Most homeowners evolve a morning ritual. These routines differ from person to person but they might include consuming breakfast, getting dressed and trying to find that pocketbook. It doesn’t take a lot of time to just add an additional step, i.e. punching in a simple number. Of course this will swiftly become a habit.

A lot of satisfied householders who have gotten used to having a wireless home security system make purchasing one an essential whenever they move home again. When all is said and done, nowadays house-breaking may be a danger in every city. When you are a newcomer to the area and have not got to know the locals yet, a security system can take care of your residence for you. Family vacations are definitely a good deal more fun when you are confident that your house is sure to be safe and sound. By setting up a wireless home security system, you can be confident that your home is taken care of and get the most from your hard-earned holiday. Alarm systems can keep an eye on your condo and valuables when you are away and alert the proper authorities in the case of a burglary, flood, or an outbreak of fire.

As time goes by, an alarm system will improve your everyday routine so much that you should see that everyone who lives in your family will simply take it all for granted. Even teenaged children won’t forget to set the alarm system.

Some households depend on wireless security systems for very much more than just security. A wireless home security system sometimes comes with a rapid response emergency call system. If someone falls or becomes seriously ill, just pressing a panic button will straightaway connect to a communications center that will get hold of medical assistance.

In summary, alarm systems can make your life a whole lot easier. After you have known the comfort and peace of mind they offer, you’ll never want to live without them again.

Preparing to go on a vacation is not a relaxing activity and the idea of your house being vacant for a week can be even worse. Good security will let you relax and enjoy your hard-earned holiday. Check out the home security reviews for a security system which will contact the right authorities if anything goes wrong in your home. Everyone in your household will soon come to rely on the serenity that a monitored alarm system brings. Even teenagers won’t forget to turn on the alarm system.

Monitored security systems often provide more than merely vigilance. Should you have an older person at home with you, you might want to look at installing a rapid response emergency call system. If anybody falls or has a medical emergency, a personal alarm that can be worn or wall mounted will straightaway result in contact with medical assistance. To summarize, home alarm systems will make your day to day life much easier. Once you have gotten into the routine of utilizing them, you will question how you ever managed without them.

Morning routines are already in place for most householders. Although the details vary, everybody does the simple steps, such as eating breakfast, finding our wallets, and checking we have our car keys. It’s so painless to add an additional step, i.e. punching in a security code. Of course this will swiftly evolve into a habit. Numerous happy customers who have integrated a wireless home security system into their rituals make installing one an essential every time they move again. Unfortunately, these days break-ins may be a danger in any locality. Add this to the fact you do not know your neighbors, whereas wireless security systems may guarantee peace-of-mind. Abiding by better safe than sorry is always the most prudent approach after all. Getting ready to go on holiday is not a relaxing activity and the thought of leaving your home vacant can add to the tension. With a wireless home security system, you will be able to worry less and savor your sacred vacation time. Alarm systems are able to watch over your condominium and personal effects when you are absent and alert the emergency services on your behalf when something goes wrong in your home.

Over time, an alarm system will modify your day to day living so thoroughly that you’ll discover other individuals who live in your family will also rely upon it. Monitored home security alarm systems frequently provide a lot more than just general security. Should you have an infirm parent or grandparent at home with you, you may want to look at investing in an emergency call system. If the worst should happen and your loved one have an accident or a medical emergency, a personal alarm that can be worn around the neck or mounted in a convenient spot will at once make contact with medical assistance.

Home alarm systems do alter your lifestyle, but in a good way. After you have gotten used to using them, you will never want to live without them.

A particular home safety monitoring system which suits the needs of every family isn’t realistic. You could start by establishing what the unique security needs in your home are.

Are your appliances, such as your cooker and fireplace, electric powered? The danger of carbon monoxide poisoning is low and you can take that into account when you come to choosing an alarm monitoring system if this is the case. Alarm monitoring systems which have crisis notification systems connected to them might suit an elderly individual, or one that has health problems. A security camera tool would more suit families who often use the services of nannies to look after their toddlers. Home alarm monitoring systems come with different levels which you must take into consideration when purchasing one. If you require a greater level of protection than a regular surveillance tool offers, then upgrading your monitoring setup to a concealed video surveillance tool may offer you the security because burglars can’t see it. The utmost layer of security can be obtained by installing a full alarm monitoring system implementing eye pattern and/or fingerprint identification gates. State of the art home alarm systems provide more than simple security cameras. The authorities can be contacted the second an unauthorized entry is attempted on your house if you install glass smash, movement, vibration and impact sensors.

