Parental Control- The Importance of Protecting Kids Online

Have you ever wondered how much time your children spend in front of a device without your supervision? Yes, it is time to establish limits and, above all, to educate.

The new generations grow hand in hand with a device, as technology evolves, our children are marking their steps. Inevitably, today's minors can stay away from technology and, with it, from the threats posed by the digital world. So here we explain the importance of setting limits, educating them, and promoting the importance of online safety.

Understand the dangers online

It is about educating our young people about the risks they run in the digital world, do not be alarmist with them, you can talk about this in their day-to-day talks. Surfing the internet means a world of potential threats where your children can be easy targets for cybercriminals. We explain the main vulnerabilities that can be found:

1. Phishing: Having an email account or social networks brings them closer to falling into phishing scams , these messages try to manipulate users to obtain confidential information and download malware . Young people should be on the lookout for emails with messages too good to be true or requesting to enter their login details in an alarmist manner. Phishing emails can appear to be real, criminals use trustworthy company names to attack, but with email addresses that raise doubts. When faced with a suspicious email, it is important not to click on any links, provide information, or respond to the email. 

 2. Passwords: Tell your children the importance of having a reliable password that they do not share with anyone except their parents, as well as the importance of having a password for each account. If criminals manage to obtain your children's password, and use the same password for all their accounts, they will lose all their sessions in one act. We recommend making use of a password manager such as Avast Passwords to easily keep track of all your children's accounts.

3. Public Wi-Fi: No matter what your children's activities are during the day, at some point they will have access to a public Wi-Fi network, which represents a danger. The attackers take advantage of the existence of these public networks to create a fake Wi-Fi and thus be able to attack the devices. That is the importance of using a virtual private network (VPN) , you can learn more about what a VPN is and how it works.

Let's talk about Parental Control

Parental Control provides parents with monitoring and limitation tools for minors when using various platforms and applications. Parents can restrict searches, the type of content displayed as well as downloads and purchases for minors.

Most of the devices our minors access have parental controls, for example, if your child is in contact with an Android device, the official Google Play Store has the option to limit the content to download or buy. In the case of applications, each one must be configured with the platform's own parental controls.

Netflix, for example, allows account holders to create different profiles where the content will be classified according to the previously selected age, it even allows PIN blocking for accounts with access to any content, in this way parents can make sure that their children will always use the account created specifically for them, without access to the others.

The limits established by parents through parental control settings go beyond blocking certain content to minors. Microsoft has just announced (site in English) the launch of a new feature that allows minors to limit the use of applications and platforms such as Windows 10 and Xbox One. Parents will have control over the time their children spend inside applications and games specifically, rather than setting a time limit for device use. You can set a specific time and schedule per day for your children to have access to Netflix or other entertainment applications, this way you can limit the time they use on these platforms, without restricting the use of their device.

Protection for all

In addition to the restrictions and limits established through the parental controls offered by the different platforms, as well as educating and promoting online safety, we recommend using complete protection against  malware , webcam hacking,  ransomware , password theft   and more. . Avast Premium Security  offers total online protection for all your devices and platforms in one place, covering up to 10 devices, so you can protect your family's desktops, laptops, phones and tablets with an easy-to-manage Avast account. .

 

One Should or Shouldn’t Use ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE

 One Should or Shouldn’t Use ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE

 

Using antivirus is very common these days, thanks to the number of viruses that attack our computers and smartphones on a daily basis. The main objective of antivirus is to defend technological devices from harmful viruses, worms, and Trojans that usually infect them.

Antiviruses are programs that detect viral activities in real time, in addition to examining periodically or according to the user's preference; As soon as it detects the presence of a virus on the computer, it proceeds to eliminate or remove it; they must be updated every period of time, taking into account that it detects harmful codes at every moment. Users who use them can keep calm knowing that their equipment is protected from computer pests. Just as antivirus have many notable advantages, there are also a few negative points such as the fact that they make operating systems slow, take up a lot of memory space and thanks to their continuous update feature, they take up more and more.

Does using antivirus really benefit my computer?

In the following article we will present the advantages and disadvantages of using antivirus

Why Antivirus

Clean computers: With the arrival of technology in the 80's where the exchange of information between computers and the Internet began, the appearance of computer viruses also began, which caused various damages to the computer such as: changing key sequences, deleting files and hide private information; It is then when using antivirus was the solution for the problems that began to appear in the equipment, guaranteeing the monitoring, extermination and defense of the computers. There are many options that exist in terms of antivirus, taking into account that each time users send and receive more information through emails, in the same way harmful codes are sent and received.

