Ou4W9aNNCGd5OQZ0ELMjEtytdUW3o

Saturday, December 1, 2012

How to Check Who to Trust Online

Which profession scores pretty low in terms of trust measurements? Politicians, certainly, journalists, often, but these days it's a pretty safe bet to say that bankers are the bottom of the heap. Everywhere you look there is criticism of those champagne swilling, bonus grabbing toffs from Wall Street or the City of London.

So where might "Internet Marketers" fit into the trust league tables? Or "Social Media Gurus"? Or "SEO Experts"? Well, here's the second safe bet of the day - you are bound to have seen websites offering you some really generous promises, such as "getting you to number one on Google in 24 hours" or "helping you make a million dollars in a month". How often do you fall for them? Most of us, of course, do not reckon much to such sites - though there are enough gullible people in the world who do, otherwise how could such "businesses" exist?

And how do you stop yourself being gullible in the first place? How can you spot the difference between a true search marketing expert and a charlatan?

Easy-peasy, according to new research; ask what social class they are in. The study found that the MOST UNETHICAL people are those in the highest social classes. In other words, some of those posh bankers, perhaps..! Yes, such people are much more likely to be unethical than that bloke who turned up at your front door, uninvited, offering to tarmac your drive.

Of course, as with all studies it is not quite as simple as that. It turns out the element which actually predicts unethical behaviour is attitude to greed. If you think greed is OK, you are much more likely to be unethical. And, it seems that such attitudes are more prevalent in the higher social classes.

So, what about those Internet Marketers and SEO Gurus...? Well, if they focus on the money you can make, show you their yachts and their flash cars, the chances are they are more OK with greed as a concept. And that means you should steer clear because they are much more likely to be unethical.

But then you probably already knew this. When you visit a website and all you see are pictures of the "guru" on the beach with captions saying "you too can have a lifestyle like this" you probably get a sense that all is not quite as it seems. Your "gut instinct" usually tells you to get out of there. All this new research does is tell us why your gut is right. People who think greed is OK exhibit more unethical behaviour than those who have a different attitude to making money. Remember, profit is OK, greed is not.

The only problem is, greed tends to display itself much more in higher social classes. So aren't you glad you are not too posh yourself?

Search Your Name Online: Be Prepared for a Shocking Discovery How To Protect Your Digital Information Products From Online Thieves Changing Your Password To Improve Your Website Security How To Keep Users and Data Safe On The Web Reality Overtakes Fiction: We Are Already at War, Albeit Electronic, But War All the Same

Anti-Hacking Plugins for WordPress

Install these three simple plugins to WordPress to minimize the risk of hacking and intrusion. It's never fun for someone to get access to your WordPress blog, but unfortunately it happens every day. Every day websites are deleted, defaced or simply taken over and you can avoid that by installing the login lockdown plugin, the HTTPS for WordPress plugin and the WP-Security plugin.

First of all, a very simple plugin called login lockdown simply blocks access to your blog if someone enters the wrong password too many times. A very common technique for hackers to get entry to WordPress blog is simply try many passwords over and over and over and over until something works. So login lockdown will block access to someone after a certain number of failed passwords. It's a very simple plugin and it's worth it to install this to make sure that any intruder is now locked out.

Another plugin to install is called HTTPS for WordPress. If you don't know what HTTPS or SSL is it simply means that it is encrypting everything that gets sent to and from your WordPress site, including the username and password you use to login. Normally your username and password is broadcasted out in the open. That means if you use any kind of public WiFi anyone else on that WiFi can install a simple plugin and capture every password you type into WordPress. That is really not good. You can either not use unsecured WiFi or you can use this HTTPS plugin which will force you to use HTTPS when logging into your WordPress dashboard, therefore protecting your password from prying eyes.

And finally, the WP-Security plugin installs right into WordPress and scans all your folders for many security vulnerabilities. It checks it for any weak points, any holes, out of date plugins and gives you a very easy to follow list of things that you must do in order to keep WordPress secure.

Obviously, I can't guarantee you will be 100 percent hack proof, but you need to at least take these basic steps to keep yourself safe.

Those three plugins will get you on your way to having a secure WordPress blog. Install Login Lockdown to lock out anyone after a certain number of failed attempts, install HTTPS for WordPress to make sure that any time you login to your dashboard it moves you over into SSL, and WP-Security scan your folders.

