Futurelawyer

And You Thought I Was Paranoid!

'Power-Line Exploit' Logs Your Keystrokes Using Outlets, Lasers - Hackers - Gizmodo. This report describes a new hacker exploit that uses powerlines to record the keystrokes of a computer plugged in to the power grid. Apparently, electrical cords that power laptops are unshielded, which allows for hackers to determine what keystrokes are being pressed by measuring voltage fluctuation on the ground wire. The author, tongue in cheek, suggests computing in your underwear, inside a Faraday cage, which reminds me of Gene Hackman's character in "The Conversation", where he tears up his apartment looking for electronic surveillance bugs. Yes, the increasing cleverness of criminals is scary. Yes, you aren't paranoid if someone really is out to get you. However, at what point do you say that you will not stop living your life in order to protect against criminals? How about let's catch them, and lock them up, and throw the key away?

Enable WEP or WPA Encryption To Protect Your Wireless Network

Enable WEP or WPA Encryption To Protect Your Wireless Network. Modern routers do a fine job of protecting your law office or home from intruders coming in over the Internet. The built in Network Address Translation (NAT) routes traffic to internal locations that are not visible to the world at large. However, if you have a wireless router, the traffic coming in and going out is visible to anyone with a wireless adapter and within physical range of your network. You may be familiar with WEP encryption, which is an older, and now obsolete form of encrypting the wireless signals. The more recent WPA encryption system is much stronger, and, although it can be cracked, requires a much more sophisticated attacker. Having WEP encryption is like closing the door to your house, and locking it with a door knob lock. WPA is like having several deadbolts, and an armed guard. No security is foolproof; however, you need to activate WPA at least. What kind of Internet security are you using at your law firm? Are you using any?

Microsoft Security Essentials Beta - Have They Seen The Light?

Microsoft Security Essentials Beta Home. Finally, Microsoft has seen the light. The Beta of Security Essentials (the new name for the all inclusive security suite that protects against viruses and spam and spyware, and updates itself automatically, and operates in the background) is up, and you will want to be in the first 75,000 to download and install it. It has replaced several freeware security programs in my house and office, and looks fast and efficient. Why replace free software that is competent? Why, because Microsoft has made it free, of course. Microsoft is finally making the OS secure; which, of course, should have been what it was when you bought it. I guess I AM a PC, after all. I don't eat quiche, I don't do yoga, I'm not cool, I'm not rich, I'm not thin, etc. But, all you cool Apple people; don't get too smug. There are some viruses and spam and spyware out there for you too.

Microsoft's New Free Security Software - At Least, They Didn't Name It Bong

How good is Microsoft's free antivirus software? | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com. Bing, Bong, the witch is dead. Microsoft, next week, will be providing a new free security suite that will allegedly be basic protection for all users. It is not free because Microsoft is a kinder, gentler company. It is in Microsoft's financial best interest to have a secure OS. Microsoft spends millions of dollars fixing problems in the OS, and getting users to download and install the fixes. The name of the new software is "Microsoft Security Essentials", which is descriptive if boring. It could have been worse. They could have spent One Hundred Million Dollars on it and called it Bong. What are they smoking up there in Seattle?

Undelete Plus 3.0 can get that file back | Crave - CNET

Undelete Plus 3.0 can get that file back | Crave - CNET. I have often posted about the importance of backing up. Back up your drive, back up your files. You can't have too many backups. Murphy's Law will strike at the most inopportune moment. Admit it, you have accidentally deleted a file you later needed, haven't you? Come on, 'fess up. We have all done it. Sometimes, the file is important enough, or contains enough of our work hours, that we get that sick feeling in the pit of the stomach. I have used the free version of Undelete for some time, and it has saved me on more than  one occasion. The plus version is easier to use, and only costs $19.95 a year. This is one of those utilities that you hope you never need, but really ought to have on the drive.

Stupid Husband Tricks - Give Your Wife Access To Your Emails

Ride The Lightning: NEW YORK SAYS WIFE MAY USE HUSBAND'S E-MAILS AT TRIAL. The biggest security risk in computer use continues to be the human brain, or lack thereof. She Who Must Be Obeyed reads this blog; but, I have no fear that she will gain useful intelligence from this post, in the unlikely event that she decides, in the future, that my disobedience justifies my dismissal from the marital bliss that we now share. This guy actually gave access to his email account to his wife, and failed to change the access password after their separation. The post doesn't disclose who left whom; but, I suspect she left him for being stupid, but I digress. This New York ruling, holding that access to stored email does not violate interception statutes, highlights that computer security depends more on human action or inaction than upon techniques for breaking in where information is intended to be secure. In other words, lock the door and make it more difficult for the burglar to get in. And, after your wife leaves you, change the locks.

When Is A Pirate Not A Pirate?

BSA Tries To Exploit Somali Piracy News In PR Campaign Against Software Sharing | Techdirt. Are the PR people at BSA (Business Software Alliance) brain dead? Comparing software "pirates" to the Somalia pirates who threaten and kill people is only going to highlight the misuse of the term as applied to people who steal software. Yes, it is stealing; however, nobody is dying, and some would argue that software stealing actually increases revenue for the companies, as it acts as a de facto trial period, after which many users buy the software. Puhleeeeeze.

CCleaner - Clean The Crap Out Of Your System

CCleaner - Download. CCleaner (formerly known as crap cleaner) is a free utility that cleans the detritus out of your Windows system, including system files, web browsers (IE, Firefox and Google Chrome), and removes temp files, and a host of other stuff you don't need. It will search for problems in your startup file, your registry and many other places that contain stuff you don't need. Try it, you'll like it.

Free Drive Backup Express - disk backup software

Free Drive Backup Express - disk backup software. My post on drive backup led me to a free solution from Paragon Software. Drive Backup Express is free, and will backup and restore your entire drive to an external USB drive. You can get a 1 terabyte drive for under $100; there are no more excuses. A more fully functional version of the software is available for $39.95. After creating the disk image archive, you can test the archive, and, if necessary, restore the entire drive. I am using the Drive Backup Express archive as a backup to my backup. I have Norton Ghost 12, which was $59, and I create a weekly backup of my drive with it. There are more functions available; however, at least make a quick backup of your entire drive on a periodic basis. It will save your life, in the event of a crash or virus infection.

Back Up Your Files Today

What computer files to back up -- and how to do it : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech. Periodically, I remind readers to back up their files and hard drives. Today is the day. Do it now. There's no time like the present. Live in the moment. Okay, enough old canards. This article by Christopher Null highlights some of the types of files you should be backing up regularly. For lawyers, obviously documents, correspondence, emails, messages, cell and smart phones, and anything to do with client work is a given. However, if you don't want to worry about what types of files to back up, there is an easy solution. Buy a copy of Norton Ghost or one of the other imaging programs, and back up the whole thing. It is so simple now to get a USB hard drive in the 500 Gigabyte range for under $200. Just plug it in, load up the imaging software, and image the whole drive to the USB drive. It takes a couple of hours; but, I bet that there are a lot of things you do regularly that involve being away from the computer for a couple of hours. You should do this once or twice a week, and you should stagger the backups so that you have a couple handy. If you don't back up, and you lose some essential files, don't come crying to me. All that you will get out of me at that time is an "I told you so."