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Apple helps you protect your iTunes Store account

If you have recently purchased one of Apple's mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) you most likely have set up an iTunes Store account to easily access music, movies, podcasts, and applications. Occasionally users report phishing attacks (emails designed to trick people into giving third party hackers password information) that target iTunes Store accounts. The following article details what to do if your account is compromised and some best practices for keeping it secure in the future.

The first rule of thumb is to never enter your iTunes Store account information in any website that is not Apple's and … Read more

Is your 802.11n Wi-Fi feeling sluggish? This simple solution could help

With many routers now transmitting Wi-Fi signals using the 802.11n standard (including all of Apple's current router offerings), some users may find that they are unable to take advantage of the increased speeds. This is most likely due to the password settings users have chosen for their network.… Read more

Word password

Decryption specialists PSW-soft's Guaranteed Word Decrypter (GuaWord) is a simple command-line utility for decrypting DOC files used in Microsoft's Word 97 and 2000 and Word XP, 2002, and 2003 in its default (40-bit) mode. It won't decrypt files from Word versions prior to 97, French versions of Word, Word files using newer 128-bit or 256-bit encryption, or other passwords such as read-only passwords; the developer offers other tools for those jobs. It doesn't recover passwords, either; it simply removes them. But for opening compatible Word files, it's a fine tool, if a bit old-school.

GuaWord'… Read more

PDF cracker

The software world is full of PDF utilities from the four corners of the globe. PSW-soft's Guaranteed PDF Decrypter (GuaPDF) is an example; its developers' page is called Russian Password Crackers, which sounds like something out of the Cold War but in fact is a group specializing in cryptosecurity. GuaPDF is designed to remove various restrictions from PDF files, up to 256-bit key encryption, and to decrypt 40-bit key passwords of any length in any language. It can also harness the processing power of Nvidia CUDA-capable graphics cards to accelerate decryption.

GuaPDF downloads as a ZIP file but opens … Read more

PDF protection

PDF files hold so much information these days that it's inevitable that some of it will be worth protecting from prying eyes. A PDF encryption utility, like GetPDF's Encryptor Decryptor 3.0, can help you keep your files secure. It will not only protect your PDFs with passwords but will also allow or disallow a wide range of access options and changes, such as printing, copying, signing, merging, assembling, filling, or extracting files. It also decrypts PDFs, with the right password, and verifies the passwords of protected files.

This tool's interface is well-laid-out, with clear field descriptors … Read more

Log-in lockdown

As more and more aspects of our lives move online, it gets harder and harder to keep track of user names, passwords, personal identification numbers, and all the other bits of sensitive info that we need to remember. Although online accounts have made many tasks more convenient, creating log-ins that are both memorable and secure can be quite a hassle. Password Manager XP Professional is a simple solution to this problem, providing a very secure but easy-to-access place to store all your most personal information.

The program's interface is basic and intuitive, and we had no trouble getting started. … Read more

Survey: 63% don't change passwords very often

Security firm Symantec on Friday released results of a survey on password management that showed 63 percent of respondents don't change their passwords very often, 45 percent use a few passwords that they alternate for all accounts, and some 10 percent don't change their passwords at all.

These are a startling numbers as, according to the survey, 44 percent of respondents said they have more than 20 accounts that require a password.

Worst of all, the survey also found that about 10 percent of respondents have used their pet's name as a password. This is as bad … Read more

Beware the new Facebook password reset scam

If you get an e-mail that appears to be from Facebook saying the company reset your password and urging you to open an attachment, it is a scam. Repeat, it is a scam.

McAfee warned people in a blog post on Wednesday to beware of an e-mail that appears to come from Facebook urging recipients to open an attachment to get their new password.

The attachment contains a password stealer that targets Windows computers and which can potentially access any username and password combination used on the computer, not just the login credentials for Facebook.

"This threat is potentially … Read more

Automatic data filler

Form Auto Fill provides a great tool for saving time when filling out repetitive fields online. Though its functionality ultimately won out, it took a little head-scratching to navigate a few bumps in the road.

Form Auto Fill's interface is stark and feels intuitive at first. However, after a few minutes of unsuccessfully setting up our autofill options, things were obviously more complicated than we'd imagined. Luckily, the step-by-step Help file leads users through the operational basics. The program is actually pretty simple to use: a hot-key combination records all fillable fields on a Web site. It creates … Read more