Computer Forensics

This article discusses the specific sub-field of digital forensics and the types of crimes that would need digital forensics for an investigation.

Digital Forensics

This sub-field of forensics examines data and information from computer storage media so that it may be used as evidence in a court of law or to answer a specific legal question as it may need.

For example in private investigations, digital forensics investigator may use digital forensics at the request of a private attorney for a defendant in a public case. And evidence may be gathered to prove that an employee is using company resources for personal private business use such as selling goods online or visiting the site that is against the company rules and regulation about Information technology. In this case, the employee may be subject to disciplinary action by the company, more personal liability, and perhaps criminal liability.

More so, evidence that proves an employee has violated an employment agreement. For example, evidence may be gathered that proves an employee accessed records or other information without authorization. It may also give that one employee has harassed another employee or perhaps stolen company information.

While public investigations require digital forensics only when a crime has been committed and computers can be used in crimes in one of the following ways, such as, Crimes associated with the prevalence of computers i.e. copyright violations, crimes in which computer is the instrument of the crime or crime in which computer are incidental to another crime such as using it to store illegal records and crimes in which the computer is the target such as crimes that involve stealing information from a computer or denial of service crimes.

Digital Evidence Collection

The collection of digital evidence may have several prominent roles in collection. These roles may include:

Physical Technology Collection: Investigators will collect the physical media. Physical media is any technology that stores data or information. E.g. hard disks, PDAs, flash and other electronic devices.
Physical Media Analysis: Investigators will analyze the physical evidence for finger prints or other evidence found on the surfaces of the physical technology. This role requires a deep understanding of the technology and may be able to aid the roles of digital evidence collection and digital evidence analysis even when the physical device is severely damaged.
Digital Evidence Collection: Investigators will collect the digital data from the physical device. Here, the evidence is the full set of files, folders, and bits stored on the physical media.
Digital Evidence Analysis: Investigators will analyze the data collected. Analysis of digital evidence may show hidden information.

Digital Evidence

Digital evidence is both the full set of bits, bytes, and blocks retrieved from the technology. It is also any subset of that full set such as e-mail, log files, text documents, spreadsheets, and other files.

Digital evidence has several unique challenges and questions that must be addressed. The highest challenge is found in modern computers which are implanted as multi-user systems with potentially hundreds of users. Since evidence must conclusively show facts in an investigation, it becomes critical to clear up ambiguities of who owns the data, how the data came to be on the system, and who or what originated the data.

Another concern is the legal issues surrounding the collection of evidence from privately owned devices such as cell phones in private investigations as well the expectation of privacy for employees using company provided resources. While no clear answers have emerged, many businesses specify the proper use of their assets and need employees to waive any such rights to privacy on company assets as part of their employment contract.

Furthermore, this issue has recently become more complicated with the onset of free publicly available encryption technologies. This specific question is whether or not a user retains an expectation of privacy by using encryption on company assets. Clearly, the company has the right to the encrypted version of the data; but does the company have the right to mandate the employee offer an unencrypted version? Subsequently, can a person be ordered by a court of law to give a password to law enforcement to decrypt the digital evidence?

One may be tempted to argue that no digital bit has ever been seen, so plain sight is not possible and not an issue. This issue of privacy raises the question of "plain sight" while collecting evidence from digital sources. Others may argue that a permit to collect any digital evidence stored on a disk or computer device is enough to collect any and all evidence from a computer for any crime.

The plain sight doctrine is best interpreted conservatively so that any seizure of evidence of one crime revealed during the search for evidence for another crime should be then justified by a permit.

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A lot of small enterprises expend a substantial amount of money trying to keep their computer systems working. Usually we are called in due to virus troubles and operating system concerns that are caused by staff members browsing the internet and looking at email and other personal activities that cause the computer system to get corrupted and worse. Some staff install any and all programs on their computer systems. The price tag to get things operating once again could be in the hundreds of dollars. We often times have to backup all of the data and reformat the personal computer to fix it appropriately.

That may be not the conclusion of it though. The programs must be reinstalled. More often than not that involves Anti Virus, Microsoft Office, Quickbooks and more. It has to have printers setup and mapped drives, system connections, connecting to domains and email restored and set up. It will require time which costs money.

I strongly recommend an organization. Tips and hints to consider:
Installing software applications which are not accepted are forbidden.Internet browsing is for business functions only, not personalized browsing.Staff must be taught to stay away from opening emails from unknown sources and ignore opening attachments which are not requested or expected.Downloading applications or anything else is forbidden.Private email will not be looked at on the business computer.Examining company email should be limited to business pursuits only.

An alternative good idea will be to provide your worker with another computer to be used for checking their private emails and a lot more. It won't have a company purpose so that if it is corrupted it is very easily reformatted and ready to use again.

Are you aware that huge corporations setup their computers so that employees are not able to install programs, access email etc. They have costly computer software that could do all of that. Frequently the PCs at large companies may have 2 or 3 applications installed and that is all it does. Many small companies have 20 programs installed plus more. They're even more complicated and more difficult to bring back to their prior state when problems occur.

A correctly configured web filter could be used to prevent access to the internet except for those website the worker needs to access in order to complete their task. This minimizes the undesired browsing or checking private email. Also a good antivirus and firewall program is important.

If you want to read more about computer issues you can visit more of Steve at Utah Computer Repair. We also do server repair and installations and you can visit our page Utah Windows Server Repair.

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With famous litigation making the rounds of cable and local news channels, e-discovery software has found its place in the legal process. Electronic discovery, or e-discovery, is the process by which electronic documents such as e-mails, instant messaging and other types of computer communication are found by investigative means. E-Discovery software is the computer equipment used in these investigative matters. Find out how e-discovery software aids in the finding of possible evidence in legal proceedings.

Managing and Identifying Evidence

In the past decade, legislation has been passed that requires employers to keep track of important documents and communications. In the event of impending litigation, the employer, or party to the court proceeding, is required to either produce any pertinent information themselves or to hire a company that specializes in e-discovery. Once this process has been completed, attorneys, IT professionals and investigators have to identify evidence that could be useful in any impending court proceedings.

Using E-Discovery Software to Collect Evidence

As stated before, employers are required to preserve certain documents and to retrieve any communications regarding a viable piece of information in the event of a subpoena or lawsuit. When an employer finds out that they need to use e-discovery software to retrieve company emails, instant messages and other electronic communication, they can either enlist the help of IT professionals or even the services of an e-discovery company. E-discovery companies are getting more and more popular as the evolving technology makes it even easier to retrieve lost documents.

Using E-Discovery Software to Analyze the Evidence

Once all documents have been retrieved from the computer in question, the time has come for investigators to go through all pertinent papers for the purpose of getting evidence that could provide the much needed ammunition for their case. One way this software helps investigators in this process is through examining the metadata of each document. Metadata is the encrypted information that is contained in each electronic file. This information contains needed clues such as the date and time that the file was created, as well as the program in which the file was created.

