Chris Pirillo » security

When is Your Birthday?

Chris — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:41:45 +0000

When is Your Birthday? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I noticed around the web that we have three community members celebrating birthdays today! Traci Toguchi, Frank Eliason and Drew Olanoff will all be blowing out candles today. Now, normally I’d say a simple “Happy Birthday!” and be done with it. However, realizing today is Drew’s birthday gave me pause, and made me think…

Six months ago, Drew completely sure what his future held. He was diagnosed with cancer back in May, and the fight began. He finished up his last Chemo treatment a week ago, and the doctors have given him the awesome news that his tumors are gone. He is free of that stupid disease, hopefully forever. He continues his fight against Cancer, with the support of many thousands of people… including Drew Carey. In order to help raise money for the Livestrong foundation, all you have to do is click that little “Follow” button on Drew Carey’s Twitter page. For every follower – up to one million – that Drew gets prior to midnight on New Year’s Eve, he will donate one more dollar. How cool is that?

Thinking about all of this, and Drew O’s birthday, kind of puts life into perspective a little, eh? It makes one remember to stop and be thankful for what we have… right here, right now. It makes us want to push ourselves a little harder to do the things we promised ourselves we would do. It makes us want to reach out and tell those we care about that we do, in fact, love them.

Cancer touches everyone. EVERYONE. In some way or another, your life will be affected by Cancer at some point. Even though Drew’s personal fight may have come to an end, the war has only begun. Keep doing your part in kicking Cancer’s ass, everyone. We won’t rest until we eradicate it for good.

Birthdays aren’t the only thing going on in our community today, as you know. All of you are busy posting and writing, sharing your thoughts and dreams. What have you read that was interesting or thought-provoking? If I missed something, please leave a follow-up comment and share it with the rest of us!

Today in our downloads center, we have several excellent apps for Windows. Be sure to check them out!

Backup Security and Synchronizing (even for Macs!)

Chris — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:14:38 +0000

Backup Security and Synchronizing (even for Macs!) is a post from Chris Pirillo

You’ve seen us repeatedly say to back up your files. When someone has computer problems, one of the first questions that we ask is whether there is a backup of the important files. You would be surprised at how many people do not have a backup. And there is no reason for that lapse in security.

Computers will fail. Hard drives will stop working. Disasters will happen, so we are going to make this backup routine very easy. We have an offer for our readers from GoodSync. This program has had good reviews and we agree. It is easy to use and it is effective:

GoodSync will automatically back up and synchronize all your important files so you never need to worry about losing your emails, precious family photos, contacts, MP3s, and financial documents. GoodSync works locally – between desktops, laptops, servers, and external drives, but it is also capable of backing up and syncing files to and from remote servers using FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and more.

This program will work with Windows XP/2003 Server/Vista and yes, Windows 7. As a special offer to our readers, there is a twenty percent (20%) discount when you use coupon code LCKGS. This offer expires on November 11, 2009.

And for the Mac users, GoodSync has an alpha version, which is free. It’s still being tested, so use it at your own risk.

For the sake of full disclosure, we tested the pay-for version extensively. The Mac version was not tested by our reviewers.

Free Firewall (or a Bargain) from Sunbelt

Chris — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:54:21 +0000

Free Firewall (or a Bargain) from Sunbelt is a post from Chris Pirillo

It is not good enough simply to say that you have a firewall. Not all firewalls are the same. Qualities – and functions – differ.

In very simple terms, you want a firewall that protects your computer in two directions. You want to stop unwanted traffic from reaching your computer. In addition, you want to stop some traffic leaving your computer if your security has been breached. And a security breach may happen. All it takes is an errant click. Further, there is no security program on the market that gives you a hundred percent protection. It is a cat-and-mouse game with criminals/hackers. Sometimes, the hackers are a step ahead of the security people.

