Archive for the ‘Security’ Category
Apple Macs Now Have Viruses Too
Sadly we had our first Apple Mac virus to remove in May, (oh it used to be so simple with a Mac) Here's what it looked like, It's much like the windows Scareware, it'll ask you for money to remove non existent viruses What to look out for is a popup much like this one, you'll be surfing the web and this will popup full screen and look like a normal finder window with links on the left hand side If you do get such a message pop up on your Mac , don't panic, don't press OK. Take your cursor straight up to the Apple icon on the top left and select Force Quit - Your browser, Safari Chrome Firefox whatever your using. In doing this you'll have not inadvertently installed anything by clicking a close box that a link or something along those lines. Another good precaution to take if you're a Safari user is to ...
DialaGeek Radio Interview BBC Bristol
I was kindly invited in to BBC radio Bristol by Steve Yabsley for a 20 minute interview. He wanted to discuss computing in general as a lot of his listeners may have experienced computer problems. We discussed various topics, including the subjects covered on the blog here, this is a slightly cut down version (due to You Tube and it's 15 Minute Limit). Many thanks to Steve for inviting me in and making the the interview go well, I never realised what a skillful job interviewing is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9nDswhkQUw The topics covered are: Password security How to securely store your passwords Dangers of open WiFi What is backup? How to setup a free safe surfing system
No Need To Remember Passwords Anymore
There is a great piece of software you can use that will securely remember all you passwords for your, allowing you to use longer passwords and different passwords on different sites. The software is the aptly named LastPass This small piece of software works in Windows and Apple Mac it also works on your iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android or Windows smartphone and keep them all synced up with each other. I've been using this for around a year now and it it is very good, it means you can have long secure passwords, without having to remember them. From a security standpoint is is secure, as long as you use a long master password, see here for a guide to making long secure passwords it is secure. Another tip if you using it on a laptop, make sure you close Internet Explorer/Firefox/Chrome when you've finished using it and tick this checkbox below in the Lastpass preferences If you interested (which you should be really) here's what Lastpass has to say on security, ...
The Dangers Of Open WiFi And How To Avoid Them
When you use free WiFi without a password (find the network and just connect without asking for a password) such as in coffee shops and other public places there are a few dangers that are good to be aware of. If you are not on a secure website, anyone else with a bit of computer knowledge can see what you are looking at When I say secure website this is one that uses https:// at the start. Banks use this all the time, Gmail uses this, when your checking out and entering your credit card details you should always see this. This means you have an encrypted SSL connection, which cannot be read by anyone else. There currently is a problem that many sites such as Facebook, Hotmail (they now have an option to force https), Twitter and most other social networking sites many others are using https: when you login, then going back to http:// afterwards This means that everything you do, all ...
Firefox what is it and why do I need it
Firefox is a web browser, the same as internet explorer the one that comes with your PC or laptop (the blue e icon above above) Firefox has many advantages over Internet Explorer the two most prominent being Firefox is more secure, by that I mean there is less chance of of a website installing malicious software on your computer when using Firefox. Firefox is faster than internet explorer, web sites will load faster What are the differences in terms of using it? There are a couple of small differences, one being your Favourites are called Bookmarks and it looks slightly different What does it cost? It's 100% free of charge it won't cost you a penny. Is it just for Geeks? No, for everyone it's very easy to use I promise, also if you don't like it you can go right back to clicking on the blue e above. How do i get it? You can get it here http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/ Tip on installing: It will ask you if you want to import you settings from ...
How to let your children view only child friendly websites
The problem with letting the kids use the computer, apart from the sticky fingers is making sure they don't see anything that is not age appropriate. You're sat with them looking at bmx videos or cartoons on YouTube, then the phone rings/door goes/sibling falls over, you come back and he's clicked on the handy next video suggestion.... Here's where this great little piece of software comes in, it is called Kido'z, not a great name but a really good program, It is a free program you install on your computer (works on Mac and PC) and creates a method for viewing only pre screened child friendly websites and YouTube videos. To start off with you visit the Kido'z website (see the Kidoz link at the bottom of this page) and click the download link Next you will be prompted to install Adobe Air and the program, Adobe Air is safe it's a bit like flash player. There wil be a pop up box asking if you want to open or install Kidoz, just click Install or open (install on ...
How To Create Long Memorable Passwords
I often get asked questions on basic Internet security, so I thought I’d offer a few bite size tips to make security simpler. One area you can improve security greatly is by the use of secure passwords. A secure password is a string of random characters such as ‘H)n%yLf]0Ht”‘ that includes symbols, uppercase and lowercase letters, and numbers. Trying to remember separate random passwords or even one for all your online accounts is virtually impossible. HOW TO CREATE LONG MEMORABLE PASSWORDS -Creating Passphrases- This is a method I’ve found to be very effective which uses a sentence instead of random characters. Instead of ‘beano123′ (the dogs name and a few numbers), try ‘takingbeanoforawalktoday123′ or even better, ‘longerpasswordthantheoldBeano123′ This method can be extended to other phrases. Maybe you have some goals you’d like to attain in the near future for example: ‘Giveupsmokingafternewyear2009′ or ‘100%Fitterthanlastyear’ To increase the security of this method you can use bad spelling or made up words. You can also add in other characters such as % ” ? @… You won’t be asked to repeat it so you can put what you like for a phrase, song lyrics, quotes. The funnier or more outrageous, the more likely you are to remember it. -Best practise with Passphrases- To be fully secure a ...
