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Ransomware is malicious software that infects your computer and displays messages demanding a fee to be paid in order for your system to work again. This class of malware is a criminal moneymaking scheme that can be installed through deceptive links in an email message, instant message or website. It has the ability to lock a computer screen or encrypt important, predetermined files with a password. Examples of Ransomware Scareware is the simplest type of ransomware. It uses scare tactics or intimidation to trick victims into paying up. It can come in the form of fake antivirus software in which a message suddenly appears claiming your computer has various issues and an online payment is necessary to fix them! The level of this type of attack varies. Sometimes, users may be bombarded with endless alerts and pop-up messages. Other times, the computer will fail to work at all. Yet, another type of ransomware can impersonate a law enforcement agency by opening up a page that appears

To remotely boot a computer on a network, you'll need a "Wake-On-LAN" supported network adapter. Once the adapter is installed, the computer can be "pinged" from another computer on the network to initiate the boot sequence. A ping is a signal sent from one computer to another and can be sent directly from the Command Prompt in Windows. Step 1 Open the "Start" menu on the computer that will be pinged, then type "CMD" into the Search box and press "Enter." Step 2 Type "ipconfig/all" then press "Enter." Make note of the following items: Physical address, IP address and subnet mask. Step 3 Open the Command Prompt on the computer from which you will be sending the wake-on-LAN command. Type "ping" followed by the computer that you will be sending the wake-on-LAN command's IP address. For example, if the IP address is "192.168.1.1," type "ping 192.168.1.1" and press the "

LMCompatibilityLevel, or "Network security: LAN Manager authentication level" as it is called in Group Policy on Windows XP and higher (it is called "LAN Manager authentication level" on Windows 2000), governs the authentication protocols a system is allowed to use and accept. We recommend that it be set to at least 4 or "Send NTLMv2 response only\refuse LM" on all systems. When you do so, you will break access to and from Windows 9x systems as well as some versions of SAMBA. It is important to recognize that even with LAN Manager authentication level configured to 4, the system will still emit LM and NTLM responses in certain cases; for instance, with programs that use the NTLM Security Support Provider (SSP) directly, such as RPC. To prevent this, you need to configure the "Network security: Minimum session security for NTLM SSP based (including secure RPC) clients/servers" settings. These settings govern the protocols used by the SSP. There

When it comes to having a wireless network at your home or business, having wireless security is essential. Having good wireless security can make your wireless network less susceptible to hackers and can make connecting to the network difficult for those who you do not want to have access. Regardless of your wireless router, configuring wireless security on your router merely requires going to the correct section of the administration control panel. Step 1 Type your router's administration control panel address into Internet Explorer. For Linksys/Cisco routers, the address is 192.168.1.1. For D-Link and Netgear routers, the address is either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. For other routers the address may be 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.2.1. If none of these work for you, consult your router's user manual. Step 2 Type in your user name and password for the administration control panel of your router, and click "OK." For Linksys/Cisco routers, the default u

Sometimes you end up with a great many Windows domain passwords that need cracking – either because you have compromised the domain controller and exported them yourself, or because the client has asked you to perform a password audit and has supplied the database to you themselves. As you know, LM hashes are insecure, and there is a very good way of cracking these (Ophcrack). However, there will also be passwords that cannot be cracked using the standard tables, or maybe the LM hash is not present in the dump at all. In this case, we’ll need to attack the NTLM hash with another tool – in this case a GPU cracker known as Oclhashcat. In this case we have a large (something like 6,000 entry) pwdump format file, with LM and NTLM hashes. Because the LM hashes have various weaknesses in the cryptography, we can crack a lot of passwords using Ophcrack – but in some cases only NTLM hashes are present. In this case we can use a hybrid approach. know more :  lm password cracker

