How to create email account on hotmail? Why hotmail and how to protect account from hackers?

How to Create a Hotmail Account?

Microsoft Hotmail is a great way to keep up with your email, instant messaging, Xbox LIVE, and other Microsoft services—all with one Windows Live ID. Plus, their new SkyDrive lets you access your files in your inbox, across PCs, on you Macs, iPads, and smart phones. We'll show you how, with this step-by-step guide.

1. Go to the Hotmail website: www.hotmail.com. There, you'll be given the option to sign in, or to sign up with Windows Live and a Hotmail address. If you already have a Windows Live account, all you need to do is sign in, using the fields on the right. If you do not have a Windows Live account, click on the Sign Up button, circled below.

2. Fill out the sign up page. This is where you'll decide what your email address will be, as well as entering personal and security information.

3. Enter your personal information. Fill in how how you would like to sign in. This is the easy part: name, birthday, and gender. Note: this information doesn't have to be factual. However, if you do choose to use false information, write it down somewhere so that you'll remember it.

• Create your account name. Enter in a unique name in the Microsoft account name field, and make sure @hotmail.com is selected. Note: you can use an existing email address if you like, but for our example we'll stick to a Hotmail address.
• Create a password. Use at least 8 characters, case sensitive. Numbers are recommended for greatest security. To create a strong password, use all 16 characters and include at least one capitalized letter, as well as one number.

4. Fill in contact information. In case you lose your password, you must enter in at least two methods of contact, including phone and alternate email.

   You can also select a security question from the options below. Note the answer must be at least 5    characters.

5. Tell them who you are. Pick any country from Afghanistan to Monaco to Zimbabwe, and your zip code.

6. Make sure you're not a robot. Perhaps they're taking the thread of Androids seriously, or maybe Microsoft is just keeping spam at bay. Either way, they ask you to enter one of those garbled Captcha lines before you can accept the user agreements and get your account.

7. Agree to the terms of service and privacy policy. At the bottom of the page, there are two blue links to Microsoft's terms of service and privacy policy documents. You don't have to read these to set up an account, but you do have to agree to them. Click "I agree" at the bottom of the page to complete the process.

8. Log into your email account. Visit the Hotmail website again to log into the email account you just created.

Why Hotmail Account?

1. One of the best reason is that in Hotmail, you can attach and share hundreds of photos (or other files) without cluttering the Inbox. This is possible because of its online storage integration with SkyDrive. You can share up to 200, 50 MB files (10 GB) in a single email using SkyDrive.

2. Hotmail, using the Office Web apps, lets you view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents – without leaving your inbox – for free

3. Hotmail has raised the level of controlling Spam with its SmartScreen filtering technology.  Apart from reducing the actual Spam levels drastically, it now provides the users complete control over Graymail. Newsletters, social updates and such mails (called Graymail), which though are not Spam, but clutter our Inbox can be completely swept to keep your Inbox clean.  It can also automatically file away or delete messages you receive by scheduling,  with its features of Sweep and Scheduled Clean up.

4. Hotmail provides a great mobile experience on all major smartphones globally including Windows Phone, iOS and Android by providing a  two-way sync not only with email, but also complete calendar and contact sync. The Hotmail App has been provided on various mobile platforms, like Android, and very recently on Kindle Fire too. The Hotmail App provides a better experience than the Gmail App available on iOS.

5. Hotmail provides chatting capabilities with Facebook’s members also - apart from its own chat in the Inbox. Thus you can update your Facebook status, chat, view updates of your Facebook friends right from your Hotmail inbox. This is not possible in Gmail.

6. Many award-winning Security features makes Hotmail leader in email protection. Features like “Single Use Code”, where a one-time password is sent to your cell phone, so that you don’t have to reveal your true password on public machines. “My Friend’s Been Hacked” feature lets you report that your friend as being “hacked”, when you notice dubious mails from your friend account, which Hotmail will then investigate.  

