360 Internet Security 2013 Review

360 Internet Security is an antivirus program that is published by Qihoo, and it is the most widely used antivirus in the world with over 400 million users. Qihoo is a chinese company and has one of the best antivirus products on the market. The english version which is what we have here, uses the same technology and database, but still needs to add features. But don't think for a second that this is a weak product because that is simply not true.



Features:
This product includes all of the protection of a regular antivirus suite but there are little extra features. You gain extra forms of protection that you would not quiet expect, but there are minimal features compared ot other antivirus products. Now since this product is new to English market we can expect future iterations to include added features such as those found in other suites.

Scan: You are able to do a quick scan, a full scan, and a custom scan. All of these are very similar to those of other antivirus products. The custom scan allows you to scan the entire drive opposed to being very limited by the other scan types, because you can rescan certain items such as the desktop.

Real Time Protection: This antivirus suite is able to monitor your computer with up to three antivirus engines for maximum protection. The program is even able to protect its self from malware so that your one form of protection is not ruined. The program is also able to monitor programs that have access to your webcam and prevent them from taking control of it to monitor what is going on.

USB Protection: This feature allows the program to monitor any files being transmitted through a USB drive. This is very similar to the USB immunization feature that you get with Bitdefender Total Security.

Do Not Disturb Mode: This feature prevents annoying pop-ups when your computer enters a game or a full screen application. So if the program updates it wont give you a notification if you are in a game, and the best thing is that that it automatically switches to this mode when it detects a full screen application.

Pros: This program has a very powerful protection score getting a 5.5/6 on the last AV-Test, and it monitors many different changes rather than just file changes. This program is able to monitor changes to a registry key, start-up items, files, and other items on the computer including the webcam. This program has a ton of security features that you can modify to get the correct level of protection that you need.

Cons: This program can be difficult to set-up for novice and beginner users, so getting the best protection can be difficult. If you want help configuring the settings for this program go to the bottom of this post, and you will see a video tutorial that I have prepared. This program also lacks features, while many will argue it has a ton fo security features it misses items like file shredder, anti keylogging, and other features that a security program should have.

This video review also contains step by step instructions to properly configuring the software for maximum security settings.

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360 Mobile Security Review

360 Mobile Security is an Android antivirus app that is published by Qihoo which is the same company that makes the desktop security suite 360 Internet Security 2013. This app uses 2 scanning engines which is a new idea for mobile devices and those engines are the 360 cloud Engine (Their Engine) and the QVM 2 engine. These 2 engines are able to detect a large bulk of malware, and they can do it without slowing down the device. This app comes with a unique approach to your phones security and has a few other tools that you would be interested in especially if you want to keep your Android device fast and secure.



Types Of Scans 

The image to the right show you what happens after you do a quick or full scan as you can see my device was found clean of malware. The app does not come with auto scanning features however it does alert you upon entering the app if you have not scanned your phone in a long time. The app only comes with 2 scans and those are the Quick Scan (apps) and the Full Scan (apps and files) we should be expecting a custom scan in the future but as of now we are not sure what we will see in the future. The app is still very new and has about 50,000 downloads off of the Google play store. However,the app does have a 4.8/5 Rating which is very good even for a new App.

Related Articles:

• Kaspersky Mobile Review      
• AVG Cleaner Review
• Jumpshot Review

RAM Clean Up

This app comes with a built in task manager that can close apps that are not currently in use, but keeps them in the memory so that you may return to the spot that you left off at. Let me explain most task managers when you close an app will close it entirely so that you will have to restart it. Well 360 Mobile Security wont close the app completely but leave it in the memory so that you can return to the spot that you left off at. If you really wanted to close the app you can use one of those more powerful task managers, but they have been known to have negative effects on the performance of the system. That is because when you use an app the system can remember information and leave it in a cache like system to make it faster the next time around. If it is closed completely the system needs to find that information again.

