You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about programming. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

Online computer programming jobs come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Finding the one that fits you best is just a matter of researching what is currently available and working towards the one that best meets your needs. Each area has its pros and cons, so let’s get started.

Outsourcing

One option for finding online computer programming jobs is through sites like Elance. These sites allow individuals with programming skills to bid on short (or long) term jobs that various companies have posted. The more jobs you complete successfully, the higher bid amount you can request and you’ll likely get repeat business from companies you worked with.

Pros: You can bid on jobs your comfortable with and to a certain degree work the hours you want.

Cons: There is a lot of competition and it may take some time to build up a clientele. You are working for the client and will usually be asked to report your progress on a weekly or monthly basis. Again, you may need to have certifications to demonstrate your expertise in your area.

IT Companies

Another option is to work from home for a large IT company. Many of the large IT companies are trying to save money on office space by having employees work remotely from home. They will typically provide you with a computer outfitted with their corporate software developers that lets you login to their secure network. You may need to pay for the cost of internet connectivity, but a decent DSL connection can run as little as $20 per month.

Pros: Once hired, you will likely get medical benefits, maybe some 401 k matching and something to add to your resume.

Cons: You have to get hired. This can be tough if you have no previous experience or you need a higher salary to support a family. You will likely need to be certified in your area of expertise which can be expensive.

Home business

If you have the experience and want to be your own boss you could start your own business working from home. You will need to have a website and descriptions or samples of the work you can do. You will want to learn internet marketing so you can promote yourself successfully.

Pros: You are your own boss. You can control how much and what kind of work you take on.

Cons: Again, there is a lot of competition these days for programmers due to the poor economy. It may take quite some time to build up a clientele.

Online Marketing

This has become a popular option for people looking for online computer programming jobs because having online technical skills shortens the learning curve. You can make significant money rather quickly if you get into the right program and are willing to do the work, even part time. There is also no limit on income potential.

Pros: You work at your own pace with no clients pushing you. You are not competing against other online programmers. The marketing skills learned can be applied to many different businesses. Since online marketing is rather simple, you can work other online computer programming jobs at the same time.

Cons: There is an up front cost to join the better programs, but if the compensation plan is good you will make that back quickly.

Be sure to understand the pros and cons of each opportunity available to you as a programmer. If you are hired by a company as a programmer there is going to be incredible pressure to produce quickly. You’ll have to work with demanding clients and be willing to take on more and more responsibility beyond coding.

Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what’s important about programming.

But from time to time these computer drivers become corrupt or a conflict develops with another piece of hardware or software on your system. Even Windows updates can sometimes create a need for computer driver repair. Unless you update your computer drivers, these conflicts can lead to mysterious computer behavior and even crashes of your system.

There are two basic methods for computer driver repair: manual and automatic. Let’s take a look at each of these with their respective pros and cons.

Computer Driver Repair – the Manual Method

Originally, the only way to update computer drivers was to complete the process manually. This requires knowing which device needs updating as well as the device’s manufacturer and model number. There are three basic ways to update computer drivers manually.

Manual Method 1

Visit the computer manufacturer’s website and look up the model number of your system. Many times the manufacturer (Dell, Gateway, Compaq, etc.) will post drivers on their website for specific computer models.

Pros: Easy; Fast

Cons: Drivers are not kept current after the system has been on the market for a period of time.

Manual Method 2

Update computer drivers through the Windows’ Device Manager. To easily open the device manager, right-click on the My Computer icon and choose Manage. Then select Device Manger. Choose the correct device type and double-click on the device to be updated. Choose the Driver tab and click the button to Update Driver. Give Windows permission to search the internet for the best driver.

Pros: Easy to update; Minimal information required.

Cons: It can be difficult to determine which device is malfunctioning since conflicts are not always obvious; Windows Update frequently does not provide the most recent drivers resulting in continuing conflicts.

Manual Method 3

Figure out which computer device needs to be updated. Locate the manufacturer name and model number for this device. Visit the manufacturer’s website and download the current driver.

Pros: Know you are receiving the most current, manufacturer approved driver available.

Cons: It can be difficult to determine which device is malfunctioning since conflicts are not always obvious.

Computer Driver Helper – The Automatic (And Easy!) Method If you want an easy way to , then this is the method for you. It involves the use of a computer program to automatically determine which devices need computer driver repair. Then the program updates them for you!

Automatic Method Visit and get a free scan of your system. This program is highly rated and does not have any malicious software attached to it. Once the scan is complete, purchase the program to enable it to fix your computer automatically. Then, sit back and enjoy a well-working machine!

Pros: Easy; Fast; NO system information required; Know you are receiving the most current, manufacturer approved driver available; Less time, frustration, and energy spent; Update all needed drivers at the same time to remove any possible conflicts; Scan your system anytime for continued automatic updates. Cons: Will cost money (they are currently offering a discount package though!)

Update computer drivers the automatic way and quickly get back to a well-running machine.

Galore group module gambol computer games without any noesis of how such business went into the fearless. True, a lot of intellection and ability had to be busy in rule to pretend the gamy utilise, but the game also required a smashing pile of computer planning and noesis of opposite computer programing languages in ordination to tidy as good. There are many sides of machine brave planning, so if you are curious in machine job programing and may requirement to aver up courses in the upcoming, see a lie at this enumerate.

The gallinacean physics engineer is someone who directs how a job uses physics in ordering to sensing correct and undergo straight. In most cases, a computer occupation leave not completely dissemble the physics of a real man, but any essential aspects of physics may bang to rise into recreate for any games. For happening, rainfall opposition strength be chief to dogfights, patch the disposable but unintelligent movements of both characters in facility mightiness be requisite for a role-playing gritty.

