After receiving not-so-great response for Windows Vista, Windows 7 was released a couple of weeks earlier my Microsoft. IT Community is busy these days analysing the features of Windows 7; its look, the interface, the changes from Windows Vista and so on.

Being primarily a Internet Security Blog, here we take a look at some of the Security features of Windows 7, to see what changes have taken place.

Security Features of Windows 7

1. Modifications in UAC (User Access Control): One of the features most criticized by average Vista user was the annoying permission seeking by Vista, whenever you need to do something that requires admin privileges. For instance, every new installation, requires, permissions, even if you are logged in as an administrator. Although they were for your own security, but many average users got irritated with them, and some of them even gone far enough to shut that feature off, exposing them to threats.

But Windows 7, has included a few pre-set security settings in its User Access Control, which will define the level of security you want to have. You can configure it as per your convenience.

2. Action Center: Instead of the Security Center of Windows Vista, Windows 7 has a new interface named as Action Center. Here you not only can configure your security settings, but also tweak other administrative tasks, like Backup, Troubleshooting And Diagnostics, and Windows Update.

3. Improved BitLocker: First Release of Windows Vista allowed you to encrypt your Hard Disk data, in which your OS is loaded. But later on this facility was extended to other drives in your computer, but not to the removable drives like FLASH cards and USB. Windows 7 corrects this and allows you to encrypt data contained in these drives, which are most susceptible to theft and get lost.

4. Biometric Authentication: Biometric authentication, based upon fingertips, DNA and other such methods, is considered to be the most trust-worthy method of authentication. Windows Vista has started supporting these methods, where a third party sensor was required to be attached alongwith its own software.

But Windows 7 has gone ahead and included a Biometric Devices application in its Control Panel, which allows you to connect several biometric devices directly to yoru computer.

5. AppLocker: Windows 7 has included a new utility called AppLocker, whichextends the idea of Software Restriction Policies included in XP and Vista. It allowed Administrators to use Group Policy so as to restrict users from running particular programs that might present a security threat. But it was a bit complex to use them.

The new AppLocker feature gives a lot of flexibility and is user-friendly in the first place.

Great Features, at the first look.

If you are a webmaster or blogger, you must know how important it is to limit 404 – Not Found Errors. They are just a drain on the number of visits your website commands; a lost opportunity. You know, how hard it is to generate traffic to your website, and how frustrating it would be to let these visitors land on a 404 page.

Why fixing 404 Not Found Error is important

Not only are these 404 error pages a wasted opportunity, they can affect your SERP rankings also. If the Search Engine spiders encounter too many 404 error pages, they may stop indexing your pages and frequency of visits to your site gets reduced.

Read the full story

It is interesting to note, how every popular event is exploited by the malware writers and marketers to spread their malware scripts.

A recent example is the use of President-Elect Obama’s scheduled oath taking ceremony. Security Forums and advisories are abuzz about the fake emails people are getting, which try to break a stunning news something like below.

Obama has refused to be a president.

With this email, a link is given for more information.

As soon as you click on it, you are directed to a fake website, which has been created just to trap you. But in this process, one of malware gets injected into your system. Read the full story

Gone are the days when computers were used only for number crunching, boring tasks. Computers are no more only computing machines. Today’s machines are multi-purpose devices. With ever improving technology and CPU speeds, they are fast replacing the traditional entertainment gadgets.

Tip: Special 25% Off AudialsOne Coupon Code: webtoolsandtips

Today’s computers are used for listening music, downloading albums, watching movies and what not. Lots oflots of software are available today, which allows you to use the computers in different entertainment purposes. This blog itself had carried a review of the three promising software earlier. Check them out.

Read the full story

Google is the undisputed DON of the Cyber World today. And Firefox is the preferred browser of millions of “informed” netizens today. The market-share of Firefox is constantly been increasing mostly at the expense of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

And it is a fact in a past few years, both Google and Firefox have well complemented each other and supported the growth of each other. Google has been the Search Engine in the default Tools Bar of Firefox for years. And Google has promoted Firefox through its referral program over the years. The importance of Google to Firefox can be understood by the fact that majority of the Firefox’s USD $75 million revenue were garnered from paid results through Google in 2007.

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This is part of a series of everyday Tips for your Internet Security. You can find the rest of the Tips here.

Emails today are the lifeline of online communication. You cannot imagine your life without emails.

But every good thing comes with bad patches. Emails are no exception. And that one one BAD thing about Emails is “Spam”. They make your life more complex, they eat up your precious online time, they open your Internet Security and bring online threats to your desktop.

While helping people tightening their Internet Security, I have seen many people replying to the spam emails with messages like “Do Not Disturb me in future”. Many spam emails contain links to “Unsubscribe” or “Remove Me” links. People click on them thinking that they will be removed from the mailing list and no more spam will come to their Inbox in future.

But this is all misconception.

Never click anywhere in a Spam email. Never.

If you click on a “Remove Me” button, this is sure way to tell the spammer that your email address is a valid one. You open your emails and are vulnerable enough to read them and naive enough to click on a link contained. Simply said, you are a perfect target for sending more spams with more serious threats.

You are a goldmine for them. Expect to get some more unwanted “gifts” from them.

Remember, Never Opt-out of lists you did not Opt-in to in the first place.

We encourage you to go through all the Tips on Internet Security. Some of these tips are quite common, but often ignored by most computer users.

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How many times it has happened that a user buys a brand new PC or Laptop and soon find it clogged with all sorts of programs, applications and unwanted services suffocating the resources at the disposal of your CPU.

Sometimes it is because of the indiscriminate installation  / de-installation of all the so called latest-and-most-useful utilities we come across. Sometimes it is caused by the unwanted trialware, which come pre-installed on a brand new PC. Sometimes it is because of the broken registry entries in your PC. Sometimes it is because of the excessive fragmentation of the hard disks caused by regular use of the PC. There are many causes. Read the full story