mrrockford Speaking Geek

Facebook Forced to Change Privacy Policy

2011-12-22T05:07:00.001-06:00

I know I complain about Facebook and its privacy policy all the time. So much so, that my kids have told me to quit using it. Well, they have done it for me and I have moved on to Google + where I have an easier way of controlling my info. Even though I live a pretty public life, I do enjoy controlling what info I do share. I love how privacy is one of the most important parts of European

Cookie Monster on Facebook Cookie diet

2011-10-05T05:34:00.001-05:00

The only person I know of that really likes cookies is Cookie Monster. He will take any cookie and enjoys all of them. He likes chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar cookies but I am not so sure he would like the cookies that Facebook is serving. Josh Constine of Inside Facebook writes, “Facebook’s business is built on trust, but that trust has been shaken over the past few weeks by

What? Me Worry?

2011-10-04T22:27:00.001-05:00

Maybe we all should. PC World reports that hackers have cracked Internet encryption, TLS 1.0, “used by most major browsers and websites”. “Data encryption is the cornerstone of Internet security. Every time you log into your email account or sign into an online retailer like Amazon, chances are that your browser is establishing a secure connection to the server using an encryption

Barnes & Noble Acquires Database

2011-09-28T05:03:00.001-05:00

Barnes & Noble Acquires Borders Customer Database - if you were a Borders customer you have 15 days to opt out of letting B&N use that info According to PC World, “Barnes & Noble is purchasing bankrupt Borders' database, which contains information regarding 48 million customers. Customers will have 15 days to opt out of the system.” After arguing in court over privacy concerns from the sale

Facebook Is So 2010!

2011-09-25T07:29:00.001-05:00

Facebook is so 2010! Why do I say that? It’s simple. Facebook has an amazing amount of users, I have seen numbers between 500 million (daily users) and over 750 million (user base). They are adding newer and bigger features to the site. They are announcing new and possibly ground changing deals with several large players in the Internet world. This is where Facebook becomes so 2010.

“Day of Vengence”?

2011-09-22T07:02:00.001-05:00

This might get interesting. Sept 24th, a Saturday, chosen as "Day of Vengence" by Anonymous. Will they get arrested for wearing their masks? Anonymous, or someone pretending to be Anonymous, has declared Saturday, 24 September, as the “Day of Vengence” in retaliation of the arrest of several peaceful protesters wearing masks during the central protest in the NY financial district. This

Next Gen Hackers – Just Copycats?

2011-09-21T06:53:00.001-05:00

Are they really doing something new? I’ve been around computers and networks since the days before the www., back in the day when you were happy that your 800 bauds were flying. So when I read something about malicious hacking being “more sophisticated than ever before”, I tend to take it with a grain of salt. This article on Hackers Smarts seems to be just such a thing. Why Hackers Don't

Do I smell money?

2011-08-07T17:20:00.001-05:00

AOL, Spotify, GigaOm, Etsy, KISSmetrics sued over undeletable tracking cookies By Sebastian Anthony on August 4, 2011 Over the last few days a story has been developing about an undeletable tracking cookie used by KISSmetrics, a website analytics company. This company and more than 20 of its clients have now had a class action lawsuit filed against them. The plaintiffs claim that

Email at Work: Can Your Boss Spy on You?

2011-07-20T05:29:00.001-05:00

by Michael Sall aka mrrockford Abstract Email at Work: Can Your Boss Spy on You? covers one of the most important legal aspects of today’s advanced technological world, the expectation of privacy in the work place. It discusses the questions of increased usage of surveillance and monitoring in the workplace and calls for a better understanding of privacy at work. What kind of privacy may

A Summer Job: Research LTSP to Save Money

2010-05-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

Graduation is this morning so I guess this semester has come to an end. The new one begins on Monday. I was looking at what it costs to go to school and noticed something – Technology Fee. The Technology Fee funds enhance and increase the instructional and informational technology literacy and access for UNK students. This fee is charged to all enrolled students. That fee is $9.00 per

THE CREATION OF NEBRASKA

2010-04-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Now that the semester is almost over it’s time for some Nebraska humor! Have a read. Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Heaven, God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the Archangel found Him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God, "Where have You been?" God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look Michael, look what I've

Old Dogs, New Tricks!

