Month: May 2010

Peer-to-peer file sharing software p2p networks allow those that use them to use a file-sharing network to share files: in this case generally music, video and games files. This is done by connecting storage devices such as hard disks, USB memory and DVD disks between two or more computers and transferring selected files from one to another.

Although the vast majority of such peer to peer file sharing software p2p networks are true networks, offering connections directly from provider to user, it was not always that way. Some still contain elements of the old Napster client-server structure that ended in the old Napster dying because the network was destroyed when the central hub, the Napster server, was removed.

Napster arose from its ashes as a regular paid service, but without its original pizzazz, and those software p2p systems that came after it had learned. They consisted of a more direct architecture whereby a direct route between the provider and client for the file was provided. If A wants a copy of a movie, game or music file, the P2P software provides a direct .link between A and all the peer to peer file sharing members that are online. The packets making up the file are downloaded simultaneously from all logged in members that have the file on their storage device (generally the hard disk or a partition of it). This connection can be between you and your neighbor, or the Queen of Sheba, provided she is live on the network.

You can have access to hard disks of every other member of your network that is online, and the download speed is determined directly to the speed of your internet connection, the software, the internet connection speed of the provider of the file and the number of other users using the network at the time of download, but can be exceptionally quick, particularly with paid, as opposed to free, software PSP services. Examples of such peer to peer file sharing software P2;Pervices are the open source Gnutella network, used by Limewire, Moviedownloads, and Bearshare, and the eDonkey network used by Kazaa and Overnet services. Another is BitTorrent, although that is a different type of system.

The base software P2P networks are open source, and hence free to use. However, the paid membership sites, that generally charge a one-time life membership fee, offer support, a better directory structure, faster downloading speed and many other benefits. These are real benefits, and one of t5he best is that the membership version is free of Spyware and adware that comes along with the free versions. Adware puts pop-ups on your screen related to your browsing habits, and sometimes you cannot remove these without switching off your computer. Spyware can read your keystrokes, and hence capture your banking and credit details: enough said!

PAID FILE SHARING NETWORKS

The paid software p2p services are not paid networks, but provide access to the open source networks that is guaranteed free from viruses, adware and spyware, and monthly paid membership p2p services offer you unlimited downloads of music, games an movies. Although it is sill possible to download current hits, you should avoid that since it is illegal, and stick to those tracks in the public domain and not protected by copyright. In fact some current chart hits are already protected by software that stops you downloading them, but they are still very much in the minority.

Most peer to peer file sharing software p2p networks will inform you if you are trying to download a copyrighted file, and give the you opportunity to stop or to continue. However, you are still allowed by the software to download a Number One hit, although it would be wrong of you to do so. In fact it is possible for one member of a p2p service to purchase a top blockbuster movie online, and then allow it to be distributed to millions of others for no more than their initial membership fee: in other words, basically for nothing. Imagine what this would do to future and income of those working in the entertainment industry! However peer to peer file sharing software p2p can be used for the benefit of the industry if used as it was originally.

The original software p2p networks offered new singers, bands and movie makers the opportunity to showcase their work free of charge to the public. In this way they became known, and their work would slowly start to sell. As they became better known, they would gather a fan base, and eventually become stars in their own right. Many Indie bands started off that way without having to spend much money. They could get comments and valuable criticism, and find out how popular they were. Some could use that information to improve until they felt ready to launch commercial work. Computer games could be tested before going onto the market. Bugs could be fixed and the product perfected.

However, many selfish people are still ruining it for those that want to use these peer to peer file sharing software p2p services as they should properly be used. They copy movie hits and current music onto hard disk, and then onto portable disks for commercial sale. In fact the authorities should be tackling the big dogs – the pirate gangs that make millions through illegal movie and music downloads. But they do not – they prosecute kids that don’t know better or want to download a track to assess before buying the album, and fine their hard-working moms
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That is not to say that downloading copyrighted material should be legal, but it would help if some proper ‘high profile’ prosecutions of professional pirates were made. That would be a more positive message to the ordinary person that they are doing wrong than just prosecuting a few kids and their moms.

