Fix your 10 common Wi-Fi problems(last five)

6. Which wireless channel should I use?
Wireless 802.11b and 802.11g routers have at least 11 channels, and most routers come set to channel 6 as the default. If you experience interference--from a neighbor's router, for instance--you can change your channel to solve the problem. Channels 1, 6, and 11 are non-overlapping channels; other channels overlap a bit. So if your neighbor's network uses channel 6, change your router to 1 or 11. You'll typically find channel settings on the router's basic wireless settings page. Just click the drop-down menu and select an alternate channel, then save the settings.

7. How do I share files on a wireless network?
First, you'll need to set up a workgroup and make sure that all PCs are assigned to the same workgroup. Next, enable file sharing in Windows. First, right-click on the folder you want to share, choose Sharing and Security from the right-click context menu, then click the Sharing tab. Put checks in the boxes labeled "Share this folder on a network" and "Allow network users to change my files" to enable others to modify the documents. Finally, click OK.

8. Should I allow other people to access my Wi-Fi service? What are the dangers?
Some users see no harm in sharing the Wi-Fi love, giving neighbors and even total strangers free access to the Internet. Others maintain that piggybacking can open their networks to potential danger. The decision is yours, but if you choose not to encrypt, make sure to disable file sharing. Assuming you have your hardware firewall turned on, the worst that probably will happen is that your throughput will drop if your piggybacking neighbors crank up BitTorrent every evening. If you want to determine whether others are using your unsecured network, most routers have a page that lists all the wireless clients currently connected.

Most people, however, are not comfortable with the idea of allowing just anyone to use their wireless service. In theory, the practice can make your network vulnerable to hackers, since anyone who uses your wireless signal is on your home network. Malevolent users, for instance, could release nasty viruses or hijack your PC. That's not terribly likely, but you should avoid the possibility by using WPA to protect yourself and keep others off your network.

9. Should I worry about packet sniffers grabbing my information when I browse the Web at public hotspots?
Yes, you should at least consider this possibility, although whether you do anything about it depends on the sensitivity of your data and your level of paranoia. Anyone can install packet-sniffing software that will enable him or her to eavesdrop on what you do at a public hotspot. These snoops can read your emails and see what Web sites you visit, but they will not have access to the files on your laptop, unless you have file sharing enabled. Also, they cannot see any messages or Web pages sent over the secure server connections typically used by banks and e-commerce sites. (Look for https:// in the URL.)

If you use a VPN to access your corporate network, you can use it at hotspots to encrypt all transmissions and shield them from packet sniffers. If you don't have a corporate VPN but frequently use public hotspots, you might consider a consumer VPN service such as the PersonalVPN from Witopia (US$39.99 per year, www.witopia.net) or BlowFish from HotSpotVPN (US$10.88 to US$13.88 per month, www.hotspotvpn.com). These employ powerful 128-bit encryption to protect your data as it is transmitted.

10. What is a hardware firewall? If my router has one, do I need to run the Windows firewall or other third-party firewall software?
Most wireless routers have a hardware firewall that safeguards the network by providing both incoming and outgoing protection. A hardware firewall will include network address translation (NAT) capabilities that make your PC invisible to anyone trying to attack it. If you enable the hardware firewall, you probably don't need a third-party software firewall. You should still run the Windows firewall, however, because it keeps a low profile and will stop basic worms if your PC gets hit by a drive-by downloader.

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Fix your 10 common Wi-Fi problems

1. I cannot connect to my router. How do I resolve this?
This is a wide-open problem with an almost limitless range of causes and solutions, but here are several actions that might do the trick. First, make sure your router is configured for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). If it is, try disabling and re-enabling the DHCP function. If that doesn't work, disable wireless security and see if you get a connection; sometimes a mismatched Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key can drop the IP address. You should also check for electrical interference from competing devices such as cordless phones, baby monitors, alarm systems, and microwave ovens. Disable all suspect devices, then recheck your Wi-Fi connection. If all else fails, reboot the router and all computers on your network.

2. What steps should I take to secure my Wi-Fi network?
Routers typically offer at least two common forms of security: WEP, and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) encryption. Both are easy to enable, although you'll get maximum protection from WPA. To activate security, go to your router's browser-based administration tool (the default address for most routers is http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1) and look for the wireless security area. WPA requires you to enter a simple security phrase (eight to 63 characters), or, with some routers, a more secure (but much harder to remember) 64-digit key. Similarly, WEP demands that you choose from 64-bit or 128-bit encryption, and enter an alphanumeric hex phrase, with some routers giving you the option to enter a simpler ASCII phrase. In addition to enabling wireless security, you can also disable the broadcasting of the Service Set Identifier (SSID, or network name). Doing so can make the network more difficult for hackers to see. Also, make sure to enable the router's hardware firewall (more on that later), and change the router's default password. And do not enable file sharing, unless you really use it. This will safeguard your personal files from interlopers.