2010-01-12T10:22:00.001-06:00

A little over a year ago I decided to go back to school to finish my Computer Science degree. That’s nothing really exciting, several people are doing this. The interesting thing is that I am doing this after a 52 semester break. I had interviewed for a few jobs and had great success until the HR Manager got to the “Where did you get your degree?” part. Now mind you I have been around

Using Social Media? Get Your Guard Up!

2009-10-02T10:39:00.001-05:00

You love to keep your family and friends informed of what’s going on in your life. You are on Myspace, Twitter and Facebook. How much do you know about those people wanting to be friends or follow you? The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, released an Intelligence Note 0n Oct. 1. Fraudsters continue to

Appears it is script-kiddies at work

2009-07-09T15:02:00.001-05:00

"The ongoing DDoS attacks that have been targeting a series of U.S. government sites as well as some commercial sites is likely not the work of any government organization and is being executed by an old piece of malware that is designed to ruin files on infected PCs rather than steal data, experts say." So no cyber-terrorism but this still shows that more needs to be done at the

Cyber Attack or Cyber Terrorism?

2009-07-08T12:19:00.001-05:00

Several South Korean and US Government sites have been attacked since the 4th of July weekend. "Although the National Intelligence Service did not identify whom they believed responsible, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that the spy agency had implicated North Korea or pro-North Korea groups." Is this just an attack by "script-kiddies" or a serious cyberterrorism attack? It's

Morning Rituals of a Geek

2009-07-01T08:05:00.001-05:00

As I do every morning, today I got my coffee started and fired up my laptop. My first stop is to check my mail - need to know if I was important over night! By the time I've sorted out the spam that did not get filtered and the real mail that did get filtered the coffee pot is calling, so I stop for a cuppa. First cup down and grab another before getting back to business at hand. Need to

Updates are Available!

2009-06-22T13:04:00.001-05:00

Argie Gallego, an Anti-Spam Research Engineer at Trendlabs, writes in the Trendmicro blog about emails purporting to be "Critical Updates" for Outlook and Outlook Express. Microsoft Corporation regularly issues updates to fix bugs and security vulnerabilities in its software products. These updates are meant to protect its users from different attacks that depend mainly on exploiting these

To secure or not to secure

2009-06-17T11:32:00.001-05:00

A letter sent to Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt asks that Google up it's security for online users. Specifically it asks that industry standard transport encryption technology (HTTPS) for Google Mail, Docs, and Calendar be enabled by default. Google supports HTTPS encryption for the entire Gmail, Docs or Calendar session. However, this is disabled by default, and the configuration option

I heard, "Damn Microsoft virus!"

2009-05-05T15:24:00.001-05:00

With my finals done, I was hanging out in the Student Union drinking a Starbucks and relaxing before driving home. At the table next to mine were 3 students having a conversation about the Windows 7 RC. I listened in as they were telling each other about their experiences after the download. Student1, "Microsoft is sending out an infected download!" Student2, "Sure are. My PC had all

April 2009 Advanced Notification

2009-04-11T01:13:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post for all Windows users that read this. Hello, Bill here. I wanted to let you know that we just posted our Advance Notification for next week’s bulletin release, scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, 2009 around 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. This should help you plan for your deployment process for next week and address these vulnerabilities to protect your computing

Dear Jon, An open letter to new US FTC Chairman

2009-04-09T15:14:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you but my email box is still being flooded with spam. Yes, there are some laws out there that try (notice I said try) to stem the flow but they just are not working. It would be nice if the Governments, State, Federal and International, could get together and do something about it. The grass roots fighters are being left to hang. They collect information for all levels of

Are You Infected?

