How To Create a Strong Password in 2 Steps

Creating a strong password is a must today in order to help you safely protect your online transactions. Without it, you'll be left vulnerable to intrusions, stolen personal information, spam, viruses and more. You don't want to know that reason your friends and family are getting spammed, viruses is because your email account was hacked. Or imagine if this happens to your credit card or your bank account? The ramification can be devastating. So before it reaches this level, you can take some very simple steps to creating a strong password.

The question that most people ask is "How I can remember these long strings of letters, numbers and characters?" Well it is very simple and as you will see in this article, it will take two steps to get it done, really. And it may end up being fun. But before we dig in into how to create a complicated password, we are going to play a memory game.

Let's say we have these five objects to remember in order: car, frame, hammer, spoon and sun. The trick to remembering these words or items right away is to compose a sentence with all of them. It does not have to make sense. The sentence just needs to create actions. It will look like this: "In my car, I framed a picture with my hammer and hanged the spoon right over it under the sun." You have now composed a sentence with all 5 words and created actions out of them. If you picture yourself doing these actions, you will immediately remember all 5 words as soon as they are presented to you.

We will use the same analogy to create complicated password in 2 easy steps.

1. Select your favorite words, date/time (number) and a character.

2. Make a sentence with all of them.

Let's say I like colors, fruits and I have great (or bad) memories that happened at a specific time. Let's use the information below:

Words/Numbers/Characters: Red, banana, &,1975

The password will be: Redbanana&1975

Words/Numbers/Characters: Clown,scared,!,1999

The password will be: Clownscared!1999

Or something more fun:

Words/Numbers/Characters: In, 1975, I, became,*

The password will be: In1975ibecame*

Words/Numbers/Characters: @, 12PM, friday, ihave, $

The password will be: @12PMfridayihave$

Try using the first word in upper case; add some numbers, one simple character and you are done. These are strong passwords and you can make all kind of combinations. This will take about 10 minutes of your time but I can assure you, it will be the best 10 minutes you spent.

Remember to use a password for each one of your major account and try changing them as often as you memory can allow it.

Jacob Ouaknine is Sales Engineer and Account Manager at M6iT Consulting

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How to Protect Your Computer in 5 Easy Steps.

1# Use an Anti-Virus software

If you have a PC or Mac you must have an Anti-Virus and if you don't, get it now. Mac users please don't think you are safe because you have an Apple computer. Although it is technically true that Macs don't have Viruses, Mac treats are related to pirated software, social network scams (Facebook, Twitter), and socially engineered websites that can run malicious code on your Mac and collect your information.

What most Mac users don't know is that a Mac can still transmit and spread Windows viruses. If you have an infected file with Windows malicious code, and share it with your Windows friend, they will get infected. Be smart and protect your computer regardless of the Operating System you are using.

An Anti-Virus can help detect most malicious software before they affect your computer. Obviously having an Anti-Virus does not mean it will catch everything but better be safe than sorry. There are many softwares out there that will help protect your computer. Try to get one that gives you a complete protection. A software that has an Anti-Virus, Spyware, malware and web browsing protection.

For PC users you can use Microsoft Security Essentials. It is free and works just as good as any other Anti-Virus.

http://windows.microsoft.com

For Mac users you can use Sophos. It is free and will do a great job. http://www.sophos.com

Make sure you schedule the Anti-Virus to get updates regularly so you get the latest definitions.

2# Keep your softwares and operating system up to date:

Update your programs, operating system, and browsers regularly. It will help prevent many problems and patch security holes. Always update via Windows updates or Mac updates. While browsing the Internet, if you get a popup asking you to run any updates, it is a scam. See # 3 for more details.

3#Pop-up and email warnings:

Unscrupulous companies use pop-up ads to display false warnings about your computer. This is most common with pop-up warnings that you see while you're surfing the Web.

Do NOT click any button in the pop-up. Such as a "Close", "No" button or the "Close" box that may appear in the upper-right corner of the pop-up. Closing a pop-up that way might actually install a virus or other malicious software on your computer. To close a pop-up ad:

For windows, press Ctrl-W

For Mac, press Command-W.