 

Repels unwanted elements: Antiviruses usually fight with other elements of unwanted software such as spyware, malware or rootkits, it also protects against hacking attempts and that is why it has a firewall, that is, software that blocks remote connections, as well as a database that has all the virus definitions available, as well as an encyclopedia of these.

 

Internet Security: Most of these programs have online monitoring, which allows an alert to be displayed to the user when they have accessed an infected site and thus manage to contain the virus; The next step to be followed is to prohibit access to this site for all users who use an antivirus on their computer.

 

Low costs: Despite the existence of several antivirus that generate high costs of money, there are also other options to protect your computer; some of these programs can even be acquired for free (providing the same service as a paid one). Even if you get an expensive antivirus, it will always be more profitable to pay for this service than to buy new computers every 3 months.

Why Not Antivirus

Slow systems: Using antivirus without a doubt brings many advantages for computers, but it also generates certain inconveniences when using them, depending on the processor and RAM that your computer has, this program can be harmful, since the system becomes slow due to the continuous monitoring of antivirus.

 

More than two antivirus: Sometimes a single antivirus does not provide the complete services we need, that is why at times the user decides to install a second antivirus, this being a very bad decision since the two antivirus can be incompatible, resulting in both are disabled by not protecting the computer, leaving the path free for unwanted software and malicious code; that make your computer or cell phone useless.

 

Continuous updates: These types of programs require constant updating, since they are prone to saturating with malicious code and unwanted software; repeated updates generate discomfort for users, as well as the expense of resources to download new versions of the same antiviruspreviously purchased. It may be a solution to program it to update automatically, but if you don't have a good internet connection; this configuration will generate a bad waste of resources.

 

Cloud & Threat Report- The Malware Comes from Cloud Apps

 Cloud & Threat Report- The Malware Comes from Cloud Apps

Cybercriminals are increasingly using trusted cloud apps for phishing and malware attacks.

Not only companies are increasingly relying on the cloud, but attackers are also increasingly choosing this vector for distributing malware: While the number of cloud apps used per company has increased by 20 percent, 61 percent of the malware identified was via the cloud applications in the past year and services. These are the results of the new Cloud & Threat Report. For this purpose, anonymized data from millions of users of the Netskope Security Cloud platform was analysed in the period from January 1 to December 31, 2020.

“Many companies believe that the greatest threat comes from lesser-known and obviously questionable cloud services. In fact, we see the greatest risks in known and trustworthy cloud apps that cybercriminals misuse for cloud phishing and malware delivery, ”explains Paolo Passeri, Cyber ​​Intelligence Principal at Netskope. “Security officers must therefore have transparency about the content and context of the use of cloud applications and be able to apply granular policy controls. This is the only way to ensure that the applications and services that are important for productivity can be used without exposing yourself to these risks. "

The Main Results

Cloud Use on The Rise.

In 2020, the number of cloud apps used per company rose by 20 percent. Companies with 500 to 2,000 employees use an average of 664 different cloud apps per month. Almost half of these applications are rated with a “poor” Cloud Confidence Index (CCI). This indicates to what extent apps and services are suitable for the professional environment.

 

The Delivery of Malware Continues to Move to The Cloud.

In 2020, 61 percent of malware was distributed via cloud apps. In the previous year, it was 48 percent.

 

The Widespread Use of Cloud Apps in Businesses Makes Them a Popular Target for Phishing Attacks.

Cloud apps are now the target of every third (36%) phishing campaign. While the majority of phishing lures are still hosted on traditional websites, attackers are increasingly using cloud apps to gain a foothold in businesses.

The Volume of Malicious Microsoft Office Documents Increased by 58 Percent.

Attackers are increasingly using Office documents as Trojans to spread additional payloads, including ransomware and backdoors. By providing them via cloud apps, traditional email and web security solutions can often be bypassed. Correspondingly, malicious Office documents made up 27 percent of all malware downloads that were detected and blocked by the Netskope Security Cloud.

Sensitive Data Is Increasingly Being Stored in Personal Apps.

With the increasing merging of work and private life in the home office, personal app instances are increasing in the company: 83 percent of employees access personal app instances on company devices. The average business user uploads 20 files from these managed devices to personal apps every month. Using private instances also increases the risk of data protection breaches significantly.

Find the best-advanced malware protection like Protegent Total Security to prevent any malware activity.

