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Cut Tex™ PRO – Creating Potentially Life Saving Slash Resistant Clothing

On June 15, 2010   /   International Security, Money and Business, Security Solutions   /   Leave a comment

PPSS Body Armour, a UK based manufacturer of bespoke knife, bite and slash resistant clothing, has developed a world beating cut-resistant fabric, no thicker than that of normal sweat shirts.

Cut-Tex™ PRO is a groundbreaking combination of high-tenacity, high-modulus polyethylene fibres – combined with several other “technical fibres” – weaved by special high-density knitting machines, resulting in an outstanding cut and slash resistant clothing and fabric.

PPSS Body Armour, the company which produces UK Home Office certified body armour and stab vests for clients around the globe, says its Cut-Tex™ PRO could be the world’s best, which is reinforced by passing the stringent British and European blade cut resistant standard 388 6.2 Level 5 – the highest level possible for textiles or protective gloves.

PPSS Body Armour’s CEO Robert Kaiser said: “The potential applications for our world-beating knife, bite and slash resistant clothing is endless. Already there has been a huge amount of interest in Cut-Tex™ PRO from countries all over the World, especially those countries experiencing extremely hot summer months.

“We are specialised in developing unique, bespoke cut and slash resistant clothing for local government, law enforcement, emergency services, prison service, hospital staff, schools and private security companies around the world.

“With Cut-Tex™ PRO, we now have a slash and cut resistant textile that is incredibly lightweight and breathable, and we have already been able to manufacture a number of bespoke slash resistant items, all using this great new fabric as inner or outer layer:

1) Slash resistant sweatshirts for prison officers, security professionals and factory workers for one of the world’s leading metal pressing companies.

2) Slash resistant sleeves for professional working within the field of ‘challenging behaviour’ or ‘special needs’.

3) Slash resistant boiler suits for high security mental health hospitals and prison’s ‘first response units’.

4) Slash-resistant work trousers for refuse collectors 

5) Slash resistant gloves for security professionals, law enforcement and emergency services.

“BS EN 388:2003 blade cut resistance level 5 is the highest level you can achieve for testing knife and slash resistant clothing or cut resistant gloves, and our high performance fabric Cut-Tex™ PRO has passed this protection level with flying colours. This is why we believe it is only a matter of time before our Cut-Tex™ PRO slash resistant clothing saves a human life. 

“‘Prevention is better than cure’ and ‘better safe than sorry’ are two sayings which make more sense within personal safety than anywhere else, and everyone responsible for the personal safety of frontline workers should remember these saying at all times.

“Issuing knife and slash resistant clothing can mean preventing potentially fatal injuries.”

Please call PPSS Body Armour in the UK on +44 (0) 845 5193 953, email info@ppss-group.com or visit www.ppss-group.com

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6 Security & Privacy Features Internet Explorer 8 has to Offer

On June 12, 2010   /   Computer Security, Featured   /   1 Comment

Microsoft has traditionally been pretty lazy with updating the components that came with their Windows OS. Paint, Wordpad, Internet Explorer and others – all of them have remained unchanged for years (almost a decade, actually). And nobody really cared, because few people were actually using them. Those who needed better software, used paid versions, those who didn’t have the money, had no other choice but to use these outdated tools.

But later, when people became more savvy with their computers and operating systems, and a lot of free alternatives started appearing, more and more Windows users started replacing the standard tools with third party ones, which were most of the times better, faster, more stable and reliable and had a ton more features.

Such was the case with web browsers, too. Internet Explorer 6, despite being literally the worst browser available, was being used by over 70% of PC users, just because it came by default with their computer. It wasn’t until Firefox and its users started their anti-IE campaign that people started realizing that there are better and safes choices and installing Firefox. That’s how Mozilla’s browser became the most popular browser installed by choice in the US and Canada. Europe is a bit behind, but they’re catching up.

Along with the failure of Windows Vista and some of their other products, Microsoft realized they needed to do something, or their position as leader in desktop browsers and operating systems will be at risk. And they released Windows 7, along with Internet Explorer 8. This is their best browser yet, and only the 9th version could be better.

They had briefly released Internet Explorer 7, which was pretty good, but not good enough. IE 8 has all the modern features a browser should have, and conforms to the current widely approved safety and privacy standards (even better than Safari in some cases).

Here are the most important reasons why Internet Explorer 8 is a good web browser and can truly compete with the other browsers on the market.

Security zones. One feature that sets it apart from other browsers is “Security Zones”. It basically allows you to set different security level for different sites. So, the ones you trust can have cookies writing enabled by default with the pop up blocker disabled, the ones you know are bad can be fully blocked and the ones you haven’t yet visited can inherit the default settings.