If you stumble upon a malicious Web site, a self-installing malware program might escape detection and install itself. That program could be broadcasting information from your machine. A good software firewall increases your chances of detecting unusual activity on your machine, and lets you know about unusual outgoing traffic.

We have been recommending a firewall that was formerly known as the Kerio Personal Firewall. Now, it is called the Sunbelt Personal Firewall. The Sunbelt Personal Firewall blocks unwanted traffic that is incoming and also monitors what leaves from your machine. That cannot be stressed enough.

Outgoing information may be your confidential data. That might set you up as a victim of identity theft. It could be that your computer has been compromised and is now a part of a bot operation. Your computer could be part of a bot spamming operation. A good firewall, which monitors the outgoing traffic, will give you an additional chance at catching some infection that has occurred on your machine.

This offers expires on November 6, 2009. The Sunbelt Personal Firewall is really a gift at ten dollars. Yes, it is only ten dollars when you use our link, and the coupon code: SPFLOCKERGNOME when you place your order.

At this price, the Sunbelt Personal Firewall is affordable, and a bargain. This firewall supports Windows XP and Vista, and is currently being modified for Windows 7. As soon as it is Windows 7 ready, we will put out an article to that effect.

Sunbelt offers a free version of this firewall. There are some features that are not on the full version. We recommend the full version at this exceptional price. This firewall is one of the best; many ‘gnomes’ have used this program for years. The price is less than a couple of fancy coffee drinks and much better for your peace of mind.

Identity Theft Protection

Chris — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:11:21 +0000

Identity Theft Protection is a post from Chris Pirillo

There are items in the news every day about identity theft. The obvious consequence is an unexpected financial disaster. However, it can be worse. There can be crimes committed under a stolen identity and warrants issued for the person who has had his/her identity used. And yet, it can be worse.

Identity theft can be a matter of health and well being. Along with identity theft being a rapidly expanding crime, stolen medical services are increasing. That means that someone uses a stolen identity to obtain medical care. Besides the obvious financial consequences, it can be deadly to the person who has had his/her identity used.

Once a identity is used for medical services, there will be an electronic record. The modern day goal is to have that medical record available to any physician who is treating that person. That means national access. Imagine the health consequences if the electronic medical records are wrong because someone has stolen and used an identity. The consequences can be disastrous.

A common means of identity theft is through your computer and through your passwords. A breach of your password (or passwords) just creates a myriad of problems. To maintain the security of passwords for our readers, Identity Protector with Password Manager from Large Software is recommended.

Wait. Before you say that you don’t need any password manager, here is one of the reasons why we are recommending this program. For the sake of an example, there are some websites that you might visit regularly. Let’s use PayPal. Imagine the damage that an identity thief can do with your PayPal data.
You think that you are careful and savvy but the hackers / criminals who spoof websites such as PayPal are experts at what they do. And regardless of how careful you are, there are times when you are rushed or tired or distracted. Identity thieves bank on these lapses. And some of the phishing websites are identical to the genuine sites. At a quick glance, it becomes impossible to tell the difference from spoofed sites and the genuine sites. Gone are the days of sloppy coding and spelling errors.

What an excellent password manager should do is protect you from phishing sites. The password manager should NOT release your personal data if the site is not legitimate and has been spoofed.

Identity Protector with Password Manager from Large Software does just that. It secures your logins, hides your keystrokes and encrypts your passwords. Password Manager protects your identity and is a significant extra layer of security from phishing attempts. It is a guard from identity theft.

Large Software is giving our visitors a special offer. Until November 4, 2009, Large Software is offering a ten dollar ($10.00) discount on Identity Protector with Password Manager. This is a third off of their regular price and an exceptional price for this outstanding security product.

Password Manager operates with ALL programs and web browsers, including Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox…. With the security issues with browsers, it is simply too risky to allow a browser to hold your confidential password information. Phishing, spoofing and other identity theft methods are becoming much more sophisticated in separating you from your password information. Protect yourself.