As small businesses and enterprises find their closets and server rooms filling up with Windows and Linux servers, a crucial concern has surfaced: how to handle multiple logon accounts for users. Small businesses or departments that have just a few servers rarely encounter this problem. After all, it takes a systems administrator only a minute or two to reset the passwords on a few accounts spread across two or three servers. As the number of servers increases, however, this chore becomes a growing burden for systems administrators and a hassle for users. When businesses approach vendors for a fix to this problem, vendors typically offer a single sign-on (SSO) solution. (For a detailed explanation of SSO and centralized authentication, see the sidebar "SSO vs. Centralized Authentication.") Unfortunately, implementing SSO can be difficult and expensive. An alternative solution within a heterogeneous network—a solution that works well in many environments—is to centralize us

Building a network server means much more than assembling hardware. This article explains critical steps in putting any machine onto the Internet for public access. This article focuses on the requirements for putting a server on the public Internet. Most functions also apply to a local intranet, but you would substitute "network administrator" for ISP in these instructions. There are a few different ways to get your presence into the public eye on the Internet. This section outlines how you might take a machine you already have and adapt it for use on the Internet. Step one is ensuring the system has Internet software and more specifically, is using the Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). As it's name implies, this protocol underlies all the client and server functions performed on the Internet. If the computer you will be using is already communicating with the Internet, it's likely already got the protocol installed. find more : lan man

Effective information security program management should achieve the outcomes defined in ISG. The necessary goals must be defined in specific, objective and measurable terms. Appropriate metrics should also be put in place to measure whether or not the goals were achieved. If not, it should be known by how much the objectives were missed, and discussion done to improve on performance. Candidates should focus on the following six outcomes, and they should be considered as the basis for developing the objectives of an effective information security program: Strategic alignment: The emphasis here is on organizational information risk, selection of appropriate control objectives and standards, agreement on acceptable risk and risk tolerance and definitions of financial, operational and other constraints. Risk management: Candidates must show a comprehensive understanding of threats the organization faces, its vulnerabilities and risk profile. Candidates must know how to evaluate the

Every computer connected to the Internet has is a unique numeric IP address, presented usually in the dot-decimal form (e.g. 195.15.32.1). Local area network (LAN) is a network that comprises a few computers within a limited area; for instance, two or three computers in the same household. LAN is typically organized using a network router that shares an Internet connection between two or more computers. LAN IP is a computer IP address assigned by the router to communicate within LAN only. Step 1 Click the "Start" button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. Step 2 If you use Windows Vista, type "cmd" and press "Enter." In Windows XP, click "Run" and then type "cmd" followed by "Enter" to open the command prompt window. Step 3 Type "ipconfig" and press "Enter." Step 4 Read the program output. The line starting with "IPv4 Address," contains the LAN IP. For example, "IPv4 Add

As with RAS its possible to configure a timeout for LAN connections after which idle time the connection will be closed, if you then try and use it the connection will be reconnected, this will be invisible to you but you will experience a slight delay By default this is 15 minutes however it can be changed by directly editing the registry: Start the registry editor (regedit.exe) Move to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters Double click autodisconnect Set to decimal and set the number of minutes (from -1 to 4294967295) Click OK Close the registry editor Reboot the machine You can also configure from the command line but registry is preferred as it does not interfere with any of the built-in tuning Net Config Server /autodisconnect:60 would disconnect after 60 minutes. Valid is from -1 to 65535. To turn off the disconnect set to -1 (registry or net config command), DON'T set to 0 as it will autodisconnect all the time!

If you look under the hood of an intent-based networking system (IBNS), you’d be crazy not to see it as the future. It’s really smart, really safe, and hardware agnostic — basically fixing most of the annoying little problems while satisfying the big requirements for the largest data centers. Luckily, it’s just the future. It’s here now (albeit in a limited capacity). But that’s about to change. Intent-based networking systems (IBNS) will inspire a major shift in how networks are managed. Here are things you should know about intent-based networking. Automating Processes and Keeping Data Secure…Naturally First off, what are we talking about? What exactly is intent-based networking? A common analogy used to explain the technology is a self-driving car. You put in the destination, and instead of manually driving, the car makes all the turns, lane changes, starts at green lights, and stops to avoid collisions for you. All the decisions and granular moment-by-moment adjustments are c

