Modern life revolves around the cyber world, making Internet security vital. From social networking to banking, we keep a lot of personal information on the Internet so a threat to our security can have dangerous consequences. Hackers are a major threat to your online safety and can put at risk not only your private information, but your computer system, and other sensitive or valuable information that is not even stored on your device!
Hackers are unauthorized users that can gain access to your private details like passwords, which can be used to hack into your Internet accounts, sometimes sending content to your contacts under your identity or using the information stored in the account to access further personal information. These breaches in your Internet security can be avoided.
Even worse, a hacker can access credit card numbers, Social Security numbers and even entire computer systems. Amongst some hackers, there is a trade in infected computer systems, which are sold and used to launch attacks on other computer systems, that might store more sensitive data or valuable information. You might not even know that your device is infected and is being used for the theft of other data.
Hackers place threats most commonly on the Internet. Often, they will trick you into downloading files, known as Malware or Adware. Once you’ve got one, it’s difficult to eradicate the infection. Awareness is key to avoiding this. It’s important to implement every method possible to keep your information safe. There are ways to up your Internet security and make sure you don’t fall victim to online hackers.
Five Tips for Maintaining Online Security
1. Use Antivirus
Even the websites you trust are at risk of being compromised, so you need a firewall even if you are careful. Recommended anti-virus for Windows include Microsoft Security Essentials or Windows Defender and for Mac include Avast Antivirus and Kaspersky.
2. Update Software Regularly
Google Chrome, Windows, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Adobe Flash plugin, Adobe’s PDF Reader, Microsoft Office and more are software items that can get infected. These companies regularly release updates armed with improved security! Install these ASAP, or set up automatic updates.
3. Download and Run with Caution
Only download software from its official website. Never download anything from illegal or unknown sites, as the download may contain Malware or Adware files. If you use pirated or cracked software from peer-to-peer networks or dodgy websites, you are at risk – software is higher risk than music or videos files. Watch out for ‘download’ buttons that lead you to other sites as they could be dangerous.
4. Watch the Emails You Open
Sometimes, hackers send emails posing as companies you trust, like your bank, requesting information including your password. This is a scam called phishing. Never send a password or username via email. Banks would never ask for this. You can avoid phishing by checking the link in the email before you click (it might contain unusual letters or numbers) or always visiting the company’s official domain and avoiding clicking on links through email.
5. Don’t Reuse Passwords
If you use the same password for multiple accounts, you’re in trouble via a breach at any one site. Hackers will try different combinations until they can access everything. Choose different passwords for each of your logins and be sure to change these often in order to stay safe.
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Five Tips for Maintaining Online Security
With more than 1 billion active users
globally, WhatsApp is arguably one of the most popular messaging applications
out there. However, popularity comes with a price and WhatsApp hacks or at
least attempts to hack WhatsApp accounts are quite common. Our blog has talked
about certain aspects of WhatsApp security before. You can check out our older
entries about how it is possible to hack a WhatsApp account via voicemail or
how to reset a WhatsApp password to learn more on the topic. In this blog post,
however, we discuss certain measures that the users can take in order to
protect their WhatsApp account from hacking.
Protect WhatsApp with a Lock App
One of the most basic ways to avoid a
WhatsApp hack is using a lock pattern to access your account. Although WhatsApp
doesn't provide us with such a feature yet, there are a lot of third-party lock
apps out there that can help you safeguard your account from an unsolicited
breach. How does a lock app work? It uses the same basic principle that any
smartphone has where you can set a pattern to unlock your screen. Although it
might seem tedious to enter the pattern or a password each time you want to
access WhatsApp, please consider using it to secure your account.
Two-Factor Authentication
Perhaps some users may not be
familiar with two-factor or multi-factor authentication, but it should already
be a default by now. You can enable two-factor authentication via WhatsApp's
Security Settings. With the end-to-end encryption and two-factor
authentication, the possibility of a WhatsApp Hack decreases.