THE PROPER USE OF P2P FILE SHARING NETWORKS

Check your network for public domain material, or look for it online and search for it using your network search facility. You can also check out your favorite singer’s website, particularly new singers or bands, and ask what free downloads are available. Search for legitimate free movie downloads – you will be surprised at how many are available. You should also check out the copyright laws for your country. Copyright does not last for ever, and they go into the public domain after a period of time. After that they can be legally downloaded free of charge using p2p file sharing software.

New bands or singers can record their work, and open it for free download. Simply place it on your hard disk and advertise it – it’s better than YouTube because there is no time limit. When you consider the one-off payment, you actually pay very .little for the peer to peer file sharing software p2p network service of your choice, offering free music downloads, free movies, and free computer games. However, you are advised to use your p2p file sharing service within the terms of copyright law.

A ring of cybercriminals recently broken up by Russian authorities used keylogging software planted in e-mail messages and hidden in websites to draw over $1.1 million from personal bank accounts in France.

The goal of these cybercriminals was to infect the inner workings of computers in much the same way that mischief-making virus writers do. The twist here is that the keylogging programs exploit security flaws and monitor the path that carries data from the keyboard to other parts of the computer. This is a more invasive approach than phishing, which relies on deception rather than infection, tricking people into giving their information to a fake website.

The keylogging programs are often hidden inside ordinary software downloads, e-mail attachments, or files shared over peer-to-peer networks. Because they can be embedded in webpages, they take advantage of browser features that allow programs to run automatically.

The hidden keylogging programs infect the computers of unsuspecting users. This puts the keylogging programs in the category of malicious programs known as Trojan horses, or just Trojans. These Trojans are very selective because they monitor the web access the victims make, and start recording information only when the user enters the sites of interest to the fraudster.

In some countries the use of keylogging programs that silently copy the keystrokes of computer users and send that information to the crooks has surpassed “phishing” messages, those that pretend to be from a bank or business but are actually attempts to steal passwords and other personal information. Among global cybercriminals, phishing may already be passé.

In Brazil, cybercriminal have given up traditional phishing for the easier and more profitable keylogging activities. According to data compiled by computer security companies in 2005, the use of “crimeware” like keyloggers to steal user names and passwords — and ultimately cash — has soared. The crimes often cross international borders, and they put Internet users everywhere at risk.

“It’s the wave of the future,” according Peter Cassidy, the Secretary General of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, a consortium of industry and law enforcement partners that fights online fraud and identity theft. “All this stuff is becoming more and more automated and more and more opaque.”

Mr. Cassidy’s group found that the number of Web sites known to be hiding this kind of malicious code nearly doubled between November and December, rising to more than 1,900. The antivirus company Symantec has reported that half of the malicious software it tracks is designed not to damage computers but to gather personal data.

Over the course of 2005, iDefense, a unit of Verisign that provides information on computer security to government and industry clients, counted over 6,000 different keylogger variants — a 65 percent increase over 2004. About one-third of all malicious code tracked by the company now contains some keylogging component, according to Ken Dunham, the company’s rapid-response director.

And the SANS Institute, a group that trains and certifies computer security professionals, estimated that at a single moment last fall, as many as 9.9 million machines in the United States were infected with keyloggers of one kind or another, putting as much as $24 billion in bank account assets — and probably much more — literally at the fingertips of fraudsters. John Bambenek, the SANS researcher who made the estimate, suggested that the infection rate was probably much higher.

In most cases, a keylogger or similar program, once installed, will simply wait for certain Web sites to be visited — a banking site, for instance, or a credit card account online — or for certain keywords to be entered — “SSN,” for example — and then spring to life.

Keystrokes are saved to a file, Web forms are copied — even snapshots of a user’s screen can be silently recorded. The information is then sent back to a website or some waiting server where a thief, or a different piece of software, sifts through the data for useful nuggets.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, responding to the growing threat of cybercrime to the financial industry, stiffened its guidelines for Internet banking in October, effectively ordering banks to do more than ask for a simple user name and password. But it stopped short of requiring, for instance, the use of electronic devices that generate numeric passcodes every 60 seconds, which many experts say would help foil much online fraud, including the use of keyloggers.

