ever told of warning signs of collapsing trachea that might take his life. His coughing went from that dry, hacking sound to a sound much like a person makes when trying to clear one’s throat. Many days he wouldn’t cough at all, but many nights he would start to cough and couldn’t seem to stop. I tried giving him honey to coat his throat, because I’m sure his throat must have been very raw from all that coughing. There are herbal cough medicines on the market that contain honey. Sometimes they helped, but not always. Some days he would pace around all over the house, coughing–trying to breathe. As the trachea narrows it becomes like trying to breathe through a straw.

I searched the Internet for answers, looking for natural cures for him, but really there is not much that can be done. Sometimes surgery is suggested, but it is not always successful and can be very expensive. Not to mention the discomfort that your dog will go through.

Collapsing trachea claimed another victim, as my Yorkie passed away from suffocation, in his sleep on October 1, 2008. So, if your dog is making sounds like coughing, please discuss this with your vet so you will know what to expect. Gather as much information as you can and do everything possible to make your dog as comfortable as you can. You might try using a cool mist humidifier at night in the area where your dog sleeps. Keep his weight down, also. But, most of all, love him and pay as much attention to him as you can. I was very fortunate to have had my Yorkie for 14 years. We were together constantly and he is terribly missed. I sincerely hope that if you are dealing with this health problem with your Yorkie, that you will find something that will help him. Now, please, go hug your dog!

The easiest and fastest way to find an EC Council Certified Security Analyst or ECSA training provider is to browse the Internet. However, not all online providers are equal in terms of the quality of training and course they provide. You are assured that you have chosen the right training provider if it is a recipient of the EC-Council Circle of Excellence Award.

The Wining Qualities of a Good ECSA Certification Provider:

Getting a training to become ECSA certified is a good investment move to boost your career. There are some factors to consider to make sure that you are investing your hard earned money on a training program that will benefit your career. A good training provider offers certification in Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT) as well as Security Analyst courses. Completion of these courses will earn you both LPT certification and ECSA certification.

A Background on LPT and ECSA:

An LPT training certification course allows you to learn common and advanced penetrating and hacking practices to make you an expert when it comes to testing the security of the network of your company. An LPT certificate gives you the skill and expertise to make recommendations concerning network security to administrators. To become an LPT, you need to be a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) which focuses on a safe business data environment.

A secure network is crucial to any businesses. That is why many organizations are looking for LPT professionals who are reliable and effective in finding network flaws and weaknesses. Also, businesses want LPT professionals who are trustworthy, meaning someone they can trust not to bring his knowledge of the weaknesses and flaws of a network to dangerous sources. Having an LPT certification demonstrates high level of hacking and forensic knowledge and practice as well as industry professionalism.

Meanwhile, an ECSA training course will teach you effective assessment of network security risks and threats based on various hacking techniques and penetrating methods. The emphasis of the course is to make you become knowledgeable about the ways that networks can be maliciously attacked and to identify measures that you can implement to reduce or prevent these risks.

ECSA Modules:

An ECSA certification program will benefit network server, system and firewall administrators as well as risk assessment and security testing professionals. One of the modules in the program concerns security analysis. It helps you determine new threats and exploits, environmental complexity, authorization, authentication, confidentiality, risk analysis, risk assessment and how to simplify risk.

Other course modules include rules of engagement, penetration testing methodologies, vulnerability analysis, information gathering, external penetration testing, standards and compliance and post testing actions.

It would benefit you further if you choose a training provider that offers a course that deals with data leakage penetration, analysis of penetration testing report, documentation writing, security patches penetration test, broadband communication penetration test, telecommunication penetration test, war dialing, file integrity checking, penetration testing of routers and switches and wireless network.

With the digital world evolution, the need to secure customer identities also evolved. The customers of today are expecting a secure experience from organizations. The increasing utilization of cloud based services and mobile devices has also enhanced the risk of data breaches. Do you know the overall account hacking losses increased 61% to $2.3 billion and the incidents increased up to 31% compared to 2014?

SMS based One-Time Password is a technology invented to deal with counter phishing and other authentication related security risk in the web world. In general, SMS based OTPs are used as the second factor in two factor authentication solutions. It requires users to submit a unique OTP after entering credentials to get themselves verified on the website. 2FA has become an effective way to reduce hacking incidents and preventing identity frauds.

