Parental Control

Parental Control Web Filter Overview: Some Important Tools and Feature to Help Keep Your Family Safe

Posted on by

To keep your children and family safe, it’s always good to have a parental control / family protection solution that allows you to keep track of each child’s whereabouts, keep an eye on who they’re “friends” with on social media, and filter out content that is inappropriate for that child’s age and maturity level. One of the best tools you can have is a parental control web filter.

What kinds of content do you want to protect your kids from viewing? The web is filled with so much horrible stuff these days, including crime, violence, hatred and racism, and so forth. Most of this stuff is too much for adults, let alone children. While you don’t want to be a “helicopter” parent – especially towards older kids and teenagers, you still want to make sure they don’t see too much negative stuff.

Some features even allow parents to easily toggle between various levels of supervision, either monitoring or outright blocking access to computers and devices outside of permitted hours. With the right parental control “screen time management” software, you can just turn off your child’s access to the internet at certain hours, such as bedtime and family dinner time. However, it’s always a good idea to practice what you preach, so you should try to stay off your own phone and computer during those times.

Parental Control Web Filter for App Supervision

Some parental control and management tools include mobile app supervision so that you can see which apps your children have downloaded on their iOS or Android devices and which ones they use. Make sure they aren’t using inappropriate apps, or spending too much time with them when they should be doing other things. With an “Access Request” type of feature, kids are allowed to open the lines of communication to send their parents a note if they disagree with a particular blocked app or site.

Video supervision is a parental control web filter that keeps parents updated with a list of videos their kids are watching on their iOS device or PC. If you see anything that might concern you, you can sit down and have a talk with them.

Most of the time, kids get into trouble online without even meaning to. They can do things that can cause harm by accident, such as click on links that download malware on the PC or visit sites with illegal content such as pirated music. Worst of all, they unintentionally accept “friend” requests from individuals who want to harm them.

The best way to protect your kids as well as the entire family is to select quality, highly-rated parental control web filter software such as Norton Family Premier.

Internet Security and Ransomware

Best Ransomware Removal Overview: Understanding This Kind of Malware and How it Can be Prevented

Posted on by

Ransomware is a type of malware created for the purpose of generating income for the attacker. The hacker will encrypt some of the files on the computer making it almost impossible for the owner to access, and will demand a “ransom” in order to allow the owner to have the files back. Even intelligence organizations have some difficulty helping ransomware victims. Fortunately, the top security companies are starting to better analyze and understand the technology involved in order to create the best ransomware removal tools.

There are a few different types of ransomware attacks. Some hackers encrypt data and files from the hard drive, while others go so far as to block the user’s access to their own OS or use the owner’s own files, photos, or documents against them in an attempt to blackmail. And then there is “ransomware” that isn’t even a real threat, but the scammer will try to trick the user into paying for some fake “removal” software or service.

There are REAL, legitimate ransomware protection programs and services available. You just need to be careful with your choice. Don’t fall for any “popup” warnings trying to tell you that you are infected with a virus and that you HAVE to install THIS particular software RIGHT NOW in order to save your computer or smartphone. Either use Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your computer to close that browser and all of the windows out, or turn your phone off and restart it.

Best Ransomware Removal from a Top Company

The best ransomware removal should come from one of the top security companies that receives high ratings and good reviews from both independent testing labs and actual users who have purchased the software. Since ransomware is a type of malware, look for the malware detection rates of various cyber security products and choose one that has as close to a 100% detection rate as possible.

Of course, it’s even better to have a program that is able to prevent ransomware from occurring in the first place, so you won’t have to worry about trying to remove it. A good security software program will block it before it can get anywhere near your files and documents.

To protect all of your computers and devices from malware, choose a security suite that is available to use with multiple devices with a single subscription.

One of the best ransomware removal tools can be found with Avast Premium Security. It uses multiple layers of security to prevent your system from getting infected from all types of threats, including the brand new ones. The Avast detection rate according to lab tests is 99.9%. Get it today and try it for free.

