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Article: there’s “no immunity” from security vulnerabilities

This weekend I blogged that when it comes to security on your computer — whether it’s a Mac or a PC — it pays to be prepared no matter what platform you use. I received feedback in comments and via email on the post. Today I received a link in the mail to the article “No Immunity for Macs,” by Mitchell Ashley on both Linux Insider.com and Mac News World.com, who writes… 



“The fact of the matter is that despite Apple’s work to maintain the image of Macs as secure devices, researchers are concentrating much more heavily on finding underlying security vulnerabilities in Mac software. As a result, we are seeing security patches for Apple software now on a regular basis.”


The point I made this weekend is that no one is immune, and everyone should protect themselves, Mac or PC. IMHO, there is no “safer” computer.  I have both at home and I wouldn’t think of hooking either computer up to the network without adequate protection.


The author of the article also includes his top things to do Mac OS X users should do to secure their computers, which I’ll suggest applies across the board (and some look familiar, having made similar suggestions in past posts):



  1. Don’t be complacent. Don’t be a victim: be prepared.

  2. Apply security updates. With Windows, turn on Microsoft Update and Automatic Updates. With Macs, apply any OS security patches as available.

  3. Use a bi-directional personal firewall.

  4. Practice good WiFi security connections. See my post on What’s so bad about unprotected wireless?

  5. Use AntiVirus (AV) software.

  6. Use good security practices with Windows virtualization.

I noticed that PC Magazine has a Security Suite Smackdown, Part I on their site: “These apps aim to give you an impregnable defense, protecting you from every threat under the connected sun. Antimalware—antivirus, antispam, antispyware, antiphishing—if it’s out there, they’re against it. Add in firewalls, content filtering, parental controls and keylogger detection, and you’ve got a online suit of armor that’s theoretically proof against any and all threats. And the armor has done a reasonably good job, by and large.”


More info:



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Articles I’m re-reading this weekend

A cloudy day in Washington and the kids are at a birthday party. So once I’ve cleaned up the kitchen, here’s a couple of articles that I’m re-reading:


BusinessWeek


The Apple Calendar Conundrum –  OCTOBER 12, 2006 By Arik Hesseldahl – There’s no easy way to transfer addresses and other data from Mac to PC to handheld and back—but there should be. “A startup called Sharpcast is building a way to make complicated, geeky tales like mine and that the of the “Holy Grail” author a thing of the past. Sharpcast CEO Gibu Thomas demonstrated for me the company’s photo-sharing service that takes all the guesswork out of keeping your photo collection in sync between computers.”


slideshow thumbnail imageBusinessWeek’s slides on how Technology can Make Fitness More Fun


A Red Flag In The Brain Game – BusinessWeek’s look at “how America’s dismal showing in a contest of college programmers highlights how the tech talent gap is closing in China, India, and Eastern Europe.” By Steve Hamm – May 01, 2006


The Man Who Invented Management – Why Peter Drucker’s ideas still matter. By John A. Byrne, with Lindsey Gerdes in New York – November 28, 2005. Also this podcast from BW’s John Byrne in which he tells why Peter Drucker’s ideas still matter. Download the episode directly or grab the feed for your podcast reader.


PC Magazine


Wire It Yourself – By Eric S. Fellen, 053106 – “In a world of wireless this and wireless that, sometimes we all find ourselves begging for a little bit more—a little more reliability, a little more bandwidth, a little more speed, a little more security, and heck, even a little more free time to enjoy this world that offers so much more. In order to feed this technology crave, we need to go back to the basics and connect our dots with copper.”


Will Digital Access Make the World a Better Place?  “Low-cost machines are neccessary but not sufficient for getting the world online. We also need broadband Net access and education.” By Michael J. Miller, 053106.


Office Problems, Solved!  “Microsoft Office doesn’t always behave the way you want it to.” It’s a helpful article with quick links, menu shortcuts and tips. 
 


Business 2.0 has an article on Pushing Past Post-Its – “By allowing his top scientists to peek over the horizon, 3M’s Larry Wendling helped turn a century-old giant into a nanotech pioneer.” By Daniel Del Re, November 1, 2005


DVDs: They will survive – “Doomsayers say DVDs are dinosaurs, but they’re dead wrong. These discs will not only make it through the digital age – they’ll thrive in it.” By Chris Taylor, Business 2.0 Magazine


Retooling the Entrepreneur – Excite co-founder Joe Kraus says cheap technology makes this the perfect time to start a new company–which gives him an invaluable chance to prove himself again. By John Heilemann, November 1, 2005


The Master of Gadgets – Samsung Electronics CEO Jong-Yong Yun wants to dominate the digital world–inside and out. By Erick Schonfeld

Forbes articles (subscription required): 


Forbes’ Offshoring The Offshorers – April 17, 2006 – “Forget India. For outsourcing, China, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Mauritius are open for business.” Also see The Great Offshore Wimp-Out (“The offshoring story has two sides. Guess which one Lou Dobbs wants to talk about?”)


Back Door To Growth – April 24, 2006 – “China has a powerful economy, but its stocks are iffy. So Steven Champion gets a piece of the action there via shares in Taiwanese companies with big stakes on the mainland.” Also see the Forbes 40 China


NotPods – Apr 24, 2006 – “By now Apple’s sainted ipod should be seeing real competition. Some enterprising company should be developing a dandy new device that costs the same as the clickwheeled darling but performs significantly better–or a pure knockoff that looks great and works as well but costs a lot less.”


Also see Different Tunes – “By now Apple’s iTunes Music Store should be seeing some real competition, too. All some enterprising company would have to do would be to develop a site with much the same content, add the ability to use it on a host of players that don’t happen to be iPods and offer better prices.”


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News & Link: T-Mobile Dash coming Oct. 25

As noted earlier in the week, the new T-Mobile Dash Smartphone is coming soon. This info is in the official Dash press release:



The T-Mobile Dash will be available exclusively to T-Mobile customers beginning Oct. 25 at T-Mobile retail stores and online at www.t-mobile.com. Prior to retail availability, customers can learn more about the T-Mobile Dash at www.t-mobileregistration.com/dash.

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Just released: New T-Mobile Dash Smartphone

T-Mobile Dash SmartphoneMSNBC has a quick review quick review from Gary Krakow on T-Mobile’s new Dash phone, a slick smartphone Krakow calls a “slick, new design… best-of-breed for Windows Mobile devices.” It’s so new that the phone is not yet on the T-Mobile site or on their press page. (Update 101306: The T-Mobile Dash press release is now available here.)


Says Krakow:


“The phone performed every task I asked it to do without any problem — a big deal for today’s, feature-laden smartphones. I have yet to find a program that makes the Dash trip up or miss a beat.


“It has handled all my remote e-mail, Web browsing and even some photography and music-listening duty with aplomb. The Dash is one of the best smartphones I’ve tested to date and definitely the most enjoyable Windows Mobile phone I’ve used.


“But don’t take my word for it.  Over the course of the past two weeks every person who has seen me use the phone has asked if they could look, touch, feel and play with it. I have never seen a cell phone receive that kind of reaction before.”


Disclaimer: this is on my short list of new devices. My wife was looking at getting a new phone with a larger screen and a QWERTY keyboard over her current Smartphone, and this should fit the bill. Originally we were looking at upgrading to the Motorola Q, but that model isn’t compatible on on our network. 


More info:



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THG on Tech Support: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

From Mobilityguru on Tom’s HW Guide, an interesting collection of Customer Tech Support Stories (Part one).



“An overwhelming number of you responded to Barry Gerber’s request for tech-support stories. In the first part of what will likely be a long-lived series, we share your horror stories. Read on.


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