How to tackle extortion attacks in 2016

Ransomware has been one of the most lucrative businesses for cybercriminals – and a major pain for end-users and businesses – for the past couple of years.

At first only the Windows operating system was targeted, but the status quo changed when Linux and Android ransomware samples started claiming victims. While security experts agree it was bound to happen, this diversification can only bring forth a 2016 that’s scary for the average internet user and profitable for malware developers.

The Leap towards Extortionware

Among Bitdefender’s predictions for 2016, ransomware is not only a top concern, it will also change the way we perceive personal data. If until now it simply encrypted data and demanded payment for unlocking access to critical information, in 2016 it will move towards extortionware by threatening to also post all accessed data online.

Consumers who chose not to pay can always recover their data online once it’s posted. However, for businesses and large companies that get hit, this might not be a viable option. While personal files, such as photos or documents, might be sensitive to the average user, companies would be far more impacted by having critical and potentially confidential data posted online.

Consequently, when faced with public shaming for slack security coupled with a crippled company reputation, extortionware might be a far more profitable business for cybercriminals when targeting SMBs.

Linux.Encoder is Just the Beginning

The new Linux ransomware, dubbed Linux.Encoder, has been affecting web servers for the past couple of months. While still in its infancy, the three variations – Linux.Encoder1, Linux.Encoder2 and Linux.Encoder3 – are flawed, as security researchers from Bitdefender have managed to crack the encryption and provide a free Linux.Encoder decryption tool for any infected victim.

The truly scary part about Linux ransomware is that the internet is based on Linux-powered web servers that sometimes host more than one website. If an unpatched Linux web server is exploited and infected with Linux ransomware, all hosted websites could be affected. To this end, it’s entirely likely that, if an unbreakable Linux.Encoder distribution is created, damages could be catastrophic.

Android Ransomware Upping the Game

Although current Android ransomware has focused on locking the device’s screen or only encrypting information on external memory cards, the new techniques will not only make it more persistent but also more difficult to dodge.

In terms of malware, the Android operating system has been slowly emulating the behaviour of Windows threats, with ransomware among them. While currently removing a ransomware infection could be handled with a “Restore to factory settings” even with some really persistent threats, future ransomware capabilities could negate this option.

Experienced ransomware malware developers will make it increasingly difficult for end users to recover their device’s functionality, either by making it extremely difficult to access “Safe Mode” features or by successfully encrypting on-device data.

Is there Ransomware Protection?
Security experts argue that the best defence against ransomware lies in combining a security solution with an efficient offline back-up mechanism and increased user awareness. While these are indeed viable solutions, Bitdefender has also recently introduced anti-ransomware technology in its consumer products that can help protect documents, files and even photos from being encrypted.

For instance, if a computer gets infected with an unknown variant of ransomware, this anti-ransomware technology will prevent the malware from encrypting files stored in “My Documents”, “My Videos”, or “Pictures”. Of course, users can also add their own custom directory to protect with the same technology.

Additionally, it’s highly recommended that all installed software – along with your operating system - should be updated with the latest security patches to avoid having it exploited through unpatched vulnerabilities.

This article is brought to you in association with Bitdefender.

How to block spam email on Android

It was reported toward the end of last year that Google would update its Gmail for Android app and introduce 'Block' and 'Unsubscribe' options to the Settings menu for individual emails. This is great news, and should make it much easier to block an email or unsubscribe from an email in a couple of taps, but we've yet to see the update filter through to the app. In the meantime, we'll show you how to block or unsubscribe from email on an Android phone or tablet. Also see: What's the best free email service?

If you're looking for a way to block spam messages from Gmail for Android, it's important to first differentiate between spam messages and those emails from companies you have perhaps unwittingly authorised to send you marketing information at some point in the past.

When you mark an email as spam it stops that message being a problem for you, but it can cause problems for others down the line. Marking an email as spam flags it up to Google, which will investigate if it gets multiple complaints about the same domain. If Google decides to act on it that address could become blacklisted, which clearly affects more people beyond you.

If you've ever bought any goods or services online then you will know exactly what we mean by email that is annoying but not spam. You more than likely neglected to remove a tick box at checkout, thereby authorising them to send you marketing information by email. It's irritating and you want it to stop, but marking this email as spam is not the answer. Also see: How to undo send in Gmail.
How to unsubscribe from spam email in Android

If an email is sent from a legitimate company, there should be an unsubscribe link somewhere within it. This might be right at the bottom of the email, and it might be in tiny print, but we bet you it's there. Unsubscribing from these emails is a much better solution than marking them as spam because it stops them being sent to you in the first place, rather than blocking them once they have been sent.