At this point, you might say that identity theft isn’t going to happen to you. The recent data from Australia says one in five people are identity theft victims. And don’t say that you are not worried about this because you have no money to steal. You have a reputation. And you have a health record to protect.

Don’t Believe Everything You Read

Chris — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:22:13 +0000

Don’t Believe Everything You Read is a post from Chris Pirillo

I had to chuckle a little while ago when someone in our live chat room stated that Google’s new operating system will be 100% invulnerable to malware attacks. That’s an awful hefty claim for Google to make, if they in fact did. The truth is that nothing is impossible in this day and age of malware. Criminals, hackers and malware writers will indeed figure out a way to get inside of whatever Google comes up with. Sadly, it’s par for the course. It’s rumors like these that make people who don’t know any better think that they don’t need any type of security software.

I hate rumors and speculation. I’m a hard facts type of guy. Show me proof, or don’t tell me at all. I know, not everyone is like that. And that’s ok, I suppose. However, it’s imperative that you do your research, and find out the truth of the matter in anything you want to believe. It’s ok to have “faith”, yes. It’s not ok to blindly ASSume something is right and correct and real. Sometimes, that can get you in to trouble.

One of the reasons I love our community so much is that as Geeks, we take the time to back up what we say with facts and resources. Have you taken the time to read what it is they are trying to say?

Over in our Downloads Center, you’ll find new software and apps every day that may be vital to your existence! For instance, today we are featuring a piece of freeware that allows you, the parent, to control what sites are allowed on your family’s computers. Safety and security – for free!

Windows Security Software

Chris — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:11:43 +0000

Windows Security Software is a post from Chris Pirillo

It always makes me cringe when someone in my live chat room boasts that they are smart enough to not need any protection software on their computer. I shudder when they claim they couldn’t possibly get infected because they watch what they download. Seriously, folks… in this day and age, do you honestly think that’s all there is to it? Have you not listened to anything we’ve been trying to tell you?!

Your machine can get infected in so many more ways besides downloading something malicious. Have you heard of drive-by installers? That is where you visit a site that appears to be harmless and legitimate, and have malicious software install itself to your computer without your even knowing it. You don’t have to download something. You don’t have to click on anything. It just happens. There are even sites that appear to be geared towards kids that will do this.

Often, these pieces of malware don’t even display any symptoms. There aren’t popups, slow downs, or anything of the sort. They just sit quietly on your computer, hidden from view, doing their thing to steal your information. You won’t even know they are there. How, then, can you be 100% sure you are not already infected?

When it comes to keeping your information and identity private, you cannot be too careful. We’ve worked hard over the past several months to bring you some good savings on several different excellent pieces of software, all of which are designed to keep you safe online. Keep in mind that you should never use more than one AntiVirus, one software firewall, and one AntiSpyware program at the same time. You can (and should!) have one of each of those, along with a hardware firewall if at all possible to keep you as protected as humanly possible.

Here, in no particular order, is a listing of the software we recommend you use for yourself.

