5 Ways to Make Your PC a Less Attractive Hacker Target

Hackers seem to be everywhere these days, on the news, in the movies. You can’t turn around without seeing a news story about a major data breach or massive hacking attack that took down a huge company’s online operations.

You just want to be left alone to play your PC games, browse Facebook, the basics. You don’t want to become a target and/or victim of a hacker. So the question is, what can you do

to make your computer a less attractive target to a hacker.

Here Are 5 Ways You Can Make Your PC a Less Attractive Hacker Target:

1. Enable “Stealth Mode” on Your Router’s Firewall

Some routers feature a mode called “stealth mode” where the firewall on the router does not respond in the traditional manner when a port scan is run against it. If your router offers this feature you should consider turning it on to make your network (and the devices behind it) less conspicuous to hackers attempting to probe your network.

2. Use a Personal VPN Service

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), once the domain of the privileged few who could afford to use them, are now available to the common man. You can purchase personal VPN service on a monthly basis for little more than the price of a decent cup of coffee.

VPNs offer a plethora of security features such as encryption of all network traffic, anonymous browsing via proxied IP addresses, as well as some great features that take advantage of the ability

to choose an IP address from your home country when you are traveling abroad. For an in-depth look at the other benefits offered by personal VPN services, check out our article: Why You Need a Personal VPN.

3. Encrypt Your Wireless Network

Not seeing a padlock icon next to a network name when a hacker is scanning for available Wi-Fi networks is a huge turn-on for them. This tips them off to the fact that there is essentially free Wi-Fi available because there is no password required to access networks that don’t have encryption turned on (hence, the lack of a padlock icon).

If you don’t have wireless encryption turned on, you are basically advertising to hackers and neighbors that your bandwidth is freely available for the taking. If hackers happen to use the free Internet that you are graciously providing them to carry out hacking and other crimes, guess who it will be traced back to? That’s right, YOU. You can plead ignorance but there is no guarantee that it will be an acceptable excuse.

Lock down your Wi-Fi with WPA2 (or better) encryption with a strong password to avoid being an unwitting accomplice to a hacker’s misdeeds

4. Make Sure Security Patches Are Installed And Up to Date

Hackers love to see a system with unpatched vulnerabilities that they can exploit, gain entry to, and take control of. You need to make sure you're using the automatic update feature of your operating system so that as soon as a security patch is released it will be pushed to your PC. You should periodically do a manual check as well to ensure that the auto-update process is working as it should be.

Check for updates of your Internet-connected apps (web browsers, plug-ins, etc) on a frequent basis as well and turn on their “check for updates” feature (if available). Don’t forget to check for updated wireless router firmware, as your router manufacturer might have updates waiting in the wings as well.

5. Educate Yourself and Hack-proof Your Brain

When it comes to your PC’s security, you don’t want to be the weakest link. You definitely don’t want to get tricked into installing malware or fall for some other scam that puts your PC and your personal data at risk.

Hidden Administrator !

Android devices have been under attack more so than in previous years. Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail Fake App, for example, hides within a pirated copy of the Jay-Z app. If you had this fake application installed on your Samsung device, you suddenly had your background wallpaper image changed to an image of President Barack Obama on July 4th. We also heard of another threat called Master Key that affects all Android users. Master Key allows an attacker to turn any legitimate application into a malicious Trojan horse. The hacker accomplishes this by modifying the APK code without modifying the application’s cryptographic signature.

Recently, another malware threat known as Hidden Administrator Apps has targeted Android users. Hidden Administrator Apps is not an actual name for the malware, but should be viewed more of a category of malware with characteristics that include stealth implementation and elevated user privileges.

A Hidden Device Admin app is an infected application that installs itself with administrator privileges. The app hides itself and you have no means of knowing if this was installed on your device. You can’t remove the app because you simply can’t see it on your screen and you don’t know that it’s there. With administrator privileges, the malware takes complete control of your device and can enable the attacker to utilize it.

How Are Hidden Administrator Apps Installed?

When the malware attempts to install on your device, it will ask you to grant it the elevated privileges. If you’re attentive and deny this request, the malware displays frequent pop-up messages once the device restarts. If you install the infected app, you can attempt to uninstall the app by deactivating its administrator privileges by going to Settings ->Security->Device Administrators. However, this technique may not work all the time because variants of the malware will hide this deactivation option.

How Can You Prevent or Remove Hidden Administrator Apps?

