Newsletter Archives
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Hardening your operating system
ON SECURITY
By Susan Bradley
Several years ago, it was considered a best practice to protect business computer systems by “hardening” them.
You would turn off unnecessary services, disable features, and basically follow a checklist provided by the Center for Internet Security (CIS). But now our protection must be much more than hardening the operating system. We must harden our perimeter and — more importantly — our browsing.
You probably spend as much time surfing on a phone as you do surfing on a computer. Today’s big picture is that there are more and more people who use tablets or phones, touching traditional PCs only at the office. The result? Attackers are targeting business users through email, and home users through browsing.
What can we do to harden these?
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.49.0, 2023-12-04).
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Dealing with MFA
ON SECURITY
By Susan Bradley
In my excitement about the three-day weekend for Memorial Day, I left my phone at the office.
In years past, I would merely confirm that the phone was safe and sound at the office by using a finder app such as Find My Phone or Life360. Then I’d just get the phone the next time I was at the office. Yes, I used to be able to live without the phone for a day or so.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.23.0, 2022-06-06).
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How to use two-factor authentication the right way
SECURITY
By Lance Whitney
Two-factor authentication is still one of the best ways to protect your accounts. But there are right and wrong ways to use it.
More websites and companies now offer two-factor authentication (2FA) to better protect your logins and accounts. The idea is to use a second form of authentication so that you’re not solely dependent on your password. The goal is to prevent your account from being accessed and compromised in case your password is ever leaked or stolen. And here’s how that can happen.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.19.0, 2022-05-09).
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Removing MFA
ISSUE 19.17 • 2022-04-25 Look for our special issue on Monday, May 2! MICROSOFT 365
By Will Fastie
How many times have articles in this newsletter told you that multifactor authentication (MFA) was a good idea and suggested that you turn it on?
A lot. It’s good advice.
Just the other day, I turned on Microsoft 365 MFA for one of my clients. It’s too embarrassing for me to describe the mistake I made. Suffice it to say that it was an accident, because I didn’t intend to turn it on.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.17.0, 2022-04-25).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
Microsoft says forget your passwords!
ON SECURITY
By Susan Bradley
In a major push, Microsoft is advocating moving away from passwords and instead using different authentication methods.
The headline: “The passwordless future is here for your Microsoft account.” Is it?
Here’s what Microsoft has to say in its security blog about a move away from passwords.
Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.37.0 (2021-09-27).