2009-04-07T16:36:00.001-05:00

It is not uncommon for malware to have self protection measures in place to prevent removal. Such tricks as blocking access to security websites, killing beneficial security tool processes/services, and preventing Windows Updates from running are quite widespread today. They are definitely signs of infection but they are not unique to Conficker. Take a look at the following Eye Chart. If you

Fix it quick - please

2009-03-26T12:20:00.001-05:00

zdnet's blog is reporting a serious security flaw in Mozilla's Firefox. "Mozilla’s security response team is scrambling to ready a patch for what appears to be a serious security flaw affecting its flagship Firefox browser." Read more at Exploit Code.... With that info, Safer Surfing!

It IS time to take action.

2009-03-26T08:05:00.001-05:00

It is time to take action! I know many of you do not like MS and all the updates it has but they do make things more secure. April 1st is set to be a bad day for the Internet users of the world. If your machine is secure, like mine, then you should be safe Please read up on this and make sure your machine is secure. Security Garden Bits from Bill With that info, Safer surfing!

What time is it?

2009-03-08T08:50:00.001-05:00

Whoever thought this Daylight Savings Time idea was a good one must have been smoking those left-handed cigarettes. Nobody remembers what to do - Spring forward, fall back or is it spring back and fall down? Thanks to the Government we can always take a look to make sure that that Timex is still ticking - in the right direction! Here's a big help. With that info, Good Morning, no wait,

Fake IRS phishing scams on the rise

2009-03-07T09:38:00.001-06:00

Subject: please see the attachment Sender (fake): Internal Revenue Service [nonereply@irs.gov] Message: Please see the attachment make sure you fill all the columns and send fax to: +1-646-308-1145. This type of phishing has been around for a while, but it’s the first time I’ve received a message like this - maybe I’ve just been lucky, because I know my address is all over spammer

To all my readers.....

2009-01-01T09:36:00.001-06:00

and a safe computing year also! If you have PC problems this year please visit my choice of forums for free help. with that info, Safer Surfing!

Looking for a Cheat code? Read the TOS!

2008-12-29T08:20:00.001-06:00

So you bought your kids that new gaming console and a few games to go with it for Christmas. They play better than you can, right? Well you're thinking you need to find a couple of cheats to get ahead of them. You know how good Google is so you look for "cheat codes" and a bunch of sites pop up. You pick one and it asks for your cell phone number. You say to yourself, "They can't do much

FinallyFast - huh?

2008-12-26T12:47:00.001-06:00

I am sure you have seen the commercials about FinallyFast.com and the promises they make about speeding up your Internet connection by 375% . I have tried the program and found it to be a joke. Now Jeff at besttechie.net has done some very interesting "research" to confirm my feelings about this "software". Watch his video below. With this info, Safer Surfing and a happy holiday!

Internet Explorer security alert

2008-12-16T01:34:00.001-06:00

BBC reports a major security flaw in Internet Explorer 7 in an article published this morning. "The flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer could allow criminals to take control of people's computers and steal their passwords, Internet experts say." The article also suggests that "Users of the world's most common web browser have been advised to switch to another browser until a serious

Don't be Gullible!

2008-12-09T11:38:00.001-06:00

Microsoft does not send security updates per email! There is a spam mail going around Europe and will probably hit the US today, "Patch Tuesday", supposedly from Microsoft about a "detected security breach". This is a scam to get you to download malware turning your system into a zombie PC. Websense® Security Labs™ states, The fraudulent email message references a real Microsoft Security

To the spoiled under-30 mob!!!

2008-12-01T09:41:00.001-06:00

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning, barefoot, uphill ...BOTH ways no less! Yadda, yadda, yadda And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard

Christmas can be a humbug already this year!

