How to Make a Windows Computer Run Faster: Fixing your Slow PC

Did you spend thousands on a brand new PC just a few years ago yet it's constantly running slow and freezing on you? We won't bore you with the details of why this is happening, but you may find it only takes a few simple steps to make your Windows computer run faster. Delete any Programs you do not use - Go to Control Panel, then click Add or Remove Programs to find a master list of programs installed on your computer. Scroll down the list and select the program you want to remove, then click the Uninstall button at the top of the window. Remember you want to delete only programs you don't use.

Defrag your hard drive - Essentially, this will optimize your hard drive so you can retrieve files faster. To defrag in Windows 7, click the Start button > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter > Defragment Now. You should defrag every month or two.

Prevent unnecessary programs from starting when the PC boots up - In Windows 7 type msconfig in the Start menu Search bar. Click the Startup tab in the System Configuration window and deselect any programs you don't want to launch at startup. Press Apply, OK.

Run Disk Cleanup - This saves space by deleting temporary files, unnecessary system files, and emptying your recycling bin. Click My Computer > right-click Hard Drive > Properties >Disc Cleanup (within the General tab). A window will pop up asking which files you'd like to remove. Check those you wish to delete and run the cleanup.

Change the power plan of your PC to High Performance - Go to the Control Panel and select Power Options. You will find a list of power plans, usually Balanced, Power Saver, and High Performance. Selecting High Performance may increase the speed and overall performance of your computer but will reduce the battery life of your laptop.

Restart your computer - This can temporarily speed up a slow computer by refreshing the memory. Restart, or completely shut down the computer, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.

How to Free Up Space & Make your iPhone or Android Faster

Your child pushes themselves up, and slowly, step by step, starts walking across the kitchen. You rush to your phone, fire up the photo app and BAM: "Sorry, your're out of storage". Running out of space on your smartphone can be a disaster, follow the steps below to free up space and speed things up to get your phone running like new. Delete Old Text Messages - Each time someone sends a photo or video in a text or group chat, it's saved into memory. If you don't regularly delete texts, you could be wasting gigs of precious space. Delete texts older than a week and easily save 1-2 GB.

Move Photos & Videos to the Cloud - Multimedia is the number one storage killer on smartphones. Both iPhone & Android offer inexpensive monthly cloud storage packages. By moving photos and videos to the cloud, you can increase your phone's storage by over 50%! Once moved, you won't even know they reside in the cloud as they still show up in your photo reel.

Empty your App's & Browser's Cache - Apple: Settings > Safari > Clear History & Website Data. Android: Settings > Storage > Cached Data > Clear all data. Cached data takes up a surprising amount of space.

Reboot your Phone - Rebooting your phone will clear up memory and boot with very few apps running in the background. This will instantly increase your phone's speed.

Delete Podcasts - Last week, I was surprised to find out that each time I listened to a podcast, it downloaded rather than streamed. Deleting these audio files saved me over 1 GB.

See which Folders are Taking up the Most Space & Delete - iPhone: Settings > General > Storage > Manage Storage - click on each app and clear. Android: Settings > Storage - see what's taking up space and clear.

Delete Old & Unused Apps - Some apps and games consume a surprising amount of storage. If you don't use them, delete them. You can always download them again (even if it cost money) if you change your mind.

Move files to a microSD card - If you're lucky enough to have a smartphone with expandable storage (sorry Apple users), head to Amazon and buy some! Be sure to check how much capacity your phone can accept - you don't want to pay out for a 128GB card only to find it supports only 32GB.

How to Secure Your Router & Wireless (Wi-Fi) Home/Business Network

Securing a router & wireless network is very important because if you don't, your neighbors can not only borrow your Internet connection, but also access your files and check up on what you're doing. Even worse, hackers can use your internet connection to upload illegal materials and steal your personal financial information. Unfortunately many consumer and small-business routers come with insecure default configurations, have undocumented backdoor accounts, expose legacy services and have firmware that is riddled with basic flaws. Below are some helpful tips that will make your home or business network much more secure. Avoid using routers supplied by ISPs. These routers are typically less secure than those sold by manufacturers to consumers. They often have hard-coded remote support credentials that users can't change and patches for their customized firmware versions lag behind patches for the same flaws released by router manufacturers.

Change the default admin password. Many routers come with default administrator passwords and attackers constantly try to break into devices using these publicly known credentials. After you connect to the router’s management interface for the first time through your browser — the address should be the router’s default IP address found on its bottom sticker or found in the set-up guide — make sure the first thing you do is change the password.

The router's web-based management interface should not be reachable from the internet. For most users, managing the router from outside the LAN (local area network) is not necessary. If remote management is needed, consider using a VPN (virtual private network) solution to establish a secure channel to the local network first and then access the router's interface.