Top-tier alarm monitoring tools should be fitted with a distress switch, to put your mind at ease. Just activating that switch sends an alert to the security company if anything threatening should happen. Depending on the options you were given when you bought the family protection monitoring tool, the monitoring company can then call local law enforcement to send help, or they can contact you to check what’s happening.

Check out a great home security blog on the Internet for lots of information and pointers. Though it does necessitate particular consideration, picking the right home alarm monitoring tool shouldn’t pose a problem. With a little work you can ensure a sense of peace that could last for the rest of your life.

Almost all homeowners evolve a morning ritual. These rituals differ from person to person but they can be perking coffee, dressing and even finding that purse. It doesn’t take a great deal of effort to add one more step, namely inputting a simple number. Of course this will soon develop into a habit. Monitored security alarm systems offer such peace of mind to many householders that they are the first thing they install in a new home when they get there. Ultimately, irrespective of how carefully you choose your neighborhood, there will always be crime and other unfortunate dangers playing over in your mind. On top of all this you in all likelihood do not know anybody in the residential district that well yet, while wireless security systems may guarantee a vital measure of psychological comfort. Better safe than sorry is always the most prudent approach. Preparing to go on a family holiday isn’t exactly stress-free and the thought of your house being empty for a week can make things worse. Great security will allow you to take a break from the tensions of day-to-day life. Alarm systems are able to keep watch over your dwelling and belongings when you are absent and help inform the emergency services when something unexpected happens in your home.

In most cases, an alarm system may become such a normal and important part of life that you will discover other individuals in your house will also rely upon it. Actually, don’t be surprised if your children berate you if you don’t remember to punch in the numbers when you are running out the door. Wireless home security alarm systems often offer a lot more than just security. A Home Security Laredo system can be installed with an integrated emergency call system. If the unthinkable should come to pass and someone has an accident, a personal alarm which can be worn around the neck or wall mounted will at once result in contact with medical assistance.

Monitored alarm systems do impact on your lifestyle, but in a good way. When you have gotten into the habit of utilizing them, you will never want to live without them again.

Like the emergency button already mentioned, most home alarms systems now come with many other additional device characteristics. Some packages will turn the lights on and off, thus creating the illusion that the house is occupied. Others have an additional built-in fire alarm system. Naturally you want only the very best, so do some searching on the net. Look up “home-alarm-systems.com”, “homealarmsystems” or “home alarm deal”. A quality intruder unit these days can be operated within a few seconds – accept nothing less. It won’t change your entire life but you’ll find that a burglar alarm will, in some small way, make it easier and a lot less bothersome. If you’re purchasing a new house which doesn’t have one equipped, it’s undoubtedly worth purchasing one. You definitely won’t regret it!

To avoid wounds, nuts, flexible joints, bolts, rungs and slack screws must be checked and tightened up. Even though most harms are fractures, contusions, and petty cuts, ladder safety is still a concern. Ladders, specifically Extension Ladders compile soil, mud, and grease if they are not stashed away properly or maintained outdoors. These grime and muck must be wiped off so the risk of dropping off on the steps is diminished.

The ground will bear lots of moisture content when the ground thaws after winter. The ground will then turn soft and sloppy. Ladders grown wobbly as they slump in a sloppy surface. Wavy base or floor likewise makes ladders susceptible to trembling and instability. So be sure to place Extension Ladders in solid and level ground. Apart from that, go over first to assure that braces and locks are engaged properly. Doing so will prevent the ladder from closing down under you.

Ladders in general are not structured to support your total weight for lasting time. As they are constructed for climbing only, they can render enough time for the user to climb and settle in a sturdier surface. Under no conditions should ladders be utilised as seats. You will strain the steps and may cause the braces to weaken. When you want to take a breather, go down and sit on a chair.

It is very important to use the appropriate type of ladder for a particular use. Extension Ladders are most acceptable for lofty layers while stool and utility ladders are most befitted for low levels. Fiberglass Extension Ladders are the most chosen type due to their strength.