Even though investigators still search through boxes of yellowed documents, e-discovery software takes litigation into the 21st century. This software allows companies involved in legal proceedings to go about their business without a huge interruption in doing what they do best, a godsend to any company who just find out they're about to be involved in a costly court case.

Read more about comprehensive, flexible e-discovery software.

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Cyber Crime is replacing drug trafficking. Recent government findings indicate that cyber crime has pushed aside the illicit drug trade as one of the top sources for hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains the world over. In its infancy, the Internet seemed like something that could develop into a useable tool for scientific research. If we had only known back then what potential it held, perhaps more thought would have gone into its protection.

Today the newswires are filled with reports of massive thefts of personal information as well as depleted bank accounts-all due to the criminal element that, for a small investment in a computer and an Internet connection, is changing the landscape of criminal investigation. One highly regarded research survey stated that 8.1 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2010. Losses were in the hundreds of millions.

The Locard Exchange Principle (LEP)

Dr. Edmond Locard (1877-1966), known to many as the French "Sherlock Holmes," was a pioneer in forensic evidence investigation. Locard formulated the basic principle of forensic science, "Every contact leaves a trace," Of course Locard's theory dealt with the physical contact made by the perpetrator to items in the crime scene. But today's crime scene may not involve a physical structure-more than likely the crime scene is located out there in cyberspace.

So the question evolves, "Does Locard's Exchange Principle apply to an electromagnet passing over a spinning disk?" Some digital detectives believe that it does. For example, a hacker gains access to a computer system that may or may not be secure. Is any computer completely secure? Granted, security software is effective against many such invasions, but a secure system will only take the hacker a little longer to get into it. Now, the question is, does the exchange principle apply?

Cyber crimes leave no physical evidence

On the surface, the infiltrator would leave no physical trace of his having been there. But other electronic trace evidence may be present. If the computer's file access logs were accessible, it's possible that a record will be available showing that the file was, in fact, accessed, and even that a network transmission followed. Also a possibility is that a side-channel analysis of any activity on the hard drive will uncover network operations. As a last resort, the examiner may check the access logs of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to uncover surreptitious entry. This step will not necessarily divulge what specific data was removed, but it will indicate that data was, in fact, lifted from the line.

Industrial espionage is becoming commonplace

Personal information and cash are not the only targets of this spreading menace. Online industrial espionage is a growing threat to the U.S. economy as well as our national security. U.S. intelligence agencies recently warned elected officials that China and Russia are engaged in cyber-espionage. "Trade secrets developed over thousands of working hours by our brightest minds are stolen in a split second and transferred to our competitors," said one counterintelligence executive. These foreign governments deny this claim.

The Cyber Exchange Principle

Perhaps when relating to cyber crime, the "Cyber Exchange Principle" applies. Forensic examination of a computer or server will uncover artifacts of invasion. The investigator is then, faced with a situation that the crime scene is not limited to a single computer and may involve another computer half the world away.

The hacker will not be leaving latent fingerprints, foot prints, or traces of physiological fluids in the wake of his intrusion. But electronic activity in this case can be far more valuable in the bits and bytes this activity leaves behind. The principle that Locard espoused so long ago must be forefront in the minds of our digital detectives as they seek what clues an invaded computer holds as well as what traces are awaiting discovery out there in cyberspace.

According to a leading manufacturer of cyber security software, the annual take by cyber criminals in 2011 was about $114 billion from 431 million adult victims globally. Learn more about cyber crime at the CSI TECH BLOG

Expert Author Don Penven is a freelance writer and professional photographer based in Raleigh and Morehead City, NC,

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The IP address 192.168.1.1 is a private IP address. What does it mean - you may ask. Well private IP are to be used in networks and not on the Internet. So basically your home computer can have this IP address as a default and the computer in the nearby Internet café can have the same IP. Will this cause an IP conflict? Certainly not, since these computers are parts of different networks. However, if these two computers were in one network and use the same IP address there would be problems. This is known as IP conflict and occurs because each device in a network must have its own, unique IP.

Private IP can be identified only inside the network. If we want them to be identified on the Internet we have to use NAT or Network Address Translation. What NAT does is that it will assign a public IP to one or more computers which are in a private network. It is interesting to know that private IPs can be used over and over again and by many different users but they have to be parts of different network groups.

Fortunately some manufacturers saw the need for communication outside the network and for that purpose they made a NAT which acts like a middleman between the local network and the Internet.

At first the IP 192.168.1.1 was meant to be used only by one or two manufacturers. However, other manufacturers liked the idea and they implemented it in their routers as well. The number of modems and routers that use this default IP address is huge. However, it doesn't mean that you have to use this IP no matter what. It is your choice. On one hand it is easier but it may result in some accessibility issues. With the increasing number of threats on the Internet many users simply like to feel more secure and this is the reason why they don't want to use the 192.168.1.1 IP.

On the other hand millions of users can say nothing but the best about this IP. It makes it easier to solve some networking problems, because the popularity of this IP is really great. Whatever problem you have just go to Google and type this IP address and the problem you have. You will be presented with thousands of search results and we believe that you will be able to find a solution to your problem on some forums, blogs, etc.

Find more information about IP Address 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.1

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August 2010 reports of the Consumers Research Network (CRN) estimate that by 2014, spending on cloud computing solutions would reach the $100 billion mark. Cloud computing is a very versatile and flexible computing model and thus can be customized as per requirements of individual organizations. Organizations need clouds for the different computation, software, data access, regulatory compliance, data security and storage services it offers. The degree of customization is so high that one can choose from different types of deployment modes for the same.

Deployment Options in Cloud Computing Solutions

The growing popularity of cloud computing is not only because it makes the business more agile and cuts costs, but also it is a dynamically scalable technology. Following are the commonly used deployment modes for Cloud computing solutions:

Public Cloud: This is usually how mainstream services are provided over the web. This type of web hosting is backed by a fairly large amount of shared infrastructure and resources that may be present on a single location. This model is provided to organizations on a self-service basis over the Internet. The billing is done on the basis of usage.

Private Cloud: Private cloud computing solutions would be an extension of the Virtual Private Network (VPN) concept. This is best suited for individual companies that want to exercise significant level of control over their sensitive data. It offers great deal of security to the data while still allowing for sharing.

Community Cloud: Community based cloud computing can be best understood as a culmination of various public cloud networks that come together to host a network. This joint effort is driven by similar needs and requirements of organizations that belong to a certain industry along with large scale requirements that cannot be hosted on a single public cloud. There are fewer users than a public cloud but more than private clouds. However, this expense is justified by higher standards of privacy and security levels.