SafeBit Disk Encryption – SafeBit features on-the-fly disk encryption, by creating encrypted virtual disk drives, where you can hide files and folders, keep them encrypted all the time, but still work with these files just like you work with normal files. Disk Encryption is transparent to the user.
Invisible Secrets 4 – Invisible Secrets 4 not only encrypts your data and files for safe keeping or for secure transfer across the Net, it also hides them in places that on the surface appear totally innocent, such as picture or sound files, or Web pages. With Invisible Secrets 4 file encryption software, you may encrypt and hide files directly from Windows Explorer, and then automatically transfer them by e-mail or via the Internet.
SUPERAntiSpyware – SUPERAntiSpyware has Real-Time Blocking of threats! Prevent potentially harmful software from installing or re-installing! First Chance Prevention examines over 50 critical points of your system each time your system starts up and shuts down to eliminate threats before they have a chance to infect and infiltrate your system.
Acronis True Image Home 2010 – It should be a simple rule that every computer user should follow: back up your data. It is not a matter of “if” your computer will give you problems. It is a matter of “when.” Acronis makes it simple for you to back up your information in the case of an emergency. You can find coupons for Acronis True Image on Coupons.Lockergnome.com.
MailWasher Pro – One of the ways that spam is handled is by means of filters. The problem is that sometimes a filter screens out legitimate email. And sometimes spam bypasses the filters. One of the great features of MailWasher Pro is that it allows the user to preview the email prior to downloading onto the computer. With a brief glance, you will be able to tell what is legitimate email and what is junk. And you do this while the email is not on your computer.
VIPRE – VIPRE is a seamless solution that provided anti-virus protection and anti-spyware protection, along with anti-rootkit, anti-malware, and many other security technologies. It is really easy to use. It doesn’t slow your system down at all, either.
Sunbelt Personal Firewall – Even if you are protected by a router that sits between your computer and the Internet, you still need a firewall. The Sunbelt Personal Firewall blocks unwanted traffic that is incoming – but it also monitors what leaves from your machine. This is critical, as the information going out could be your personal information.
RoboForm Pro – You can safeguard your personal information with RoboForm Pro. It will protect users from phishing attempts. It will remember the sites that you want to use, and it won’t allow you to use a spoofed Web site. The phony sites are sometimes so good that it’s almost impossible to tell they are fake until it’s too late. RoboForm Pro will identify which sites are “real” and which sites are not. You can find coupons for RoboForm Pro on Coupons.Lockergnome.com.
Password Manager – Password Manager secures your logins, hides your keystrokes and encrypts your passwords. Password Manager protects your identity and is an added layer of security from phishing attempts. It is a guard from identity theft.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep yourself safe. Criminals and hackers are getting smarter by the day, just as you are. It’s literally impossible to know everything, right? How, then, can you be 100% certain that you “know” your computer couldn’t become infected – if it isn’t already?

Windows 7 Security

Chris — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:45:29 +0000

Windows 7 Security is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I took several live calls earlier tonight to talk to people in the community about Windows 7. I wanted to get their honest reactions – find out what they love and hate. One of the calls was with my assistant, Kat. She’s been a Microsoft MVP in the area of Windows Security for over four years now, and has been considered an Expert in the malware removal community for about seven years. We talked a bit about the security side of Windows 7, and her take on the new operating system in general.

Kat and her fiancee, Mike, have been using Windows 7 for quite awhile. Being an MVP, she gets to help beta test versions sooner than many “normal” users would get to. From the very start, she’s been excited and happy about this new version of Windows. Kat feels it’s much more secure out of the box, even without added protection software. However, she reminds us all that even expert users need to use security programs, such as an anti-virus and firewall. Many of the old security bugs found in earlier versions of Windows have been addressed, and Microsoft is much closer to making a completely secure operating system than they ever have been.

A few of the chatters in our live channel asked her about Microsoft Security Essentials. Kat praised it highly. It has good detection rates, is light on resources, and just plain works. She’s still hesitant to say it’s the “best” there is, and I’d have to agree with that. However, it IS very good, and something she recommends to people.

We talked a little about different features and functions found within Windows 7. I have to ask… what’s YOUR favorite features, and why? What do you love about Win 7? Is there even anything you don’t love? I sure haven’t found any on my end.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Safeguard Your Security and Privacy

Chris — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:40:31 +0000

Safeguard Your Security and Privacy is a post from Chris Pirillo

Identity theft has been tagged as being the fastest growing crime in America. Your private information is a commodity that some criminals harvest and resell. It is a whole subculture. The people stealing the personal information may not bother with committing the actual identity theft, but there are buyers for your personal information.