Privacy Cleaner

360 Mobile Security can clean your privacy so that your runnings apps are closed and your search history from certain apps is erased. It also will allow you to close certain apps as opposed to it closing all of them for you. This way is better if you don't want to close the system based apps so that way you wont experience like in some task managers the reset of your system UI which can be annoying. It does a good job at erasing the search history however it is rendered useless if you keep your search history across your Google account like me. Now there is no cache cleaner which is why I use AVG Cleaner to do that for me. There should be an update where they will add this feature, but the company is trying to get this app and their desktop version updated and they need to translate the app as well which can take a while.

Related Videos:


If you wish to download the app please go to the Google play store here. 

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Bing Child Abuse Pop-Up Warning

Bing has added a new filter for its UK users about illegal images that they are searching for. This has been seen with images that show child abuse. This change has occurred after the UK has asked for search engines to start filter out content which is include child abuse, exploitation, and other keywords to be filtered. When this pop-up is shown the reader will not be able to continue to their content and are asked to visit the Stopitnow.org so that they can receive help.



Microsoft is in the process of trying to filter out as much of this offensive content that they can however will it work?

The issue with this plan is that they cant filter out or stop users that are using a VPN or proxy service which would hide their IP. They could make it appear that they are in another country thus rendering this defense system useless now the advantage to this is that most people don't know what a VPN/Proxy service is. Therefore,they can crackdown on a decent amount of  people who are looking for this content.

Related Articles

• Free Microsoft Office Alternatives
• Xbox One Game Prices
• Apple Trademarking The Iwatch

How Does Microsoft Know What Terms To Block?

Microsoft is using a list of keywords that is given to them by The Child Protection And Exploitation Centre. They are in charge of monitoring the keywords that could lead to child abuse pages and images they do update the list so that Microsoft can receive all of the updates to keep their protection system up to date. This list is meant to block words and their number off sets. Such as people can generally outsmart an engine or filter by changing a letter such as O and will use a 0 to bypass the block and still find the content that they were looking for.

Will This Move To The US?
As of now there is no requirement on Microsoft's side to block such content in the United States however if the government ever asked there is a good chance that  they would comply. Now the UK is the only country that is blocking this type of content however Microsoft might start to branch this blocking to other European nations since they might all agree on this issue. As it stands Microsoft has not stated that they will make this for every country.

What About Google and Yahoo?
Google has been working on this issue for a long time now and has complied with the British Government to put forth more effort to stop the viewing of child abuse, child exploitation. Yahoo is also going to step up its game when it comes to blocking this content but of these 3 companies it looks like Microsoft is actually placing forth the most effort to block the viewing of the content by forcing them to go else where. The disadvantage is that you can get past it really easy. Google and Yahoo block the source of the content to prevent it in their results. Only time will show who is doing the better job, but we will find out soon.

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1.8 Million Linux Forum Passwords Stolen

Many users are at risk of their passwords being stolen after hackers managed to gain up to 1.8 million of them from the Ubuntu forums. Ubuntu is warning all of its users to change their passwords and any other passwords that are similar to their forum login. These hackers would be able to use the logins to gain information about other sites that you use and try to hack into those as well. This is why using extra security features such as 2 step verification. You should also be using a random password generator and a password manager to maximise your security. Unfortunately,these will not be able to protect against an attack like this.



What To Do?
If you are a Ubuntu forum user then you should immediately change your password and any other passwords similar to it. The reason is that most people wont have different passwords for their logins. The issue with this is that they can easily gain access to your other information and accounts. Think about it if you have an Ubuntu passwords of  forumpassword1 and then you go to facebook and have a password of facebookpassword1 we can easily guess your trend and then access other accounts using that same system.

What If I Was Not Effected?
If you are not hacked or don't believe so it is still recommended that you change your password, and the reason is that the general reports can be wrong, and there could be more hacked passwords then originally thought. Even if the number was not true then there is a chance that they could do the attack again using a similar exploit and get your information. So as you can see no matter what when a company has a hack attack then you need to change your information to stay secure.