2008-11-30T00:21:00.001-06:00

Websense® Security Labs™ ThreatSeeker™ Network has discovered that malware authors are already using Christmas themes this year as a social engineering tactic, in an effort to gain control over compromised machines. This campaign uses email messages in the form of e-greetings, leading to supposed animated postcards. These actually lead to a Trojan backdoor that has been distributed in

Now it's easier to decide

2008-11-12T12:48:00.001-06:00

It's about time! Trying to decide which security program you want to use and which one is best has been difficult - until now. There have not been any agreed upon standards as to how and what to test for. Members of the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) have published guidelines that, for the first time, set recognized standards for testing security software. The

Another opt-out Toolbar - Java + MLS

2008-11-12T01:07:00.001-06:00

Be careful when updating or installing Sun Java now. IE users now have to opt-out (that's right - out) of automatically installing MSN Live Search toolbar just as Firefox users must opt-out of the Yahoo toolbar. For both browsers the install toolbar option is checked by default(see pics) and if not unchecked the tool bar will be installed. For IE users Sun made the change after using

My Security Toolbox

2008-09-27T23:32:00.001-05:00

I thought I would tell you what I use to keep my computer systems free from problems. My security starts with securing my router. Every one is different and the best set up for you will be what works best for you and your system. Make sure you read your routers user manual and set your router as secure as all of your computers will accept. I have an older wireless laptop that will not let

How Do I Secure my PC?

2008-09-11T16:36:00.001-05:00

An online colleague of mine, Prince_Serendip, started a series of Articles back in ancient times, (2004) about securing your Windows PC. In his "Windows Security Checklist" you will learn a lot about keeping your PC from becoming part of one of those botnets I talked about yesterday. Some of the info may be dated but it still applies, for the most part. Stop over and make sure you read through

Are you doing your part to prevent the Next (Cyber)War?

2008-09-10T13:30:00.001-05:00

Computer security and awareness of what is possible out there is very important. If you do not keep your PC secure and practice Safe Surfing, you could become part of a botnet and then be partly responsible for something like what is reported in a recent CNN News story. Read more here. With that info, Safer Surfing!

Google's Privacy Promise - Not!

2008-09-09T12:48:00.001-05:00

Google has promised to lower the amount of time search data is stored in the European Union from 18 months to 9. That is a 50% cut but why is this data needed for that long? According to Google this will hinder their "ability to improve its services by delivering more relevant search results and advertisements". Like we need more of that. Let's not forget Google's new browser, "Chrome".

SpywareHammer is Live

2008-09-02T11:22:00.001-05:00

After 24 hours of life, SpywareHammer has acquired a "Who's Who" of Staff. A total of over 100 members have joined and the first logs have been posted. Some of the best in Malware Removal are awaiting your HJT and Rootkit logs to assist on. Not only does SpywareHammer do malware removal but the Technical Staff is waiting to assist in any non-malware problems you may have. Stop in and have a

A New Star on the Horizon!

2008-08-30T22:29:00.001-05:00

SpywareHammer is a new and interesting Forum for computer help and staffed by an interesting group of people known throughout the Malware fighting Community, several of them Microsoft MVP's . PCBruiser, an Administrator at SpywareHammer states, "Our purpose is simple, if your computer system isn't performing as it should ... SpywareHammer is the place to come for help." Not only does

Update to the update with MS KB951748

2008-07-10T00:55:00.001-05:00

Good news! ZoneAlarm has fixed the problem! Recommended Actions - Download and install the latest versions which solve the loss of internet access problem here: And that comes from this Press Release. With that info, Safe Surfing!

Update to MS KB951748 breaks ZoneAlarm

2008-07-09T08:54:00.001-05:00

The folks at ZoneAlarm are working hard on a fix for this. Until such time it has been recommended to uninstall the update. Another work around is to lower the Internet Zone level from High to Medium. It's a hard choice to make, not updating or lowering your Firewall security. Both choices can only be temporary. With that info, Safe Surfing!

MS KB951748 breaks ZoneAlarm

2008-07-08T21:15:00.001-05:00

Windows update KB951748 should not be installed. It will break your Internet connection. If you have it already installed, uninstalling it fixes the problem. I have spent the day troubleshooting over 20 PCs and have found all installations to have the install date of 9 July 2008, which in my part of the world is tomorrow. I think that as of tomorrow it should work. If not then MS broke something

Are you secure and up-to-date?