Hybrid Cloud: This type of a computing environment has the organization managing some resources in-house and others on a public cloud model. It is best known to be used in cases where companies want to grow and expand inorganically without committing huge capital in the process. Hybrid systems also offer relatively greater control over data.

You should ensure you have all the information before deploying cloud computing solutions for your organization. Find out about the deployment models, platforms and benefits that you can avail so that you can leverage any investment you make in this upcoming technology.

Visit CloudAccess.com for cloud computing solutions and products. Their prompt customer service will help you deploy the system that best suits your requirements. Contact them now to avail a 30 day free trial.

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With the bang of the era of information technology, we have entered into an ocean of information. This information blast is strongly based on the internet; which has become one of the universal infrastructures of information. We can not deny the fact that, with every passing day, the web based information contents are increasing by leaps and bounds and as such, it is becoming more and more difficult to get the desired information which we are actually looking for. Web mining is a tool, which can be used in customizing the websites on the basis of its contents and also on the basis of the user interface. Web mining normally comprises of usage mining, content mining and structure mining.

Data mining, text mining and web mining, engages various techniques and procedures to take out appropriate information from the huge database; so that companies can take better business decisions with precision, hence, data mining, text mining and web mining helps a lot in the promotion of the 'customer relationship management' goals; whose primary objective is to kick off, expand, and personalize a customer relationship by profiling and categorizing customers.

However, there are numbers of matters that must be addressed while dealing with the process of web mining. Data privacy can be said to be the trigger-button issue. Recently, privacy violation complaints and concerns have escalated significantly, as traders, companies, and governments continue to gather and warehouse huge amount of private information. There are concerns, not only about the collection and compilation of private information, but also the analysis and use of such data. Fueled by the public's concern about the increasing volume of composed statistics and effective technologies; conflict between data privacy and mining is likely to root higher levels of inspection in the coming years. Legal conflicts are also pretty likely in this regard.

There are also other issues facing data mining. 'Erroneousness of Information' can lead us to vague analysis and incorrect results and recommendations. Customers' submission of incorrect data or false information during the data importation procedure creates a real hazard for the web mining's efficiency and effectiveness. Another risk in data mining is that the mining might get confused with data warehousing. Companies developing information warehouses without employing the proper mining software are less likely to reach to the level of accuracy and efficiency and also they are less likely to receive the full benefit from there. Likewise, cross-selling may pose a difficulty if it breaks the customers' privacy, breach their faith or annoys them with unnecessary solicitations. Web mining can be of great help to improve and line-up the marketing programs, which targets customers' interests and needs.

In spite of potential hurdles and impediments, the market for web mining is predicted to grow by several billion dollars in the coming years. Mining helps to identify and target the potential customers, whose information are "buried" in massive databases and to strengthen the customer relationships. Data mining tools can predict the future market trends and consumer behaviors, which can potentially help businesses to take proactive and knowledge-based resolutions. This is one of the causes why data mining is also termed as 'Knowledge Discovery'. It can be said to be the process of analyzing data from different points of view and sorting and grouping the identified data and finally to set up a useful information database, which can further be analyzed and exploited by companies to increase and generate revenue and cut costs. With the use of data mining, business organizations are finding it easier to answer queries relating to business aptitude and intelligence, which were very much complicated and intricate to analyze and determine earlier.

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Security Sphere 2012 is a malicious application that can be easily labeled as rogue anti-spyware. It applies invasive methods for getting inside the system and in most of the cases uses Trojans for getting into poorly protected systems. However, PC users should keep in mind that this threat is not capable to get inside the properly protected machines, so it is highly recommended having both, anti-virus and anti-spyware, programs installed on computer. Besides, these progras must be continuously updated in order to have the full virus database. Only in this case Security Sphere 2012 or other virus will be stopped immediately if it tries to get inside undetected. Note that when downloading or updating something, you should use only official websites because this virus can easily be downloaded together with faked Flash Updates or other malicious downloads.

When Security Sphere 2012 manages to get into the targeted system, its first activity always stays unnoticed - malware makes some Registry modifications by adding startup entries and a few other values there. This results in continuous interruptions of Security Sphere 2012 every time PC is rebooted. Perhaps it should be the very first sign user should pay attention to: as soon as those annoying pop-ups, warnings and notifications start appearing, run anti-spyware program and check the system for this scam.

Malicious computer utility Security Sphere 2012 goes far enough to reach the main its goal - steal the money from computer users. Malware applies its dirty scheme which should make people believe that they need to purchase its license: first of all, it starts reporting about various viruses detected, like Trojans, worms and other. However, these viruses that are detected on PC by Security Sphere 2012 are harmless files that should never be removed unless you want to damage your PC.

After creating a need to remove viruses detected, this scam additionally offers to purchase its licensed version. Victims usually report about continuous redirections to malware's purchase page that also offers to buy this program for viruses' removal. Remember, the only thing you must remove is the same thing that keeps alerting on your desktop without stopping. Get rid of Security Sphere 2012 once you notice it on your computer. If you have purchased this rogue anti-spyware already, contact your credir card company to dispute the changes. In addition, if you have problems with this application, read this guide how to uninstall Security Sphere 2012.

Giedrius Majauskas writes security -related blog http://www.2-viruses.com/ which helps people to remove malware infections at no or low cost.

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The science of forensics is essentially the study of legal issues and pursuit of answers to legal questions by applying scientific knowledge using technology. There are two specific cases where legal system becomes involved are; first, is when a private party, such as a business, requires facts to support a civil action like a lawsuit. The second instance occurs when a crime is suspected or has been committed. Now, in both cases, a forensics investigator, or rather a practitioner of forensic science must check the current available resources to find facts that are supported by the available resources. And more so, the facts help answer the questions expected or asked by the legal system.

Forensics Investigations

There are differences between investigations initiated within the private business sector differ much from investigations initiated by public officials for criminal investigations. The most significant difference is the potential impact from the investigation. Private sector investigations potentially result in any or all the following events:

The loss/gain of money or goodsThe loss or retention of employmentPotential disciplinary actionsCriminal charges

The most frequent cause for an investigation in the public sector is criminal activity which has the potential to incarcerate private citizens. In very few cases, a public investigation will involve the liability of public officials in issues involving public safety and these investigations can result in the loss of public taxpayer funds, or may influence new legislation. Since most public investigations involve crimes and the criminals that commit them, the term public investigation will be used synonymously with criminal investigation in the rest of the text.

The monetary costs associated with legal action are notable motivators for forensics in investigations. In public investigations, prosecution can take years and cost millions of taxpayer dollars in court costs. Suspects in the prosecution must legal defense which comes at a cost and, even if ultimately proven innocent, defendants in legal cases may suffer loss of reputation and employment. If the prosecution fails to successfully convict, the suspect entitled to restitution for losses to reputation or wages. To make matters worse, the suspect will likely have to pursue a private legal action to recoup damages which result in yet more costs.

