It is the duty of technology not only to improve itself, but to become more and more user friendly. We can see this happen within the ever evolving sphere of Wireless LAN connections. Here the only constant is the easy to install, plug and play hardware which is well complimented by simple user friendly software. One only has to plug in the device to explore the network or even the Internet, however, Wireless LAN connections are often vulnerable to hackers or even virus threats. These malicious entities try to infiltrate the network and destroy important data. Then again, there is good news for all those people who wish to secure their Wireless LAN connections. Now you can enjoy the benefits of a protected Wireless LAN experience for less than a hundred dollars.
The first step after installing the hardware is to work out the configuration best suited for your network. Pay close attention to the security settings in particular and do not enable the Wireless LAN before you have everything in place and configured. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry. There are a few safety precautions one can adopt after setting up the Wireless LAN network.
Let us begin with the router and the access points. We recommend that you deploy an administrator password to reinforce and bolster access routes. In this way, the intruder will not be able to log into your Wireless LAN system without entering the correct password. Then again, certain systems or devices are preconfigured with default passwords.
Unfortunately, these passwords are often the manufacturer’s own name, because it is easy to remember although it lacks originality. We know that leaving a network unguarded with default passwords is the fool hardy option. This is why we must customize all the access points and the wireless router with our own unique passwords. Often we forget these passwords since we do not need to use them on a regular basis. At this point there is no option but to revert back to the default settings to reenter your network. The only problem is that all your time spent on customization will go to waste as those change are erased when default settings are applied.
Remember that the access points and the routers are specifically configured to retain and protect vital information like the SSID (Service Identifier) and even the name of the Wireless LAN network. This system makes it difficult to identify our own network, but thankfully, it doesn’t compromise the security. Without this elaborate masking system, you could be leaking away important details or clues that prove handy to outsiders with ill-intentions.
Now we study the two types of encryption employed to secure a Wireless LAN system. They are WEP or Wired Equivalency Privacy and the WPA or WiFi Protected Access. We know that the WEP system is widely used but it also has a sequence of easy to exploit weaknesses because of its poorly designed encryption software. On the other hand, there is the highly recommended WPA option which reinforces your network while proving surprisingly easier to install and configure. One should note that unlike WEP, WPA is not inhibited by a limited number of password combinations as it explores the keyboard beyond the alphabets and number keys. There is a preloaded WPA support system within the Windows XP software package. WPA2 is the next generation WPA, which provides greater security but relies on specially downloaded updates.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
VoIP Phone System - 5 Advantages For Your Business
New technologies such as IP Telephony don't just replace previous ones but allow much greater functionality, increased productivity, enhanced customer service and lower costs than prior technologies. Here are just a few ideas for you to ponder.
Your IP Telephone System provides the following advantages:
* Seamless extension dialing between all your locations on your private network, or even over the public Internet, is relatively easy and much less costly than traditional means. All your offices can be "tied together" to act as one large office no matter where in the world they are located. This also provides the advantage of eliminating long distance charges between your locations.
* IP Telephony creates lower cost and greater functionality advantages from carrier services. With IP Telephony you can connect all your offices together on your own private network. Or you can use the "quasi-private" network of a carrier.
This means you use one service provider to provide the voice trunks at each office. Your voice traffic between offices stays on the private network of the carrier. Your voice traffic never has to travel through the public internet.
If done correctly you have the advantage of carrying your voice traffic over the same network that carries your data traffic between offices but through the service provider you have Quality of Service to give voice priority over data. This will also give you a lower cost than the traditional means of a totally private network connecting your offices.
* Easily and economically connecting home based workers. Your home based worker can be easily connected to your office phone system with a high speed connection such as DSL or cable Internet. Your worker takes a phone from your office and connects it to that Internet connection. Or your worker uses a "soft phone" which is software on their computer at home that functions like a telephone.
That physical phone or soft phone, located anywhere in the world, is now a phone on your office phone system with all the individual settings that worker has on their phone at the office. Someone calls your office and the call automatically rings the phone at your worker's home. The caller doesn't know where the person they're calling is located. This arrangement can even work for a small one, two, or three person branch office.
* Easily and economically connecting traveling workers. Imagine you're traveling and staying at a hotel with a high speed Internet connection. You have a "soft phone" on your laptop computer. You can use a headset on your laptop or a handset that plugs into a USB port on your computer. The handset acts just like the handset on your phone at the office. You can now receive and make calls through your soft phone just like you're at your office. Callers will ring through to your soft phone.