\Don't Forget to Log Out of Your
Account
The approach towards WhatsApp
security may differ slightly depending on whether you're using the mobile or
the desktop version. The desktop version might have certain liabilities,
especially if there is more than one person using the same computer. Although
it should be obvious, not all users log out of their account on a desktop once
they are done using the application. So how about making a new habit that will
actually be beneficial to you? After all, the application notifies you every single
time you log in to your account via a PC, so that is a very good way to track
your app access. If you receive a notification that someone has logged in to
your account, and it certainly wasn't you, that could be the first red flag
that someone is trying to hack your WhatsApp account.
If You Lose Your Device
No one wants to lose their phone, but
it happens sometimes. Although these days smartphones are often protected with
face recognition or fingerprint scanners, these types of authentication methods
do not guarantee that no one will access your phone. Just think about it like
losing your credit card. You would want to prevent anyone from abusing it,
right? The same goes for your smartphone and all of your apps.
If you contact the service provider
when you lose your phone, they will block the SIM card immediately. As for
WhatsApp, you can email the support desk, and the customer service will
definitely help you deactivate your account so that no one could exploit it.
What If My Account Was Hacked
Needless to say, sometimes all these
precautionary measures may not work. Sometimes you might experience a WhatsApp
Hack, and that's when you have to know a list of things you can employ to
prevent further information theft.
First, if you suspect that someone
hacked your WhatsApp account, you might want to remove the app, and then
reinstall it several times. Some security experts say that reinstalling the app
at different times of the day would also stop the WhatsApp hack from causing
you more trouble. Removing and reinstalling the application is burdensome, but
you may not have another choice. After all, your personal information is more
important than that. In fact, some recommend reinstalling WhatsApp every day,
so don't be surprised if, eventually, you will have to resort to that.
Second, if your WhatsApp got hacked,
the hackers might use your account to send phishing messages and other
corrupted content. Hence, it is a good idea to notify your friends and
relatives about it. You have to tell them that they mustn't respond to the
messages that come from your number, especially if those messages come with
outgoing links. If you fail to inform them about your WhatsApp Hack, it could
lead to further personal data theft and even more hacks. So it's not just about
you, it's about being responsible for other users, too.
Finally, we would like to go back to
one of the aspects we have mentioned already, and that is deactivating the
account. While we talked about deactivating your account in the case of losing
your device, you can also apply this measure if someone hacks your WhatsApp
Account. You can deactivate your account by reaching WhatsApp's technical
support via Suppor@watshapp.com. When you send them the email, make sure that
you include this line into the message:
Lost/Stolen: Please deactivate my
account
You can also use the phrase above in
the subject line of the email. After that, you should provide your phone number
with the calling code (+1 in front of your number if you're from the United
States). Then, the customer service will be able to help deactivate your
account.
As you can see, removing the
application and installing it again might be the best (albeit highly
cumbersome) way to prevent hackers from accessing your account again. At the
end of the day, you have to realize that employing a number of security
measures is highly important. Even the best of locks cannot prevent extremely
skillful hackers from entering a target system, so at least you should do
everything in your power to make it harder for these criminals to reach your
personal data.
How to Protect Your Whatsapp Account from Hackers
Recognizing Online Scams
Are you required to pay a fee up front?
Generally speaking, if you’re required to pay an upfront fee to use their services, it’s a scam. The website will claim it’s for the cost of training, but more often than not your money will disappear and so will your supposed training service.
Are you promised immense wealth in just one day?
There is no way, unless perhaps you’re a broker or something on the stock exchange, that you can make thousands of dollars in a single night. Scammers are generally very smart individuals, they prey on your dreams of “making it”. It’s especially hard for those who are just trying to better their circumstances to recognize a scam like this.
Think about what the “company” gets out of this deal
What legitimate company just gives money away, especially if they can keep it for themselves? You aren’t a recognized charity, so there is no publicity on that front. We live in a dog eat dog world and very few people in would willingly help you succeed for no gain on their side. When asking yourself what the company gets out of helping you make money, you need to see the reason behind the lies.