But unfortunately, SMS based OTP are no longer secure nowadays. There are two main reasons behind this:

• First, the major security of the SMS based OTP relies on the privacy of the text message. But this SMS relies on security of the cellular networks and lately, many of the GSM and 3G networks have implied that the privacy of these SMS cannot be essentially provided.
• Second, hackers are trying their best to intrude in customers data and therefore have developed many specialized mobile phone trojans to get into customers data.

Let’s talk about them in detail!

Major risks associated with SMS based OTP:

The key goal of the attacker is to acquire this one time password and to make it possible, many of the options are developed like mobile phone Trojans, wireless interception, SIM Swap attacks. Let’s discuss them in detail:

1. Wireless Interception:

There are many factors that make GSM technology less secure like lack of mutual authentication, lack of robust encryption algorithms, etc. It is also found that the communication between mobile phones or base stations can be eavesdropped and with the help of some protocol weaknesses, can be decrypted too. Moreover, it is found that by abusing femtocells also 3G communication can be intercepted. In this attack, a modified firmware is installed on the femtocell. This firmware contains capabilities of sniffing and interception. Also these devices can be used for mounting attacks against mobile phones.

2. Mobile phone trojans:

The latest rising threats for mobile devices are the mobile phone malwares, specially Trojans. These malwares are designed specifically to intercept the SMS that contains One Time Passwords. The major goal behind creating such malwares is to earn money. Let’s understand the different types of Trojans that are capable of stealing SMS based OTPs.

The first known piece of Trojans was ZITMO (Zeus In The Mobile) for Symbian OS. This trojan was developed to intercept mTANs. The trojan has the capability to get itself registered to the Symbian OS so that when they the SMS can be intercepted. It contains more features like message forwarding, message deletion, etc. Deletion ability completely hides the fact the message ever arrived.

Similar kind of Trojan for Windows Mobile was identified in Feb 2011, named as Trojan-Spy.WinCE.Zot.a The features of this Trojan were similar to above one.

The Trojans for Android and RIM’s Black Berry also exist. All of these known Trojans are user installed softwares which is why they don’t leverage any security vulnerability of the affected platform. Also, they make use of social engineering to convince user into installing the binary.

3. Free public Wi-Fi and hotspots:

Nowadays, it is no longer difficult for hackers to use an unsecured WiFi network to distribute malware. Planting an infected software on your mobile device is no longer a tough task if you are allowing file sharing across the network. Additionally, some of the criminals have also got the ability of hack the connection points. Thus they present a pop-up window during connection process which requests them to upgrade some popular software.

4. SMS encryption and duplication:

The transmission of SMS from the institute to customer occurs in plain text format. And need I say, it passes through several intermediaries like SMS aggregator, mobile vendor, application management vendor, etc. And any of the collusion of hacker with weak security controls can pose a huge risk. Additionally many a times, hackers get the SIM blocked by providing a fake ID proof and acquire the duplicate SIM by visiting mobile operators’ retail outlet. Now the hacker if free to access all the OTPs arrived on that number.

5. Madware:

Madware is the type of aggressive advertising that helps providing targeted advertising through the data and location of Smartphone by providing free mobile applications. But some of the madware have the capability to function like Spyware thereby being able to capture personal data and transfer them to app owner.

What is the solution?

Employing some preventing measures is must to ensure security against the vulnerability of SMS based One time password. There are many solutions here like introducing Hardware tokens. In this approach, while performing a transaction, the token will generate a one time password. Another option is using a one touch authentication process. Additionally, an application can also be required to install on mobile phone to generate OTP. Below are two more tips to secure SMS based OTP:

1. SMS end to end encryption:

In this approach, end-to-end encryption to protect one time passwords so that removing its usability if the SMS is eavesdropped on. It makes use of the “application private storage” available in most of the mobile phones nowadays. This permanent storage area is private to every application. This data can be accessed only by the app that is storing the data. In this process, the first step contains the same process of generating OTP, but in the second step this OTP is encrypted with a customer-centric key and the OTP is sent to the customer’s mobile. On the receiver’s phone, a dedicated application displays this OTP after decrypting it. This means even if the Trojan is able to get access to the SMS, it won’t be able to decrypt the OTP due the absence of required key.

