Category: Security

Why companies don’t consider Security and how to decode a Barcode!

Paul

Weak Security is NO security!

I am working with a company of late that few months and I must say their security is weak to say the least. They use Barcodes to establish who they are and what jobs they are doing.   It seems kinda simplistic to some but to me they are just asking for problems.   Now a days, 90% of people who work have access to some kind of smart phone, whether it be Android or IOS each one has their unique problems but I am not here to talk about their problems but to point out that each one can literally scan a barcode and decode it in a matter of minutes!

How to decode a Barcode!

If your looking to decode a barcode for Android, I can help.  Here are a few that I’ve found to work really well with any and all barcodes you might have a need for!

  • Google Goggles — This app for the Android is so interesting, I have installed on my phone just to see what would the world be like if we had those on Google Glasses which I suspect is coming soon!
  • Barcode Scanner  by ZXing Team — This is a good little app for those of you who just want to see what the code is and so forth.   It can does 1d, 2d, and QR Codes.   This is also a really useful app for those of you who want to see what the barcode at work really says about you!
  • Barcode Scanner by TACOTY CN — Another one that does basically what others do and it can decode any barcode that you might have to see what it really says about you.   
  • Scan by Scan, Inc — Here is a good tool for reading barcodes.   I really can’t say much more than this because they are do basically the same thing 1d, 2d, and QR Codes.   Works really well though!
  • ClearImage Free Online Barcode Reader / Decoder — Although this isn’t a app for Android it can be very useful for anyone who has a camera and would like to decode a barcode this way.   No need for a smart phone, just a camera will do that can take digital pictures.

The Problem!

The company I am contracted with thinks this is convenient and probably even thinks no one will abuse this.   I hate to think of who might use this to gain personal information about another worker or even get them fired.   It isn’t hard to imagine that someone may go so far as use someone else’s barcode just to get them in trouble.   So why use barcodes in business?  This is a constant problem that needs to be fixed ASAP for any business that does this might want to consider changing over to something a little more secure.   In the coming weeks, I’ll probably talk about this in more detail but until I fix the problems with this company I can’t go into much more detail.   

Paul Sylvester

 

 

 

Balancing Act between Technology and Lifestyle!

Paul

Balancing Act

Technology is a Balance!

It isn’t everyday that you hear people say that they have to balance work, family, and Technology.   Technology has never been in demand like it has today.    Everyone can say they do it really easily but it isn’t always that simple or some would just stretch the truth.   Truth be told no one ever thought it would be this difficult to keep up with technology and keep themselves involved with their kids and work. 

Human Error!

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Human error is always going to be a problem because no one can do the job a 100% that being said we have seen in the past where Human error can cause data lose.  That though isn’t as big as keeping your data safe from those bad guys that would love to find out all that personal information from your tablet or computer.   Some would say that Facebook has problems too, and I would tend to agree but it isn’t the end all to keeping your information safe from Identity Thefts.

Protecting your Data!

I am sure most people will say that it is impossible, I tend to agree but we can at least make it harder for someone to get that data that they want to use against you or just to see what you’ve been up.   Here are a few things you can do to make it that much harder for someone to get that information!

  • Encrypting your Data — You can do this from several different ways.   It just depends on how you want to proceed.  If your an Android user you have several options to encrypt your device.  I won’t go into much detail on how because each device is a little different but you know where you can start!
  • Password Manager — This has been something that I tell people every time I see someone’s account being hacked.   If you don’t have a strong password than you can’t possibly keep people from gaining access.   I suggest using Lastpass and even tell people to invest in Yubikey also!
  • Back up your data — It isn’t easy but it is Essential to keep your data backed up because you never really know what will happen and you should always try to keep at least three or four different backup options.   This way if one fails you have a redundancy to help you keep your data from getting lost!

How to Balance Life with Technology!

Here is something you probably are very interested in learning.   I only have one rule when it comes to this and it is something that I have to work at each and every day.   I have come to the conclusion to set time limits on when I use my computer and when I am using technology.   I will not use it all the time and I will not miss being with my kids.   I am sure you have the same problem as me and that is why you were looking for this answer but it isn’t like it will help you because it is all about discipline and you only gain that by doing this every day in school, work, or home.  One tip that I can help you with this is, set a limit and slowing each week or day take a minute off until you get to that limit.   It will be a slow process but it will be a rewarding one at the end.

