👍 #859 – How Do I Make Sure I Don’t Have Malware?

This week's articles & videos

In an ideal world it would be wonderful if we could do something to guarantee that our machines, accounts, devices, and all that stuff was free of malware.

You know what's coming, right?

We don't live in an ideal world. You can't prove a negative. There's simply no way to know for absolute certain that your computer isn't loaded with malware.

So what does that mean in the real world? We work hard to stack the deck in our favor.

This week's featured article -- How Do I Make Sure I Don't Have Malware? -- tackles the problem.

Also this week:

• Your closed email account is still sending spam? Yikes!
• Accidentally click on a phishing link? More yikes!
• On mailing lists you don't want? There's a right way and a wrong way to stop getting them. (And sometimes right is wrong, and wrong is right. Seriously.)
• Trying to login to Gmail, and being asked to confirm via a phone you don't have access to? Here's what to do.

TEH Podcast

Gary and I are back, this time discussing the recent Apple announcements. The new machines are nice and all, but we spend most of the time talking about the new AirTag, including the technology, whether or not it's another way to track you, and its similarity to failed contact tracing apps. (Gary's got 'em by now, so we'll expect an update next show.) All that and the ubiquitous "more" in TEH 132: What's new with Apple... chips, screens, trackers.

What It's Like To...

I neglected to mention this last week, but I was published in "What It's Like To ...", an online publication on Medium.com. My article: What It's Like To Donate Platelets. Coincidentally, I'm scheduled to do it again shortly after this newsletter is sent.

In case you missed it

Last week I mentioned a few of the other things I play with throughout the week.

• Various behind the scenes musings are on my personal Twitter. (Ask Leo! on Twitter is still focused on your tech, and your Q&A.)
• My reading experiment continues apace. Follow that at 7 Takeaways.
• HeroicStories.org, NotAllNewsIsBad.com, and my personal blog are other places I post regularly.
• Still experimenting with Racket. Recent posts have been a return to "discussing" some of the goofier questions that are out there.

And, as of today last Saturday, I'm two weeks post second vaccine. Whoo hoo!

Hope you're doing well,

This Week's Featured Article

How Do I Make Sure I Don't Have Malware?
An important answer you need to understand.

It's impossible to know your machine has no malware. What does that mean for your safety?

https://askleo.com/44103

Also This Week on Ask Leo!

5 Reasons Your Closed Email Account Sends Spam What you can do about it.
Closing an email account is many people's first reaction to seeing spam sent from their account. It rarely helps, if it's even possible. I'll explain. https://askleo.com/4682

What Should I Do If I Accidentally Click on a Phishing Link? What to do in that moment of regret.
Accidentally clicking a phishing link might be benign if you catch it soon enough. If not, you may need to take recovery actions to save your account and/or machine. https://askleo.com/132182

How Do I Get Off Email Lists I Don't Want to be On? To unsubscribe or not to unsubscribe: that is the question.
To unsubscribe or not to unsubscribe: that is the question. The answer depends on how you got there. https://askleo.com/73487

How Do I Access Gmail Without Phone Verification? Getting into your account without your phone.
There are a number of ways to confirm your identity if you don't have your phone. The catch is that most have to be set up before you need them. https://askleo.com/132209

Ask Leo! on YouTube

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How Do I Access Gmail Without Phone Verification? There are a number of ways to confirm your identity and access Gmail if you don't have phone verification. The catch is that most have to be set up before you need them. https://youtu.be/VeCN4VIN6ec

How Do I Make Sure I Don't Have Malware? It's impossible to make sure your computer does not have malware. What does that mean for your safety? Don't dispair. https://youtu.be/8gmR1a22reo

How Do I Get Off Email Lists I Don't Want to be On? To unsubscribe or not to unsubscribe, that is the question... How do you get off email lists? The answer depends on how you got there. https://youtu.be/3RsdtGdg8XY

What Should I do if I Accidentally Click on a Phishing Link? If you accidentally click on a phishing link it might generally be benign if you catch it soon enough. If not, then you may need to take recovery actions to save your account and/or machine. https://youtu.be/d21-z8wsO7c

5 Reasons Your Closed Email Account Sends Spam Closing an email account is many people's first reaction to seeing spam sent from their account. It rarely helps, if it's even possible. I'll explain. https://youtu.be/d_IFSDp3ebk

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