Technology for grabbing text and screen images is not new — or particularly sophisticated. Keyloggers are even sold commercially, as tools for keeping an eye on what children are doing online, or what a spouse might be doing in online chat rooms. And while most experts agree that data-swiping software is spreading rapidly, there are some who say the problem has been exaggerated.

Some words to the wise: Being wary of unfamiliar weblinks sent via e-mail is a first-line of defense, according to experts, as are avoiding questionable downloads and keeping up to date with Windows patches and antivirus updates.

It is worth noting, however, that in a test of major antivirus programs conducted in Brazil last fall, the very best detected only 88 percent of the known keyloggers flourishing there. In the United States, on the other hand, victims of fraudulent money transfers are typically limited to $50 in liability under the Federal Reserve’s Regulation E, so long as they report the crime quickly enough — within two days. If they report it within 60 days, their liability is capped at $500.

Because cybercriminals are becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their operations, they are real threats to your personal security and privacy. Your money, your computer, your family, and your business are all at risk. These cybercriminals leave you with three choices: (1) Do nothing and hope their attacks, risks, and threats don’t occur on your computer. (2) Do research and get training to protect yourself, your family, and your business. (3) Get professional help to lockdown your system from all their attacks, risks, and threats.

Remember: When you say “No!” to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don’t, we all lose!

Even if you consider yourself to be somewhat of a fitness guru, there are always new facts and tidbits out there that can really aid your fitness progression. Whether it’s the latest fitness gadgets or just some new protein drink, you can never know enough. That’s why I’ve rounded up a list of some rather surprising fitness tips that you probably don’t know about yet. They’re unconventional and sure to give your workouts a boost.

1. Stop exercising with your best friend. Yes we all know that working out with a friend is supposed to give you more motivation. But recent research has shown that working out with a close friend can actually reduce the intensity and length of your daily workouts. You probably spend more time gossiping about the Jolie-Pitts than working on your glutes. So make sure to choose your workout partner carefully or just stick to hitting up the gym solo.

2. Wear red and orange workout clothes. This might sound a little strange, but current research has shown that red and orange light waves affect how the hypothalamus works. It’s responsible regulating your appetite and body temperature. So in theory, wearing these colors while you exercise will increase your body temperature as well as your energy levels.

3. Avoid the elliptical machine. It’s one of the most monotonous workout machines at the gym anyway, so this shouldn’t be hard. It’s also one of the least effective pieces of cardio equipment because it utilizes momentum rather your muscle force. It’s still great for warming up, but if you really want to burn fat, move on to something a little more challenging.

4. Use an exercise ball chair. This is an almost effortless way to work on your abs. While you are sitting at your desk, your abdominal muscles have to make up for the changes in balance that occur when you are sitting on an exercise ball. And if you consider all the time you spend behind a computer, this can really add up.

Follow some of these tips and you’ll be on your way to a higher level of fitness. And remember there are always new products and research out there to help you stay fit, so keep up with the research and try your best to keep your workouts fresh and varied. There’s nothing worse than being bored with your workout.

What one witnesses in today’s world are competitive markets, restricted opportunities, and market turndowns. Business units have to take into account not only the use of latest software development, but also to keep track of employed software through software maintenance support services.

Offshore software maintenance is forth-coming IT industry. It is expanding its dimensions with each passing day. Many business centric and techno driven companies are outsourcing their maintenance work to offshore software maintenance units in India. Successful companies are focused not only on developing new software, but they are also interested in maintaining and supporting software applications that they have been using. Outsourcing software development and software maintenance services to India is gaining momentum. This has become possible owing to many advantageous opportunities available to clients, while outsourcing software maintenance needs to India. Indian IT market at present is offering space, manpower, and resources at incomparable rates to those offered from other parts of the world. Accessibility to quality resources at low cost, timely delivery of projects, better customer satisfaction are a few reasons for flourishing software maintenance services from India. Companies involved in software maintenance make use of highly effective best practices and proven methodology with apt input of technology and skilled workforce to enhance software application maintenance services./