The counterfeit info programmer is the one in account of nonindustrial the coherent ordering of the job itself. For happening, when a strategy involves finding a path, employing strategies, or gift uprise to foeman tactics, an stilted word programmer may be titled in to pretend a spunky pain – in another language, to attain the gamey think on its own. In systemic, the computer module victimised for semisynthetic uses a broadcast of codes and algorithms in order to cater graphics in the grouping of the spunky. In the ultramodern age, a graphics engineer has to job in a three-dimensional surroundings, and should therefore  knowledge of encrustation, transmitter math, and else algebra concepts that may be needed for specializing in rendering much images. There are only very few graphics programmers, and they may commonly responsibility spot aftermath for their job.

A strong coder will give sounds in damage of characters’ dialogues, punishment, and level sounds that can wee the occupation seem author historical, specified as the good of crunching leaves or smoke as characters posture on them. The gameplay coder faculty add to the get of the gamy, and present do so by focussing on the game’s think and strategy.

Computer job programing faculty also enjoin a group of scripters, who are also ordinarily the designers of the game. These scripters create the encipher of the gallinacean itself, unremarkably with a grassroots machine language. Also required are someone program programmers, or the UI: the UI programmers will make a repository of polar aspects that can be utilised crossways a statewide tracheophyte of worlds within the gamey, or a countrywide variety of games within a concern. The UI programming communication involves a best collection of maths, with the aim of producing unscheduled personalty.

Also serious is an signaling engineer, who writes codes for how opposite kinds of instrumentation, such as the keyboard, lever, or walk, testament regard the gamy. The mesh technologist testament gestate shipway for the game to transform on a meshwork, where grouping can roleplay against apiece separate. A porting programmer ensures that the gritty can transform on antithetic platforms and operative systems.

Overseeing all these tasks is the slip courageous engineer. These are exclusive a few aspects of computer business programing. As the land widens, many and more programmers of varied kinds gift love to be titled in and identified as primary.

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There are reasons why your computer is running slow. You just have to find it. These are the questions you need to answer

#1 How many programs are currently running?

Having many computer programs running at the same time causes your computer to slow down. This could be because there are some programs that automatically start when you turn on your computer. If you don’t need these program to be running just close them to prevent your computer running slow.

#2 Have you scanned your computer for viruses?

Viruses may come at anytime and in any way. You may get them from the internet, USB flash drives and other electronic devices that can be connected to your computer. What these viruses do to your computer is that it harms the programs of the computer thus making it run slower. A virus scanner is one way to remove these viruses. These virus scanners locate the viruses and clean it. However, there are viruses that cannot be detected by older version of virus scanners that is why updating your virus scanner is a must.

#3 Do you have a system and registry scanner on your computer?

Corrupted files, unnecessary files, errors, and multiple registry entries are also suspects as to why your computer is running slowly. Virus scanners are not enough to make your computer run faster. A  system and registry scanner is also necessary. What the scanner does is that it scans and removes corrupted files, unnecessary files, errors, and multiple registry entries located in your windows registry and in your computer. You can download a system and registry scanner from the internet then install it this will find any errors and let you get rid of them automatically and quickly. Click here to scan your computer now.

Computer viruses are unwanted computer programs that can invade your hard drive and cause many different types of damage. Usually viruses are created when someone writes a computer program and embeds harmful software within that program. As soon as other people begin downloading that infected program onto their computers, the virus finds it’s way in and negatively alters information stored in the computers. Not one computer virus is alike, there are millions of diverse programs that cause varying amounts of damage to a computer.

Just like human viruses, computer viruses spread rapidly as soon they are created and computers are exposed to the ‘infection’. Although instead of traveling through the air, computer viruses disperse themselves all over the internet, sometimes you can get a virus just by clicking on a certain webpage. Many of times computer users will have a virus in their computer for a long period of time before it is detected or before it starts causing greater damage. Even when you have anti-virus software in your computer, it will not always find every virus because the anti-virus software can only find threats already known through that program’s database.

You may ask, Why would someone create such counterproductive programs?

Well, there may not be an exact answer as to why humans knowingly create computer viruses other than to get some sort of revenge or to challenge their skills. No one will be able to prevent those people from creating viruses and exposing other computers to infection, the best thing for computer users to do to prevent such invasion is to use current anti-virus software and be cautious as to what sites they visit and what files they download.

When a virus finds it’s way into your computer, it will hide in your hard drive and rapidly duplicate itself just like virus cells do in humans. You may not be able to tell, but every time you save your data, you are also saving the virus. Soon enough the virus has multiplied to such a great extent that it damages your data and causes major problems.

Although the computer’s ROM (Read Only Memory) will not be affected by a virus, the RAM (Random Access Memory) and your computer’s disks will surely be damaged. So if the virus is only in the RAM data in your computer, when you shut the computer down the virus will be lost as well as any other memory that had been held in the random access memory (RAM).

Unfortunately if the computer virus is on your hard drive or computer disk it will remain in the computer after you restart it and it will be there whenever you use the program again. If you switch from the infected program to another program without shutting down your computer, the virus will then attach to the other program. With that happening, that virus will slowly go through infecting all of your computer’s programs before you have a clue that you computer is infected.

Currently, millions and millions of dollars are spent on efforts to protect computers from viruses and eliminate destructive virus programs.

Anti-virus programs offered by commercial and shareware sources were made solely to detect and fix programs that may be virus infected. These programs should be used to scan for viruses every time you put a disk into your computer and every time you start up your computer.