2008-07-01T22:34:00.001-05:00

If you are using Firefox, chances are good, if you are using IE, things look bad. According to a report from the Washington Post, “83.3 percent of Firefox users were found to have the latest version installed at any given time” compared to “47.6 percent of Microsoft Internet Explorer users”. The info was collected only by browser type and did not include any plug-ins “such as those for Flash

Dirty Little Devilz

2008-06-27T09:01:00.001-05:00

NetDevilz, a Turkish hacker group has struck again and this time right at the top. Recently they hacked Photobucket and yesterday they attacked and defaced THE domains that should be secure – ICANN and IANA. ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and IANA, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, had their domains defaced with the message: “You think that you control

CP@SS Computer Privacy @nd Security Services

2008-06-24T12:45:00.001-05:00

Is your computer running slow? Is your PC infected? Are you being bombarded with pop-ups? Has your browser been hijacked? Are you being taken to sites other than those you type into the address bar? Does your browser’s home page keep changing? Are new and unexpected toolbars appearing? Are unwanted, mysterious icons in the system tray at the bottom of your computer screen? Do you keep getting

A good Laugh!

2008-06-21T08:05:00.001-05:00

Something to make you laugh today. Please go here, wait for play to appear and then start the movie. Make sure your sound is at a comfortable level. Have fun! Safe Surfing!

To those who serve our Country!

2008-05-26T10:02:00.001-05:00

I served, did you? To those who serve, to those who served and survived, to those who served and died, I salute you!

Geek Humor -NOT!

2008-05-05T10:09:00.000-05:00

A little humor is needed now and then. Yes, Geeks can have a sense of humor, most of the time though it's a little deep for non-geek speakers. Things like, "There's no place like 127.0.0.1" or "There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't". I thought something a little lighter would be nice. Have fun! YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE Nebraskan WHEN:

Phishing is not your Phriend

2008-05-03T06:01:00.000-05:00

You have seen those phake emails trying to get you to submit your login and password for a bank account that you have never heard of. Those are easy to weed out. Now that email received from "your" bank might not be the real thing. There are people out there that just delete those mails. Think of these mails as evidence of a crime and report them. One place to do that is at CastleCops

Help yourself and (maybe) learn something new

2008-04-25T10:01:00.001-05:00

So you picked up an infection somehow and you don't know what to do. You've searched and searched for the answer and found all kinds of information but you can't figure it all out. In your searches you probably came across a program called HijackThis (HJT). This is a powerful tool that should only be used by trained helpers, as you can really mess up your machine if you do something wrong.

Happy Birthday Earth!

2008-04-22T09:21:00.001-05:00

Earth Day! A Cell phone on your belt, a PDA in your pocket, a GPS antenna on the roof of your car and your laptop on the passenger seat attached to your Navigation System and you are a real "Modern Mobile Man". Are you "Green"? In support of mother Earths day today, I thought I would pass on some links I have found interesting in "Green Computing". Tips, hints and information on what you

Certifying a Geek

2008-04-18T07:13:00.001-05:00

Hooray! I have decided to become the Complete Certified Geek. More books are here, that means the Sybex and Microsoft Press Gods were at my door. I already am a Certified Geek. I have finally taken the time to complete the CompTIA A+ IT Technician Certification. Now you might think it would be easy after all my years of destroying, excuse me, building, repairing, upgrading and cleaning my

TANSTAAFL

2008-04-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. You get what you pay for. I’m sure you have all heard these statements before. Well, in most cases it is true but there are exceptions. I have been around Computers since the late 70’s (yes, I am an OG - Old Geek) and have spent a lot of money for computer security. After years of buying and trying I

Small Town Wireless (non)Security

2008-04-11T06:33:00.000-05:00

The small town I live in was a friendly town when I left 25 years ago and it is even friendlier now that I am back. You have to be gone for quite some time to appreciate the qualities of small towns. It is the simple things like the wave I get when driving down the street or someone pulling over and asking me if I need a ride when I'm out for a walk. One thing I greatly appreciate is that I can