Computer Crimes and Terms

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Computer technology has made the fastest advancement in the field of modern scientific development. Along with computer technology, the information technology has also made advances that were not possible about twenty years ago. The computer has made life easy for the common man. More and more people depend on the computers to do homework, work and create or store useful information and items which can be used later, or even corrected at some other stage. Thus it has become all the more important to keep safe the information that has been stored in your computer from misuse or being stolen. Also it is extremely important to protect our computers from data loss, misuse and abuse.

For example, it is crucial for businesses to keep information they have secure so that hackers can’t access the information. Home users also need to take means to make sure that their credit card numbers are secure when they are participating in online transactions.  A computer security risk is any action that could cause lost of information, software, data, processing incompatibilities, or cause damage to computer hardware,   a lot of these are planned to do damage. An intentional breach in computer security is known as a computer crime which is slightly different from a cybercrime. A cybercrime is known as illegal acts based on the internet and is one of the FBI’s top priorities.  There are several distinct categories for people that cause cybercrimes, and they are refereed as hacker, cracker, cyberterrorist, cyberextortionist, unethical employee, script kiddie and corporate spy.

The term hacker was actually known as a good word but now it has a very negative view. A hacker is defined as someone who accesses a computer or computer network unlawfully.  They often claim that they do this to find leaks in the security of a network. The term cracker has never been associated with something positive this refers to someone how intentionally access a computer or computer network for evil reasons. It’s basically an evil hacker.  They access it with the intent of destroying, or stealing information. Both crackers and hackers are very advanced with network skills.

A cyberterrorist is someone who uses a computer network or the internet to destroy computers for political reasons.  It’s just like a regular terrorist attack because it requires highly skilled individuals, millions of dollars to implement, and years of planning. The term cyperextortionist is someone who uses emails as an offensive force. They would usually send a company a very threatening email stating that they will release some confidential information, exploit a security leak, or launch an attack that will harm a company’s network. They will request a paid amount to not proceed sort of like black mailing in a since. An unethical employee is an employee that illegally accesses their company’s network for numerous reasons. One could be the money they can get from selling top secret information, or some may be bitter and want revenge.

A script kiddie is someone who is like a cracker because they may have the intentions of doing harm, but they usually lack the technical skills. They are usually silly teenagers that use prewritten hacking and cracking programs. A corporate spy has extremely high computer and network skills and is hired to break into a specific computer or computer network to steal or delete data and information. Shady companies hire these type people in a practice known as corporate espionage. They do this to gain an advantage over their competition an illegal practice.

Business and home users must do their best to protect or safeguard their computers from security risks. The next part of this article will give some pointers to help protect your computer. However, one must remember that there is no one hundred percent guarantee way to protect your computer so becoming more knowledgeable about them is a must during these days. When you transfer information over a network it has a high security risk compared to information transmitted in a business network because the administrators usually take some extreme measures to help protect against security risks.

Over the internet there is no powerful administrator which makes the risk a lot higher. If you are not sure if your computer is vulnerable to a computer risk than you can always use some-type of online security service which is a website that checks your computer for email and Internet vulnerabilities. The company will then give some pointers on how to correct these vulnerabilities.  The Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center is a place that can do this.

The typical network attacks that puts computers at risk includes viruses, worms, spoofing, Trojan horses, and denial of service attacks.  Every unprotected computer is vulnerable to a computer virus which is a potentially harming computer program that infects a computer negatively and altering the way the computer operates without the user’s consent. Once the virus is in the computer it can spread throughout infecting other files and potentially damaging the operating system itself. It’s similar to a bacteria virus that infects humans because it gets into the body through small openings and can spread to other parts of the body and can cause some damage.

The similarity is, the best way to avoid is preparation.  A computer worm is a program that repeatedly copies itself and is very similar to a computer virus. However the difference is that a virus needs o attach itself to an executable file and become a part of it. A computer worm doesn’t need to do that I seems copies to itself and to other networks and eats up a lot of bandwidth.

