Some funny things happened on the way to installing Adobe Reader…

Where does the time go? Somehow, I think I got buried under the winter…I must have been mentally hibernating. Sorry, gang. Didn’t mean to abandon you!

I’ve been having an…ummmm…interesting time with Adobe, in particular, Adobe Reader, lately. You know Adobe Reader…that ubiquitous program that allows you to read PDFs. 9 times out of 10, if you’re on a page that has a PDF, there’s also a note which says ‘download the free Adobe Reader here’, or words to that effect. That ‘Adobe Reader’ allows you to open up those PDF documents and interact with them.

So, whenever I get a new computer, one of the ‘to dos’ on my list is to download Adobe Reader…until recently. I was setting up a new machine and trying to install Adobe Reader when I hit that proverbial ‘wall’, and the installation file just wouldn’t, well, install. It would hang…or fail…or otherwise indicate that it really wasn’t working. I got annoyed.

I’m well aware that it is CRITICAL to update Adobe Reader (and any of the ‘free’ Adobe products) when the patches come out because these ubiquitous programs are FULL of security risks…don’t use old installation files…don’t use old versions…Adobe plugs one hole and another one opens up. The ‘bad guys’ spend lots of time trying to crack Adobe Reader, find the loopholes and flaws because almost every computer has it installed – therefore, just by having it installed, you’re more prone to attack. I don’t like that.

I got frustrated…very, very FRUSTRATED…so, I went looking for an alternative…Yes, you can use OTHER PROGRAMS to open/read PDFs. You do NOT need Adobe Reader. You can even find ones with more features, and which consume less of your system resources, too!

This terrific article in PCWorld gave me a good summary:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2027961/ditch-the-pdf-headaches-three-safer-speedier-adobe-reader-alternatives.html

As Brad Chacos writes, “Ditch the PDF headaches”…so I took his advice and I did.

I tried all three of the suggestions he had and settled on Nitro…the free version (there’s a paid version, as well, but you don’t need it unless you want additional features). It is “light” in computer software terms – it doesn’t consume alot of system resources. It allows me to open multiple PDF’s in a ‘tabbed’ format (I like that). It has a good search feature. Bingo! We have a winner!

Best feature: It doesn’t appear that Nitro is in the hacker’s crosshairs. Oh yeah, it also installed!

Which device should I choose? How do I choose?

Time for another post, this one quick, from my 87-year-old Uncle’s. It is absolutely amazing that when I sit down with him, the blog topics just present themselves. Why? Because he’s 87, but doesn’t consider himself too old to learn technology. He’ll tackle most any technology…head-on. Is he always successful? No…but he tries!

So, I’m sitting here and from my chair in the living room, I can see a laptop (15″), an iPad mini, an original Kindle, a Kindle Fire, a Dell Venue (tablet), a netbook, an iPad (2nd gen). Wow. They all work. They all get use. Hmmm…listen carefully…THEY-ALL-GET-USE.

I spent a day or so watching him navigate between the devices…a little while on the iPad mini, a little while on the Dell, a longer time on the laptop. Finally, I HAD TO KNOW…why did he switch between devices? “Because”, came the simple answer, “each one does something different well.”

This, my dear friends is a lesson. Despite the marketing materials posted by each and every manufacturer that THEIR device and ONLY their device can solve all of your problems, it is really much more likely that one device or another is better for your depending on what you need to do.

So, before falling in love with a device just because it is ‘cute’ or ‘sexy’, decide what you actually want to DO on it, then evaluate that particular devices ability to handle that need. I’ve seen too many people disappointed in their iPad because it’s hard to manage their Microsoft Office docs in the way that they want. Or, people don’t like the Surface because it is a heavier than the iPad and they want to hold it with one hand while walking a job site. Or, a particular app or software won’t install because it is incompatible with Android. The list of disappointment goes on and on.

Before purchasing a new device (and face it, the upcoming holiday season is a prime device purchasing time), write down the top five USES you see for the new device, then make sure that the device does those functions well BEFORE you send your loved one on a wild-goose chase! They’ll thank you later…and the monetary investment will be worth it because the new device won’t just gather dust.

Bottom line: Don’t have unrealistic expectations about what ONE device can do. Maybe more than one device makes sense…maybe not. It all depends on your needs.

Another warning: Do NOT open PowerPoint Presentations from Strangers

Somehow, this seems appropriate during Halloween week…lots of warnings…lots of ‘be careful where you get your candy from’…Lots of ‘only trick-or-treat at houses you know’…that kind of thing.

