Privacy
Hotmail hacked
If you use Hotmail, be aware that your password may have been revealed on the Internet. Neowin reports:
An anonymous user posted details of the accounts on October 1 at pastebin.com, a site commonly used by developers to share code snippets. The details have since been removed but Neowin has seen part of the list posted [...]
The wild, wild Web
People are probably tired of hearing about security problems on the Internet but here’s another report on how bad things are getting:
Malware, phishing sites and phony antivirus software programs are not only proliferating at a record pace but becoming more sophisticated each day — to the point that going online is now more risky [...]
Disposable phone numbers
If you have to publish your phone number on the Internet for some reason, there’s a very useful service called inumbr. They will provide you with a disposable phone number, good for a specified period of time. So far, the service is free. You’ll need to provide inumbr with your real phone number so they [...]
Microsoft online safety site
Like most Microsoft sites for the home user, the new Microsoft online safety site is pitched at a pretty low level. There’s nothing new here for experienced PC users but newcomers to computing might get something out of it. Microsoft describes the site:
The new Microsoft Online Safety site keeps parents, teachers, and kids up to [...]
Hackers R Us
Hacking has become a business. Not only are various kits for hacking available but you can hire your own hacker. Cracking email passwords from somebody else’s account is one service. The Washington Post reports:
When Elaine Cioni found out that her married boyfriend had other girlfriends, she became obsessed, federal prosecutors say. So she turned to [...]
Another big credit card security breach
Once more, security breaches have exposed credit card holders to identity theft and financial loss. This time it’s the big firm Network Solutions that has been hacked. CNET reports:
Network Solutions is investigating a breach on its servers that may have led to the theft of credit card data of 573,928 people who made purchases on [...]
Cloud computing- the future?
A lot of talk goes on about whether the desktop PC as we know it is doomed to be replaced by the “cloud”. There’s a lot of money riding on how this develops. Some even say that something like Google’s Chrome operating system may break Microsoft’s effective monopoly.
Just where cloud computing may or may not [...]
Don’t expect privacy on the Internet
It can’t be said too often; there is no privacy on the Internet. Anything you put up on the Web might as well be on a public bulletin board- a permanent and searchable bulletin board. And that includes email and social site posts.
In a post about online privacy, security expert Bruce Schneier writes:
If your data [...]
Spying just isn’t what it used to be
Once upon a time the identity of the head of the British external intelligence agency MI6 was veiled in secrecy. For example, in James Bond movies, he or she is known simply as “M”. But times have changed and the wife of the incoming head of MI6 went and put up a profile of [...]
Really, really delete a file
As was explained in an older post, deleting a file doesn’t really delete a file. As I wrote previously:
The usual procedure for deleting a file in Windows contains the safety feature of first placing the deleted file in the Recycle Bin. If you change your mind and want the file back, it can then be [...]
How to hide sensitive files on your computer
Most of us probably have material on our PCs that we regard as confidential. Lists of passwords, income tax data, bank accounts, and many other possibilities come to mind. Many average home PC users are unaware that there are a variety of methods available for either hiding or encrypting sensitive material. I like the free [...]