Encryption and cryptographic software has been used in many different ways to make systems more secure. This article will discuss only a few ways that such software can make your system more secure, including:

Encrypting your email

Encrypting your files

Two programs are talked about that will help encrypt information. There are a lot of programs out there that will help, but these programs are good and a good place to start. They have the added benefit of both being free with source code available.

Will accessing my information be stopped with encryption?

Encryption simply makes it difficult for people to gain access to important information, like passwords or sensitive information in a file. The first thing you should know about encryption is that the algorithm that is used to encrypt can be simple or more complex and that affects how securely what you have encrypted is protected. Encryption systems have been broken when the method of encryption is understood by hackers and is easy to break.

Why should I encrypt my email?

It should be noted that email is far less secure than paper mail for two very good reasons: first, electronic data can be accessed easily over an Internet and secondly, electronic data is really simple to copy. There is a very good chance that someone has snooped around in your email despite your best intentions to stop it.

How do I encrypt my email?

There are many programs out there that can help you encrypt your email. A very popular one is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) or its Gnu offshoot GPG.

PGP self-describes itself this way: This “is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn’t have: Privacy. It does this by encrypting your mail so that nobody but the intended person can read it. When encrypted, the message looks like a meaningless jumble of random characters. PGP has proven itself quite capable of resisting even the most sophisticated forms of analysis aimed at reading the encrypted text.”

Why should I encrypt my files?

The answer to this boils down to what you store on your computer. If you have financial data with important information like social security numbers, email addresses, account numbers and passwords, then you open yourself up to losing very valuable information. Most corporate Internet security employees will attest to the widespread theft of very valuable information. As long as you are connected to the Internet you are vulnerable.

How do I encrypt my files?

AxCrypt File Encryption Software (axcrypt.sourceforge.net) Self-described as “Free Personal Privacy and Security for Windows 98/ME/NT/2K/XP with AES-128 File Encryption, Compression and transparent Decrypt and Open in the original application.”

I recently hit, by mistake, what I thought was an Explorer upgrade option. It turned out to be a pop-up appearing legitimate but really was not. It uploaded a product called Intelligent Explorer on my machine. What a nightmare!

I did some research on the web and found messages like this one from a BullGuard Antivirus Forum,

“Please help!!! I have a spyware, Trojan and Hijacker on my computer. I have run bukkguard, cwshredder and ad-aware. All have picked up the viruses and said that they have been moved/removed but when I log on the internet that damn intelligent explorer toolbar is showing”

Another message from spywareinfo Forum goes something like this:

“Hey I’m having issues with something called Internet explorer toolbar - Intelligent explorer. I can’t find a way to remove it from my comp and I really don’t want to reinstall windows. I’ve used spybot, ad-ware, and cw shredder but nothing seems to work.”

It appears that Intelligent Explorer allows other software to be downloaded to your machine and this is where the problem occurs. What is even more remarkable is that by downloading Intelligent Explorer, their license grants them the right to install software add-ins on your computer at their will. Take a look at what the software license for Intelligent Explore says (go to: ieplugins homepage to read it all):

“You grant to us the right, exercisable by us until you uninstall the Software or this agreement is otherwise terminated, to provide to you the Service of downloading and causing to be displayed advertising material on your computer, through “pop-up” or other display while you use your browser. You acknowledge and agree that installation of the Software may automatically modify toolbars and other settings of your browser. By installing the Software you agree to such modifications.”

The company, IBC incorporated, is incorporated in Belize. I really can’t believe this license!

One end user found highly objectionable pop-up advertisements generated by this software bundled with Intelligent Explorer in the form of extreme pornography.

I have yet to break this.

Intelligent Explorer is a plug-in, which can create a new home page, as well as start up and endless loop of pop-ups. You can remove the view bar, but then starting up Internet Explorer will cause it to reappear. I asked some friends to help, and no one could tell me what to do.

What I did about it:

I bought a copy of a program called XoftSpy and it removed the software. It took two scans and a reboot to do it. This is not an advertisement for this product. They advertised it was free, which it was to run, but then I had to buy it to actually fix anything. It cost me $40 and I am sure that there are freeware products out there as well, but that is what ended the nightmare for me. Other spyware products I have seen out there include spybot, NoAdware, Spyware Eliminator, Pal Spyware Remover, and Spyware C.O.P.

Let the buyer beware!

DLL or Dynamic Link Library is a set of static or dynamic links your personal computer uses to run its software. Static links are links that do not change. Dynamic links are links that are only used for one particular purpose.

It is a major part of running the Window operating system. When Windows is initially installed it automatically loads a massive number of DLL files that are used through various application programs. All DLL files are considered part of the Windows registry. Many programs share dynamic link library files.

They store functions and data required for proper application operation. Some dynamic links library files are only used by the application that installed them.

Other DLL files combine with Windows operating system to share various programs and applications. They save your disk space and consume less memory space on your personal computer. Although, DLL files are very beneficial they do come with some drawbacks. DLL errors are dynamic link library files with problem or troubled links. DLL errors happen when new software install DLL files right over the top of your existing dynamic link library file.

When the new software uses one of the older versions of the DLL file it causes dynamic link library errors. DLL errors cause computer error and malfunction. It can also give you difficulty when trying to start up your PC.

One of the most common DLL or dynamic link library errors is a missing DLL file error. Trojans and viruses often cause certain fail to load DLL errors and missing dynamic link library errors. Disabled DLL files happen when a program disables a DLL file. Dynamic link library file errors can be caused due to application reorganization issues as well. The worst DLL errors are called DLL hell. It happens when two different software programs load there own version of a standard dynamic link library file and neither application recognize the version used by the other. It is one of the hardest errors to correct.

