Daily Archives: December 6, 2021

• Gravatar data leak

  Posted on December 6, 2021 at 21:50 CST by Susan Bradley

  You may have seen in the news that the site that provides the icons/images for this site and other WordPress based sites has been involved in a breach. But as I read it, it’s not really a breach, but rather sloppy coding.

  Nothing breached. Someone found Gravatar is using sequential id’s with JSON based API, which means they can very easily get your publicly available data. Slightly easier than scraping the page. But nothing has leaked, everything that was/is available came under a notice that Gravatar would make those details publicly available. Nothing has leaked, just perhaps Gravatar shouldn’t have made it so easy to get details.

  That said, take the time during this holiday season to review your passwords and especially stop reusing passwords. One of the best proactive things you can do this holiday season is to make yourself a big mug of hot chocolate, sit down in front of your computer or iPad and review the passwords on ALL of your sites. Ensure that you change passwords to much longer and stronger versions of what you are currently using. Do not reuse passwords over and over again on different web sites, as all it takes is an attacker to gain access to one password in an account and the attacker will attempt to reuse it on other accounts. Even if you don’t reuse passwords over and over again, if you haven’t changed passwords in a while, it’s wise to update and revise them. Next look to see if you can add multi-factor authentication on sensitive accounts such as banking as well as email. Review your options for setting up multi-factor. Often you can set up services to trust a browser you use all the time and to send multi-factor prompts when you – or an attacker – tries to log in from a new location.

  Action items for 2022: Choose better passwords and add multi-factor wherever you can.

  Security Patch Lady Posts

• OneDrive app support ending on older Windows

  Posted on December 6, 2021 at 02:45 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.47 • 2021-12-06

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Microsoft dropped a minor bombshell with the announcement that the OneDrive app would stop working for some Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users beginning in March 2022.

  The changes have some unusual elements, such as a split between personal and work use. Microsoft has (deliberately?) added confusion with poor and incomplete communication.

  Office 365 users are affected by these changes, yet Microsoft hasn’t said a word about that.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.47.0 (2021-12-06).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.47.F (2021-12-06).

  Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365, Newsletters, Office, Office 365, OneDrive, OneDrive for Business

• How to safely test-drive Win11 on your current PC, for free!

  Posted on December 6, 2021 at 02:44 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  The anticipated flood of Win11-occasioned fixes and updates has begun: Microsoft, hardware makers, and software publishers are all scrambling to correct the problems encountered with the original Windows 11 release.

  I think the signs point to a somewhat premature release of Win11, as if Microsoft had skipped or shortened testing of the final “Release Candidate” version, shipping the software before it was adequately vetted in real-world conditions.

  But the fixes are arriving, including work by Microsoft and Oracle to release a 100% free, preconfigured, Win11 Pro virtual PC for testing and evaluation! Read on to see how to use it to safely set up a Win11 test drive on your current PC, plus more on Fred’s early Win11 experiences.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.47.0 (2021-12-06).

  LangaList LangaList, Newsletters, Virtual PCs, VirtualBox, Windows 11

• Freeware Spotlight — Autorun Organizer

  Posted on December 6, 2021 at 02:43 CST by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  BEST UTILITIES

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  Making breakfast. Washing the dog. Getting a haircut.

  If you have time to do any of these while your computer finishes starting, you may need Chemtable Software’s free Autorun Organizer. It’s one of those programs I would gladly pay for, but they won’t take my money.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.47.0 (2021-12-06).

  Freeware Spotlight Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, Newsletters, Windows Startup

• Should we rush to install Windows 11?

  Posted on December 6, 2021 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Susan Bradley

  The other day, a reader took me to task for my doom-and-gloom perspective about Windows 11.

  He said he was on the Windows Insider program on the developer channel and that he’d had no issues whatsoever using Windows 11. He said he’d “installed 11 on 2 towers and 2 laptops and [that] he had a brand-new tower and immediately installed 11 on it the day it was delivered.” He added that he’d not had any issues on any of the machines he had installed it on.

  He also thought we were Chicken Little, claiming the sky was falling.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.47.0 (2021-12-06).

  Windows 11 Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, upgrading, Windows 11