How To: Two-Factor Authentication

Security: 

The word often makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

We want to feel safe and secure. We buy security cameras when want to feel more secure in our homes. We use passwords for sensitive websites such as banking and utilities.

But just how secure is that password you use? 

Better yet, when was the last time you changed it?

Is it complicated or does it start with the word 'Password' and end with '12345'? 😀

One of the more secure ways to prevent others to try to gain access to your email and banking websites is to use "Two Factor Authentication" or 2FA.

Two Factor Authentication adds an additional layer of security to your accounts on the internet. Whether it be email, a social website, banking account or any other sensitive web page, Two Factor Authentication prevents those accounts from being hacked.

The two parts of the authentication is:

1. Your password

2. The code which the website or the application sends to your device. Such as your phone or tablet. This is the key to Two-Factor Authentication. A second electronic device.

How it works:
When you log in to a service account or webpage, you use your mobile phone to verify your identity by either clicking on a texted / emailed link or typing in a number sent by an authenticator app.

Authentication apps are the standard to receive authentication codes. Such apps as Authy and Google Authenticator.

Authy is available in multi platform OSs. Besides Android t's available in Windows, Mac, Chrome and iOS.

Tech News: US Dept Of Treasury and Dept Of Commerce email servers breached by Russian hackers

 In one of the most sophisticated and perhaps largest hacks in more than five years, email systems were breached at the Treasury and Commerce Departments. Other breaches are under investigation.

Russia-backed hackers infiltrated internal email systems at the US Treasury and Commerce departments, and were spying on email communications for months, possibly as far back as March.

The attacks, first reported by Reuters on Sunday, was apparently carried out by hackers from the SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service.  In truth, no one knows where the damage ends; given the nature of the attack, literally thousands of companies and organizations have been at risk for months

The White House National Security Council, which reportedly held an emergency meeting on Saturday, said via spokesperson John Ullyot on Monday that it is collaborating with CISA, the FBI, and the intelligence community to respond with "a swift and effective whole-of-government recovery."

Original Article at https://www.wired.com/story/russia-solarwinds-supply-chain-hack-commerce-treasury/

How To: Two Of The Best Disk Space Analyzers For Windows

Even though hard drives and SSD's have become less and less expensive, space is still a precious commodity when it comes to storage on a PC.

It's happened to me. You get that pop-up in the lower right corner within Windows. "Oh my god", you exclaim. "How did that happen?"

Well. Don't fret. No need to go digging in Explorer to find out what files are taking up space and which to delete. (And where would you start anyways?)

There are plenty of disk utilities and space analyzers which show this information. These programs are not disk cleaners per se. They do not automatically remove or delete files, but they do display in a slick graphical display which files are residing on your hard drive/ssd.

Windirstat 

Windirstat is a popular favorite among geeks. It gives a graphical display of files as a treemap.

The treemap represents each file as a colored rectangle, the area of which is proportional to the file's size. The rectangles are arranged in such a way, that directories again make up rectangles, which contain all their files and subdirectories. So their area is proportional to the size of the subtrees. The color of a rectangle indicates the type of the file, as shown in the extension list. The cushion shading additionally brings out the directory structure.

Spacesniffer

Spacesniffer gives a slick display of the hard drive tree in a graphical display. It doesn't have the directory list which WinDirStat has, however the "tree map" is clickable, allowing you to dig deeper within the file folders.

So next time 

Tech News: FBI warns ransomware threatens healthcare sector

The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and US-CERT (Computer Emergency Readiness Team.... a branch of Homeland Security) issued a joint alert which stated they had credible information of "an increased and imminent cybercrime to US hospitals and healthcare providers".

The alert stated malicious groups are targeting the public healthcare sector with the purpose of "data theft and disruption of healthcare services".

Ransomware is an specific attack on systems, servers and networks to scramble data and to literally hijack the data until the clients pay up. It may be found on personal PCs as an individual pop-up stating your computer has been infected and to "click here" to remove the infected file. 

However the moment you click on the pop up, a file lurking in the background starts scrambling and locking your data. The pop-up then gives you a notice to contact a phone number to remove the so called "infected" files..... which in reality your paying for tech support to unlock your files...... it's a very evil scheme.

