Newsletter Archives

• The first Google search result often leads to a virus

  Posted on October 11th, 2021 at 02:45 Brian Livingston Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ISSUE 18.39 • 2021-10-11

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  The top search result in Google is all too often a link to a website that’s been hacked to infect visitors’ devices with a virus.

  The culprit behind these infections is called “Gootloader,” a descendant of years-old malware that just keeps getting worse on Google — the only search engine that’s being targeted.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.39.0 (2021-10-11).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.39.F (2021-10-11).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Google, Google Search, security

• Becoming more security-aware

  Posted on October 11th, 2021 at 02:42 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Windows 11 is now nearly a week old, and are we magically more secure? I’d argue not.

  An up-to-date operating system does help to make us more secure, so I cringe any time anyone wants to disable updates because they don’t feel that updates improve their security. But I’d also argue that installing Windows 11 isn’t a magic pill that, overnight, grants you the goodness of security.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.39.0 (2021-10-11).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, cybersecurity, Patch Lady Posts, security

• Share browsers without sharing their stored passwords

  Posted on September 27th, 2021 at 02:45 Fred Langa Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ISSUE 18.37 • 2021-09-27

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Browser-based password managers have an obvious vulnerability on shared PCs: anyone with access to the browser might also have access to all its stored passwords!

  Today’s lead item discusses two separate ways to prevent unwanted password sharing. One is extremely secure but takes a little time to set up; the other takes only seconds but is less secure. Here’s the scoop!

  Plus: Improved searching for old content on AskWoody.com!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.37.0 (2021-09-27).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.37.F (2021-09-27).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Features, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, browsers, LangaList, security

• Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider, now owns 4 top VPNs

  Posted on September 27th, 2021 at 02:43 Brian Livingston Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  A holding company with a controversial history — Kape Technologies — announced this month that it had purchased a leading virtual private network, ExpressVPN, adding it to a collection of three other major VPN companies that Kape acquired in 2017 through 2019.

  This concentration of VPN services has raised concerns.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.37.0 (2021-09-27).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender, Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, privacy, Public Defender, security, VPN

• Microsoft says forget your passwords!

  Posted on September 27th, 2021 at 02:40 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Multi-factor Authentication, passwords, Patch Lady Posts, PINs, security

• Apple gives privacy one minute

  Posted on September 20th, 2021 at 02:43 Silvia Eckert Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  APPLE NEWS

  

  By Silvia Eckert

  “California streaming” ducks the controversial CSAM issue at last week’s annual iPhone event.

  As reported by Brian Livingston in his column Apple plans to break its end-to-end encryption (AskWoody 2021-08-30), Apple announced about a month ago an initiative to limit the distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) by looking for inappropriate imagery on its customers’ devices and reporting occurrences to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. But because the technology represented what amounted to surveillance that could be applied to virtually anything, an enormous amount of backlash against the initiative occurred.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.36.0 (2021-09-20).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.36.F (2021-09-20).

  Apple, AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter Apple, Apple News, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, privacy, security

• How you might install Win 11 on older PCs lacking TPM 2.0

  Posted on September 6th, 2021 at 02:44 Brian Livingston Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Microsoft officially announced last week that it will offer Windows 11 in a phased release between October 5, 2021, and “mid-2022” — but techies are already finding ways to install the new OS on older PCs that don’t implement TPM 2.0, a chip the Redmond company says is required.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.34.0 (2021-09-06).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, security, Windows 11

• Safely retiring a device

  Posted on September 6th, 2021 at 02:41 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  When and how should you get rid of a computer or device?

  Microsoft came out with new news about supportability of Windows 11 on older platforms. The news about Windows 11 hasn’t changed much, so most of us will need to purchase new hardware to run it.

  Microsoft’s updated guidance suggests that those who install an ISO image configured to avoid the stringent hardware requirements will not be supported. It’s not yet clear whether that unsupported state means no security updates. If so, and if your device is not on Microsoft’s approved hardware list, I recommend sticking with Windows 10 and not upgrading to Windows 11. Security trumps modern.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.34.0 (2021-09-06).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, Patch Lady Posts, Recycling, security

• The basics of security

  Posted on August 30th, 2021 at 02:45 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ISSUE 18.33 • 2021-08-30

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  What are the basics you need to secure your computers and devices?

  The needs of consumer and business users are different, but the foundation of security is the same for both. We all need an operating system we can trust, a means to surf the Internet in a trustworthy fashion, and a way to save and store passwords securely. And I’ll add a fourth to this list, increasingly important: we need an application or device to allow us to effectively and efficiently use multi-factor authentication.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.33.0 (2021-08-30).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.33.F (2021-08-30).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Lady Posts, security

• Apple plans to break its end-to-end encryption

  Posted on August 30th, 2021 at 02:42 Brian Livingston Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Apple Computer shocked computer-security experts when the Cupertino company announced on August 5 that it plans to circumvent end-to-end encryption in Mac and iOS software, reporting US users if more than a few photos in their iCloud account match a national database of child pornography.

  “We want to help protect children from predators who use communication tools to recruit and exploit them, and limit the spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM),” Apple said in its announcement. But people with experience in the subject said the technology would be used for everything other than that.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.33.0 (2021-08-30).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender Apple, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, encryption, privacy, Public Defender, security, Surveillance

• The Internet passport is coming — are you ready?

  Posted on August 23rd, 2021 at 02:43 Brian Livingston Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  If you’re tired of inventing new passwords to suit every different system, while hackers keep finding ever more clever ways to steal your identity, you’ll love being able to ditch passwords entirely yet still avoid hacks — if websites and services can get enough users to buy in.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.32.0 (2021-08-23).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Biometrics, Public Defender, security

• Browsing your way to more security

  Posted on August 23rd, 2021 at 02:41 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  I often come across Windows computer systems that have been severely compromised, and more often than not the entry point for attack is through the Web browser.

  Sometimes I visit Settings, Apps in Windows and find unexpected programs installed. Often, these programs are malicious at worst, annoying at best. But it’s always a matter of concern that these programs are installed in the first place.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.32.0 (2021-08-23).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, browsers, Patch Lady Posts, security
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