The paper explores the role of Pass word, Anti virus and data  encryption in computer security.  It has been discussed that passwords is known to be ancient. Sentries would challenge those wishing to enter an area or approaching it to supply a password or watchword. Sentries would only allow a person or group to pass if they knew the password. In modern times, user names and passwords are commonly used by people during a log in process that controls access to protected computer operating systems, mobile phones, cable TV decoders, automated teller machines (ATMs), etc. Data encryption refers to mathematical calculations and algorithmic schemes that transform plaintext into cyphertext, a form that is non-readable to unauthorized parties. The recipient of an encrypted message uses a key which triggers the algorithm mechanism to decrypt the data, transforming it to the original plaintext version.

Lastly the paper discusses another important computer security software, computer virus which is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the owner. The term “virus” is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.

MAIN BODY

A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource (Example: An access code is a type of password). The password must be kept secret from those not allowed access.

The use of passwords is known to be ancient. Sentries would challenge those wishing to enter an area or approaching it to supply a password or watchword. Sentries would only allow a person or group to pass if they knew the password. In modern times, user names and passwords are commonly used by people during a log in process that controls access to protected computer operating systems, mobile phones, cable TV decoders, automated teller machines (ATMs), etc. A typical computer user may require passwords for many purposes: logging in to computer accounts, retrieving e-mail from servers, accessing programs, databases, networks, web sites, and even reading the morning newspaper online.

Despite the name, there is no need for passwords to be actual words; indeed passwords which are not actual words may be harder to guess, a desirable property. Some passwords are formed from multiple words and may more accurately be called a passphrase. The term passcode is sometimes used when the secret information is purely numeric, such as the personal identification number (PIN) commonly used for ATM access. Passwords are generally short enough to be easily memorized and typed.

For the purposes of more compellingly authenticating the identity of one computing device to another, passwords have significant disadvantages (they may be stolen, spoofed, forgotten, etc.) over authentications systems relying on cryptographic protocols which are more difficult to circumvent. The original password concept has been proven to be insecure. There have been cases where passwords have been compromised without a users knowledge, through coersion, or because they were conned into revealing it. The core problem with legacy passwords is that it is very difficult or impossible for an administrator or a computer system to differentiate between a legitimate user and illegitimate user gaining access through the same password. Because of this inherent flaw in the original password system, Two Factor Authentication was invented.

A password is “something you know.” This information is understood to be known by a single individual. Two-factor authentication systems add in another factor, “something you have”, electronic card key, electronic token, dongle, fob or some other physical item you keep in a secure place when not in use. A common stand in replacement for this second factor when higher levels of security are needed is “something you are”. A biological fingerprint, retina pattern, person’s weight, specific vital signs or a combination of these items is used in place of the electronic device. The biological factor for authentication and authorization has been found to be unreliable, but not in that it permits those that should not be permitted when used properly, but because there is a tendency for it to deny legitimate users access due to sickness, physical body changes, or other physical impairments.

There are two common methods of authentication when users use electronic components for two-factor authentication, response-only, and challenge-response systems.

Response-only systems require a user to present your electronic device to an electronic reading system, or for you to enter data displayed on the electronic device without user input. The user must provide a username or pin that is not known to outsiders, and then enter specific credential data generated by the electronic device when prompted. In many cases, this mechanism returns the user back to a single factor authentication, where the user does not need to know something, but just posseses the item in question. An example of this is the standard electronic card key used to enter a facility or building perimiter. The user need not provide any other factor to prove their identity.

Challenge-response systems require the user to enter a specific passphrase or pin into the electronic device first, before the device responds with the proper access credentials data. This varient is always considered two-factor authentication, since the user must provide both “something they know” (the pin), and use “something they have” (the electronic device).

Both the response-only and challenge-response systems can be defeated if the user both reveals the private information they keep secret, such as their username or pin code, and the attacker takes ownership of the electronic device. Due to this weakness, the bioligcal factor was invented.

Biological factors have been in use for several decades, and have proven to be reliable and secure ways to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to secure systems or environments, regardless of the privacy of their passwords used. Systems monitor fingerprints, eye retina patterns, weight, ambient temperature, and other biological signs to determine the authenticity of the user requesting access. Movies have been touting methods of defeating these systems by cutting off body parts, using retinal masks, or forcing legitimate users into bypassing the authentication mechanisms for the attacker. These are largely Hollywood schemes and rarely work in the real world. In most cases where this level of security is required, local or remote monitoring of entry points through cameras and security personnell is common. Deadlock portals, remote activated magnetically controlled entranceways, and visual idenfitication are the norm.

Many simple methods have been devised to defeat weakly designed biological factor systems, so be sure you thoroughly test the security measures you plan to put in place before implementation.

The easier a password is for the owner to remember generally means it will be easy for a hacker to guess. Passwords which are difficult to remember will reduce the security of a system because (a) users might need to write down or electronically store the password, (b) users will need frequent password resets and (c) users are more likely to re-use the same password. Similarly, the more stringent requirements for password strength, e.g. “have a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters and digits” or “change it monthly”, the greater the degree to which users will subvert the systemIn Jeff Yan et al. examine the effect of advice given to users about a good choice of password. They find that passwords based on thinking of a phrase and taking the first letter of each word, are just as memorable as naively selected passwords, and just as hard to crack as randomly generated passwords. Combining two unrelated words is another good method. Having a personally designed “algorithm” for generating obscure passwords is another good method.

