The web is abuzz with a report from a Milwaukee-based security firm called Hold Security saying that they have evidence showing a Russian hacker ring has collected a whopping 1.2 billion usernames and passwords from around the web. They discovered this through the use of presumably proprietary deep web monitoring tools. The first question that came to mind when I heard … [Read more...]
Google Adds Encryption As a Ranking Factor
Google made an announcement in a Webmaster Central Blog post that says using encryption throughout a website is now a ranking factor. You heard that correctly. Google wants to see Secure Sockets Layer encryption used throughout a web site. Encryption is no longer something reserved for use with e-commerce sites on pages where sensitive personal information, such as credit card … [Read more...]
Tech Support Scams - We’ve Detected a Virus on Your PC
An increasing number of people are receiving phone calls from scammers who claim they detected a virus or Trojan on the user's PC and they want to help remove the threat. Sometimes they claim your Windows license is about to expire and they want to help you renew the license. I received three calls from friends and clients over the past week with questions about the calls. … [Read more...]
Be Careful When Registering Domain Names
At one time if you wanted to build a web site, you looked for a good domain name, registered it, set the nameservers, and built the web site. That may no longer be the case. We are finding out that domain names need to be scrutinized before registering them, because penalties are sticking with the domain. A case in point is a recent web site we built for a financial services … [Read more...]
How to Select a Good Hosting Company - Part 1
This series of articles is written for someone who has never set up a web site and would like to learn how to select a good hosting company. Not all hosting companies are the same. Many do a poor job of handling the needs of their customers. Make sure that you select a hosting company that will help your web site to achieve your goals. Hosting companies offer web servers … [Read more...]
How to Select a Good Hosting Company - Part 2
In Part 2 of this series, we continue to explore issues that you need to consider if you are looking for a good web site hosting company. If you started with this page, it might be a good idea to read Part 1 of of Selecting a Good Hosting Company. In that part we cover some of the essentials to consider if you are looking for your first hosting company. Control Panel … [Read more...]
How to Select a Good Hosting Company - Part 3
In Part 3 of this series, we wrap up other considerations when you are looking for a good web site hosting company. If you started with this page, it might be a good idea to start with Part 1 of of Selecting a Good Hosting Company. In Part 1 and Part 2 we cover important issues to consider when you are looking for a hosting company. Search Engine Considerations Where … [Read more...]
Securing WordPress
With open source software it is fairly easy for knowledgeable hackers to find vulnerabilities in code. Although vulnerabilities are quickly patched with WordPress due to a very pro-active development team, there are steps that should be taken to secure WordPress against hack attacks. Securing software and servers against hacker attacks is called "hardening." The idea is to … [Read more...]
WordPress Error: You do not have sufficient permissions to access this page
Were you just locked out of your WordPress blog's administration area? When you try to access the admin area, do you see the error message, "You do not have sufficient permissions to access this page"? Did you just recently run a prefix changer to tighten the security of your blog? If the answer to all of these questions is "yes", then this may be the solution that you are … [Read more...]
Flash Cookies - What Are They?
What would you say if you found out that there was a way for a web site to store up to 100,000 bytes of information on your PC that they can use for tracking your activities, and you have no control over it with your normal browser security settings? Would you be surprised? What if these files can be scattered throughout your PC, and are not detected and removed by most … [Read more...]