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Because wireless networks can be accessed by anyone with a compatible wireless network adapter, most models of wireless network adapters and WAPs provide for encryption options. Some devices with this feature enable you to set a security code known as an SSID on the wireless devices on your network. This seven-digit code prevents unauthorized users from accessing your network and acts as an additional layer of security along with your normal network authentication methods, such as user passwords. Other wireless network adapters and WAPs use a list of authorized MAC numbers to limit access to authorized devices only.

All Wi-Fi products support at least 40-bit encryption through the wired equivalent privacy (WEP) specification, but the minimum standard on newer products is 64-bit WEP encryption. Many vendors also offer 128-bit or 256-bit encryption on some of their products. However, the WEP specification is insecure. It is vulnerable to brute-force attacks at shorter key lengths, and it is also vulnerable to differential cryptanalysis attacks, which is the process of comparing an encrypted text with a known portion of the plain text and deriving the key by computing the difference between them. Because WEP encrypts TCP headers, hackers know what the headers should contain in many cases, and they can attempt to find patterns in a large body of collected WEP communications in order to decrypt the key. The attack is complex and difficult to automate, so it is unlikely to occur for most networks, especially at key lengths greater than 128 bits. Furthermore, WEP does not prevent an intruder from attaching a hidden WAP on the network and using it to exploit the network.

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\\ tags: CCNA

Red Hat is a company in the free and open source software sector, and a major Linux distribution vendor. It is based in California, and caters to worldwide operations. It is not only respected for its technical proficiency, but also for the social initiatives taken by it. Red Hat engineers are part of the “One laptop per child” initiative. It is one of the few rare companies to involve itself in the dissemination of technology and information – worldwide, and at all economic levels and social orders.

Alongside this, Red Hat has always managed to be at the forefront of interactive media – by making it appeal to the target audience in the best way possible.

Benefits of Red Hat Certification Programs:

Red Hat certifications are among the most respected credentials in IT. They are a judge of whether the candidate can perform real world tasks based on his knowledge and experience. So it requires one to be an expert in all the red hat products. And this is what the certification does – prove that you are an expert in the handling of Red Hat products, and can be relied on for any technical assistance.

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\\ tags: Red Hat

This article will cover a few points that you will be tested for the CCNA regarding the configuration of basic Cisco IOS router operation. IOS (Internetwork Operating System) is the software operating system running on most Cisco network devices, including switches and routers. To configure any Cisco network device you need to master the Cisco IOS Configuration Commands and use the Command Line Interface (CLI) to configure and troubleshoot a Cisco device.

How to connect to a Router in order to Configure it:

You can connect to a Cisco IOS Router either directly or remotely. For the first time when the device is not configured yet, you usually connect directly with a console cable via the CON port or remotely by dialing into a modem connected to the AUX port. These are called “out-of-band” connection methods. After you configure the router and assign IP addresses to its interfaces, you can connect to the router from the network with an “in-band” connection method using Telnet or SSH.

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\\ tags: CCNA

Today on Day 2 of MIX09, Internet Explorer General Manager Dean Hachamovitch during his keynote this morning in Las Vegas announced the availability of the final release of Internet Explorer 8 to download and install on their PCs.

Click here to download Internet Explorer 8!

Internet Explorer 8 is available for the following Windows releases: Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista (RTM), SP1 and SP2.

With Internet Explorer 8, common tasks on the Web are faster and easier. I’d like to take a moment and highlight how I am using Internet Explorer 8 today to quickly accomplish tasks that important to me. It all starts with my favorite Internet Explorer 8 feature – the Favorites Bar. The Favorites Bar in Internet Explorer 8 gives people quick access to information such as their top favorites and Web Slices.

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\\ tags: IE8, Internet Explorer, Software

Just a few hours ago, Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President for Windows and Windows Live Engineering, did his keynote here at PDC2008 unveiling Windows 7 to the world for the first time. Steven asked Julie Larson-Green, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Experience, to come up on stage and demo specific Windows 7 features that I think you’ll find very exciting. I’d like to take a moment and share some notes I took live here from PDC from his keynote about those features that they demoed.

It’s important to note that many of these features that were demoed during the Keynote were from more recent Windows 7 build and didn’t make it into the Windows 7 build being handed out to attendees here at PDC – but we wanted to show them off to you anyway.

