Newsletter Archives

• How to tell whether a fintech app such as Chime is a scam

  Posted on July 19th, 2021 at 02:44 Brian Livingston Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  We’ve recently seen an explosion of activity in the field of fintech — financial technology — which is causing ripples in the old-school world of banking and Wall Street.

  The most-downloaded fintech app in the first six months of 2021, according to data firm Apptopia, belonged to Chime Financial, Inc., a seven-year-old, San Francisco–based unicorn that’s a darling of Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.27.0 (2021-07-19).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Banking, Fintech, security

• Microsoft Edge imports other browsers’ passwords

  Posted on July 12th, 2021 at 02:45 Brian Livingston Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ISSUE 18.26 • 2021-07-12

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  When some readers installed the new Microsoft Edge browser — which replaces the old “legacy Edge” — they got a big surprise. They discovered that Edge had somehow magically absorbed all the usernames and passwords they’d carefully saved in their previously installed browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and legacy Edge.

  What’s even more surprising is that Edge — which until recently couldn’t import or export passwords at all — may be doing this new behavior by design.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.26.0 (2021-07-12).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.26.F (2021-07-12).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Edge, privacy, security

• The Trusted Platform Module has just become important

  Posted on July 12th, 2021 at 02:43 Ben Myers Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Microsoft has said that the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 is a firm requirement for Windows 11. Why?

  The leak of an early version of Windows 11 forced its hasty announcement by Microsoft, rather than the usual smooth, well-orchestrated effort supported by thorough technical information about the requirements to run the new operating system. The eye candy of a perky and pretty Mac-like desktop wallpapered over many technical details, some still unclear. It is somewhat ironic that an operating system intended to be trusted was leaked.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.26.0 (2021-07-12).

  AskWoody Plus membership, Hardware, Windows 11 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, security, Windows 11

• Freeware Spotlight — Three free tools to check Windows 11 compatibility

  Posted on July 12th, 2021 at 02:42 Deanna McElveen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  BEST UTILITIES

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  It’s a confusing time as Windows 11 approaches.

  With Microsoft releasing new (sometimes conflicting) information about Windows 11 daily (sometimes hourly), the exhausted developers of the three free tools I am featuring have been playing catch-up for a few weeks now. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve updated them on OlderGeeks.com just within the past week.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.26.0 (2021-07-12).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Best Utilities AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, security, Windows 11

• Windows 11 announced

  Posted on June 28th, 2021 at 02:45 Will Fastie Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ISSUE 18.24 • 2021-06-28

  Watch for our special issue on July 5!

  MICROSOFT NEWS

  

  By Will Fastie

  Why this? Why now? And what the heck is going on?

  On June 24, 2021, Microsoft announced Windows 11. I have no idea why. It is surely not for the cobbled-together reasons the company gave during its rather brief briefing on Thursday.

  Visit our new Windows 11 section in the forums and these topics: Questions about Windows 11 Hardware questions relating to Windows 11

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.24.0 (2021-06-28).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.24.F (2021-06-28).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft News, Windows 11, Windows News AskWoody Plus Newsletter, security, Windows, Windows 11

• Getting rid of local administrators

  Posted on June 21st, 2021 at 02:41 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Administrator rights are easy to set up but hard to remove.

  Once upon a time, we always configured Windows computers with full administrative rights. We thought nothing of it; it was an expected and a normal part of getting a computer system ready to go. We took being an administrator for granted because we needed to install software and run programs that required administrator rights.

  Then people — attackers — began to realize that user accounts with administrative rights were the keys to the kingdom, making it easier for them to gain access to a system and do their dirty deeds.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.23.0 (2021-06-21).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security Administrator account, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Lady Posts, security, Standard account, Windows

• Don’t click those pop-ups that say you’ve been infected!

  Posted on May 31st, 2021 at 01:03 Brian Livingston Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  It’s been said before, but it bears repeating — when you see a pop-up window on your desktop, laptop, or smartphone screen that says you’ve been infected with a virus and must act immediately, don’t click it!

  These frightening warnings are invariably “bad ads” that use advertising networks to insert these pop-ups into websites and phone networks. Their goal is to get you to click a link and download malware, whether it’s a fake “antivirus program,” a malicious “virtual private network,” or some other backdoor into your personal life.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.20.0 (2021-05-31).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, phishing, Public Defender, security

• Wi-Fi vulnerabilities affect all

  Posted on May 24th, 2021 at 01:00 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  FragAttacks is a newly discovered set of vulnerabilities that, when exploited, allows an adversary to steal data by intercepting a network.

  For once, a threat may be less dangerous than advertised.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.19.0 (2021-05-24).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Lady Posts, security, Wi-Fi

• Anatomy of a malware

  Posted on May 10th, 2021 at 01:08 Ben Myers Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ISSUE 18.17 • 2021-05-10

  SAFETY

  

  By Ben Myers

  Things are not always as they seem. What might appear to be a devastating, PC-destroying piece of malware can sometimes be a spoof.

  Recently, a client gave me his laptop, which displayed a frightening message as soon he logged in. This variety of malware is all too popular. Here is a step-by-step process to remove it, expecting that the antivirus software installed in the computer cannot do its job. Along the way, you will see where malware is often hidden.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.17.0 (2021-05-10).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.17.F (2021-05-10).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, safety, security

• You think you’ve been hacked?

  Posted on March 8th, 2021 at 01:02 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Have you been hacked?

  Attackers these days are of two varieties — those that want you to know you’ve been attacked and those that don’t. The first camp is quite obvious about it. They are the ransomware attackers, the ones that throw up a note to let you know that your system is no longer your own and is instead held hostage. The second type of attacker is silent, lurking inside your computer with the goal of harvesting information or — worse yet — as a means to attack someone or something else.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.9.0 (2021-03-08).

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

• More on Win10’s Ransomware protection

  Posted on February 8th, 2021 at 01:45 Fred Langa Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  More on Win10’s Ransomware protection

  By Fred Langa

  Many subscribers tried enabling this optional security enhancement, only to discover it can be hard to get going!

  There are at least five reasons why Ransomware protection — and other Win10 security features — might not be available on your PC.

  Here’s what they are, and what you can do about them.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.5.0 (2021-02-08).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Ransomware, security, Windows 10

• Have you enabled Win10’s ransomware protection?

  Posted on February 1st, 2021 at 01:05 Fred Langa Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  Have you enabled Win10’s ransomware protection?

  By Fred Langa

  This free, optional feature is disabled by default but, if enabled, can help protect and recover your PC from a ransomware takeover!

  It’s easy to enable the ransomware protection, but you should know about its quirks and drawbacks before doing so. Here’s how to decide whether this optional protection is for you and, if so, how to get it going!

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.4.0 (2021-02-01).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, security, Windows 10
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