A Trojan horse named after the famous Greek myth and is used to describe a program that secretly hides and actually looks like a legitimate program but is a fake.  A certain action usually triggers the Trojan horse, and unlike viruses and worms they don’t replicate itself. Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are all classifies as malicious-logic programs which are just programs that deliberately harms a computer.  Although these are the common three there are many more variations and it would be almost impossible to list them. You know when a computer is infected by a virus, worm, or Trojan horse if one or more of these acts happen:

• Screen shots of weird messages or pictures appear.
• You have less available memory then you expected
• Music or sounds plays randomly.
• Files get corrupted
• Programs are files don’t work properly
• Unknown files or programs randomly appear
• System properties fluctuate

Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses deliver their payload or instructions through four common ways. One, when an individual runs an infected program so if you download a lot of things you should always scan the files before executing, especially executable files. Second, is when an individual runs an infected program. Third, is when an individual bots a computer with an infected drive, so that’s why it’s important to not leave media files in your computer when you shut it down.  Fourth is when it connects an unprotected computer to a network. Today, a very common way that people get a computer virus, worm, or Trojan horse is when they open up an infected file through an email attachment.

There are literally thousands of computer malicious logic programs and new one comes out by the numbers so that’s why it’s important to keep up to date with new ones that come out each day. Many websites keep track of this. There is no known method for completely protecting a computer or computer network from computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses, but people can take several precautions to significantly reduce their chances of being infected by one of those malicious programs.

Whenever you start a computer you should have no removable media in the drives. This goes for CD, DVD, and floppy disks. When the computer starts up it tries to execute a bot sector on the drives and even if it’s unsuccessful any given various on the bot sector can infect the computer’s hard disk. If you must start the computer for a particular reason, such as the hard disk fails and you are trying to reformat the drive make sure that the disk is not infected.

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Computer Accessories

If you are thinking of buying a computer then you need to know every thing about it including its accessories. It has been seen that people know only a few details about computers. They are content by knowing only about its hardware, software and processing details, and never give a thought about the accessories that are needed or used along with the computer. The following paragraphs summarize the work of computer accessories experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of computer accessories. If you follow their advice you can avoid any confusion in buying computer accessories surprises.

Yesterday, we spent about three hours trying to convince a client of ours that brand new computers just don’t come equipped with the all things that most computers need in a PC. We tried to convince him that a fully functional computer is one that is personalized with specially selected hardware and software accessories – and that the computer purchased at the store doesn’t come with these things. Unfortunately, all of our convincing was to our avail. Our client insisted that he should never need more than what came with his boxed product and that we were just trying “bilk” more money out of him.

As computer consultants, it’s our job and mission to make sure our clients are 100% satisfied when they walk out our offices. But our job is unnecessarily made harder when people don’t take the time to learn about computer accessories and familiarize themselves with the limitations of store-bought computers. Hopefully by the time you finish reading this article, you’ll understand the lesson that we were trying to teach our client: “What comes out of the box is really just a starter kit.”

I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

The typical computer package comes with a CPU unit, keyboard, mouse, and speaker set. That may be just fine for some, but most people require more than that especially in today’s “connected” society. Today’s users require full multimedia capabilities, a wide range of graphics tools, and accommodations for the various portables we now enjoy. These extras aren’t included with “what comes out of the box,” and the only way to get them is to accessorize.

To illustrate the importance of accessorizing, we like to use the “plain dough” analogy. Let’s say that a brand new computer is a batch of plain dough – waiting to be flavored and baked into something useful. If we want to use this dough to make a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies, we would need to “accessorize” this dough with chocolate chips and a little brown sugar. If we want to use this dough into in a warm loaf of sesame seed bread on the other hand, we’d need to “accessorize” the dough with yeast and sesame seeds.

Like “plain dough,” the brand new computer isn’t very useful by itself. It needs accessorizing.

Depending on what’s needed, accessorizing doesn’t need to be expensive.  In fact, you can get away with paying a minimal amount for extra software and hardware if these accessories are for children. It’s when these accessories are work requirements or when they’re needed to produce works of quality for any other reason that they can become rather expensive. And this expense applies to microphones, digital cameras, PDAs, scanners, video cams, and more.

Regardless of cost, it’s important to understand that accessories can become “necessities,” and that the best time to get them is the moment you buy a new computer. Waiting too long to accessorize can cause more problems than necessary because while you wait, manufacturers continuously develop new technologies – technologies that your computer won’t be able to accommodate in the future. Once you’re ready to accessorize, the new products on the market are too advanced for your computer and they just won’t work. This is a typical problem experienced by those who want to use hardware designed for Windows Vista on a Windows XP or Windows 2000 machine.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing–the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

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How to take great pictures with your iPhone Camera

One of the hottest gadgets today is the Apple iPhone. There are many reasons for buying the iPhone. One of this reason is that we can stay connected with our friends, family and business contacts, send emails, surf the internet and do a host of other things that is not possible with an ordinary cell phone. There is another great feature of the iPhone. That feature is the 2.0 Megapixel Camera that is attached to the phone.