Explaining the Main Benefits of Having a SSL Certificate

SSL, which stands for Secure Socket Layer, is a certificate that provides network security for ecommerce websites. This is part of the online protocol requirement to keep information of the client safe. The SSL certificate confirms the legitimacy of the website server, encrypt data transmitted, preserve data integrity during transmission and decrypt the data transferred once it arrives at the secure server. The certificate is important for online stores because it provides customers assurance that their data are kept safe and secure from identity theft and online hackers. Before installing the certificate, it is important to determine the type of server the website is running. In most cases, websites run using Apache servers requiring an Apache SSL certificate.

There are many types of SSL certificates including: dedicated SSL, shared SSL certificate, wildcard SSL and free SSL. These certificates provide different advantages. Dedicated certificates are used in one domain only. Shared, as the name implies, is shared by different websites. It is less expensive compared to a dedicated certificate. Wildcard is for websites with subdomains. The certificate protects both main domain and subdomains. Free certificate is the least expensive option. However, there might be security risks associated with this option if the website owner does not choose well. Generally, the higher the cost of the Apache SSL certificate the more security it provides.

A SSL certificate provides a number of benefits to online stores such as the following:

Data Protection. The data transmitted over the internet from a website source to the server the business is hosted on private. This will protect data from falling into wrong hands. Important information such as passwords, credit card numbers and personal information are encrypted by a certificate so they will be deemed unreadable by others. Once the data arrives in the secure server, it is only then that the encrypted data is unscrambled.

Authentication of the Server. An SSL certificate provides assurance that the server is legitimate. Certificate Authorities provide a Digital Certificate when an ecommerce site purchases a certificate. This ensures that the website owner's information is transmitted and kept safe by a valid server.

Authentication of the Website. It is not only important to authenticate the identity of the server but that of the online store as well. Some online hackers get into the system and hijack the website. They do impersonation attack and pretend to be the true owner of the online store. This allows them to access critical information provided by customers. An SSL certificate guarantees that the site is owned by the real owner and it is what it claims to be.

Trustworthiness. An ecommerce site with SSL certificate can quickly win customers' trust. An online store that is perceived to be trustworthy tends to attract more customers and buyers than the dubious one. Trust is an important issue online especially for online stores where financial transactions are conducted on a daily basis. Customers buying in a website with a certificate will not have second thoughts providing critical financial information such as Paypal login, credit card numbers and other pertinent details. An Apache SSL certificate guarantees clients that the website site is legit and information provided will not be compromised.

Web Hosting With SSL Certificates

Hosting company should provide an SSL certificate or Secure Socket Layer along with the hosting service as this will enhance the visitor's confidence in the site, and eventually increase the sales and goodwill of the company.

Why web hosting with SSL certificates?

The duty of web hosting services providing companies is to upload the web site on the server. Very often, it is seen that in case of sensitive information web sites, the need of authentication is necessary; in order to secure the web site from the phishing attack. Essentially, SSLs are designed to meet the requirements of the web sites with the Member Area or the C-panel of the domain and web hosting clients, as these sites ask for the confidential information like password, personal, and financial information. For example, any shopping web site, asking customer to fill the form, give personal information and complete the transaction process, customer will check before meeting any exchange of sensitive information that the following site is safe from hackers and Spam.

A customer before entering into c-panel and exchange his sensitive information, checks the security information of the web site

A. Padlock symbol at the bottom of the browser B. https:// URL instead of http:// C. From which Certification Authority, certificate is issued, certificate validity period, and the owner to which certificate is issued, by just double-click in the address bar

Benefits of displaying SSL certificate by Web hosting Companies:

The hosting service providing companies, if offers SSL than it will bring them multiples of benefits.

A. An SSL clearly demonstrates that the following hoisting company is legitimate for your business B. With SSL, your customers will feel safe and secure C. SSL offers a great security of credit card information of your clients D. Helps in boosting your customer's confidence E Responsible in increasing the sales F. SSL's are helpful in encouraging your web site's credibility G. SSL's are helpful in building positive image and goodwill of the business to the end-users

Effects of not displaying an SSL certificate by WEB hosting Companies

A. Apparently the site will lose the potential customers B SSL helps in building the brand image, customer's confidence, goodwill, and trust, and if SSL certificate is not displayed to the visitors then they will not simply switch to other site displaying SSL C. Decelerate your visitor conversion rate and adversely affect your profitability D. Competitors will gain the overall market control

In essence all the companies that are engaged in offering valuable hosting services should offer SSL along with the hosting service, so that the customer's web site will be benefited from it.