How to block spam email in Android

If you're frequently getting messages from a company you know you've never dealt with or given permission to email you, these are more than likely spam. Reporting it as such within Gmail for Android is easy.

To report a Gmail message as spam either open it or tap and hold it in the conversation list pane to select it, then tap the three vertical dots icon at the top of Gmail and choose 'Report as spam'. It's that easy.

How to block Gmail messages from specific senders

If you have access to a desktop browser in which you can view your Gmail messages (on a PC, laptop or tablet), there is also an option to block messages from a specific sender. Open the email in the desktop version of Gmail and click the downward arrow icon to the top right of the Gmail message. Here you'll find an option to Block "X", where X is the sender of the email. Tap this to stop them sending you spam messages in the future.

How to wipe a laptop: Make sure your data is deleted before selling your PC

We carry a large amount of personal data on our laptops - from family photographs to bank account details. We’ll show you how to remove it all in a few easy steps. Here's how to wipe a laptop.
As our lives become ever more digital the amount of personal information stored on our laptops increases all the time. Wiping all of this data when selling a machine is an essential process, not only as it protects your personal information, but also because the buyer receives a relatively new laptop. In fact it’s actually a good idea to reinstall Windows every couple of years or so just to clear out files and processes that build up over time and slow a PC down. In this guide we’ll show you how to quickly and easily wipe your laptop with the free software included in every Windows 8.1 machine. If your data is particularly sensitive, then it might be worth using a dedicated secure erase program such as Eraser which adopts a more aggressive approach to your files. 

On Windows 7 machines the process is a little different. The easiest way is to insert the original Windows disk that came with the machine, reboot your PC, then enter the BIOS and change the Boot Sequence so that CD/ROM is first. Now reboot again and you should be taken to the Windows installation menu where you can begin a fresh install.

Before we begin though it is of the utmost importance that you backup any data you need, as the reinstall process will delete all the files on your laptop. You can do this in Windows 8 using the File History feature, or Windows Backup in Windows 7. Alternatively there are a number of backup solutions available from companies such as Pipemetrics and Easeus.
How to wipe a laptop: Step by step guide for Windows 8.1

Step 1: On your Windows 8 machine open the charms bar on the right hand side of the screen by either moving your mouse pointer over there, pressing Windows+C, or swiping in from the right on a touchscreen laptop.

Step 2: Click on the Settings icon (the one that looks like a gear cog) at the bottom of the Charms bar then you’ll be presented with another menu. At the bottom are the words ‘Change PC settings’ click on this.Step 3: In the PC settings menu you’ll see a large panel on the right and a menu column on the left. In the column are a number of options. The one we want is Update and recovery, so click on this.Step 4: The next menu follows the same layout, only with a few less options this time. Although it might seem a little odd, as we’re soon to wipe the hard drive, the setting we need is Recovery. Select this.

Step 5: Now you have three main options. As we want to wipe all the files from the hard drive we’ll need to select ‘Remove everything and reinstall Windows’. Don’t worry, clicking on it won’t start the wipe straight away, so click Get Started.

how to wipe a laptop
Step 6: The next screen can be a little scary, as it features a dialog box warning you what will happen when you reset your PC. Clicking Next won’t start the procedure, but this is an excellent time to ensure you’ve backed up all your data.Step 7: If your laptop has more than one drive installed, or if it has been partitioned to have virtual drives, then you’ll be presented with the option to decide which ones are wiped - either just the drive with Windows installed, or all of them. Select the latter, just to be safe.

Step 8: We have now reached the point of no return. Clicking on an option here will begin the wipe, so all that remains is which method to choose. To wipe the machine it needs to be ‘Clean the drive fully’. Click this then Windows will delete all files and reinstall itself.

 

how smart is home automation?

Which smart switch is best? What do smart switches do, and are they worth the money? We test two of the contenders: the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch, and the Efergy Ego. Also read our review of the Wemo LED lighting starter set

Just as smart thermostats are muscling in on old boiler timers today’s smart switches are having a good go at yesterday’s twiddly timer switches. But is smart as smart as it thinks it is? Read: Best smart home heating systems.

A smart TV can show catch-up TV channels such as BBC iPlayer and 4oD, let you browse the web, search for YouTube videos, and access Netflix and Amazon Prime, plus a ton of stuff you’ll never check out. Read: Netflix vs Amazon Prime.

So what is a smart switch?

Basically it’s a switch that you plug into a power socket, and then plug another device’s plug into so you can control it via an app on your smartphone or tablet over Wi-Fi.

With the best smart switches you can set schedules, monitor energy usage on electronic devices, and find out which devices are used most often and when. Armed with such data you can start saving on your home’s domestic electricity usage. Read: Home energy saving tips.

