Steps To Be Taken For WordPress Security Issues

In this current generation, content management tools like WordPress has transformed our working style into an extremely easy and simple manner that occupies approximately the whole world. But the question comes here is: is using WordPress always an easy and secured option to work with?

Of-course sometimes its not secure while working with WordPress CMS tool. In this fast growing technology era, hackers have made their real business to interfere with user's private data or information on various other illegal websites. So, here in this blog we all need to know what advance steps are to be taken by us in order to avoid data hacking issues by such dangerous hackers to secure the WordPress CMS tool.


Avoid Mentioning of WordPress
Always mentioning WordPress in your website can lead to serious security issues. Hackers have high tendency to exploit all sorts of known vulnerabilities that are already added in your website by identifying the WordPress versions that you are working with which might include themes, plug-ins and other various such issues. This vulnerability can be prevented by removing all plug-in mentions from your WordPress website or other advance themes or plug-ins that have been installed. You can change your default links to protect yourself from WordPress vulnerability issues such as Brute-Force attacks.

Hiding WPPlug-in
Deactivating each and every mentions of WordPress that you are working with, can be quite difficult at times which might lead to time- consuming issues. So, to easily avoid WordPress attack, try to hide the WPplug-in feature that automatically avoid malicious attacks from dangerous hackers by updating users with new vulnerability glitches that might destroy the  WordPress functioning.


Data back-up
Data back-up option should be your first priority to avoid any kind of hacking issues. Apart from back-up option, one should follow a proper scan-up procedure to back-up all the important files. By following a routine back-up process of WordPress site, users can surely get rid of such malicious users to avoid losing all their essential data or a hacker's malicious activity. These below mentioned steps can be followed by users to avoid dangerous malicious activities on your WordPress site:

• BackUp WPFree
• VaultPress
• BackUp Buddy

Regular Updates
Regular updating process will keep WordPress website away from dangerous hackers that might harm your WordPress account. By having obsolete software update softwares, your WordPress database and all related information are highly prone to malicious attacks. If your WordPress website is hacked, its very much essential for users to install all new and fresh WordPress versions as this is the best option to recover and rebuild your WordPress website via FTP process.

Administrator Name Updation
By activating your WordPress default administrator name, its easy for hackers to easily get into your WordPress information, data and files that you have saved very easily. So, make sure that your WordPress account login details are properly changed and create a login by signing up into your account on fresh basis. One can follow this step by just creating a new administrative user account and deleting their old default administrator account.

Password Strength
Creating an account with weak password is more prone to hackers to hack your WordPress account by using special algorithm to gain access to the control panel as this is an easy way to get into your WordPress account details. To avoid this issue, users are suggested to create a strong password across the board. Do ensure that you have created a new account by following a password strength rule that applies to your password creation process while creating or updating your WordPress account. If you think that your account has been hacked, then it is recommended to immediately change your password for future prevention steps.

Back-door Hacking
When your WordPress account has been hacked, then it's quite possible that you might have left some way for hackers to get access to your account. Added code often seems to be an innocent one but at the same time, it will always give access to hackers the code which is often known as PHP code that are known to be eligible for hackers to crack the code and steal away all the information of WordPress account. These codes are often hidden in themes, plug-ins and various uploads that are required by WordPress to function properly. To get rid of such issues, users can always use special malicious scanner applications that are easily available on the Internet for free or for trial version. Once checking process is done, run your browser in incognito mode and later check if there is any threat found.


Sophia is a trained WordPress developer working with WordPrax Ltd. - HTML to WordPress company with global reach. If you're planning to convert HTML to WordPress for a brilliant online presence, she can help you. Some stunning articles related to website markup conversions can be found under her name.

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High Amounts of DDoS Attacks in 2013

The year of 2013 saw high amounts of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Beginning in March, finance, banking, and insurance companies were the focus of an assault that lasted for 14.6 days. Through the year, the attacks ranged from 20.6 hours to 5.4 hours at the end of the year.

The finance, banking, and insurance industries faced the brunt of these attacks towards the beginning of the year, whereas media and entertainment saw these types of attacks around the end of the year. The majority of attack vectors were User Datagram Protocol (UDP), SYN and Domain Name System (DNS).

The floods and the peak bandwidth ranged between 111gbps and 179gpbs. Some saw a peak attack of 144 million packets-per-second. These attacks focused on major corporations in the fields of finance, marketing, or politics, as well as various social media platforms and hubs. DDos attacks target massive online shops or host sites for independent sellers. It is a detriment to business and creates a lot of stress for those who fall prey to these forms of attacks.

Created by the marketing team at Prolexic Technologies.

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The Most Audacious Hacks in Computer History

When we think of warfare, most people will speak of the horror. Guns, tanks, bombs and explosions. Death and destruction everywhere. This is what war brings to people and to places.

However, there’s another form of warfare that is becoming increasingly prevalent and it can often be just as destructive as traditional war; cyber warfare.