Choose a complex Wi-Fi password and a strong security protocol. WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access II) should be the option of choice, as the older WPA and WEP are susceptible to brute-force attacks. If the router offers the option, create a guest wireless network, also protected with WPA2 and a strong password. Let visitors or friends use this isolated guest network instead of your main one. They might not have malicious intentions, but their devices might be compromised or infected with malware.

Disable WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup). This is a rarely used feature designed to help users set up Wi-Fi networks easily by using a PIN printed on a sticker. However, a serious vulnerability was found in many vendor implementations of WPS a few years ago that allows hackers to break into networks. Because it's hard to determine which specific router models and firmware versions are vulnerable, it's best to simply turn off this feature on routers that allow it. Instead, you can connect to the router via a wired connection and access its web-based management interface and, for example, configure Wi-Fi with WPA2 and a custom password (no WPS needed).

Keep your router's firmware up to date. Some routers allow checking for firmware updates directly from the interface while others even have an automatic update feature. Sometimes these checks might be broken due to changes to the manufacturer's servers over the years. It's a good idea to regularly check the manufacturer's support website manually for firmware updates for your router model.

Security Cameras a Top Target of Cyber Attacks - How to Secure your Systems

This week, Kaspersky Lab's identified DVRs and IP camera systems as the top source of Internet attacks. More than 63% of the attacks observed by Kaspersky came from DVR and IP camera systems, and nearly 20% came from routers and other networking devices. Essentially, hackers are taking over IP camera systems and using them to attack other systems. You might not care your system is being used to attack some business, but it also means the hackers could view, record and transmit your personal home/business audio & video streams. There's even a creepy website streaming from over 100,000 private security cameras! If you're able to check your cameras from outside your home or business, the system is vulnerable. It’s alarmingly easy for an IP camera to be hacked so make sure to take the below precautions as your Businesses' or family's privacy could be at risk.

Update your Camera's Firmware - Most modern IP security cameras feature user upgradeable firmware. If a security vulnerability is found, the IP security camera manufacturer will often fix the vulnerability by issuing a firmware update. Usually, you can update your camera's firmware from the admin console via a web browser. Be sure to frequently check for updates!

Password Protect Your Cameras - Most cameras offer some form of basic authentication. Protect your camera feeds with a username and a strong password and change it periodically.

Rename the Default Admin Account & Set a New Admin Password - Your camera's default admin name and password, set by the manufacturer, is usually available by visiting their website and going to the support section for your camera model. If you haven't changed the admin name and password then even the most novice hacker can quickly look up the default password and view your feeds and/or take control of your camera.

If Your Camera is Wireless, Turn on WPA2 Encryption - If your camera is wireless capable, you should only join it to a WPA2-encrypted wireless network so that wireless eavesdroppers can't connect to it and access your video feeds.

Avoid Port Forwarding to your IP Camera - The router you use comes with built in security that blocks certain applications from accessing your home network. Some people choose to set up port forwarding for devices such as an XBox which might be OK, but when it comes to IP cameras I don’t recommend you do this. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about you’re probably safe (you have to actively open port forwarding so you will know if you have done that).

May 2017 CERT Cyber Vulnerabilities

Each month, Nebula Consulting posts vulnerability notes from CERT's vulnerability database. Check back often for updates! 02 May 2017 - VU#491375 - Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) does not properly enforce access control

Technologies based on Intel Active Management Technology may be vulnerable to remote privilege escalation, which may allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system.

A remote, unauthenticated attacker may be able to gain access to the remote management features of the system. The execution occurs at a hardware system level regardless of operating system environment and configuration.

Solution: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26754

04 May 2017 - VU#276408 - Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) does not properly enforce access control

Think Mutual Bank mobile banking app for iOS, version 3.1.5 and earlier, fails to properly validate SSL certificates provided by HTTPS connections, which may enable an attacker to conduct man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.

An attacker on the same network as the iOS device may be able to view or modify network traffic that should have been protected by HTTPS, which may lead to the exposure of sensitive account information, including login credentials.

Solution: The vendor has released version 3.2.0 to address this issue. Users are encouraged to update to the latest release.

04 May 2017 - VU#556600 - Space Coast Credit Union SCCU Mobile for Android and iPhone fails to properly validate SSL certificates

Space Coast Credit Union SCCU Mobile for Android, version 2.1.0.1104 and earlier, and for iOS, version 2.2 and earlier, fails to properly validate SSL certificates provided by HTTPS connections, which may enable an attacker to conduct man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.

An attacker on the same network as the Android or iOS device may be able to view or modify network traffic that should have been protected by HTTPS, which may lead to the exposure of sensitive account information, including login credentials.

Solution: NONE. The CERT/CC is currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem and recommends the following workarounds.