Surf Safer With IE9

Throughout the beta testing phase of Internet Explorer, and the days and weeks leading up to its official launch, much has been made of the blazing performance of IE9's hardware accelerated graphics, and the overall immersive experience of the new browser. Another facet of IE9, though--which has received less attention--is the improved security of the browser. Here are four features of IE9 that make it safer and more secure:

1. Tracking Protection. If you are concerned with the privacy of your online browsing activities, Microsoft's hybrid approach to the "do not track" dilemma seems to be the best option currently on the table. Microsoft combines Tracking Protection Lists in IE9--which essentially blacklist specific sites to block them from gathering tracking data--with the more proactive approach of alerting sites to your privacy wishes using information in the HTTP header of your Web traffic. Between the two approaches, unwanted tracking of your browsing session should be minimized.

2. SmartScreen Application Reputation. You have probably seen at one time or another the Microsoft warning that "this type of file may harm your computer" when downloading files from your browser. The problem is that the warning is too generic and applies to virtually all downloads. With IE9, Microsoft strives to reduce the number of frivolous warnings, and provide more information for downloads that are truly potential threats. The SmartScreen Application Reputation protection assesses the reputation of a given file or download based on whether it has been signed by its author, the established reputation of the author, and the number of times it has been previously downloaded by others to determine the relative trust the file should be given.

3. Browser Segregation. When you use the pinned sites feature of IE9 and Windows 7 to access a website, the site opens in its own browser session, independent of the desktop browser. The browser session segregation means that session cookies are not accessible by other tabs or windows in the main desktop browser, and are safe from any compromise or abuse from other sites.

4. Stripped Down. Another function of running a site as a pinned site in IE9 and Windows 7 is that the browser session opens without any browser helper objects (BHO) or add-on toolbars that might be installed in the desktop browser. With fewer extraneous apps running within and alongside the browser session, the potential attack surface is minimized and there are fewer opportunities for malicious exploits to attack.

There are other features and functions of Internet Explorer 9 that provide a safer and more secure Web surfing experience. IE9 also includes protection such as DEP and ASLR which have been proven to be vulnerable, but still provide additional layers of protection that can prevent the vast majority of Web-based attacks.

Orignal posted on yahoo.news

Searching for free stuff online can be costly

It's common knowledge that you can catch computer viruses on porn Web sites. But did you know it's also risky to surf the Web searching for free movies or music?

A study from McAfee to be released on Tuesday finds that adding the word "free" when looking for entertainment content in search engines greatly increases the chances of landing on a site hosting malware. For instance, searching for free music ringtones increases the chances of hitting a malicious site by 300 percent, according to the report, "Digital Music & Movies Report: The True Cost of Free Entertainment." (PDF) Searching for "lyrics" for a particular artist is twice as risky on average as searching for "ringtones" for the same artist for the first five pages of results, the report found. And including the term "MP3" increases the riskiness of music searches in general.

There has been a 40 percent increase in the number of Web sites that are delivering infected MP3 files or that seem to be built for purposes of financial fraud or delivering malware, according to the report. Meanwhile, McAfee found malware associated with a number of Web sites around the world advertising free downloads of sports games, movies, and TV shows. Twelve percent of sites that distribute unauthorized content are distributing malware, and 7 percent of sites offering unauthorized content have associations with cybercrime organizations, the report concluded. "The sites often look very professional and attempt to lure the user with the idea of a 'trial period' or even some nominal fee that is much less than what may ultimately be charged," the report says. "Once the user agrees, they have to authorize their computer to access and interact with computers that are involved in a wide range of schemes--from money laundering to stealing credentials such as user names and passwords. In addition, with this access, your computer is profiled--with all of its software versions, user agents, and any other date--and this information can be provided to third parties for malicious purposes. (This is often called 'fingerprinting.')"

To reduce the chances of landing on malicious sites, McAfee recommends avoiding the use of the word "free" in searches for entertainment content, avoiding clicking on links in banner ads on content sites that aren't well established, not clicking on links posted in forums and on fan pages, keeping security software up to date, and using safe search plug-ins like McAfee Site Advisor that warns of potentially risky sites. Read more:

inSSIDer Wi-Fi Scanner

inSSIDer Wi-Fi Scanner
MetaGeek's InSSIDer is a great tool for finding Wi-Fi networks within range of your computer and gathering a great deal of information about each. It's also useful for troubleshooting problems with your own Wi-Fi network. For every Wi-Fi network InSSIDer finds, it shows you the MAC address of the router, the router manufacturer (if it can detect it -- it usually does), the channel it's using, the service set identifier (SSID) or public name of the network, what kind of security is in place, the speed of the network and more. In addition, it displays the current signal strength of the network, as well as its signal strength over time.

How would you use the software to troubleshoot your wireless network? If you see that your network uses the same channel as nearby networks with strong signals, you'll know that you should change the channel your network transmits over and thereby cut down on potential conflicts. (Most routers have a settings screen that lets you do this.) You can also use the software to detect "dead zones" that don't get a strong Wi-Fi connection. Walk around your home or office with InSSIDer installed on your laptop to see where signal strength drops. You can either avoid using a computer in those spots or else try repositioning the wireless router to see if it helps with coverage. Whether you need to troubleshoot a network or find Wi-Fi hot spots to which you want to connect -- or you're just plain curious -- this is one app you'll want to download and try.
What's Unique about inSSIDer?
* Use Windows Vista and Windows XP 64-bit.
* Uses the Native Wi-Fi API.
* Group by Mac Address, SSID, Channel, RSSI and Time Last Seen.
* Compatible with most GPS devices (NMEA v2.3 and higher).

How can inSSIDer help me?
* Inspect your WLAN and surrounding networks to troubleshoot competing access points.
* Track the strength of received signal in dBm over time.
* Filter access points in an easy to use format.
* Highlight access points for areas with high Wi-Fi concentration.
* Export Wi-Fi and GPS data to a KML file to view in Google Earth.

Price: Free
Compatible with: Windows XP, Vista and 7 (32- and 64-bit)
Download inSSIDer Wi-Fi Scanner (2.24MB Free)