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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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Of interest: Slam 1.0 Release

As noted on their new Slam blog site, the team annouced the first release of Slam… as covered on Gizmodo and Tom’s HW Guide


“Slam is your Windows Mobile social software client and service. Slam allows users to make and manage social groups right from their phone for group-based messaging and photo sharing.


“You can also use Slam through the SMS and/or web interfaces. See screenshots and learn more about Slam on the about Slam webpage, and get started your self by downloading the installer or having a link sent to your phone.”


 


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A look inside the TV lab… MSTV usability, that is

Microsoft TVOf interest is this article from Mark Sullivan of Light Reading, featuring a look at the Microsoft TV usability lab in Silicon Valley. It’s an interesting read (complete with photos of the facility) that goes into a customer’s digital TV experience, studying not only our own TV products but the other products in the market. David Sloo and his team “spend their time watching people watch TV. They record people’s responses — their joys and their frustrations — to the experience of watching and controlling IPTV.”


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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Mac or PC Security, it doesn’t matter: be prepared

In a comment I received to a recent blog posting on being careful when it comes to viruses, I wanted to mention something when it comes to computer security: whether you have a PC or a Mac, you will have to be concerned about security and protect yourself.


If you own a computer – PC or Mac (and we have both at home) – you should run AV software, have a firewall on your internet connection and practice “safe computing.”


But we have to be careful to reach broad-based conclusions. It’s better to anticipate an attack and be prepared and protected rather than hope that you won’t be the victim of an attack. As I said in a past post, see our Security at home site for more ideas on how to protect your computer. It has info on avoiding online scams with the Microsoft Phishing Filter, anti-virus, anti-spyware, security updates, Office and Windows update tools… well worth your time. Mac users can look here on Apple’s site for more info on protecting your Mac.


As USA Today reported earlier this year…



“Windows-based PCs have felt the brunt of attacks for years because those machines command more than 95% of the worldwide market. Macs mostly have escaped the attention of hackers. Until now.


“Unless they consider themselves very savvy, Mac users should run anti-virus software just like Windows users,” says Larry Seltzer, security center editor at news site eWeek.com. “Mac users need to start developing a sense of cynicism about content that comes unsolicited, even if it appears to come from a user they know.”


Of interest is eWeek’s Larry Seltzer’s article on “What Will Apple Do When the Malware Comes?”


As our COO Kevin Turner says, (paraphrased): don’t be a victim… be a participant in your own rescue.