Since the early 2000s, groups have been deviating from private individuals to targeting larger corporations for bigger pay. Major corporations (Norsk-Hydro/Lockergoga in 2019) and entire city governments (Atlanta/SamSam in 2019) have been attacked by ransomware.

A total of 59 U.S. health care providers or systems have been impacted by ransomware in 2020, disrupting patient care at up to 510 facilities.

The alert was posted so healthcare providers, IT and network administrators, can take necessary steps to protect their networks from such attacks.

**** Change in Services Offered ****

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus situation, services which I offer will only be conducted remotely via Team viewer.

Teamviewer is a remote desktop sharing platform that allows desktop sharing.

Services are limited with remote desktop sharing

The following services are offered as long as the computer can connect to a network (wired or wireless)

*Virus/Spyware removal 
(As long as the Virus/Trojan allows network connectivity)
*Data backup and resolutions
*Software install and upgrades
*Consultation and Training

How Motherboards Are Made

Ever wonder how all the motherboard components of your PC are put together? 

How the resistors, capacitors, Mosfet, and processor are placed on the mobo?

Back in the 80's everything was done by hand. Now it's all done by automated SMT lines; Surface Mount Technology machines. It starts by placing the smallest components first, then to the larger components.

Gamers Nexus toured Gigabyte's Taiwan SMT lines and factory to show how motherboards and video cards are made from start to finish.

Video Courtesy Of Gamers Nexus

Tech History: Suzanne Vega, a song, and how MP3 was invented

Back in 1982 Suzanne Vega wrote a song called "Tom's Diner"... yes, the famous one remixed by DNA with the heavy bass line, dance beat, and synth horns, but the original was an a cappella song.

By 1984 it had been released on an obscure folk compilation, and didn't appear on Vega's studio albums until 1987's Solitude Standing.

Yet, the catchy tune has made Vega the "Mother of the MP3".

How's that you wonder? Well... read on.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

In 1988, German audio engineer Karl-Heinz Brandenburg and his team were working developing an audio compression scheme.

The compression works on the basis of "masking" - what we hear, what we don't hear — that sometimes when hear something it's masked by other sounds. 

Think having a cello and violin side by side with the cello in the foreground.
Those 'other' sounds are removed from the file making the file smaller and thereby compressing it. 

It was during a series of compression algorithm tests when Dr. Brandenburg heard "Toms Diner'(Vegas original version) playing on the radio down the hall near his office.

Suzanne Vega - Tom's Diner-Original Version

Brandenburg used Vega's a cappella version of "Tom's Diner" to fine tune the compression system, playing the track before and after compression was applied to tell whether the song sounded good enough. He figured Vega's song would be a tough track to compress and would be a good test for whether the compressed version was really listenable.

That was in 1988, and it took Dr. Brandenburg and his team another 5 years of trial and error before they were finally satisfied with the sound quality of the song. 
Compression still removed a significant portion of the data, but the difference was undetected by audio experts.

So, in 1993 Dr Brandenburg and his colleagues submitted the compression system to the Motion Picture Experts Group (That's the group that sets the standard for audio and video compression) and MPEG Audio Layer III was born.

How To: Disable Googles Ad Personalization tracking

You're browsing a web page and suddenly on the right side an ad appears for razors. And yet, you just picked on a pack at the store a few days ago. 

True.... you were looking at ordering online at Harrys and Dollar Shave Club but decided on buying a pack locally.

But why are you seeing an advertisement on what you were looking at a few days ago? Is Google reading your mind?

It's called 'Ad Tracking' and, long story short, Google keeps track of your browsing habits very closely.
And this is all for marketing purposes. 

Don't want Google snooping into your browsing habits? Here's how you can disable it. All it takes is one click of the mouse and 'Ad Tracking' is disabled.

1. On your browser log into your Google account if your not already logged in.

2. In the address bar type in https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated

(Note: if you click 'More Options', you'll get a check box allowing Google to use your browsing activity to personalize ads on websites. It's easier just to turn off Ad Personalization altogether)

3. Click the switch to turn off Ad Personalization.

When you turn off Ad Personalization, you'll get a pop-up window essentially asking if you're sure you really want to do this?

Click 'Turn Off'


And that's it. 

Turning off Ad Personalization gives a certain level of privacy knowing that Google isn't keeping track of your browsing activities. 