Legal actions in the private sector are not exempt from monetary motivators. Private sector legal action can extend over several years and cost millions in private funds. Besides the potential monetary costs, private sector cases often bear a high cost in time and inconvenience for all participants.The likelihood of successful legal action whether it be private or public increases substantially as the confidence level in the facts of the investigation increase.

For example, private sector cases are often examining facts to assess if a company policy or employment contract violated. With very few exceptions, public sector investigations that involve law enforcement such as investigations that result from a crime occurring or in cases where a crime is suspected to have occurred.

Private investigations have the potential of revealing criminal activity. Though the technology and tools for gathering facts are the same or similar in private and public sector cases, the procedure to gather the two will differ much. Even though they differ, the two rules are rarely incompatible; but do need agreement with all private parties including the forensics investigators, and private sector attorneys as well as local law enforcement and public attorneys to keep up confidence levels in the facts of the investigations.

Forensics Investigators

Forensic investigators is trained to be a professionals who apply the science of forensics. They apply skills to many sciences and disciplines such as geology, physics, chemistry, toxicology and many more. Therefore, forensics can be defined as the application of diverse scientific disciplines to the answering of legal questions. The first function of a forensics investigator is to assess the legality and appropriateness of collecting evidence. The nature of investigations requires that evidence collection and analysis be performed in full compliance with the law. Both public and private investigations must respect the rights of private citizens.

Once probable cause is established, a call for is issued. With call for in hand, law enforcement is granted the right to search for only specific evidence of a crime but is allowed to collect any evidence in "plain sight" that is clear and telling that any crime has been committed.

Another function of the forensics investigator is to support an exact "chain of custody" of all evidence gathered in a case. The chain of custody is a simple record of what the evidence is who gathered it, when it was gathered, and who accessed it. An exact chain of custody is required to prevent contamination or even the appearance of contamination of the evidence. The chain of custody is equally important in both public and private investigations.

Evidence

Whether public or private, the facts of a case emerge from evidence in an investigation. Evidence is best defined as anything real or ephemeral that reveals and objectively proves the facts of an investigation. Evidence is generally used to prove the facts that a crime was committed; the suspect committed or did not commit a crime, the order of events during the commission of a crime, the motive:

The forms of the evidence can be either; blood evidence, material traced evidence, finger prints, private or personal records, public records, drug content, surveillance evidence, confession and testimony.

During an investigation, two very different roles emerge in the field of forensics. The first role is that of evidence collection. This role requires relatively limited experience, training, and qualifications. An investigator in this role will often travel to the scene of a crime or can be called to prepare evidence for the second role. The second role is that of evidence analysis. Here, evidence is reviewed, assessed, and analyzed for facts and conclusions.

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It's no secret that computer-facilitated crime, or "cybercrime," is one of the major problems in today's business world. However, many businesses are unaware of both their vulnerability to cybercrime and the steps they can take to minimize their exposure to such malicious acts by outsiders. This short article will explore some areas of concern that can be addressed by hiring a Digital Forensic Services (DFS) firm.

Having a network that is well-protected against both external and internal disruption should be a goal of every business. Hiring an experienced DFS firm, one that has seen "all the tricks" used by those that would attack a business network, is an ideal way to implement and maintain a high level of network security.

All DFS firms can conduct a wide variety of simulated computer attacks against a network to determine that network's security level. Once an attack has occurred, a DFS company is often able to "backtrack" to the attack source by using resources such as system logs and Internet Service Provider traffic records.

A secure computer network is vital in the protection of intellectual property such as original research and prototypes of software applications. An evaluation by a DFS firm can help provide the level of security appropriate to any business operations.

It is common for an intruder to leave behind files or malicious programs that will attempt to associate a business with unsavory business practices. This is often done in order to "sabotage" a business's reputation with its suppliers and/or clients. In such instances a DFS firm will often be able to pinpoint the date and circumstances under which such events occurred and demonstrate that an outside entity was responsible for its presence on the victim's computer system.

One of the basic "rules" of digital information technology can be summarized as follows: "Given enough computers, and enough time, someone will eventually do something stupid and crash the computer that contains the data most essential to normal business operations." A DFS company can usually recover such data within a few days and, more importantly, how to take steps to prevent similar instances in the future.

Many hackers are members of criminal elements that operate purely to profit from stolen business data. Many of these elements recognize that there is little likelihood that they will face criminal prosecution simply because evidence of their crimes that would be "left behind" would not stand up in court. Since most established DFS firms meet or exceed the most stringent federal standards recommendations, they will provide services whose techniques will satisfy all legal requirements related to the processing of evidence.

To learn more about Digital Forensic Services, as well as more information about computer forensics and electronic discovery, visit Elluma Discovery.

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China, Iran, and a number of other nations have built giant intranet systems which then connect to the overall global Internet. By doing this they can watch the traffic, censor information, and do their intelligence work. Unfortunately, in doing so they also find and eliminate dissension - we don't like that concept in the United States because we believe in freedom and liberty above all else, nevertheless, this is how they do it in their countries. Okay so let's talk about this for second shall we?

The NSA had a decent concept which was approved by Congress and that was to funnel the information from major Communications Systems which handle Internet, facsimile, and voice traffic and allow a computer to read through what is passing through that chokepoint. They call this system; Einstein 2 and 3. This makes sense, and this is a good way to do it. Why are they doing it here in the United States? Well, in 2003, they were worried about terrorism, and it's a good way to find out who the bad guys are as communications come from overseas.

Lately, it has also been considered that once a system like this was up and running, it can also look for malicious computer code, viruses, or even worms which could infiltrate our software, banking system, stock market, military contractors, or infrastructure. It would also help anyone who had a computer, or was connected to the Internet via a smart phone, tablet, laptop, computer, or perhaps an entire IT system from catching a cold or virus as well. All this makes sense right? Sure it does, but you can imagine that those who wish to maintain privacy, thus guaranteeing freedom and liberty, specifically freedom of speech are up in arms over all this.

Now then, as the infiltrators try to get through this system, certainly they will figure out ways to get by it, but as we sift through the data we have collected we could also go back and look at all the previous data which came through, seemingly looking at data without time. In other words time is no longer a variable, as all past and present communication would be available. Strong algorithms could look for variations in various software viruses, malware, and worms - and get smarter as they go with artificial intelligence looking for new exploits.

