Computers & Technology

LET’S TALK ABOUT HACKERS - PART 2 Main Concept : A cracker or cracking is to "gain unauthorized access to a computer in order to commit another crime such as destroying information contained in that system" HACKING TECHNIQUES AND OTHERS: VULNERABILITY SCANNER : A vulnerability scanner is a tool used to quickly check computers on a network for known weaknesses. Hackers also commonly use port scanners. These check to see which ports on a specified computer are "open" or available to access the computer, and sometimes will detect what program or service is listening on that port, and its version number. FINDING VULNERABILITIES : Hackers may also attempt to find vulnerabilities manually. A common approach is to search for possible vulnerabilities in the code of the computer system then test them, sometimes reverse engineering the software if the code is not provided. BRUTE-FORCE ATTACK : Password guessing. This method is very fast when used to...

RANSOMEWARE, WHAT IS AND HOW DOES IT WORKS? Ransomware is computer malware that installs covertly on a victim's computer, executes a cryptovirology attack that adversely affects it, and demands a ransom payment to decrypt it or not publish it. Simple ransomware may lock the system in a way which is not difficult for a knowledgeable person to reverse, and display a message requesting payment to unlock it. More advanced malware encrypts the victim's files, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment to decrypt them. The ransomware may also encrypt the computer's Master File Table (MFT) or the entire hard drive. Thus, ransomware is a denial-of-access attack that prevents computer users from accessing files since it is intractable to decrypt the files without the decryption key.  MECHANISM: ATTACKER -> VICTIM: The attacker generates a key pair and places the corresponding public key in the malware. The malware is released. VICTIM...

REASONS TO REPLACE YOUR COMPUTER FAN AND HEATSINK A computer's fan and heatsink are two of its most important components. The primary role of both is to cool down the processor and keep it from overheating. A laptop or notebook does not have to be outside in hot, humid weather to overheat. In fact, even if a computer is kept away from extreme heat altogether, it can still overheat. That is because a computer's processor is responsible for processing information and giving instructions to other components in the computer. A processor can get very busy as a result, especially when it is running multiple programs simultaneously. As a result, it heats up, and if there is nothing to cool it down, it can malfunction and break down, costing the owner hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This is why a good fan and heatsink are necessary. The more demand placed on the processor, the more effective the fan and heatsink must be. This guide identifies five issues...