3. How do I open ports on my router?
Certain functions and applications--personal Web servers, IP Webcams, home FTP servers, and online games--require that you open ports on your router to allow outside requests to be sent to an internal computer on a home network. This procedure, called port forwarding, is pretty straightforward. First, you'll need to find out which ports you need to open for your particular application or service. Then, you'll open those ports on the router. All models vary slightly, but the process is similar. Open your router's configuration tool, and find a tab labeled Port Forwarding. Enter the service or software name, then type the Start Port and End Port numbers. If you're opening one port, enter the same number in both fields. Select TCP as the protocol, then click OK. Check your router's Web site for instructions for your specific brand or take a look at Port Forward, for help.

4. How do I extend the range of my wireless signal?
Improving a wireless signal is an inexact science that's part voodoo, part trial and error. No two homes are alike, and no two solutions will work for everyone, but here are some common guidelines. First, position your antenna on a high perch clear of obstructions. (The wireless signal radiates down.) Keep in mind that certain things will interfere with the signal: Objects with high water content, metal, and dense building materials such as brick, stucco, and concrete. So avoid blocks of liquid (fish tanks and water coolers), and metal pipes and construction.

If antenna positioning doesn't help, you can get an extender (or "repeater"), such as the Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander WRE54G. Devices like this will boost your range from 50 to 75ft, but they can be tricky because they require setup and configuration. A somewhat easier (if visually less elegant) approach is Wireless Garden's Super Cantenna. This tripod-mounted, high-gain antenna connects to your router and can be pointed at a specific area to amplify the signal. It's easy to set up, but it ain't pretty.

5. How do I automatically connect to a Wi-Fi network without having to manually connect the first time?
If you just want to connect fast to any available network, you can set your notebook to do so automatically. Go to Control Panel > Network Connections and right-click your current wireless network. Then click Properties > Wireless Networks > Advanced. Make sure the radio button next to "Any available network (access point preferred)" is on, then check the box "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks."

next five will be posted on next blog...

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6 Steps to Secure Your Home Wireless Network

Most of you might have enabled wireless encryption, which is only one of the 6 steps mentioned in this article to make your wireless network safe and secure from hackers.

1. Enable Encryption

Let us start with the basics. Most of the wireless router has the encryption disabled by default. Make sure to enable either WPA or WPA2 wireless encryption. Click on Wireless -> Wireless Security , to enable the encryption and assign a password .

Following are the different wireless encryption options available.

• WEP (Wired Equivalent Protection) 64-bit and 128-bit: WEP is an old wireless encryption standard. Never use WEP encryption, which can be hacked within seconds.
• WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access): WPA-PSK is also refered as WPA-Personal. This is a new version of wireless encryption standard and more secure than WEP. Most of the wireless adapters on your laptop will support WPA.
• WPA2: This is the latest wireless encryption standard that provides the best encryption. Always use WPA2, if both your wireless router and laptop wireless adapter supports it.

2. Change the SSID name

SSID (Service Set Identifier) refers to the name of your wireless connection, that you see on the “Available Wireless Connections” list from your laptop while connecting. Changing the wireless name itself doesn’t offer any protection, but usually discourages a hacker, as they know that you’ve taken some steps to secure your wireless connection. Click on Wireless -> Basic wireless settings -> Change the “Wireless Network Name (SSID):”.

3. Disable SSID broadcast

You can avoid your wireless name from getting displayed on “Available Wireless Connections” on all your neighbors laptop. This can be done by instructing the wireless router not to broadcast the name to everybody. Once you’ve disabled the SSID broadcast, the first time when someone wants to connect to your wireless network, you need to provide the name to them. Click on Wireless -> Basic wireless settings -> Click on the Disable radio-button next to “Wireless SSID Broadcast”

4. Enable MAC filtering

Even after you have performed the above item#1 - #3, a very determined hacker may still get access to your network. The next security step is to allow wireless access only to your trusted laptops, by allowing wireless connection only to known MAC address. MAC (Media Access Control) address is an unique identifier attached to most network adapters. In this case, this should be the unique identifier of your laptop wireless adapter. On Linux, do ifconfig from the command prompt to get wireless hardware address. On windows, do ipconfig /all from the command prompt to identify the MAC address as shown below.

C:>ipconfig /all
Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : socal.rr.com
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-Card
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00:1A:92:2B:70:B6

Click on Wireless -> Wireless MAC filter -> Click on Enable radio-button next to “Wireless MAC filter” -> Click on “Permit only PCs listed to access the wireless network” radio-button.
Click on Edit MAC filter list and add the MAC address of your laptop to this list. If you want to allow access to more than one laptop, add the MAC address of all the laptops to this list and click on “Save Settings”.

