Tech PIVI

Set up the router in your house to maximize performance and minimize security risks Using an Internet connection on a single PC is a pretty simple task that can be done by connecting an Ethernet cable, but  wireless-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops require wireless connectivity, which brings in the need for a router. Most users step out and buy a wireless router off the shelf and install it on their own. And since wireless routers usually can operate directly out of the box, they are not secured by default. Some routers, such as Belkin, provide a secured wireless network out of the box, whereas routers from other manufacturers usually have open networks and common administrative passwords. This is an open invitation to anyone in the vicinity to simply search and connect to your network with ease, thus jeopardising your data and even utilising your expensive Internet bandwidth .  Change the default password of the router Here is a ...

As hackers from around the world converged on Las Vegas, Microsoft doled out a quarter million dollars in prize money to researchers who found ways to thwart attacks on its software. The winners of Microsoft's first Blue Hat prize were unveiled at a hip club at a mobbed party complete with dancers, high-energy DJ, and explosions of shimmering confetti. A top prize of $200,000 went to doctoral student Vasilis Pappas for an advance in countering "the most popular attack techniques we're seeing today," said Microsoft security response center senior director Mike Reavey. "We posed a challenge to the researcher community and asked them to shift their focus from solely identifying and reporting individual vulnerabilities to investing in new lines of defensive research that could mitigate entire classes of attacks," Reavey said of the prize. Microsoft awarded $50,000 to the second-place finisher, and a fortune in software to the researcher who ...