Password Manager

Best Way to Keep Passwords: Info on Password Managers, How They Work, and How to Choose One

Posted on by

You almost need an account for everything these days. Most websites want you to at least provide them with your email at the very least – even if it’s just to get some free information. Think of the number of actual accounts you have to create, which involve coming up with passwords. It’s not easy to keep track of them, and using the same one over and over again usually isn’t viable. So, what is the best way to keep passwords?

Start using a password manager. They are very useful and come with good security and encryption. The top products allow users to sync their passwords across multiple devices and computers. You can choose a personal account, small business account, team account, family account, or corporate account. They tend to be pretty affordable as well, and some companies offer it for free, although the free version of a password manager usually has a limit on the number of accounts you can save.

These programs don’t just offer the best way to keep passwords, but the best way to keep other account details such as emails, usernames, phone numbers, and so forth. Depending on the type of account you choose, you might get a digital vault with enough storage to keep things like important documents and copies of photo IDs, including passports.

Best Way to Keep Passwords With a Service

If you’ve never used this kind of service before, then start with a password management tool that is very user-friendly, yet still uses excellent security and encryption protocols. If you’re not involved in business and consider yourself to just be an ordinary consumer and internet user, it’s still in your best interest to get a password management program.

Do you spend a lot of time trying to log in on accounts on your mobile device? If so, then look for a manager that offers the practical function of auto-filling your login details over smartphones and tablets.

It’s always a good idea to come with a new, complex password that is 100% unique every time you create a new account. An added benefit of a quality password manager is that it will automatically generate one for you and then save it via “zero-knowledge” technology, meaning that no human being (other than you) or AI will ever view the actual password as it will always be encrypted. With some business, team, or family accounts, you should be given the option to decide who else will be allowed to access certain accounts and share the details with them.

In short, the best way to keep passwords is to use 1Password. This tool is the best and comes in many different service levels, from individual / personal to big business / enterprise. It’s won many awards, including “Best Password Manager” from Wired. Use 1PassWord promo codes to help get a good deal.

Backup

Best Cloud Backup Services for PC and Business Users: What Features to Look for in a Backup Solution

Posted on by

Whether it’s your home PC or business computer, backups are extremely important. Depending on the steps you take to secure not only your computer but your other devices, there still might be a risk of data loss from ransomware, hard drive failure, house or office fire, theft, and any other threat that delete, destroy, or remove your access to your own personal information, data, or business details. The only real, foolproof way to protect everything is to opt for the best cloud backup solution.

The most secure, reliable cloud backup services obviously aren’t going to be for free. However, it is an investment that will potentially help you save a lot of money and hardship in the future. Luckily, there are usually different levels of protection and services so the pricing varies. You should be able to find the solution that best fits your data and backup needs without spending more money than what is necessary.

What, exactly, should you be looking for? When selecting a service, always read the company’s website and familiarize yourself as much as possible with its data security and privacy policies. It should provide regular backups that give users access to their own data at any moment, as well as the ability to check and monitor how your solution is working.

Even if you’re a personal user who just wants to back up your own computer and/or smartphone, you should receive benefits such as being able to file share files you backed up (if you need to), receiving notifications of your backup status, the option to schedule backups or allow for automatic backups, setting your own upload limit or stick with auto threading / throttling, and so forth.

Best Cloud Backup Physical Drives

The best cloud backup company will always have physical drives (USB / flash / external hard drive) available for you to order with superfast shipping in the event that something happens to your own drive while you are traveling.

The best cloud backup will offer software that is easy to install on Mac or Windows. Ideally, you should just have to enter account information; the company will take care of the rest. All of the files will automatically be updated each time they are edited. New files will be added automatically.

If you’re looking for a business cloud backup solution, look for a company that offers packages to businesses of all sizes, and pricing that is affordable for that particular package and business size.

What is the best cloud backup for businesses and personal users? Whatever it is you need, there is a very high chance Backblaze offers it. It’s consistent with its innovative technology and quality services, and its security is next-to-none. Try free Backblaze for 15 days to decide if it’s right for you.

