G J Web Services

What images can I use from the internet?

Please be extremely careful with this you can end up in extremely large court battles over images on the internet. Just because you can see it does not mean it is free to use. Continue reading “What images can I use from the internet?”

Banners are every where and they are all different…

Most websites have banners of some sort these days, or sometimes they are called covers and many things need to be taken into consideration when creating them not simply the size, which is very important… Continue reading “Banners are every where and they are all different…”

I love creating new logos for clients

The one thing I love more than creating new logos for clients is when they are so excited by them 🙂

How do I create a logo?

There are a few things to think about… Do you want a custom designed logo or are you going to try to make one yourself?

Logos are very important to branding your business. Continue reading “How do I create a logo?”

What are Domain Names?

A domain name or website address is a bit like an address for your house it tell people where they can find your website. It is the bit between the www. and the .com. Continue reading “What are Domain Names?”

Under Construction – Come Back Again Soon

Is your Smart Phone’s Flash Light spying on you?

That is a great question and after listening to this video by Gary Miliefskynt, I have to say I checked mine and it was 12MB and I have uninstalled it and I am doing further investigation.

However I have done some further investigation and according to Truth or Fiction :

“A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint against the developer of a popular flashlight app has raised security concerns, but the full extent of vulnerabilities with other flashlight apps hasn’t been verified by the TruthorFiciton.com team.”

Truth or Fiction go onto to state that the Flash Light that SnoopWall recommend is one that they themselves make and therefore they are implying that their is a vested interest here and there could well be some exaggeration about the dangers.

Snopes.com quoted the Guardian with

“developers are often asking for far greater power over a user’s device, in order to collect data and sell it on to marketers and ad networks. It’s the latest reminder that if you’re not paying for an app, its business model may well involve selling your data.” Or, as Jeff Werner of the Northwest Florida Daily News observed:

“Personally, I’m inclined to believe that there are apps out there that are sending personal data to places where that data has no business going, [but] I would be surprised if it was limited to flashlight apps. At the end of the day, it’s important for you to make your own decisions. Be informed, but don’t believe every last thing you see or read on the Internet. When it comes to your smartphone, because of the unique nature of the data it contains, and the sites that many of us access with it, be very careful which apps you choose to install. The fewer apps you select, and the more mainstream they are, the less vulnerable you will be to theft of your data.“

Read more at http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/flashlight.asp#k7kuZzF1O8LrDBOd.9″

What this does highlight though is the need to take security with your Smart Phone more seriously, check what your app is trying to access and potentially switch of unnecessary services when you are not using them.

For example if your phone is simply sitting around waiting for a phone call turn off your WiFi, Bluetooth and 4G. Turn off, “Force Stop” on apps that you are not using. If you are not sure how to do this go to YouTube or Google and search for an answer.

There are multiple benefits to this, a you will decrease the security threat even if it is just marginally but you will also improve your batteries performance as running all of these services chews through extra power.

5 Ways to Secure Your Wireless Router

I was reading a blog post from Veracity today http://www.veracity.com.au/blog/5-ways-to-secure-your-company-s-wireless-router/ and it had some great information that doesn’t simply apply to business.

Most attacks on home or business networks can simply be prevented by some very simple changes.

Here are some of the simple steps that they suggest, and I will point out this is not an exhaustive list.

1. Change the Default Password

This sounds pretty simple, right?

You maybe surprised to know that most modems have a generic username and password that are standard as in usually they are admin and password. This should be changed as soon as it is installed and make sure you will remember it.

There are countless ideas on passwords and how to come up with a good one but generally speaking a mix of numbers, letters and symbols both upper and lower case is a good start try a phrase maybe “WillThisPasswordBeOk1” seriously don’t use that be creative and avoid using things people can guess.

2. Change the Default SSID

Ok this one can be a big issue. Have you ever turned on your WiFi to try to log in and found that there are 6 people in your neighborhood who have a modem from the same provider? They all have very similar names don’t they?

So change yours to something you know, feel free to have some fun here, one of my neighbors has “milk makes the cookies wet”. You could use “Have a great day” and bring some joy to your area. I will ask that you be sensitive here and remember that small children can potentially see this and please do not go out of your way to be offensive to people…

Remember we want to build a better world, bring some light and laughter to the world there is already too much darkness and fear.

3. Disable Remote Management

This one is important to disable, remember with all of these Google is your friend, do a quick search on your brand of modem and you should find instructions.

If for some reason down the track you need some IT help and someone needs to login you can always reactivate it.

4. Enable WPA2

This is an industry standard and all of the others have known vulnerabilities and are best avoided.

WPA2 is designed to protect networks and data and uses some pretty good encryption algorithms (math stuff) to do it.

Again if you do not know how Google it!

5. Keep Firmware Up-to-Date

Check on your manufacturers website for this one, it will let you know when there is an update.

If you find any of this too technical feel free to get in touch and if you are local we are happy to do a call out for a reasonable rate.