5. Change password for Web Access

The default password for wireless web access are the same for the specific model of a wireless router assigned by the manufacturer. Change the default password of the wireless router web access to a strong password. Follow The Ultimate Guide For Creating Strong Passwords to choose a strong password. Click on Administration -> Management, to change the password as shown in.

6. Disable administrative access through web

As a final step, make sure to disable web administrative access through wireless. Once you do this, to make any configuration changes to the wireless router, you can always use ethernet cable connection from your laptop to configure the wireless. Click on Administration -> Management -> Disable radio-button next to “Wireless Access Web”.

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MOST COMMON MOBILE VIRUS ABOUT WHICH U SHOULD KNOW

Cabir: This infects mobile phones running on Symbian OS. When a phone is infected, the message 'Caribe' is displayed on the phone's display and is displayed every time the phone is turned on. The worm then attempts to spread to other phones in the area using wireless Bluetooth signals.

Duts: A parasitic file infector virus and is the first known virus for the PocketPC platform. It attempts to infect all EXE files in the current directory (infects files that are bigger than 4096 bytes)

Skulls: A trojan horse piece of code. Once downloaded, the virus, called Skulls, replaces all phone desktop icons with images of a skull. It also will render all phone applications, including SMSes and MMSes useless

Commwarrior: First worm to use MMS messages in order to spread to other devices. Can spread through Bluetooth as well. It infects devices running under OS Symbian Series 60. The executable worm file once launched hunts for accessible Bluetooth devices and sends the infected files under a random name to various devices.

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Tips and tricks avoiding virus attack on your mobile phone

If you had affected your mobile phone attack by virus that causes your mobile phone was error or your important data were lost then here are some tips that you can apply to your mobile phone to avoid any attack from the virus.

1. Make sure the Bluetooth in the hidden condition mode

If you have a Bluetooth mobile phone, make sure that these features are hidden in the invisible mode, or to prevent other Bluetooth devices to detect your device unless you really will. In addition, turn off Bluetooth when not in use. This step will be enough to protect your phone from virus attacks that spread through Bluetooth.

2. Be careful receive from foreign sender

When a accepting applications sent via Bluetooth or MMS to open the attachment, be careful of the possibility of malicious programs. Make sure the attachment originated from trusted sources. Even if the attachment originated from a friend, you better not open it and remove them if there is content that is not familiar.

3. Download from trusted sources

Make sure you always download content from a trusted source of official threats. However, be careful because the hacker can make the source of download like trusted indeed.

4. Use anti virus

Some have been offered special software to keep your phone from the threat of viruses. Use if you feel need.
5. Contact your phone producers

If you think your mobile phone has been infected, immediately contact your mobile phone producers to take appropriate steps to avoid the damage.

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How dowe know if our phone has a virus?

Different viruses affect your phone in different ways, but common signs are: Your phone runs much more slowly than usual
# You can’t access any of your files or only some of them
# Your icons have disappeared/changed to all the same icon
# You can’t see any text on your phone
# Your phone bill has increased suddenly, but you haven’t been using it more than usual
# Your phone resets itself on a monthly basis
# Your battery doesn’t last as long as usual
This list is not exhaustive, so if you notice your phone behaving in an unusual manner you may have a virus on your phone.

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how firewall can prevent your computer from hacking

Computer FireWall's: Computer users are unaware that the Internet user's can access your PC just as they can access the Internet. If you use DSL or a cable modem to access the Net, you most likely have a static IP address assigned by your provider, which means that your machine is permanently exposed to the Internet. We've all heard about hackers ranging from so called Script Kiddies launching mostly annoying hacks, to professional hackers trying to vandalize or break into corporate networks. Here you'll find a list of the best Firewall programs, plus some tips to avid getting hacked!

Here are some tips to avoid getting your computer hacked:
1. Turn off file sharing if you don't need it. If a port scan is done on your computer, a hacker may find a back door to your machine and have access to your files via file sharing.
2. Don't open attachments. Will help you avoid the installation of Trojan horses and viruses.
3. Don't let other people onto your computer unless you really trust them. A great way to do this is to password protect your compute.
4. Use an up to date antivirus program and keep it up-to-date. If you don't have a antivirus program get one!
5. This is extremely important, Routinely update Windows software. The updates will fix many bugs and known security holes within the Windows operating system.
6. Use a firewall if you have a constant Internet connection. More information below.
7. The best way to protect your PC from Internet intruders is to install and set up a firewall.

Corporations usually run expensive hardware-based firewall's to protect their networks, but for the individual's PC, I recommend personal firewall software. Firewall's not only protect your system from hackers, they also keep unauthorized programs from accessing the Web. If you have a Cable/DSL Router (Linksys) that's all the firewall for your home or small business needs, I'm a fan of hardware-based firewall's. You don't need to install the the firewall software and it doesn't take up any of your computer resources. You can easily add more computers to the network and they're all protected under that single firewall. Using Software Based Firewall: If you want to feel safer or sometimes hardware firewall's isn't available for example, when your traveling with your laptop you may feel more comfortable turning on your software-based firewall.