2. Virtual dedicated channel for the mobile:

As phone Trojans are the biggest threat to SMS based OTP, since performing Trojan attack on large scale is not difficult anymore, this process requires minimal support from OS and minimal-to-no support from the mobile network providers. In this solution, certain SMS are protected from eavesdropping by delivering them to only a special channel or app. The process requires a dedicated virtual channel in the mobile phone OS. This channel redirects some messages to a specific OTP application thus making them secure against eavesdropping. The use of application private storage ensures security to this protection.

Lastly, no matter which process you choose, no technology can ensure you 100% security. The key here is to be attentive and updated of the rapid changes occurring in technology.

Recently the CIA staged a practice simulation of a cyber attack used to take down the Internet. The simulated attack was called “Silent Horizons” and they learned quite a bit about what could happen if we fail to protect the flow of information. Now before you say no one could bring down the entire Internet. You are sadly mistaken, as we created it and mankind has those amongst us with the tools and brains to bring it all crashing down. I recommend you read up on the CIA report after it comes out on the Silent Horizon project and while you are at it; I recommend this book as well:

Tom Clancy’s “Net Force-CyberNation”

I would have to say this is a very provocative book and extremely interesting, story line and characters were interesting as well. Very high-tech thoughts on the future and things to come; I enjoyed it very much. It was interesting how the good guys, took shifts trying to catch the bad guys. Almost like zone defense in time. Since the techno geeks do not sleep and the enforcement officers do not work weekends, they trade off befriending these individuals by way of email, even though the bad guys who are really the good guys know it. The people in the story the new generation did not understand international property rights of information, similar to the Asian way of thinking in their culture. Surely this will be the cause of future wars and mist trust between government and people. The technology already is running away from the government now today as they attempt to stifle free enterprise, but as it has been said in the past you can lock up some ones body, but you cannot lock up their mind. In other words not everyone is motivated by money and the real thinkers and tinkerers will not stop simply because there is no money.

The Net Force is inept and cannot outsmart the outsmarters. The hackers were causing economic disruption and collecting more customers for their system and therefore be a member of their nation within the nation. This is an interesting idea. The difference between the RW “Real World” and VR “Virtual Reality World”. Where do you want to take your vacation? If it is in the RW, who pays for the roads if you are a member of the cyber nation and if you are a member of the RW, whose VR, which system are you on, and who can choose the rules? This is a great book, not the story line, not the characters, not the cover, but the thought provoking ideas and foresight. Best book I’ve read this year.

It is believed that China’s Military is the chief suspect in the attack on Google’s email infrastructure and its servers.

The ability to disable anything – “From power grids to the Stock Exchange”, says Duncan B. Hollis and David G. Post of the National Law Journal. “Thicker Firewalls and better mechanisms to detect and repel cyberspace attack strategy.” How to defend Military, Private, Commercial, and Worldwide infrastructure(s) is a chief concern for cyberspace attack issues.

A Tanker Ship Captain who was requesting aid sent an SOS via wireless radio. The call was heard almost immediately. A helicopter was dispatched as well the sea going vessel that initially received the call. Pirate vessels were descending upon the hapless vehicle, an Indian Oil Tanker.

The pirate boats aborted their attack for fear of the chopper and the arriving rescue ship. The receipt of an SOS by International Law requires its reception by seagoing (air as well) vessels to render assistance “at all possible speed.” This particular incident occurred off the coast of Somalia, January 2009. What about the assistance duties of cyberspace? A Captains mayday call or distress signal requires immediate response and or assistance. In today’s world of cybernetics, hyperlinks, and various information and data transmission (transportation)…legal issues arise in responsibility assistance and protection in and on the Internet – a virtual sea. The new type of pirate is here to challenge an threaten all with its “new form of attack(s).” The hacking of a million plus computers that encountered blocked Internet access was commandeered by the hack-attack. Internet networks and Intranets became vulnerable as well. The cyber attack filled newspaper headlines around the world. Government Network Operations, Emergency Telephone Connections, Electronic Banking Services, Hospitals, Colleges and Universities endured major communication and transmission interruptions in 2007.

The compromise of these networks and millions of connecting nodes has suffered repeated attacks. It has also been reported that militaries by the dozens have combined its forces and created what’s known as “Cyberforce.”