It is a fact that a software developed needs maintenance! The software maintenance support can range for new updates, modifications in functionality or look, a new version, or any other issue in software. Developers from India are well skilled and have always given their best in offshore software maintenance services. The precise industry focus and efficient employment of technology and experienced personnel help deliver quality maintenance and support services to clients at reduced costs. They leverage their expertise to encounter scalable software application maintenance delivery to clients for projects of any vertical and dimension. Software maintenance support team after receiving the requirements, analyze the problem and finally considers the most appropriate customized software maintenance solution, fulfilling the demand of time.

Change is the way of life! One needs to adapt for survival in the ever-changing world by making use of the offshore software maintenance from India and be at forefront and ahead of their co-competitors.

Personal information is now so readily available that a total stranger with nothing more than an online connection and a credit card could discover everything there is to know about you. He or she could compile a complete dossier on you, your family members, friends, work associates, or business rivals without any special investigative training. Forget about shredding your mail and financial documents or worrying about who might have a copy of a recent credit card transaction. You have much bigger problems if you want to keep your personal information private.

Fears about identity theft are not limited to spyware or to records stolen from corporate databases. As it turns out, the neighbor next door can be just as big a concern. Definitely, using the Internet to spy on average citizens has become our next big social problem. Until a few years ago, people had few low-cost options available when they wanted to find out about someone else’s background. Typical solutions involved paying private investigators hundreds or even thousands of dollars to pore through written records.

But now, for about $50 or less, anyone can take advantage of the search services that have cropped up on the Internet. Search engines have gotten better. This spy-on-your-neighbor mentality has come out of the collections world where skip-trace checks by creditors were common.

High-powered information databases were costly to use and often were restricted to law-enforcement officials and lawyers. That is no longer the case. Today, almost anyone can become an “eTective” by taking advantage of various online investigative services.

If you know where the person lives, and depending what you’re looking for, you can search for any relevant court records, real estate ownership, birth certificates, etc. And for more detailed investigations, there is LexisNexis, a popular electronic archive of newspaper articles, legal documents, and other printed content. About $200 will buy you a pretty complete search.

Most large-scale theft of personal information has occurred at high-profile companies. For example, a laptop from Fidelity Investments containing information on nearly 200,000 participants in Hewlett-Packard’s pension and 401(k) plans was recently stolen. Last year, financial institutions estimated that 55 million personal identification numbers might have been compromised in more than 130 reported cases.

But security experts say that even those numbers could be underreported, because only relatively few companies are legally obligated to report such thefts of corporate data. Other, smaller companies can avoid the public disclosure of an embarrassing incident. And nobody even keeps records of the amount of personal information legitimately obtained through inquiries on search engines and commercial Web sites.

According to Andrew Jaquith, a senior analyst for security issues at the research company Yankee Group, using the Internet to spy on people is a new variation on an old theme. Traditional fears of government spying on citizens are giving way to another kind of paranoia. In the U.S., Americans are terrified of Big Brother. Yet we have no problem allowing lots of Little Brothers, such as the credit card companies, to have our information indefinitely. So now we have thousands of Little Brothers and the Internet giving us hundreds of new ways to track people.

Using the Internet as a private investigator might start with the people-finder feature on popular search sites such as Yahoo. From there, searchers can click on links to paid services that dig even deeper into people’s backgrounds. Although more and more of consumers’ private information is exposed to public scrutiny, I wonder how long will it take before Uncle Sam comes up with some consumer security safety measures for personal information thefts that fall through the cracks.

Because cybercriminals are becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their operations, they are real threats to your personal security and privacy. Your money, your computer, your family, and your business are all at risk. These cybercriminals leave you with three choices:

(1) Do nothing and hope their attacks, risks, and threats don’t occur on your computer.

(2) Do research and get training to protect yourself, your family, and your business.

(3) Get professional help to lockdown your system from all their attacks, risks, and threats.

Remember: When you say “No!” to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don’t, we all lose!