Ok now on to my notes on the features demoed here from PDC (not in any specific order)! I also hope to try and add a little more context to the features that were demoed.

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\\ tags: Windows 7

I only met my brother’s ex-girlfriend’s family once — the year they invited our family over to share Thanksgiving dinner. Since we were basically a group of strangers looking to make a good first impression, the table conversation was nothing more than friendly idle chitchat.

When I asked our hostess for more mashed potatoes, she took the opportunity to ask me about myself while dishing out my second helping — “So Shaun, what do you do for a living?”

Hesitantly, I responded: “I work in computer support.”

The transition to silence was immediate. All eyes suddenly turned to me, raised eyebrows all around. If you hadn’t heard my response, judging from everyone’s reaction you might think I said something outrageous like I was a male stripper or a gynecologist — but I knew the awkward silence would soon be broken by an overwhelming outpouring of computer questions.

“Oh wow, a computer guy!” — “So you know how to remove spyware and viruses and stuff, right?” — “Our family computer is really slow, I think it has a virus.” — “Do you have a business card, or can I get your number?”

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We’ve been hearing about it for years, and now it’s finally happening: There’s a new version of USB on the way, and it’s going to be ten times faster than its predecessor. Launching next Monday is USB 3.0, and the good news is that it’s backward-compatible with our old friend, USB 2.0. You can see the two new plugs above, with the one on top the standard USB 3.0 plug that will fit in current USB sockets, and the smaller one pictured underneath destined for portable devices such as cell phones and music players.

You can plug these cables into old USB devices, but of course, you won’t get that blazing speed unless that device’s innards have the new USB 3.0 hardware inside. Expect computers and other geegaws to be equipped with this speedy new system before too long. Besides that faster speed, the new protocol will feature better power management, and optical cabling inside, too. Neat.

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Ultra Mobile Personal Computers (UMPC’s) can be thought of as mini laptops aimed at the more mobile segments of today’s consumer market. If you are a casual computer user, traveling salesman or a student, carrying around a heavy full-sized notebook is probably daunting and unnecessary.

That’s where the UMPC comes in: It’s slim form factor, light weight and low voltage processor make it ideal for those who need a thin and light road warrior.

While not all UMPCs have a long 3+ hour battery life, manufacturers are certainly getting there this year with Intel’s new Atom Processors which promise lower power consumption at the same clock cycles.

Scroll down to see 14 of the hottest UMPC models under 10 inches!

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Playing back digital audio has turned into a regular experience for most computer users thanks in part to a variety of formats that helped make audio smaller in size, allowing simple methods of digital distribution. There are many different formats that serve many different purposes. Need to know FLAC from MP3? We’ve broken down each format and its main purpose in this audio formats primer.

MP3

The most popular audio format, and the one that largely changed music as we know it, is called MP3. MP3 is a relatively old format and part of the first set of MPEG specifications governing the playback of both audio and video. MP3 actually stands for MPEG1 layer 3, and because of the name some people often confuse it with the audio/video standards MPEG-2 and MPEG-4.

MP3 is a lossy codec, which means when files are encoded to MP3, the encoder chooses which parts of the audio are most important, and discards other less important parts. This process results in audio files that are passable, but less complete than the original file. Depending on the bitrate at which the file is encoded, more information can be kept or thrown out. This “lossy” nature, like all MPEG codecs, makes it an ideal candidate as a delivery format, meaning a format for mass consumption, rather than an archival format. MP3 doesn’t have any sort of digital rights management (DRM) built-in, meaning most MP3s can be transferred to any device and be expected to play.

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\\ tags: FLAC, MP3, WAV

The 20th century has been all about one thing: innovation. Every year we have new technologies and new advancements that further progress our society. 2008 was no different and offered its own assortment of technological innovations and hot gadgets.

Below is a listing of some of the most beneficial, and some of the most popular gadgets and gear to come out of 2008. They serve to improve your home, the economy, or life in general.

1. Slingbox SOLO
   
   The Slingbox SOLO is a media unit that allows you to watch your TV from anywhere, either on your laptop or on your cell phone. The SOLO syncs to equipment such as your set top box, DVR, or satellite system and transmits HD-quality signals to wherever you are. You can watch your own TV from work, from China, or from the North Pole. The system costs a mere $179.99.

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\\ tags: Gadgets