Tech News: Microsoft's latest Windows update was apparently deleting files

Microsoft has had to issue a major warning to all Windows 10 users.

The last update was deleting files.

With update KB4532693 a serious issue was detected with a small group of Windows 10 users, but it's serious involving the loss of some user data such as the desktop and personal files. First off, it’s important to understand that this is simply based on a small but a growing number of user reports.

When it was released on Microsofts "Patch Tuesday", the Windows 10 KB4532693 security update was found to revert certain system settings to their defaults and also removes files from the desktop. 

Restoring some files
For many users, Windows 10 has renamed main user profile folder and files can be restored from C:\Users profile folder ending in .000 or .bak name, with new reports of user data being deleted. 

The update has now been pulled from Microsofts update page and is no longer available.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4524244/security-update-for-windows-10-february-11-2020

The Billion Dollar Business Of Data Collection - Part II - Securing and/or Removing Access to Your Data

This is Part 2 of a 2 part article 

Part I here

Privacy
We all value our privacy and for obvious reasons we're not going to post our bank account, address and social security numbers on the internet. 

However, you may be surprised or maybe even shocked on just how much information about you can be found on the internet. 

Just drop your name on 'Thatsthem.com', 'Spokeo.com' or any other 'People Search" websites and you'll find information about yourself likely you'd rather not have public. 

A common thought is that once it's on the internet it's out there forever. 
But to a certain extent you can delete some of that information, or at least have it not available to the public. 

Limit your information on social websites
Social websites should be the first to limit your info. When applying for a job, often employers will drop in on Facebook or Twitter to determine just really who they could be hiring. 

Having a social account is one thing, but posting on Facebook about Fridays party with a picture of your best friend next to the toilet is another. 
Better yet, select and edit your privacy settings within Facebook..... choose WHO YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR POSTS. 
Check out the Facebook Privacy settings here. 
Facebook Privacy Settings

Twitter has a basically on/off approach when it comes to privacy and 'Tweets' 
Either the 'tweets' you post can be public or private. 
Twitter Privacy

Under the Safety section within Twitter settings, you have the option to prevent your tweets appearing in the search results of those you have blocked on the microblogging platform.

Google 
Make sure you visit your Google Account page, where there are a number of settings that can boost your privacy, reduce data collection, or remove you altogether from the searches. Privacy checkup: 

The Google Privacy checkup allows users to prevent Google from saving your searches and other Google activity to your Google Account, as well as turn off your location history. 

You can also choose to disallow Google from saving YouTube search & watch history and a record of videos you have watched, your contacts, device information, voice and audio activity including recordings harvested from interaction with Google Assistant, and other data. 


'Opt Out' from data collection firms
One of the more permanent actions to take to have a third party service remove your data from data collection sites. Two such services are Onerep.com and Deleteme.com.
Both services will conduct 'Opt Outs' for data collection firms. It's a tedious and time consuming but worth it when it involves your privacy.

Remove personal information from websites
If someone's posted sensitive information of yours such as a Social Security number or a bank account number and the webmaster of the site where it was posted won't remove it, you can send a legal request to Google to have it removed.

Google Data Removal Request

Depending on what kind of information/data we have of ourselves out there on the net we have to take certain steps to restrict, completely remove access, or totally delete that information.

Tech News: The Billion Dollar Business Of Data Collection - Part I

This is Part 1 of a 2 part article

Information is valuable....Personal data is worth billions.

Nearly every moment of our lives, we’re producing data about ourselves that companies profit from. Billions worth.

Personal data is often compared to oil—it powers today’s most profitable corporations, just like fossil fuels energized those of the past. But the consumers it’s extracted from often know little about how much of their information is collected, who gets to look at it, and what it’s worth. 
Every day, hundreds of companies you may not even know exist, gather facts about you, some more intimate than others. That information may then flow to academic researchers, hackers, law enforcement, and foreign nations—as well as plenty of companies trying to sell you stuff.

How is our data collected?
Our smartwatches know when we wake up, 
Alexa and Android Assistant listens to our conversations, our phones track where we go, Google knows what we email and search, Facebook knows what we share with friends, and our loyalty cards remember what we buy. 
We share all this data about ourselves because we like the services these companies provide, and business leaders tell us we must to make it possible for those services to be cheap or free.