You should always be cautious about the apps you download and install on your device. The malware payload can cause damage to your mobile device, as well as intrude on your privacy and personal information. You can take the following preventive measures for installing Hidden Administrator Apps:

Only download from a reputable app store, such as Google Play or Amazon Appstore.

Glance at app reviews -- People will often rate an infected app poorly and will usually warn others through the app reviews.

Avoid downloading unofficial apps -- It's always safer to install official apps from an official app store.

Keep your mobile device up-to-date -- Ensure you have the latest updates installed on your device.

Don't download pirated software.

If your device is infected with a Hidden Administrator App, you can search Google Play for utilities that can detect the Hidden Administrator App and will remove its elevated privileges. You then can uninstall the app because it will no longer have the administrator rights. A solid solution is McAfee Mobile Security. One of the many features that McAfee Mobile Security provides is Hidden Administrator App detection

McAfee Mobile Security

McAfee's newest mobile security application, McAfee Mobile Security, protects your Android smartphone or tablet from the latest malware threats. Recent Android attacks have affected many Android users. With McAfee Mobile Security, you can protect yourself from attacks that include:

Hidden Device Admin

Android Master Key Exploit

Jay-Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail Fake App

McAfee Mobile Security provides the following features for Android users:

Locate and track device -- If you misplace your device, you can locate it on a map and send a text to prompt its return.

Device alarm/scream

Remote lock and wipe -- If you're device is lost or stolen, you can protect your privacy by remotely deleting your data on your device and SD card.

Backup and restore -- You can backup your data on demand or set your backup process on a specific schedule. Use your backup to restore your data on a new device.

Manage your security in the cloud -- You can manage your mobile security through a web portal or by SMS text using any smartphone or tablet.

Click here to learn more about McAfee Mobile Security, including a review, full list of features, and premium and basic packages.

What is Malware?

Protecting your computer from malicious software is perhaps the most important aspect of computer ownership.
A wide range of products are available that offer computer security. However, did you know that certain products only offer protection against a few malicious attacks? Are you concerned that your computer may not be fully secured? Before you take the necessary measures of securing your computer, you should understand the different types of attacks that could harm your machine.
What is Malware?
Malicious software (malware) is the wide range of software applications developed with a malicious intent. The methods used for malware installation is unlike any other software installation you are accustomed to because malware is installed through devious means. People often use the terms virus and malware interchangeably. However, a virus is a type of malware. Other major malware types include:
Virus

A virus contains malicious code that attaches itself to an application. When the infected application is executed, the virus is launched and will attempt to spread to other computers. A virus typically will not cause immediate damage as it needs time to replicate in order to infect other computers. Eventually, the virus will deliver its payload. The payload can cause significant damage such as deletion of critical system files, random reboots of your computer, and can corrupt hard drives and make them unbootable. Viruses are delivered to systems in a variety of ways. Email is the most common method for spreading viruses. For example, spammers will email viruses as attachments and will entice users to download and open the attachment, which in turn will execute the virus. Users can also transmit viruses by using infected USB flash drives. Most operating systems have Autorun enabled, which enable infected USB flash drives to execute the virus as soon as the device is plugged into the machine.


Trojan Horse

Trojan horses trick users by posing as legitimate applications. For example, a Trojan horse may appear to be a game or a screensaver. A deceived user will download the application and the Trojan horse is released once the user executes the program.
Worms

Unlike viruses and Trojan horses, worms do not need to be executed. Worms reside within memory and can travel throughout a network without depending on an infected computer application or interaction. Worms replicate themselves exponentially and can literally crash networks by consuming its bandwidth.

Spyware

Spyware is installed on a machine without the user’s awareness or consent. Spyware attempts to gather specific user information and send it to a third party. You can determine if your computer is infected with spyware if your Internet home page has suddenly changed, if your web browser redirects web searches, or if additional software has been installed on your machine. Another form of spyware is adware. Adware launches pop-up windows to display unwanted advertisements.

Logic Bombs

A logic bomb is malicious code embedded within an application that executes based on certain events. The logic bomb lies dormant until that event occurs. The event may be when a specific date is reached or if an employee’s record is removed from an organization’s payroll information system.
Rootkits

A rootkit is the combination of programs designed to infect your computer without being detected. Your antivirus application communicates with your operating system to identify threats. However, rootkits breaks down this communication process. Consequently, your antivirus software will think that everything is fine and will not report that your computer is infected.

You can find security tools that will protect your computer from the above threats. In most cases, one tool is not enough. You may need to use a combination of utilities to fully project your system. Understanding the major types of malware can help you make informed decisions about acquiring tools to project your computer.