Question how they are actually making money
This is an important question to ask yourself, especially since they’re now helping you “make” obscene amounts of money. There are two ways in which websites can make money. By being independent of the user – this means that, regardless of whether or not you use the site or succeed, the website will succeed without you. The other way is by being dependent on the user – think of sites such as e-bay and the like. They need you to use the site in order for them to make money. Websites that are dependent on you, the user, are less likely to be a scam since they need you.
Don’t fall for “buy now” statements
These statements are there to create a sense that there is only a limited amount of something available. This makes the item seem more valuable than it really is and it’s human nature to want something rare that either very few have or only you have.
Don’t fall for “The rich relative” thing
With this specific scam, you’re told about someone’s really rich uncle, friend, etc. who has some trouble entering the country or wants to leave you all his money in his will. You’ll be told you need to “help” this person with a small contribution towards getting what you need and you’ll be repaid 1000 times over. These claims are never true. Never.
Online Fraud: How to Recognize a Scam
Today, I want to help you have a better understanding of how to use the Search Engine in research project writing.
My interest is on making sure that you have desired results when you make use of the search engines, of which Google.com tops the list.The question you enter in the search engine box is made up of words, letters, alpha-numeric, symbols etc., but the search engine sees them as ‘keywords‘. Research has shown that most people make use of group keywords than separate keywords.
Group keywords are said to be your query in its entirety e.g. “problem of indiscipline in Ebonyi state“; while examples of “separate keywords” are – indiscipline, pre-marital sex, nationalism etc.
The difference is that when it comes to rating, you will have better results with the latter than the former while sourcing for an idea, pieces of literature and reviews. Reason being that the separate items tend to attract more targeting articles than the group question (query).
Hope this is getting clearer? Well, in time you will get to understand more about these terms. Just like the spider and its web, the spider crawls on its web to have food that its web had attracted. The search engine on the web is not exempted from this spider action.
The search engine crawls on the web, looks for keywords on the titles of articles, its contents, relevance to the entire internet practice etc.
WHAT TO DO
Ask your question the right way – you must not key in your question/topic exactly the way it is asked or your exact project topic.
Even if you do and get your results, you might be a victim of YOU COPIED because many other students have access to the same material.
From your question, select the keyword(s) for your search. E.g
“Events that took place during Ebonyi state university 3rd convocation”
- EBSU events
- 3rd convocation
Good! Which is more relevant to your search? (That is the way it works-after all, the search engine did not study English Language but only obeys command from the algorithm settings).
DON’TS OF RESEARCH PROJECT WRITING
Plagiarism refers to an academic theft, it is the process of copying, and stealing of another author’s idea, language and its presentation as one’s own idea. The issue of plagiarism is particularly troublesome among young researchers who often indulge in these activities. It is a crime in the world of research punishable by law.In order not to fall prey, when writing your research :
- Do not copy and paste.
- When you quote an author ensure to use a quotation mark, as it shows that the idea is not entirely yours.
- Do not forget to reference the author.
For instance, assuming you are conducting a research on the factors that influence the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Ezza local government Area of Ebonyi State and you want to borrow another authors idea word to word Robinson, 2014 noted that “ poor upbringing, lack of good moral foundation and the social economic status of parents are among the factors which contribute to the prevalence of teenage pregnancy among adolescents, and this has a negative implication for the place of women in the political, social and economic spheres of the society” - Paraphrase instead of copying.
