Deleting recent searches–be they from Bing, Google or Yahoo–is an easy thing to do. While the steps vary a little from Internet Explorer to FireFox, for the most part, they take the same amount of time and can be found in the same place. Deleting Recent Searches in Internet Explorer Click on the tools button. Based on which version of Internet Explorer you’re using, you can find the tools button either at the top or to the right. If it is to the right, you’ll find it right before you Read More

X.509 is an ITU-T (ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector) standard for PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) in cryptography, which, amongst many other things, defines specific formats for PKC (Public Key Certificates) and the algorithm that verifies a given certificate path is valid under a give PKI (called the certification path validation algorithm). X.509 History X.509 began in association with the X.500 standard in 1988 (Version 1) and it assumed a hierarchical system of certification authorities for issuing of certificates, quite contrary to the then existing web trust models – such as PGP Read More

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is typically used by companies, schools, and other organizations when they want to allow remote access to their servers, printers, and other network devices without compromising security. A VPN therefore extends a private network across the internet, but protects this connection by encrypting it, thereby creating what many refer to as a tunnel through the public internet. VPNs have other uses though, such as securing your internet connection to protect your privacy and allow you to bypass censorship. Ideally, everyone should consider using a VPN, Read More

A Smart Card is a plastic card the size of a credit card with an integrated circuit built into it. This integrated circuit may consist only of EEPROM in the case of a memory card, or it may also contain ROM, RAM and even a CPU. Most smart cards have been designed with the look and feel of a credit or debit card, but can function on at least three levels (credit – debit – personal information). Smart cards include a microchip as the central processing unit, random access memory Read More

Google or any other search engine may become abnormal when a researcher attempts to search or click on a query and redirect him/her from the page that he/she intended to visit. This is known as a redirect and a wide variety of malware can cause it. It is important to understand what may be causing the problem as well as the process for removing it. These types of Google redirects can be very malicious because they can log personal information and transmit the data to another source. The personal data Read More

Hiding an IP online is necessary for a variety of reasons. Various websites, video games, and miscellaneous connections to the Internet share information about the network’s location and host. The simplest way to prevent sharing this information, while still being able to connect to the Internet is by hiding the individual’s and his/her Internet enabled device’s IP address. To do this,  the user has to use a proxy server to hide the original IP. The Benefits of Hiding an IP Hiding an IP usually provides the following benefits: Anonymous Surfing Read More

A cryptographic certificate or digital certificate is a type of credential that is included with a public key to ensure that the key belongs to a specific user. A cryptographic certificate is similar to a physical certificate such as a birth certificate, passport, or Driver’s License, and is used to verify that a trusted entity has confirmed that the public key belongs to a user. Encrypted servers, email clients, financial institutions, and some individuals often use cryptographic certificates to prove that they are trustworthy.   How Cryptographic Certificates Work Cryptographic Read More

Over the last decade, millions of people have kept more and more personal information on their computers. From credit card numbers to sensitive emails and word documents, a vast amount of personal files are on almost any home computer. While keeping personal and sensitive information on a home computer is relatively safe, if you plan on throwing out your computer, selling it, or even selling just the hard drive, you may be allowing others easy access to all your personal files. Here are some tips on how to remove these Read More

VPN, or a Virtual Private Network, connects computers and other devices using an encrypted connection. This means that all data travelling through such a network is unreadable to anyone who might intercept the data stream, making it as private as it would be if all of the connected devices resided within the walls of a private property (like your home). In other words if you connect your computer to a VPN, and route all of your online activity through it, this activity can no longer be tracked by your internet Read More

Clearing previous Google searches is a straight forward process that can take about one minute to accomplish. It should be noted that unless you’re using the Google toolbar, erasing only the history of Google is impossible. However, since people typically only use one search engine predominately, erasing the search history will only affect Google. Erasing Search History in Internet Explorer To erase the history, look for the tools tab. Depending on what version of IE being used, one can determine where the tools tab is located. Click the tools tab Read More