Keeping your technology running even when the lights go out!

News and Reviews – Security Breach! – Episode 020

September 5, 2012 by 3 Comments
News and Reviews - Security Breach! - Episode 020 [ 17:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Is your personal information safe from a security breach?

Is your personal data safely locked up?

Image by: walknboston

Yep, Another Security Breach

It seems like you can hardly go a day without news of another security breach. Hackers are targeting big companies left and right. And these companies have your personal data! So what can you do?

Well knowledge equals independence and freedom, so one of the best defenses is to be knowledgeable by following sources online that report on these types of things. Like this podcast! :)

In today’s show I’ve got a lot of security news for you. Some good and some bad.

Security Breach News – Bad

In the “bad news” part of the show I discuss three different issues. I always talk about keeping all your software up to date. Sometimes that isn’t enough. Listen in as I discuss:

  • Hackers dump 1 million Apple UDIDs found on FBI laptop
  • Google warns of using Adobe Reader – particularly on Linux
  • Latest Java Software Opens Your PC To Hackers!

Security Breach News – Good!

Additionally I have a quick review of a new service called “Should I Change My Password”. This service monitors the internet for information anytime there is a security breach. They compile it all into a big database and let you check your email address. It then lets you know if your email address was found in their database. Listen to the show for all the details.

Also Dropbox has now made available two-step verification. If you use Dropbox for anything important this is a must use feature. If you’re not sure what two-step verification is go back and listen to Episode 017 – Don’t Get Hacked! Protect Yourself Online. In that episode I talk about what two-step verification is and why it is important.

Misc Items

Twitter … is there anything it can’t do? Well sure, it can’t cook my dinner, but it can function as an earthquake detection network!

In the market for a laptop with a long lasting battery?

Do you use Firefox?

What new cool technology was announced at the European IFA conference?

Can the soon to be released iPhone 5 cook my dinner?

You’ll just have to listen to the show to find out. :)

Show Notes / Resources

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Episode 017 – Don’t Get Hacked! Protect Yourself Online

August 13, 2012 by 4 Comments
Episode 017 - Don't Get Hacked! Protect Yourself Online [ 25:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
don't get hacked - protect yourself online

Image by: Feral78

Steps to Protect Yourself Online

In today’s show I talk about a couple of high profile security breeches that occurred in the past week. The first is the editor of Wired Magazine’s Gadget Lab, Mat Honan. Mat is a computer professional and yet he still go hacked. Listen in to hear me discuss the steps you can take to protect yourself online so you don’t become another statistic like Mat.

I’ll be discussing:

  1. How Mat was hacked and how he lost something priceless as a result.
  2. Why if you have multiple email accounts, that they should never be linked.
  3. What is “two factor authentication” and why it may be the most important thing you learn today.
  4. Backups, backups, backups!!! You must use one of the many backup options for Windows or whatever OS you use. Have I mentioned this before? :D

How to create and manage strong passwords

Another vital thing I discuss today that you must do to protect yourself online from hackers is to use strong passwords. Not only must your passwords be “strong” but they must also be different or unique between your different accounts. I have over 190 online passwords for everything from my multiple email accounts to Twitter and Facebook, multiple different forums that I access, and lots more. And I don’t know a single one of my passwords by heart!

Wait what?

You read that correctly. I don’t have any of them memorized. How do I manage that? You’ll have to listen to the show to find out!

I will give you multiple ways to manage lots of passwords and also give you some tips on creating strong passwords if you’re not a geek like me and only need to remember a few.

The bottom line is that we as a society are becoming more and more dependent on the Internet. Learning to protect yourself online is a vital skill that everybody needs to know. Don’t become another victim, but instead arm yourself with the information you need to stay safe.

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Episode 014 – Wipe a hard drive with DBAN

August 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Episode 014 - Destroy that data! [ 25:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Nuke - Bikini Atoll

Destroy your data! (aka wipe a hard drive)

Destroy your data? After all my episodes on backups, redundancy and software inventory, why would I be telling you to wipe a hard drive? Because sometimes, removing data can be as important as backing it up. If you have an older computer that you want to donate or sell. Or you want to give it to a relative or a friend, you don’t want any trace of personal data left on the hard drive. Identity theft is a big problem and you want to make sure you don’t expose yourself from data left on an old hard drive.