Could this shut down the hackers once and for all? Could we catch all the terrorists? Could we use this to keep America safe? Perhaps the answer is yes, although it is a moving target, and every time we get better, so do the bad guys. However with such a system only super well-funded hackers, perhaps state-sponsored would have the money to keep up with such a system. In the future as long as no one uses it for ill purposes such as the other countries mentioned above, the US would be a lot safer with such a strategy. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Internet Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Every time the headlines are full of the latest Cyber Crime or malware Scare story such as the Flame virus, the need to review the security standards employed by your organization takes on a new level of urgency.

The 2012 APT (Advanced Persistent Threat)

The Advanced Persistent threat differs from a regular hack or Trojan attack in that it is as the name suggests, advanced in technology and technique, and persistent, in that it is typically a sustained theft of data over many months.

So far the APT has largely been viewed as Government sponsored cyber-espionage in terms of the resources needed to orchestrate such an attack, such as the recent Flame malware which appears to have been a US or Israeli backed espionage initiative against Iran. However you always see the leading edge of technology become the norm a year later, so expect to see APT attacks reach the more mainstream, competitor-backed industrial espionage, and 'hacktivist' groups like Lulzsec and Anonymous adopting similar approaches.

The common vector for these attacks is a targeted spear phishing infiltration of the organization. Using Facebook, LinkedIn or other social media makes identification of targets much easier today, and also what kind of phishing 'bait' is going to be most effective in duping the target into providing the all-important welcoming click on the tasty links or downloads offered.

Phishing is already a well-established tool for Organized Crime gangs who will utilize these same profiled spear phishing techniques to steal data. As an interesting aside regarding organized crimes' usage of 'cybermuscle', it is reported that prices for botnets are plummeting at the moment due to oversupply of available robot networks. If you want to coerce an organization with a threat of disabling their web presence, arm yourself with a global botnet and point it at their site - DDOS attacks are easier than ever to orchestrate.

Something Must Be Done...

To be clear on what we are saying here, it isn't that AV or firewalls are no use, far from it. But the APT style of threat will evade both by design and this is the first fact to acknowledge - like the first step for a recovering alcoholic the first step is to admit you have a problem!

By definition, this kind of attack is the most dangerous because any attack that is smart enough to skip past standard defense measures is definitely going to be one that is backed by a serious intent to damage your organization (note: don't think that APT technology is therefore only an issue for blue chip organizations - that may have been the case but now that the concepts and architecture of the APT is in the mainstream, the wider hacker and hacktivist communities will already have engineered their own interpretations of the APT)

So the second fact to take on board is that there is an 'art' to delivering effective security and that requires a continuous effort to follow process and cross-check that security measures are working effectively.

The good news is that it is possible to automate the cross-checks and vigilance we have identified a need for, and in fact there are already two key technologies designed to detect abnormal occurrences within systems and to verify that security best practices are being operated.

FIM and SIEM - Security Measures Underwritten

File Integrity Monitoring or FIM serves to record any changes to the file system i.e. core operating system files or program components, and the systems' configuration settings i.e. user accounts, password policy, services, installed software, management and monitoring functions, registry keys and registry values, running processes and security policy settings for audit policy settings, user rights assignment and security options. FIM is designed to both verify that a device remains hardened and free of vulnerabilities at all time, and that the filesystem remains free of any malware.
Therefore even if some form of APT malware manages to infiltrate a critical server, well implemented FIM will detect file system changes before any rootkit protective measures that may be employed by the malware can kick in.

Likewise SIEM, or Security Information and Event Management, systems are designed to gather and analyze all system audit trails/event logs and correlate these with other security information to present a true picture of whether anything unusual and potentially security threatening is happening.

It is telling that widely adopted and practiced security standards such as the PCI DSS place these elements at their core as a means of maintaining system security and verifying that key processes like Change Management are being observed.

At the core of any comprehensive security standard is the concept of layered security - firewalling, IPS, AV, patching, hardening, DLP, tokenization, secure application development and data encryption, all governed by documented change control procedures and underpinned by audit trail analysis and file integrity monitoring. Even then with standards like the PCI DSS there is a mandated requirement for Pen Testing and Vulnerability Scanning as further checks and balances that security is being maintained.

Summary

In summary, your security policy should be built around the philosophy that technology helps secure your organizations' data, but that nothing can be taken for granted. Only by practicing continuous surveillance of system activity can you truly maintain data security, very much the essence of the Art of Layered Security.

NNT is a leading provider of general Security and PCI DSS Compliance solutions. As both a PCI DSS Compliance Software Manufacturer and Security Services Provider, we are firmly focused on helping organisations protect their sensitive data against security threats and network breaches in the most efficient and cost effective manner.

NNT solutions are straightforward to use and offer exceptional value for money, making it easy and affordable for organisations of any size to achieve and retain compliance at all times. Each product has the guidelines of the PCI DSS at its core, which can then be tailored to suit any internal best practice or external compliance initiative.

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In today's IT friendly world, dependency on computers and consequently on the internet is increasing tremendously. Online computer repair services are as a result becoming equally popular. This remarkable service relieves one of the strenuous tasks of dragging the entire machine to a repair shop and wait for a few days for it to get repaired. Instead, online services are both time and money efficient. The most common types of repair services provided by companies online include spyware and viral protection and removal, system tune ups, internet issues etc. there are several benefits of using online computer repair services over the others.

Computer services online are easily available to customers. What is interesting about this service is the fact that it allows the user himself to understand IT related problems and their consequent solutions as along with expert guidance one gets to comprehensive knowledge of all the stuff and acquires an educational approach towards the same. If hired from a reliable firm, online services are offered with complete efficiency. Exceptional customer care is provided by qualified technicians who examine every problem small or big with equal attention and expertise.

Getting your computer serviced online saves you the time of standing in long lines outside the shop to carrying heavy computer parts to get them repaired. With online PC repair and support services you get your computer revamped conveniently and that too in just no time. The most important benefit adding to the comfort of online computer services would be its availability at anytime and anywhere. Majority of online PC repair and support services are available 24X7 to provide customer assistance. No wonder the demand for such services is increasing with every passing day. Experts and qualified technicians are at your service.

These experts have holistic knowledge and skill required to fix any hardware or software related problem with complete expertise and professional guidance. Globally we all are dependent upon the advanced technology of a computer and any system crash down can affect important deals and intense business tasks. Thus access to convenient and regular computer service is extremely essential. There are several companies that provide comprehensive PC repair and support services, however, the best ones guarantee a prompt and secure service.

So online computer repair services makes your pc life more easy and flexible, getting your computer repair online, save your time that can be wasted in waiting for your chance in a long line.

Writtnen By: Soffia Anderson

An Associated Editor with etechies. Etechies offers wide range of Computer/ Laptop Repair Services including Online Computer Repair Services, Pc Support For Offices, Computer AMC Service etc.

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What is Image Geo tagging anyways?

In short a geotag is a meta tag embedded into the attributes of a digital image.