Bitdefender Logo

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac Review: All of the Reasons Why Mac Users Should Get Bitdefender for Virus Protection

Posted on by

Bitdefender security products aren’t just for Windows PCs, they run efficiently on Macs as well. This company has really earned its name in the industry – especially when it comes to malware detection. If you don’t think you’ll need a full suite of security tools, then Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac will most likely be enough. For now, Macs still aren’t as vulnerable to some of the threats Windows PCs commonly face, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be in the future, and the good thing about Bitdefender software is that it’s easy to upgrade down the road if you want more.

There are many benefits noted in the reviews for this antivirus:

• It’s perfect for malware detection and has an extremely high rate
• Has a user-friendly, clean design
• Has very little system impact
• Is good putting dangerous files into quarantine
• Always updates before a scan with the latest virus signatures

What Does Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac Include?

Bitdefender’s antivirus has a passive system-scanning that is so low-impact that most Mac users won’t even realize it’s working in the background. It is a top-tier security solution. Even if you have an older model, such as a 2017 MacBook Air with an Intel Core i5 processor, for example, the scan time will still be fast and you’ll probably barely notice it if at all. The active scans will not be as quiet and fast, but still won’t take any more than a few minutes.

The interface for Bitdefender antivirus for Mac allows the user to see the status and perform certain actions with just a few clicks. From the home screen, you can see “recommended actions”, “status”, as well as other options. There are different scans to choose from, including Deep Scan, Critical Location Scan, and Custom Location Scan.

With a Deep System Scan, the antivirus searches for malware in all files and folders, including those in archives. Whenever you need to open up a .zip or a .rar file type, this scanner will search for anything malicious or suspicious, and will have an extremely high detection rate. Bitdefender also does a good job at NOT making false positives, which is a problem with some other antivirus software. It can be very annoying when a security program tries to block your access from other programs or software that it mistakenly identifies as “suspicious”, even though you know exactly what it is. This isn’t something to worry about with Bitdefender.

There are different subscriptions and pricing options. You can try Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac by itself or buy a full security suite. You can also choose a subscription option that includes the antivirus for not only the Mac but iOS, Android, and Windows as well.

VPN

Trusted VPN Services: Top 5 Secure, Trustworthy Services worth Looking Into

Posted on by

Are you looking for the best VPN possible or your computer and mobile phone? There are hundreds of these services in 2019 and not all of them are worthy of trust. It’s not going to be worth using a virtual private network service if they are just going to keep some kind of logs or data and sell it anyway. How do you know which provider you can trust? Well, to help you get started, here is a list of 5 trusted VPN services.

Hotspot Shield

According to AV-Test, this service is #1 for not only security, but for speed and ease-of-use as well. It’s often praised in reviews for having some of the fastest servers around. You can easily hide your real IP address, and have a peace of mind that all of your web traffic is encrypted with military-grade technology. Hotspot Shield does not keep activity logs. There are over 3,000 global servers and a 45-day money back guarantee, which is a longer period than most other VPN services offer.

Pure VPN

This company offers impressive pricing and HUGE discounts for new users. Users get features like 24/7 tech support, split tunneling, network of 2,000+ servers to choose from, internet kill switch, and secure Wi-Fi. All you need is one PureVPN account and you’ll be able to connect up to 5 computers or devices simultaneously.

Kaspersky Secure Connection

Since it’s already one of the biggest leaders of all types of cyber security in the world, it’s no surprise that Kaspersky offers trusted VPN services as well. It offers a guarantee that absolutely no logs or records of any kind will be kept. Choose between a premium monthly subscription or yearly subscription. There is also a free version, but it only offers 200 – 300MB of bandwidth per day.

Tunnel Bear

Tunnel Bear usually makes it in these types of lists – for good reasons. It’s very easy to use and offers server options in 22 countries. All you have to do is open the TunnelBear app, click on your country of choice, and “flip the switch”. The service will work quietly in the background and won’t cause any problems as it keeps your data secure.

ProtonVPN – One of the VERY Trusted VPN Services

While not as well-known as some of the other companies on this list, ProtonVPN definitely offers some of the most trusted VPN services. There are hundreds of servers in 50+ countries, and the number is growing all the time. This is a Swiss-based company that offers all of the advanced security features, multiple subscription plans and prices, and a 30-day money back guarantee. You really might want to give this one a try.