One of the best ways to protect yourself is to encrypt your computer information. Encryption has been advocated for years by the security people, such as our very own Kat. And we agree that it is an effective means of protecting your information. Encryption is an extra layer of protection. Somehow, there is a common belief that encryption is difficult and totally geekish. It really isn’t. SafeBit Disk Encryption makes it easy:

SafeBit features on-the-fly disk encryption, by creating encrypted virtual disk drives, where you can hide files and folders, keep them encrypted all the time, but still work with these files just like you work with normal files. Disk Encryption is transparent to the user…

This program is efficient and easy to use. It effectively provides security and stays out of your way. It really is non-intrusive. And, to encourage you to protect your sensitive data and to keep our readers safe, the SafeBit people are being kind and offering our readers an unbelievable discount of forty percent (40%) off the normal price.

This is an exclusive, time-limited offer that is available to our readers. It is a fifteen dollar savings. It expires on October 28, 2009. Safebit supports 32-bit versions of Windows Vista/XP/2000/NT.

In terms of security, there are three more things that need to be said. Often identity theft is not perpetrated by a stranger. It can be someone you know and that someone has access to your personal data. The second point is that you may have all the security software protection ever recommended on your machine. You may be protecting yourself from malware, spyware, Trojans, rootkits and all that other computer trash. An infection still can compromise your computer. No security software program dares to offer a hundred percent protection. It just takes one mistaken click. You are tired sometimes, focused on other things, and make a mistake. We all do that and hackers count on that. And then there are drive by infections that don’t require you to do anything except visit a site.

And finally, what happens if you lose or have your machine stolen? For example, missing/stolen laptops are reported every day. Then, all your confidential information is available to whoever is powering up your machine. And this security breach leads to identity theft. This type of encryption should be on every business and government laptop. [Give a shout if you want this program in high volume. We will see what we can do for you.]

The other thing is that there is no backdoor. None. The SafeBit Disk Encryption people state this clearly. The software does NOT include any backdoor. Neither the vendor nor any other entities are able to break the SafeBit Disk encryption. You must remember your password. There is no two ways about it. The vendor is not going to be able to save you. Again, you must remember the password. The program really is that good. Losing your machine may be costly but losing the confidential personal information on that computer may mean possibly long term anguish. SafeBit is just an efficient, easy way to protect yourself.

Protect Your Data From Prying Eyes

Chris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:12:39 +0000

Protect Your Data From Prying Eyes is a post from Chris Pirillo

There are some things that you want to keep private. It may be financial information, sensitive data like your passwords, proprietary information, or other such confidential material. You simply don’t want friends, colleagues, roommates, family, or repair people to have access to that information. Not only is that information private, but you want to secure that sensitive data from identity theft. And sadly, sometimes identity theft is perpetrated by someone you know.

Invisible Secrets 4 not only encrypts your data and files for safe keeping or for secure transfer across the Net, it also hides them in places that on the surface appear totally innocent, such as picture or sound files, or Web pages. These types of files are a perfect disguise for sensitive information. Using our file encryption software nobody, not even your wife, boss, or a hacker would realize that your important papers or letters are stored in your last holiday pictures, or that you use your personal Web page to exchange messages or secret documents. With Invisible Secrets 4 file encryption software, you may encrypt and hide files directly from Windows Explorer, and then automatically transfer them by e-mail or via the Internet.

We have Invisible Secrets 4 available to our readers at a 40% discount.

Invisible Secrets 4 works on Windows NT / 2000 / XP and Vista. This generous offer ends October 22nd, 2009.

Cisco Systems uses this program. The Drug Enforcement Administration (USA) uses this program. The Exchange Bank uses this program. McCain Foods Limited uses this program. Privacy and security are important to these companies and institutions – it is essential to computer protection. This is a preventative measure that individual computer users have to recognize because there is so much information on just one hard drive.

This program should be standard on every machine. With business laptops, government laptops, and personal laptops going missing every day, this security program should be on every portable machine, as well as desktop. This would be an enormous savings for sensitive information that is breached and the subsequent nightmare of paying for identity theft protection. It’s simple and it’s effective.

