The Dragon that Guards the Data: No Pet Names in Passwords!


There’s a story on MSNBC.com about a security vulnerability discovered in DNS servers. Those are the machines that take the name you type into your address bar and convert it into numbers your computer can comprehend. If it converts it into the wrong set of numbers, you go to the wrong place. It would be…
I posted on March 23 about how security and convenience conflict. I just found some numbers on one of my favorite sites, FiveThirtyEight.com. Their article The Trouble With Leaving Facebook Is That We Like Facebook explains the data.
The hope of getting something for nothing was encouraged with the advent of computers and software. For technically oriented people, it’s fairly easy, and relatively safe, to steal software. You just copy it. For many, especially in the early days, this didn’t seem like stealing. After all, where is the thing that you’re stealing? I…
With Norton Anti-Virus and Internet Security 2006 I reluctantly quit recommending Norton for everything. It was using too much in the way of resources, and it was too expensive for the value provided. In a number of cases internet providers were offering free services that were less obtrusive and worked, at least for home clients….
Wordfence has an excellent post on this subject. While their post is aimed at WordPress users, the ideas are good for any password. My own comment is this: Use MFA – multi-factor authentication. This is accomplished in various ways, such as an app on your phone, a texted code, emailed code, and so forth. It takes…
You can guess how I feel about this one as I provided a quote. Barracuda Content Shield provides off-site checking of content, while Managed Workplace is the core of my services to small offices. If you’re one of my clients, you’re already benefitting from this to some extent. If you’re one of those who have…