The Ask Leo! Newsletter
*** Featured
LastPass - Securely keep track of multiple passwords on multiple devices
Whenever I talk about using different passwords to login to different sites and how it's important to make sure that all those passwords are difficult to guess (and thereby, conversely hard to remember), many people throw up their hands in frustration.
It's too much to remember; too much to keep track of.
Computers, on the other hand, are great at remembering things for you. As a result, there are many popular programs that will track your online passwords for you.
These days, I'm using LastPass because not only does it remember all those things for me, it does so securely across all my computers and devices. And it has an optional level of security that I've not see anywhere else.
Continue reading:
LastPass - Securely keep track of multiple passwords on multiple
devices
http://ask-leo.com/C5744
* * *
*** Answercast
Answercast #47 - Lost email and link colors, unreadable DVDs, mobile phone apps, defragging and more...
Do you have external drives or DVDs that are failing to read, or emailed videos that don't work? Worried that defragging is using up your disk space? Having problems with a hacked email account? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!
Continue reading:
Answercast #47 - Lost email and link colors, unreadable DVDs, mobile phone
apps, defragging and more...
http://ask-leo.com/C5733
Can I make my Hotmail account read-only?
A Hotmail account is programmed to both send and receive. The only way to have
it be read-only is to have it completely secure - and don't use it
Continue reading: Can I make my
Hotmail account read-only?
http://ask-leo.com/C5734
Is installing apps on my mobile device becoming
riskier?
Smartphone applications are not yet a huge threat as long as you take a
few security precautions.
Continue reading:
Is installing apps on my mobile device becoming riskier?
http://ask-leo.com/C5735
My bank resizes my browser window when I log on, how do I stop
that?
If your bank is forcing the browser to a certain size, there isn't a lot that you can technically do about it. However, there is another course!
Continue reading:
My bank resizes my browser window when I log on, how do I stop that?
http://ask-leo.com/C5736
Macrium Reflect's Rescue Media doesn't recognize my external hard
drive, what do I do?
There are several ways to access your backed up data if your first restore disc
does not work.
Continue reading:
Macrium Reflect's Rescue Media doesn't recognize my external hard drive, what
do I do?
http://ask-leo.com/C5737
How do I get YouTube videos embedded in email messages to
work?
Online videos need to run from the YouTube website, so ultimately, clicking
over there is the easiest way to go!
Continue reading:
How do I get Youtube videos embedded in email messages to work?
http://ask-leo.com/C5738
Why does defragging appear to lose disk space?
Defragging does not use up disk space; it only moves data around. That display you are looking at is at best an approximation of what's going on.
Continue reading: Why
does defragging appear to lose disk space?
http://ask-leo.com/C5739
How do I get data off of DVDs containing my photos that won't
read?
There are several options for recovering your data, but the big problem is that
these important photos were only in one place!
Continue reading:
How do I get data off of DVDs containing my photos that won't read?
http://ask-leo.com/C5740
How do I fix the screen when a game I play leaves it messed up on
exit?
The game has changed the video mode. You may have to revert it manually or
check for support from the manufacturer.
Continue reading:
How do I fix the screen when a game I play leaves it messed up on
exit?
http://ask-leo.com/C5741
Why am I not getting some emails after my account has been
hacked?
It's a tough situation after an email account has been hacked. There may be some
further steps you can take to make sure you have total and exclusive control
over it.
Continue reading:
Why am I not getting some emails after my account has been hacked?
http://ask-leo.com/C5742
Why do links sometimes show up as blue and sometimes brown when I'm
typing them in email?
Links will show in different colors depending on whether or not you have
visited them before. It may not be under your control.
Continue reading:
Why do links sometimes show up as blue and sometimes brown when I'm typing them
in email?
http://ask-leo.com/C5743
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*** Last Issue's Articles
- Ask Leo! #383 - Securing Cloud Data, continuous backups, stubborn keyloggers and more...
- Why do some drives not read CDs or DVDs that others will?
- How do I get Favorites to work in IE9?
- How do I get access to system information and other things I can't on this machine I've received?
- How did someone in another town login to my Facebook account?
- How do I remove these keyloggers that remain after I removed a keylogger?
- Will a scheduled backup wake my machine up if it's sleeping?
- How do I erase all passwords saved on my machine?
- Is a continuous backup still a good idea?
- How do I enable auto-complete for the addresses in my Outlook Contacts?
- BoxCryptor - Secure Your Data in the Cloud
- What does it mean to tether a phone?
- Can I safely use my smart phone for banking?
- Answercast #46 - Help with smart phone connections, continuous backups, removing keyloggers, used machines and more...
*** Word o' the Week
A passphrase (or pass phrase) is simply a password that is constructed using multiple words. Typically, this is space separated as one would type normally.
The advantage of a passphrase is that it's significantly easier to remember than complex passwords and therefore can be significantly longer. Much longer passwords are generally considered more secure, even when they're composed of common dictionary words. Even then, a simple alteration - perhaps replacing all of the spaces with periods or all of the letter Os with number 0s - that can also be easily remembered can further obfuscate and make even dictionary-based attacks a practical impossibility.
The limiting factor is typically the system on which the password is to be used. Many do not accept spaces or allow for a sufficiently long password for a pass phrase to be used effectively.
Word o' the Week features a computer term or acronym taken from the Ask Leo! Glossary. If there's a word you're not sure of and would like to see defined, click here to let me know.
*** Thoughts and Comments
In keeping with the "online services" (aka "cloud") theme of the past few newsletters, last Friday I recommended BoxCryptor - a way to keep data secure and still get the benefits of services like DropBox - and today I present a long over due recommendation for LastPass.
I've been using LastPass for, gosh, maybe well over a year now, and have been exceptionally pleased with both its utility and security. Check out the article to see why.
As I've said before, the only thing really new about "the cloud" is how many new applications and services are being made available online, and how many people are taking advantage of them.
As a result, things like basic security and privacy are important topics we should all take very seriously.
'till next time...
Leo A. Notenboom
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