Paraphrasing entails the restatement of a piece of writing, passage or text without losing its original meaning rather giving the meaning in another form. Young researchers often erroneously think that when you just change few words in a passage it becomes you own idea. In paraphrasing one is to read the passage or text carefully, then understand the message it tried to pass, then rewrite it in your own idea, ensuring that the original meaning was not altered rather presenting same meaning in different form. For instance, if you want to paraphrase the quotation below :
Robinson, 2014 noted that “poor upbringing, lack of good moral foundation and the social economic status of parents are among the factors which contribute to the prevalence of teenage pregnancy among adolescents, and this has a negative implication for the place of women in the political, social and economic spheres of the society”
Paraphrased
According to Robinson (2014), the factors which purport the prevalence of teenage pregnancy among adolescent are morally and socio-economic inclined, in the sense that the kind of ethical and moral value that families adopt imparts positively or negatively on the young adolescent. He further noted that the socio-economic relevance of parents to a great extent impart positively or negatively on the young adolescent life choices and this status quo has far reaching consequences for the relevance of women in the society with regards to the social, political and economic spheres of the society.
IN SUMMARY
- Do not rely heavily on secondary data, try to gather data from the primary source
- Be original and
- Consult current and up to date literature published in reputable journals as these will add more academic prowess to your work.
How to use the Search Engine in research project writing was brought to you by PROJECT WRITERS NIGERIA.
How To Use Search Engines In Research Project Writing
Bank Verification Number- BVN is an initiative of the CBN to ensure transparency, security and easy assessment of data in accordance with best
In my own opinion, i love the whole idea except for the fact that i now have Eleven (11) digits more to memorize. Well, that won't be a problem since we can now get the BVN Number anytime through our mobile phone even without Internet connection.
To Check your Bank Verification Number on your mobile phone, simply dial *565*0# from that particular line you used for registration at the bank.
Try it and relay your feedback to the comments section. Enjoy!
How to Check your Bank Verification Number - BVN Via Phone
At the moment, Consumers everywhere are getting more interested in Smart phones and Nigeria is not left out with the Smart Phone revolution. In Nigeria right now, Techno Mobile is winning the Smartphone war as they are taking over the mobile phone market in Nigeria witrh their new range of Techno Android smartphones.
Building its smartphones on the tested and trusted Android platform and keeping prices low has added to the popularity of Tecno Androids in Nigeria and across Africa. If you are on a very tight budget looking to
enjoy mobile technologies, you can now get yourself one of the latest Tecno Android phone and feel among.
Now that some bad Guys are aware that Nigeria is one of the top market for Tecno products, they have have started scamming some consumers by selling fake Tecno Android phones to them. To combat this, Tecno Mobile has created a webpage for genuine battery check and genuine phone check for Tecno Androids. Using the VC Serials number and IMEI number of your Tecno phone, you can now check if your phone and battery are original.
Just Go To :http://www.tecno-mobile.com/index and enter the info and then click submit.
If your Tecno phone is fake, you will see a notification that your VC is not correct, that you should try
and get an original Tecno phone from an authorized Tecno dealer.
Where is the VC and IMEI number of my Tecno Phone?
You will see the Imei number on the box of your Tecno phones. After unboxing it, you will see the Imei and VC after you might have remove the battery from the phone. You can also get your Tecno Imei number by dialing *#06# with your Tecno phone, it will display two serial numbers since is a dual sim Tecno.
I hope this helps, especially to you that my best friend that recently experienced Tecno battery wahala. You know yourself. Thanks for visiting my blog.
How to Check If Tecno Android Phone and Battery Are Original
In a new post on the official Microsoft Newsroom, the company has warned Windows 7 users the ageing platform suffers from a number of serious failings including security deficiencies and hardware restrictions while reiterating all support for the platform is ending. It’s scary stuff.
“Today, [Windows 7] does not meet the requirements of modern technology, nor the high security requirements of IT departments,” says Markus Nitschke, Head of Windows at Microsoft Germany.
The Microsoft post (originally written in German) goes into more detail actively attacking Windows 7 for its "long-outdated security architectures" and warning any users and businesses who are running that they are more susceptible to cyber attacks.