When there are DLL errors on your computer you can fix them through several methods. Certain missing DLL errors can be easily corrected by discovering the name of the file and searching online for that particular file. Once, you have the missing file you can copy it into the appropriate directory listed within the error.

The majority of other DLL errors can be corrected through the use of registry cleaner software. Registry repair software located DLL or dynamic link library file errors and fixes them for you. The program will run an instant scan of your computer and eliminate any DLL errors it finds. It is the best personal computer program to clean DLL errors.

You should use register software weekly to keep your personal computer updated and free of DLL errors. Free registry cleaners are also available online to help eliminate DLL errors. They are a great resource to help you select the proper registry cleaner software for your PC and DLL errors.

Here’s a fact: 92% of computers run on Windows, and every 32-bit edition of Windows has a storage sector where options and settings are saved. This sector is called the registry, and it is one of the busiest databases in a computer. As such, it is one of the databases that are most susceptible to corruption and breakage. This is why the demand for an efficient registry cleaners is consistently high.

But there are many options on the internet when it comes to a quick registry fix.

Which is the best one? Which registry fix is worth the download? Which one will provide the best results?

In this article, we will review five of the most popular registry cleaners available on the World Wide Web today. It is hoped that you, the reader, will be guided properly on how to choose the best registry repair software for your needs.

No. 1: Stompsoft Registry Repair

Stomp is known as the most thorough and most aggressive registry cleaner in the market today. Where other registry fixers can only diagnose 50 to 70 registry-related errors, Stomp can pinpoint more than 700.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Some say that Stomp merely counts errors in the registry that Windows will auto-correct eventually. Some say that Stomp merely looks for errors in places where files don’t really have a bearing on the processes conducted by the system.

Regardless, Stomp’s aggressiveness wouldn’t hurt, and at the end of the day, it’s still about how well the registry is fixed, and on this, Stomp has a pretty good record.

No. 2: CCleaner

Being a free registry cleaner, CCleaner has built a huge and solid following, with most of its patrons claiming that they have been using this registry fix as soon as it was released almost 5 years ago, and they have never looked for any other reg cleaner since then.

For a free registry software, CCleaner’s features are simply amazing. CCleaner does things right. It erases the useless and redundant files in the registry, and it never meddles with files that may affect the performance of Windows.

And it is constantly updated! This is something that free registry fixes can seldom afford.

No. 3: RegCure

RegCure is a powerful Windows registry cleaner. Clean and repair registry errors safely and completely. Regcure’s one click feature is fantastic for those who don’t want to get bogged down with technical details.

RegCure will provide you with automatic scanning for the windows registry. This means you can schedule scans and RegCure will check your computer’s registry on a particular date. Since it’s important to scan your registry often, this feature is invaluable. If you’d like, you may also use RegCure to scan and manually clean your registry.

RegCure comes complete with a back-up option so you don’t have to worry about losing any necessary data. RegCure is fairly inexpensive and you may even try out a free registry scan before purchasing.

No. 4: Registry First Aid

Speaking of acclaims, if the number of awards is to be used as gauge, then Registry First Aid should top this list.

Registry First Aid is a registry cleaner tool that boasts of a seamless cleaning process for your Windows operating system. It promises a stable program that will provide the registry fix you need fast and easy.

No. 5: Registry Medic

Registry Medic’s claim to fame, on the other hand, lies in three things: its amazing user-friendly interface, its powerful scan engine, and its ability to remove and immunize your system from spyware and malware infestation.

Registry medic is indeed more than just a mere registry fix. It aims to be a spyware cure and prevention solution as well, making it one of the top downloads of people who wish to speed up and protect the integrity of their PCs.

Computer crackers do not enjoy making multiple efforts to install the array of viruses onto any one computer system. For that reason, they have developed a “rootkit.” The rootkit program generally remains undetected in whatever computer it has been installed. All of the data on that rootkit program also evades detection.

A rootkit program should not be viewed as a single program. It is a whole collection, a kit, of programs. The rootkit software has programs for viruses, for backdoors, for keyloggers and for sypware. Each of those programs hides behind the software contained in the rootkit program.

Software developers must constantly work on new anti-rootkit software. That is because the release of each new software system leads computer crackers to engage in frenzied efforts. They work to create a rootkit that can interact with the new software system.

When Microsoft released the XP version of its software, the computer crackers got busy. It wasn’t long before there came on the scene a rootkit that could get inside an XP-driven computer system. Then software developers had to design a new type of anti-rootkit.

That process repeated itself with the release of the Vista program from Microsoft. Vista software underwent fewer variations than XP software. That meant less work for the computer crackers. They needed to design fewer rootkits, fewer different programs that could interact with the available Vista variations.

Perhaps because the computer crackers did not have to spend as much time creating an array of similar yet different rootkits, they had the time to work on a new and more “evil” rootkit program. In December of 2007 the computer world got word of a new rootkit. According to reports, that rootkit had found a frightening new place to take-up space within the computer.

That new rootkit hid in the Master Boot Record of the computer user’s disk. By lying in that location, the rootkit was “poised” to slip into several different software programs. It could enter an XP program, a Vista program or an NT program.

The new rootkit program did not occupy a large amount of space on the disk where it chose to hide. It occupied only a few sectors on that disk. By needing such a limited amount of space, the new rootkit managed to escape detection on far too many occasions.

Now software developers are working on better anti-rootkits, better ways to detect and destroy this new collection of pint-sized computer programs. Those software developers know that a great many computer users await word about the availability of such anti-rootkits. They know that such rootkits will help them to protect the software systems in their computers.

As the software developers work hard on such anti-rootkits, they have to admit that they still lack any clue as to the next possible move by the computer crackers. Will they try to design an even smaller rootkit program, one that takes up less space on a disk? Or will they try to hide a new rootkit program in still another location on each affected computer?