Unlike other cell phone camera, the iPhone camera actually takes decent photos that are perfect for your MySpace page.  Yet, there are several tips to taking great pictures with your iPhone camera, and if you apply these tips to your iPhone than you will be able to take beautiful pictures with your cell phone.

The first tip that you need to remember about your iPhone camera concerns how it actually takes pictures.  If you have tried to take photos with your iPhone, than you may have noticed something was slightly off.  Unlike traditional digital cameras that have a two stage process to taking a photograph, the iPhone features a one-stage process.  Also, unlike traditional digital cameras that take the photo once you press the shutter button, the iPhone has a much different process.  When you press the shutter button of the iPhone, nothing happens, however, it is when you release the shutter button that the iPhone takes the photo.  This has resulted in many photo’s being slightly “off timing” because the users are not used to how this camera actually takes photos. 

A great tip for taking a photograph with your iPhone is to press the shutter button, and then set up your shot.  After you are satisfied with what you are seeing, than you can release the shutter button to take the photograph.  Following this tip will allow you to take better composed photographs, as well as pictures that are properly timed.  The next tip for your iPhone camera is how you set up your contact list.  This tip is really fun and will make your contact list hilarious for you and everyone around you.  When you take photos of your contacts, you can set them to where they will appear when they call you.  A great way to have fun with this feature is to place your friends on one side of a glass screen and then place yourself on the other side.

Make your friend press their face up against the glass while you take the photo.  This will serve as an optical illusion, and when they call you it will look as if they are trapped within your iPhone.  If you are looking for a fun way to express yourself, and to just have a great time with friends, set up your contact list this way.  The iPhone has many different tips and tricks within it, however, the key is to simply experiment with these tips to make them work for you.  Perhaps the greatest aspect about the iPhone is the fact that it gives users the ability to customize and create a phone environment that is solely their own. 

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Taking care of your iPhone

Just as you have to take care of your electronic devices, you should also take care of your iPhone so that it can give you the best of services for many years to come. Some people  may think that the best of taking care of their iPhone is to purchase some products for keeping if safe. But this is not so. The most important of taking care of your iPhone is simply to clean it thoroughly. There may be some problems because the screen of the iPhone is very sensitive to touch and very few persons know the correct way of cleaning their iPhone.

Of course, when you are cleaning your iPhone, you don’t want to simply wash it with any type of cleaners, because these cleaners could actually cause the iPhone to malfunction, thus giving you a defective product.  When you are cleaning your iPhone, you must ensure that you take extra care, and don’t do it if you are in a rush.  The reason behind this is because if you are lazy, or in a hurry, you may damage the inner workings of the iPhone, as well as the ever important screen.  When you are cleaning your iPhone, there are several items that you must have.  These items will allow you to effectively clean your phone without damaging the sensitive touch screen or the inner workings of your fantastic cell phone.

Before you clean your iPhone, you need to make sure that you have the following items:  water, microfiber cloth and your favorite CD to relax you and make the process enjoyable.  Make sure that you NEVER use any type of chemical agents to clean your iPhone, because these can actually hinder the way the screen interacts with you.  Once you have gathered all of the items sit down and place the water in a small cup.  With the microfiber cloth, which is available through the many various iPhone retailers, dip the corner of the cloth into the water, allowing it to become saturated with the water.

Make sure that you do not use too much water though, a good way to test to see if you have enough water is to grab a piece of glass, or go to a mirror, and with the wet cloth wipe off a corner.  If there is streaming water drops coming from where you wiped the mirror, than you have too much water on the cloth and you need to dry it out some.

You want to be able to wipe your iPhone screen without having drops of water left behind.  Next, take the slightly wetted cloth and begin to wipe the screen of your iPhone in a up-and-down motion.  Do not wipe in circles, because this can leave behind smudges that are unsightly when you turn on your iPhone.  It will usually take one or two wipes to clean the entire surface of your iPhone.  How often you clean your iPhone depends on how much you use it.  Since the screen of your phone is the interface to the entire product, than you will be using it constantly, thus the oils from your fingers will begin to build up and create a dingy look to the screen.  Average users clean their iPhone once a week, maybe once every two weeks. 

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The Number One Bluetooth Headset for iPhone

There are quite a number of benefits of owning an Apple iPhone. Not only are there benefits, but you can add a number of applications also to this phone. Gone are the days of the bulky electronic items with the coming of the iPhone. Now, with your iPhone, you can listen to your favorite songs, check your e-mail, get directions and have constant contact with the world around you.  Yet, one of the greatest features about the iPhone is the fact that it has the most up-to-date Bluetooth technology placed inside of its frame.  Bluetooth is a great way to add even more portability and easy access to your iPhone and the contacts within it.  But what is the best Bluetooth device for your iPhone?