Security measures, in many cases, challenge hackers to improve their techniques while attacking vulnerable “Open Networks.” Identifying locations of attackers arise from the structure of the Internet. It is almost impossible to enforce the “Cyberspace Criminal Law(s). Military “Laws of War” do not apply so easily when it comes to law enforcement in cyberspace – the tools are merely instrumental protection for “Internet Users.” This recognition can therefore be quite effective in the fight against hackers. Entities in a position to assist would have an opportunity to respond to the sender of the SOS. Attackers could be cut off from users in need. The attackers could be traced to its origin(s) and thereby canceling out further interference from the cyber attack source.

Decisions to assist come only from providers that wish to utilize the aid resources. Holding cyberspace attackers accountable for their destruction/disruptions is not an easy task. All that providers can do is to keep the attack to a minimum level and provide assistance upon availability. The SOS in cyberspace can be heard. Most “Cloud” entities, agencies, and companies are capable of defending their Intranets and Quasi-Networks from major attacks by hackers with many protection tools and firewalls. It does not mean the law can’t or won’t intervene, especially when defensive and/or preventive measures have been implemented.

The point of the matter is that Internet users can and should expect and receive help from the Internet Cops. The village at large is or at least should be involved in the prevention and reporting of cyberspace attacks.

We’ve been amazed by it since its introduction. Who can’t remember the address given by Steve Jobs of Apple when he introduced the revolutionary iPhone? Who wasn’t amazed at the device that was capable of surfing the web, taking pictures, listening to music and of course receiving and placing calls?

Nothing new, right?

Just as the iPhone was released, hackers around North America started to dig into what makes this tick. The primary reason was to unlock the phone so that you didn’t have to sign-up with AT&T but with any carrier that supported the technology. But could there me more nefarious reasons to hack the iPhone?

Skilled hackers could now take their phone onto any carrier, but more importantly they could create and enable custom ring tones (without having to pay for buying ring tones), enable custom wallpapers and more.

In process of hacking into the iPhone, several tidbits were gleaned – such as the fact that the software on the iPhone runs as “root” – in the Unix world this basically gives you full and complete access to the machine. You could bring down entire servers and even chains of servers if you have ROOT access to a Unix machine.

So how does this impact you, the average user of the Apple iPhone that isn’t planning on hacking into their phone? Well someone may want to hack into your phone and they now have the blueprint to do it.

While Apple is working hard to try and prevent hacking by playing cat and mouse game, it will always be a cat and mouse game. If you happen to surf into a questionable website that happens to download software to your iPhone you could end up in a whole heap of trouble.

In an article in the New York Times Technology section from July 23, 2007, an iPhone flaw was found to let hackers take over the iPhone. Remember that most people store entire lives on their digital assistants (whether this is a Smart Phone, the iPhone or even a PDA). They keep names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses on them. Not to mention passwords, banking information (such as bank account numbers) and even digital images taken by the built-in camera.

Now imagine if a hacker has access to all this data.

The security firm, Independent Security Advisors found that through common flaws (and without even hacking into the phone) they were able to gain unauthorized access to the contents of the phone through a WiFi connection or by tricking users into visiting websites that insert malicious code onto the phone.

The hack enabled the firm to gain a wealth of personal information that the phone contained.

Dr. Miller, who was a former employee of the National Security Agency also demonstrated the hack by visiting a website of his own design, inserting some malicious code onto the phone and then proceeding to have the phone transmit data to the attacking computer. He went on to say that the attack could be used to program the phone to make calls thereby running up the phone bill of the user not to mention the phone could be used to spy on the individual by turning it into a portable bugging device – remember, it does have a built-in camera.

How can you protect yourself? As with any device, common sense should prevail. Don’t open e-mails from people you don’t know – if you open them, and there are attachments avoid opening the attachments or visiting the websites in question.

Since the Apple iPhone has automatic updates, always ensure your iPhone has the latest updates by visiting the manufacturer’s site.

If you are very concerned about threats to your iPhone you may also want to visit the website [http://www.exploitingphone.com/], which is run by Independent Security Evaluators to stay on top of hacks and threats to your personal data on the iPhone.

Even doing simple searches in Yahoo, Google, or MSN with ‘iPhone hacking threats’ will give you a wealth of information.