Introducing Gift a Tech!
Introducing Gift a Tech! Check out our new site to see how you can save yourself time and money by using our skilled technicians.
Hide Your Dirty Laundry With Our Secure Wifi Cheatsheet
We’ve talked about wireless security before, but thanks to a little Firefox extension called Firesheep, the dangers of using public wifi are finally getting the attention they deserve. The technology in Firesheep isn’t anything new — in fact, black hat hackers have had the ability to do this sort of thing for years. But thanks to Firesheep’s convenient packaging, which makes it dead-simple for pretty much anyone on the same unsecure wireless network as you to sidejack your Facebook session or worse, awareness for this threat is reaching a crescendo, and prompting big name web sites to finally adopt full SSL encryption. Check out this list to see which common sites are vulnerable to Firesheep attacks (as of 11/1/10).
If you’re not a network security geek, you might be wondering how to know if you’re vulnerable — and what to do about it. Here’s the lay of the land. Read more
Learning Is Fun: Brush Up On Your Economics With Seinfeld
You may not have realized it, but Seinfeld’s nine seasons are jam-packed with salient economic (and life) lessons. Econ professors Linda Ghent, Alan Grant, and George Lesica have just recently unveiled their new web site, Yada Yada Yada Econ, which indexes each of those lessons by concept and episode.
For example, in episode 2 of season 4 (“The Deal”) we learn about deadweight loss, signaling, and utility:
Jerry gives Elaine cash for her birthday, thinking she can spend it on whatever she likes best. But Elaine is mortified; she wanted a thoughtful gift that signaled Jerry had put great thought into his gift. Kramer enters and does just that—gives Elaine a thoughtful gift.
The three professors plan on expanding their project to include more pop culture references in the future. Here’s to hoping they do Lost next!
Tip of the Week: Is Your Browser Secure?
One of the most common ways to get a virus or malware infection is to have out-of-date browser plug-ins. We’ve all seen those annoying pop-ups asking you to update your Java, Flash, Shockwave, or Adobe Reader, and it’s awfully tempting to just click “ignore.” But doing so is equivalent to neglecting to change your locks after your keys have been stolen. Read more
The Seven Horsemen of the Web Apocalypse
The Defcon Black Hat security conference took place this past week, so there’s been a lot of interesting security-related buzz, but possibly most interesting is the fact that seven security experts have been given the literal “keys to reboot the internet” in the event that a catastrophe takes it down. To be clear, what they are talking about specifically is the system of trust known as DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) that serves as the Internet’s Yellow Pages database of web addresses.
Other interesting stories from Defcon:
Massive ATM Machine Vulnerability
Tracking Virus Writers with Digital Fingerprints
Confessions of a Spyware Writer
Hacker Shows How to Intercept 80% of the World’s Cell Phone Calls with $1500 of Equipment
The Ultimate Password Security Solution
Many of us at Student Experts have been using LastPass for some time now, but just recently Steve Gibson of Security Now and Spinrite fame has given it his stamp of approval. Check out the podcast below for a thorough review and explanation of the software.
Note: The podcast is two hours long, but the clip below should automatically start at the part of the show where Steve starts his review.
Come and see our new office!
We’re happy to announce that we’ve officially finished moving into our third office space. If you find yourself near the University of Arizona, feel free to drop in and say hi!
Social media is not a fad
We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it. Check out this great video with stats.
Protecting Yourself on the Web From Wireless Snoops
Just like the real world, there are both good guys and bad guys out there on the web. But on the internet, the bad guys are much sneakier and higher-tech, and can usually do their business without you ever knowing what’s up (until it’s too late).
One such internet villain is the wifi sniffer. They are the modern-day equivalent of a pick-pocketer, but their technological advantage allows them to snag your credit cards and sensitive personal information without ever even touching you. They typically hang out at cafes that provide free internet to their patrons, but any unsecured wireless internet connection will do.
It could be practically anyone–the geek in the corner playing World of Warcraft, the well-dressed grad student writing his thesis, or the old guy reading a book. All they need is a laptop and some very simple software, and they can passively observe all the bits and bytes passing through the cafe’s airwaves. After they go home, their software can spit out a list of all the usernames and passwords that were “sniffed” at the cafe. Just imagine what damage someone could do if they had access to your email account.
Starting to feel paranoid? Good. Awareness is half the battle! Here are the top five things you can do to protect yourself:
- Understand that anything you do on a public wifi connection CAN be observed. This includes the web sites you’re visiting, the emails your sending, and often the passwords your submitting. This is true even on paid hotspots or password-protected wifi, so long as your adversary also has access to that network.
- One exception is web sites that use an HTTPS connection. Look for that little “lock” icon and an “https” in the address bar, and you know your activity on that site is encrypted, and safe from prying eyes. Caveat: Sufficiently sophisticated hackers can still defeat this with what are known as “man-in-the-middle” attacks. This is one of the many Youtube tutorials that show exactly how this is done.
- Bring your own internet. Many smartphones now support internet tethering, which allows your computer to tap into your phone’s data connection.
- Use a VPN (either from your workplace or purchased from a 3rd party provider like StrongVPN). These create an encrypted tunnel for ALL your internet activity that CANNOT be sniffed. If cost is an issue, consider the free HotSpot Shield from AnchorFree.
- Secure your home’s wifi with a password, to prevent nosy neighbors or driveby hackers from sniffing your private network. When you set up your password, it will give you a choice between WEP, WPA, and WPA2 security. Never use WEP security, because this can be cracked in a matter of minutes! You’re in good shape if you choose WPA or WPA2 security, and use a password that is not in the dictionary.
Finally, if you need any help securing your laptop or network, remember that Student Experts is here to help!