I am honored once again to have been asked to teach a computer class at the Norman Public Library. Beginning Tuesday evening, January 13 at 6:30 pm, I and whoever chooses to attend will dive headfirst into the dark underworld of computer and Internet security. It’s...

I worked this week for a lady who asked me to buy her a video camera, or "webcam," for use with her laptop computer. She has relatives in Italy, who had been pestering her for the longest time to get a webcam so that they could keep in touch over the Internet. "How,"...

Tuesday of this week, the second Tuesday of the month, was "Patch Tuesday." That's the day that Microsoft releases its monthly batch of software updates in an attempt to repair and "patch" the many security holes found in things like Windows and Microsoft Office. It...

As is the case in modern society, at some point during holiday gatherings of family and friends, someone is going to get on the Internet and start goofing around. Oftentimes this manifests itself as antisocial behavior, such as checking ones private email or Facebook...

Years ago I spent the night at Wal Mart, camping out on Thanksgiving night for their Black Friday sale. They had advertised a laptop computer that I wanted to buy, for a ridiculously low price. I had come prepared to spend the evening outside in the sub-zero weather...

Just when you think that it’s safe to play outside with your new security-enhanced wireless laptop computer, it seems that some brainiac always has to go and figure out a way to trash your playground. Well, dear readers, the playground has been trashed again. Two...

With the holiday shopping season upon us, caution may be in order when it comes to the electronic toys that many of us will give and receive. As strange as it may sound, you might want to run a virus scan on that digital photo frame that you’re planning to give to...

Almost three years ago, I wrote a column titled, “Get What You Pay For - And Deserve.” This article outlined the disturbing trend of major computer manufacturers refusing to provide an actual disk copy of the Windows operating system software with new computers that...

Wouldn't you like to be able to speak to your computer and have it obey your every command? You may recall the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, in which the crew of the Starship Enterprise is transported back to the 20th century. While visiting a scientist’s...

A few years back, while at the Defcon computer security conference in Las Vegas, I attended a meeting where the subject of “e-voting” was discussed. The “e-voting” concept includes the use of computerized electronic voting machines, as well as the idea of voting, not...

I’ve seen more customers over the past few weeks with horribly virus-infected computers than I have over the past few months. Maybe the bad guys have released a new wave of “smart” viruses; I don’t know. I do know that most PC users have been lulled into a false sense...

Regrettable circumstances have found me recently visiting various local medical offices, and have once again led me to question the security of my private medical and financial information. While most people turn a blind eye to how patient records are handled by their...

As you may recall, last week the Yahoo email account of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was hacked. Stolen private emails and photographs of her children were then posted to numerous websites. Also stolen was the cell phone number of Palin’s...

Late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, the Yahoo email account of Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was hacked. Stolen private emails and photographs of her children were then posted to numerous websites. Also stolen was...

“Computers are useless. They only give you answers;” so said acclaimed artist Pablo Picasso in the late 1960s. Forty years later, computers have evolved into useful tools capable of performing an amazing array of tasks, even though they are still incapable of...

A few weeks ago, while I was at the Defcon computer security conference in Las Vegas, I attended a panel discussion on The Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency. Established by The Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Commission will make...

You may recall my previous article of two weeks ago, in which I described how my email account was busted by the Defcon Wall of Sheep. As the Internet grows more complex and more attackers are lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on hapless sheep, Internet...

My daughter called me a few days ago with some interesting news. “Hey Dad,” she said, “have you checked out Google Street View, lately?” “Not lately,” I replied. I hadn’t seriously looked at that feature of Google Maps and Google Earth since sometime last year, when...

Last weekend saw me once again attending the annual Defcon computer security conference in Las Vegas. The conferences’ 8000 or so attendees, who came from all around the globe, were made up of the normal groups of hackers, crackers, feds and wannabes. As usual, almost...

Pornography is one of the biggest moneymaking businesses on the Internet. Studies show that 35% of all Internet downloads are pornographic in nature, with 266 new porn sites appearing on the Internet every day. Every second, at least 28,258 Internet users are viewing...