Computer Monitoring Software and Data Recovery Tools: Two Valuable Resources for Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, but Internet safety and security are year-long practices. Pandora Corp., makers of PC Pandora monitoring software and the Pandora Recovery tool, is stressing importance on two key security areas this month: the ability to track harmful changes to your home computer and recover lost data, and the knowledge that your children are safe when they go online...

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 15, 2008 -- The big tech news across the board for October is the celebration of Cyber Security Awareness Month. More so a reminder than a celebration, PC owners everywhere are encouraged once again to check up on their antivirus and Internet protections, and firewall and password strengths. They are reminded to take active steps to avoid falling victim to identity theft, phishing scams and cyber attacks. In the past year, the issue of child safety - and consequently security - on the Internet has become a big topic, especially when it comes to teaching kids how to navigate the web safely and not to give out too much personal information.

October may almost be over, but Internet safety and security of the home computer are year-long practices. Pandora Corp. makers of PC Pandora monitoring software (http://www.pcpandora.com) and the Pandora Recovery tool (http://pandorarecovery.com/) is adding extra emphasis on two key security areas this month: the ability to track harmful changes to your home computer and recover lost data, and the knowledge that your children are safe when they go online.

They are two areas where computer monitoring software and data recovery tools can save the day.

"So much can happen to your PC, on purpose or by accident, that will affect its performance and, potentially, your safety," says James Leasure, Co-founder of Pandora Corp. "The wrong files being moved or deleted can result in a seriously corrupted system. Worse than that, if certain settings get changed or the wrong files get deleted, you may find yourself locked out of online banking accounts or even have your private passwords and personal information opened up to anyone that cares to look."

For anyone who spends a significant amount of time working at home or on the go, or for home PCs with multiple users, monitoring software can be a lifesaver if an important document is lost, deleted or becomes corrupted. Having a record of activity like online banking and bill paying may come in handy when unexpected situations arise, such as online payments failing to go through, or an operating system becoming corrupted.

"Computer monitoring software lets you go back in time on your machine and replay everything that happened," says Leasure. "Imagine having security tapes to review of all action on your machine. Maybe it's a confirmation number you forgot to write down or safely finding a website that corrupted your machine, everything will be there."

A second device that can be handy in this situation is a data recovery tool like Pandora Recovery (http://pandorarecovery.com/), which lets you find and recover lost or deleted files. Available as a free download or as a mobile USB Flash Drive installation for use on multiple computers, it's an essential tool that will help you retrieve those important documents or files that go 'missing' - whether it's by accident or on purpose.

Younger users may be more prone to accidents on the PC, but they are also more likely to engage in illegal activity when using the Internet. From bullying peers to downloading pirated music and movies, or even inappropriate and illegal photos of underage peers, kids are always finding ways to get into trouble. Unfortunately for parents, the computer's owner can be the one who will answer to authorities.

"When you toss potential illegal activity into the mix along with being active on social networks where predators can lurk, giving out too much personal information, and the rising trend in vicious cyberbullying tactics, you have even more reason to be monitoring Internet activity of your children with software like our PC Pandora," says Leasure.

PC Pandora (http://www.pcpandora.com) is monitoring software that monitors and records all activity on a computer. By taking sequential snapshots of all activity on screen, PC Pandora acts as a DVR for your machine. The snapshots allow you to see everything that happened on your computer, telling you who did what and when. Further details of user activity, such as websites visited, emails sent and received, instant messenger chats, keystrokes logged, peer-2-peer files shared, programs accessed, Internet search queries and more, can be seen in text-based files. The IRIS feature will even send those text-based files right to a parent's email, very valuable for working moms and dads who can't always be home when the kids are online.

"PC Pandora gives parents a full visual and documented record of everything that happens on the home PC," explains Leasure. "This gives them the ability to find and fix problems quickly, but more importantly, the knowledge that their children are being safe when they go online. In some cases, PC Pandora will give you the evidence you need to hold your children accountable for their online activity."

Security to the home PC is essential in today's connected and networked world. Having the ability to know everything that happens on your machine can play a vital role in fixing system errors and keeping your kids safe online. Computer monitoring software like PC Pandora 5.0 (http://www.pcpandora.com) and free data recovery tools like Pandora Recovery (http://pandorarecovery.com/) are imperative security measures.

A 2-hour trial of PC Pandora 5.0 (http://www.pcpandora.com/trial_download.php) is available at www.pcpandora.com. As a special promotion for Cyber Security Awareness Month (October), the company is offering the software at a discounted price; parents can use the code 'CSAM08' at checkout to get $10 off the Standard or Pro editions of PC Pandora monitoring software.

Pandora Recovery (http://pandorarecovery.com/) is available for FREE at www.pandorarecovery.com. Recovery Mobile can be purchased alone or within the Pandora Power Pack, which includes 4 licenses for PC Pandora - a great value for families and small businesses.

Teenage Online Statistics:

A recent Pew Internet & American Life Project report says:

· 94-percent of teens 12-17 go online

· 63-percent of online teens go online daily

· 94-percent go online to do research for school assignments; 48-percent do so on a typical day

· 32-percent of online teens have been contacted by a complete stranger online; of teens that have been contacted, 23-percent say they were made scared or uncomfortable by the stranger contact

· Social network users more likely to have been contacted by strangers

· 32-percent of online teens have experienced a form of cyberbullying, such as having private material (IM, text, email) forwarded without permission, receiving threatening messages, having a rumor spread about them online or having someone post an embarrassing picture of them online without permission

· Having Internet monitoring software (but not filters) is correlated with lower reported levels of contact by someone unknown to the teen or his/her friends

By contrast:

· 65-percent of parents say they check up on their teens after they go online - This means that 35-percent of parents DO NOT check!

· 45-percent of families have monitoring software on the computer that their child uses - This means that 55-percent of parents cannot confirm what their child does online or has no clue.

· 7-percent of parents have no rules about media use at all - This figure should be ZERO!

About PC Pandora: Pandora Corporation was formed with one goal - to help our customers monitor, control and protect their families and themselves online. First released in mid 2005, PC Pandora has been constantly upgraded to industry-leading specifications and has received accolades from users, reviewers and even school districts and law enforcement agencies, who use the program to help in the day-to-day supervision of the children and citizens they are charged with protecting. The company website devotes space to helping parents by providing them with 18 Tips to Safe Surfing (http://www.pcpandora.com/children/18tips.php) and Pandora's Blog (http://blog.pcpandora.com/), where current news in the world of online safety is discussed regularly. PC Pandora has vaulted into a leadership position for parental control software by boasting a combination of features that are unparalleled in the monitoring industry. In February 2008, Version 5.0 was released, again widening the spectrum of coverage and protection offered by the program. In addition, through the company's SAFE SCHOOLS program, schools and school districts can receive up to $100,000 worth of software to aid in protecting their students and their PCs. PC Pandora is also now available through the Pandora Corp. store at Amazon.com.

Reporters and Producers: Looking to cover this topic? We are your technology solution component. Software is available to journalists for review and testing. Staff members are available for interviews. Let us help you show your audience how easy it can be to keep their kids safe.

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