Posts Tagged ‘Security’

Google Public DNS

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Yesterday, Google announced its latest service: Google Public DNS. This service appears to be similar to the also-free OpenDNS. (more…)

So, How Do I Drop Those Administrative Rights, Anyway?

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

If you’ve read my previous post on why administrative rights over your computer are a bad thing and you are motivated to do something about it, you might ask “just how do I go about dropping these rights to make my system more stable and less prone to malware?” (more…)

Why You Do NOT Want Administrative Rights on Your Computer

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

This is almost always a hot button with some users. One of the absolutely most effective ways to shield yourself from viruses and spyware is to not log on to your computer as an administrator. As soon as I say this, I usually encounter some resistance, because users think that giving up admin rights equates to giving up power. In a way, you are, but for decades I’ve likened full admin rights on a computer to walking around with a loaded gun that might go off at any minute, and pointing it at people (including yourself). I have seen plenty of damage done by users who thought they needed (or just wanted) administrative rights over machines, and in truth, they did not. (more…)

We Don’t Have Anything Anyone Else Would Want

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

When I first mention information security to a client, particularly a small business, non-profit, or educational institution, I frequently get a response like this:

  • “Nobody is interested in our network.”
  • “We don’t have anything that anyone would want.”
  • “Our systems aren’t that important.”
  • “No one would steal my account/password/login.”
  • “Why would someone want to hack our computers?”

(more…)