You can be located anywhere in the world and the person you call or calls you won't know where you are. If you're going to be away for an extended period of time, you may even want to take a regular office phone and set it up on your Internet connection. This arrangement makes use of IP Telephony for your office combined with VOIP using the Internet. IP Telephony makes all this easily possible at a lower cost than traditional systems.
Home based and traveling workers can also go into your office, in fact any of your office locations, and simply "log in" to your phone system just like they log in to your computer system. Once logged in all their phone settings are automatically provided to the phone in which they log in. This just wasn't easy or feasible to do economically prior to IP Telephony.
* Software upgrades are much easier and can be performed by you instead of paying the telephone equipment vendor to do them.
There are many more benefits to IP Telephony. This brief overview should be enough to peak your interest to continue your investigation. You don't need to make a total swap out of your current phone system. It is possible to gradually introduce an IP Telephone System into your organization and interface it to legacy systems.
Don't just improve the way you currently do business! Explore the strategic business applications and implications of IP Telephony. New technologies such as IP Telephony don't just replace previous ones but allow much greater functionality, increased productivity, enhanced customer service and lower costs than prior technologies.
Expand the possibilities of conducting your business in ways you never thought possible. All major phone system manufacturers are investing their research and development dollars into development of their IP Phone Systems. Thousands of companies have already converted to it. There must be a reason or two or twenty.
Your IP Telephone System provides the following advantages:
* Seamless extension dialing between all your locations on your private network, or even over the public Internet, is relatively easy and much less costly than traditional means. All your offices can be "tied together" to act as one large office no matter where in the world they are located. This also provides the advantage of eliminating long distance charges between your locations.
* IP Telephony creates lower cost and greater functionality advantages from carrier services. With IP Telephony you can connect all your offices together on your own private network. Or you can use the "quasi-private" network of a carrier.
This means you use one service provider to provide the voice trunks at each office. Your voice traffic between offices stays on the private network of the carrier. Your voice traffic never has to travel through the public internet.
If done correctly you have the advantage of carrying your voice traffic over the same network that carries your data traffic between offices but through the service provider you have Quality of Service to give voice priority over data. This will also give you a lower cost than the traditional means of a totally private network connecting your offices.
* Easily and economically connecting home based workers. Your home based worker can be easily connected to your office phone system with a high speed connection such as DSL or cable Internet. Your worker takes a phone from your office and connects it to that Internet connection. Or your worker uses a "soft phone" which is software on their computer at home that functions like a telephone.
That physical phone or soft phone, located anywhere in the world, is now a phone on your office phone system with all the individual settings that worker has on their phone at the office. Someone calls your office and the call automatically rings the phone at your worker's home. The caller doesn't know where the person they're calling is located. This arrangement can even work for a small one, two, or three person branch office.
* Easily and economically connecting traveling workers. Imagine you're traveling and staying at a hotel with a high speed Internet connection. You have a "soft phone" on your laptop computer. You can use a headset on your laptop or a handset that plugs into a USB port on your computer. The handset acts just like the handset on your phone at the office. You can now receive and make calls through your soft phone just like you're at your office. Callers will ring through to your soft phone.
You can be located anywhere in the world and the person you call or calls you won't know where you are. If you're going to be away for an extended period of time, you may even want to take a regular office phone and set it up on your Internet connection. This arrangement makes use of IP Telephony for your office combined with VOIP using the Internet. IP Telephony makes all this easily possible at a lower cost than traditional systems.
Home based and traveling workers can also go into your office, in fact any of your office locations, and simply "log in" to your phone system just like they log in to your computer system. Once logged in all their phone settings are automatically provided to the phone in which they log in. This just wasn't easy or feasible to do economically prior to IP Telephony.
* Software upgrades are much easier and can be performed by you instead of paying the telephone equipment vendor to do them.
There are many more benefits to IP Telephony. This brief overview should be enough to peak your interest to continue your investigation. You don't need to make a total swap out of your current phone system. It is possible to gradually introduce an IP Telephone System into your organization and interface it to legacy systems.
Don't just improve the way you currently do business! Explore the strategic business applications and implications of IP Telephony. New technologies such as IP Telephony don't just replace previous ones but allow much greater functionality, increased productivity, enhanced customer service and lower costs than prior technologies.
Expand the possibilities of conducting your business in ways you never thought possible. All major phone system manufacturers are investing their research and development dollars into development of their IP Phone Systems. Thousands of companies have already converted to it. There must be a reason or two or twenty.