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A Dozen Dangerous Myths About Computer Viruses

One of the reasons viruses have become such a threat to modern computer systems is the fact that
today’s viruses are different in almost every way from what they were a few years ago. But most
computer users aren’t aware of these changes. Consequently, their idea of adequate protection
against viruses, worms, and Trojan horses is likely to be far less than what is necessary.

All of the following statements are beliefs commonly held about viruses, and all are myths. In most
cases the statement was true a few years ago, but certainly not in now:

1. They are created by bored, sociopathic teenagers and vandals – Most viruses today are writ-
ten for the express purpose of making money; many are produced “on contract” for criminals
or unscrupulous operators.
2. You’ll know when your computer is infected by a virus – Modern viruses generate more cash
for their creators every minute they remain on an infected computer; they will go to extreme
measures to reduce the likelihood of detection.
3. If you’ve backed up your data, you don’t need to worry about virus infection – The end result
of a modern virus infection is far more extensive than deleted or corrupted files on your hard
drive; confidential or sensitive files may have been compromised, with no obvious symptoms
on the infected computer.
4. It’s safe to reuse the same backup media every time you back up your data – Since the symptoms of a virus infection may not be obvious, the files that were backed up last week, or even
last month, could contain the virus as well.
5. If your computer has anti-virus software installed, you don’t need to worry about virus infection – Today’s viruses, worms, and Trojan horses can sometimes elude detection by even the
best Anti-Virus software; and if your virus definitions are not up to date, your exposure is
greatly magnified.
6. Viruses are only transmitted through e-mail attachments – Some viruses are activated as
soon as the infected e-mail message is opened, even without an attachment.
7. The only attachments that can hurt you are .exe files – There are more than 40 file types, or
extensions, that may contain or spread a virus; some of the most common today are .com,
.cpl, .eml, .exe, .pif, .reg, .scr, .vbs, and .zip.
8. It’s safe to open attachments from senders you recognize – Most e-mail messages that con-
tain virus-infected attachments will appear to come from someone familiar to you; the virus
“spoofs” the From address, to mislead the recipient into a false sense of security.
9. Viruses only come through e-mail – There are many other ways a modern virus can spread,
including malicious links on Web sites, through Chat or Instant Messenger sessions, or across
a Local Area Network (LAN); some generate random IP addresses and attempt to infect any
computer with a corresponding address.
10. The Preview Pane is a safe, convenient way of previewing your e-mail messages – The Pre-
view Pane in Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express is a convenient feature, but it is also a
major security weakness that has been exploited by numerous viruses.
11. Viruses can only spread to e-mail addresses in your address book – Viruses that do spread
via e-mail look for the target addresses in other files on the infected computer; these may be
files with an extension of .doc, .eml, .mdb, .xls, or those associated with other common office
applications or databases.
12. Only Windows-based computers are susceptible to viruses – In a recent week, the National
Cyber Alert System identified 90 new or updated vulnerabilities; of these, 12% targeted
Windows systems, 50% affected Unix/Linux, and 38% affected multiple Operating Systems.

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The Top Ten Email-Viruses: How to Protect Yourself from All Viruses

What are the current top ten email viruses? How does one protect his or her computer from them?. This article is going to explore it.


1.The most often reported computer virus is the Netsky/32-P. It was a mass mailing worm which spreads by e-mailing itself to addresses
obtained from local hard drives.

The worm will also copy itself to peer-to-peer shared folders as a variety of files. There are too many of them to list all here, but they are all related to popular topics, obviously designed to catch the eye of the public. Some of the files are: Adobe Photoshop10 full.exe; Britney Spears .jpg.exe; and a variety of other files with the name of the popular topics. it can also be realted with porn.

2.The next most common virus is the W32/Mytob-AS, a mass mailing worm that attaches itself to computers through e-mail attachments and network shares. Many times the sender of this virus will send e-mail attachments that will claim the recipient has an e-mail account that will be suspended. The message may say: Your Account is Suspended; Detected Online User Violation; Your Account is Suspended for Security Reasons; Warning Message: Your services near to be closed; Email Account Suspension: Notice of Account Limitation.

The Microsoft website has a patch, MSO4-011, for the vulnerability caused by the worm.

3.The next most common virus was the W32 Bagle-Zip, a worm, downloaded as an IDE file.

4.The fourth most common virus is the W32/Nyxem-D, a worm, which turns off anti-virus programs on an infected computer, sends itself to e-mail addresses on an infected computer, deletes files off the computer, and forges the sender's e-mail address. It also uses its own e-mailing engine, downloads code from the Internet; reduces system security, and installs itself in the registry.

