Viruses are surely not a new occurrence in the computer world – by now, almost everybody knows the importance of installing antivirus software. However, just to be on the safe side I will list some of the most important parts of configuring an antivirus for your system. First there is security – maybe your computer is not 100% protected just by using an antivirus, but it will protect most of your files from being corrupted and destroyed. Aside from this, your operating system will be more protected – remember those viruses that could tear down the OS? Why bother reinstalling your system and going through so many hoops when you can simply install antivirus software. These are the major advantages of using AV software.

Now, we shall discuss how you can maximize the protection of your system using a series of tips. As support I used Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009, but most of these tips apply to almost any other antivirus application out there.

Mobile phones can be cloned and hijacked. There are numerous uses for such cloning, some good and some suspect or even criminal.

For instance if you need to have two phones, but want to have the exact same data and numbers on the two phones, you can use this for your benefit. This would provide a back-up phone in case you lose one. Alternatively, you may want to use a high end phone for daily usage, but a cheaper one if you are on a holiday, but still want mobile access.

And then there are people who want to spy on others for any covert reason. In this case if you clone somebody’s mobile, you can read their received and sent text messages as well as the phone numbers. You can even use the phone pretending to be the other person. If the person with the original phone is using it while you try to use the cloned one, you can eavesdrop on the conversations. People who are suspicious of their partners or spouses sometimes do this.

Mobile phones can also be hijacked. This is done by criminals and while almost all such activities are illegal, they do so to get away from paying hefty phone bills or in order to spy on others.

If your phone number has been cloned or hijacked you will learn of it if your phone batteries drain out fast, if your postpaid connection shows high usage and you know you have not made those calls or if you are not receiving messages or calls which people say they have made to you.

This article has an explanation on how a mobile phone can be cloned, but, judging by some of the reponses, it appears not very clear whether this actually works successfully as some doubt whether this can be achieved without the use of specialised software. Yet some others are claiming they are being able to clone their sims to be able to switch between phones.

Cloning a mobile phone for illegal purposes is illegal to do.

These days a computer is probably the most important device a person can own and plays a vital role in their daily lives whether using it for work, communication with family and friends, entertainment or just fun; furthermore, a significant number of PC owners use broadband for their Internet access, meaning a computer is at risk round the clock. The risk can vary to a great degree through such as spyware, phishing. Most people use their computer completely oblivious to the fact that their computers are being penetrated. Although the vulnerability is not always severe, sometimes a computer can be crippled if infected by spywares and such.

In this part we will look at some of the softwares and tweaks you can carry out on your computer to enhance your computer’s security.

The level of vulnerability can be significantly reduced, and, though a complete impenetrability is unlikely as we have seen even NASA and the US Military, both of which take matters of security with utmost importance and employ very complex security measures, be penetrated in recent times. If they can be hacked, then, most of us mere mortals will be even easier, however, unlike these organisations, a typical computer user is not likely to be a target of such attacks because, from the point of view of major hackers, they would not be deemed as valuable or worthy and therefore there won’t be a point of utilising their resources and time against them.

This therefore means a typical household can in fact be more secure against attack than organisations who are deemed more worthy. It makes more sense to target corporations, but hackers are still interested in small time users at a lower level because fraud on the Internet against individual users is still common and quite widespread.

Most individual computer users are not tech savvy so are unable to defend their computer and home networks fully, which they can done using various methods.

This post will list various ways this can be done and explain each method in what and how it reduces or eliminates risk, not in any particular order.

Install anti-virus

The most basic requirement for any computer user is to install antivirus as it stop typical virus from infiltrating a computer. Although these may not cause a great deal of risk, they can cause a computer to slow down and perform slowly over time. It is possible to get good anti-virus software to download at places like Download.com.

Of course, you can also subscribe to such software and allow the vendor to send you updates, meaning you get more thorough protection.

Windows updates

These days operating systems allow a user to update their computer in regular intervals which will download critical (and sometimes not so critical) patches to defend the compuuter against vulnerability. This is very important because it is supposed to provide protection against new vulnerabilities.