If you need large multiples of this program, please let us know. We will try to negotiate a good price for those companies that might need many copies for laptops holding those confidential files. For the individual user, think of the files, emails, pictures, passwords, and other bits of information that you don’t want people to access. That is exactly why we want this privacy/security program for our readers… and our thanks to the Invisible Secrets people for this kind offer.

Are Hackers Suffering in This Economy?

Chris — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:03:26 +0000

Are Hackers Suffering in This Economy? is a post from Chris Pirillo

One of the absurdities that is circulating the Internet is that even hackers are suffering in this economy. With the tough economic situation, supposedly hackers are having more competition. This is just one of the theories to explain why there is a steady increase in malware and criminal activity such as phishing and identity theft.

Whether it is a natural disaster or the death of a celebrity, hackers / criminals are almost always first responders, ready to exploit the situation at hand for personal gain. For example, you may find email that supposedly gives you the latest news about a tragic situation that just occurred. The news story itself may have happened but that email is dangerous. It could carry malware.

The email is just one venue. Are you on Facebook? Have you joined Twitter? These are just some of the examples of social media where people are sharing and clicking on links. If you are on Twitter and have a good number of followers, there are links posted every minute. It would be so easy for a hacker to play the social network and drop some malicious link there. And it will happen more and more often.

There’s even a spam campaign on YouTube. Reports say that this spam does not contain malware. However, it may be a matter of time before slick malware infections find its way onto this popular video site.

This should be frightening to you. These criminals want to exploit you and your computer. You may think you are careful enough. However, no one can be vigilant 100% of the time. There are drive-by downloads that can install things on your machine without your even having to click a link. This is the type of incidence that calls for an excellent security regime on your computer.

You should have an anti-virus, a firewall, and at least one anti-spyware program running at all times. It is foolish to be online without security protection. For an anti-spyware program, we are recommending SUPERAntiSpyware. We have an excellent deal for you that offers real time protection:

SUPERAntiSpyware has Real-Time Blocking of threats! Prevent potentially harmful software from installing or re-installing! First Chance Prevention examines over 50 critical points of your system each time your system starts up and shuts down to eliminate threats before they have a chance to infect and infiltrate your system.

The program offers much, much more and you can read about it at the links provided. It is being offered at a special rate for our readers. There is a ten dollar ($10.00) savings for our readers until October 15, 2009.

This is a program that is highly recommended within the security community. People who work on these pages use it and recommend it, too. We use it. We need it and so do you. SUPERAntiSpyware will detect and remove spyware, adware, malware, Trojans, dialers, worms, keyloggers, hijackers, rootkits, and many other types of threats. This program is easy to use and it is effective. If you have any problems with SUPERAntiSpyware , let us know. We will tell the founder / director of the company and have any problems addressed. Nick Skrepetos is well known in the security community and he stands behind his products. And if you need this program in large numbers, let us know. We will see if we can help with pricing for your company.

You may be wondering why we are recommending security programs when there are programs that are available for free. There is an old adage: ‘you get what you pay for.’ SUPERAntiSpyware has been doing Internet security for years. It is excellent. It works. It protects our machine and has for years. That’s why we recommend it.

How are You Carving Your Pumpkin?

Chris — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:26:32 +0000

How are You Carving Your Pumpkin? is a post from Chris Pirillo

It’s that time of year again… the time when my dogs like to play dress-up. I have to sit around looking like a normal dude, handing out candy and entertaining the masses on the live stream. Meanwhile, Wicket and Pixie get to have all the fun! How is that even right?

I love Halloween. It’s just a fun holiday, and a great way to be creative! I’ve been pondering how I’m going to carve my pumpkins. Should I go with something spooky, or something Geeky? Would I be better off trying to get super creative, or do you think I should stick with something simpler? How do you plan to decorate your pumpkins – and your house – this year?

I’ve noticed a lot of people in our community are already gearing up for ALL of the upcoming holidays. People are already talking about not only Halloween, but Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well! Can you believe it’s that late in the year already? I swear it was only a few weeks ago I was happy that summer was finally here. sighhhhhhhh…..