Paul Sylvester

 

The Cheating Husband Syndrome!

Paul

When wives suspect!

Nothing in the world is the hardest to uncover.   At least that is my opinion on this because the Husband will do almost anything to hide an affair.   So what is the wife going to do.   I don’t know about the everyone else but I had an interesting experience the other day and I want to discuss this in detail about what happened. 

Once a Cheater always a Cheater!

This is something of a personal belief but back to the story, I found a profile on a few of the dating sites and I thought it was strange.   I knew she was married and everything.  So I wanted to contact her and try to find out for sure.  I posted about it on my blog as a way to hopefully draw out the impersonator and try to determine just what the intent was.   It never really happened because the person involved didn’t feel the need to Google their name.   Probably because that was somewhat of a fake last name.  So that didn’t pan out like I had hoped.  So I found her at a local community gathering.   I help direct the technical stuff for a local church.   So I just waited to bump into her.   That day came and I told her about her profiles on the few dating sites.   She was confused and a little worried someone might of had her credit cards and her personal information.  I started to do my research and she does her research.

Wasn’t a Stranger doing the impersonating!

So she gets back with me and tells me what she found out.   It was her Sister who has a hubby who has cheated on her in the past.   Seems she wanted to use those accounts to spy on her hubby and see if she could find him on any dating sites.   So she tells her sister to remove those accounts but wasn’t really happy with her about not asking her.  That ends the story but it is never really over.

Even though it was a family member, most people would still worry about how the pictures and information got out.   I already thought of that, she used her Facebook information even though the security part of it wouldn’t of helped.   It was a friend or family and thus the photo’s would of still been viewable and download able to the persons computer.

Things you can do to prevent this!

Some of the common problems people don’t do are stuff that if you did this it wouldn’t of happened.   So I am going to lay out some things you can do to fight people from stealing your identity and impersonating you.  

 

  • Setup Email Alerts — This is something simple but set up a Email alert with your Name and if anything happens to appear you should be notified once a day.   This will help keep your identity from being stolen on the internet.
  • Check your Facebook Settings — This is something I recommend to all my friends and family.   Keep track of who sees what and what information is given out on your social networks.   Make sure only the important information is given out to the people who need that, not to strangers.
  • Remove the Exif Tags from Photos — if you plan to upload photos to any social site it is best practice to make sure people can’t track or know where you’ve been.   It can also be a security issue for some.   So removing it will help reduce your risk of identity theft.

 

There are more than these three but this will at least point you in the right direction to start preventing people from taking your identity and using it for their own means.   If you know other ways to fight identity theft then please feel free to leave a comment.   I’d love to hear what you have to say on the subject.

Paul Sylvester

 

 

How to Figure out if you have a Virus on your System!

Paul
Infected by Antivirus software

Series picked up!

Few years ago, I did a post called What is a Virus and why do I have one. It spawned someone wanting to find out more about the virus but I have been really busy with my personal to finish the series. I thought this would be a great place to pick it up because of my personal life has slowed down and I wanted to at least finish this excellent series that I was so determined to write about.  Even though I have an Excellent resource for Anti-virus tools and tips, I still feel I could expand on the subject just a little more!   In this series we will talk about a few things like:

  • Where does the Virus and malware usually hide!

  • How to determine if a file should be there!

  • Which anti-virus software is the best, in my opinion!

  • How to warn you friends of Family!

  • What steps you should take in the Future!

  • Windows isn’t the only system that can get infected!

As you can see there is going to be a lot to talk about in this series because I am sure most of you have these types of questions that you would love to get answered.   I won’t say I will cover the topic a 100% because there are always going to be Rogue Viruses and malware that will do something different.   This is after all going to be a generalization of a typical virus!

Where does a Virus and Malware Like to Hide on my computer?

I’m sure you’ve asked this question before and I’m going to help you out a little.  Having removed several different viruses off my own system and others, I will tell you where you should look and what you should look for!   Note: You should look but don’t hit the Delete key.   You just might crash your system and have to restore it.   Sometimes these viruses like to latch on to a system file and you will need an Antivirus software to remove it!