However, asking users to remember a password consisting of a “mix of uppercase and lowercase characters” is like asking them to remember a sequence of bits: hard to remember, and only a little bit harder to crack (e.g. only 128 times harder to crack for 7-letter passwords, less if the user simply capitalises the first letter). Asking users to use “both letters and digits” will often lead to easy-to-guess substitutions such as ‘E’ –> ‘3′ and ‘I’ –> ‘1′, substitutions which are well known to crackers. Similarly typing the password one keyboard row higher is a common trick known to crackers.

Factors in the security of a password system

The security of a password-protected system depends on several factors. The overall system must, of course, be designed for sound security, with protection against computer viruses, man-in-the-middle attacks and the like. Physical security issues are also a concern, from deterring shoulder surfing to more sophisticated physical threats such as video cameras and keyboard sniffers. And, of course, passwords should be chosen so that they are hard for an attacker to guess and hard for an attacker to discover using any (and all) of the available automatic attack schemes. See password strength, computer security, and computer insecurity.

Effective access control provisions may force extreme measures on criminals seeking to acquire a password or biometric token. Less extreme measures include extortion, rubber hose cryptanalysis, side channel attack,

DATA ENCRYPTION

Data encryption refers to mathematical calculations and algorithmic schemes that transform plaintext into cyphertext, a form that is non-readable to unauthorized parties. The recipient of an encrypted message uses a key which triggers the algorithm mechanism to decrypt the data, transforming it to the original plaintext version.

Before the internet, data encryption was seldom used by the public as it was more of a military security tool. With the prevalence of online shopping, banking and other services, even basic home users are now aware of data encryption.

Today’s web browsers automatically encrypt text when making a connection to a secure server. This prevents intruders from listening in on private communications. Even if they are able to capture the message, encryption allows them to only view scrambled text or what many call unreadable gibberish. Upon arrival, the data is decrypted, allowing the intended recipient to view the message in its original form.

Types of Data Encryption

There are many different types of data encryption, but not all are reliable. In the beginning, 64-bit encryption was thought to be strong, but was proven wrong with the introduction of 128-bit solutions. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is the new standard and permits a maximum of 256-bits. In general, the stronger the computer, the better chance it has at breaking a data encryption scheme.

Data encryption schemes generally fall in two categories: symmetric and asymmetric. AES, DES and Blowfish use symmetric key algorithms. Each system uses a key which is shared among the sender and the recipient. This key has the ability to encrypt and decrypt the data. With asymmetric encryption such as Diffie-Hellman and RSA, a pair of keys is created and assigned: a private key and a public key. The public key can be known by anyone and used to encrypt data that will be sent to the owner. Once the message is encrypted, it can only be decrypted by the owner of the private key. Asymmetric encryption is said to be somewhat more secure than symmetric encryption as the private key is not to be shared.

Strong encryption like SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) will keep data private, but cannot always ensure security. Websites using this type of data encryption can be verified by checking the digital signature on their certificate, which should be validated by an approved CA (Certificate Authority).

Encryption with a variable key

A more advanced method is the use of simple encryption to encipher the virus. In this case, the virus consists of a small decrypting module and an encrypted copy of the virus code. If the virus is encrypted with a different key for each infected file, the only part of the virus that remains constant is the decrypting module, which would (for example) be appended to the end. In this case, a virus scanner cannot directly detect the virus using signatures, but it can still detect the decrypting module, which still makes indirect detection of the virus possible. Since these would be symmetric keys, stored on the infected host, it is in fact entirely possible to decrypt the final virus, but that probably isn’t required, since self-modifying code is such a rarity that it may be reason for virus scanners to at least flag the file as suspicious.

An old, but compact, encryption involves XORing each byte in a virus with a constant, so that the exclusive-or operation had only to be repeated for decryption. It is suspicious

COMPUTER VIRUS

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the owner. The term “virus” is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. ( Fred Cohen) The term “computer virus” is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware, and other malicious and unwanted software), including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda. Worms

Methods to avoid detection

In order to avoid detection by users, some viruses employ different kinds of deception. Some old viruses, especially on the MS-DOS platform, make sure that the “last modified” date of a host file stays the same when the file is infected by the virus. This approach does not fool anti-virus software, however, especially those which maintain and date Cyclic redundancy checks on file changes.

Some viruses can infect files without increasing their sizes or damaging the files. They accomplish this by overwriting unused areas of executable files. These are called cavity viruses. For example the CIH virus, or Chernobyl Virus, infects Portable Executable files. Because those files have many empty gaps, the virus, which was 1 KB in length, did not add to the size of the file.

Some viruses try to avoid detection by killing the tasks associated with antivirus software before it can detect them.

As computers and operating systems grow larger and more complex, old hiding techniques need to be updated or replaced. Defending a computer against viruses may demand that a file system migrate towards detailed and explicit permission for every kind of file access. (T Matsumoto.)

Avoiding bait files and other undesirable hosts

A virus needs to infect hosts in order to spread further. In some cases, it might be a bad idea to infect a host program. For example, many anti-virus programs perform an integrity check of their own code. Infecting such programs will therefore increase the likelihood that the virus is detected. For this reason, some viruses are programmed not to infect programs that are known to be part of anti-virus software. Another type of host that viruses sometimes avoid is bait files. Bait files (or goat files) are files that are specially created by anti-virus software, or by anti-virus professionals themselves, to be infected by a virus. These files can be created for various reasons, all of which are related to the detection of the virus:

Anti-virus professionals can use bait files to take a sample of a virus (i.e. a copy of a program file that is infected by the virus). It is more practical to store and exchange a small, infected bait file, than to exchange a large application program that has been infected by the virus.