In any case, the end of the year is coming near! Let us know what kinds of plans you’re working on, and check out what others are doing to get some more inspiration.

As always, you can check out our downloads page to see what programs and apps are hot, fresh and (in some cases) even free! We are working hard to find excellent discounts and deals for you, so you won’t want to miss out.

Know When Something is Being Installed on Your Machine

Chris — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:28:40 +0000

Know When Something is Being Installed on Your Machine is a post from Chris Pirillo

The number of malware sites are increasing. IBM has reported an increased sophistication with attempts to infect computers. The frightening thing is that some malware is being pushed unknowingly by legitimate sites.

This is a danger to all computer users. However, there is one segment of our readers who are going back to school in a few days and increasing their downloading. As students, these computer users will be downloading for school work and for their own entertainment. You have to know that the downloading puts you at risk. Even visiting some seemingly innocent sites can put you at risk.

It is absolutely not true that if you stay away from so called “bad” sites that you can escape the dangers of malware. Even a file transfer from a friend or classmate could infect your machine. With the expertise and sophistication of today’s criminals, any site can be compromised and turned into a site that delivers malware. This may be a site that you use for school work. Just recently, on June 1, 2009, Ryan Naraine reported that 20,000 sites were “hit with drive-by attack code.”

A drive-by attack means that you don’t have to click anything and malware junk will find its way onto your computer. This garbage will install on your machine without asking for your permission. Then your computer is infected.

Your computer needs a constant watchdog. This is the concept of WinPatrol – and “Scotty” is the watchdog. WinPatrol runs in the background and the watchdog Scotty will give an alert when there are any changes attempted on your machine. Scotty will alert you if you are installing any program. This may be an annoyance, but it is minor. It shows that WinPatrol is doing its job. It will save so much trouble when there is a rogue program trying to install itself on your computer.

WinPatrol is easy on the computer resources and it is on many people’s “must have” list. This is a program that has an excellent history – and countless recommendations over the years. We are recommending this for every student. You must know if some rogue program is trying to install itself on your machine. And WinPatrol will tell you.

WinPatrol has been available for over ten years, thanks to the work of Bill Pytlovany. The improvement functions packed into this program will surprise you.

For the Lockergnome / Chris Pirillo readers, we have an exceptional offer. Until September 5, 2009, we have a ten-dollars-off ($10.00) savings from WinPatrol. We have tried to make this super-affordable to students. We know this is a rough time financially and hopefully this make it an affordable security program for you. Use coupon code: Gnomes when ordering!

Effective for any version of Windows – including Windows 7.

This is a security program that is recommended without any reservation. The people who use this program have nothing but good things to say about it. Bill Pytlovany is an trusted name in computer security. He is a recognized MVP by Microsoft – and he stands behind this product. If there is even a hint of a problem, let us know. We stay in touch with Bill. If you are a business and want this to secure all your desktop and laptop machine, let us know and we will see if Bill can help you.

Password and Phishing Protection

Chris — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:44:04 +0000

Password and Phishing Protection is a post from Chris Pirillo

Students returning to school at colleges and universities need to be concerned about their security online. However, the same security measures should apply to ALL Internet users. For students, they will be using new Web sites, and setting up new accounts via the school. As such, they are prime targets for hackers and criminals who phish and steal identities. College students make such nice sitting ducks because there is a high probability that they do not have criminal records, nor high financial debt.

As students, they will be told repeatedly to guard their passwords and not share them with anyone. Unfortunately, people who give this advice don’t go far enough. There are spoofed Web sites designed to steal personal information – seemingly innocent and viable sites. There are keyloggers and various other tools that hackers use embedded on these types of sites. Fortunately, there is software available to protect these people – and their passwords.