Yes, computers are not only a powerful tool, but used by experts can be a powerful weapon too. The recent troubles with the Ukraine and Russia have highlighted cyber-attacks on Ukrainian computer networks. The sophisticated nature of the ‘Uroburos’ cyberweapon has led experts to believe it was designed to hack government and telecoms networks. Is it a coincidence that this weapon originated from Russia? Who can say, but it is not alone in being a way to disrupt people, businesses and countries as a malicious action.

Here are other examples of computer hacking which are noteworthy for their sheer audaciousness.

US Nearly Explodes Siberia. All of it.
The year is 1982. It is the height of the Cold War between the USA and Russia. The CIA and their Soviet equivalent, the KGB, were constantly trying to outdo each other. In one of the first examples of a Trojan Virus, the CIA added it to software the Russians stole and then used to monitor and regulate Russian gas pipelines. The software would lie in wait until the program finished running a specific number of commands (in this case, 10 million cycles).

After 10 million, it would change the program slightly. This occurred after several months, and then things got serious. The code instructed the software to run a pressure test at higher than normal levels. However, the CIA did not take into account that Russian engineering might not be equipped to handle it. The result was a pipeline explosion in Siberia that was so big it was 20% the strength of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

The Best Spy in the Business Wasn’t a Person
Traditionally, secret agents and spies were men and women who put their lives on the line for their government. It didn’t take long for someone to figure out a computer could probably do the same job.
Enter Flame. 20 megabytes of code that was programmed to spy on several countries in the Middle East. Flame had the ability to do the following:

• Copy files
• Capture screenshots
• Download instant messaging logs
• Turn on computer microphones and cameras remotely

Basically, it acted like James Bond in many ways. In fact, it was also programmed to project a specific cryptographic sequence known as a ‘prefix collision attack’ in case of detection. This means that is basically disguised itself (like any good spy) by convincing antivirus software that it was supposed to be there.

The amazing thing is that if it did get detected, it would delete itself and all traces from a system. It managed to operate for five years until eventually discovered in Iran. They claimed that the US was responsible for the virus. The US has denied all knowledge so we may never know the truth.

This post was written by Jake Messer on behalf of HANDD, a company specialising in data loss prevention services, file encryption and managed file transfer.

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The History of Hacking Culture

Hacking culture is changing and developing all the time. The modern world is full of flaws to discover and secret places to explore. It makes sense that people are fascinated with the subject, but how has it progressed over time?

In 1975 the “Robin Hood and Friar Tuck” programs were installed on Xerox machines by Motorola staff which meant every time the program was deleted, it would re-appear after the computer rebooted.  This virus was the first of its kind and paved the way for a long line of internet virus hacks that we see today.
As for today, hacking culture has matured and more recently the ‘free online school’ hack believed that ‘information wants to be free’ and so this saw a rise in code literacy and naturally made people even more aware of computer security, which can only be beneficial.

What will happen in the future? Will the elite hackers go underground and start working for the government? Who knows! Either way it’s clear that hacking will always have security perks. If there weren’t people to uncover pitfalls, we wouldn’t be making online security tighter.

By James Duval, business and technology editor at GKBCInc.

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What to Look for in Your Next DDoS Mitigation Provider

DDoS attacks are serious and could be detrimental to your brand and products. You need a DDoS mitigation provider that you can trust to protect your product and image. If you are looking for a new provider, a few key components go into an excellent one.

Being able to access the provider’s portal from anywhere -- including on a mobile device -- is important. Also, you want a provider with the best security protocols in place. A good provider also offers you rich DDoS forensics so that you have accurate insight into DDoS activity from around the world -- helping you stay informed and proactive.

Deep network visibility is also important, so if you’re not receiving mitigation effort data that is up to the minute, you might want to look for a different provider. By hiring the right provider, the first time around your brand and reputation can be secured

Created by the marketing team at Prolexic Technologies.

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Five Reasons Security Is A Necessity When Purchasing A New Mobile Device

You need security for your smartphone.
Are you thinking of buying yourself a new mobile phone this Christmas season? If so, you should know that you will need to have security installed on it as soon as you buy it, otherwise you will almost certainly find yourself faced with more trouble than you know how to handle farther down the road. Five reasons to get security are outlined in the sections below.

1) Smartphones are vulnerable too.
Users are only beginning to realize this fact, but smartphones are as vulnerable to malware, viruses, Trojan horses and other threats that come from online, being as they are, in essence, devices that have all the capabilities of a computer, though on the scale of a cellphone. This may be a tough fact to accept, but it is one which cellphone owners are going to have to realize and acknowledge if they are to do something to avoid becoming the next victims of the latest online threats.

2) They can be the prime targets of online threats.
What is more, the creators of many of these destructive programs are now targeting smartphones specifically. This fact is becoming more and more true as more and more people turn to smartphones rather than PCs as their primary method of surfing the Web (indeed, some experts are predicting that by 2020 there will be more smartphone than PC surfers!). One consequence of this trend is that hundreds of apps are created each day for all kinds of purposes, from shopping to checking the weather to losing weight, and this area is fertile ground for unscrupulous programmers who want to hack into somebody’s account. Many apps are really a cover for security threats. This also means that you should have the phone any new apps that may look attractive to you before you decide to download them.

