by David Hakala
You go to a Web site and start reading it. But immediately, another browser window opens and displays something you probably didn’t want to see, hiding what you came to see. That second window is a pop up window, also called a popup or pop-up.
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by David Hakala
Encryption is the scrambling of digital data in such a way that it can be read only by its creator and intended recipients. It may be advisable to encrypt the data on your hard drives; your email during transmission; the information you send or receive via a Web browser; or any other digital information that you don’t want just anyone to read.
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by David Hakala
Adobe Flash is a multimedia format that presents movie-like animations. You may find Flash files embedded in TV news Web sites and other visually oriented sites. To view Flash presentations you need special software.
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by David Hakala
Thousands of laptop computers are stolen each year. It’s not uncommon for a brazen thief to simply snatch a laptop right out from under the nose of its owner in a coffee shop and run out the door. So it’s not surprising that many anti-theft solutions have been developed for laptops.
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by Gabe Goldberg
We’re all burdened by needing too many passwords to access our multitude of shopping Web sites, banking and financial tools, work computers and networks, social media resources (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter), etc. And by the time we listen to all the elaborate, boring — but necessary though often contradictory — advice for creating passwords, it becomes too challenging. So it’s tempting to just use our street, child’s name, or ZIP Code for everything.
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by David Hakala
Q: Norton wants me to renew my subscription for another year at $55. Can I pass it up and rely on free antivirus software? — Becky
Yes. Next question, please.
OK, long reassuring answer: yes, if you are a typical user who is not being specifically targeted by Russian Mafia hackers or a crazy ex-spouse. You’re safe enough with a $30 deadbolt lock on your front door, right? You’re not Britney Spears; you don’t need eight bodyguards and a $20,000 home alarm system. Likewise, you don’t need to pay anyone for perfectly adequate antivirus protection.
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by David Hakala
While every computer comes with sound capabilities built into its motherboard, they’re usually of mediocre quality. Discriminating users want more so they buy add-on sound cards. The features you need in a sound card depend on the type of listening that you do most.
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by David Hakala
Computer security firm Symantec Corp. recently reported that it identified two-and-a-half times more malicious software programs in 2008 than in the previous year: more than 1.6 million different examples of malware that is trying to invade your computer. The most common functions performed by malware are:
1. Remote access software
2. Programs that export user data
3. Keystroke loggers
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by David Hakala
Spam – unsolicited commercial email – accounts for more than half of all email traffic. In any given month, it is not uncommon to receive several hundred offers to buy things you don’t want. This is true even if you are careful to avoid leaving your email address where it will attract spammers. Every email account should be protected against spam. You need a spam blocker.
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by David Hakala
Spyware is software secretly installed on one’s computer that monitors its activity and reports back to a remote listener. But spyware can do more than monitor. It can quietly download and install other malicious software. It can sniff through your email and personal financial software for sensitive information such as Social Security Numbers and passwords to bank accounts, and transmit that to bad guys. It can alter computer settings to redirect Web browsers to the wrong sites or slow down your Internet connection. Spyware is not something you want on your computer.
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by Gabe Goldberg
The best disaster is the one that doesn’t happen. Next best is one that doesn’t matter, because it was anticipated. Worse than that are events that require some recovery time, and worst of all are … well, real disasters.
The most common computer-related advice used to be backup, backup, backup (your data). And when DID you last backup your hard drive? But these days, that advice is equaled by urgent reminders to keep your computer and applications updated and patched against viruses, spyware, and the like.
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