By Dave Moore, CISSP 07/24/2022 The best way to protect computerized information from the bad guys is to use encryption. Whether it's financial and medical information stored on your computer or private data sent across the Internet in an email, encryption transforms...

By Dave Moore, CISSP 07/17/2022 One way to protect your computer, including phones and tablets, is with a password, where you have to enter a password or PIN before you can even use the thing. Many businesses and government installations require this, and it may be...

By Dave Moore, CISSP 07/10/2022 When you create an account on a website, many times you are required to setup so-called "security" questions and answers -- where was your grandmother born, what’s your mother’s maiden name, where did you go to school, and so on....

By Dave Moore, CISSP 07/03/2022 Why do we have passwords? Passwords unlock our online accounts, and just like the locks on the front of your house, you can have easy locks and keys, or you can have complex locks and keys. Even though Microsoft and other companies have...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 06/26/2022 Back in the "olden times," nobody much cared about computer viruses, or things like spyware, trojans or adware. Even though they had been around since the 1970's, with viruses aimed at IBM PC's and Apple Macintosh machines showing up in...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 06/19/2022 I fix a lot of computers that have been filled with viruses, with the owners often clueless as to how they got in trouble. A common thread I see running through most of these repairs is the failure of the owners to keep their computers...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 06/12/2022 How many people have the door key to your house? You, your spouse, your kids? Maybe a friend, or relative? Knowing who has the key to your house can go a long way in nabbing the culprit when something goes missing, or other strange...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 05/29/2022 Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, arguably one of the smartest people in history, warned, in an interview with the BBC, that, "the development of full artificial intelligence (AI) could spell the end of the human race." Hawking...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 05/15/2022 The war against computer viruses is a multi-billion dollar industry, with no clear end or victory in sight. Billions of dollars are spent every year defending against malicious computer software (malware) and even more money is lost to...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 05/08/2022 A large part of my job is helping my customers deal with virus-infected computers. All the antivirus programs in the world won't help if you click on the wrong thing, and some folks, believe it or not, will click on anything. The need...

By Dave Moore, CISSP 05/01/2022 Computer nerds and IT wonks often throw around tech acronyms, abbreviations and terminology like they actually know what they're talking about, and only dummies don't understand their jibber-jabber. This situation has been one of my...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 04/24/2022 In 2017, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security effectively banned all government agencies from using products made by Russian antivirus company Kaspersky Lab. The FCC recently did the same thing, adding Kaspersky to their list of...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 04/17/2022 Wow, if there has ever been a story of Internet company craziness, the story of Yahoo! has to be in the top 10. Hacking, breaches, excuses, investigations, fines and CEO golden parachutes have shown Yahoo! to be one of the Internet's...

End of the road for Internet Explorer by Dave Moore, CISSP 04/03/2022 You may recall my column, "Internet Explorer: this is the end, my friend," dated June 27, 2021. You may recall my column, "Finally, Microsoft begs you: stop using Internet Explorer," dated August...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 03/06/2022 For the past few weeks I've been reading, "Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers," by Andy Greenberg. In light of recent events, the book has taken on enhanced significance. I didn't know...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 02/27/2022 In my previous column I covered essential skills that every computer user should have. These included using your cursor, typing, right-clicking, using Windows Explorer, and learning how to cut, copy and paste. Now, even more things you...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 02/20/2022 Computers are supposed to make life easier, or, so I’ve been told. Perhaps special emphasis should be placed on the words “supposed to.” Whether we like it or not, our society is now totally computer-dependant, leaving us in a strange,...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 02/13/2022 What if someone told you, "I can read all of your text messages?" It's quite likely they would be correct. Did you know if you are using the text messaging service offered by your phone carrier, which most of us do (AT&T, Verizon,...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 02/06/2022 A discussion on Facebook reminded me of two words: caveat emptor, a Latin phrase often translated as, "Let the buyer beware." In this case, I would have changed the phrase to "Let the downloader beware." The discussion centered on a...

by Dave Moore, CISSP 01/30/2022 As if hacker losses from identity theft weren't bad enough, federal and local police continue to evade Constitutional search and seizure limitations by hiring crooks to steal the personal records of innocent citizens. Starting somewhere...