Well, as we all know, the same sort of caution applies to entering ‘unknown places’ on your computer – be it opening emails from strangers (be careful), attachments from strangers (don’t do it), documents you find randomly surfing the web (be very, very cautious before doing it).

Enter the latest in the ‘Oh no, security on your computer isn’t all that’ string of potential threats that are out there.

Microsoft, yes Microsoft (it’s exploited most frequently because more machines are Microsoft than any other operating system), has discovered a POTENTIAL (this doesn’t mean you WILL or HAVE been compromised – just be aware) PowerPoint security flaw which could allow a stranger to totally take over your computer.

Thanks to TechCrunch for the head’s up! Click here for their excellent article by Greg Kumparak. For Microsoft’s security disclosure, click here (but it’s much duller than TechCrunch’s)

Here’s the low-down:

1. If you’re on ANY version of Windows, you’re probably affected

2. You have to open an infected PowerPoint (PPT or PPTX) presentation to have the vulnerability rear its ugly head.

3. The bug is part of the PowerPoint program which enables you to embed Excel files and the like inside of your presentations…that’s called OLE (‘Object Linking and Embedding’ for those of you who care about such things)…the bad guys do something to exploit a flaw in the security of such things and infect your computer along the way.

4. If the ‘bad thing’ runs, then the hackers can take over your computer as if they were the user who launched the PowerPoint presentation. What does this mean? Well, if you are like many of us with a laptop on which only YOU work, then you are an ADMINISTRATOR and can do ANYTHING on the computer…that means that the ‘bad guys’ will be an administrator too. If you’re on a Network, you’re not immune…it is just less likely that you’re an Administrator (and therefore, the bad guys have less access during an attack – they ‘captured’ a private instead of a general). If the evil ones invade, your Network Administrator will have to deal with the fallout.

5. One way to give you WARNING before just blithely opening random Powerpoint file is to ENABLE ‘User Account Control’ (available on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and later). You can find this feature by searching for ‘User Account Control’. This is the screen:
Powerpoint_bug_UAC_setting
Make sure that your settings are set to ‘Always Notify’ (I’ll admit, mine were NOT because I find the warnings so annoying, but I changed them back)…THEN, THINK TWICE before saying ‘yes, open this document’…because an innocent PowerPoint presentation should NOT be changing your system.

6. If you maintain your own system, then go to this Windows link and install the ‘FixIt’ patch…it will fix 15 of the 18 possible combinations of Office and supported Windows environments.

As always, people, be ALERT. We tell our kids to be alert on Halloween, but we need to be alert on our computers ALL THE TIME. If you don’t remember asking someone for a particular PowerPoint presentation, if you don’t know the person who wrote it, if you found a presentation on the web, if you don’t know the author/sender then DO NOT open that Presentation. STOP. Ask the person who sent it to you (if you know them) if they really DID send it to you. A minute of double-checking can save you HOURS of heartache…just ask all the people who have been sucked into the Windows scam or electric company charades or opened infected PDF’s.

Don’t let these simple oversights be the reason your business loses valuable data

I get it…I TOTALLY get it. Protect your business and personal data. Back it up. Backup the backups. Destroy old documents. Keep your passwords safe and secure. Use strong passwords.

*snore*…I so did NOT want to hear it again. That is, until I read an article from my insurance company (thank you, Hartford and author James O’Brien)…yes, my insurance company.

See…it’s not enough to simply have processes in place, but you need to TEST and EVALUATE those processes on an ongoing basis. Make sure that what you THINK is happening really IS happening. Make sure that you’ve plugged all the potential leaks in the proverbial dyke.

Say what?

As James says ‘How small businesses can lose their data in 5 easy steps’. As Sandy ammends, ‘do NOT be one of them’!

First, we’ll work on the assumption that you actually do make backups of your data. Have you ever tried to RECOVER data from one of those backups? Does the process work? You really aren’t sure that you have a valid backup until you actually try to RECOVER data from a backup. Put a process into place that tests your backup at regular intervals, say once a month. Select a file at random, then restore that file from your backup. Open the file up. Does it work? If so, great. If not, your backup isn’t worth a ‘hill of beans’, as my grandmother used to say.

Second, protect your sensitive company information (virtual and hard-copies) from angry or disgruntled employees. If you let an employee go, make sure that you monitor all movement (physical and virtual) before they have left the premises. “Trim” their access to electronic information. Make sure that they don’t delete important information and/or email themselves sensitive documents.