When carrying things situated on top of the ladder, it is essential to move cautiously. Avoid needless shifts and jerks because they will induce the ladder to recede its balance and shake.

In Conclusion, put your extension ladder near to the surface you want to reach to avoid tipping over. When requesting for assistance in using Extension Ladders, it is better to select people who know ladder safety subjects. Make your cleaning a cinch utilizing Extension Ladders and using these safety hints.

Anti-Virus protection. One of the best Free programs for this is AntiVir Personal Edition Anti-Virus software. Download it from: http://www.free-av.com Install on your PC and leave it running to block any incoming bugs or viruses! It can also be used to scan your system for any previous invasions, but be patient, this takes about 15 minutes to complete. Worth running periodically, to check all is ok.

FireWalls and Broadband. If you are on Broadband, consider using Firewall software. Most good ISP’s now supply free. (eg AOL). If yours doesn’t, you can get a reasonably good Free personal firewall system from ‘ZoneAlarm’ at http://www.zonelabs.com . Tip – DON’T leave your PC connected to the Internet when you are not using it! Reduce the chance of something loading while you are not monitoring things !

SpyBot finders and Ad blockers. Various programs available on the web, both ‘Paid’ and ‘Free’. You can get good results from using 2 Free packages that are available. These are ‘SpyBot Search & Destroy’ and ‘Ad-Aware’. Downloads available at http://www.lavasoft.de for AD-Aware http://www.safer-networking.org for SpyBot Using both of these packages ensures that, you get with one, any ‘bots’ that the other one misses.

Suspect you have a virus ? If you think you already have a virus, a good Free tool for checking and killing them is McAfee Stinger. Free download at: http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=stinger

Some General Tips Get in the habit of , every time you disconnect from the web, deleting ALL files from the following folders: C:/WINDOWS/Cookies C:/WINDOWS/Temporary Internet

Beware ‘Boys Toys’ and ‘Freebies’! Think, if someone wants to spread a bug, get tracking software onto your PC etc, the best place for them to do it is places where you go to get ‘freebies’ to download! The above sites are normally ‘ad free’, but be aware that if you download porn, free music, free games, free software, there is often a ‘price’ to pay. Always use the above programs after visiting ANY of these sorts of sites!

If you buy items online, surf the internet or use email then here are several tips to keeping your computer and your personal information secure.

Many people find it very easy to safeguard themselves by installing antivirus protection. Most antivirus protection software protects your computer from known viruses and Trojan horses. If a new virus is detected, your virus software will automatically download the new definition so that your computer will be safe.

Trojan horses are tiny programs that are downloaded inadvertently from the web. These small programs look for personal information and secretly upload it to a database. Many computer users have lost personal and financial information with the use of Trojan Horses.

One of the most damaging of all malicious software is the back door Trojan virus. Unlike many other types of malicious code, the back door Trojan virus is designed specifically to take advantage of vulnerabilities in the operating system such as Windows. The virus uses a back door into the computer too steal personal information, wipe files, or do other types of damage. To make matters worse, some of these back door Trojan horses disguise themselves and hide from anti virus software. Some are even intelligent enough to disable and render unusable your anti virus and firewall software.

You should also protect your computer from Spyware. Spyware is a tiny program that is downloaded usually when you download another program for free off the web. Spyware can be very irritating. Spyware keeps records of what your search for online and then sends you advertisements. Spyware can be difficult to erase.

It is also vital to protect yourself from Spoof emails. Spoof emails look like real emails from Ebay, Paypal, Banks and big credit card companies, but they are fake. Most spoof emails ask you to provide a website with financial information and then they steal this information. If you receive any emails that ask you for financial details, shut your browser, open up a new browser and contact your company’s web site personally to see if there is a message for you.

Steps you can take to avoid problems with viruses and Trojans include being vigilant and paying attention to how your computer appears to be running. If you notice a decrease in performance that cannot be easily explained, or if you see an icon you do not recognize on the taskbar, it is a good idea to scan your computer and look for problems. Paying attention to your own computer, and using your own common sense, is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your computer.

The purpose of this article is to provide evidence and information to counteract the suggestion that Assertivenet is potentially used for malicious purposes.

