Security

If you aren't yet convinced that you should use a different, strong password to access any information you don't want compromised, I recently ran across this piece, which is downright scary.

In keeping with past habits, I'm presenting a second solution to the problem at hand, which in this case is password management. The first, KeePass, is a program that you download and run on your own computer. There is another approach, which is an online password manager. In this scheme, your data is stored on a remote server, and you access it with a web browser.

Featured Software:
   PassPack Online Password Manager

You basically have two choices in dealing with passwords, which are 1) committing them to memory, or 2) writing them down/recording them somewhere. Each approach has its advantages and drawbacks. If you commit passwords to memory, chances are you use one or a few of them over and over again. You have probably chosen passwords that are relatively easy to remember, and may be relatively easy for a determined hacker to discover.

Featured Software
  KeePass Password Manager

I'm back from summer vacation and trying to focus on getting some work done, in spite of the nasty case of poison ivy I picked up while I was camping on Cape Cod. This plant is just plain mean, for no good reason that I can think of...

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Although it's sometimes annoying, I get some warm fuzzies from Windows Update, because I like the idea that I have the most recent bug fixes for the software I'm using. What Windows Update does for the operating system, Secunia PSI does for applications, but only to the extent of finding software updates that plug security holes. If a piece of software I'm using has a new version available that fixes other kinds of bugs, or adds new capabilities, I would also like to know about that.

Featured Software:
FileHippo Update Checker

When I learned about Secunia Personal Software Inspector, I had to admit that this was an area of computer vulnerability I hadn't thought much about: application security.

I usually think of computer security as akin to the border crossing stations that I used to have to go through on a day excursion from San Diego to Ensenada. You watch what goes into your computer, and you watch what goes out. But what if something was installed on your computer from a reliable vendor, but later determined to have security risks?

Featured Software:
   Secunia Personal Software Inspector