Wireless network security

Always encrypt your network to stop others in close proximity from getting access to the network, unless of course you wish them to access in which case you would provide the necessary login information.

We all more than likely know the reason we need to protect our computers and network from hackers. We all have personal information on our computers that could in the wrong hands cause us all kinds of trouble including identity theft. There are ways you can keep your computer, laptop, and network safe and secure by learning the various things that need to be done to stop the intrusion.

Install your own firewall

Many operating systems come with their own firewall, however, due to this fact; hackers have found ways around the most common firewalls that are installed at the factory. This is the reason you should install another firewall. If you only have one computer, you can find a software firewall that is for one computer only or you can find a network firewall that was designed for protecting one or more computers.

For personal computers, you can find a free firewall such as Zone Alarm. Zone Alarm is one of the most popular free firewalls on the market today due to its easy install and configure options. For inexpensive firewalls, you will find Norton Personal Firewall. This one features all kinds of unique options including built in anti-virus and parental controls.

For the majority of network systems, there is a built in firewall within the router that will help protect the entire network, along with adding personal firewalls to each computer will aid in keeping hackers out of your network.

A firewall stops other computers or networks from entering your computer or network.

Antivirus software

There are a wide array of antivirus software available on the internet today. The most popular at this time include The Shield Deluxe, CA Antivirus, and Bit Defender. The main thing to remember with antivirus software is that the hackers are always coming up with new viruses to attack your computer. No matter, what antivirus software you plan to use, you must keep up with all updates and patches in order to stay protected from new viruses.

Antivirus software is at work behind the scenes searching and looking for viruses in all your emails, downloads, and websites you visit to ensure that your computer is not attacked by a virus. If a virus is found, the software will quarantine or rid your computer of the virus.

Anti-spyware software

Spyware is another hackers attempt to invade your computer or network. Many websites today download spyware to your computer without your knowledge as soon as you browse their website. They use the spyware to learn the various websites you visit and what you do while online for various reasons. The most popular anti-spyware software programs available include Avast and Mcafee.

Avast is a free software program that has a built in antivirus and anti-spyware capabilities to ensure that no spyware is installed on your computer or your network to collection information about the various users.

Mcafee offers several different software programs for antivirus and anti-spyware protection for personal computers and large corporations.

Patch all applications

Pay close attention when any of your applications have a patch to download and install. All of these patches including the ones for your operating system or router where created due to finding a vulnerability in the software. The patches are created to ensure the problem is resolved and that hackers cannot get into your computer through the application.

Enable and configure router settings

One of the first things you should do prior to getting on the internet once you have your router in place is to check your manual for specific directions on how to access and change your router settings. You should change the password, the SSID, disable broadcasting, turn on the firewall, enable data encryption, and enable MAC filtering. Your manual should provide you with a step-by-step guide to perform all of these changes to aid in securing your network.

Although no one can get absolute protection, the mentioned will make your computer more secure. Of course there are many other means and possbly even better methods to defend a computer, but we have mentioned some of the ways which are often common knowledge, but time and again overlooked.

In Part 2 we will look at some of the gadgets that can be used to enhance your computer’s security. There are plenty available these days that provide protection on various levels, we will will look at a few of them and what each does and how important they might be.

Here is a nice tutorial detailing how to build a shooting net. The gun releases a net that is designed to entrap a target. Its quite a complex project and may set you back a few pounds to gather the necessary parts to devise the gun and a lot of time to put it together.

The project itself is mainly divided into 4 main parts, building the pressure chamber, trigger valve, the launcher arms and finally the net and testing phase in between each. But listing these points down like this does not do justice to the hard work and thought that would have been required to build the gun as it is quite a complex project. You can find the detailed instructions on how to build a net gun on the Instructables site.

Its a powerful gun capable of launching a net that is a massive 90 square feet a distance of up to 25 feet.