Parental Control

Parental Control for Mobile Devices Overview: What Kinds of Monitoring, Filtering, and Control Features Should You Look For?

Posted on by

The kids of this generation have never known a time when there wasn’t an internet or mobile phones. They are essential in today’s society. They offer a way for parents to stay in contact with their children at all times, just in case there are emergencies. Unfortunately, there is a downside to letting kids have their own smartphones and tablets – there is a lot of stuff on the internet that could be potentially dangerous. They also provide opportunities for strangers and predators. The only way to ensure that your kids are as protected as they can possibly be is to invest in the best parental control for mobile devices.

Features and tools offered by these apps fall under three categories: monitoring, content filtering and user control. Monitoring includes tools that allows you to keep an eye on their SMS, calls, web browsers, social media activities, YouTube viewing, web searches, etc. Content filtering lets parents select what kinds of content, images, and material their child should be allowed or not allowed to see. You can decide what content you want blocked from their view. Lastly, usage control tools are what give parents direct input through the parental control for mobile devices apps. You can control what time each night you want your child’s mobile devices to be shut down.

How Does Parental Control for Mobile Devices Work?

How do these services work? Parents typically purchase the software and then install them on each child’s mobile device and/or computer, and then set all of the controls through a web-based portal. Create a profile for each child that allows you to filter out content inappropriate for that child’s age. For instance, you might want to give your high school kids more freedom than your grade school kids.

The good news is that many of these services are available to try for free. You can check out a free trial before deciding if a particular parental control suite is right for your family. Just make sure you are not doubling up on any services you might already have. If your family already has a full version of a security suite or antivirus program, there might be some parental controls already included, so check into that first before installing anything else. Even if you only use that security suite on a computer, there might be a subscription upgrade option that will allow you to run the services on mobile devices as well.

Whatever kind of features you are looking for in parental control for mobile devices, there should be at least one company that provides everything you need. One place to begin is with Norton Family Premier. Norton of course is one of the most well-known names in the security industry, and its family tools are among the best.

Password Manager

Enterprise Password Management Software: What Kinds of Features and Tools Should Owners Look for in a Business Password Manager?

Posted on by

One of the best ways for any company to increase its online security is to invest in quality enterprise password management software. These security tools will help protect your organization from scams. They also help prevent productivity loss due to forgotten passwords. All it takes is one password to get into the wrong hands, and all of your accounts and data will be compromised. Even customer details will be at risk if there is a data breach.

According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, over half of small to medium size companies will suffer from some type of cyber attack. Many of these end up closing down within a year – usually at around 6 months after the attack. Your business can be one of the 40% or so that stays secure all the time, and all you need are tools like password management services to have that peace of mind.

When teaching employees safe online habits, password management should be included in the training. Nobody will want to use software that is hard to understand or a hassle. For this reason, you should choose a platform that is easy for everyone to understand. You, or whoever else is in charge of your company, should get administrative privilege and decide which employees can have access to certain accounts.

Look for advanced security policies that you will be able to enforce, such as setting Master Password requirements, creating firewall rules, monitor sign-in attempts, enforce 2 factor authentications, and so forth. With the firewall rules, the administrator will be allowed to deny sign-in attempts from certain IP addresses and locations.

Enterprise Password Management Software With Reasonable Pricing

The ideal enterprise password management software should be reasonable with its pricing to make things fair for smaller businesses and start-ups. You don’t even have to pay for a full business account. If it’s small enough, you might be able to just get a “team” account, and just pay a small fee for every team member you add. From there, you’ll be able to instantly revoke, deploy, or grant access to shared vaults, and even add new team members whenever you need to – as securely as possible.

Deployment should be a simple process, even if you have a large business with a complicated structure. Use a password manger solution that integrates with other platforms like Okta or Active Directory so that you can provision employees using the processes you already have set in place.

When it comes down to it, the best enterprise password management software by far is 1Password for Business or Teams. Look over the subscription plans to determine which one is best for your company. You might be able to use some 1Password coupons as well.