Anti-virus professionals can use bait files to study the behavior of a virus and evaluate detection methods. This is especially useful when the virus is polymorphic. In this case, the virus can be made to infect a large number of bait files. The infected files can be used to test whether a virus scanner detects all versions of the virus.

Some anti-virus software employs bait files that are accessed regularly. When these files are modified, the anti-virus software warns the user that a virus is probably active on the system.

Since bait files are used to detect the virus, or to make detection possible, a virus can benefit from not infecting them. Viruses typically do this by avoiding suspicious programs, such as small program files or programs that contain certain patterns of ‘garbage instructions’.

A related strategy to make baiting difficult is sparse infection. Sometimes, sparse infectors do not infect a host file that would be a suitable candidate for infection in other circumstances. For example, a virus can decide on a random basis whether to infect a file or not, or a virus can only infect host files on particular days of the week.

Stealth

Some viruses try to trick anti-virus software by intercepting its requests to the operating system. A virus can hide itself by intercepting the anti-virus software’s request to read the file and passing the request to the virus, instead of the OS. The virus can then return an uninfected version of the file to the anti-virus software, so that it seems that the file is “clean”. Modern anti-virus software employs various techniques to counter stealth mechanisms of viruses. The only completely reliable method to avoid stealth is to boot from a medium that is known to be clean.

Self-modification

Most modern antivirus programs try to find virus-patterns inside ordinary programs by scanning them for so-called virus signatures. A signature is a characteristic byte-pattern that is part of a certain virus or family of viruses. If a virus scanner finds such a pattern in a file, it notifies the user that the file is infected. The user can then delete, or (in some cases) “clean” or “heal” the infected file. Some viruses employ techniques that make detection by means of signatures difficult but probably not impossible. These viruses modify their code on each infection. That is, each infected file contains a different variant of the virus.

code that modifies itself, so the code to do the encryption/decryption may be part of the signature in many virus definitions.

Polymorphic code

Polymorphic code was the first technique that posed a serious threat to virus scanners. Just like regular encrypted viruses, a polymorphic virus infects files with an encrypted copy of itself, which is decoded by a decryption module. In the case of polymorphic viruses, however, this decryption module is also modified on each infection. A well-written polymorphic virus therefore has no parts which remain identical between infections, making it very difficult to detect directly using signatures. Anti-virus software can detect it by decrypting the viruses using an emulator, or by statistical pattern analysis of the encrypted virus body. To enable polymorphic code, the virus has to have a polymorphic engine (also called mutating engine or mutation engine) somewhere in its encrypted body. See Polymorphic code for technical detail on how such engines operateSome viruses employ polymorphic code in a way that constrains the mutation rate of the virus significantly. For example, a virus can be programmed to mutate only slightly over time, or it can be programmed to refrain from mutating when it infects a file on a computer that already contains copies of the virus. The advantage of using such slow polymorphic code is that it makes it more difficult for anti-virus professionals to obtain representative samples of the virus, because bait files that are infected in one run will typically contain identical or similar samples of the virus. This will make it more likely that the detection by the virus scanner will be unreliable, and that some instances of the virus may be able to avoid detection.

Metamorphic code

To avoid being detected by emulation, some viruses rewrite themselves completely each time they are to infect new executables. Viruses that use this technique are said to be metamorphic. To enable metamorphism, a metamorphic engine is needed. A metamorphic virus is usually very large and complex. For example, W32/Simile consisted of over 14000 lines of Assembly language code, 90% of which is part of the metamorphic engine.

Conclusion

As more users come to understand the internet’s open nature and the dangers of web surfing, applying data encryption to common communications such as emailing and instant messaging is likely to become more popular. Without this security mechanism, information transferred over the internet can be easily captured and viewed by anyone listening. This critical data can be compromised in a number of ways, especially when stored in servers that might change hands over the years. When considering how detrimental crimes like are identity theft are on the rise, data encryption is well worth pursuing.

The first insight is knowing the types of computer crimes.

Computer as the Target

This computer crime includes theft of intellectual property. The offender accesses the operating program under the guise of the system’s manager. The intruder accesses the contents of computer files in the system through the trap door that permits access to systems should there be a human or technological problem.

Here, the offender uses the computer to obtain information or to damage operating programs while committing the following computer crimes:

* Theft of marketing information, like customer lists, pricing data, or marketing plans
* Blackmail based on information gained from computerized files, like the medical information, personal history, or sexual preference
* Sabotage of intellectual property, marketing, pricing, or personnel data
* Sabotage of operating systems and programs with the intent to impede a business or create chaos in a business operations
* Unlawful access to criminal justice and other government records
* Changing a criminal history, modifying want and warrant information
* Creating a driver’s license, passport, or another document for false identification
* Changing tax records or gaining access to intelligence files
* Techno-vandalism through unauthorized access to damage files or programs
* Techno-trespass violating the owner’s privacy as in criminal trespass

Computer as the Instrumentality of the Crime

Here, the processes of the computer facilitate the crime.

The computer criminal introduces a new code (programming instructions) to manipulate the computer’s analytical processes and for converting legitimate computer processes for the following illegitimate purposes:

* Fraudulent use of automated teller machine (ATM) cards and accounts
* Theft of money from accrual, conversion, or transfer accounts, credit card fraud, fraud from computer transactions like the stock transfers, sales, or billings and telecommunications fraud
* Billing charges to other customers through cellular phones
* Once they capture the computerized billing codes, the computer criminals program these codes into other cellular phones simply by hooking up the phone to a personal computer
* Using software originally developed by programmers in other countries they reprogram the signal chip in the cellular phone
* Share the same through underground computer bulletin board services (BBS)

Computer is incidental to other crimes

In this category of computer crime, the computer is not essential for the crime to occur.

