Feds bust Megaupload.com

File-sharing site Megaupload was busted by the government  for profiting from the distribution of massive amounts of pirated music, movies, and software. It's part of a thriving industry of file-sharing sites including celebrated apps like Dropbox, and it has nothing to do with peer-to-peer systems like BitTorrent. Here's what you need to know about Mega and its kin.

What does Megaupload do? Megaupload was a one-click hosting service. You could upload a file to it—any file—and Megaupload would give you a unique link so anyone else could download the file for free.

What are the legit uses for these sites? Many people use them to send or share files too large for email. PCMag used Mediafire to send CES photo galleries to our production team, for instance. Shareware and freeware developers use these sites to distribute software, because the devs wouldn't be able to afford the bandwidth costs themselves. Independent musicians host their songs on one-click sites, once again because they can't pay for the bandwidth themselves.

What are the non-legit uses? Anything pirated. Movies, music, porn, software, you name it.

Who says they need SOPA and PIPA, when they can do this?

How to stay safe anywhere

Some easy tips/steps on how to stay safe and secure anywhere you go:

Traveling light, with no devices

• Don't log in to secure sites on unsecured kiosks or public computers.
• Clear recent history (Ctrl+Shift+D in IE, Firefox, or Chrome) after using any computer that isn't yours.
• If you need secure access, use LogMeIn Hamachi (Free, 4 stars) or another free VPN client.
• Beware the hotel room phone–charges may be through the roof.

Traveling with a smartphone

• Don't log in to secure sites while connected through unsecured wireless.
• Be almost as cautious when connected through password-protected wireless.
• Check with your carrier if going overseas; you may need to enable international roaming.
• Beware insanely high charges for data roaming in other countries.
• Secure your smartphone with a strong password, not just the default 4-digit PIN.
• Consider installing Lookout Mobile Security ($29.99/year direct) or another mobile security app that can remotely lock and wipe the phone and also locate if it's lost or stolen.

Traveling with a laptop

• Never leave the laptop in sleep mode, where a thief could simply "wake it up" and have full access. Either shut it down or put all the way into hibernate.
• Make sure the laptop is configured to require a password on coming out of hibernate.
• If you're carrying truly sensitive data, consider using Windows's BitLocker Whole Disk Encryption or a third-party encryption tool like ZoneAlarm DataLock ($39.95 direct, 4 stars).
• Consider installing LoJack for Laptops by Absolute Software ($39.99/year direct, 4.5 stars) or another laptop antitheft tool that can lock down the laptop and trace the thief.

At Home

• Change your router administrator password to something other than the default. There are websites that list the defaults for virtually all models.
• Use LastPass 1.72 (Free, 5 stars), RoboForm Everywhere 7 ($19.95 direct, 4.5 stars), or another password manager to generate and protect strong passwords—you can store your router password here too.
• If you have a wireless network, be sure to change the SSID to something other than the default, and encrypt the connection.
• Install antivirus protection, if you don't already have it, or better yet a full security suite.

At Work

• Don't go to lunch or on a break without locking your desktop. This prevents co-workers from snooping or playing tricks.
• Don't log in to secure sites for personal business. Remember, the company owns that computer, and the network, and the network logs. Assume anything you do on the company computer is public.
• If you're steamed about something, calm down before emailing. Check to make sure your tone is civil, and be very sure you don't Reply All when it isn't appropriate.
• Find out if your company has policies in place about security; if so, learn and heed them.

Be sure to keep your brain engaged and your common sense active. That notification from your bank about a credit problem might be bogus, so navigate to the bank site yourself rather than clicking any links. And just as in the non-Internet world, if you come across an offer that seems too good to be true, it's probably a scam. If you focus on the right safety tips, you can protect yourself, your data, and your identity no matter where you are.

Internet Explorer to begin auto-updates

Microsoft has finally decided that auto-updates is the way to rid the world of older versions of Internet Explorer.  Microsoft will begin to automatically update older versions of Internet Explorer, unless you specifically opt not to update.  It will begin in Windows Update.  For more, read the article here.

Travelling? Beware at the airport

I know we can't live without our computers, iPads and phones, but if you travel through an airport, beware that you may have to give them up and the passwords to access them.  The American Civil Liberties Union has brought a suit against the US government over its seizure of the laptop of a computer security consultant - a seizure carried out at a Chicago airport about a year ago without a search warrant or any charges of crimes.  Not only can they seize the items, they can demand the passwords to access them.  Whether or not you have to is still being litigated.  For more read here.

Where are my Twitter followers?

Actually I do not particularly care, if I did, I probably would tweet a bit more. For you die hard twitterers out there, you can now actually map where your twitter followers are when you tweet.  Try Tweepsmaps.com.  Enter your credentials and you can have an app that will show all your followers on a map.  No all you need is something interesting to say!

3D printing is here.....oh,...what is 3D printing?

No, put away the glasses, not that kind of 3D.  3D printing is the new technology that will allow you to actually "print" an object.  Lose a belt buckle, a 3D printer will actually print out a new one.  Yes, printing objects is here.  It may revolutionize small business.  If you have an idea, you may actually be able to manufacture your own merchandise with a 3D printer.  Then again, I guess it might also be possible to "borrow" a key and make your own copies, so I am sure the thieves out there will be all over it too.  For more, check out the article here.