Posted by Peter L on June 28, 2010
Now that security professionals are talking about hacking cars, home security systems, and digital cameras, you’re probably wondering if there is anything that is safe from hackers. At least your home appliances are safe – right?! Well, no. Now, even your high-tech blender is a potential risk. The goal of the hacker isn’t always to [...]
Posted by Peter L on June 24, 2010
Your security online is made up of little things that each and every one of us CAN manage. Much of protecting yourself involves paying attention and being aware of what you are doing when using your computer. Even the settings that you use for your computer and security programs are designed to allow you to [...]
Posted by Peter L on June 9, 2010
Check out this abridged history of hacking. The history of mankind: there is always someone out there who is interested in getting access to other people’s ‘stuff’. While many of the examples given in the post focus on government systems, that’s not the rule. Breaking into a military system is always a thrill (and embarrassment [...]
Posted by Peter L on May 14, 2010
Here in Essex County, New Jersey, the county is promoting the annual computer and electronics recycling day (this Saturday, May 15), so when I saw the article about Identity Finder on ComputerWorld.com, I was in the right mindset to appreciate the problem. What’s the problem? Your computer can end up in the strangest places. Your [...]
Posted by Peter L on April 2, 2010
Not intentionally, I hope – but the IT guy (or gal) is usually under a lot of pressure to fix something quickly so that the business of doing business can move on. And that can lead to shortcuts and encouraging bad habits. When you call the IT guy, you’re the one who wants it done [...]
Posted by Peter L on March 31, 2010
I ran across an interesting password survey conducted by Kevin Haley at Symantec. About 450 people answered his 9 straightforward questions. When thought about a bit, some of the results are pretty interesting. The first question asked about the number of passwords. 33% of all respondents said that they have 10 or fewer password-protected accounts [...]
Posted by Peter L on March 30, 2010
Recently, I was in a meeting where several people gave presentations via a projector. As almost always happens, there were minor glitches in transitioning the projector connection from one notebook computer to the next. As part of her presentation, one unsuspecting person needed to log in to a site. Without looking at the screen to [...]
Posted by Peter L on February 22, 2010
A site called Please Rob Me has been created to highlight the problem that most people don’t make the connection between personal information and security. People are putting way too much information online through twitter and social networks. Note that I said ‘information’ – not just stuff like credit card numbers and other private data. [...]
Posted by Peter L on February 21, 2010
More and more, we’re seeing attention being given to passwords and personal security. It seems obvious that passwords are an integral part of securing your personal data, but that part of the security message seems to have been glossed over until recently. Ever notice the strange looks you get from your friends or even the [...]
Posted by Peter L on February 16, 2010
I hope you all enjoyed Valentine’s Day! After reading the previous post, I hope that you all included a note to your beloved in that box of chocolates in which you announced that you’ve changed your shared gmail password. Here are a couple of articles that came out recently that highlight the fact that feelings [...]