Firefox/Chrome - Security add-ons/extension - The essentials

So you just installed your preferred web browser, Mozilla's Firefox or Google Chrome -- it doesn't really matter --, what to do next?

Before you start surfing, you better get prepared, 'cause "it's a wild world out there!".  And with few add-ons/extensions that's pretty simple.

Nowadays, the Internet "is a criminals' preferred pathway for spreading malware", so why not use some easy tools increase your protection and help decide who's trustable?

WOT 

WOT is a award winning add-on, completely free, available to firefox and chorme, and downloaded more than 23 millions times, that "shows you which websites you can trust based on millions of users' experiences."  It adds a small circle next to the web address bar that like a traffic-light indicates if the site is trusted:

the greener the safer

reddish meaning the opposite

and yellowish the spectrum in between

Additionally, if the website you're about to enter has a really bad reputation, WOT will show a big warning and block the site.

And, of course, WOT is also a community you can make part of if you feel like sharing your opinion to help others and collaborate building the largest community driven World Wide Web reputation data-base.

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Adblock for Chrome

Adblock Plus for Firefox

These two add-ons/extensions are originally intended to block the annoying publicity one finds all over the Wild Web.  But it can also be used to block links that distributes malwares -- just a matter of using the appropriate filter-list.

I've picked two different softwares on purpose, although Adblock Plus is actually available to either Chrome of Firefox indistinctly, while Adblock is available to both Chrome and Safari, but not to Firefox. Coincidently I happen to prefer Adblock Plus on Firefox and Adblock for Chrome, not only for this reason, but also because it was under this combination that the malware filter intended was easily installed.

So first thing's first: install Adblock/Adblock Plus into your webrowser (which won't be covered here, but is quite easy or at least easily findable). In Firefox will need to relaunch the browser (at least as of the time being this post is written under version 9.0.1) and on Chrome the installation of extensions doesn't require the relaunch of the application.

Once this is done, you might need to choose a publicity filter for your country/region or based on your language, but you can also skip this is you really enjoys publicity.

The installation process is also very easy and involves clicking on one link relative to the List of Malware Domains on this page or simply click directly on this subscription link and wait for the installation to begin.

A window should come up to let you know the subscription when throughout with no problem.
Additionally, you can check what lists you've subscribed to under the options of Adblock/Adblock Plus.

No further actions is required.  Adblock/Plus will automatically block your connections to the links that appears on the list you've subscribed to for their known relation with malware distribution.

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There you are. Now you can surf the World Wild Web with security.

Linux + Webcam = Security (+Dropbox = Anywhere), but...

So I've decide to give an usage to an old PC siting at home.

I've followed couple of how-tos on the Internet and installed motion and Dropbox into an Ubuntu installation so that I could see what's going on home while at work (from my laptop) or even when I'm away (via android, of course).

Sadly, as I came to knew 2-3 days later, the last 30GB of available memory from my laptop were gone - I found out because Dropbox warned me it could not sync files anymore due to lack of disk space...

A bit of research and I found out that the one to blame was .dropbox.cache:

So, of course, I've deleted the files inside .dropbox.cache.  But it's been only 2:30h since then and, again, I've only 21,83GB left, meaning .dropbox.cache is actually eating my HD on an average speed of 3.2GB per hour.

I'm not sure if this is a Mac-specific issue, or if it might be somehow aggravated by the constant transfer of small files (pictures) generated by motion, but anyhow it looks like there are a lot of people complaining about.

So I guess I'll have to switch to a backup/remote storage alternative to this setup.