 

Get Protected from Cyber Spying by Total Security Software

 Get Protected from Cyber Spying by Total Security Software

The privacy is a very important factor for Internet users. Our data can be compromised for many different reasons when we enter a web page, use a program or service on the network. Luckily we also have methods and total security  tools that we can use to protect ourselves and prevent personal information from being exposed. In this article let's talk about how to be safe from those who spy on us while we are surfing.

Why It Is Important To Maintain Privacy?

Whenever we surf internet we must bear in mind the importance of preserving our privacy. Personal data has great value. All our personal data can be used for marketing and it can be sold to third party.

The web pages we visit, the services and platforms where we are registered, may have interests in obtaining information from users in order to profit financially. In this way, they use different methods and strategies (some legitimate and others not) to obtain that data.

For all this it's vital to take care of our privacy and have internet security. We must not expose the small details about us like what device we use, which programs are we using, etc. This help in reducing our problems of privacy being leaked.

Who Can Spy On Us On The Internet?

As we know there are a lot of people waiting to collect our data for their purpose. Let's see who the main actors are that could put our privacy at risk.

Website Trackers

The crawler’s web pages certainly are one of the bands that could jeopardize our privacy and spy on us. Basically what they do is collect information about the sites we visit, the time we spend on a website, where we have registered, what we have bought.

These trackers are often useful to supply us results adapted to our location, tastes, etc. But they could also compromise our privacy. They could sell that information to 3rd parties, for instance.

Social Media

Social networks are widely employed by users on the web. They are used to stay in contact with friends and family, inform us, and upload images or videos. But we must also bear in mind that it is a type of platform where our data is not safe and can be exposed.

This type of service can collect information about pages that we follow, who we've added as contacts, where we are, what sites we've visited. At the top of the day there's tons of knowledge that we will put.

Programs We Use

We must also mention the programs we use. The software that we install in the system could collect information from our team, name, and email. Sometimes they ask for information of this type.

But we could also install some quite program that has additional software added for the only purpose of spying on us. It are often a source of income for a few free programs.

The Networks We Connect To

On the opposite hand, the wireless networks to which we connect, or more specifically people who manage them, could serve to spy. They can also collect information on users, the equipment they use, sites where they navigate, services they have opened.

What to Try To Avoid Privacy Problems When Browsing

For everything we have mentioned we can take into account some tips. The aim is to stop our personal information from being compromised. We are going to show some essential recommendations:

Use Total Security Software

Always have total security software installed in your device which helps in keeping a check on your web and will tell you not to open that link or go to website as that be a threat or scam.

Do not expose more information than necessary

A point to stay in mind is to avoid exposing more information than necessary. For example, in social networks, don't put our email address visible, don't open the profile to those that aren't contacts, don't publish our location, etc.

There is a lot of data that we can expose on the net without realizing it. Also when using forums on the web or writing discuss any website. We must not release information that may be available to anyone.

Be careful with which services we link to social networks

We have seen that social networks are often wont to spy on us, however the services that we link to them also can do so. Hence the importance of being careful with other programs or pages that we will link to Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.

It is common that when logging into a page or platform they permit us to try to it directly with Facebook. But this might be a privacy issue as they might access personal information.

Use more private browsers

Another issue that we will take under consideration is to use more private browsers. Some of the foremost popular are Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, but we've more options at our disposal. Some are more focused on security and protecting our data, like the Tor browser.

Browser extensions

The browsers themselves even have extensions available to enhance privacy. In the case of Chrome, which is the most used, it has a wide range of add-ons that can serve to protect our data when browsing. We can also find it in others like Mozilla Firefox.

Use VPN

Whenever we surf the Internet on public networks we can expose privacy and security. Networks are often insecure and that we don't really know who could be behind it. What a VPN does is encrypt the connection and thus protect the knowledge.

In short, by following these steps we will improve privacy on the network. The objective is to stop our personal information from being exposed and serve in order that third parties can take advantage of or include us in campaigns that also put security in danger.

 

ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE & FURTHER TO SAFETY

 ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE & FURTHER TO SAFETY

You have installed Antivirus Software on your computer, such as Norton Antivirus from Symantec or Virus Scan from McAfee. Now you can relax and be virus free, right? It is wrong. Although it is a crucial line of defense, antivirus software alone does not guarantee a secure computer. To help keep your system truly secure, you need to ensure that you have the latest bug fixes, virus definition files, and security fixes for your software applications, and that you use common sense.

Download security patches and bug fixes

Fixes and patches, generally offered free of charge through the software manufacturer's Web sites, are small files that you can download to repair problems you recently encountered with a software program on your system, problems that could become a gateway for viruses and other dangers. By making updating your software a regular practice, you will help protect your computer from these types of risks.