 

How to Protect Hotmail Account from Hackers?

 

1. Use Stronger Password.

This is a first step that should be taken by which is must and mandatory step that one must take. You must use a stronger password to protect from brute force methods and guess your password. Here is an example on what makes password stronger and secure.

• Use special characters in password like $, #, @, *, Etc and numbers.
• Include both capital letters and small letters.
• Set your password to minimum or more than 10 characters.
• Do not use your contact number, birthday, dear one’s name, favorite dish, Etc

2. Reset or Change Hotmail Password Every 72 days.

Changing password every 72 days is recommended for certain security reasons. This will keep your credential information more secured. Hotmail will remind you every 72 days to change or rest password, unless you enable them. To enable it follow these simple steps:

• Login to your Hotmail account.
• Navigate to account settings.
• Below account information click “change” on password tab.
• Check the box to make your password expire every 72 days.

3. Always Use HTTPS to Connect with Hotmail

Using HTTPS connection to login Hotmail is highly recommended to stay secure from hackers. What happens if you use HTTPS? If a hacker makes a connection with your computer during communication, connection will be broken and hacker will not be able to get any information about the communication. If you’ve not yet enabled HTTPS connection now is the time to do it. Follow these simple steps:

• Navigate to account settings.
• On other options select “Connect with HTTPS”.
• Enable “Use HTTPS automatically”.
• Click Save and you’re done.

4. Don’t Use Same Password for Every Account.

To easily remember password this has become a common habit of users who set the same password for every account they use and thus increasing the chance for hackers to hack your account. To kill this habit set different passwords for different accounts. Write it down on your diary and keep it safe (Note: Do not carry your dairy everywhere). In case you forget open your dairy any time.

5. Using Hotmail on Public Computer.

While accessing Hotmail on a public computer use single code to sign in making sure that you don’t need to enter your password. Enabled HTTPS connection makes your Hotmail account already secured to access from public computer; to be on safer side always use single code to sign in because your email is your business. To use single code you need to enter select the country you live and your mobile number and Single code will be sent to your mobile phone with a text message. Use this code to sign in to your Hotmail account from public computers.

6. Subscribed With Software Warranty 

  By now you have taken all the precautions however you still have a doubt, call Solution For Tech Ltd. First Computer Scan is absolutely have no cost. And if you are subscribed with the Software Warranty with them, you can get 12 scans in an year for free

First time support is Free, please call Solution For Tech Ltd

www.solutionfortech.com

UK: 0-800-098-8477
US: 1-800-984-8741
AUS: +61 2 8091 2346

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to protect your computer from Hackers and Viruses?

This article has been inspired by the situation of one of my cousin’s computer. I’m Sr.Technical Support Engineer with Solution For Tech, he asked me to take a look at his computer since it was acting “funny”. The “funny” act was that the computer would automatically restart whenever you tried to install ANY software onto it or download any program from the Internet.
First thing I noticed was that there was no anti-virus software installed on the computer, so my first goal was to install Microsoft Security Essential and check for viruses. But of course, the virus that was already on the computer would not let me install or download anything! So first I ran a scan of combofix, after completion, Microsoft Security Essential installed and computer scanned. There were 2256 viruses on the computer and 110 instances of spyware.

So I gave my cousin a serious lesson on how to protect from Hackers and viruses.
Below is the same, will helpful for everyone.

1. Install Anti-virus software - If you don't have anti-virus installed on your computer then you are asking for a trouble! And if your reason for not installing is because it's too expensive. Then Microsoft resolved your problem by introducing “Microsoft Security Essential” it's a free anti-virus.
   
   
2.  Update All Software – Installing an anti-virus program by itself is not enough. There are hundreds of new threats found daily and anti-virus release updated regularly to combat the new threats. Set automatic update option in anti-virus so that you don't have to rely on your memory. The most important software to keep up to date is your windows operating system. It is essential to have Automatic Updates turned on and set to download and install updates automatically.
   