Though it is advertised as a self-defence and security device in some places, that might in fact be quite impractical unless it is used by law enforcement or security because it requires time and planning to use it effectively. It might be more prudent to use it on hunting expeditions or the like.

Unless you are of a kind who likes to put together interesting projects, if you really wanted this gun, it might be worthwhile just to purchase one.

Is such a thing possible? Sure.

A walkie-talkie is a hand-held two-way radio transceiver, originally invented for the Canadian government during WWII by one Donald L. Hings.

The original walkie-talkies were big, both heavy and large, weighing more than 30 pounds, making such a surreptitious usage impossible.

However, in today’s day and age, some UHF radio units are smaller than a pack of cigarettes, which could easily be concealed.

Walkie talkies can run either off batteries or AC adapters. Ideally, running it off an AC adapter increases the chance of it being detected.

The trick is to secure the unit in an obviously non-visible area, i.e. behind a couch or a chair that has a wall socket behind it that will never be accessed by the person(s) you are listening in on.

Continuous Recording

An ideal situation would be a wall outlet that is already maxed out, and given enough time to access the area alone, i.e. move the couch out, add a power strip and plug in your listening device. Then, secure the walkie talkie, perhaps with good old Duct Tape, forced into an on position, maybe with a super glue so it is always sending.

Best to try testing the unit running on battery power until you know you have a secure and reliable signal, then wait for the opportunity to do the power strip and final mounting to the piece of furniture.

Range Limitations

Unlike conventional listening devices, many of which can be used to listen in from any part of the world, walkie talkie bugs have range limitations. You can expect a reliable range of several miles and need to consider whether or not conversations are to be just listened in on at random, or perhaps recorded.

Consider a receiving unit plugged into the USB port of a personal computer, recording all sound digitally, archived on CD or flash drives. Go even further and run the recorded conversations through a voice to text software package and be able to have text transcripts.

This of course is all well and good for a do it your self fellow, but bear in mind that there are walkie talkies on the market specifically designed for just such purposes.

One we know of is the James Bond 007 Spy Walkie Talkie from IMC Toys, which you can probably even find used on E-Bay.

“Small and compact Walkie talkies with a big range of 80 metres! They are small and compact as not only are they Walkie talkies but in fact they are a bugging device also. Place one in a secret hiding place, leave the room and listen in. Ideal to catch out the bad guys when on important secret missions. Batteries included.”

source(http://astore.amazon.co.uk/chemistry-books-21/detail/B000F456LY

Bear in mind that local laws may have to be taken into consideration when it comes to surveillance devices regarding privacy issues, and in no way is this document intended to encourage any activity that may be prohibited by law.

Otherwise? Good luck with your spy plans and happy listening in.

This post will explain what key logging is and what it does and then a series of steps to defend against possible attacks. I know many of the regular readers of this blog or anyone with an interest in surveillance are aware of what a keylogger is, but since this is a tutorial type post, and many readers are first time readers, there will be a brief introduction of what it is first.

What is software keylogging?

Keylogging is an automated means of capturing and storing in a database keystrokes made by users on their computer keyboards.

Keylogging has both legitimate and surreptitious purposes. It can be especially beneficial in in tracking down bugs in software, and even measuring a computer users performance.

Keylogging can also be used to capture user IDs and passwords keyed by users. This may be legitimate, as in the case of a law enforcement or security agency trying to detect hackers or other unauthorized users accessing a system, but it can also be used for evil purposes, to steal sensitive information.

Just for fun, we Googled “keystroke logging” (without the quotes) and came up with Results 1 – 10 of about 498,000. Quite the cottage industry, eh? And you can buy them all over the Internet.

Detecting a Software Keylogger

How then do you protect against cyber crime through the illegal use of a key logger on your computer?

Well, here are some suggestions.

Take a proactive approach. People will steal anything it is said, and information is valuable. Start out with the assumption that someone is spying on you.

There are many keylogging detecting programs available on the market and you should get one, or even two. These programs interrogate your hard disk and look for the usual suspects so to speak, seeking out certain text strings that may indicate that your machine has been infiltrated.

