improve-your-security

Security checklist for “Back to school”

The summer closes to end soon and we know that the next thing to happen is: children go back to school. Parents are always concerned (for good reasons) for what and how their children will do, and since a couple of years they have other concerns. Their children have smartphones, multiple online identities – parents […]

General

Change default passwords from your Internet enabled devices

Useless to write again about changing default passwords? Think again… I just bought two brand-new TP-Link WiFi Range Extenders, models WA860RE and WA854RE. Latest version, latest firmware. Both come with default username and password: admin. It is written on their back… Once you login, you will go through as wizard which configures the device. But, it […]

Security

Security through obscurity: Smart Light bulb Exposes Wi-Fi Password

A team of British security consultants (Context) hacked their way into a private Wi-Fi network — using Lifx bulbs as the backdoor. In a typical Lifx setup, one bulb will automatically serve as the “master,” communicating directly with your smartphone and then relaying all info to other “slave” bulbs. Context’s team was able to hack their […]

News

Improve your Security #1: Complex passwords aren’t always better

I have published the first article in this series in the Avira Techblog here :http://techblog.avira.com/2011/01/31/improve-your-security-1-complex-passwords-arent-always-better And, as a confirmation of what I wrote, I found this article on CIO Magazine: Apple and Google will kill password If I could only offer them a hand 🙂 Actually, I could do something in this direction by creating […]

News Security

Complex passwords aren’t always better

Recently I’ve had the exam for the CompTIA Security+ Certification. While practicing for the exam, I’ve had the following question. Q:When setting password rules, which of the following will lower the level of security of a network ? A: Complex passwords that users can not remotely changed are randomly generated by the administrator and given […]