Did you know today's smart phones and digital cameras embed hidden data into the photographs you take? The photos you take with your modern smart phone can tell others:

Where you liveWhere you workWhere you go to schoolWhere you spend your free timeWhere your friends or family liveWhen there is nobody homeWhere you park your carAnd the list goes on and on and on.....

Now this may not be a big deal if you are taking photographs of yourself or a friend in a public place like Lake Eola in Orlando Fl, Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs Fl or another well known public place. On the other hand if you are taking photos in your home, at your job or any other place you don't want a stranger to know then you probably should continue reading this article.

How does it happen?

When you take a photograph with a smart phone or digital camera, it takes much more than just a photograph. Most of today's smart phones such as the Motorola DROID or the APPLE IPHONE have the ability and do so by default add GeoTags to the photographs you take which include information about the EXACT location where the photograph was taken, what date and time the photograph was taken and this poses a real security threat to consumers.

Let's pretend you take photos of yourself or your family or your friends with your APPLE iPhone, Motorola DROID or another modern smart phone. Now let's pretend you upload those photos to your Facebook, MySpace, a singles website or even email them to somebody you don't know very well.

Sounds pretty normal so far, right?

The hidden danger is anybody with the know-how or technical knowledge if you will can view the hidden data embedded in your photographs and see exactly where the photos were taken, when the photos were taken and much more...

How do you protect yourself?

You can turn off the GPS feature on your smart-phone, but you might still need the GPS feature turned on for GPS navigation. So if you want to protect yourself you would turn the GPS functionality off on your smart phone when you are taking photographs and turn the GPS function back on if you happen to need to use the GPS features in your smartphone.

Written by Chris Ondo

Chris Ondo - Central Florida Computer Engineering
http://cfcecorp.com/
http://faircreditblog.com/

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The following explains some of the terms used in Internet forensics, and suggests where relevant clues about a domain name may be hiding:

"IP Address"

Each and every computer on the Internet has a unique address - just like a telephone number or street address - which is a rather long and complicated string of numbers. It is called its "IP address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol"). IP Addresses are hard to remember, so the Domain Name System makes using the Internet far easier for humans by allowing words in the form of a "domain name" to be used instead of the arcane, numerical IP address. So instead of typing 64.233.161.104, you can just type that IP address' domain name, and you would then be directed to the website that you are seeking connected to that domain name.

It is possible to "geolocate" an IP address by using a variety of free services available on the Internet. Geolocation is the practice of determining the physical, real world location of a person or computer using digital information processed and collected on the Internet.

Geolocation can offer the city, ZIP code or region from which a person is or has connected to the World Wide Web by using their device's IP Address, or that of a nearby wireless access points, such as those offered by coffeeshops or internet cafes.

Determining the country of an Internet user based on his or her IP address is relatively simple and accurate (95%-99% percent) because a country is required information when an IP range is allocated and IP registrars supply that information.

Determining the specific physical location of an IP Address down to a city or ZIP code, however, is a little more difficult and slightly less accurate because there is no official source for the information. Further, users sometimes share IP addresses and Internet service providers often base IP addresses.

Even when not accurate, though, geolocation can place users in a bordering or nearby city, which may be good enough for the investigation.

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is an internationally organized, non-profit corporation that has the ultimate responsibility for Internet Protocol address space allocation, generic (gTLD) and country code (ccTLD) Top Level Domain name system management, and root server system management functions. As a private-public partnership, ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet; to promoting healthy and lawful competition; to achieving broad representation of global Internet communities; and to developing policies to foster these goals.

"Registrant"

Registrants are individuals or entities who register unique domain names through Internet Registrars. The Registrant is required to enter a registration contract with his Registrar, which sets forth the terms under which the registration is accepted and will be maintained. The Registrant's data is ultimately recorded in a number of locations: with the Registry, the Registrar, and, if applicable, with his webhosting provider.

"Registrar"

Domain names are registered by individual Registrants through many different companies known as Internet "Registrars." GoDaddy, for example, is a major ICANN-accredited Registrar. There are currently approximately 430 accredited Internet Registrars. A complete listing of accredited Registrars is in the ICANN Accredited Registrar Directory. A Registrar asks individuals, or "Registrants", various contact and technical information that makes up the official registration record. The Registrar maintains detailed records of the Registrant's contact information and submits the information to a central directory known as the "Registry." The Registry provides other computers on the Internet the information necessary to send the Registrant e-mail or to find the Registrant's Website on the Internet.

"Registry"

The Registry is the authoritative, master database of all domain names registered in each Top Level Domain. The Registry operator keeps the master database and also generates the "Zone File" which allows computers to route Internet traffic to and from Top Level Domains (TLD's) anywhere in the world. Internet users don't interact directly with the Registry; users can register names in TLDs by using an ICANN-Accredited Registrar (see above). Two of the largest Registries are Verisign (with authority over.com and.net TLDs, among others), and the Public Interest Registry ("PIR")(with authority over.org TLD's).

Top Level Domain (TLD)

Top Level Domains (TLDs) are the names at the top of the DNS naming hierarchy. They appear in domain names as the string of letters following the last (rightmost) ".", such as "net" in "http://www.example.net". The administrator for a TLD controls what second-level names are recognized in that TLD. The administrators of the "root domain" or "Root Zone" control what TLDs are recognized by the DNS. Generally speaking, two types of TLDs exist: generic TLDs (such as.com,.net,.edu) and country code TLDs (such as.jp,.de, and.cn).

"Whois"Data

All domain name Registries operate a "Whois" server for the purpose of providing information about all the Internet domain names registered with them. In a Shared Registry System, where most information about a domain name is held by separate individual Registrars, the Registry's Whois server provides a referral to the Registrars own Whois server, which provides more complete information about the domain name. The Whois service contains Registrant, administrative, billing and technical contact information provided by Registrars for domain name registrations.

By collecting and analyzing the Whois data, the Registry data, the Registrar data, and other bits and pieces of data about any websites associated with the domain name(s) you are interested in, a forensic investigator can often reconstruct a Registrant's identity, location and other contact information (e-mail, etc.).

Joseph C. Gioconda, Esq. is an experienced Intellectual Property attorney and consultant, and the founder of the GIOCONDA LAW GROUP PLLC (http://www.giocondalaw.com/), a New York City-based brand protection and anti-counterfeiting law firm. He is also the CEO of RogueFinder LLC (http://www.roguefinder.com/) which finds and targets "rogue websites."

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If there is one reason as to why you should always be nice to an IT technician in your company, it is that he or she has the capability and capacity to see all that is going on in your computer system if he or she so wishes to do so. To say the truth, there is nothing like privacy when it comes to working on net work or work computers. Even that laptop computer you purchased the other day for your private computing when connected to a company's network, it is no longer private - everything you do on it can be observed by a knowledgeable IT technician.

