About Computers: The Black Hat Side of Computing

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Computers From Paul Gil, your About Computers Editor I once attended a hacker meet out of curiosity. While I was hoping to meet some brilliant people with engaging stories, I was sadly disappointed that most of the attendees were stereotypical anarchists with poor personal hygiene. I shudder to think that these are the people who are botting your computer and hacking my router. The Shadowy World of Malware Affiliate Marketing Yes, digital bad guys get paid to infect computers. The going rate is approximately $250 for every 1000 hacked computers. These infected machines are used for all sorts of illegal purposes, including: scareware scams, botnet attacks on other machines, and identity theft of the owners' information. About.com explains this bizarre new economy of malware affiliate marketing... See More About:  malware  malware attack  'Seinfeld' Is the Most Popular Modern Password? This is fascinating. For whatever reason, "seinfeld" , "password", "peanut" and "bailey" are 4 of the most common English language passwords. This is according to I.T. expert, Troy Hunt, who analyzed the hacker results of the recent Sony Pictures and Sony Music network attacks. Here are some of the interesting patterns around how people choose personal passwords... See More About:  passwords  hackers  hacking 4 Secrets Wireless Hackers Don't Want You to Know Did you know that WEP encryption and MAC filtering are useless defenses against hackers? Did you know that remote administration of your router is a prime entry point for intruders? And did know you that public hotspots are candy for session hijackers? About.com explains wireless hacker secrets here... See More About:  wireless network security  Use Google 2-Step Verification to Protect Your Gmail Gmail is excellent. Alas, the shine goes away fast if you get hacked and the intruders use your Gmail to launch social engineering attacks. We have some advice, though: with a simple 10-minute process, you can lock up your Gmail much more tightly than the defaults normally allow. Computers Ads Computers Learn Hacking Best Deals Computers PC Desktop Computers Black Hat Featured Articles Your Mac's Hidden Voice Six Easy Ways to Tell if a Virus Really is a Virus The 30 Best Hacker Movies Skype Coming to the iPad Firefox 5 Released Is Your Windows PC Safe?   More from About.com Living with Depression From the little things (managing household chores), to the more challenging (learning to forgive) these eight tips can help you manage depression. More> Symptoms of Depression Concerned that you or someone you love may be depressed? Learn more about the symptoms of this condition, including some you might not expect. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Computers newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2011 About.com   Advertisement