5.The fifth most common virus is the W32/MyDoom-O, a worm. It spreads through e-mail addresses. The worm creates a file named services.exe in the Windows or Temp folder. The worm may use search engines to find more e-mail addresses to infect.
The search engines used are Google, Lycos, Yahoo, and Altavista. The worm will typically send a message to the recipient that your e-mail could not be delivered for a variety of reasons or that it has been detected that your computer has been receiving a lot of unsolicited e-mails.

6.The next most common virus is the W32Zafi-B, a worm. It is spread through e-mail and will typically test for the presence of an Internet connection by connecting to Google or the Microsoft site.

7.The seventh most common virus is the Netsky/32-D, a worm. It is spread through e-mail. It can spoof a sender's e-mail address. It will typically have a subject line starting with, Re:, followed by such subjects as: Approved; Details; Documents; Excel file; Hello; Here; Here is the document; Hi; My details; Document; Message; Your document; Re: Thanks; Thanks; Word file; Your archive; Your bill; Your details; Your letter; Your music; Your picture; Your product; Your software; Your text; Your website.

If you receive such a worm, you will be encourage to read the enclosed file, although the exact encourage may vary.

8.The eight most common virus is the W32/Mytob-C. It is spread through e-mail attachments. It allows others access to the infected computer and sends itself to e-mail addresses found on an infected computer. It forges the sender's e-mail address.

9.The ninth most common virus is the W32/Mytob-FO. It is spread through e-mail attachments. The worm turns off anti-virus software on an infected computer. It allows others access to an infected computer, modifies data on a computer, forges a sender's e-mail address, and installs itself on the registry.

10. tenth is the W32/MyDoom-O, a worm. It is spread through e-mail. It sends itself to addresses found on an infected computer. It forges a sender's e-mail address, installs itself in the registry, and exploits system or software vulnerabilities.

We have looked at some of the characteristics of the viruses. They are all spread through e-mail or e-mail viruses. So....

1.Don't open an e-mail attachment from someone you don't know. The virus would be in the attachment, not the body of the e-mail.
2.Use a high quality anti-virus program. A variety of anti-virus software programs can be downloaded from the Internet. Some of them are even free.

3.Viruses are given in a variety of other ways, including sharing diskettes between computers (Make sure you trust a person who gives you a floppy), sharing program files (a less common way to get a virus, as program files aren't shared that often anymore), and sharing document files.

There are other things you can do to protect yourself from viruses.
1.Make back ups of important documents or files and store them on separate disks. If you use a computer in a college campus lab, reboot or run cleanup before starting your session.
2.Do not share commercial software with anyone, as this is illegal and also a good way to transfer viruses.
3. Make certain any software you obtain is from a reliable source.

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more tricks to remove virus from pen drive

Most of the pen drive viruses create an autorun.inf file in the root of the pen drive folder to load automatically when the pen drive is inserted in the system.
1. You can create a folder named autorun.inf in the root folder of pen drive to overcome this problem.
2.Set this folder to read only, system and hidden by using attrib +h +r +s autorun.inf at the command prompt of the pen drive.
3.Also you can hold SHIFT key to stop the execution of autorun.inf when you inserting the pen drive.
4.Then use your antivirus scanner to remove the infected files.

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Protect Windows from Pen Drive Viruses

Regardless of the antivirus you run in your computer there are times when nasty viruses comes from your USB pen drives to sneak into your windows system. The chances of getting infected
by unknown threats that manipulate autorun.inf method is pretty high for people who frequently using USB flash drives on their computer.

So here's a great approach to solve the problem. You can download MX ONE a small software that provides a solution to this problem . After installation it takes roughly 3 mb of your system memory without affecting overall performance of your computer. Mx one is designed to perfectly protect your computer and devices of external storage such as USB flash drives, ipod , mp3/mp4 player, sd. and many other memory cards from computer virus infection. The interface is simple and you can easily scan, update quarantine and send the virus sample by clicking the button.

features:
-Compatible with any antivirus examples:Nod32, Kapersky
Bitdefender , etc.
-Protect in real time
-Neutralize all the viruses that are going to infect the computer.
- 100% free

That's great to use. At least I find it useful.

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PREVENT PENDRIVE VIRUS

: : Do the following ::

1) Disable autorun/autoplay function of your pen drive.

2) Now plugin your pen drive and open any folder of your computer.
(Do not open any folder from ur pen drive.)

3) Now goto tools then select Folder Option
In that box mark the Show Hidden Files & Folders option.
Also Uncheck Hide Extension for known file types & Hide Protected OS files.

Now click apply and ok buttons and close that folder.

4) Nome come to desktop.
On the Desktop, click on windows Start button and select Search for files & folders.

When the search dialog box appears on the screen, in that click on All Files & Folders, now click on More Advanced Options then select search Hidden files & folders.


