Windows 9 Rumors–Charms Bar Out, Start Menu Returns

start menu windows 81

The picture above is supposed to be how the new user interface of Windows 9 is going to look.  Gratefully, it looks like Microsoft has finally realized the colossal blunder it made when it removed the Start Menu in Windows 8 and 8.1.  To me it looks like the right column has been absorbed by the Start Screen apps, which is not my favorite solution, I would rather have ...

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Secure Your Wi-Fi Network

imageMany homes an businesses are using wireless networking  to connect their computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, printers, televisions, DVD and DVR players and other smart devices and appliances to the local household or business network, and to the larger Internet beyond.  Wireless networking devices such as wireless routers and access points are ...

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Russian Cyber-Criminals Amass 1.2 Billion Passwords

This was first reported by Hold Security on Tuesday August 5th. and it has been picked up even by the mainstream press and media outlets.  A Russian criminal organization has amassed a huge trove of 1.2 billion user names and passwords.   This could be all of them, folks, so it might be a good time to go through your online accounts and change them ALL!  Wish I was kidding, because I have way over 100 to do myself.  Maybe it’s ...

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A Few Good Breaches…What They Do With Your Password

In the last month there have been several notable web site breaches where the cyber-thieves made off with databases full of user credentials. New additions to the list (Target, Michael’s, Neiman Marcus) now include PF Chang’s, Goodwill Industries, Jimmy John’s, eBay, and most recently, CNet.  I have had to change my eBay password, which means I changed my PayPal password as an added safety measure.  I also changed the password on my CNet account.  CNet is a technology publisher, and ...

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Watch Out For Fake Tech Support Calls and Web Sites

In the July issue of Microsoft’s free Security for Home Computer Users newsletter(sign up here), there was an article entitled “Is that Call from Microsoft a Scam?”  The answer in a nutshell was: yes, it is a scam. 

Microsoft is not going to call you.  Neither is Hewlett Packard, Dell, Symantec, Comcast, your ISP, Google, Yahoo, or your email service provider.  If you get a call, and they are trying to tell you that they can ...

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How to Catch a Phish

“Give a man a Phish and he eats for a day, teach a man to Phish and he eats for a lifetime.”

When you get an email that is spoofed as the example below has been, this is called a Phishing email.  The object is to “hook” the recipient into doing something that will be harmful to their wealth.  I got one just this morning that for me was a new look, and included the threat of legal action.  If you ...

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I Can Copy Your Keys With A Smartphone App

In a great article on Wired.com, Andy Greenberg details how he used the smartphone app KeyMe to create a key that allowed him to access his neighbors apartment (with permission of course).  The KeyMe app allows you to store copies of your keys online so in the event you lose or misplace you keys, or lock yourself out, you can have a key made using 3D printing and open the door you need to open.  Sounds ...

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Sunday Funnies: Damn Autocorrect!

In the August 2014 issue, Wired Magazine has an interesting article about the history of Autocorrect and it’s predecessor, Microsoft’s Spell Check, and the guy who started it all, Dean Hachamovitch.  What started out as dictionary lists of commonly misspelled words is now an algorithm driven monster that takes what you are writing and turns it into other stuff that is daffy, funny, or sometimes embarrassingly obscene.   Not reviewing the article here, but instead sharing a couple of ...

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How a Phishing Attack Works

I just read an article on Sophos that shows all the steps in a typical phishing exploit.  The example they used was a spoofed iTunes scam, where the attackers warn you that unauthorized persons are buying songs on your account.  If you really want to learn how to spot and avoid these threats, you should make the click over to their site.  But basically the exploits starts with an email (as many of them do.)

The red flags in ...

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