The HotBar add-on is an add-on program for Internet Explorer that personalizes email, as well as the functionality and visual appearance of browser applications. While performing the functions noted above, HotBar also makes multiple connections with “hotbar.com” and “reports.shopperreports.com”. Hotbar also monitors phrases the user enters into search engines and reports them to third parties …
Clearing previous Google searches is a straight forward process that can take about one minute to accomplish. It should be noted that unless you’re using the Google toolbar, erasing only the history of Google is impossible. However, since people typically only use one search engine predominately, erasing the search history will only affect Google. Erasing …
Fake mail is e-mail which appears to be from someone other than the actual sender. Fake mail was initially usually used to stage practical jokes, but is now utilized primarily by e-mail spammers. How to Send Fake Mail To send fake mail, first `telnet` to port 25 of the machine you want the fake mail …
A one-time pad is a form of encryption that is difficult to decipher or crack if one is not the intended recipient. If done correctly, the strength of encryption of plaintext can almost be impossible to break in a useful timeframe. The system takes each character from plaintext and uses modular addition with a character …
Digital certificates are the equivalent of a driver’s license, a marriage license, or any other form of identity. The only difference is that a digital certificate is used in conjunction with a public key encryption system. Digital certificates are electronic files that simply work as an online passport. Digital certificates are issued by a third …
“Physical access to a computer or router usually gives a sophisticated user complete control over the device. Software security measures can often be circumvented when access to the hardware is not controlled.” — Cisco Systems, Inc. Recovering the passwords for most Cisco devices via the console port is very simple. However, Cisco has purchased so …
A brute force attack consists of trying every possible code, combination, or password until the right one is found. Determining the Difficulty of a Brute Force Attack The difficulty of a brute force attack depends on several factors, such as: How long can the key be? How many possible values can each key component have? …
TEMPEST stands for Transient Electromagnetic Pulse Surveillance Technology. Computers and other electronic equipment release interference to their surrounding environment. You may observe this by placing two video monitors close together. The pictures will behave erratically until you space them apart. What is important for an observer is the emission of digital pulses (zeroes and ones) …
Virtually every computer in the world has some form of adult pornography stored somewhere on its hard drive. This can be due to personal use, viruses, or the fact that pornography seems to be included with every downloaded file, opened webpage, and email attachment. Pornography can also be a concern when many people have access …
RSA, which stands for Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman, is a security algorithm used in digital cryptography. RSA differs from older symmetric algorithms because it has the ability of allowing digital signing as well as advanced encryption for online commerce systems and high-profile institutions. RSA was one of the first major advancements in digital cryptography but …