Third, don’t toss paper documents that contain important or secure information in the trash, or other waste disposal service. I once found carton upon carton of a company’s sales and employee records in the dumpster at my condo complex (this is a similar anecdote to the one shared by James, but I know it first-hand because I found the documents). Clearly, someone was trying to ‘safely’ dispose of the information by removing it from the company premises, but they’d exposed themselves to virtually ANYONE getting a hold of the information. If you have alot of paper to dispose of, have a mobile shredding service come to your place of business and shred it on-site. Personally, I’d want to SEE the shredding actually done, not have the documents hauled away by minimum-wage workers to some other place for disposal. That seems to open one up to exposure again.

Fourth (and I didn’t even think of this one), digital office copiers are computers themselves. You wouldn’t throw away a computer without first thoroughly wiping the drive. Don’t relinquish a leased copier, or ditch an old copier without making sure that it’s memory is wiped.

Fifth, don’t “nuke” your computer or other technology while trying to do simple maintenance…and yes, I HAVE DONE THIS myself, many years ago, but trust me, I learned a VERY valuable lesson. What do I mean? Words like ‘restore’ or ‘reset’ can be easily interchanged…however, in some technology, one will mean ‘go back to factory settings, but keep all my data’. In other technology, it means ‘wipe all my data and return my technology to its original state’. MAKE SURE THAT YOU VERIFY that your data will remain on the device BEFORE you run the process…and just in case, have a good backup (see the first item) before you proceed.

If you’re wondering how I messed this up myself, I was working in the command prompt (the old C: prompt pre-Windows) and I typed (accidentally) ‘del *.*’, then hit return. Basically, this very simple combination of seven keystrokes means DELETE ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING on this computer. There was no ‘are you sure you want to do this’ (this is back in the dark-ages of computing). It simple DID what I told it to do. Most of the time, but not all of the time, systems nowadays say ‘are you sure, are you really, really sure?’ before allowing you to totally wipe out your system and your data, but not always. When in doubt, go to the support section of your hardware or software manufacturer and read the detailed directions – they’ll tell you there.

Bottom line: The world is scary enough with data breaches occurring right and left. Make sure that you’re not contributing additional information!

Some maintenance tools for Mac Computers – yes, Apple does need some maintenance

Well, this week was the “Great iPhone6 Release”…I have a few friends who probably haven’t put the device down since UPS or FedEx dropped it at their door yesterday. Hopefully, you’re not like that poor guy who dropped it (literally) as he was taking it out of the box (iPhone6 Guy).

Anyway, the iPhone frenzy put me into thinking about Apple products this week. Additionally, a client of mine requested some assistance with “speeding up” a slow Mac. “You know, I don’t normally work on Mac’s, right?” says I. “I know, but I trust you more than I trust me to figure it out” says she. So, off to Mac-land I go.

What I found is that despite Apple’s ‘you don’t have to do maintenance on our products’ stance, there really IS some maintenance that should be done on Apple desktops and laptops should they start becoming sluggish. With just a few minutes of attention, a VERY SLOW computer turned into a productive machine again.

What did we do? Well, a little Googling brought some tools to light. All of them are free or built in to Apple products.

My favorite place to start when faced with a technology issue is CNET…and wouldn’t you know that the first article I read was published by them: Five Tips for Cleaning and Speeding Up Your Mac

Item #1 on CNET’s list was my first stop.

A MacWorld article was next on my hit list: Favorite Mac Cleanup Tips

Items #2 and 3 were the tips we tried.

Our third stop was WikiHow.com: Speed Up Your Mac

From WikiHow, we took Item #2

After all the ‘dead wood’ was cleaned out, we made sure that the programs were all up-to-date (use the Settings area).

Some of the other tips in the articles sound useful, but we didn’t try them and still had success.

FINALLY, the BIG TEST: Turn the machine off all the way and back on.

Our apps opened up 80% faster than they had before we started! SUCCESS!!!

So, for those of you who are feeling your Mac is letting you down because it’s getting sluggish, take a few minutes to try these tips and see what happens. You have nothing to lose!

Happy iPhone6, everyone!!

Don’t be caught by these new PHONE scams (and yes, one of them claims it is Microsoft)

Hi, All –

This post is a bit different than some…a down and dirty warning about some old, but apparently resurrecting phone scams that are active right now.