Most of the time they are in the Windows directories:

  • C:/Windows/  (look for names that should be there and either Google the file to see what is being said about it!)

  • C:/Windows/System32 (Do the same as above but also look for .DLL and double check)

  • Make sure there aren’t any Hidden Directories by going to Control Panel / Folder Options / View.

  • Check the Registry for Anything Suspicious!  (The quicked and easiest way for this is to just use Hijackthis and Let it make a TXT File and then let One of the Log Analyzers  check it out!)

  • Check your Windows Program Files C:/Program Files/ and C:/Program Files(x86).   Each directory has files that are going to be Essential to run Windows but that doesn’t mean you can look and search for a file or program.  You will however need to still Google the program when you want to know if it should be there or not!

As you can see there are many places where this like to hide but that doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself.

How to know if I have a Virus or not!

This has been asked by many people on the internet.   I’m no exception because sometimes you just don’t know, and thus you will want to protect yourself.   I will however tell you some of the more common signs of virus infection and then let tell you my opinion on which is better.  For Right now, though let’s  explore some of the more common signs of an infection:

  • System seems slow — Although this isn’t always meaning a virus, it can be a good indication.

  • Network Slowness — Again, this isn’t always a virus because you could be downloading updates to Windows or other Window files.  It however should be kept an eye out for.   If your interested to see what might be hogging your connection you can always use NETSTAT to see what is being used on your computer.   Remember to make sure you Wifi is not being used by your neighbors.

  • Unusual Website Popups — This is pretty much showing something is being done without your permission.   So you can usually attribute this to Malware but not always.

  • Hard Disk is constantly on — This isn’t always about a virus but something being accessed to much and thus might mean someone Malware is using your computer to store data that they want to hide.

These are the usual tale tale signs of something that shouldn’t be there and thus you should do a system scan to make sure!

Which Software is the Best, in my opinion!

I might be a little biased when it comes to removing viruses and which Antivirus does the job.   I’ve even talked about some of them om my Antivirus page, so you can see I do know a little more than the average Joe.  This doesn’t mean I am a expert on the field but I do know which software seems to run best for removing viruses.   I’m still under the opinion that the free antivirus, which is Malwarebytes [Affiliate Link].   They are constantly updating their virus definitions and have always been there when I had a question.  I have no problems with them in any way and thus I tell people who I remove viruses from to go and buy it [Affiliate Link] because once you have it you are set for life.   No need to buy a license every year, you only have to buy once and you are set.

If your worried about having a virus, just go check out Malwarebytes [Affiliate Link] and they do have a free version that you can try before you buy.

Paul Sylvester

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How to hack without hacking!

Paul

Anyone can Hacking!

I must admit this post will be one of those that you really can eat.   I’m not saying that you should hack but lately it has been so easy to discover some website to help enable people to hack.  After watching to Security Now Episode 339: ScriptNo for Chrome, I found out about the “Trend Netcam Problem” where if you have a Netcam on the internet all they would have to do is add “(IP address)/anony/mjpg.cgi” and you can find out some IP’s that have Netcams.  The fun part is if you just Google “/anony/mjpg.cgi” you can find a list of IP’s that might have netcams on them!

Pastebin can be useful!

I like to occasionally check the trends for Pastebin every so often because they usually have something of interest on them. I have found that Pastebin is an excellent source of hacking information. So many hackers are using this service that you never really know what you find from day to day.   You   can easily search the Pastebin site for stuff that you might want to check out.   I’m always trying to find stuff that I can use to help the community.  Sometimes though you find scripts that people have made for some reason or other but you get to see the script, so you don’t run the script but you can see the meat and bones.   If your a programmer, you will know what some of this is all about and what it is doing.

Finding Gems!

I never once said that keeping up to date is something that you should not do but it is something that you could do.   Every So often I see something that strikes my fancy and it should be announced to the world.   If your looking to learn how to hack there are of course places on the internet that will show you just that.  I on the other hand will not show you but tell you when something is going on that you should do for yourself rather letting the hackers have all the fun!

Paul Sylvester

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