In 2018 the nonprofit news organization ProPublica conducted an investigation on how medical devices obtain data. This data includes heart rates, sleep patterns, the number of steps taken in a day — and patients have been shocked at the ways that information is being used.


According to the investigation, the data that’s constantly collected by step counters, blood glucose monitors, medication alerts and trackers, in-home cameras, heart monitors and CPAP breathing machines is being packaged and sold for advertising, anonymized and used by IT companies, and even shared with health insurers, who can use it to deny reimbursement.

Facebook’s business has relied on the trade of data for free service since they started it in a dorm room nearly 15 years ago, but due to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, only recently it's has shown users about just how this works.

As a typical CEO, Mark Zuckerberg describes this as a win-win – people stay in touch with friends and family more often through a free service, and businesses can more efficiently spend marketing dollars to fuel corporate profits, making Facebook free to all.

But one party has benefited a lot more than anyone else: Facebook shareholders. 

Despite all the recent controversy, Facebook is still valued at nearly $500bn.

What Constitutes "Personal Data"?
“Personal data” is a pretty vague umbrella term, and it helps to unpack exactly what it means. Health records, social security numbers, and banking details make up the most sensitive information stored online. 
Social media posts, location data, and search-engine queries may also be revealing but are also typically monetized in a way that, say, your credit card number is not. Other kinds of data collection fall into separate categories—ones that may surprise you. Did you know some companies are analyzing the unique way you tap and fumble with your smartphone?


All this information is collected on a wide spectrum of consent: Sometimes the data is forked over knowingly, while in other scenarios users might not understand they’re giving up anything at all.

Who Buys, Sells, and Barters My Personal Data?

The trade-off between the data you give and the services you get, may or may not be worth it, but another breed of business amasses, analyzes, and sells your information without giving you anything at all: data brokers.

These firms compile info from publicly available sources like property records, marriage licenses, and court cases.

They may also gather your medical records, browsing history, social media connections, and online purchases. Depending on where you live, data brokers might even purchase your information from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Don’t have a driver’s license? Retail stores sell info to data brokers, too.

In part 2 we'll read what choices you (the consumer) have and what you can do about it.

How to: Fixing a laptop battery plugged in but not charging

 Battery on your laptop plugged in and not charging?

It can be frustrating.....always being plugged into a wall socket for something that is clearly meant to be mobile. Sometimes it can be a Windows update that's the culprit and not the battery itself.

Depending on usage the average laptop battery lasts between 6-8hrs, on a full charge.
But if you have a new battery you bought last year, and your unable to charge your battery at all, follow these steps.


1. Open the Device Manager by searching for it or right-clicking the Start button and selecting Device Manager.

2. Click Batteries on the list to expand it and you should see two items: Microsoft AC Adapter and Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery.

3. Right-click on each item and choose Uninstall device.
(Don't worry.... the battery will automatically be reinstalled when you restart your laptop.)

4. Shut down your laptop and unplug the power cable from your laptop.

5. If your laptop has a removable battery, remove it.

6. Wait 30 seconds for the motherboard to discharge. 

7. Put the battery back in if you removed it.

8. Plug in your laptop.

9. Power on your laptop.

10. Click the battery icon in the system tray and you should see that your laptop is plugged in and charging

Tech News: LGs TV goes from a flat screen to curved

One of the "cool" factors you could show off in your house is having a TV morph from a flat screen to a curved TV with a press of a button.
The South Korean TV manufacture LG has just the screen for you.

At CES2020 it showed off a 4K OLED TV which morphed from a flat screen to curved in just a few seconds.

The display relies on bendable OLED which is a fairly new technology. This is the same technology that Samsung uses in their displays for the Galaxy Fold phone.

These types of screens use OLED ‘Organic Light Emitting Diode”. 

They’ve gained popularity because of the simplicity of the construction, superior image and most of all their flexibility. And as opposed to standard LED screens they don’t require a back light either.

These characteristics make OLED a superior choice for displays for TVs, smart phones and tablets. 

It’s safe to say that OLEDs will be replacing standard LEDs in the near future.

For more information on OLED technology check out 

https://www.oled-info.com/oled-introduction