Futurelawyer

The Hidden Dangers Of Public WiFi.

Hidden Dangers of Public WiFi. Sheldon Livingston, of VSLComputers, a local Tampa Bay area firm, has written a great article, in layman's language, explaining why no lawyer or other business should be using Public WiFi for sensitive communications. Learn about Man in the Middle Attacks, Evil Twin Attacks, and strategies to protect your client information on the go. His recommendations:

Avoid accessing sensitive data on public networks—especially anything involving passwords, personal details, or financial accounts.

🔹 Stick to HTTPS websites (look for the padlock icon in the address bar) to encrypt your data.

🔹 Use trusted browser security extensions to block cookies, ads, and malicious websites.

🔹 Disable auto-join on your devices to prevent accidental connections to unsafe networks.

🔹 Beware of pop-ups—hackers use them to trick you into clicking malware-infested links.

🔹 Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for business accounts to add an extra layer of security.

🔹 Keep your software updated to patch vulnerabilities and protect against emerging threats.

Call Sheldon for a hands on look at your systems and advice on staying secure.

Be Safe Out There - Google Chrome Enhanced Protection.

Scams are smarter than ever; Google Enhanced Protection Fights back; If you are using Chrome, as many of us are, stop what you are doing right now. Click the three dots at the upper right corner of your browser, click Security, and enable Enhanced Browsing. Google has gotten really good at identifying the sophisticated scams of modern criminals, and AI is helping. Please enable enhanced protection. I promise it will be good for you. And, you won't feel a thing.

AGI - Scarier Than The Terminator.

James Cameron, who created the Terminator movie series, thinks AGI, which is the next step after Gen AI, and will create actual thinking robots, is more dangerous than the Terminator. At least, you can shoot and kill the Terminator. AGI will be so embedded in human systems that it will be impossible to defend against if it, or its human progenitors, develop evil intentions. From Camping Kai:

"James Cameron, the mastermind behind The Terminator, has voiced serious concerns about the future of AGI. Speaking at the SCSP Al+Robotics Summit, he warned that AGI won't come from government-funded programs but from tech giants pouring billions into its development. Cameron highlighted the risk of these corporations gaining access to massive amounts of personal data-covering everything from communication to location-and exerting control over digital surveillance. He called this reality far more dangerous than the fictional world of The Terminator."

In either case, we need to regulate the development of this technology in order to prevent such a problem. We old people probably won't be alive to see it. But, if you are Gen Z, you really need to start paying attention.

                                                                                             

Uh, Oh! What Happens When The Bots Learn How To Code?

lAnthropic Warns Of Catastrophe If AI Is Not Regulated In 18 Months. The maker of Claude, Anthropic, says that, in a short time, Claude has been able to solve half of the coding problems given to it. In 18 months, when that reaches close to 100%, the bots will have the capability to control everything. Of course, bad human actors will still be required; but since when have bad humans been in short supply on this planet? The only way to live with advanced tech is for humans to regulate their use by other humans. I am not optimistic that we will be able to do that soon enough. It may not be a brave new world after all. 

Goodnight, Sweet Passwords. May Flights Of Passkeys Sing Thee To Thy Rest.

FIDO Alliance Passkeys - Death Of The Password. Since the beginnings of my computing life, passwords have been the biggest bottleneck in my computer use. As lawyers, we are required to keep our clients' data confidential. But, we need to take advantage of the tech that allows us to store that data in an efficient way. Security keys like passwords became ubiquitous when millions of users started using computers simultaneously. However, long, complicated passwords are difficult to remember, and we have all had the experience of forgetting one that kept us from our data. Methods to make passwords more secure just added layers of complexity. The next great invention, multi-factor authentication, required access to a second device, like a phone, to gain access to our data, which is fine; but cumbersome, and a real pain if the second device isn't readily available. When serving in my second job, which is as Diane's computer guru, I always seem to be in one room with the offending device, while she is God knows where with the authentication device. I have been known to scream out in pain while trying to keep her devices functioning. So, I have been pleasantly surprised by the ease of switching to passkeys, which are simple codes that can be used on devices like Apple or Windows machines, after a more rigorous login procedure has been accomplished. Passkeys are a nod to the public-private key encryption scheme. Both a public and private key combination are established the first time a password authentication scheme is used, and that key can later be used to simplify data access. So, if your Windows installation asks you if you want to set up a passkey for a site, say yes. It will make your life easier, and more secure, in the future.

Signal - It Is The Surveillance State's Worst Nightmare.

Signal. Every time I read, in the news, about another famous person, or political party, or other prominent entity, whose private inter company or personal messages are hacked, and made public, I think about Signal. This non-profit, encrypted message application is used my millions of people to keep confidential communications private. It doesn't surveil you, no one else can see your data, and it is free, since the entity is non profit. While such an application can certainly be used for evil purposes, in a free society, it is an essential tool for groups who have a legal interest in privacy. It is ideal for lawyers who much keep their clients' communications secure and private. The recent arrest of Telegram's CEO in France has highlighted the battle between governments who want to know everything, and those who don't want government intrusion into their privacy. As Generative AI becomes more entwined in the system, this battle will become more important. While we don't want governments to control our every action, it will be much tougher to fight against AI computers that can anticipate and block our every move. It is thus important to elect governments who are required, by law, to preserve our freedom of speech. Do you know what your candidate feels about this issue? Does the political party your support really believe in freedom of speech? Without freedom of speech, there is no real freedom. If the State can control speech, it can control everything.

 

If It's Saturday, It's Time To Back Up Your Essential Files.

GoodSync Of course, every day is a good day to backup your files, and Saturday is one of those days. You probably have more free time this morning to download GoodSync (It's free today), and create a Job that includes all of your client files, photos, personal documents, and other essentials of your life. I have scanned 95% of the documents I have created for the last 20 years or more, and I back them up regularly to Google Drive in the cloud, Microsoft One Drive, and micro SSD drives that are installed on my computer. GoodSync, which you can set and forget, gets the job done without hassle, and I have peace of mind. Do you know where your files are?

#TBT - Sometimes I Feel Like A Voice Crying In The Wilderness.

New Laptop? Here's How To Keep Your Data Safe. I realize that my computer security posts for the rest of us is like preaching to the choir. Most of you already do these things. But, now that Windows 11 will force you to take a look at new hardware to take advantage of Windows 11s hardware security, you should also know how to set up that new laptop so that you are protected, and your data is protected. First, install Malwarebytes or another rock solid Anti-malware and anti-ransomware software solution. Then, setup two factor authentication wherever you can. Then, become knowledgeable about phishing scams and how to avoid them. Then, be proactive about installing updates as they become available. Then, only use messaging or chat software that is encrypted end to end. For me, Signal is the best choice. Then, do not use public WiFi in hotels, waiting rooms, stores, restaurants, or anywhere else without a front end VPN application. I use PureVPN, but there are many competent programs out there. Be careful out there.

Why I Don't Do Tech Support Anymore.

I weep for this nation.

Phone By Google Now Has Reverse Phone Search.

Google Phone New Lookup Tool. The new beta of the Phone for Google app has a new lookup feature. I am always checking suspicious missed calls in my Search software, which has a reverse phone search option. However, it is a pain to load the software, and input the suspicious number. It is useful to determine which calls deserve to be returned; although, anyone who doesn't leave a message is suspect. Google, whatever you think of the Googleverse, is always improving their products, and adding a reverse phone search to Google phone is a welcome addition to the arsenal. Thanks, Google.