Apart from this, these professionals can actually check and see any website you visited outside the permitted sites, every email that you sent over the internet, the installed software, in additional to all saved documents in your computer hard disk.

For instance, if a certain investigation mission has been sanctioned by the bosses, there is little the file originator could do to prevent it from being accessed by snoopy IT technicians; in fact, they can access the information even before it has reached its recipients, thereby spilling the beans in advance. However, there are several things you can do to make it harder for unscrupulous IT technicians from carrying out these unauthorized snoops.

Utilize the available encryption technology and encrypt a segment of your computer's hard drive or sensitive files so that if anyone wants to access the said files or any other sensitive data, he or she will have to input an accessing password. However, check your company's IT policies before encrypting the said hard drive as you may have just performed or want to perform a disallowed action. Basically, the information technology policies in a given organization clearly outline how data can be encrypted so that it could be accessed if a password is forgotten by the user. A master password has to be secured, though it should not be availed or accessible to low level IT technicians in a said organization.

Another way of making information in question private is to clearing the browsers' history. Although, this will not prevent higher level IT technicians from accessing and seeing where you browsed while on the internet, it makes it pretty hard for a lower level IT technicians to do so, thereby your private or sensitive data is likely to stay private and where it is supposed to be, or to whom it is supposed to be sent to.

It is quite helpful to be conscious about your email subject lines. When any given IT technician in an organization is carrying out an email troubleshooting task, it is quite common for email subject lines to pop up on his or her system. To try and curb his or her curiosity, try to keep the email subject lines as bland as you could possibly be able to.

Nowadays, it is common for technicians to be bound to confidentiality and ethical agreements, before they could get hired in most organizations. All in all, effective IT department and its staff is normally concerned with ensuring that a said computer systems is working as is expected, in addition to troubleshooting and consequently correcting IT problems as they come and in a quick and efficient manner.

Your IT technician may very well save the day so make sure that you appreciate your IT help desk!

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Numerous federal lawsuits have been filed by Intellectual Property owners in recent years to attempt to address the intensifying online threat from "rogue websites." Additionally, the US Department of Justice and US Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement have seized millions of dollars in assets, as well as shuttered many such websites by utilizing existing criminal laws.

However, while Internet traffic to these sites has been measured and determined to be substantial, little research has been done to empirically survey the existing body of data related to this phenomenon.

A comprehensive empirical survey of over 3,000 Internet websites that federal courts have ordered shut down because of their sale of counterfeit goods has revealed that online counterfeiters can collect immense profits by generating over $10,000 in sales with a $1,000 initial investment.

An analysis of an online counterfeiters' potential profit margin can be summarized in the sample breakdown of typical revenue and costs as follows: The average cost of registering a single Internet domain name: $10-$20 per domain name, annually. The average cost of hosting multiple e-commerce websites on a shared server: $120 to $160, annually. International shipping is either paid for by the customer, or absorbed by seller if it is a nominal cost (less than $10 per item). Credit Card/online payment processing fees: 3-5% of sale price. Wholesale cost of counterfeit goods varies by brand and product category.

For example, a typical counterfeit coat has a $40-$50 wholesale cost, retails for $230-$300 on a rogue website. A typical counterfeit handbag: $40-$50 wholesale cost, retails for $200-$300 on a rogue website. A typical counterfeit bracelet: $10 wholesale cost, retails for $70-$80 on a rogue website. A typical counterfeit watch: $10 wholesale cost, retails for $160 on a rogue website.

Therefore, starting with a $1,000 investment, if one sets up a hosted e-commerce website ($160) linked to five domain names ($100), and invests the remaining funds ($700) in selling and shipping wholesale counterfeit goods, one could generate: Up to $11,200 by selling 70 counterfeit watches (11.2x the initial investment); Up to $5,600 by selling 70 counterfeit bracelets (5.6x the initial investment); or Up to $4,200 by selling 14 counterfeit coats or handbags (4.2x the initial investment).

This low-risk business model offers a comparable return on investment (ROI) to trafficking in illegal narcotics.

Because of this dramatic ROI, online counterfeiting networks are exponentially spreading on the Internet like an infection. For example, the ROI from a single successful website selling counterfeit products encourages the creation of many more such websites.

Skilled programmers who have access to sophisticated technology and an extensive supply of counterfeit products are creating and operating these sites. To protect their business model, they are employing a variety of creative tactics to frustrate efforts to monitor them and remove them from the marketplace. For example, they dynamically redirect their websites across multiple servers located in different countries.

Significant server bandwidth is dedicated to hosting such sites, with large blocks of server space and IP addresses dedicated to managing the Internet traffic to them.

Counterfeiters' websites are creating significant actual consumer confusion. One reason is that prices for counterfeit goods are designed to be credible to suggest genuine, discounted products rather than low quality counterfeits.

Goods received are typically shipped directly from locations throughout China and Hong Kong, and China is the country most often named as the country of the Registrant. However, Registrants do not usually provide legitimate or consistent contact information when registering new domain names, often using gibberish, nonsensical words and false addresses.

Further, some Registrants are using the "Privacy Protection" services offered by Registrars to purchase a cloak of further anonymity.

Software applications make it easier for infringers to create, register and warehouse thousands of domain names that contain permutations of trademarked brands.

These conclusions make it likely that "rogue websites" selling counterfeit goods will likely continue to proliferate, demanding that legal action be taken by brand owners.

Joseph C. Gioconda, Esq. is an experienced Intellectual Property attorney and consultant, and the founder of the GIOCONDA LAW GROUP PLLC ( http://www.giocondalaw.com/ ), a New York City-based brand protection and anti-counterfeiting law firm. He is also the CEO of RogueFinder LLC ( http://www.roguefinder.com/ ) which finds and targets "rogue websites."

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Is it time for change?

There are many reasons why company should re-think about improving and upgrading their IT landscape.

If your IT department is in mess your business will be the same. Every good company improves and works on its IT sector all the time. If you want to be successful your IT sector and other company sectors should be running smoothly and without any issues.

5 main reasons why you should improve your IT sector:

Old Software

There are companies that still use very old software. Let's hope your company is not one of them. If your software is out of date it can cause you more problems than you think. Your system might be too slow, and you could have problems working with people from other companies, who are not using old software. You don't need the embarrassment and will look more professional with updated software

Support Contract Out of Date

Your company had a support contract but it has run out. You didn't bother to renew it. What would happen if your system goes down gets damaged or some virus destroys it? It would cost you a lot more to fix it at that specific moment, than have a support contract in place. Successful companies rely on their IT providers and their support contracts. They renew their support contract every year.

Slow Network

How often do you check your company's network speed? Do your customers and employees complain about it? If they are complaining you should listen to them and work on your network speed. If the system is slow, employees are slow, work is slow, and the output is slow. You don't want to lose customers because of a slow network. Your company should be aware of this and regularly check network speed.