Now go above & in Look In option, select your pendrive letter (For example E: Or G
and hit Enter.

5) Now if you see any unknown .Exefiles, simply delete them aLL

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PHONE LACKING IMEI NUMBER FACE DEATH IN INDIA CHINESE MOIBILE

--------------------------============000000000

Mobile phone manufacturers in China have sold up to 25 million of their grey market phones in India, and those phones often lack international mobile equipment numbers.

An IMEI is a unique 15-digit code that identifies the handset. Each time a call is made, the telecommunications company uses the IMEI to identify the caller via a universal registry of phones. If a phone lacks an IMEI, the telecommunications company can still route the number to the destination, but it does not know which phone is making the call. And herein lies the problem: the Department of Telecommunications in India's Ministry of Communications and I.T. worries that these anonymous phones can be used by terrorists.

In a letter dated October 6, 2008, with memo number 20-40/2006-BS-III signed by B.L. Panwar and addressed to all mobile access providers in India, the Department of Telecommunications stated that in the interest of national security, all Indian telecom operators should focus on implementing checks of IMEI within two months. This time period has since been extended a few times, and now April 15 is the deadline. Wireless service providers in India are expected to disconnect mobile phones that lack IMEI on April 15.

While Indian mobile phone users can verify their own IMEI numbers by pressing *#06# on their handsets, the worry is what will happen if they are among the unlucky consumers who purchased a Chinese-made phone lacking an IMEI. The DoT estimates the 25 million phones lacking IMEI in India account for about 10% of the total phones used in the country. Telecom firms like Vodafone and Airtel could take a financial hit if all of a sudden these phones go out of service. Unfortunately, these phones are often used by low-income users, so to get those users back, the telecom companies might need to subsidize new phone purchases.

ChinaTechNews.com has run a few articles on the IMEI issues over the past year, and comments posted on the website showcase worries among consumers. In fact, many more comments on the website from Indians have been deleted than posted because in the rush to gain credible information, many Indian commenters have posted their personal details and phone numbers on the website in a bid to gain as much support as possible. Indian users are obviously worried.

On June 12, 2008, Henry posted this comment on ChinaTechNews.com in support of government intervention: "I think it needs the government to participant into that market by controlling the supply of the IMEI, so, people can track if their mobile phone is brand new and/or come from the quality factory. the way of branding the mobile phone or teaching the end-user to select the good phone are not worked. It's not just the bad quality factory, but also the refurbish mobile phone".

And on January 10, 2009, Dayanand writes, "I have Zhong Da T300 Dual SIM Card Phone With Dual TV & Bluetooth Function. But this model doesn't have IMEI number please help me to get IMEI or where from i can update it to my mobile Please help as early as possible".

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HOW TO REMOVE VIRUS FROM MOBILE PHONE BY SOME CODE

IF any virus has attacked your mobile, its inevitable u do something wrong, Now what to do you simply have to format your phone.
To format the phone, press *#7370#, then enter the lock code, which is the sec code of the phone.
NOTE: battery must be filled, else if format is disrupted by low battery, consequences will be disastrous

I heard the code *#7780# works too, pretty much the same i think.
For 6600 users, to format the fone, there's an alternative way.
Press and hold <3>, <*>, and the buttons, then power on fone, keep holding on the 3 buttons, till u come to a format screen. tis method ONLY works on 6600, and need not enter the sec code. BUT sec code wun be reset to default 12345

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HOW TO BLOCK YOUR LOST OR STOLEN MOBILE USING IMEI NUMBER

When you switch on our mobile phone, your mobile SIM card tries to connect with any available network. Once it finds a supported network it tries to build a network connection between your mobile handset and the nearest tower. During this connection negotiation, your SIM transfers some internal information to the network operator such as your mobile IMEI number, mobile model, version etc. This means your mobile operator keeps the record of your mobile handset number each time you try to switch on your mobile handset and use their service.

Now if you have lost your mobile handset or your phone has been stolen, you can contact your network provider to block your IMEI number. They might ask you to get a Police FIR copy first, do as they say and finally ask them to block your IMEI number. Mobile network providers use a shared hosting service for blocking IMEI numbers, which means if you have asked network ‘Airtel’ to block your mobile handset, it automatically gets blocked by network ‘VodaFone’, ‘Reliance’, ‘Idea Cellular’ and so on.

Now when that thief will switch on your mobile handset, no service providers will allow it to build any connection with them. It does not matter if he changes the mobile SIM card, since SIM card requests for the service with IMEI number and a blocked IMEI number handset will be ignored and the mobile will become an useless toy.

If you know someone from any mobile network, you can also ask him to find out the mobile number that’s being used that IMEI number. In that way you will get the mobile number that thief is using on your handset ;) Take help of mobile number tracker to track any mobile number in India.