Private browsing. Finally, Microsoft introduced a Private Browsing mode in their web browser. The Internet Explorer 8 version of this feature is very similar to that found on the other browsers. It will automatically delete all the history and cookies from the sites you visited during that session.

Anti-phishing filter. Of course, an anti phishing filter is a must for all the browsers nowadays. Internet Explorer 8 has one that is pretty good (it’s certainly not worse than Opera’s or Safari’s). It can certainly protect you from most phishing sites and warn you about potentially harmful ones.

Pop up blocker. As is the deal with any other current browser, IE 8 has an integrated pop up blocker. It is pretty standard, but it works in most of the cases. Of course, it will not block the pop ups that are initiated due to user fault (clicking on a link or button) and those written in Javascript.

Integration with Windows Firewall, Defender and antivirus software. Another unique property of IE 8 besides the Security Zones feature is its ability to fully integrate with the default Windows Firewall and Defender, as well as with any antivirus program on the market. This allows you to have a safe web browsing experience straight from the box with Windows 7 and an even more secure one if you install a better third party anti virus program.

Automatic updates. Internet Explorer 8 is updated using Windows Update, which should always be enabled. This guaranteed that your web browser will stay up to date at all times, and Microsoft has proven to be quite good at releasing updates in time for IE8 and Windows 7 in general.

Despite what you might have heard before, version 8 of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is a pretty good modern web browser that has all the basic needed features and satisfies the basic security and privacy standards (it even fares better than Safari!). If it came pre-installed on your computer (like is the case with new Windows 7 laptops and desktops) and you don’t want to mess around with the software on it, you can easily use Internet Explorer for web browsing, without being concerned for your safety online.

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Your Summer Holiday Home Security Checklist

On June 9, 2010   /   Home Security   /   Leave a comment

Whether you spend weeks meticulously planning, or the few hours before embarking on a summer holiday are fraught with misplaced booking references and arguing about preferable exchange rates – Most of us leave our place of habitation in a far from composed state. The old clichés of “Did I lock the door?” or “will no.16 find the spare key under the third geranium?” spring to mind.

It is at these times when home security should be of the utmost importance, but more often than not it is overlooked or in some cases totally forgotten. In fact, the 2008/2009 British Crime Survey (BCS) published by the home office showed that there were 744,000 burglaries reported across the UK in 2009, a quite frightening one burglary every 37 seconds.

Believe it or not, there are a number of seemingly routine checks and small changes you can make which will dramatically reduce the risk of your property being targeted, such as:

Lock doors and windows
Doors and windows account for the entry point of 70% and 27% of all UK burglaries respectively. Making those clichés about forgetting or not, even more apt.

Hide those tags
Thieves are more cunning than you think, studies have shown burglars heading to airports and making notes of address on the baggage tags – make sure it’s not yours they write down.

Security measures displayed
Properties at which a security method was displayed were 19.4% less likely to be targeted. Suggesting that even if you don’t have a security system installed, invest in a security sign.

Invest in light timers
56% of all burglaries reported were conducted at night, making investing in a timer a bright idea.

Don’t be afraid to ask a neighbour
Have a neighbour or friend check on your property every few days to remove obvious signs of your lack of presence. 90% of offenders stated they actively avoided houses with signs of occupancy.

Cancel recurring contracts
Milk on the doorstep or a build-up of papers is a sure sign nobody’s home.

Trim overgrown hedges and plants
During night or day overgrown foliage can be used to conceal a burglar, don’t give them a chance – cut back all overgrown plants, especially those which could conceal entry point by windows and doors.

Don’t discuss the details
Try to refrain from discussing your holiday plans in public as the wrong people might learn of your absence.

Set your security system
What use is your alarm system if you don’t set it? Get into a habit a few weeks before you set off to avoid running out the house and failing to hit those few simple buttons.

Don’t use the flowerpot
The film ‘Home Alone’ has grossed nearly a billion dollars, don’t assume that the burglars operating in your area haven’t seen it. Arrange a more secure method of distributing spare keys than the flowerpot by the door.

Try ticking off these as you go, and help make your holiday experience as stress free as possible. This article was brought to you in association with Yale Door.

Yale Keyfree is the keyless locking system developed exclusively by Yale. The Keyfree locking system combines futuristic functionality with police approved security features – changing the way you think he security around your composite door, visit: http://www.yaledoor.co.uk/keyless-door-lock.html.

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9 Security and Privacy Features Firefox Has to Offer

On June 6, 2010   /   Computer Security, Featured   /   Leave a comment

Firefox is currently the most popular browser worldwide (installed by choice, not by being the default browser; in that regard, Internet Explorer still wins). It is used by more than 30 million people, most of them from the US, and it has over 5000 great and useful add-ons in the database.