Sockets on computers and network devices are known as "ports." A network port is also called a LAN port -- LAN stands for local area network -- which is an industry term for a private network. The leading set of standards for the physical properties of LANs is called Ethernet. The Ethernet recommendations evolve over time, each new addition creating faster and more efficient networks. The latest series of Ethernet standards covers networks that can transfer data at more than a thousand million bits per second -- a gigabit LAN. RJ45 is the common name for connecting the network cable to the computer. The RJ45 connector is the most common form of plug/socket design used in networking today. Computers shipped from the manufacturer with a network adapter installed always have an RJ45 port. The name is not completely accurate as it is a code allotted to a type of telephone jack by the US Federal Communication Commission. The "RJ" in RJ45 stands for "Registered Ja

A network operating system is a software application that provides a platform for both the functionality of an individual computer and for multiple computers within an interconnected network. Basically, a network operating system controls other software and computer hardware to run applications, share resources, protect data and establish communication. Individual computers run client operating systems, while network systems create the software infrastructure for wireless, local and wide area networks to function. Basic Operating Features Network operating systems support the basic underlying operating features of networks. These include support for processors and the various protocols that allow computers to share data. Many network operating systems can detect hardware within the system to allow for asset discovery within the network. Also, network operating systems support the processing of other software applications that run on both individual computers and within the network.

A LAN (Local Area Network) is the most basic form of infrastructure that allows communication between two or more computers. A LAN can be constructed with or without servers and is typically restricted, through the limits of network equipments, by physical location. Any system that allows communication between multiple LAN is called a WAN (Wide Area Network), of which the biggest existing one is the World Wide Web, also known as the Internet. Networking Hardware Networking hardware is a switch that allows a computer to communicate to more than one other computer simultaneously. It can be physically wired through network cables or otherwise (e.g. Wi-Fi). A computer participating in the LAN similarly requires the correct equipment such as network adapters installed. Wired network provides better speed and security compared with wireless. A LAN can also consist of both. Depending on the number of clients in the LAN, functionality and complexity, multiple switches, routers and servers

In the past, wired networks were considered to be far more secure than wireless networks. Today, however, wireless networks are as secure as wired networks, so long as they are properly configured. According to TechTarget, "When comparing wireless vs. wired security, securing a wireless network is even more important than securing a wired network for one simple reason: Accessing a wireless network does not require physical access to a network jack or cable, as does accessing a wired network. Wireless networks use radio transmissions to carry data between end users and the network and it is difficult to contain those radio waves. Therefore, it’s possible for someone to sit in your office building's lobby or parking lot and eavesdrop on wireless network communications." How can MSPs safeguard wireless networks against unauthorized access? There are several tools that MSPs and IT administrators can use to protect the wireless networks they manage, including: Encryp

Cyber security or information technology security are the techniques of protecting computers, networks, programs and data from unauthorized access or attacks that are aimed for exploitation. Description: Major areas covered in cyber security are: 1) Application Security 2) Information Security 3) Disaster recovery 4) Network Security Application security encompasses measures or counter-measures that are taken during the development life-cycle to protect applications from threats that can come through flaws in the application design, development, deployment, upgrade or maintenance. Some basic techniques used for application security are: a) Input parameter validation, b) User/Role Authentication & Authorization, c) Session management, parameter manipulation & exception management, and d) Auditing and logging. Information security protects information from unauthorized access to avoid identity theft and to protect privacy. Major techniques used to cover this are: a

A broadcast domain is a logical division of a computer network, in which all nodes can reach each other by broadcast at the data link layer. Let’s say you have several computers connected to a Layer 2 switch. The reason the device is called a Layer 2 switch is that the hardware learns and stores the MAC address (also known as the physical address) of a device’s network cards. By storing those hexadecimal numbers, the switch can make intelligent decisions about how to route packets to and from a specific device. Layer 2 switches can also be configured with VLANs to service multiple networks. Since the switch has learned about the devices that are connected, it also knows (from the switch configuration) what network those devices are connected to. What exactly a broadcast domain does From our definition of a broadcast domain, we can also state that a broadcast describes a process that forwards packets to all machines on the network. Only devices communicating within a given netwo