Sounds interesting, but is it really useful?

The not-very-smart traditional power timer switch is pretty handy at switching things like lights, kettles and fish tanks on at set times or intervals. You can buy an analogue timer switch for under a fiver, or get a fancy digital one for a few pounds more.

The digital smart switch is brighter (and a lot more expensive), linking with a smartphone app for device control wherever you are with an internet connection (Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, etc).

Overriding an old-school, analogue or digital timer switch was possible only manually. With a smart switch you can fiddle around with appliance control all day from the other side of the world. And not only just because you can.

Say you stay out longer than you were expecting to (“Go on, just one more pint:”) and really want a light on inside your house to pretend you’re home. With a dumb-ish switch you’re stuffed. With a smart switch you’re only dumb if you let your phone run out of battery.

Tap the app, select the smart switch you’re after, and turn on the light. Bingo.

Analogue or digital timers are great but not so smart if you bend your schedule or are unsure when you might be home. For instance, say you want your home to be nice and toasty when you get home from work, but you return at different times each day. With a smart switch you can turn on a heater when it’s best for you, directly from your smartphone.

Some experts think you could save on your energy bills by powering down your fridge freezer for a couple of hours a day.

Energy companies are keen because the grid almost falls over every night between 5pm and 7pm as everyone gets home and puts on the TV and the kettle. (Do people really put the kettle on when they get home these days? Most people I know reach into the fridge for a bottle of white. Imagine their horror when they realise the fridge has been off for two hours…)

Another handy use for a smart switch will interest many men, but appal the ladies in the house. Cold-averse women are wont to leave the fan heater on even when they leave the room. Evil, scheming husbands and fathers can ensure that it stays on for no more than an hour, meaning cheaper electric bills, less chance of burning to death every night, and a blood-curdling scowl from a freezing woman. On second thoughts…

With a smart switch you could control the TV in your child's room from the comfort of your armchair, although popping your head around the door and/or reading them a book would be better parenting. Read: How much screen time is safe for kids.

One of the more appealing functions of smart switches is energy use and cost monitoring. Devices are often left on Standby when not in use for large parts of the day, and Standby use accounts for around up to 16 percent of the average electricity bill, reckons energy gadget maker Efergy.

With a smart switch you can dramatically cut down on this wasted Standby time. Efergy’s own Ego smart socket, see review below, is especially clever at cutting back on Standby time.

Smart switches aren’t yet so cheap that you don’t have to think long and hard about whether you really need one or not. And if they are so useful you probably need more than one, so the cost comes into even sharper view.

But with their energy-monitoring features smart switches do hold some promise for actually saving you money: via usage data, and Standby blocking.

And there’s enough on offer to save you time and effort, too, in the day. Fill your kettle or coffee maker in the morning, and turn it on via the app when you get out of bed so that it has boiled by the time you get to your kitchen. This might sound a very lazy use of technology, but it's a daily time saver – if you remember to fill the kettle the night before!

The ability to turn devices on and off via Wi-Fi from afar, plus on various timed schedules, is useful. Seeing the energy usage and costs of various devices could help you save money, but this would be even more useful if such switches could monitor multiple devices on a power strip.

Belkin WeMo Insight Switch review

Priced at £49.95 the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch certainly isn’t cheap but could save you cash in the long term.

The Insight Switch is part of a larger WeMo home-automation series of products, including Smart LED Bulbs and Light Switch, and WeMo Motion.

Setting up the WeMo Insight Switch is straightforward, if a little long-winded at first. It took us a couple of goes to get it to recognise our Wi-Fi.

Plug the Switch into a power outlet in your home and then plug your chosen device into the Switch. Download the free WeMo App (iOS and Android), and pair it with the Switch and your Wi-Fi network.

Aside from turning things off without getting off your backside WeMo can inform you when, for instance, a laundry cycle is complete, which is actually rather handy. This is set up in the WeMo app’s clever Rules section.
Or you could be alerted when your child has exceeded his or her allotted screen/TV time. You could even set notifications so you know when little Jonny or Jane is playing on the Xbox instead of doing homework. Read: How much screen time is too much?
Via the app you set rules that trigger the power according to preset times, or to respond automatically to sunrise and sunset, or through motion detection via Belkin's WeMo Motion detector (an extra £64).
Rules can be set for: Weekends; Weekdays; and, Individual days. And allow for: Turn on only; Turn off only; and, Turn on then off.
The Insight Switch won’t look out of place in your home, although no doubt you’ll be asked what it is by nosy neighbours and friends. It is quite bulky, and can partially block adjacent power outlets’ flick switches.
There’s a very visible green power-on indicator on top, and, weirdly, a Micro USB port that currently has no function.