   
3. Install Only Trusted Software -If you’re not sure what a piece of software does from it’s name, then don’t install it. Sometimes programs will ask you to install other programs during the install of the first application. Be careful of that because it’s usually spy-ware. Install software from big names sites only, such as Microsoft or Adobe.
   
   
4. Avoid P2P File Sharing Software - If used with great caution, P2P software is quite useful for movies, songs and software, but if you’re not very technical, you might end up downloading a song that has a keystroke logger attached to it that will send anything you type to some other computer over the Internet. It’s almost impossible to tell that this is occurring unless your anti-virus or anti-spy ware programs pick it up in their scans.
   
   
5. Delete Unknown Emails - If you receive emails from random people’s names, do not bother to open the email, just delete it. If you have any doubts after reading the name and the subject, it’s probably not someone you know. Never download or open attachments unless you are sure it’s from someone you know. Most large companies that you create online accounts with will not send you attachments unless you specifically ask for them through their web site. Also, be wary of any emails from sites pretending to be banks, auction sites, etc asking for you to verify bank account info or address info. No bank ever does that.
   
   
6. Do not click on Ads - Avoid clicking on ads if you can. Especially those ads where something is flying around and if you shoot the duck, you win some prize! Ads have become more sophisticated in that they try to make the ad interactive so that you’ll be tempted to play it like a game.
   
   
7. Run Virus Scans Regularly - If you don't have the time to scan every day, at least run a scan once a week. Actually, setup a schedule for your computer in your anti-virus software to run a scan late at night or whenever you don’t use your computer and that way you won’t be bothered with a slow computer.
   
   
8. Be careful what you attach to your computer - This is a more common way to transfer viruses than you might think. Everyone now has a USB flash stick, ready to snap into any computer. But who knows what your viruses are on your friends computers and what accidentally got transferred to their USB stick. A lot of virus programs will auto launch right when the USB stick is put into the computer, so you don’t even have to open or download any of the files to be infected.
   
   
9. Avoid Porn Web sites - If you need to look at porn, then make sure you do it in a virtual environment. You are DEFINITELY going to get some virus or spyware if you browse porn sites on your computer. Virtualization basically allows you to run programs like Internet Explorer in a virtual environment that does not effect your current operating system.
   
   
10. Turn On or Install a Firewall - If you’re running Windows XP, make sure Windows Firewall is turned on. A firewall prevents hackers from gaining access to your computer by limiting the number of ports that are open to the public. Also, when buying a wireless router, make sure it has a built in firewall. Having a software and hardware firewall is better than just having one or the other.
    
    
11. Secure Your Wireless Network - Most wireless routers are set to no security when you install them. Be sure to log into the router and at least set the basic security that requires a password. There are stronger encryption options, but if you don’t understand those, then simply set a password on the router, otherwise anyone can connect to your home network and access everything.
    
    
12. Use a Complex Password for Login - This means that you should already have a password to login to your computer. Not having a password at all is not a good idea. Create a password for all user accounts and make sure it’s complex. Complex means it should have numbers, upper case characters, lower case characters, and symbols. This makes it way more difficult for a hacker to get into your computer.                                                                                                                       
    First time support is Free, please call Solution For Tech Ltd
    
    www.solutionfortech.com
    
    UK: 0-800-098-8477
    US: 1-800-984-8741
    AUS: +61 2 8091 2346
    
    

Ransomware, Malware and Spyware

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malware used for data kidnapping, an exploit in which the attacker encrypts the victim's data and demands payment for the decryption key. A ransomware program can be installed from an e-mail attachment, an infected program, or a compromised or malicious Web site.

What is malware?

Malware" is short for malicious software and used as a single term to refer to virus, spy ware, worm etc. Malware is designed to cause damage to a stand alone computer or a networked pc. So wherever a malware term is used it means a program which is designed to damage your computer it may be a virus, worm or Trojan.