In every following case, the systems merely facilitate the offenses:

* Helping the computer crime to occur faster
* Processing of greater amounts of information
* Making the computer crime more difficult to identify and trace
* Unlawful banking transactions and money laundering
* Supporting unlawful activity via BBSs
* Erasing or denying proper access of organized computer crime records or books, and bookmaking involving drug raids, money laundering seizures, and other arrests in encrypt the data or design
* Allowing computer criminals to destroy the storage media, such as disks, to eliminate evidence of their illegal activities
* Letting child pornographers exchange information through BBSs

These computer crimes require unique data recovery techniques in order to gain access to the evidence.

Computer Crimes Associated With the Prevalence of Computers

The presence of computers, and microcomputers, generates sinister mutations of the traditional crimes like the software piracy/counterfeiting, copyright violation of computer programs, counterfeit equipment, black market computer equipment and programs, and theft of technological equipment.

* Violation of copyright restrictions of commercial software can result in the staggering loss to businesses
* Hackers break into computers with the help of the software illegally written and sold
* Successful computer programs, like the word processing, spreadsheets, and databases are duplicated, packaged, and sold illegally on a large scale
* Just like the pirated audio and video tapes, counterfeit computers and peripherals (items such as modems and hard disks) are also manufactured and sold under the guise of originals

Legal Issues Of Computer Crimes

Some States have enacted laws specifically directed toward computer crimes, while other States rely fundamentally on the common law as it applies to current and emerging technology. The elements of a computer-related offense must be established for successful prosecution.

* The physical act of a computer crime, actus reus, may be demonstrated best by an electronic impulse
* It is difficult to define and track
* A computer crime can occur in 3 milliseconds using a program code that tells the software to erase itself after the computer executes the action eliminating the evidentiary trail
* Causation relates to the self-destruction of computer programs that facilitate computer crimes and an investigator can not show causation if the offender erases the executing instructions
* The electronic data interchange (EDI) and its networks complicate the legal elements by making computer crimes more difficult for law enforcement to specify, document, and materially link the crime to an individual
* The EDI connects parties via computer for contract negotiations, sales, collections, and other business transactions
* The computer becomes the vault, with the EDI serving as the key to its contents
* The ability to access data in the computer must be relatively easy in order to maximize business efficiency
* Security controls must be introduced in order to protect the business’ “crown jewels”
* Maximum security and easy accessibility are not compatible: As the businesses prefer user-friendly equipment, system security usually takes second priority
* The phenomenal growth of computer BBSs, on-line services, and the Internet only serves to compound the problem

As a result, computer-related crimes become easier to perpetrate and more difficult to identify, investigate, and prove.

Special Problems with Computer Crime

Intellectual property consists of concepts, ideas, planning documents, designs, formulas, and other information-based materials intended for products or services that have some commercial value or represent original thoughts or theses. Crimes associated with intellectual property focus primarily on theft when the product has commercial value, as opposed to basic research or research for private use.

Intellectual Property:

* Involves formulas, processes, components, structure, characteristics, and applications of new technologies and covers such areas as fiber optics, computer chip designs and conductivity, and telecommunications equipment, protocols, and technologies
* Associated with the marketing and production of new technologies
* Pricing information, marketing targets, product release dates, and production timetables

Computer Crimes by Malfeasance

The concept of computer crimes by malfeasance means that computer-related behavior stretches the bounds of legality and may be viewed as only technically wrong.

Some of the scenarios of malfeasance computer crimes:

* A parent offers to copy a computer program for a school that cannot afford to buy the software
* An employee secretly maintains a small database in an office computer as part of a sideline business
* An individual uses someone else’s computer account number and password to view the contents of a database
* A customer gives her unlisted telephone number as part of a sales transaction at a store. The store enters the number into a computerized database and later sells the data to a telemarketing firm without the customer’s permission
* A university computer programmer develops a program to schedule classes as part of a job assignment. The programmer then accepts a job with another university and leaves with a copy of the program for use at the new place of employment

These computer crimes illustrate the gray areas of computer abuse, areas that fall increasingly on the shoulders of law enforcement to address and resolve.

International Issues:

Technological knowledge and expertise contribute to the growth of computer crime on an international level.

Businesses can make great use of the

* Unifying measures
* Open communications like the single, European-wide communication protocol
* Strong profit-oriented EU market spanning 12 countries
* Open borders
* Unification of technology standard
* Easier banking
* Monetary transfers between countries

Computer criminals are taking undue advantage of all these issues as:

* Emerging international crime-related issues
* Industrial espionage/competitive intelligence
* Economic/political espionage
* Expansion of international organized crime beyond traditional areas
* Theft of technological hardware

Computer criminals have adapted the advancements of computer technology to further their own illegal activities. Unfortunately, their actions have far out-paced the ability of police to respond effectively. Protocols must be developed for law enforcement to stall the various categories of computer crime. Investigators must know the materials to search and seize the electronic evidence to recover, and the chain of custody to maintain.

As the CPU and RAM utilization of your computer increases the performance of your computer will drop, computer programs nowadays load up a lot of unused programs and data into the RAM hence increasing the RAM and CPU utilization slowing down your computer. You can easily optimize windows for better performance.

Tweak 1# Optimize windows settings for performance

Windows has a feature where you can setup the computer for better appearance or performance, by default it is set for better appearance. If your computer has a lot of RAM (2 GB) then you can set it up for Appearance and the performance would still be fine. But if you are short on RAM, to speed up computer performance configure windows settings to be optimized for performance. Even if you use bulky programs or are used to running several applications in parallel you must set windows to be optimized for performance.