How Did This Happen?
As of now we are not sure or alerted by the foundation however the most common ways that a hacker gets information is through an exploit in the login system. The might have done something similar to the facebook hack that is going around or they could have done something as complex as forcing their way into the server to mine the information. The question is why would they hack the passwords in the first place these passwords are not that valuable and generally Linux users know to have different passwords across different websites so it will be interesting if we can get a motive from the hackers or at least know how they did it.

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Browser Comparison 2

This test was to determine many of the basic parameters of browsers display, and security vulnerabilities. The above image shows a test by NSS labs and shows the malware blocked by the most common browsers. The above images do not show the vulnerabilities of the browsers.

Internet Explorer Version 10.0.9200.16599

HTML 5 Test: 320
Acid 3 Test: pass*
CSS 3 Test: 54%
Speed Test: 30 ms
Security Test: 14/17
Ram Usage: 49 Mb
File Size:

Google Chrome Version 28.0.1500.71 

HTML 5 Test: 463
Acid 3 Test: pass
CSS 3 Test: 65%
Speed Test: 30ms*
Security Test: 16/17
Ram Usage: 45.7
File Size: 364.26 Mb

Firefox Version 22

HTML 5 Test: 410
Acid 3 Test: pass
CSS 3 Test: 63%
Speed Test: 31
Security Test: 13/17
Ram Usage: 83.2 Mb
File Size: 46.39 Mb

Chrome Canary Version 30.0.1557.0 canary

HTML 5 Test: 463
Acid 3 Test: pass
CSS 3 Test: 66
Speed Test: 30
Security Test: 16/17
Ram Usage: 65 Mb
File Size: 375.99 Mb

Opera Version 15.0.1147.130

HTML 5 Test: 423
Acid 3 Test: pass
CSS 3 Test: 65%
Speed Test: 30
Security Test: 15/17
Ram Usage: 70 Mb
File Size: 93 Mb

Maxthon Cloud Version 4.0.6.2000

HTML 5 Test: 476 ??
Acid 3 Test: fail
CSS 3 Test: 62%
Speed Test: 31ms
Security Test: 14/17
Ram Usage: 51 Mb
File Size: 87.73

Safari 5.1.7

HTML 5: 278

Acid 3: Test fail

CSS 3: 51%

Speed Test: 41ms

Security Test: 14/17

The question marks next to the Maxthon browsers html test question the companies past history of bribing the test givers. Maxthon has been known to bribe their testers to give them a higher score which is why they get a lower score.

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Google's Motoroloa X Phone To Be Announced August 1st

Google is set to announce their brand new Motorola x phone on August 1st. The event will be held in New York,and the invitations have already been set out to the media so that they can cover their products. We do not know the current name of this phone, but we know that it will come in Black and White, and possibly other colors. The project has been under lock and key for quiet some time.


What Operating System Will It Run?
The phone will be running Android 4.3 from current reports. This operating system will be announced the day after the big New York event. We don't have any details about what to expect from this operating system, but this is probably going to have an earthquake effect because of the secrecy that Google has placed on the projects.

What Colors Can We Expect?
We are expecting the basic colors on most Motorola phones which is Black and White. They might add more after launch but these look like the only ones ready for launch as of now. We might be able to expect other iterations of the phone by other companies much like what Google did with the Galaxy S4.

What Will It Look Like?
We are expecting the phone to be more rounded on the edges Motorola is trying to adapt to the ever changing market, and the issue that they always had was that their phones were clunky and annoying to hold. We are expecting them to get rid of that double layer design that they had on their earlier Droid models and to adapt something more like the Galaxy S3/S4. This is the most popular design, and it is the most comfortable for the user so this would be an intelligent move for them.

Any Other Information?
There is very little information about this product because it was under the mysterious Google "X" labs which is the most private and secure projects of the company. We are gong to be gradually gathering information but as it stands for a release date we are expecting it to be somewhere around October or September to beat out the competition.