IF SOMEONE CALLS YOU AND TELLS YOU THAT THEY ARE FROM MICROSOFT, A UTILITY COMPANY, OR THE IRS, then ask you/tell you something akin to the following:

Microsoft: Your computer system has been compromised
Utility Company: Your bill is past due and we’ll shut you off if you don’t pay within 2 hours
IRS: We’re going to arrest you if you don’t pay your back taxes immediately

What is the common thread to these things? They are all PHONY…SCAMS…SCUMBUCKETS…and other words that I won’t print!

If there is a Microsoft issue, or pretty much ANY issue with your computer, you will get an EMAIL which has identifying information in it (e.g. your name, account id, last 4 digits of your cc) which will give it some validity. Check the link that is in the email asking you to take action or to ‘learn more’ by hovering over it to make sure you are indeed going to the site you expect to go to (e.g. www.microsoft.com). Go to a browser window and type in the URL of the company directly, then search their site for any known issues. Face it, large issues make the news…and the companies involved (think Target) don’t have time to call every person affected. You’ll get an email containing lots of validating information…and it will be personally addressed.

Utility companies are bound by LAW to go through a written, documented process before cutting off service. They will NEVER have you go to a local drug store and buy a prepaid debit card to pay the balance of the bill. If someone claims to be from a Utility company, then politely ask them if you can call back at the published number (the one on your bill) and ask to be reconnected to that person. If they’re for real, it will NOT be an issue.

The IRS will NEVER call without having sent PLENTY of notices via the mail. Again, they’re understaffed. They mail letters (one of the few who still does) about issues with taxes. They do NOT call you out of the blue and tell you that they’re going to throw you in jail tomorrow if you don’t pay up. You KNOW if you’re in trouble, and you probably have the direct numbers of a number of people that you’ve been dealing with while trying to get yourself out of trouble.

In all three cases, the scammers prey on panic. They try to BULLY you into “paying up”. When you hand over either money or personal information, they WIN. Do NOT let them get to you. Stay calm. Call the company back, or send an email to that organization’s customer service before forking over ANY personal information or dollars.

I have had two clients in the last few weeks who were ‘stung’ – one by the Utility scam, and one by the Microsoft scam. In both cases, it was panic, the need to NOT have the dire consequences occur that sent common sense out the window.

Please, PLEASE be careful and cautious. These scammers are probably thinking up a new twist on the approach as I write.

UPDATED 10/18/2014 – A client and friend of mine, Dan Crowley, shared this video that he made of a call with this type of scammer…stick with it till the end…I burst out laughing! Well played, Dan!

Dan’s Scam Video

Do you miss your old typewriter – the clicks and clacks of the keys? If you own an iPad, you are in for a treat.

If you are a technology native (i.e. computers were part of the fabric of society when you were growing up and video games ruled the land, then you are a technology ‘native’), then this won’t resonate with you. If, however, like me, you are a technology immigrant, then this might hit home.

I don’t know about you, but many a moon ago, I was forced by my parents to take typing because it would be ‘useful’ later in life. I was 18. I knew “everything”. Typing would play NO ROLE in my life, of that, I was certain. I went kicking and screaming to class, but you know what? I became a very proficient typist despite myself. Kids today are almost born knowing how to type, but back in the ‘dark ages’, we had to LEARN how to type…and we didn’t learn on a computer keyboard…we learned on a TYPEWRITER. Some may even have learned on a MANUAL typewriter (the strength of your fingers ruled how hard the keys struck the paper). I was lucky enough to learn on an IBM Selectric – the most “sophisticated” of electric typewriters.

Alas, the last typewriter that I owned probably left my closet or desk about 25 years ago, but sometimes, I just miss typing on a typewriter. I don’t know why…keyboards just all feel the same. Typewriters each had their own “personality”.

I do like being able to go back and edit later…without having to retype an entire document…but sometimes, I just want to type the “old fashioned way” – on an actual typewriter.

Imagine my delight and surprise when none other than Tom Hanks (yes, THAT Tom Hanks) developed a typewriter app for the iPad. It really and truly simulates the old feeling of a typewriter.

I realized that I wasn’t the only one who missed that old time feeling when I read that this app, ‘Hanx Writer’, shot to #1 in the Apple store upon its release.

Yes, it REALLY feels like a typewriter – even on a virtual keyboard. Yes, ‘Return’ does return the virtual carriage. Yes, the sounds are there. Yes, the keys ‘move’. Yes, the bell rings when you hit the end of the row.

…and yes, it is FREE!!!!