3) Why does my mobile phone bill say I owe $6,734?
Sometimes the goal of hackers who take control of other people’s smartphones is to get a “free ride” by racking up call after call on them and leaving the owners on the hook for the expenses that they incur. Even if you know that you did not make all those calls, it may be extremely difficult to track down the offender and get back all the money that he or she stole from you. If no other danger should motivate you to protect your new mobile phone from attacks this one certainly should.

4) “Coffee shop attacks”
The public wifi connections that you find in hotels, airports and other public places are inherently non-secure. As a result, they are a common place for hackers to go looking for unsuspecting victims whose passwords and other sensitive data they can easily steal. It is up to you to make sure that your smartphone has adequate security software to protect it. Better yet, you should steer clear of this places and hook up your cellphone only in private, secure locations.

5) It is best to take care of the security problem while the device is new.
Mobile security is a problem that is easiest to solve if you undertake the task before you do anything else with the device. The most common threats to mobile phones come from downloading email attachments, apps and whole websites. If the first thing that you do with your new smartphone is to take care of security matters, you will be acting proactively, before any threats have even occurred - which is, after all, the best path of all. The adages “Better safe than sorry” and “A stitch in time saves nine” apply to mobile phone security just as much as it does to life in general. The best security software can intercept destructive malware before they even have time to “take residence” on the device. They can also be updated to provide protection against newer and newer threats. There are many other things they can do too, like use GPS to locate a lost or stolen mobile phone and even cause it to “lock up” if an unauthorized person gets hold of it.

Sarah Hendricks who is a security expert on protecting users and businesses from hackers and data leakage with NQ.com. NQ Mobile security provides all kinds of mobile security; users in the office, at home, or working remotely are all subject to attack, click here to learn where to find mobile security applications.

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Ways to Keep Your Personal Information Secure

It is estimated that 10 million individuals each year are victims of identity theft. In order to eliminate theft and fight back against fraudsters it is important to take all of the steps possible to protect your valuable information. Do not carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse and never have a slip of paper on you that lists out your passwords to help you remember them.

All this does is give a potential hacker direct access to your accounts and information that will allow them to take advantage of you and ruin you financially. Be sure to collect your mail promptly each day so there is no opportunity for people to swipe bills and other account statements. In addition, it is a good idea to check with your various creditors and businesses you have an account with to see what they are doing to help protect your information. You can get more tips on how to prevent identity theft by reading the infographic below.

Created by Britni Zandbergen, Senior Director of Marketing at Idology.  Britni has years of experience in identity management as well as dynamic SaaS solutions.

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Pros And Cons Of AdAware Anti-Spyware Program

Often when you surf the Internet going from site to site adware is installed on your computers. This happens when you download a free application or even give out your email. It is a marketing tool that is used for finding out what websites you go to so they can sell products or services to you. There is a debate over whether this is an ethical marketing tool as some consumers do not like these programs.

Pros of Adware Anti-Spyware Program
Adware Anti-Spyware Program is a program you install on your computer or laptop that helps you detect these adware and malware programs. When the program detects the adware it lets blocks or stop the popup ads or programs from functioning. This program scans downloaded files to check for threats. When you attach a USB to your computer the program will scan for malware and infections.

When a file is suspected of infection or malware it moves the file to a quarantined area or sandbox. This program will monitor the behavior of the file to see if it is infected. This program helps you shop and bank online more safely. When people use social networks it helps protect their identify and from virus attacks when using email or links. This program has a game mode that let's you play a video game or watch a movie without the software interrupting you with urgent updates. It scans most websites for url's that are dangerous or downloadable files that have malware or viruses. This sites are checked against a central database of sites that are known to be dangerous.

This central database is updated every five to twenty minutes preventing you from stumbling on phishing sites accidently. The program has free installation and setup assistance. You can call the company by phone and get up to 15 minutes of free advice on a problem you have. If you think your laptop or computer are infected the Lavasoft Network will try to diagnose and fix the problem. This program is for home use or professional offices. It has a fast antivirus program that goes with the Adware Anti-Spyware Program. It protects you from email threats like viruses and program that are sent as attachments through email. It keeps you protected against the latest viruses and worms as they develop. It stops infected files from downloading before they can infect your computer. On social networks it protects your passwords and personal information. If there are links on posting of social network it scans them to insure safety. It has an advanced two way firewall that protect your computer . This program has a file shredder that permanently deletes files with passwords and information you do not want to be found.

Cons of The Program
When tested against other more powerful programs Lavasoft was found to be an average program. It does not slow down your system while performing and does a fairly accurate job of identifying dangerous files and websites. When tested for protecting against malware it was not found to be as good as other program that it competes with.

Reference: http://anti-spyware-review.toptenreviews.com/ad-aware-se-pro-review.html 

+Katrina uses her technical knowledge to help people. At Rack Solutions. her passion for technology and wealth of knowledge have helped many people find the right solution in their unique situation.

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