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Google Latitude To Be Retired

Google latitude is the next victim in Google's effort to purge old and un used projects. Google latitude was meant to give locations on Google maps that your Google latitude friends would be able to see. Google latitude will be gone, and you have only until August 9th to download your data. Google was swift to close this project, but it was also just as quick to add a new feature. Google will be integrating the idea of Google latitude into Google plus. The issue remains, when will Waze come into play. Waze was purchased by Google, and this is something that we would expect to be used.


Why Is This Being Closed?
Google has been known to clean up their little side projects, and this is no exception. Google is closing this project because there are so little users, the project is not being worked on, and it is a waste of resources. Google wants to have a low amount of products, but they want to integrate them all together. The reason this has not gotten the attention of Google reader is because Google was quick to give Google+ and update to replace this dying project. Now the current theory about Google Reader is that since it was shutdown Google will allow you to read your feeds within Google+ however this is all skeptics, and as of now we don't know what Google is doing.

What Is Our Replacement?
Google+ already has the idea of Google Latitude built in, and I recommend going there because finding full support else where could be difficult. However,you never know other services might suite you better. If you don't want to use Google+ then I recommend that you use Waze which is owned by Google so you are back to square one in a way. If you have any recommendations please feel free to place them in the comments below.

Summary:
Google is shutting Google latitude due to inactivity and the waste of resources. The project has now been integrated into Google+ which means that you will still have the experience of Google Latitude without it actually being here. We recommend that if you were a heavy Google latitude user that you move to Google plus and then you wont need to leave the products that you are accustomed to.

Email Sent Out
*Some Part of the email where omitted such as the images and footer content*

Hello,Earlier today, we announced that Google Latitude is no longer part of the Google Maps app, and we're retiring Latitude on August 9, 2013.This means that after August 9, your Latitude friends list will be deleted, and you'll lose the ability to share your location with them. There will also be some changes to Location Reporting and Location History, including changes to third-party applications that use Google Latitude. Please see our FAQs for more information.We understand some of you still want to see your friends and family on a map, which is why we've added location sharing to Google+ for Android (coming soon to iOS).Thank you for using Google Latitude.Sincerely,

The Google Latitude Team

-------------------------*End of email*------------------------

Download Your Data

Download your data here: google.com/locationhistory

Download your data here: https://www.google.com/takeout/

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Google Chrome Safe Browsing Extensions

When it comes to browsing the Internet we can never be too safe, and with the thousands of Google Chrome extensions, it can be difficult to find reliable and safe ones. Here are my top 5 extensions to aid you in your quest for safe browsing with Google Chrome. All of these extensions are reliable and are from trusted companies. Keep in mind that you don't need to use every extension, because this can and will slow down your browser and load times. All bit.ly links lead to the corresponding pages in the Chrome web-store. If you doubt the security of the links feel free to scan with https://www.virustotal.com/en/#url.  We use shortened links for the sake of space.




1. Avast Online Security
Avast online security is an extension that will give you the ratings of websites before you go to them based on the community and their experiences while visiting the page. The advantage to this over other tools, is the results won't be skewed and the safety of the website is included in the score that it receives. Now the downside to this tool, is that it is fairly new, and there are not a lot of websites that have ratings. This is why I recommend using another tool to work with this such as McAfee, Bitdefender, or any other tool.

You May Download The Extension Here:
 http://bit.ly/12JPlLI

2. Bitdefender Traffic Light

Bitdefender is the highest rated antivirus on the market, and with their traffic light extension, you will have the high rated protection with you for no cost. This extension functions just like Avast Online Security, however the app does have a few bugs. You can't access the trackers by clicking on the image. One of the updates seems to have ruined the tracker items, and we don't know why. It is also slower than Avast Online Security. However, the extension has more updates, more sites in the database, and has a better protection rating than that of Avast. The only issue are the bugs and the slow loading times. If it weren't for those, then it would be number one.