For those of you who miss the old-time feeling of a “real” typewriter, head over to the Apple Store IMMEDIATELY and download ‘Hanx Writer’.

For a terrific review/write-up, please check out this article by TechCrunch:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/18/tom-hanks-typewriter-app-shoots-to-the-top-of-the-app-store

Perhaps some of your grandparents can introduce your kids to a slice of life “before computers”.

Have fun!

Lets do some quick and easy housekeeping on our computers

IF YOU DON’T WANT THE “FLUFF”, scan down to the next BOLD/CAPITAL heading for the “MEAT” of the post

Mea culpa, mea culpa. I have absolutely NO IDEA where the time goes, but it certainly flies. So sorry for being MIA, but the longer I didn’t write a post, the guiltier I got, then I got more embarrassed that I’d ‘abandoned’ you all. It was just a vicious circle. Finally, I decided that that was silly…just sit down and write SOMETHING, so here I am. If I haven’t written in a while, people will often say to me, “I think that coming up with the topics would be hard”. Actually, I have tons of topics…I lack the time to write the way that I want to write…to make the information sort of fun and accessible. I’ll try to do better…can’t promise, but I’ll try.

Next, people ask about my dear Uncle – 87-years-old and going strong. He’s well, thanks for your concern and thoughts. He currently has one laptop, one iPad, and two Android tablets. His home entertainment system (self-designed, self-put-togeether) rivals the best I’ve seen…it includes FOUR (yes, count ’em, four) Tivos, DVR’s and/or VCR’s, so that he NEVER has to watch TV live. I think he can record 6 shows on the Tivo, plus the assorted DVR/VCR devices for a total of 9 or 10 shows at one time. We always have plenty to watch when I visit.

Soooooooooooooo…on to the topic at hand.

HOW DO I CLEAN-UP/SPEED-UP MY LAPTOP

A few weeks ago, my Godkids were visiting (they’re actually young adults now), and my goddaughter, a professional photographer, had to edit some photos for a wedding (shameless promotion: She’s great! – check out her work – she knows how to make a photoshoot fun: Laurel Houston Photography), and her computer was ‘misbehaving’. We all know the syndrome…big project due…little time to do it…computer decides it won’t work efficiently.

Time for a little computer “spa” time. Yes, right in the middle of the big project, so that it was possible to actually get through the job without pulling out her hair or wasting valuable time with time-sucking crashes. Two FREE tools installed. A few cleanup processes run. Computer back to functioning ‘normally’. Project finished on time (another shameless plug…link to the wedding photos: Alex and Allison’s Wedding).

What did we do?

First, go to malwarebytes.org. Download and install the FREE utility (There’s a paid version that runs in the background all the time. The free version is ‘on demand’ meaning you have to run it manually). When you open up the newly installed Malwarebytes, you will see this screen:

Malwarebytes Main Screen

Click the large ‘Scan Now’ button. Malwarebytes is going to ‘do its thing’. What is it doing? It’s searching for any evil “stuff” that might have been dropped onto your computer without you knowing it. Some of the things are not malicious, some are evil. Whatever it is (and almost EVERY computer gets “stuff” if it’s connected to the internet), it tends to slow your computer down, or take resources that could be dedicated to your work.

malwarebytes_scan

Go away for a little while…this could take a few minutes or an hour (or more) for the scan. Remember, “watched computer doesn’t clean”! When the scan is done, you want it to say this:

malwarebytes_clear

If instead, it looks like this:

malwarebytes_issues

Click the ‘Quarantine All’ button ON THE LEFT SIDE. It will remove the offenders:

malwarebytes_quarantine

The resulting message will tell you that all is well now, and ask you to reboot your computer.

If the system finds issues, do the reboot after the quarantine, THEN RUN MALWAREBYTES AGAIN. Sometimes, everything isn’t caught the first time around. You want a ‘clean review’.

Now that you have any “cooties” cleared from your computer, it’s time to clean out your virtual closets, and throw away those shoes you haven’t worn in 5 years. No, I’m not making you go through your individual files and clean house there, but let your computer do a little housekeeping. Trust me, it does the heavy lifting, not you.

Go to piriform.com and download and install the FREE CCleaner utility (again, there’s a paid version, but the free one will do just fine, thank you). When you open it up, you will see this screen:

CCleaner Main Screen

You can leave all of the default programs checked if you want, or manage what will be cleaned up. Note that there are two tabs (“Windows” and “Application”), so click both of them to see what will be tidied up.