Bear in mind that anti-key logging software usually run all the time and may put a drain on your machine’s memory availability.

Anti-Keylogging Software

KeyScrambler from QFX Software is one such example of an anti-keystroke logger. The installed software on the hard drive will use a technique to scramble characters that are being keyed in by encrypting the messages thus rendering it unable to be read by anyone trying to log what is being typed in in its true context. It works with various applications that requires a user to type passwords and other confidential information. Some of these anti-logger software have some shortcomings, however, because they can leave a user exposed in some areas while providing protection in others.

Some key logging software vendors make claims that nothing can detect their software, and this may or may not be true. Technology is always advancing and criminals are always coming up with new ways of committing crimes while going undetected. It is unfortunately, a bad side of human nature.

Unusual files

Be wary of email attachments that have file types of .scr and .exe. These are scripts and programs. Do NOT open them if you are not sure of their origin. One way to combat this is to keep your operating system constantly updated, this is an option your operating system vendor should provide. They can detect possible keylogging files that are being sent over the Internet. They will not necessarily stop them from coming through, but can provide you with an option to open it. Of course, having high quality computer security software installed on your hard drive that montiors in the background while you use the Internet can be a good way to detect such files and even destroy it.

Betraying Privileged Access

Usually, a person who is the culprit has administrative privileges and you might think of your employees who do. Are any of them currently dissatisfied? It’s disturbing to think so negatively, but you might consider monitoring THEIR activity, using your OWN keylogging software, to spy on THEM.

If you are certain that a particular machine has been compromised and that information is being stolen, one method of eliminating the problem, although not pleasant, would be to reformat the entire hard drive and reinstall the operating system and all user files and programs.

Obviously, this is a last resort, as it is both time consuming and will put the user out of commission for a period of time.

In the future though, make sure everyone runs as regular users and not with admin privileges, as this can leave the door wide open for mal-intent.

The security of the iPhone has been under attack mainly due to buzz by those hackers on the internet. Due to all the buzz, Fast Company decided to do their very own research to learn if the iPhone could actually be hacked and turned into a spy surveillance gadget. What they uncovered was astounding!

Fast Company purchased an iPhone and handed it over to Rik Farrow, who is a UNIX specialist and consultant. They told him to do whatever he could to crack into the iPhone and see just how much damage he could do. Rik easily hacked into the iPhone using H D Moore’s Metasploit and actually took control of the iPhone.

He accomplished a feat that everyone thought was impossible. He was able to actually download all the information held in the iPhone such email, voice main, photos or anything else in the database. Along with this, he could even listen in during every conversation.

Turning iPhone into a listening device

Rik went even a bit farther to show the vulnerability of the iPhone by uploading software to the iPhone that allowed him to add a small microphone so he could listen in to conversations around the person carrying the iPhone instead of just conversations on the mobile phone. He took total control of the phone and using his laptop he could do anything and everything the iPhone could do without the owner’s knowledge. He accomplished this by directing the user to a specific webpage, which would then allow him into their iPhone.

Of course, due to the legal ramifications, the exact way in which Rik hacked the iPhone is not available. However, he did explain that the iPhone is not the only mobile phone that is hackable. He mentioned a few other smartphones such as Nokia, Sony, Motorola, Samsung, and Ericsson.

If building your own mini helicopter with a built in spy camera sounds exciting, then you will want to keep reading. Creating your own mini helicopter with a built in spy camera is not as hard as you think and you do not need any expensive items.

When you build a mini helicopter, you should be able to purchase most parts at an electronic store. A matter of fact, you may even have a few of the items lying around that you do not need any more.

Here is a summary of building the main parts.

Body

For the main body you will need a rectangular circuit board with a hole and a white plastic tube.

For the gear and motor, you can purchase these and attach them with screws that are held together with epoxy adhesive. You will also need carbon robs for the landing gear and a lightweight skid set.

