Graeme K. Le Roux, 1-Jul-2002

Some twenty years ago, I came across a report which estimated that 20% of system users chose really stupid passwords. Fast forward to the present, and it seems that nothing much has changed.

A recent conversation about basic security issues with a group of system and network administrators confirmed my suspicions. Even system administrators, it seems, are likely to choose stupid passwords.

Don’t believe me? Try getting hold of a freeware SNMP utility, use it to do a trace route to find the addresses of some of the routers on your network, and then try using the SNMP utility with the password “public”— i.e. the SNMP default.

Even if someone has changed the write password, I’ll bet that you will still be able to read the unit’s configuration by supplying “public” as the read password. And being able to read a router’s configuration can be very helpful to the average hacker.

Read more »

Reach people when they are actively looking for information about your products and services online, and send targeted visitors directly to what you are offering. With AdWords cost-per-click pricing, it’s easy to control costs—and you only pay when people click on your ad.

Google AdWords ads connect you with new customers at the precise moment when they’re looking for your products or services. The Google Network reaches more than 80% of Internet users.

Read more »

Google AdSense is a fast and easy way for website publishers of all sizes to display relevant Google ads on their website’s content pages and earn money. Because the ads are related to what your visitors are looking for on your site — or matched to the characteristics and interests of the visitors your content attracts — you’ll finally have a way to both monetize and enhance your content pages.

It’s also a way for website publishers to provide Google web and site search to their visitors, and to earn money by displaying Google ads on the search results pages.

Read more »