Lock Down Your Computer Like the NSA

Here is an article from Lifehacker about how to secure your computer like the NSA. It links to the NSA web page with documents on securing Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris.

Facebook leaked personal data to advertisers

According to this article, a vulnerability in some Facebook apps allowed third-party advertisers to access security tokens that act as a spare key to users' profiles, allowing them to read posts and access profile information.


While the article points out that the advertisers may not have known they had the ability to do that and Facebook has now fixed the vulnerability, those security tokens may still exist on third-party servers. To make sure you're protected, change your Facebook password.

Macs are not impervious to malware

This article in Lifehacker makes a very good point: As Macs capture greater market share, attackers have greater incentive to write malware that targets Mac OS.


Macs are not impervious to malware. The author predicts that it's only a matter of a couple of years until Mac users will need to get serious about protecting their Macs from infections.

CAT

There's a website called CAT that is basically a TV calendar. It lets you create an iCal feed that you can then import into your preferred calendar program.


I use it in Google calendar and it works pretty well. The only problem is that the shows appear in Eastern time, even though I told it I'm in Pacific. Still, it lets me know what's going to be on TV each night.


http://pogdesign.co.uk/cat/

Don't disable IPv6 in Windows SBS 2008

If you disable IPv6 on your network interface in Windows SBS 2008 and then reboot, you will be stuck waiting for 30-60 minutes at the "Applying computer settings..." screen.  According to the following blog posts, SBS 2008 relies on IPv6:


Post 1


Post 2

How to search Google for downloadable music

Right off the bat, I'd like to make it clear that I do not endorse or encourage illegal downloading.  I post the following information with the intent that it be used for educational purposes only; not as an aid in downloading music illegally.


That being said, there is a Google search query you can use to find downloadable music right in your browser without having to use any P2P applications.


The search query is as follows:

intitle:"index.of" (mp3|mp4|wav|aiff|aac|wma|flac) search.string.here -htm -htm -php -asp -cf -jsp

Replace the text "search.string.here" with the artist or song title (separated by dots) for which you are searching.


For example, if you want to search for The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky, you could use a search query like this:

intitle:"index.of" (mp3|mp4|wav|aiff|aac|wma|flac) tchaikovsky.nutcracker.suite -htm -htm -php -asp -cf -jsp

Then, you just go to a page in the search results, right-click the file you want to download and choose the option to save it.

Xmarks acquired by LastPass

According to this Xmarks blog post, LastPass has acquired Xmarks.  This is great news for fans of either service.


You may recall that I've mentioned both services in previous posts.  I use them on a daily basis.


Xmarks allows you to synchronize your browser bookmarks/favorites between different browsers, different operating systems and different computers.


LastPass does the same thing for your passwords.


If you haven't checked them out yet, you should do so.  It's way better than trying to remember all of those passwords and maintaining separate lists of bookmarks/favorites in each browser you use.

Xmarks is going away

Previously, I wrote about a service called Xmarks that I use to synchronize my bookmarks across browsers and computers.  It has come to my attention that Xmarks is shutting down effective January 10, 2011.  You can read more about it here.


If you are using Xmarks, like me, you'll want to switch to an alternative before the shutdown date.  My primary browser now is Chrome, which has a built-in bookmark sync tied to your Google account.  I'll be transitioning from Xmarks to Chrome Sync in the next few months.  I haven't yet decided whether I will sync my Firefox and Internet Explorer bookmarks, as I don't use those browsers as much.


It's too bad that Xmarks wasn't able to turn a profit and has to close their doors, but life goes on.

Windows Pager

One continual disappointment with Windows is the lack of built-in support for multiple desktops.  Linux has had it for years.  Sure, Windows Vista introduced the Win+Tab window switching, which is pretty, but really not all that practical.  What I really wanted was multiple desktop support.


Recently, a friend and colleague turned me onto Windows Pager.  It's a small, free application that doesn't require installation.  I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and I absolutely love it.  I had my doubts at first, but it's been rock solid (knock on wood).


Windows Pager gives you (by default) 4 desktops.  They appear on the task bar and work pretty much exactly how I wanted.  It's quick and easy to switch between desktops by either clicking on the desktop preview or using a hot key combination.


I put all of my work-related windows on one desktop, all of my personal windows on another desktop, my music (e.g.: Pandora) on a third desktop and then I use the fourth desktop for anything that doesn't fit on the other three.


I really love Windows Pager.  It's free, there's no install and it works beautifully.


http://windowspager.sourceforge.net/

Offline NT Password & Registry Editor

Have you ever been locked out of Windows because you don't know the password?  Maybe you forgot it.  Or maybe you got a hand-me-down computer and the previous owner neglected to tell you the password.  Or maybe somebody else using your computer changed it and didn't tell you.  There are a number of scenarios that require the ability to reset a Windows password.


The Offline NT Password & Registry Editor bootable CD is the solution to the problem.  You just download the ISO image and burn it to a blank CD, then boot the afflicted computer from that CD and follow the prompts to reset the password for the chosen Windows account to one of your choosing.