Swash Plate

For the swash plate, you will need 1 ball bearing, 1 plastic spacer, rod end set, aluminum ball, aluminum ring, and epoxy adhesive. Insert the rod end into the plastic spacer. When you place the aluminum ball in place, ensure it can move freely. The ball linkage will be attached into the 2 holes that were drilled in the plastic spacer along with the two screws. Attach the swash plate to the main shaft between the shaft and aluminum ball with epoxy adhesive.

Rotor

The rotor head can be created using the same material as the main body. The control system that is the best is a Hiller system. Next, is the tail rotor, which consists of motor, tail blades, tail shaft holding tube and a blade holder. The last step is installing the two servos one for the elevator and the other one for aileron.

Now you can install your spy camera and you are ready to go. Please click here For a full step-by-step guide on building your own mini helicopter with spy camera.

Continuing on our recent investigative theme, today’s post is about searching for sex offenders. There is a way in which you can learn if you have sex offenders in your neighbourhood. In the United States, all states now have a database online that allows you to search and learn about sex offenders in every state.

Unfortunately a similar service is not available to the public here in the UK just yet. We are still some way off general disclosure here. They are currently available only to select groups of people and organisations on a confidential basis. For example, its available to schools and other public organisations as well landlords.

Every sex offender in the US has to register! This information is on file and is available for the general public as it is considered to be public records. All of these types of public records are kept by local government agencies. Each state has their own laws regarding where these files are kept, however, every state now has a database online that you can search.

The easiest way to search for sex offenders is by clicking on the link for your state. Then in some cases, you will have to agree to a disclaimer before you can go to the next page of the website. Each state and website is a bit different so you will have to read the instructions; however, it is very easy.

The United States Department of Justice has a nationwide database available to the public. In order to search their database you will have to agree to the Conditions of Use by clicking “I agree”.

The majority of state websites offer the same type of process. Begin protecting your loved ones by doing research with the links provided.

United States Department of Justice

Alabama

http://community.dps.state.al.us

Alaska

http://www.dps.state.ak.us/Sorweb/Search.aspx

Arizona
By Name

http://az.gov/webapp/offender/searchName.do

By Address

http://az.gov/webapp/offender/searchAddress.do

By zip code

http://az.gov/webapp/offender/searchZip.do

By absconder

http://az.gov/webapp/offender/absconders.do

By electronic ID

http://az.gov/webapp/offender/searchEID.do

Arkansas

http://www.acic.org/soff/index.php

California

http://meganslaw.ca.gov/index.htm

Colorado

http://sor.state.co.us/index.cfm?SOR=captcha.lverify

Connecticut

http://www.sor.state.ct.us/pls/sor/wsor$offender.startup?Z_CHK=0

Delaware

http://sexoffender.dsp.delaware.gov/

District of Columbia

http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1241,q,540529,mpdcNav_GID,1532.asp

Florida

http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/homepage.do;jsessionid=HrgFm9TXjrHvCQfzGLLS7F5CgQrMcdzLshTNplXz1tn9mGHkFrL8!1542117420

Georgia

http://services.georgia.gov/gbi/gbisor/SORSearch.jsp?predator=Y

By Absconder

http://services.georgia.gov/gbi/gbisor/SORSearch.jsp?absconder=Y

Hawaii

http://sexoffenders.ehawaii.gov/sexoff/search.jsp

Non-Compliant Offenders

http://sexoffenders.ehawaii.gov/sexoff/notification_list.jsp

Idaho

http://www.isp.state.id.us/sor_id/search.htm

Illinois

http://www.isp.state.il.us/sor/sor.cfm

Indiana

http://www.insor.org/insasoweb/initAdvancedSearchForm.do

Iowa

http://www.iowasexoffender.com/search.php

Kansas

http://www.accesskansas.org/kbi/ro.shtml

Kentucky

http://kspsor.state.ky.us/

Louisiana

http://www.lasocpr.lsp.org/Static/Search.htm

Maine

http://sor.informe.org/sor/

Maryland

http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/sorSearch/

Massachusetts

http://sorb.chs.state.ma.us/htmldataentry.asp

Michigan

http://www.mipsor.state.mi.us/

Minnesota

http://www.doc.state.mn.us/level3/Search.asp

Mississippi

http://www.sor.mdps.state.ms.us/sorpublic/hpsor_search.aspx

Missouri

http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/PatrolDivisions/CRID/SOR/SORPage.html