Password Protection: Login Security and Password Sync

Password protection is extremely important in today's online world, where without good login security you are likely to be subject to hacking and identity theft. If you can find a secure password generator that offers password sync between various devices, then you can travel with your password manager and use it whenever you need secure access to sensitive information.

You can manage the security protection for your online banking accounts, membership sites and any other online sites that require a password. It is frequently through a lack of login security that you may suffer identity fraud, and find money being taken from your bank accounts or goods being ordered by other people in your name.

Secure Password Protection

It is important that you protect your passwords and other login details as best you can, and that you personal and secure details are not stored on your hard drive. There are people out there that can hack the storage media attached to your computer, such as your hard disk or even your solid state memory system.

By storing your sensitive details on a USB drive, nobody can find what they are and you can simply plug in the USB whenever you want to access your sensitive sites or even protected web files. This form of password sync system is recognized as being one of the most secure systems available at the present time. It offers a degree of security that no other security system can equal.

Single-Click Form Filling

Another benefit of such protection systems is that they not only enable you to fill in your personal details with one click of a button, but also enable you to complete long forms with your personal details. If you are involved in activities such as article marketing, you will understand that most directories request you full personal details, and it is a pain to manually fill in form after form.

Login security systems can do this for you with one click - you simply add all your personal details to your password protection profile and any time you have a need for your name, address, place and date of birth, SS number and any other details, one click fills in every field! That saves a great deal of time.

USB Storage and Password Sync

However, it the portability and password sync capability that renders such systems so useful. You may have to access your important data from multiple branches of your firm as you travel around, or might have to borrow a friend's laptop to access your bank account. This is easily done with a portable security system, offering login security and password sync between portable devices. You can even use a cell phone that is fitted with mini USB socket: simply use a standard to mini USB adaptor.

Here are some of the advantages offered:

• One-click access to membership sites and banks. • One-click logins to secure files. • One-click completion of multiple forms. • Encrypted storage of personal details. • Memorize all security details and user names. • Create random passwords with one click. • Complete password protection.

Nobody that uses such online security systems has ever regretted acquiring it. They are confident in the degree of login security offered, and the password sync facility enables them to access all their sensitive information and accounts from any device - fixed or portable, as long as it has a USB slot.

How the Internet Made It Easier to Obtain Public Records

Public records play an important role in almost any of life's endeavor and the internet has made it possible for trouble-free access to criminal records. Potential employers gauge you not just by your skill but as well as personal information pertaining to you. It may be in the form of criminal record or previous misconduct - somehow, someway, such access to criminal records can be vital on one's life.

Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that public records should be kept hidden. That's not the sense of it being public. Having access to criminal records report or other information can help people in more ways than they can imagine. After all, why would you fear releasing your public information if you're not doing anything wrong?

More likely than not, people who don't want to expose their records to the public are those who are hiding something - probably multiple marriages, past act of misconduct or public scandal. Having access to criminal records report or data from public records can help you secure your life and your properties. Needless to say, this public information can serve several purposes.

But how can an ordinary person obtain public records of a person or a company?

Unlike the age prior to advancement of computer and modern technology, obtaining public data or access to criminal records report involve a lot of hard work and red tape. You need to compile numerous requirements in order for your request to be dealt with, add that to the bureaucracy of government agencies, the hard work and hassle build up.

Fast forward to the 21st century, when the advent of the Internet came and accessing public records can be done without the need to go places. With the help of the Internet and with the availability of a computer, you can easily obtain soft and hard copies of records you want to see.

Many government agencies today have their own database that compiles records of people residing in a particular town, city or county. And access to criminal records report or other information is one click away through the power of the Internet.

What types of information are contained in public records?

Public records do not contain just any type of information. Privacy is still important that's why private matter should remain private and not be included on public records. Some of the most common personal information that are made public includes a person's name, birth date, home and mailing addresses, license numbers and a person's social security number among others.

Moreover, information relating to criminal records such as convictions or acquittals form is also a part of public information. This information is vital and serves as a reference of a particular company or corporate establishment that is searching for employees.

Speaking of corporate world, some of the most common information that should be made public includes company's profile, their tax expense and net income as well as the names and nationalities of its owner when you are planning of merging or expansion.

All those mentioned forms of public records can now be obtained at the comfort of one's home - thanks to the Internet.