This collection of constantly updated extensions is what keeps Firefox at the top spot. No other browser has such an amazing database of add-ons (though Chrome is slowly catching up). Since it was launched, technologies have changed and currently, Firefox is not the fastest browser, but we all hope that version 3.7 or 4.0 will change that.

Nevertheless, Mozilla’s Firefox is the most stable, reliable and secure browser that also respects users privacy and has done everything to ensure that any private information is stored away from any prying eyes and is shared only when the user wants it.

Let’s see what security and privacy features set Firefox apart from the other browsers on the market.

Pop up blocker. Being a modern browser, Firefox has an integrated pop up blocker, of course. It is very effective against any types of pop ups, except those initiated by user clicks and written in Javascript, but those can be also easily blocked by using a third party extension like Noscript.

Anti-phishing filter. Another must have of today’s web browsers. Firefox uses a number of online anti-phishing filters that are constantly updated, so all the malicious sites (even the most recent ones) will be there and the browser will not allow you to visit it unless you explicitly tell it to (after reading a list of repercussions caused by said sites).

Antivirus integration. Like any other self-respecting browser and program in general, Firefox has support for integration with various related software, of which antiviruses are arguably the most important. Every file you download is scanned for viruses and Trojans before it’s saved and when you try to open it.

Flash blocker. The Flash blocker is not integrated into Firefox by default (although it should be), but it can be easily installed using an add-on. The most popular one is AdBlock. It not only blocks any flash elements (including annoying animations and sounds; I really hate the latter on a site), but also stops ads from being displayed. The database of Flash and ad codes is constantly updated with the latest developments, so you’re always protected. You can disable the blocker for particular elements or for entire sites that you trust, which is very convenient (other browsers allow you only a global disable or enable of Flash components).

Per-site Javascript blocking. Arguably the most powerful feature for security and privacy in today’s Internet, a Javascript blocker is, most of the times, everything you need to be sure you never get a virus or Trojan from a web site again. The blocker is a third party add-on (I’m telling you these are very important for a browser) called NoScript (there are others, but they’re less powerful). Not only it allows you to disable or enable Javascript code for separate sites, but it also prevents and unauthorized Cross-Site Script executions, the number one way of Trojan injection. With Firefox and Noscript, you can be sure you won’t get any unwanted program or be tracked on a site without your permission ever again.

Private browsing mode. This mode is a must nowadays, but I rarely use it. That doesn’t mean it’s not good. It’s excellent when you need to visit certain sites and you don’t want to leave any traces. The Private mode leaves no cookies, history or downloads after you closed the window.

AES, 256 bit encryption and SHA-1 hashing by default. Unlike other browsers like Safari and Opera, Firefox has adopted the latest encryption and hashing protocols. AES, 256 bit SSL and SHA-1 are all set to be the default on a new installation of Firefox. By comparison, the latest version of Safari still uses 128 bit encryption, the older MD5 instead of SHA-1 and it doesn’t use AES (which stands for Advanced Encryption Standard) at all.

Fast bugs and security holes patching. Due to it being open source, Firefox has all of its bugs and security holes reported and patched within hours or maximum days. That is compared to the days, weeks or even months of wait before a security hole is patched in Opera or Internet Explorer.

A lot of security and privacy extensions. And of course, if you’re still not satisfied with the level of security and privacy that Firefox and the add-ons mentioned above offer, you can always find more tools for these purposes in Mozilla’s add-ons database. You can have a very secure, fully encrypted, portable browser that doesn’t leave any traces ready in a matter of hours if not minutes.

There are a lot of other reasons why Firefox is a very secure and privacy protective browser and why you should choose to use it, but the above ones are the most important and sum it up pretty well. Give Firefox a try – you’ll most likely never go back.

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The Threat To Google Could Come From The Users Themselves

On June 3, 2010   /   Security News   /   Leave a comment

While the security of Google has always been a threat from hackers, the new threat may come from within and is causing a lot of concern for the online community. Google has recently tightened its security and is continuing to do so as these threats continue to rise.

Cloud computing has changed the zones of computer use and the inside and outside models that were once clearly defined have become blurred. Google was recently hacked by China and there was an instant message sent that appeared to be safe, but was actually very harmful and this is the cause of such concern within Google. Google has maintained a stance of denial about this cloud attack, but there are many skeptics out there that think otherwise.

Google has made a great stride in educating users on how to prevent attacks from the outside and this is one of the steps that are helping to keep the cloud safe. There are also many monitoring tools in place that are looking at the many ways that a hacker can gain entry and keeping these areas safe. Suspicious activities on credit cards are something that is being monitored and can help to keep all Google users more safe.

Google has a security blog which posts most of the recent security activity that is taking place and this is a great source for updated information. It is speculated that many people are more concerned about other features and less about safety and this is a problem that Google will need to address.

More: BNET

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