This month’s SANS Ouch! (Vol.7 No. 2) newsletter asks the question “What is your Password IQ?” Read the rest of this entry »
Password Quiz
February 22nd, 2010Google Drops Internet Explorer (IE) 6. So Should You.
February 11th, 2010Last week, I received this in an email from Google:
In order to continue to improve our products and deliver more sophisticated features and performance… we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.
It’s about time, and not just for those reasons. Read the rest of this entry »
ABA Recommends Dedicated PC for Online Banking
January 22nd, 2010Earlier this month the American Bankers Association (ABA) has issued practical, simple advice which could dramatically enhance everyone’s online banking security. And, I predict, it won’t make any difference because people are unlikely to do it. Read the rest of this entry »
What the Google/China Hack Means to You
January 17th, 2010Friends and listeners to the Fresh Ubuntu Podcast will know that I frequently raise concerns about Google and the information that it acquires about all of us. My concerns normally are along the lines of “just imagine what Google can do with all of that information.” However, I’ve never brought up what could be an even bigger concern: “What if someone else were to get a hold of all of that information?” Read the rest of this entry »
Twitter Bans Common Passwords
January 12th, 2010Twitter recently published a list of 369 banned passwords which it will no longer accept on Twitter accounts. Regardless of whether or not you use Twitter, it is worth a minute or two to skim this list and see if you are using one of these passwords, on any system, or something similar, which could lead to an account compromise. Read the rest of this entry »
Book Review: I’m on Facebook – Now What???
December 25th, 2009I just read I’m on Facebook–Now What???: How to Get Personal, Business, and Professional Value from Facebook
Microsoft: “Please Upgrade from Internet Explorer 6.”
December 21st, 2009While Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP will be supported until July 2010, the writing on the wall is fairly clear, and Microsoft is encouraging users to upgrade to IE 7 or IE 8. Additionally, we have been recommending alternative browsers for years. Read the rest of this entry »
Software Review: Thunderbird 3
December 15th, 2009After a long period of apparent stagnation, Mozilla Messaging, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation, has released the long-awaited Thunderbird 3 – its free, open-source email client. Thunderbird has been my favorite email client for several years now, as it does everything that Outlook Express or Windows Mail does (as far as I am concerned) and has a better track record for security, runs faster, and works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Read the rest of this entry »
Google Public DNS
December 4th, 2009Yesterday, Google announced its latest service: Google Public DNS. This service appears to be similar to the also-free OpenDNS. Read the rest of this entry »
What is the Purpose of Information Security? 60 Minutes Knows
November 11th, 2009I do not watch television, but a friend of mine pointed me to this week’s episode of CBS’ news documentary program 60 Minutes. This is a very good, low-tech illustration of the potential security threats which information security professionals are battling. This is the kind of stuff we are trying to prevent when we throw around terms like “malware,” “firewalls,” “intrusion prevention,” “audits,” and “security policy.”
While the show focuses on threats to the federal government and utilities, the same exact threats and methods of attack face every small business network on the Internet as well.