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1029usr078198
Forum Admin
USA
333 Posts |
 Posted - September 15 2011 : 22:20:56
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Watch now. or Listen now. or Download the archive.
Question: Many people ask, "How does malware get on my computer in the first place?"
Answer: Good question. In fact, I get this question from just about everyone that ever gets a malware infection. Ed Bott has an article on this that reminded me of this question, which is why it was chosen for this week. We'll have a link in the show notes to it so that you can read the whole thing. The reality is that both Windows and Macs are vulnerable to malicious software. Linux will also not be immune, either. My expectation is that the first Linux malware will appear on the Android platform because of its current commercial success. So with that in mind, please understand that you the user usually install the malware, or its enabler by virtue of social engineering ploys. Bruce Hughes of AVG Technologies said, "users are four times more likely to come into contact with social engineering tactics as opposed to a site serving up an exploit." In fact, the article goes on to say that of the top 10 threats only one exploited a Windows flaw, and that flaw had been patched in 2008. The rest were installed as a result of user activity prompted by social engineering, in other words, tricking users in one way or another into installing the malware. You might say that Satan used social engineering ploys to get Eve to eat the forbidden fruit – it's the same kind of idea.
Cool Site: List Brew: This week's cool site is called Listbrew. The site exists to let you make lists to help you get and stay organized. What the lists are for are entirely up to you and depend on what you want to organize. Maybe you need to make a grocery list, or a list of things you need to do. To use the site, you have to create an account. That's necessary because your lists are stored on listbrew's servers. Once you log in, the site has basically three areas. The main area looks like a notepad and is where you enter your lists. A box to the upper left of the notepad is called My Lists and gives you a place to see your lists on the notepad, where you can edit them as necessary. There's a red X you can click once a given list is no longer required that lets you delete it. New lists are created by clicking the New List button underneath that window. Below that you'll find a My Account box that lets you choose settings like font style and background color. It also lets you change your account information like changing your password, or view and change other information related to your account. Now, you may be wondering why you'd use something like this rather than say, a piece of paper. Well, because how many times have you written a list or note down, only to lose the piece of paper?
Cool Gadget: Cell Drive : Well, we love our gadgets. The problem is that they all have batteries that need to be charged, and we've talked about several different kinds of charging technologies in the past. Today's cool gadget of the week is the CellDrive; so named because it's a 4 or 8GB USB flash drive with a battery built in. While the cell drive is plugged in, the battery is charging so that when you need that little bit more talk time on your phone, you can plug the CellDrive in and get it. It's got adapters for several different phones, and it can even be used like a really short cable to sync your phone up to your computer. The 4GB version runs about $50 and the 8GB $60. Not chump change, but for what you get, it's worth it. Eddie has a USB-based charger for rechargeable AA batteries.
Cool App: Photo Safety+: For this week, we've got something called Safety Photo Plus. You use it to keep your iPhone photos private. We've got lots of photos on our iOS devices, and you may have pictures you don't want people to see, such as product prototypes. With this app you can put those photos in albums that you can put inside what looks like a combination lock. It looks like a safe, where you enter your combination, which is four digits, and then you can move your photos into these protected folders. If your grandchildren accidentally delete your pictures, or if you lose your phone or it's stolen, you don't want the person who has stolen it to necessarily have pictures of your family, your house, or your car's license plate, or just whatever. This will keep those pictures safe. It's one more password to remember, but what else is new?
It's All "Geek" To Me: Splash Screen: This week's term is Splash Screen. It's sometimes also known as a loading screen, because it appears when an application is loading. That animated screen you see when you boot your computer right after your manufacturer's logo goes away is an example of a splash screen. Often, splash screens show the title of the application you're loading. So the next time you start a program and you see a logo of some kind first, now you'll know what that's called.
Links
Tech Tip Friday's Show Notes RSS Feed:
http://www.daconsult.com/downloads/rss.xml
Watch live on UStream:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tech-tip-friday
Today’s show on UStream:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16754699
Ed Bott on ZDNet: How does malware get on PCs and Macs?:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/trojans-viruses-worms-how-does-malware-get-on-pcs-and-macs/3491
Listbrew at MakeUseOf:
http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/listbrew-create-multiple-list/
Listbrew – Online List Manager and Notepad:
http://www.listbrew.com
Safety Photo + at the iTunes Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/safety-photo/id456637671?mt=8
CellDrive USB Flash Drive & Gadget Charger:
http://www.usbcelldrive.com/products/cell-drive-mobile-charger-flash-drive/
Splash Screen at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splash_screen |
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