Initial Research

On Saturday, March 11, 2006, I received a somewhat urgent telephone call from a client of mine, Hibiscus Florals (www.hibiscusflorals.com). The owner, Mark Morkowski, was concerned because he had been reviewing his website traffic statistics and had noticed that at numerous points throughout the day, a user or spider from “ASSERTIVENET” (IP 66.154.103.125) had visited the Hibiscus website.

Since this was rather unusual, Mark elected to investigate further by searching for more information “Assertivenet” via the Google search engine. The first three results that he found appear below:

• http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum10/11080.htm
• http://www.powerbasic.com/support/forums/Forum12/HTML/002979.html
• http://www.completewhois.com/cgi-bin/whois.cgi?query=66.154.111.40

From this information, Mark and I gathered that the owner of the spider in question appears to be a company called Assertive Networks, and hosted through a company called “BC Hosting.” More information wass not immediately available.

It is this lack of information that likely led some of the members of the PowerBASIC forums to block the IP range 66.154.* from accessing their various websites, and justifiably so. But this same lack of information led to additional questions:

1. What files was the Assertivenet spider accessing/trying to access? Was the spider crawling pages or, like some bots, was it looking for specific files that could be used for malicious purposes (e.g. files and scripts that could be manipulated for website attacks?)
2. Why is the apparent owner of the Assertivenet spider a web hosting company (BC Hosting)?
3. What is the intended purpose of the Assertivenet spider?

Additional Research – All Is Not As It Appears

At this point, I decided to look beyond what the website traffic statistics revealed, as well as the information that Mark’s initial search revealed. I needed to start by answering the questions I posed earlier, and in order to do so, I needed to access the raw log files for the Hibiscus website.

I opened up the log files, searched for the particular IPs in question, and found a series of entries such as these:

2006-03-11 03:47:34 66.154.103.125 – 216.89.218.168 80 GET /robots.txt – 200 0 400 285 78 HTTP/1.0 www.hibiscusflorals.com Gigabot/2.0/gigablast.com/spider.html –
2006-03-11 03:47:34 66.154.103.119 – 216.89.218.168 80 GET /larger_image.asp PID=215 200 0 0 299 125 HTTP/1.0 www.hibiscusflorals.com Gigabot/2.0/gigablast.com/spider.html –
2006-03-11 03:50:37 66.154.103.119 – 216.89.218.168 80 GET /larger_image.asp PID=195 200 0 0 299 31 HTTP/1.0 www.hibiscusflorals.com Gigabot/2.0/gigablast.com/spider.html –
2006-03-11 07:47:05 66.154.103.125 – 216.89.218.168 80 GET /robots.txt – 200 0 400 285 78 HTTP/1.0 www.hibiscusflorals.com Gigabot/2.0/gigablast.com/spider.html –
2006-03-11 07:47:05 66.154.103.119 – 216.89.218.168 80 GET /larger_image.asp PID=219 200 0 0 299 109 HTTP/1.0 www.hibiscusflorals.com Gigabot/2.0/gigablast.com/spider.html –

The spider in this case actually belongs to a search engine called Gigablast, and is appropriately named the Gigabot. The Gigabot only crawled pages and files as other search engines have, and made no attempts whatsoever to access files and scripts of a known malicious nature.

Gigablast is a “Tier 2″ search engine that has over 1,000,000,000 pages indexed as of the date of this article (March 13, 2006.) While it is not on the same level in terms of popularity as the Big 3 of Yahoo!, MSN, and Google, it has indexed a significantly large portion of the web, and can be useful for some searches. In particular, Gigablast has implemented an “Giga bits” feature whereby alternate searches are suggested based on the user’s original query in order to help narrow the query down and provide greater relevancy.

I conducted additional research and discovered that some IP addresses from the 66.154.* IP block do resolve to gigablast.com e.g.:

• 66.154.102.46
• 66.154.102.10
• 66.154.103.50

Conclusion – The Gigabot is Safe

As you may well have gathered by now, the Gigabot is a perfectly safe spider that acts and operates in the same manner as other search engine spiders operate. There is no reason at this time to block the 66.154.* IP range that the bot uses; if anything, webmasters would gain from the potential free traffic that Gigablast would generate for their websites as the result of the Gigabot’s efforts.

Adam Senour is a freelance web designer based out of the Greater Toronto Area. His latest project is Search Engine Friendly Layouts, a series of tableless layouts using CSS that load a website’s content area first and foremost.