Click the ‘Run Cleaner’ button on the lower-right side and let it “do it’s thing”. When it’s done, you’ll see this screen:

ccleaner_finished

YOU’RE NOT DONE YET!

Next, click on the ‘Registry’ button on the left side:

CCleaner Registry

Click ‘Scan for Issues’.

ccleaner_registry_scan_complete

When it has finished, leave everything checked and click ‘Fix Selected Issues’. You will be asked if you want to backup your registry. SAY YES!!! You can leave the default location and name, but make sure that you DO BACKUP.

ccleaner_registry_backup

Once you have backed up your registry, click ‘Fix All Selected Issues’

ccleaner_registry_fix

When it has finished, rerun your Registry Cleaner and repeat the steps above until the scan comes back empty. It can take a few passes. Sometimes you can’t see the boxes at the back of the closet until you’ve removed those at the front of the closet.

When it returns “clean”, reboot your computer…chances are that it starts up and moves a bit more easily.

Lastly, click on ‘Tools’ on the left side, then select ‘Startup’.

Click on the column heading ‘Enabled’ to sort by those processes which start when your computer starts and those that do not. Scroll down to the ‘Yes’ entries. Read the program name and published and decide if this program MUST START when your computer starts. The MORE ‘yes’ entries you have, the slower your computer will start. Remember, your programs will run even if they don’t start when your computer starts. For instance, I use Excel ALL THE TIME, but I do NOT have it start when my computer starts…it can open on its own when I need to use it.

ccleaner_startup

Do not simply select ‘no’ to enable at startup. SOME OF THE PROCESSES NEED TO RUN. For example, you want your anti-virus to run, you want your backup service to run, etc. Anything that you WANT to be in the task bar in the lower-right corner…leave all of those as ‘yes’ to enabled. If you don’t know what something is, saying ‘no’ could make the computer not boot correctly. If you don’t know what something does, Google “Does insert program name need to run at startup”, and read the advice.

Reboot and away you go.

Your computer should be sailing along more smoothly now!

Happy virtual cleaning!

Yes, you really MUST pay attention to the Heartbleed “bug”

(Sorry, I don’t usually send out posts so close together, but this one is important)

By now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you MUST have heard about the “Heartbleed” Security flaw. And, yes, *sigh*, it DOES involve your passwords and online security.

Some of your most prevalent websites were affected, potentially exposing your personal information to nefarious plotters.

THIS APPLIES TO ALL YOU MAC USERS, as well!! It’s not a computer hardware security hole, but rather, a website logon security hole.

So…how do you know if you’ve been affected? Trust me, 99% of you who have online signons were affected. I found two TERRIFIC articles (thanks Mashable and GitHub) on whether or not the most popular websites are vulnerable.

For a list of those sites which you most likely use – and whether or not you need to change your password for that site – please click here:

http://mashable.com/2014/04/09/heartbleed-bug-websites-affected/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link

Change any passwords where they recommend you change them.

NOTE: If a site has NOT been patched for the security flaw, then changing you password will do NO GOOD. Wait and change that password once the site has been patched. Check the list every day or two for the next couple of weeks.

Want to check out a site yourself (maybe a smaller site that isn’t on one of these lists)? Click here and enter the URL you need/want to check. (Thanks for Jane McLaughlin, Lifecycle Software, for this site)

For a LARGER list – the 10,000 most popular sites which could be exposed because of password vulnerability – check out this list:

https://github.com/musalbas/heartbleed-masstest/blob/master/top10000.txt

Tip: To see if a particular website you frequent is on the list, open up the list, then hit CTRL+F (Windows users) and enter a part of the site name…you’ll be ‘searching’ for just sites containing whatever you typed in. Makes it a WHOLE LOT faster than scanning 10,000 lines.

If password management just makes your head spin, you might refresh yourself with some password management tools in an earlier post that we did:

http://www.yourtechtamer.com/blog/2011/09/password-management-grrrrr-but-ya-gotta-do-it/

Your Tech Tamer spotlighted by HostMySite.com

Imagine our delight and surprise when we found out that we were to be HostMySite.com‘s customer spotlight!

While no one goes around looking for reasons to call any kind of Tech Support, we’ve found that it’s never painful to get on the phone with the friendly folks at HostMySite.

Anyway, we enjoyed being interviewed for the article, and appreciate the fact that we’re recognized by one of our partners!

Check out the article:

http://blog.hostmysite.com/customer-spotlight-your-tech-tamer/

(Besides the fact that I look possessed in the photo, I think that they wrote a very nice article)