You May Download The Extension Here:
 http://bit.ly/124U2QE

3. Web Of Trust
Web of trust is a extension that is meant to be powered by the community for the community. This widget almost always has a site with a rating. Very rarely will you not find a site with a rating however, these ratings are not always accurate and here is why. Web of trust is all based on what the community says, but there are times when bots have been known to change the rating of a site to make it appear safe. Other than that the widget has no errors, and it works with Google Images.

You May Download The Extension Here:
http://htbit.ly/18A1qY5

4. Webutation
Webutation uses a score system for websites, that is superior to that of Web Of Trust. These ratings also factor in the safety rating of the site, so you know a website having a high rating, is a secure one as well. A lot of websites will be in the 80-100 range which is the safe zone. They get in this range because they lack baclins from wikipedia which can lower the rating.

You May Download The Extension Here:
http://bit.ly/16SmzJ1

5. McAfee Site Advisor
While I don't recommend McAfee antivirus programs, they have the best website scanner service. The reaosn i say this is because when you sign up and work with the community, you are able to submit urls for scanning. The main issue with this, is you have to download the file instead of doing it through the Chrome webstore. This is a minor inconveienve, however this is the best url scanner, because they are constantly monitoring websites, and it is very light. I have found this to be lighter than that of webutation and traffic light, however I don't like the external download which is why it get's fifth place.

You May Download The Extension Here
http://bit.ly/12pQx3I

Notes

• I recommend using any combination of these use no more than 2 because it can reduce loading times.
• Best antivirus scanenrs are McAfee Site Advisor and Bitdefender Traffic Light.
• Web Of Trust works with images which is great but useless if you are scanning downloaded files.

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Why Linux Servers Are Better Than Windows

When choosing a server for web hosting or for any other service, then you will meet a fork in the road. That fork is Linux or Windows, and I am going to show you why it is Linux servers are superior to windows, and why it is you should be using them. You just need to ask yourself do I want to learn how to use Linux? If so then you are already taking a step in the right direction.




1. Linux Servers Are Very Stable
When it comes to stability you will find that Linux servers are very stable and you will not have to worry about them wearing out. Not to mention that Linux does not require defragmenting so you won't have to worry about slow downs, or the hard drive being worn down. Let me explain why Linux based machines don't need to be defragmented. Very rarely do people complain about a Linux based server crashing and that is because Linux is just more intelligent than that of a Windows based server.

Why They Don't Need Defragmentation
Linux and Windows handle files in two different ways, and Windows handles them the "dumb" way while Linux does it in a more intelligent manor. When Windows downloads a file, it places it with some free space around it, but it is still very close to those other downloaded files. Now when you are downloading a very large file this free space will be filled, and then the machine says okay what now? What Windows does, is it will try to bunch those files with free space around it as well. Now larger games will become very fragmented, because it runs out of that free space. Well Linux when downloading files places them all over the hard drive so that they have a ton of free space to grow. This prevents the defragmentation because Linux knows that when downloading to give a huge space in between these files.

2. More Secure
Most people like to think that Mac's are more secure than Windows machines, however from testing you will notice that there are a ton of vulnerabilities especially in their Safari Browser. Well Linux does not have these issues, the first reason is that Linux is not as common, so writing malware for it would be pointless. If no one is using that operating system why would you write a malicious program for it? That just makes no sense. The second reason is that you (The Administrator) always has complete control over the files on the computer. On Windows for instance we can have these hidden files which we can't see unless we allow ourself to do so. So if your server ever did contain a hidden file you would be able to see it without trying to force your way using the Windows options or by another third party software.

3. Cost
Linux is not only cheaper than Windows servers, the operating system is free. Linux is a free operating system, so you can go and download Ubuntu for server, and you won't have to spend a dime. So whether you are purchasing hosting, or you have your own, then you will save money with Linux in the long run. To prove my point here is the download page for Ubuntu For Server. 

4. No Lock Down's
When you purchase a Windows server or operating system they want you to use their product. Think about it Windows 8 comes with their own Anti-Malware program. You can purchase their Office program. They want you to use their cloud storage, and much more Microsoft wants you to use Microsoft products. Well with Linux you won't worry about that, and many distributions of Linux even recommend certain programs to download, because they don't program them nor do they have the time to do so.