What is Spyware?

Spyware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported software (Adware). It is a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users. There are several large media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way, you don't have to pay for the software and the developers are still getting paid. If you find the banners annoying, there is usually an option to remove them, by paying the regular licensing fee.

List of most common Ransomware, Malware/Spyware in Year 2012.

Ukash Virus (Ransomware) :- Ukash Virus is an aggressive group of ransomware scams that tries to swindle your money from you. It is a very convincing virus because it uses alerts presented as given by an official institution, e.g. local or country’s police. It locks your computer completely therefore the only thing you can do is to see the message. If one wants to unlock the computer, the message advices to pay the fine. Of course, this is only a scam and paying the fine will not change anything. The institutions vary from police to copyright ones. However, in many cases the messages and designs are similar or even shared between versions and there are little unique details.

         
This ransomware is named Ukash Virus under the payment system it requires. The fines are paid using a pre-paid system called Ukash. None of official institutions would ask any payments via systems like Ukash therefore it only confirms that this is not a real warning but a virus used by scammers.

   
Ukash Virus gets into your PC through various security holes and vulnerabilities after visiting infected websites or downloading infected files. It might be distributed with a help of Trojan parasites too. Typically, updated and antivirus-protected PCs are quite safe, especially if Java is disabled. Once it is in your machine, you should remove Ukash Virus immediately.

The biggest problem is that Ukash Virus comes in several flavors and no single approach will be successful in all cases.

FBI Moneypak (Ransomeware) :- FBI Moneypak Ransomware is a PC threat that is sometimes exploited through spam email campaigns or by means of malicious websites. Either way, once the threat of FBI Moneypak Ransomware is present on a PC, it creates an aggravating scenario where a PC user is continually bombarded by misleading pop-up messages.Ransomware, FBI Moneypak Ransomware makes its presence well-known where it could limit the normal use of a computer or even block Internet access at times.FBI Moneypak Ransomware, in a way, holds an infected Windows PC for ransom until the user   gives in by relinquishing credit card information. The ultimate goal of FBI Moneypak Ransomware is to scam users out of money and then leave the infected PC with an unwanted malware threat on it.

Google Redirect Virus(Malware/Spyware) :-  Google Redirect Virus is a very notorious malware designed to redirect your searches to malicious websites. This virus is also known as browser hijack virus or search engine redirect virus. This virus is infecting thousands of new machines everyday and It is very hard to remove as it is bundled with many rootkits commonly known as TLD3 or Alureon Rootkits. These rootkits change your computer settings in such a way that when type Google’s web address in address bar of your web browser, you are not actually taken to Google but to a malicious webpage which looks exactly as Google. When you make a search, you’ll see results exactly like Google, but when you click on any of those results, you’ll be taken to a website you’re not supposed to visit.

INF/Autorun (Malware/Spyware) :- Worm:Win32/Autorun!inf is a detection for autorun.inf files that may be used by worms when spreading to local, network, or removable drives.When copying themselves to a drive, these worms also create a file named 'autorun.inf' in the root of the targeted drive. The autorun.inf file contains execution instructions for the operating system which are invoked when the drive is viewed using Windows Explorer, thus executing the copy of the worm.

Flame (Malware/Spyware) :- Flame,^[a] also known as Flamer, Skywiper, and Skywiper, is modular computer malware discovered in 2012 that attacks computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system.The program is being used for targeted cyber espionage in Middle Eastern countries. Its discovery was announced on 28 May 2012 by MAHER Center of Iranian National Computer Emergency Response Team.

Game Vance (Malware/Spyware) :-  It makes random ads pop up, it installs things and eats your computer’s HDD space, not good to download. 

My Web search (Malware/Spyware) :-  A toolbar for Zwinky, etc. It’s known to download over 150 things on computer. It requests to have you shut off your anti-virus when you download it. If something ever asks that do not download it.

 

   

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USA: 1-855-378-8884