Articles in Category: Security

The State of Passwords in 2019

Password are here to stay, at least for a while longer. Until they die, here’s quick review of how to make sure yours are as secure as possible.

How Do I Get Rid of Ask.com?

You should be able to remove any toolbars or browser settings that have been added to your computer.

Do I Need a New Email Address if Mine’s Involved in a Breach?

If you discover that your email address is part of a breach, you probably do not need to change it. But there are steps to take to protect yourself.

Password Checkup: A Recommended Chrome Browser Extension

Password Checkup is a browser extension that tells you if the password you’re using has been discovered by hackers.

Two-factor Might Be Hackable? USE IT ANYWAY!

Another scare about two-factor authentication perhaps being hackable? DO NOT let that stop you from using it.

How Do I Get Rid Of “overseer.exe”?

Overseer.exe can be left behind after an uninstall of Avast Free Anti-virus. Deleting it is a two-step process.

How Do I Keep My Kids Safe from Internet Garbage?

There’s a lot of garbage on the internet, and it’s difficult to prevent your children from seeing it. There are tools to help and steps to take.

How Can an Employer Recover Information I’ve Erased?

As much as you might wish it otherwise, it’s just not practical to try and hide your computer activity from your employer.

Use BitLocker to Bypass Potential Self-Encrypting Drive Vulnerabilities

Headlines to the contrary, it’s BitLocker to the rescue to protect yourself from some vulnerabilities discovered in drives providing hardware-based encryption.

How Can I Use a Password Manager for My Security Questions?

Password vaults are good at keeping track of passwords, but not answers to security questions. There is a technique you can use to help.

Don’t Lose Your Phone: Here’s What Can Happen (and How to Prepare)

Given how much we’ve come to rely on them, are you prepared to lose your mobile device?

BoxCryptor: Secure Your Data in the Cloud

Many online cloud storage providers encrypt your data — which means they can decrypt it themselves. BoxCryptor is a great solution to ensure that your online data remains private, regardless of how it’s stored.

How Can I Send a Document to Someone Securely?

Email is a fairly insecure media. There are many things that can go wrong when email gets delivered, and protecting yourself can be difficult.

What Can a Website I Visit Tell About Me?

Websites can collect a fair amount of information about you. Let’s look at what every website sees.

Can My ISP See What I’m Doing If I Use a Virtual Machine (VM)?

A VM doesn’t get you any additional privacy from your ISP… although it might be a convenience as part of a more complete solution.

VeraCrypt: Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

VeraCrypt provides a solution for encrypting sensitive data — everything from portable, mountable volumes to entire hard disks.

How to Tell if Your Email, Computer, or Facebook Has Been Hacked

Unless a password’s been changed, it’s difficult for a typical user to tell if their computer or account has been hacked.

Download Your Facebook and Google Data

It’s a worthwhile exercise to download the data made available by Google and Facebook, if only to realize exactly what information is being kept.

I’ve Lost All My Passwords, What Do I Do?

Losing access to your password vault can be a major inconvenience. Fortunately, that’s all it needs to be, and there are ways to prevent even that.

How Do Websites Store Passwords Securely?

Effective website security is difficult, and often an afterthought. Not all sites or services store passwords securely.

How Did I Get Advertising About the Contents of an Email?

Sophisticated targeted ads can sometimes seem creepy. Here I explore how a few techniques work, and one I can’t explain at all.

What Is “Privilege Escalation” on a CPU?

Privilege is a fundamental concept in modern operating system design. We’ll explore what privilege means as used by the CPU when software runs.

What Do I Need to Do About Spectre and Meltdown?

Spectre and Meltdown sound scary. Here’s what you need to do, which is hopefully what you’re doing anyway, along with an attempt at an analogy.

How Do I Back Up LastPass?

It’s important to back up LastPass, because unexpected things happen. What you do with that backup, however, is critical.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication in LastPass

Your LastPass password vault is full of exceptionally important data. Add additional security with two-factor authentication.

Why Do Password-strength Meters Give Different Results?

Password-strength meters don’t always agree. My take is to avoid them completely.

What the Equifax Breach Means to You

One of the largest data breaches in history has left many wondering what to do next.

Why Don’t Anti-malware Tools Work Better?

It’s possible to get malware, even with anti-malware tools installed. Why the heck is that true?

How Can I Tell If a Website is Safe?

We’re often enticed or directed to websites we’ve never been to before. We’ll look at a couple of tools to help identify safe websites.

Does a Lapsed Anti-malware Tool Leave an Open Door for Malware?

Letting your anti-malware subscription lapse is never a good idea. I’ll look at why that is, and available alternatives.

How Do I Know If My Computer Has Been Compromised?

You can’t rely on yourself as a malware detector. Learn how to be a malware avoider.

I’ve Been Told My Computer Has a Virus, But My Anti-Malware Program Doesn’t Remove It. What Do I Do?

Making sure your anti-virus program and its definition database are up-to-date is the best way to make sure it can recognize and remove viruses.

What’s the Difference Between a “Trojan Horse”, a “Worm”, and a “Virus”?

There are many different terms that relate to software with malicious intent. Ultimately, however, there’s only one you really need to know, and several things you need to do.

Google Remembers More than You Realize

Wherein we consider how much information we “give away” in our daily lives online.

Why Microsoft’s Response to the Windows Defender Zero Day was Spot-On

Microsoft’s response to the recent Windows Defender zero-day vulnerability was an example of how the system is supposed to work.

Are There Hidden Files that Save Every Keystroke I’ve Ever Typed?

There’s a lot of misinformation, and even paranoia, relating to keystroke logging and privacy. Much of it, however, is based on small kernels of truth.

Sometimes the Threat Is in the Hardware

We spend a lot of time on software-related issues, but malicious activities and privacy violations can happen via hardware as well.

How Do I Encrypt a Hard Drive Using VeraCrypt?

VeraCrypt makes is easy to encrypt whole drives, making it safer to travel with your data. Here’s how to safely encrypt and then access your data.

How Do I Protect Myself from My ISP?

If you’re using an internet connection from a source you don’t trust, there are a few alternatives.

Offline Anti-Malware Tools

Sometimes, the best way to remove malware is to reboot your system and run a completely separate tool. I’ll list some of the most popular.

Windows Defender Offline in Windows 10

When malware prevents your anti-malware tools from working, the built-in Windows Defender Offline is your first line of defense.

What if My Security Software Vendor Gets Hacked?

It’s important to consciously choose which software and online services to trust – whether they are directly related to security or not.

Should I Accept My Security Software’s Recommendation of What to Remove?

Should you trust your security software to make the right recommendations? Typically, yes, as long as you’re using reputable software.

How Do I Encrypt a Disk?

For many, it’s important to be able to encrypt a disk entirely. Particularly if a portable machine contains sensitive data, whole-disk encryption is key.

How Do I Encrypt a Folder?

It’s not uncommon to want to encrypt a folder and all it contains. There are several techniques to encrypt a folder, each with pros and cons.

How Do I Encrypt a File?

Since most encryption tools are designed to encrypt collections of files, the best approach to encrypt a file isn’t always obvious. I’ll look at a couple of alternatives.

Do I Need this Add-on Recommended by this Software Installation?

Many installers include offers of additional software packages. If you don’t pay attention, you could end up with software you don’t need or want.

Possible LastPass Phishing Vulnerability

News broke over the weekend regarding a potential phishing vulnerability that could lead you to give a hacker your Lastpass master password.