Tweak 2# Uninstall programs you do not use to speed up computer performance

A lot of software programs which you may never use come pre-loaded with the computer. There may be several programs you installed but don’t use them anymore. These programs use disc space and load a lot of programs into the memory at start up. To speed up computer performance simply uninstall the programs you do not use.

Tweak 3# Remove un-necessary startup programs

The next step to speed up computer performance would be to remove un-necessary programs that get loaded at startup of windows, if your computer takes very long to start up then this may be because there are too many programs in the start up. Nowadays nearly every programs that is installed, installs itself to Windows startup. Remove the un-necessary start up programs to speed up computer performance.

Tweak 4# Don’t clutter your desktop

A very common thing that I have seen with friends and colleagues is that they save every file on the desktop, a huge reason to slow up the computer; it’s best to save only shortcuts on the desktop. This won’t be a problem if you have a huge amount of RAM on your computer like 3 GB of RAM. If not, it is important to know that the desktop is the active area of the Computer and gets loaded onto the RAM when windows loads up. To speed up computer performance remove all the files from the desktop, instead add these files in a folder and add a shortcut to the folder on the desktop.

Tweak 5# Free up more space on the C drive to speed up computer performance

Windows uses the C Drive space to store data when it is out of space on the RAM, if the C drive is short on space then Windows needs to do a lot more swapping of data hence slowing down the computer. To speed up computer performance leave atleast 3 GB space free on your C drive.

It is a good practice to have a separate partition for the C Drive and put all your personal documents, multimedia and data on the partition drive like a D or E drive, and leaves the C drive totally for Windows. This is also helpful if the C drive crashes, then all your data would be intact on the D or E drive.

Tweak 6# Defrag your hard drive

Defragmentation is another tweak you can perform to speed up computer performance. Let’s understand the basics of a hard disk to understand why it is important to defrag the hard drive. The hard drives are made up of blocks of data, and the hard drive maintains an index to the blocks of data. Whenever we access anything on the computer the hard drive looks-up the index and accesses the block of data and presents the data to us.

Now any data that we access will be spread across several blocks of data. If the data that we access is stored across a row of continuous blocks of data then the hard drive gets all the data together block after block. But, if the data is fragmented over non-continuous data blocks then the hard drive accesses a data block and then needs to go back to the index to get the location of the next data block, hence slowing the process of data access.

Defragmentation aligns the blocks of data in continuous order so that the access speed would be faster. So to speed up computer performance regularly defragment your hard drive.

Tweak 7# Clean up registry to speed up computer performance

The registry is the information database for Windows. Windows stores all information in regard to windows components, installed applications, services, start-up programs, and every feature that is present in Windows in the System Registry.

As the system is used over time and software applications and windows components are installed and uninstalled, the windows registry keeps growing larger and it becomes more time consuming to find information. This would slow down your computer, hence it is advisable to clean-up your registry every once in a while to speed up computer performance.

Tweak 8# Prevent and Remove Trojans, Spyware, Malware

Another cause of concern for your computers performance is Trojans, Spyware and Malware. What these unwanted programs do is find a way into your computer through the internet, network backdoors and security loopholes in windows and sit on your computer, transmitting data from your computer to people who designed these software’s.

Trojans, Spyware and Malware mainly come in through network, internet, flash drives, warez sites and warez programs. Whenever your computer is connected to a network or internet then your computer is accessible to the rest of the world connected to the network or internet. Now there are tons of hackers who are trying to get something out of your computer.

To speed up computer performance always have your windows firewall on and use a good anti-virus and spyware program to keep your computer safe.

Notice 1: Computer Hard Disk Files

Your computer is always writing information to your hard disk, no matter what you do. Your computer attempts to keep all row information notoriety the same location on your hard drive. Due to you add and delete files, blank spaces are left between your files. As you add new programs or files, your computer tries to use these diddly spaces.

Over time, this reading and writing of files can affect the way your computer performs. The files eventually become scattered in multiple locations on your hard disk rather than in the same location.

Your computer will placid find the information. However, the more scattered the information becomes on your hard disk, the more accesses your computer has to make to find (and gather) the information. This requires your hard disk to work harder and do more reading / writing than is necessary. It will slow down your computer by as much in that 200 % and causes increased wear and rift on your hard drive.

Notice 2: Spyware

If you use the Internet, at some spire you will download a file or software program onto your computer. Sometimes you will know something is being downloaded to your computer. Other times you will have no idea. (Although this article will not talk about small files called “cookies”, you may want to look up information on this subject. Cookies are written onto your computer from the Internet.)

Free computer programs (often referred to as Freeware) are a big quiz on the Internet. Every day thousands of users download these “free programs”. Although there are some great freeware programs, these programs often Timberland boots have advertisements or tracking code associated with their way. The term “Spyware” refers to programs that gather information about your computer and (Internet) surfing habits without your knowledge. This propaganda is then sold to a investigation party company as a means of generating revenue.

The obstacle with Spyware is that it also impacts the performance of your computer. It can brew your computer very sluggish and unresponsive.

Three Steps to Improved Computer Performance

Now that we’ve discussed two problems that affect Timberland sale the performance of your computer, let’s discuss three things you can do to get your computer performance back to normal. You should do these three steps in the order presented. Ideally, you should repeat them about once discount Timberland boots a month or whenever you notice a change in your computer’s performance.