Backup

Cloud Storage and Backup Guide: Look for a Provider That Offers Transparency and Easy-to-Use Tools

Posted on by

Whether it’s your business computer or PC, backups are extremely important. If you don’t fully take advantage of cloud storage and backup services, you can be at risk for hard drive failure, ransomware, data loss, power surges, or any other type of threat that can destroy your hardware or remove your access to your own private data. The “free” cloud storage services usually only offer limited space, and make users manually upload their files. This is why it’s better to just invest in a quality service, for the convenience of automatic backups and the peace of mind that ALL of your data and not just some of it is being backed up and stored in a secure facility.

One of the most important things to look for is the ability to access the files you need when you need them. You should be provided with a variety of ways to obtain your information from cloud storage. In addition to web downloads and mobile access, it might be a good idea to look into a company that will allow you to request a USB flash drive or hard drive mailed to you overnight.

Transparency is obviously important when it comes to a cloud storage and backup company. Check and see if it publishes statistics and insight on its website based on the hard drives in its data centers, details about its security processes, and so forth. Now, you don’t want a company to tell you exactly where all of its data centers are located, but you should have an idea of where, geographically, your stuff will be stored. Ideally, the facilities should be in places outside of tornado / earthquake / hurricane zones.

Cloud Storage and Backup for Everyone

If you consider yourself to be un-knowledgeable about a lot of “tech stuff”, then consider the interface of storage and backup programs. Everything should be presented in a manner that is clear and easy to understand for all users, including those who really don’t know a lot about cloud storage.

How much does cloud storage and backup cost? Well it’s going to depend on numerous factors since each service partition their fees and features differently. Usually, it will depend on how much storage you’ll need, or whether or not you’ll need additional features. You might just have to pay a base monthly fee, and then pay any additional money for a hard drive or flash drive to be sent to you, or a variety of other services.

Whether you need personal or business cloud storage and backup, Backblaze is the company to look into first. It has several data centers with the highest amounts of security possible. Many clients praise the service in Backblaze reviews.

VPN

Trusted VPN Guide: How to Identify the Trustworthiness of a VPN Provider

Posted on by

If you’ve been researching virtual private networks, you probably know that not every provider is trustworthy or as transparent as they claim to be. This is why you must carefully select a company after taking a look at its privacy policy and terms and conditions. Nobody likes to read this stuff, but you should at least spend a couple of minutes looking over it before deciding if the company offers trusted VPN services.

The best ones are going to offer a no-logs guarantee, and won’t care what you do while you are connected to one of their servers at all. After all, the primary reason for paying for a VPN is for security and privacy. Fortunately, most PAID virtual private network services got customers covered from the security angle. It’s the so-called “free” ones you’ll have to watch out for the most. The “Free” providers will need to make their money somehow, even it means selling user data and logs to third parties for marketing purposes.

Don’t worry, though – just because you’ll have to pay for true VPN security doesn’t mean that you’ll have to pay a lot. There are plenty of affordable solutions out there. You shouldn’t have to pay more than a few dollars a month. Usually, the more months you purchase a subscription for, the bigger the discount you’ll be able to get. Just look over the pricing and subscription options for each company.

Encryption of a Trusted VPN

Also, a trusted VPN will have strong encryption, protocols, and forward secrecy. Opt for a company that has the highest strength encryption possible to protect your internet connection. All of your network traffic should be encrypted with AES-265, and “key exchange” should be done with 4096-bit RSA. Ideal VPN protocols should be secure (OpenVPN and IKEv2 / IPSec).

In which country is the provider based? A Swiss-based company is usually a sign of trustworthiness and privacy. There is also physical security to consider. Where is the critical infrastructure located? The best companies will go out of their way to hide their hardware and datacenters in an underground, fallout shelter. While this might seem over the top, it’s truly a sign that VPN provider is as serious as possible in protecting its customers’ privacy and anonymity.

Not only should your browsing traffic be protected, but your DNS queries as well. A trusted VPN will root DNS queries through the encrypted tunnel and will not in any way rely on a third-party DNS provider. ProtonVPN is a company that offers a DNS leak prevention guarantee. There are different levels of services for users to choose from. Use ProtonVPN discounts to help you save. There is also a 30-day money back guarantee.