Internet Access – Traveling Without Your Computer

By terry Leave a Comment

If you’re on business and are visiting one of your company’s other locations, you can probably use a computer there to check your business email. Depending on the company’s Internet Acceptable Use Policy, you may or may not be allowed to check your personal email.

Tech Tip
Remember that the Internet Acceptable Use Policy is a corporate policy. It is designed to tell you what you can and can’t do. The company network may, or may not, prevent violations of the policy. Just because the network does not block you from doing something or from going somewhere on the Internet, do not assume that it is permitted.

Many hotels have a business center that is open to the hotel’s guests. Sometimes, the computers are available for use for free. Other hotels will charge you based on the time that you use it. Remember that this is…

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Filed Under: Dialup, Internet Access, Security, Terry's Computer Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Router Encryption — Increasing Wireless Security

By terry Leave a Comment

I answered a question recently from someone who was using WEP (the so-called “Wired Equivalent Privacy”) encryption on their wireless network. They were considering changing to WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). The real answer is that they need to change to the second generation of WPA — WPA2.

The biggest question in their mind was whether they’d have to change the wireless passphrases on all their computers (quick answer: yes).

Why change? WEP is old, way, way old in computer terms. When it was first released, it was effective.

But, by 2004, second-generation WEP-cracking tools were widely available. In an article, SmallNetBuilder reports on a 2005 demonstration by a team of FBI agents who were able to crack a 128 bit WEP key in about three minutes.

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Filed Under: Broadband, Networking, Notebook computer, Security, Terry's Computer Tips, Troubleshooting, Wireless, Wireless Security

Wireless Security Issues

By terry Leave a Comment

In IP Addresses and Security, I wrote about how the Internet works — your computer has an IP address, your intended destination has an IP address, and both have to know and use the IP address of the other in order for communication to occur between them.

The article was in response to a reader who wrote to ask if he could keep his IP address secret, since he had been accused of copyright infringment by downloading a movie (which he says he didn’t do).

One of the potential issues was that his IP address could have been involved, even without him or anyone in his family being involved.

He uses a wireless router, as many of us do. He mentioned that he had a wireless password that had to be used in order to access his router. This kind of password is not a log-in password to the router — it is a password to the router’s encryption. Over the years, though, password security has gotten better and better. Unfortunately, some of the older encryption methods have become almost trivial for someone to crack with today’s fast computers.

However, even using the best wireless encryption available isn’t enough. There are other steps necessary to secure a wireless network.

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Filed Under: Internet Access, Internet Privacy, Intrusion Detection, Networking, Security, Wireless, Wireless Security

Internet Security for Normal Users

By terry Leave a Comment

Do you use the Internet every day? Do you surf the web, or just go to specific web sites that you already know? Do you check out web sites that someone’s recommended to you? Or, do you skip all the web stuff and just do emails, mainly with family and friends?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you’re at risk. That’s right — we’re all at risk when we deal with the Internet.

Most sites on the Internet are perfectly legitimate. Most emails you receive are, too — unless you’re so unlucky that you get more spam emails than you get that are really from your family, friends, business associates and companies with whom you do business. But sometimes legitimate web sites get hacked, and sometimes spam emails appear to be sent by friends and family.

Over the last few years, the dangers of the Internet have changed, mostly changing because we (you and I) are using better and better protection tools. Even Microsoft has finally woken up to Internet Security as an issue.

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Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-phishing, Anti-spam, Anti-Spyware, Anti-virus, Firewalls, Internet Privacy, Security, Terry's Computer Tips

Anti-Spam Programs — Reader Comments

By terry Leave a Comment

Reader Bev Lammert has written me about an alternative anti-spam program that she’s picked:

Hi, I just read my newsletter of which I love but had to comment on your Anti Spam article. You mentioned MailWasherPopFile & IHateSpam. I haven’t tried any of them but I do use one called Spam Bully and have used it a very long time. Really like it a lot and is easy to use and no slow down. I have it on my HP Desktop Windows Vista Home Premium using Microsoft Outlook 2007 with Linksey router. I found this through Cloudeight a long time ago. Have a good day.

Get more information and a free trial of Spam Bully

Longtime reader Ron Spruell wrote about his experience with Gmail’s spam filtering:

I don’t know what Google does, but the Spam on this account has been almost zero.

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Filed Under: Anti-spam, Email, Security, Terry's Computer Tips, Vista, Windows XP

Passwords, Password Lists and Keeping Passwords Secure

By terry Leave a Comment

I’m often asked about how I handle passwords for all the different sites that require passwords.