You can safeguard your personal information with RoboForm Pro. It will protect users from phishing attempts. It will remember the sites that you want to use, and it won’t allow you to use a spoofed Web site. The phony sites are sometimes so good that it’s almost impossible to tell they are fake until it’s too late. RoboForm Pro will identify which sites are “real” and which sites are not.

There are many additional features to this software, and there are online tutorials to teach you how to use it effectively. It is more than worth the time to become an expert in the use of RoboForm Pro.

With the security of our readers in mind, the RoboForm Pro people are offering all of you a very healthy savings on this product. From now until August 19th, you can save 20% off your purchase of RoboForm Pro.

For those of you returning to school – and even those of you long out of school – we highly recommend this product for your own safety. You want to guard your personal information. With as much as you have going on in your life, you may not always be as careful online as you think you are. It’s so easy to get sidetracked!

In this day and age, you can’t be too careful with your identity or your passwords. RoboForm Pro will give you the peace of mind to know that you are much safer than you thought you could be.

How to Keep Your Valuables Safe When You Travel

Chris — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:26:41 +0000

How to Keep Your Valuables Safe When You Travel is a post from Chris Pirillo

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How do you keep things safe when you are traveling? I’m sure you make use of the safe in the hotel room. However, things like your laptop just won’t fit inside there. You can pick up a cheap alarm for around ten dollars at any supermarket or convenience store. Let me tell you – these things are LOUD.

This little gadget I picked up only cost me a few bucks, and it’s awesome. It has these two flat little metal prongs. You just stick them underneath whatever it is you want kept secure. When someone lifts that item up – all hell breaks loose! Your ears will bleed from the loud chirping sound!

There’s really no excuse for not having something like this with you when you’re on the go. Isn’t a few bucks more than worth your sanity and peace of mind?

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Prepare for the New School Year by Protecting Your Information

Chris — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:34:15 +0000

Prepare for the New School Year by Protecting Your Information is a post from Chris Pirillo

For some of our readers, the new year starts very soon – it’s school time again. And with school, in spite of the economy, there will be purchases of new laptops and desktops. On those laptops and desktops will go some very important files – like lectures, papers, music, pictures and other personal “stuff” – including financial information. You want to have that personal information protected. Keeping that information secure is paramount, and we’ve been able to come up with a way to help.

One of the best ways to protect yourself is to have a good firewall on your machine. We’ve discussed the Sunbelt Personal Firewall before, and even Kat recommends it highly. We know that many of you in our community will need to protect your new machines once school starts again, and we know that the economy is tough. We’re very happy to be able to facilitate an excellent savings for you on this key type of protection.

Not all firewalls are the same. They differ in efficiency. The Sunbelt Personal Firewall blocks unwanted traffic that is incoming – but it also monitors what leaves from your machine. Protecting yourself from traffic in both directions is critical. That cannot be stressed enough.

If you are a student, you may do a fair amount of downloading. Even if you are super-careful, some malware may infect your machine. Hopefully, you will have some malware security programs for protection. (We try to suggest these programs regularly.) If you have not updated to the latest security definitions, a newer piece of malware garbage may escape detection. If that malware starts sending out information from your machine, you want to know that. For example, what is sent out may be your personal information. Furthermore, it may be that your computer is now part of a bot spamming operation. A good firewall, which monitors the outgoing traffic, will give you an additional chance at catching some infection that has occurred on your machine.

This offers expires on August 6, 2009. The Sunbelt Personal Firewall is really a gift at only ten dollars. Yes, it is only ten dollars when you use this link and the coupon code: SPFLOCKERGNOME when you place your order.

This firewall has been used and tested for years. It is good and can be trusted. At this price, the Sunbelt Personal Firewall is more than affordable protection. Look on your email contact list and see if there is a family member or some newbie who might be just learning about computers. Tell them about this offer. If they are wondering what a “firewall” is, then just buy this for them. The price is comparable to a couple of fancy coffee drinks – and you will be saving the person from a whole load of future problems.

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.