But the remarkable beatdown of its own platform doesn’t stop there. Microsoft says that sticking with Windows 7 will result in "higher operating costs" for users due to problems with reliability and compatibility. It also warns some manufacturers are actively shunning Windows 7 and stopping driver support while the newest chipsets from AMD, Intel INTC +0.05% and Qualcomm QCOM +1.46% are incompatible.
Microsoft is making major changes to how Windows 10 handles your privacy.
It's a start but does not compare to the greater freedoms of Windows 7.
Image credit: Microsoftyber attacks.
So should you ditch Windows 7 and run for the hills? After all Microsoft also stresses in its post that it has never been easier to upgrade to Windows 10.
What To Think? Reality Vs Scare Tactics
Let me be absolutely clear: Microsoft is taking extreme liberties with the truth and Windows 7 users should not panic. Instead they should see this for what it is - a desperate attempt by the company to push users to Windows 10 after the infamous nagging stopped. So let’s break down Microsoft’s claims:
Yes, Windows 10 does technically have better security BUT Windows 7 remains a very secure operating system if you are going to keep it up to date with the latest security patches.
Yes, Windows 7 doesn’t support the latest AMD, Intel and Qualcomm chipsets but that is ONLY because Microsoft chose to make them incompatible. In the history of Windows this was an unprecedented step and designed to push users to Windows 10.
Yes, technically Windows Store apps are only compatible with Windows 10 but I’ve seen ZERO evidence any hardware or software companies are no longer supporting Windows 7. It would make no sense, Windows 7 is still by far the most popular and widely used operating system in the world.
Yes, Windows 7 support will end and Microsoft will cut off all support but not until January 14th 2020. You should upgrade after this date, but it remains a long way away in computer years.
And finally, Microsoft has been here before. In January 2016 the company warned Windows 7 users they choose the platform “at your own risk, at your own peril”. Again technically that’s true but it’s true of almost anything (you drive a car ‘at your own risk, at your own peril’). Just two years earlier Microsoft gushed security could be found in "a modern operating system like Windows 7 or Windows 8 that have a decade of evolved security mitigations built in."
The reality is this: Microsoft wants all users on Windows 10 because it gives Microsoft far greater control over updates and privacy (despite important recent concessions). It also provides potentially greater revenue to Microsoft via the Windows Store and native advertising. Furthermore, while supposedly no longer tracked, Microsoft would prefer to miss its “one billion” installs target for Windows 10 by 2018 by a less embarrassing margin.
So ultimately all this scaremongering makes no sense. Why? Because avoiding Windows 10 long term is impossible if you wish to remain a Windows user. Microsoft’s decision to make older versions of Windows incompatible with new hardware has ensured that, so the company will get what it wants.
As such this impatience and foot stamping only makes Microsoft’s new blog post all the more unpalatable. Yes some of what Microsoft is saying is ‘technically true’, but the reality is it’s disingenuous and irresponsible fear mongering written primarily to further its own ambitions following the mixed response to Windows 10.
Don’t be scared by Microsoft and don’t let other, less technical, friends and family members be scared by it either. Share this post and take comfort from the fact that for the next three years Windows 7 will continue to serve you very well indeed - whether Microsoft likes it or not
courtesy: Forbes.com
Microsoft Warns Windows 7 Is Dangerous To Use
Fraud on the internet is almost as old as the internet itself. Experts have made several guidelines to detect and identify fake websites. Here's a guide on how you can identify scams and stay safe online, in 2020.Website scams come in many shapes and forms - some pretend to be brand they are not and try to get you to make a purchase, some obtain your personal information or passwords to potentially sensitive accounts while others might install ransomware on your computer or even mine bitcoin in the background using your computer.
Recently, while investigating numerous fake, fraudulent or phishing websites, I found out that they usually have a number of common traits to look for. But first, let us try to break down what scammers and con artists are after and what some common types of attacks are.