Since there are literally hundreds of different types of Bluetooth devices, it can be difficult to decide which one of these devices will work best for your individual needs.  While many people like to have speakerphones and other devices like that, the number one Bluetooth device is the headset.  A Bluetooth headset will allow you to have constant contact with your phone, without having to actually hold the phone up to your ear, which makes it perfect for those who are always in their car, or when you’re at the office and you must perform multitasking throughout your day.  The number one Bluetooth headset for the iPhone is the Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset for Apple iPhone.

This amazing headshot is not only stunning visually, but it delivers the best quality signal imaginable.  However, the number one thing that everyone will notice with this Bluetooth headset is the fact that it is visually amazing.  Bluetooth headset manufacturers knew that if they were to provide a headset for the iPhone, they would have to make it as unique and stunning as the iPhone itself.  And with this particular headset, they accomplished this goal, and then some.  The appearance of this headset is striking, due to its unique earpiece and “steel” perforated mouth piece.

This headset actually conforms to the curve of your face, thus giving you sound quality and comfort unlike anything else.  Also, the size of this headset is quite small, thus making it not-as-noticeable as some other Bluetooth headsets.  This small and sophisticated headset will not take away from your professional appearance, but it will enhance it.

But what really makes this headset stand out from all the rest?  Since this headset is a noise cancelling device, it literally makes note of the ambient noise that is resting around you.  Thus, it will actually adjust its audio volume depending on how loud the room is around you.  This will mean that you will always have perfect audio quality, which is something that many Bluetooth headsets lack.  The curve of the headset is not only done for aesthetic reasons, but it also serves a more high-tech purpose.

Since the curve of the microphone rests on your cheeks, it doesn’t simply detect and relay the sound coming from your mouth; it actually feels the vibrations from your voice and then activates the microphone.  This is due to the various sound sensors that are placed within this headset.  If you are looking for a great companion with your iPhone that will add style and grace to the way you communicate, than you will love the Jawbone Noise Shield Bluetooth Headset.

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Application Stores for everyone

Oh Apple, you used to be so cool with your mobile computing platform and your ubiquitous application store. Now, everyone has gone and shown up to the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona and announced their own application store for their own mobile computing platform. Now, instead of the just the Apple iTunes App store, there are going to be no less than seven application stores for seven different mobile platforms.

There is going to be the Nokia’s Ovi Store, Windows Marketplace, App Store for Symbian, Android Market, BlackBerry Applications Center and the Palm Software Store. Now granted, the Palm store has been around since December, and the Android Market has been on the block since October, but the application store seems to be the way things are headed. Apple……Read rest of the Article

A casuality of the Global economy

I’m not sure how it’s going out there in the big ol’ US of A, but over here in the UK prices for cameras are going bananas, literally. The pound has devalued significantly, and as such, with a lot of cameras imported from america, and as such, something like the Canon 580ex mk flash unit, has literally doubled in price up to £500. Loads of other things have gone up, lenses, bodies, the lot. I was planning an upgrade before christmas but now…..I just can’t afford it! Can anyone in the US tell me if things have changed at all for you?

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Not-so-Digital Future of Digital Signal

In any event, performing digital signal processing using organic and chemical materials without electrical currents could be the wave of the future – or so argue Sotirios Tsaftaris, research professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Aggelos Katsaggelos, Ameritech Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, in their recently published “point of view” piece in the March 2008 edition of Proceedings of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.)

Digital signal processing uses mathematics and other techniques to manipulate signals like images (natural medical, and others) and sound waves after those signals have been converted to a digital form. This processing can enhance images and compress data for storage and transmission, and such processing chips are found in cell phones, iPods, and HD TVs.

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Relief for overheating Laptops

Our modern age has become accustomed to regular improvements in information technology, says Slava Rotkin, but these advances do not come without a cost. Take the laptop, for example. Its components, particularly its billions of semiconductor electronic circuits, are growing ever tinier while the instrument’s power and capacity increase. But heat generated by electric current can cause the circuits to melt and the laptop hardware to fail.

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Then and Now: A fast forward tour of Gadget

Astonishing breakthrough. Household object. Funny anachronism. Such is the journey that nearly every great gadget travels. And then it happens all over again with whatever hot new gizmo rendered the old one obsolete.

A comparison of significant devices of the past with their modern-day counterparts.

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