To ensure that your Antivirus Software is working optimally, it is a good idea to visit the software manufacturer's Web site, along with the sites that are dedicated to reporting product reviews. When you see a security-related hot fix, download and install it on all computers that use that application. Be sure to check the version of the software you are running so that you can get the appropriate updates. Some programs automatically report new updates available when you start them. Also, in certain cases, some companies no longer issue bug fixes or security patches for older programs, therefore you may need to upgrade to a newer version.

Viruses often take advantage of a security vulnerability in email and in programs that use the Web browser. Therefore, as you search for security patches for all of your software, you must ensure that your Internet tools, your e-mail programs, and that your Web browsers are up to date.

Newer versions of Windows include a feature that automatically provides security patches for Outlook and the operating system. To enable automatic updates in Windows XP, go to: Start> Control Panel Settings> System. Click the Automatic Updates tab and select the box that says "Automatic." If your operating system does not support Automatic Settings, you can find updates and hot fixes on the Official Microsoft Download Page.

To download the latest fixes for Internet Explorer, you can get them in the Get It Now (page Get it now ) from Microsoft. Mozilla Firefox users can obtain the latest browser updates by clicking the Help menu item and selecting "Check for Updates."

Update the virus definition files

If you have installed the Antivirus Software according to the instructions, updating the virus definition files will be a fairly straightforward and automatic procedure. The trick is to make sure your computer is on when the updates are scheduled. If you've set your updates to take place overnight, don't turn off your computer when you leave the office. Also, make sure your internet connection is up and ready when you need it.

However, you may want to update your virus definitions before the next scheduled task is performed. This is useful when:

·        Anyone in your organization or anyone who emails you on a regular basis has received a virus.

·       If you have reason to suspect that you are infected, but the Antivirus Software does not report the presence of viruses.

·     You have heard of a new email virus that is spreading through computers around the world.

Run the antivirus manually

If you've set all the preferences as described in the Antivirus Software installation instructions, you should be pretty well protected. Your settings should provide automatic scanning of files that are identified as high risk. However, feel free to manually scan your computer, downloaded files, and other material that may make it onto your computer. This is especially necessary if you share your files on a disk in your office.

If you have disabled the automatic detection features to avoid slowing down or system conflicts, be sure to run a manual scan at least once a week. As with updates, make sure your computer is on when automatic exams are scheduled to take place.

Use common sense

Common sense is what prevents you from opening the door for burglars, even if you have a security alarm in your building. Also use it with virus protection issues:

·            If you receive an unexpected attachment from someone, even someone you know, do not open it. Check with the person who sent it to you to see if it is legitimate. And if you don't know the sender, don't bother sending a reply, as this will tell potential spammers that your email address is indeed real.

·      If you download programs or files from the Internet, make sure they come from a trusted source. Also, check programs and files for viruses before opening them.

·           Do not spread email virus alerts unless you have reviewed the sites for the latest risks and determined that the threat is indeed real. The Symantec Threat Finder Site was created as an outlet for these matters.

·             If you are attacked by a virus, warn people on your network and in your address book as soon as possible.

In the age of the Internet and other networks, it is easy for a virus to spread like fire. However, if we all practice safe computing, we can be sure that our systems will continue to function properly.

 

 

Antivirus Solutions Resolving Virus Attacks

 Antivirus Solutions Resolving

Virus Attacks

 

Below you will find a list of the most common attacks that we face daily on the Internet, ordered by types:

Scan (Search):

Scanning, as a method of discovering potentially exploitable communication channels, has been in use for a long time. The idea is to scan as many listening ports as possible, and save information on those that are receptive or useful for each particular need.
There are different types of Scanning according to the techniques, ports and protocols exploited:

 

·      TCP connect scanning - Basic way to scan TCP ports to find open ports to enter.

·    TCP SYN scanning: simulates a client-server connection in which a SYN packet is sent, if it receives a response, communication is cut and that port is registered as open. 

·     TCP FIN Scanning- Stealth Port Scanning: similar to the previous one but more clandestine.

·     Fragmentation scanning: modification of the previous ones, but fragmenting the packages.

·  Eavesdropping-packet sniffing: intercepts packets from the network without modifying them to, for example, find out passwords.

·     Snooping downloading: same as above, but also intercepts files that can be downloaded.

 

Authentication attacks:

This type of attack aims to deceive the victim's system to enter it, for this the attacker makes identity theft. Generally, this deception is carried out by taking the sessions already established by the victim or by obtaining their username and password.