1.Phishing - Emails & websites impersonating a real person or company to gain personal and/or financial information
2. Cross-site scripting - A legitimate website with a vulnerability that allows third-parties to redirect you to a different website operated by them
3. Content injection - Rogue advertisements or popups that attempt to redirect you or force you to a different website that could lead to ransomware or virus and malware attacks.
4. Counterfeiting - A website purporting to sell products or services that impersonates a real brand and swindles customers of their money
The above list is by no means comprehensive, but constant vigilance - not just at the first step of an online transaction - is a necessity. To protect yourself against frauds online, you need to know what to look for and I hope this guide helps.
HERE ARE SOME EASY STEPS ON HOW TO DETERMINE IF A WEBSITE IS FAKE OR SCAM
1. Domain Name or URL - A lot of fraudulent websites will use a domain name similar to a brand name. I have seen fake sites related to Calvin Klein and Nike,These domain names might be www.nikesuperdiscounts or www.nikecollections (these are not real sites, but examples). If a company has a trademark on their name, their website and the domain name usually match the company name.
2. No Contact Information - If the website does not have a contact us page, or it if does and it only offers a form to fill out, with no location or other identifiable coordinates, this is a strong indicator of fraud. Any company offering products or services, should have a place of business (location) as well as a phone number and email to contact them. If none of this information is available, then they likely just want your credit card info.
Scammers have gotten wiser to these checks as time has gone on, they now copy the location and contact details, down to a embedded maps and Facebook, Twitter links from the website they are pretending to be. So we recommend that you exercise caution - remember, anybody can link to the correct Twitter handle or Facebook page. However, a verified Twitter profile or Facebook page (which many large brands have) is likely to include the link to the legitimate website. If in doubt, look for other markers before sharing personal information.
3.nCheck the Grammar and Spelling - If the fake website is attempting to present itself as an American or Canadian business, they will usually use English text. However, there will quite often be horrible grammar and spelling mistakes on the website. Many of these mistakes would be obvious to a native speaker of English; excessive use of poor grammar and spelling should be an instant red flag.
4. Check the WHOIS - Do a domain WHOIS lookup to see who owns the domain. The result will tell you the registrar (company that the domain was purchased through), when it was created, when it expires as well as contact details.
5. Test the Contact Information - If the website does list contact information, call, write or email the site, using their contact details, to check if it works. If you get an automatic voice messaging system, the number is not in service, or no one answers during business hours, then exercise caution.
6. Check if website is SSL Secured and if it is OV or EV certified - Many fake or fraudulent sites will not bother to buy an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. SSL certificates secure the transfer of your data when you submit sensitive information (creating an account, or submitting payment info). A scam site, quite often, won't bother with an SSL certificate, as the site will likely be shutdown within a couple months after the fraud has been reported.To assess the type of SSL certificate, click on the padlock icon in the address bar of your browser and investigate the details in the popup. Enterprise Validated certificates will list the name of the brand as well as a certificate authority on this window (the appearance of this information could vary from one browser to another).If the website is legitimate and secure, they will have HTTPS on the URL and a lock icon and in some browsers, even the company name.
7. Check the Shipping and Return Policy - If the website is selling a product over the internet, they will have a shipping and return policy listed on their site. If it is a real company, they should tell you how and where to return a defective product. If they are shipping a product, they should give you an idea how long it will take to arrive. If they have no return address and a vague shipping policy, do not shop at that website.
8. Check the Domain Name in Google - If you type the domain name into Google, if it is a real site, there should be links to that website from other websites. If only the domain comes up and no other search result appears for that domain name, then it is very suspicious.
9. Check Other People's Reviews - Type the website's domain name, followed by "reviews", into a search engine. Ideally, you will discover search results for other people's experiences in dealing with the website. If there are many negative negative customer reviews, then you will most likely want to avoid the site altogether.
Being a victim of a scam is never a pleasant experience. Follow these simple guidelines to protect yourself online and create the best possible shopping experience. If the site you're viewing feels suspicious, take a moment to research and investigate it before making a purchasing decision.
I hope this helps.






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