Since 2005, I have written the weekly column titled ‘COMPUTER SENSE’ that appears in the Business section of the Sunday Norman Transcript newspaper. I hope you find it to be helpful, informative and entertaining. Please email your opinions about the column to the Norman Transcript editor at editor@normantranscript.com, and the Publisher at publisher@normantranscript.com. They need your ideas and feedback. Be sure to include your name and location in your email.
Fight the Internet bad guys and win
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 08/29/2021 One of my clients once complained, "I think the Russians are trying to hack me!" "Don't take it personally," I replied, "it's not just you; the Russians are trying to hack everyone." Like a biblical plague of locusts, computer...
The HIPAA Security Rule: good advice for all, Part 2
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 08/22/2021 Want to know how to be safe on the Internet? Come to the Norman Public Library Central location next month, September 29, 6:30pm, and take the new version of my class, "Fight The Internet Bad Guys and Win!" I will teach you how to stay...
The HIPAA Security Rule: good advice for all, Part 1
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 08/15/2021 Do you know if your doctor, clinic or hospital is "HIPAA compliant?" Federal law says they need to be, but the latest reports from the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show a shockingly high...
Apple, Microsoft issue emergency updates for PCs, Macs, iPhones and iPads
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 08/01/2021 You may recall last week's column about how "automatic" updates often are not automatic, at all. What follows are good examples of some "non-automatic" updates, also known as "out of band" updates. The normal, regular day for Microsoft...
When “automatic” updates aren’t
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 07/25/2021 I have learned over the years there are two words that should not be used in the same sentence: "automatic" and "updates." All of our computerized, Internet-connected devices need frequent updating in order to fix software flaws and...
What’s in your personal Google and Facebook files?
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 7-18-21 How would you like to know what's in your Google file? What if you could find out what Facebook knows (and shares) about you? Videos, blogs, photos, contacts, comments, "likes," Tweets, website visits, clicks on links, views of YouTube...
Creating an Internet safety-aware culture
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 07/04/2021 I work for a lot of very educated people; brainiacs, high-end PhD's, and they're falling for email phishing scams and being victimized by identity theft the same as people who barely made it out of high school. Do you know why that is?...
Internet Explorer: this is the end, my friend
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 06/27/2021 You may recall my column, "Finally, Microsoft begs you: stop using Internet Explorer," dated August 11, 2019. In it, I described how how Microsoft bigwigs declared the Internet Explorer browser dead, saying it should no longer be used...
Why is your computer so slow?
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 06/20/2021 Sluggish performance is probably the number one computer complaint of all times. "My computer is so slow." If I've heard that complaint once, I've heard it a thousand times. Care must be taken, though, to distinguish between slow...
Computers with privacy: is it possible? Part 4: Apple Macs
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 06/13/2021 Much as I wish it wasn't so, the mystique of the magic Apple Macintosh computer still runs deep in certain parts of our society. Because many people still don't understand how computers work, or what they even are, they are easily...
Computers with privacy: is it possible? Part Three
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 06/06/2021 Join this column to the end of last week's column, and it will make sense, as the quest continues for privacy using a computer. Under Diagnostics & Feedback, select Required (which checks to see if you need Windows Updates), Off for...
Computers with privacy: is it possible? Part Two
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 05/30/2021 Last week, we looked at the possibility of privacy on the Internet, and the sad state of current affairs where seemingly every major Internet company wants to deny us that possibility. No matter what Internet-connected device you use,...
Computers with privacy: is it possible? Part One
by Dave Moore, 05/23/2021 As we progress (or, "regress," I would say) in the areas of computers, privacy and the Internet, once treasured ideals are quickly and firmly being swept aside in favor of convenience and pervasive connectivity. With easy social networking...
Nations largest pipeline, City of Tulsa, crippled by Internet bad guys
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 05/16/2021 The nations largest pipeline, and Oklahoma's second largest city, have been hammered by Internet criminals using well-known, preventable ransomware scams and hacking techniques. The Colonial Pipeline, largest pipeline in the United...
Millions of Dell computers at risk; update now
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 05/09/2021 Don't you just love it when you discover there's something wrong with your stuff, and you'd better fix it now, or else? Ain't nobody got time for that, right? Welcome to the reality of modern day computing. The electronic computing...
Why strong, unique passwords matter
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 05/02/2021 Wow, if there's one thing that makes some people upset about using the Internet, it's passwords. The need to use strong, unique passwords just drives some people crazy. Most people are merely annoyed at having to hassle around with...
Email: the most important account you have
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 04/25/2021 Have you ever had to explain to someone why email is the most important Internet account they have? Not banking, not Amazon, not Facebook, but email. Well, I have, hundreds of times, and when I do, I ask them a question: "When you...
Explore the World Wide Web with your “browser”
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 04/18/2021 Most folks who use a "real" computer to access the Internet (as opposed to using a phone) do it with a single piece of software: the mighty "browser." Strangely, though, many people don't even know that's what they are doing. Even...
Downloading not the same as installing: must-have computer skills
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 04/11/2021 Sometimes, when working on someone's computer, I need to look in the "Downloads" folder. All too often, I see the same program file has been downloaded five, ten, maybe even twenty times. This tells me they do not know the difference...
New life for “obsolete” computers
by Dave Moore, CISSP, 04/04/2021 Computers past their prime are often retired for a variety of reasons. Even though all computers can be fixed, sometimes perfectly good, functional computers are declared obsolete by their makers. For example, Microsoft waves its wand...