Tada!


http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

Microsoft Office Live and Google Docs

Microsoft has just released a web-based version of Office.  You can view/edit/create Office documents from standard web browsers and share them with others.


http://office.live.com

Of course, Google has had this for quite some time now and their offering is more mature and user-friendly.


http://docs.google.com

Strong Password Generator

Need to generate one or more strong passwords?  Easy:

http://strongpasswordgenerator.com/

Set an external time source on a Windows PDC

To keep the time on all of your domain computers synchronized with an accurate external time source, the PDC needs to be configured to synchronize with that time source.  Here's how to do it:


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816042

Logging into a Vista PC on a domain as a local user when you don't know the computer name

If you're logging into a computer that's on a domain and you go to "Switch User", it will try to log you in as a domain user.  So, if you want to log in as a local user, you have to specify that.


However, there's no "Log on to" drop-down box anymore, so you have to type the computer name followed by a backslash in front of the username.


Okay, but what if you don't know the computer name?


Aha!  There's a shortcut.  Instead of the computer name, use a period (.).  That's right, a dot.  A dot is shorthand for "where I am now" in UNC paths, DOS and UNIX/Linux.  So, you type the username like this:


.\username


Voila!

AllMyApps

I just started using another site that allows you to install multiple applications at once, similar to http://ninite.com/.  This one is called AllMyApps.


The main differences between Ninite and AllMyApps is that AllMyApps lets you install only 4 or 5 applications without registering and it has a much broader selection of applications to install than Ninite.


For instance, Ninite doesn't install LogMeIn, so I always have to install that separately.  But not with AllMyApps.


I haven't tested the AllMyApps installer process yet, so I can't vouch for it at this time.


http://www.allmyapps.com/

Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are great time savers.  Knowing a few useful ones can help you get more done in less time and feel more in control of your computer.


Windows 7 has added some new keyboard shortcuts that are worth learning.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Windows + Shift + Left/Right arrow = Move active window to left/right monitor
• Windows + Left/Right = Snap active window to left/right of screen
• Shift + Click icon on taskbar = Open a new instance
• Middle-click icon on taskbar = Open a new instance
• Ctrl + Shift + Click icon on taskbar = Open a new instance with Administrator privileges

Microsoft has a comprehensive list of all of the Windows 7 keyboard shortcuts at the following address:


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/Windows7/Keyboard-shortcuts

Windows XP System Restore from Safe Mode with Command Prompt

If Windows XP has become unstable and you can't even use Safe Mode, but Safe Mode with Command Prompt still works, you can still launch System Restore.  Here's how:


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304449

MSSE and MBAM

Lately I've been using Microsoft Security Essentials (MSSE) and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM) to fight malicious software (malware) including virus, Trojan Horse, spyware and other varieties.

Both programs are free and are very effective.  I used to use AVG and Ad-Aware, but it seems that lately those programs haven't kept up with the latest threats as well as MSSE and MBAM.  In fact, I've seen more than one computer get a very nasty infection while AVG was installed and running.

So, if you want the best protection from malware (for your Windows PC) that no money can buy, get MBAM and MSSE.  They are both available from Ninite.com.

http://ninite.com/

LogMeIn

One of my most trusted and relied upon tools is LogMeIn.  I use this almost daily to remotely control computers.  I install LogMeIn on all of my clients' servers so that I can remotely access them as needed.  I also install it on my clients' desktop and laptop computers so that I can help them with problems remotely instead of scheduling a service call.  It saves a lot of time and gas.


LogMeIn is very secure and works very well.  The free version does everything I need in most cases.  There's also a paid version that enables additional functionality such as remote printing and file transfer.


LogMeIn works closely with Intel and they have developed technology that allows you to remotely control a computer through LogMeIn below the operating system level (out-of-band).  That means that you can remotely get into BIOS and change settings and even remotely install an operating system.  The technology is available on some computers and motherboards now and will be available on more models in the future.


Besides the version that you have to install on the computer that you want to remotely control, they also have a free beta service called LogMeIn Express that lets you hold online meetings and remotely assist people who don't have any other remote access to their computer.  It even lets you transfer files!


Check out LogMeIn and LogMeIn Express:


http://www.logmein.com/
http://www.logmein.com/express/

Google Wave

If e-mail was invented today, Google Wave is what it would look like.  It combines the best of e-mail, instant messaging and online collaboration into one tool.


I've used it to track information for a major project and collaborate/share with other people involved with the project.  It's great for collaborating on something as simple as a grocery list or as complex as planning a vacation.


Google Wave is vastly superior to ordinary e-mail and, if marketed and developed correctly, could eventually become more widely used than e-mail.  It is my hope that it does, because the current e-mail system is based on a protocol developed in 1982, before there was Spam.  It's a very trusting protocol, which is why fighting Spam is such a massive effort.  Google Wave fixes that problem and many more.


Right now it's in beta and not open to the general public.  However, I have some invitations left if you're interested in getting a Google Wave account.  Just let me know.


http://www.google.com/wave/