Backup before you wipe a hard drive!

Wiping a hard drive is serious. When done right, the data is completely unrecoverable (by anybody with fewer resources than say a three letter government agency). That’s a good thing since that is the entire point of doing this! Just be 100% sure before you use the tools mentioned in this episode that you are 110% sure that all your important data is backed up before you wipe a drive. Need a backup refresher? Check out Episode 006 – Backup Options for Windows.

Fortunately getting rid of that old data is easy. Wiping a hard drive using freely available tools will make sure that you’re protected when that old drive leaves your hands. Listen in as I discuss:

  • Erasing files isn’t enough … they can be recovered!
  • Physical forms of destruction may not be enough and are not practical.
  • How to burn an ISO to a blank CD or DVD using the free program ImgBurn.
  • How to wipe a hard drive with DBAN

Resources / Links

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Episode 011 – Android Security, Tablet Apps, WHS and WD Red Storage News

July 23, 2012 by 1 Comment
Episode 011 - Android Security, Tablet Apps, WHS and WD Red Storage News [ 20:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Android Security

No, I’m not talking about having a guard robot! (although that would be awesome!) I’m talking about security for your android O/S phone or tablet. I came across an article the other day about how the latest version of Google’s Android operating system, 4.1 or “Jelly Bean”, is the most secure yet. The article get’s pretty deep but what it actually led me to discuss in today’s episode is not android security, but the security obtained from being “up to date”.

Best Tablet Apps for Android

I also go over Gizmodo’s list of the best Android apps for tablet users. I have a tablet myself so I compared what I have already on my tablet versus their list. I found that I was already using several of their recommended apps and I tried out a couple of new “social media” apps. You’ll have to listen for my thoughts! :)

Replacements for WHS

Third up in today’s show is the news from Bit-Tech that Microsoft has decided to drop Windows Home Server and replace it with Windows Server 2012 “Essentials”. For a home user the price jump is huge so Bit Tech has come up with a list of open source alternatives to WHS. If you are already using WHS or have been considering it, check out the link in the show notes to the full article.

New Hard Drives from Western Digital

Also in storage new is a new hard drive line from Western Digital. After the reliability issues that some people have had with their “Caviar Green” line when used in NAS boxes or in RAID arrays, they have now come out with their “Red” line. The new Red line has been designed specifically for use in NAS and RAID. Listen to the show for more details and check out the link below for the full article.

UPDATE 7/24: Just one day after I released this episode, Tom’s Hardware released their full review of these drives. They haven’t done any kind of torture testing but they released a full performance review comparing these drives to their competition. I’ve added a new link to the show notes for those that are interested.
UPDATE 7/26:Storage Review also now has a review of these new drives and gives them an “Editor’s Choice” rating. Link below.

The final item in today’s show is a bit of sci-fi geek fun. All I’m gonna say is “Star Trek” and “Neil deGrasse Tyson”! Listen to the show or jump down below for the link if you can’t wait.

Resources / Links

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Seven Reasons to Include Technology in Your Survival Preps

June 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Seven Reasons to Include Technology in Your Survival Preps [ 17:19 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In today’s episode I discuss seven reasons to include technology in your disaster/survival preparations.

There are more than seven reasons, but these are the ones I felt were the most important. Your situation and plans are likely very different from mine, but hopefully today’s show will provide some food for though.

Listen in and hear how technology can provide:

  • Convenience
  • Security
  • Communication
  • Encryption
  • Knowledge
  • … and more! (you’ll just have to listen to the show for all the details!)

Don’t forget to comment on the show or leave me suggestions for future topics you’d like to hear about. If you enjoy this show and want to be notified of new episodes, follow me on Twitter ( @TechPreps ) or like my TechPreps Facebook page.

Resources / Links:

MURS Radio

CD 3rd World

Pole Shift Survival Information

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