You may receive an email warning that claims to be from a computer "expert" warning you of a virus. These are usually hoaxes. Do not follow the steps described in any email unless you're sure the threat is real.

4# Be aware of emails:

When you receive an email with an attachment that you are not expecting, do not open it. Simple rule: Don't trust but verify. If your email provider does not scan your emails before they are delivered to your mailbox, scans the attachments with your Anti-Virus.

If the email is not from someone you know and trust: don't open it, scan it (personally I will just delete it, especially if the subject or body is catchy). Do the same with emails that have suspicious links. If the attachment is from someone you know and trust but did not expect: Scan it.

5# Check your Firewall.

Every operating system comes with a built in Firewall to prevent unauthorized access to your computer. Make sure it is turned on.

How to turn on a firewall on windows: Start Menu /Control Panel / Windows Firewall

How to turn on a firewall on Mac: Apple Menu / system preferences / security and privacy / Firewall

These 5 little steps will not only protect your computer but will extend its longevity. By protecting your computers, you are also protecting your personal information but know that the rest of the responsibility falls on you. So make sure not to click and open anything without make sure it is a legitimate source.

Jacob Ouaknine is Sales Engineer and Account Manager at M6iT Consulting

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Virus Removal Steps For Securing PC

Internet and local networks are breeding grounds for various malware programs; the latter are designed to corrupt your files and use confidential information for malicious purposes. There could also be a great loss if your personal data, which is available on various sites, falls into the wrong hands. A virus is a type of malware that is spread through a network or a data transfer device. Hence, it is mandatory to secure your PC from virus attacks. There are various effects of a virus on your PC:

1. Your data is corrupted and cannot be read

2. You will be unable to install antivirus and other security applications

3. You receive annoying pop-ups, sometimes, even without an internet connection

4. Antivirus will detect viruses but is unable to remove them

5. Unknown Websites automatically open

6. You receive popups in your browser

7. Your computer becomes terribly slow

8. Computer shuts down or restarts automatically

Overall, the performance of your PC degrades. If you are also facing these problems, virus removal support is available online to help you detect and remove infections from your computer. Viruses can be removed from a system in various ways. One such technique using a tool called Auto runs, designed to work on a Windows Operating System, is discussed in this article. It is a flexible tool and occupies small space. Advanced users can follow the steps below to identify and remove virus programs.

1. Download and extract the Auto runs tool

2. Reboot your computer in Safe Mode. This is a mode used to perform diagnostic and administrative tasks on installations. In this mode, only limited software required for operating system's functionality are loaded. Safe Mode is available on every version of a Windows OS and can be used to your advantage, as malware remain inactive in this mode. If you are not able to operate your PC in Safe Mode, you can avail of virus removal help from experts.

3. Search the Auto runs program and open auto runs.exe file.

4. As the program starts, select Options Menu and enablethe listed options

· 'Include Empty Locations'

· 'Hide Signed Microsoft Entries'

· 'Verify Code Signature'

5. Press F5 key to refresh start-up list with these changes.

6. You will get eight different tabs which contain information on start-up entries. Any suspicious processes will be listed under 'Services' or 'Logon'. Multiple entries might be found as viruses tend to replicate. Remove all such files after consulting the Startup Database site for confirmation. This removes malicious entries from the Registry. If you are not able to distinguish which files you need to remove, contact a trusted virus removal support provider.

7. Select "Show Hidden Files" if you are unable to get those files. After following these steps, if your PC is not working efficiently, you can take virus removal online services. When all malicious entries are removed from the Registry, reboot your system in the normal mode. Your PC is now safe from malware.

By following these simple steps, you will be able to remove viruses from your PC. However, tampering with Registry files could cause system errors, if you accidentally delete legitimate entries. So, your safest best is to take a trusted, online virus removal service.

Frank Martine is working as a Technical Content Writer with SupportMart, a 24x7 available technical support company. We offer brand-independent online technical support for computers, its Operating systems & software. For get more information about Virus Removal Support and Virus Removal Help Call us at 1-855-888-9114 or visit http://www.antivirus.supportmart.net/.

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