·       Spoofing-Looping: consists of impersonating someone else and then taking actions on their behalf. There are several types such as IP spoofing, DNS, WEB etc.

·      Web Spoofing (Phishing): the attacker creates a fake website similar to the original, allowing to find out from the victim's data to bank codes.

·       IP Splicing-Hijacking: consists of impersonating an authorized user when he identifies himself.

·         Using Back Doors: allows you to bypass normal authentication methods.

·       Use of Exploits: they take advantage of hardware or software failures to enter the system.

·     Obtaining Passwords: obtaining passwords by trial and error or through programs that use dictionaries with millions of keys that they try to find the correct key.

 

Denial of service (DOS):

The current protocols were designed to be used in an open community and with a relationship of mutual trust. Reality indicates that it is easier to disorganize the functioning of a system than to access it; Thus, Denial of Service attacks aim to saturate the victim's resources in such a way that the services provided by the victim are disabled.

·         Jamming or Flooding: disable or saturate system resources, such as memory, disk, etc.

·       Syn Flood: A "half-way" connection is established, so that the computer is awaiting a response from the hostile computer, thus slowing down the system.

·         Connection Flood: causes the connection limits to be exceeded, leaving the Internet server hanging.

·         Net Flood: saturates the line with malicious traffic, preventing useful network traffic.

·      Land Attack: consists of sending a packet with the source address and port the same as the destination one, causing the system to crash.

·     Super nuke or Win nuke: sending manipulated packets to port range 137-139 that causes the computer to hang.

·         Teardrop I and II-Newtear-Bonk-Boink: prevents the fragments that form a package from being correctly assembled, causing the system to saturate.

·      E-Mail Bombing-Spamming: the first consists of saturating an email account by mass sending the same message, and what spamming does is a mass sending of an email to thousands of users without their consent.

 

Mod-Damage Attacks:

·         Tampering or Data Diddling: unauthorized modification of the data or software installed on the victim system, including deletion of files.

·         Fingerprint Removal: consists of eliminating all the tasks that the intruder performed on the system to prevent it from being located.

·    Attacks Using Java Applets: Take advantage of security flaws in ?? java virtual machines ?? to launch attacks.

·      Attacks through JavaScript and VBscript: used to, for example, send emails without the user's knowledge, read directories, files, view the history of visited pages, etc.

·      Attacks Using ActiveX: manipulate the code of certain browsers, so that it does not ask the user for confirmation when downloading another active control from the Internet, thus they can introduce malicious code.

·      Vulnerability Attacks in Browsers: allows access to the computer's buffer and run programs such as format.com.

 

Exploitation of design, implementation and operation errors:

Many systems are exposed to security "holes" that are exploited to access files, passwords, or gain privileges. These vulnerabilities are caused by programming flaws in operating systems, software applications, network protocols, Internet browsers, email, etc.

Recommendations to avoid the spread of viruses and spyware


1) Always have an antivirus and antispyware program active; It is advisable not to trust just one, but using more than one does not mean that we must have them all installed, we simply run those antivirus and antispyware in their scanning option, on the folder that contains the files to review.

2) Just as important as having the antivirus installed is having it fully updated. Currently, updates are daily in most programs, or at least weekly, so if the antivirus we have is not updated with a maximum frequency of one week, it would be best to change to another that had daily updates or several weekly. The same happens with an antispyware program, we must keep it as up-to-date as possible, since this way security holes are corrected that can put our security at risk. Many worms nowadays are successful due to the laziness of users to update their programs, so an awareness of continuous renewal of the programs on our computers, especially those more delicate such as browsers, operating systems, P2P clients and others, is basic to be sure.

3) Do not open any message or file received via email from unknown or very little known sources. In the case of familiar persons, the corresponding precautions must also be taken. Make sure with that person of the shipment, and never execute them before passing the updated antivirus to these files. When in doubt, simply choose to delete the message and the attached files.

4) Do not download anything from websites that you do not have serious references to, or that are not fairly well known. And if files are downloaded, we must do as with the attached files; examine them with the antivirus before executing or downloading them.

5) Test several antivirus, firewalls, antispyware, etc., downloading its trial version (trial version) that usually lasts between 15 and 30 days, with which we can try several before deciding to buy the one that best suits our needs.Tell us about its ease of use and configuration, after-sales support, features, and performance. Find users of those programs who provide us with their opinion about this or other similar programs. The best we can do is navigated in a forum dedicated to security or in those of the program's company, where we can read important details of the operation of the people who use it. They will even answer the questions we ask them, and we will see the advantages and disadvantages of the users themselves.