Website Basics-Dot ORG, NET,BIZ, etc....
There is a school of thought that the dot com domain name is the Gold Standard, the only type of domain name extension (or TLD) worth owning. Indeed there is some merit to this. As the original type of domain name since the internet’s inception, far more dot coms have been bought up versus all other extensions (as of August 2006, over 50 million dot coms were registered versus 6 million dot nets and 4 million dot orgs, for example). Be that as it may, there is still good reason to consider other domain name extensions besides, or possibly in addition to, the dot com extension.
First, consider the fact that with so many dot coms already spoken for, it is far more likely that you will be able to find the name you want as a dot net, org, biz, or info. And although it is arguable that in the minds of most net surfers dot com is king, the walls are coming down in that respect also. In fact, when was the last time you searched for something through Google or Yahoo, and upon finding the results and clicking to go to a website, did you really pay attention to the extension of the domain name? Most people don’t surf the web by typing in memorized domain names.
Dot net is generally the second choice after dot com for most buyers of domain names. But that is changing as well. Dot org, originally the extension for non-profit and government websites, is now available for all, even commercial sites. And it gives off a more social, more community oriented connotation. Dot biz, while open to all, actually gives a professional sound to a domain name, leaving little doubt that commercial interests are involved. Dot info, again open to all comers, gives the impression that the user will find waiting for them a site rich with content and pertinent information.
Many savvy web builders these days will lock down not only a dot com domain name, but every other available extension along with it as well. When you purchase mygreatgizmo.com, and then also buy the same domain name with the dot net, info, biz, org, etc., you are performing a preemptive strike against the competition, a hedge against someone capitalizing on your good domain name in the future. And you are able to point as many domain names to a single website as you wish.
The bottom line here is that there is good reason to consider other extensions in addition to dot com. With the vast majority of web surfers using search engines to find websites, coupled with the fact that dot net dot org dot info dot biz extensions are more and more recognized and accepted, going forward there is no reason to limit yourself to only dot com domain names.
A couple of final thoughts: consider country specific domain names if doing business only in your home country. Dot US for the United States, dot EU for Europe, dot CA for Canada, dot UK for United Kingdom (dot co uk is most popular) as well as the New Zealand nz domain name. And coming on strong in the last year is dot MOBI domain names, the only domain name for mobile devices. The land rush is on for this extension, and dot MOBI domain names will be discussed in a future article.
First, consider the fact that with so many dot coms already spoken for, it is far more likely that you will be able to find the name you want as a dot net, org, biz, or info. And although it is arguable that in the minds of most net surfers dot com is king, the walls are coming down in that respect also. In fact, when was the last time you searched for something through Google or Yahoo, and upon finding the results and clicking to go to a website, did you really pay attention to the extension of the domain name? Most people don’t surf the web by typing in memorized domain names.
Dot net is generally the second choice after dot com for most buyers of domain names. But that is changing as well. Dot org, originally the extension for non-profit and government websites, is now available for all, even commercial sites. And it gives off a more social, more community oriented connotation. Dot biz, while open to all, actually gives a professional sound to a domain name, leaving little doubt that commercial interests are involved. Dot info, again open to all comers, gives the impression that the user will find waiting for them a site rich with content and pertinent information.
Many savvy web builders these days will lock down not only a dot com domain name, but every other available extension along with it as well. When you purchase mygreatgizmo.com, and then also buy the same domain name with the dot net, info, biz, org, etc., you are performing a preemptive strike against the competition, a hedge against someone capitalizing on your good domain name in the future. And you are able to point as many domain names to a single website as you wish.
The bottom line here is that there is good reason to consider other extensions in addition to dot com. With the vast majority of web surfers using search engines to find websites, coupled with the fact that dot net dot org dot info dot biz extensions are more and more recognized and accepted, going forward there is no reason to limit yourself to only dot com domain names.
A couple of final thoughts: consider country specific domain names if doing business only in your home country. Dot US for the United States, dot EU for Europe, dot CA for Canada, dot UK for United Kingdom (dot co uk is most popular) as well as the New Zealand nz domain name. And coming on strong in the last year is dot MOBI domain names, the only domain name for mobile devices. The land rush is on for this extension, and dot MOBI domain names will be discussed in a future article.