How to tackle extortion attacks in 2016

Ransomware has been one of the most lucrative businesses for cybercriminals – and a major pain for end-users and businesses – for the past couple of years.

At first only the Windows operating system was targeted, but the status quo changed when Linux and Android ransomware samples started claiming victims. While security experts agree it was bound to happen, this diversification can only bring forth a 2016 that’s scary for the average internet user and profitable for malware developers.

The Leap towards Extortionware

Among Bitdefender’s predictions for 2016, ransomware is not only a top concern, it will also change the way we perceive personal data. If until now it simply encrypted data and demanded payment for unlocking access to critical information, in 2016 it will move towards extortionware by threatening to also post all accessed data online.

Consumers who chose not to pay can always recover their data online once it’s posted. However, for businesses and large companies that get hit, this might not be a viable option. While personal files, such as photos or documents, might be sensitive to the average user, companies would be far more impacted by having critical and potentially confidential data posted online.

Consequently, when faced with public shaming for slack security coupled with a crippled company reputation, extortionware might be a far more profitable business for cybercriminals when targeting SMBs.

Linux.Encoder is Just the Beginning

The new Linux ransomware, dubbed Linux.Encoder, has been affecting web servers for the past couple of months. While still in its infancy, the three variations – Linux.Encoder1, Linux.Encoder2 and Linux.Encoder3 – are flawed, as security researchers from Bitdefender have managed to crack the encryption and provide a free Linux.Encoder decryption tool for any infected victim.

The truly scary part about Linux ransomware is that the internet is based on Linux-powered web servers that sometimes host more than one website. If an unpatched Linux web server is exploited and infected with Linux ransomware, all hosted websites could be affected. To this end, it’s entirely likely that, if an unbreakable Linux.Encoder distribution is created, damages could be catastrophic.

Android Ransomware Upping the Game

Although current Android ransomware has focused on locking the device’s screen or only encrypting information on external memory cards, the new techniques will not only make it more persistent but also more difficult to dodge.

In terms of malware, the Android operating system has been slowly emulating the behaviour of Windows threats, with ransomware among them. While currently removing a ransomware infection could be handled with a “Restore to factory settings” even with some really persistent threats, future ransomware capabilities could negate this option.

Experienced ransomware malware developers will make it increasingly difficult for end users to recover their device’s functionality, either by making it extremely difficult to access “Safe Mode” features or by successfully encrypting on-device data.

Is there Ransomware Protection?

Security experts argue that the best defence against ransomware lies in combining a security solution with an efficient offline back-up mechanism and increased user awareness. While these are indeed viable solutions, Bitdefender has also recently introduced anti-ransomware technology in its consumer products that can help protect documents, files and even photos from being encrypted.

For instance, if a computer gets infected with an unknown variant of ransomware, this anti-ransomware technology will prevent the malware from encrypting files stored in “My Documents”, “My Videos”, or “Pictures”. Of course, users can also add their own custom directory to protect with the same technology.

Additionally, it’s highly recommended that all installed software – along with your operating system - should be updated with the latest security patches to avoid having it exploited through unpatched vulnerabilities.

This article is brought to you in association with Bitdefender.

How it Can Backlink With Commenting

How it Can Backlink With Commenting - In order to establish silahturahmi Atar fellow bloggers usually these actions will be undertaken, by commenting on blogs are visited. Commenting is the most powerful way to show mutual tolerance among fellow bloggers, although behind everything was tucked a purpose and other purposes .. that got Feedback or in the language of jock linkback or backlinks.


Now it is no stranger to the name because it's Comment For Backlink after previous
post about the collection of blog effects effects, this time I would love some simple tips that can mate directly employ to get backlinks to your blog. The way is simple, mate only need to type inurl: Place Keyword "This site uses KeywordLuv" or with this keyword: inurl: Place Keyword "Enable CommentLuv" in google search. (Place Keyword replaced with the keyword or keywords as you wish for example "Tutorial Blog") .See Images

With Backlink got Commenting

The real intention of this tutorial is to find blogs that use the facilities Comment Luv .. by commenting on blogs that fitted Comment Luv the first link in the last few posts will be displayed at the bottom of the poster ... ah .. ane confused ni jelasinnya .. passable see screenshot below.


Notice in writing circled, it was posting links (dofollow course) that will be included along with the comments my friend ... Choose one and then click Post Your Comment berikutlah result ...

See the article with a blue background ... it signifies that blogs are DoFollow ... One blog that uses CommentLuv is a blogger from Malaysia Denai Heart .. A few ..