The questioner’s eyes get pretty big when I mention that I use random mixtures of letters and numbers for my passwords, and even bigger when I say that I use a different password on every site.

The immediate question is “How can you keep track of them all?”

The answer is one of the reasons that I use a PDA, a Personal Digital Assistant. In my case, it is the PalmOS v4 based Sony Clié SJ-33, which I’ve used for a couple years.

The program that lets me keep track of these is called Secret! (yes, there’s an exclamation mark as part of the name). Secret! has long been available for PalmOS. I didn’t realize it, but it is also available for Pocket PC handhelds, too. According to the publisher’s web site (http://linkesoft.com/secret/index.html), Secret! runs on all Pocket PC handhelds with Windows Mobile 2003, 2003 SE, and the current Windows Mobile 5.0.

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Filed Under: HowTo, Security, Software, Storage, Terry's Computer Tips, Wireless Security

Problems with Program Installs and Updates

By terry Leave a Comment

Occasionally when I’m installing a new program, or updating an existing program, I run into a special issue. Yes, that’s probably the right term for it — when my security software does exactly what it’s supposed to do — and blocks the software installation or upgrade/update.

Such was the case this week with the surprise update from Microsoft called .NET Service Pack 1.

I tried to install it on my desktop computer and on my wife’s computer. In both cases, the installatiton failed and didn’t bother to tell me why it failed, just that it had. In both cases, I had started the update and left the room, so I didn’t get to see any warning messages that may have occurred.

Anyway, my favorite anti-spyware/anti-adware program CounterSpy v2 prevented the .NET service pack from changing all the files that it wanted to change. I had CounterSpy set for some aggresive control by setting its Active Protection function to Cautious (the choices are Paranoid, Cautious, Trusting and Custom) and putting checkmarks on all the options.

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Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-Spyware, Security, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips

NOD32 Antivirus Version 3.0 Review

By terry Leave a Comment

I recently updated from NOD32 version 2.7 to the latest v3.0. I found that Eset has dramatically simplified the structure of the NOD32 controls. They had been criticized in the past as creating a great product for advanced PC users.

The new version has a simplified “Standard Mode” that is much easier to use.

The Advanced Mode is still there — a simple click on the “Display: Standard mode” in the bottom left-hand corner will let you toggle into Advanced mode to enable control of many more options.

Upgrading from a previous version was easy. I uninstalled the older version, rebooted, and installed the new version. Many anti-virus programs work this way, since some of their components are installed during early parts of the Windows boot process — and not changeable without a reboot.

Then, installing was straight forward.

Once NOD32 is running, the first screen displayed is the Protection Status screen. If all is well, you see a display with a green monitor labelled Maximum Protection. If any features have been turned off or disabled…

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NOD32 offers discounts for multiple computers and/or multiple years.
Try NOD32 free for 30 days

Filed Under: Anti-Spyware, Anti-virus, Security, Terry's Computer Tips

The SeaMonkey Internet Suite (Free!)

By terry Leave a Comment

Once upon a time, Netscape was THE Internet web browser — and it was a commercial product. Then, along came the big bad wolf. He dreamed of world (wide web) conquest and so he wrote his own web browser; then, he gave it away with the operating system he sold.

It was bad, but it was free and everyone got it whether they wanted it or not. And, his monopoly grew…

Netscape (the company) eventually sold itself and became a part of AOL, but not before they released a snapshot of the web browser source code to an open source foundation that they created. Thus was born the Mozilla Internet Suite.

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Filed Under: Email, Firefox, Internet Access, Internet Explorer, Security, Software, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability, Web Browsers, Windows XP

Security Programs for Average Users

By terry Leave a Comment

In every issue of my weekly online computer tips newsletter, I have my current security software recommendations. In that article, I write about the programs that I choose for antivirus, antispyware/antiadware, firewall and antispam. I also include a paragraph in the article on using a cable / DSL router.

But, I guess I haven’t had enough explanation in the article… Recently, I received an email from regular reader and subscriber, who asked:

Your security recommendations are all encompassing. They are an indication of what is needed. But, it would be clearer if you could state what type and brand of software you recommend for “Joe Average”.

It may be what you list or a variation of that so as not to overkill. Keep up the good info.

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Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-phishing, Anti-spam, Anti-Spyware, Anti-virus, Firewalls, Intrusion Detection, Security, Terry's Computer Tips, Wireless Security
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