Cisco PIX/ASA Security Appliance: How to Configure Banners
Banners can be configured to display when a user first connects (MOTD), when a user logs in (login), or when a user accesses privileged mode (exec). Banners are used for legal warnings such as when a user is cautioned not to access a restricted system or that their access of a system is subject to monitoring and logging. Banners are also used on locked systems placed at customer locations by service providers to provide contact information for device access or technical support. The Cisco security appliance supports the use of login banners in console sessions and Telnet sessions, but not in SSH sessions. Exec and MOTD banners are supported in console, Telnet, and SSH sessions. Banners can be up to 510 characters in length. You can create multiple line banners either by creating multiple banner statements or by using the keystroke sequence of "\n" which inserts a carriage return.
Here's how banners are displayed:
MOTD Banners--When usernames are not configured, MOTD displays at login in a serial console session and before login in Telnet sessions. When usernames are configured, MOTD displays before login in a Telnet session and after login in a serial console session.
Login Banners--The login banner displays before login in Telnet and serial console sessions.
Exec Banners--The exec banner displays upon login in all sessions.
How to Configure a Banner
Note: The following procedures were tested on an ASA 5505 Security Appliance running software version 7.22. Other hardware or software platforms may require modification of these procedures in order to function properly.
To configure a banner, use the following configuration mode commands:
asa(config)#banner motd This is a restricted system.
asa(config)#banner motd Do not attempt unauthorized access.
Notice the use of two banner motd statements to create a multi-line banner. As mentioned previously, you can also use the "\n" key sequence to insert a carriage return.
You can view the banners you created with the following privileged mode command:
asa#show running-config banner
Hands-On Exercise: Creating Banners on the Security Appliance
The following procedures are for training purposes only and should only be performed on devices in a laboratory environment. Under no circumstances should these procedures be performed on equipment in a live, production environment without first verifying their suitability in a laboratory environment.
In the following hands-on exercise, you will create MOTD, login, and EXEC banners.
Step 1: In configuration mode, enter the following commands:
asa(config)#banner motd This is the MOTD banner
asa(config)#banner login This is the login banner
asa(config)#banner exec This is the EXEC banner
Step 2: Display the banners you just created with the following command:
asa(config)#show running-config banner
Step 3: Type exit repeatedly until you are logged out of your laboratory security appliance.
Notice which banners are displayed.
Step 4: Enter privileged mode with the command "enable" and notice which banners are displayed.
Step 5: From your laboratory computer, start a Telnet session and again observe which banners are displayed. When you are finished, exit the Telnet session.
Step 6: Also from your laboratory computer, start an SSH session and again observe which banners are displayed. When you are finished, exit the SSH session.
Note: The above procedures are similar to the procedures used to configure banners on other Cisco devices including routers.
Here's how banners are displayed:
MOTD Banners--When usernames are not configured, MOTD displays at login in a serial console session and before login in Telnet sessions. When usernames are configured, MOTD displays before login in a Telnet session and after login in a serial console session.
Login Banners--The login banner displays before login in Telnet and serial console sessions.
Exec Banners--The exec banner displays upon login in all sessions.
How to Configure a Banner
Note: The following procedures were tested on an ASA 5505 Security Appliance running software version 7.22. Other hardware or software platforms may require modification of these procedures in order to function properly.
To configure a banner, use the following configuration mode commands:
asa(config)#banner motd This is a restricted system.
asa(config)#banner motd Do not attempt unauthorized access.
Notice the use of two banner motd statements to create a multi-line banner. As mentioned previously, you can also use the "\n" key sequence to insert a carriage return.
You can view the banners you created with the following privileged mode command:
asa#show running-config banner
Hands-On Exercise: Creating Banners on the Security Appliance
The following procedures are for training purposes only and should only be performed on devices in a laboratory environment. Under no circumstances should these procedures be performed on equipment in a live, production environment without first verifying their suitability in a laboratory environment.
In the following hands-on exercise, you will create MOTD, login, and EXEC banners.
Step 1: In configuration mode, enter the following commands:
asa(config)#banner motd This is the MOTD banner
asa(config)#banner login This is the login banner
asa(config)#banner exec This is the EXEC banner
Step 2: Display the banners you just created with the following command:
asa(config)#show running-config banner
Step 3: Type exit repeatedly until you are logged out of your laboratory security appliance.
Notice which banners are displayed.
Step 4: Enter privileged mode with the command "enable" and notice which banners are displayed.
Step 5: From your laboratory computer, start a Telnet session and again observe which banners are displayed. When you are finished, exit the Telnet session.
Step 6: Also from your laboratory computer, start an SSH session and again observe which banners are displayed. When you are finished, exit the SSH session.
Note: The above procedures are similar to the procedures used to configure banners on other Cisco devices including routers.
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