Montana

http://doj.mt.gov/svor/search.asp

Nebraska

http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/sor/find.cfm

Nevada

http://www.nvsexoffenders.gov/

New Hampshire

http://www.egov.nh.gov/nsor/

New Jersey

http://www.njsp.org/info/reg_sexoffend.html

New Mexico

http://www.nmsexoffender.dps.state.nm.us/

New York

http://www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us/pio/wanted_so.html

North Carolina

http://ncfindoffender.com/disclaimer.aspx

North Dakota

http://www.sexoffender.nd.gov/

Ohio

http://www.esorn.ag.state.oh.us/Secured/p1.aspx

Oklahoma

http://docapp8.doc.state.ok.us/servlet/page?_pageid=190&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30

Oregon

http://sexoffenders.oregon.gov/

Pennsylvania

http://www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us/

Rhode Island

http://www.paroleboard.ri.gov/sexoffender/agree.php

South Carolina

http://services.sled.sc.gov/sor/

South Dakota

http://sor.sd.gov/disclaimer.asp?page=search&nav=2

Tennessee

http://www.ticic.state.tn.us/sorinternet/sosearch.aspx

Texas

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DPS_WEB/Sor/index.aspx

Utah

http://www.udc.state.ut.us/asp-bin/sexoffendersearchform.asp

Vermont

http://www.dps.state.vt.us/cjs/s_registry.htm

Virginia

http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor/

Washington

http://ml.waspc.org/Accept.aspx?ReturnUrl=/index.aspx

West Virginia

http://www.wvstatepolice.com/sexoff/

Wisconsin

http://offender.doc.state.wi.us/public/search/searchbyname.jsp

Wyoming

http://wysors.dci.wyo.gov/

Before you just go through the telephone and find the nearest doctor, it would be in your best interest to do a bit of research. No matter where you look in big cities or small country towns, doctors are losing their practices due to all kinds of disciplinary actions from drug use to rape. Before you let any doctor examine you, you should do your homework so you do not wind up being another statistic.

This particular post is aimed more towards our American readers because I am not sure the same service is available in the UK just yet.

Until a few years ago, information regarding physicians (General Practitioners) was not for public eyes. The only people that could see this information were members of the state medical boards or health care associations. Today, you can learn the same information such as if your doctor has had any disciplinary actions against him or her, if he or she is certified or accredited, and what states they are licensed to practice medicine.

The two best websites to help you investigate doctors are docboard.org and ama-assn.org. The process is very simple.

At docboard.org

• Click on docfinder
• Type in the last and first name of physician and click search

or

• Choose by state
• Then type in last name and first name to do a name search

or

• Type in the license number search to look up the license

If you choose a state, you can then type in the last name and you will be given a list of doctors with that last name.

• Click on the full name
• Click show licensing details

The next page will give you information such as:
Licensee Name
License Type
Status
Practice County
Month/Year of Birth
City of Birth
State of Birth
Gender
Ethnicity
License Number
License Issue Date
License Expire Date
Last Medical School
Board Certified
SPECIALTY

At ama-assn.org

• Click doctor finder at the top of the page
• on the next page type in the number you see on that page
• Next agree to the terms and conditions
• You will then be taken to a form to fill out
• Type in the last name which is required
• Type in the first name
• Choose the state from a drop-down box
• Type in the city
• Type in the zip code
• Click quick search
• The next page will let you know if the doctor is a member of the American Medical Association

With this information, you will be able to make an educated decision as to whether you wish to visit this doctor or start a new search.