1.Delete Spyware

The first being you should do is to delete spyware files or programs from your computer. To do this, you can use a comp software program such as Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition from LavaSoft. To get the program, go to http://www.download.com/ and search for “Ad-Aware SE” (without the quotes). Select ” Download Now ” and follow the installation instructions. Once the way is installed, you can scan your computer for spyware files. Then, you can select and delete them from your computer. Always be sure to use the “Check for updates now” option to keep your program current.

2.You need to be aware that when you delete spyware files, some of those “free” programs you downloaded may not continue to work correctly. If you have a program you’ve downloaded and want to continue to use, check very carefully what you select to exclude from the “Scanning results” once the scan has been completed.

3.Clean upping your Hard Disk

Once the spyware is removed, you need to clean up temporary and unwanted files from your hard disk. To do this on your windows PC, select the kick-off Timberland boots option in the junior left hand corner of your computer screen. Then, select the program option. Under the Timberland program option, select “Accessories”. Under the “Accessories” option, select “Scheme Tools”. From the System Tools option, select “Disk Cleanup”.

Select the offensive you want to facile from the travail – down menu and select OK. Usually, this is Drive C. If you have more than one hard drive, select one at a time. This program will then scan your computer for files that could be erased from your computer. You can safely erase all temporary and Recycle Bin files. You can further check the box of any other files you want the program to suppress.

4.Defrag your Hard Disk

Once all the spyware and temporary files are removed, you need to defrag your hard disk. This process tidily rewrites your computer files so they are no longer scattered unitary over your hard disk, but are written credit the same location for quick succeeding access.

To defrag your hard disk on your windows PC, meritorious the alpha option in the lower left hand corner of your computer screen. Then, select the program alternative. Under the program option, select “Accessories”. Under the “Accessories” option, select “Contour Tools”. From the System Kit option, select “Disk Defragmenter”. First, select the insoluble drive from your computer. Usually, this is Drive C. However, many computers have multiple hard drives. Select one at a time.

You can select “Analyze” to have the program check out the hard drive and peek if it needs to be defragged. The program will arouse you at the completion of its analysis. Use the defragment option as prompted.

Note-If you’ve never used this option before, I would recommend that you premium the defragment option.

Once, you’ve completed these three steps, your computer and hard disk should be able to operate at maximum performance. Don’t forget to maintain these steps at least once a month or whenever you notice a change in your computer’s performance.

Notice that every one week you should give your computer a health check. It is the most important way to extend the life of the computer.

For example, I took piano lessons when I was a little kid, and formed some circuits, (but not many, according to my mother, the pianist) while I practiced that skill, but I have not played a piano in 50 years (half a century!), so my brain has most certainly dismantled those connections.

It does not serve me as an organism to keep those circuits and other unused circuits fueled and idling, prepared for action on the off chance that I will resume playing, which is lucky for people within earshot of my piano skills.

So the synapses that once fired together in a piano playing circuit fell into disuse, which means that the neurons closed up the neurotransmitter receptors on the neurons involved in piano playing. Or involved them in another task.

However, had I continued playing, the neurons would have opened more receptors on the neurons involved in piano playing, strengthening the ability of those neurons to coordinate activity, and those neurons would have both invited other neurons into the circuit and sprouted dendrites which increase the number of connections (synapses touching) neurons have with

“….each other (a process called synaptogenesis, literally meaning’synapse creation’). Think of this as multiple bridges over a river to increase the connectivity between the two sides. If one bridge fails or undergoes repairs, others can pick up the traffic. (Evans and Burghardt.)

Third, neurons can make synapses with other neurons they weren’t originally talking to and recruit more brain cells into the circuit. Again, all of these increase the odds that the signal will not get dropped. Importantly, these strategies also increase the stability of the brain circuit, making it less likely to degenerate or get dismantled as you age.

Your brain is constantly employing all of these tactics,all of the time. It is continually testing out new connections to see how useful they are. It then stabilizes the ones that work….”

Brain Training Programs Take One of Three Forms

Usually Brain training programs take one of three forms, broadly speaking.

One is performance enhancement, another can be characterized as damage control, or recovery of lost function, and the third is prevention of cognitive decline.

From Evans and Burghardt, “…Approaches to improve, maintain or recover cognitive function come in many forms. Some are tools you use for the explicit purposes of improving specific skills, like memory, reaction speed, vocabulary, pattern recognition, creativity or reasoning. This is the crux of the emerging brain fitness software industry, which is putting out more and more tools, attempting to help improve these specific skill sets.

Other approaches include daily experiences, educational level, commitments to life-long learning or social support networks.

You may engage in these without the expressed goal of improving cognitive function, but many of them will have that beneficial effect anyway!”

Evans and Burghardt go on to talk about a number of key factors, actually lifestyle factors, that impact the three main kinds of brain training, including nutrition, exercise, sleep, social activity, and learning.

They caution that if one is looking for an Rx for peak performance, it will be in a combination of the above factors, which might include a brain fitness training computer program, because the programs can help you improve in short term memory for example, but short term memory improvement may not translate to global improvement in brain function.

Is There an Exception?

“However, there is promise on the global training front.

A recent study at the University of Michigan showed improvement in ‘fluid intelligence’ with a specific training protocol.

Fluid intelligence is your ability to reason your way to solve problems in areas where you have no prior experience.

It’s the ability to generalize your knowledge to fit and adapt to new situations, which is what the human brain is so advanced at doing. Researchers in the UM study were able to train volunteers on one cognitive task and get them to improve their performance on a completely different task, which no research had successfully shown before. Working on fluid intelligence is the goal of the brain-fitness software industry and maybe more research on fluid intelligence will eventually get them there.” (p.234)