You can find more information about your mobile handset by entering your mobile IMEI no. Go to IMEI Number Analysis and know more about your handset model, manufacturing date and some internal informations for free.

THIS IS MY ADVICE PLEASE KNOW ABOUT IMEI NUMBER ...

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Find IMEI Number of Your Mobile Phone

IMEI number or International Mobile Equipment Identity number is a unique number associated with every GSM and UMTS mobile phone and can help you find your stolen cell phone easily. Save your IMEI number today.

Find your IMEI number

To find your mobile phone IMEI number, simply dial the sequence *#06# into the phone. The unique 15 digit IMEI code of your cell phone will be instantly displayed. Copy it and keep it in a safe place so that you can find it when you phone ius misplaced or stolen. You can also find the IMEI number by checking the compliance plate under the battery.

Why is IMEI number useful?

If your mobile phone gets misplaced, lost, or stolen - you can inform the the network provider who can then put the serial number (the IMEI number for the phone) on a shared database. This list stops this particular phone from registering on any network and will be useless for anyone even if the mobile phone’s SIM card is changed!

This IMEI number is also useful to unlock mobile phones and get them working once they are found. So find and write down your IMEI number right now, with growing incidence of stolen or lost mobile phones, you never know when it might be useful!

If you know the IMEI code of a mobile phone, you can now check all known information regarding manufacturer, model type, date and country of approval. Amazing!

HOW WE GET IMEI NUMBER-----

All the mobiles have a number in-built.

It is written in it by manufacturer and it is a 16digit number this number is usefull when our mobile gets stolen.

We can block the mobile handset by using this number.


With the help of Service provider we can also recover the mobile

just press *#06# you will get a IMEI number. It works for all kinds of mobile.

Just store that number some where it is usefull if your mobile gets lost or stolen.

NOTE: Please do not post personal details about your lost phone and IMEI numbers in comments. We cant do anything about it.

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Personal Portable Security Devices Are Pocket-Sized, All-In-One Security Devices Ready For Prime Time?

Key Points • Personal portable security devices integrate cryptographically strong user authentication, such as OTPs (one-time passwords) and public key certificates with ample hardware-encrypted flash storage, all housed in a compact USB device. • The functional integration enables new usage models for secure mobile computing, such as standalone portable applications, browsers, or complete desktop environments. • PPSDs are a relatively new and evolving technology that suffers from hardware costs substantially higher than those of point products, such as encrypted storage or OTP tokens, complex deployment processes, and necessary additional management software.

USB thumb drives have become the sneakernet’s backbone, the result of plummeting prices and burgeoning capacities for flash memory. These tiny wonders are spacious enough to store an OS installation with room to spare for user data; however, they are also inherently insecure. Although vendors have addressed this shortcoming with drives incorporating hardware encryption chips, these haven’t yet achieved mass acceptance. Small USB devices have also become a common vehicle for delivering secure, two-factor user authentication.

Wouldn’t it be nice if secure storage and authentication features were combined into a compact Swiss Army knife of security? A relatively new class of products, PPSDs (personal portable security devices) “combine the flash storage of universal serial bus thumb drives with the access control and secure storage capabilities of the smart card,” says Burton Group Senior Analyst Mark Diodati. “PPSDs leverage the USB form factor, use hardware cryptographic processing to provide smart card and one-time password device services, have secure storage capabilities, and reside in a tamper-resistant container.”

The real security magic comes from the synergistic integration of the two sets of capabilities; for example, users cannot access the flash memory without first providing strong authentication. Diodati adds, “The PPSD overcomes two issue— the limited storage capability of smart cards and the relative insecurity of USB flash drives. Larry Hamid, CTO of MXI Security, says the combination allows “a device that serves multiple security functions.”

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What is Maverick Secure Mobile (MSM)?

Maverick Secure Mobile (MSM) is a security application. Secure mobile helps you protect your data, track your stolen device, retrieve your phonebook & disable the stolen device remotely.The application works in hidden mode and cannot be viewed in the device, To launch / customize this application one has to press pre defined short keys and password. After installing MSM in the device one must add “Reporting contact” in the application. Reporting contact can be your second number/friends number or any other mobile number on which you want to receive all the reports.

1. Protect your data :

In case of theft/loss, The moment SIM change is detected, Secure mobile will encrypt all the data on the device like the phonebook, images, messages etc. Now one can be assured about the privacy or misuse of the data on the device.

2. Track Device :

In case of loss/theft the application will send the phone number, device id, country code, operator name and area code(location) to the reporting device through sms. Secure Mobile will also report about activities performed on the stolen device via SMS. like Outgoing Calls Made to | Incoming Calls Received From | SMS Delivered to -----along with TEXT | New contacts Added to Phone book------Detailed

3. Retrieve Phonebook :

The most important data on any device are the contacts. Using MSM one can retrieve phonebook from the stolen device, the entire phonebook will be retrieved by sending sms contact=all from the reporting device. As soon as the stolen device receives sms it will start sending the entire phonebook through SMS, and this by using the data plan of the thief.