5. More Apps/Plugins
When it comes to servers you will notice that there are a lot more plugins especially E-Commerce plugins than on Windows. This is because why should they have to buy a Windows Server to test their products? It is a waste of money, now larger companies will do so so that they can reach a larger market, but any average Joe who knows programming can pickup a Linux server package and program.

Summary
When it comes to choosing a server I do recommend using Linux. Now if you don't wish to learn how to use Linux, and want to jump in right away, then use Windows. Windows servers are far easier to use and to get into, because they look like any other Windows operating system.

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Apple Trademarking The "iWatch"

Apple, has started to trademark the name iWatch in many countries such as Taiwan, Mexico, Russia, and Japan. Apple might be developing the iWatch, but they have yet to say anything. Apple is generally not so secretive when it comes to their projects, but I have good reason to believe that Apple is developing the watch. The question is if Apple is developing the watch, why have we not heard anything about it? If Apple is not developing the watch, why bother trade marking the name at all?

Why The Secrecy?
Apple might be acting in secrecy to drive their hype through the roof, and to draw more attention to their products. As we know Apple has been doing poorly in their stock and in sales, so the company needs a new way to sell products to their consumers. Apple has always announced their big named products, whether it is at their WWDC, or during their events. Apple will drive their hype up, but if they don't deliver, then they will lose a lot of their fan base, and their stock can suffer greatly. Now lets say that this watch does deliver after the mass hype, then Apple will regain a small percentage of their lost market, and will have a stronger hold over the market that they have.

What Will this watch offer?
A smart watch is basically a watch that is meant to control your smartphone. They can also do very simple tasks such as a calendar, clock, and other small applications. However these smart watches are not powerful and won't offer the ability to surf the web. Maybe in the near future our smart watches will become a little smarter but as of now the expectations for smart watches are very low.

Estimated Price
Smart watches already exist, and sony offers one that is $100 on amazon, and depending on what apple will do, we could expect an "iWatch" to cost anywhere from $150. There is a joke, and it is the Apple Tax, where any Apple product instantly becomes more valuable because it is made Apple. I would suspect the watch to be more expensive than that of an Android watch, but I am never sure when it comes to Apple. Since this is speculation we can't be quiet sure on what this watch will do or be priced.

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Website Maintenance

We will be going down at 4:30 PM Arizona Time to do maintenance on the website. There are a number of changes, During the time, you will be redirected to another page giving you all of the information about these changes, and there is a video that will explain all of it. Please check out this video to receive the news now . It should take no longer than 1-2 hours and if it does there will be an alternative way to get the posts.

If you don't know how long you have until down time take the time of this post and add 50 minutes

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Google Reader Is Dead

Google reader died yesterday, and people are looking for alternative services as their RSS reader. There are quiet a few new readers out there to fill the gap but here are the 3 that I recommend using.

Feedly
This is the main alternative to Google reader, because it is available across IOS, Android, and of course your PC. This feed reader has been around for quiet sometime, and was the main feed for people to use after the death of Google Reader. It is also the most stable of these three readers. Digg and AOL jumped into this space a little too late but they are on the list for good reason. Feedly was the self proclaimed best Google reader alternative but after they added their transfer from Google Reader, they gained thousands of members.

Digg Reader
Digg has made it because it is powered by the powerful Digg network. Digg gets articles submitted by the minute maybe even seconds, and their reader is able to work with Google Reader feeds. This Reader is still under some work but it is fully functional all that they are doing now, is adding in some new features but other than that, you should be able to use it like you would any other RSS Reader.

AOL Reader
This Reader is still in beta, but it is functional and is backed by AOL. I do not prefer this reader, however it is still backed by a large company and it is one of focuses by AOL. Whether you use AOL or not is up to you, but their Reader is definitely a good alternative to compared to some of the other ones we have seen.

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