...but were afraid to ask. Because NoScript can be a little tricky to use, we've created this video how-to that covers how to install, configure, and live with the NoScript add-on for Firefox. Questions? Leave them in the comments or visit http://noscript.net/.

As part of our celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we'll be posting quick writeups on our favorite Firefox add-ons that enhance the security and privacy of your web browsing experience. We don't necessarily recommend you install every single add-on we show here; just that you evaluate them to see if they meet your needs. Questions? Leave them in the comments!

If you don’t currently have Firefox installed on your machine, you are probably at least aware of its existence. Ever since Firefox’s premiere release in late 2004, the browser wars have been on. Firefox’s latest ad slogan is “Faster, Safer, Smarter, Better.” I would have to agree with the ad, although I think the “Safer” part is most significant…but I guess the marketing folks at Firefox didn’t think “Safer, Faster, Smarter, Better” had the same ring.

If you’ve used e-mail for any length of time, you’ve likely encountered a phishing message. A phishing message can be defined as any message that attempts to entice or coerce you into giving up sensitive information to someone who should not have it. Phishing messages may ask for different types of data, but they all have a few consistent features:

If you’re job hunting, or looking to pick up some extra cash, beware of being lured into becoming a “Money Mule” for organized crime. A money mule, or phishing mule, is a middleman for hackers and phishers, used to electronically transfer stolen money from compromised bank or credit card accounts. The mule then wires the money to the hacker, and keeps part of the ill-gotten loot.

As part of our celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we'll be posting quick writeups on our favorite Firefox add-ons that enhance the security and privacy of your web browsing experience. We don't necessarily recommend you install every single add-on we show here; just that you evaluate them to see if they meet your needs. Questions? Leave them in the comments!

If you're like most people, you have a USB stick or two that you carry around from place to place. You probably use it for backing up files, bringing papers to the lab to print, transporting data to use with a study group, or a million other uses. If you're a Windows user, you're also probably used to the fact that when you plug your USB stick in, it just pops open and you can immediately start using your files. Neat, right?

Windows Vista and Windows 7 Beta users: If you are suddenly getting alerts from the Windows Security Center, you may need to make sure you're running the latest version of your antivirus software. Microsoft changed the way the Security Center works, and as a result it may no longer be able to communicate with your AV product to see if it's working. If you see a red shield in your system tray, go to Start (Orb)-->Control Panel-->Security Center. If you see this:

And why should you care?

If you've paid any attention to security news in the last 7-10 days, it's possible you've seen dire warnings about vulnerabilities in Microsoft ActiveX controls. For many people, these warnings aren't very meaningful--someone commented to me on Facebook that "...since I don't speak computer, I can't even figure out your post. :)"