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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Why have a Wireless Network? By using a wireless network, you can share your Internet connection between computers that are not in the same room, without running wires from one room to another or from one end of the house to another. Wireless Networking Flavors * 802.11b – 11 Mbit/second, the original “consumer” wireless. This [...]

Are you safe when you use the wireless network at your local coffee shop or airport? Maybe. Maybe not. Are you accidentally sharing your files on your computer? Is your computer “trusting” connection attempts from the other computers at the hostspot? A reader asked me To improve security when using Wi-Fi at a coffee shop [...]