4. Spy Call :

If the owner calls from reporting device to the stolen device, it will be termed as Spy Call. Spy call will switch on the loudspeaker & Mic of the stolen device remotely, so that the caller can actually listen to the conversation other person is engaged in. This call will not give any notification/ ring to the stolen device. The person who receives spy call will not be able to know he is being called by owner. Even if he comes to know about spy call, he cannot disconnect the spy call.

5. Raise an alarm and disable the phone :

To disable stolen device remotely, send sms = hang from the Reporting device to the stolen device, and it will raise an alarm and start playing a loud Siren. MSM will also display a customized message. Here, one can put his Name, Address, alternate number and award amount.

6. Data Back up :

Secure Mobile has a distinctive feature of incremental Data Back up. Using this feature one can back up all the data from the device to secure remote server using GPRS. So now all your data is very much secured and you can retrieve it without any hassle.

All the above mentioned features can be used even if the SIM is not changed,

a. In case the device is lost by sending SMS “Activate” from the reporting device.

b. For Parental control of child’s mobile device by sending SMS “Track” from reporting devic

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MOBILE PHONE VIRUS

DEFINITION - A mobile phone virus is a computer virus specifically adapted for the cellular environment and designed to spread from one vulnerable phone to another. Although mobile phone virus hoaxes have been around for years, the so-called Cabir virus is the first verified example. The virus was created by a group from the Czech Republic and Slovakia called 29a, who sent it to a number of security software companies, including Symantec in the United States and Kapersky Lab in Russia. Cabir is considered a "proof of concept" virus, because it proves that a virus can be written for mobile phones, something that was once doubted.

Cabir was developed for mobile phones running the Symbian and Series 60 software, and using Bluetooth. The virus searches within Bluetooth's range (about 30 meters) for mobile phones running in discoverable mode and sends itself, disguised as a security file, to any vulnerable devices. The virus only becomes active if the recipient accepts the file and then installs it. Once installed, the virus displays the word "Caribe" on the device's display. Each time an infected phone is turned on, the virus launches itself and scans the area for other devices to send itself to. The scanning process is likely to drain the phone's batteries. Cabir can be thought of as a hybrid virus/worm: its mode of distribution qualifies it as a network worm, but it requires user interaction like a traditional virus.

Cabir is not considered very dangerous, because it doesn't cause actual damage, and because users can prevent infection by simply refusing to accept suspicious files. However, the virus's code could be altered to create more harmful malware that might, for example, delete any information stored on phones it infects, or send out fake messages purporting to be from the phone's owner.

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mCrime:-- Hacking Mobile Phones for Identity Theft

History indicates that we are at the forefront of an era in which criminal hackers develop tools and techniques to steal your money using your own cell phone.
Fifteen years ago, cell phones were so bulky and cumbersome, they had to be carried in bags or briefcases. Then they became chunky, heavy bricks. Calls dropped every other minute. Clearly, cell phones have evolved since then. Today’s cell phone is a lot more than a phone. It’s a computer, one that rivals many desktops and laptops being manufactured today. A cell phone can pretty much do everything a PC can do, including online shopping, banking, and merchant credit card processing.
Now, iPhones and other smart phones have become revolutionary computers themselves. For the next generation, the phone is replacing the PC. AT&T recently announced that they’ll be upping the speed of the latest version of their 3G network, doubling download speeds. It has been reported that the next iPhone will have 32 gigabytes. That’s more hard drive than my three year old laptop.Criminal hackers created a cocktail of viruses and spyware, which allows for the infection and duplication of a virus that gives the criminal total, remote access to the user’s data. This same technology is being introduced to cell phones as “snoopware.” Legitimate uses for snoopware on phones do exist: silently recording caller information, seeing GPS positions, monitoring kids’ and employees’ mobile web and text messaging activities. Criminal hackers have taken the snoopware and spyware technology even further. Major technology companies agree that almost any cell phone can be hacked into and remotely controlled. Malicious software can be sent to the intended victim disguised as a picture or audio clip, and when the victim clicks on it, malware is installed
One virus, called “Red Browser,” was created specifically to infect mobile phones using Java. It can be installed directly on a phone, should physical access be obtained, or this malicious software can be disguised as a harmless download. Bluetooth infared is also a point of vulnerability. Once installed, the Red Browser virus allows the hacker to remotely control the phone and its features, such as the camera and microphone.
If history is any indication of the future, mobile phones, just like computers, will soon be regularly hacked for financial gain. Prepare for mCrime in the form of credit card fraud, identity theft and data breaches.
BE CAREFULLLLLLLLL
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