Security Issues

How much does your company spend on the security equipment? Is the value of your company security high or low? The main security issue with any company are hackers. They use the internet to break in to your system, steal your valuable information and damage your software and hardware. If you lose certain data; you will lose the respect of your customers. If it happens once, it will happen again. Information security should be one of your priorities.

Staying Competitive

If you don't keep an eye on the issues that we mentioned, you will lose competitiveness. If your company is not embracing the latest technologies, not improving your offers and products, not working with its customers and not taking care of employees, it will be difficult for the company to remain competitive. If the competition is passing you out, you must do something about it, or it could mean the end of your business.

These are the 5 reasons why you should think about improving your IT landscape and your business, too. Hopefully you'll find this interesting and follow the guidelines of improvement.

Tierney's Office Automation was founded in 1993 by IT professionals whose highly developed, service-oriented backgrounds enabled them to establish Ireland's first truly customer service focused IT solutions provider.

We offer "stress free IT solutions"...

To find out more about us, our products and services, contact us on:

E-mail: info@tierneys.ie
Phone: 00353 65 68628281; Fax: 00353 65 6866830
Web: http://www.tierneysautomation.ie/
Blog: http://itsystemsireland.com/

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Firefox 11 is the latest released version of the popular browser from Mozilla Foundation. This version offers two new syncing features. You can now sync Google chrome bookmarks, history and cookies with Firefox in addition to syncing add-ons/extensions between Firefox sessions on separate devices. Therefore, it is entirely possible to leave your workplace and find all tabs open and waiting on your home PC, so you can seamlessly continue any incomplete work. If you are a Firefox user and have any concerns with browser performance, get in touch with a third-party Mozilla Firefox support service.

Post-Firefox 11 launch, Mozilla has now laid out a separate roadmap for 2012. We will look at certain key points presented in this roadmap.

Firefox stands out from its' competitors in its extensive customizability, which enables users to install third party add-ons, also called extensions, to enhance browser functionality. An outstanding issue has been the incompatibility of installed add-ons with newer upgrades to Firefox, which was resolved in Firefox 10 and Firefox 11. In the context of add-ons, it is heartening to know Firefox does not allow third party extensions to install other programs/extensions without user approval. Firefox immediately warns the user, should such an installation be prompted by the extension. Third party Mozilla help is also available for assistance with installing and customizing add-ons.

Mozilla also plans to enable silent updates in Firefox 13, which means, any updates to the browser would be performed 'silently', without any need for user intervention. Additionally, Firefox hotfix would download any new patches, without requiring a browser restart.

Websites are cashing in on increasing popularity of social and professional networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, enabling users to share their content on these sites. Firefox plans to follow suit, with a new feature to share links or updates directly from the browser.

HTML 5, JavaScript and CSS3 are the latest standards for embedding rich graphic content within websites. Mozilla intends to offer increased support for these standards for viewing of graphic-rich websites.

With Microsoft's Windows 8 consumer preview now available to users and a commercial Windows 8 release in the pipeline, Mozilla has ambitious plans for a Windows 8-compatible Firefox version. The first step is a technology proof-of-concept to understand what would be possible to implement. This is also being planned in the 2012 Firefox roadmap.

Therefore, Firefox lovers have much to look forward to, in the browsers' future editions. If only Firefox would improve on memory usage and browser speed! To get the most out of your browser, contact Mozilla Firefox support 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 support mart and Mozilla Firefox support Call us at 1-855-888-9114 or visit http://www.supportmart.net/

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Rarely does a day go by that we don't come across the preface "Cyber." We hear it in conversation, on TV and radio. We see it in print. Regardless of the source, we mostly tend to think of the term as having some relation to computers and the Internet.

Cyberspace is recognized in my Word spell-checker, but cyberstudy is not. And to further cloud the issue, cyber is often used a single word, i.e. cyber crime, cyber intelligence. As time passes, what we once used as two words are now often merged into one. "Website" is now recognized as a single word in the Associated Press (AP) Style Manual (the guidebook for journalists).

After a lengthy search of more than a dozen websites for a definition of cyber and cyberspace, here's what I found:

· Three different forums had subscribers say it stood for computer sex (we know where they are coming from).

· Webopedia: A metaphor for describing the non-physical terrain created by computer systems. Online systems, for example, create a cyberspace within which people can communicate...

· Wikipedia: Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.

· And some believe the term cybernetics, and in particular "cyber" derives from the Greek for steersman, rudder, or pilot. Cybernetics is a term that referred to electronic communication and control science.

· The term cyberspace even appears on whitehouse.gov website.

Yes...I do have better things to do, but since I've been working on a series of articles about digital detectives, I wondered how a prosecution witness would define cyberspace or cybercrime if it was used during testimony.

In recent TV news broadcasts I heard representatives from the NSA, Homeland Security and the military express their beliefs that the greatest threat to the U.S. is not a terrorist attack. These officials believe that cyberspace will be the means whereby villains cross into our boundaries...through the Internet.

Statistics indicate that our federal government experienced over 41,000 cyberattacks in 2010, and these are the ones they were able to detect. They spent close to $12 billion on Information Technology (IT) security that year-most of which covered employee salaries and benefits.

Identity theft is a growing problem. Chances are you have experienced it yourself or know someone who has. In my case I recovered a voicemail message from our home phone one Sunday afternoon. We were asked to call our bank's credit card fraud unit. They verified that we used our credit card to pay for dinner on a Friday evening (in Raleigh, NC), and the next day our card made a number of purchases in Palm Beach, FL. The purchases continued through Sunday until the card was maxed out.

More recently, I received an Email from Facebook security (yes, they really have a security department). They asked if I had made posts on my page that morning. I had not. It seems that some chap in a Russian province (which I can't pronounce, let alone spell) had been using my account.

Yes, law enforcement has made magnificent strides in the investigation of cybercrime. But will this prevent it? No it won't. IT security experts tell us that over 800 million personal records have been stolen by hackers over the recent past. And despite the most complex, hi-tech security software available, some cybercreep will eventually hack into it. Cyber forensics grew out of the screaming demand for greater law enforcement involvement in cybercrime. Today many agencies have created units that deal with this online mayhem, and many more are gearing up for it. The trouble is that these computer specialists may never see the light at the end of tunnel called cyberspace.

We created a blog to provide online training in crime scene technology, and we will continue to post timely, easily understood posts covering criminalistics. But here of late we also see a pressing need for training in the dark world of cybercrime. Watch for more posts on this subject. Learn more about all phases of Crime Scene Investigation at our CSI TECH BLOG

Expert Author Don Penven is a freelance writer and professional photographer based in Raleigh and Morehead City, NC,

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