Client: Do you repair notebook keyboards?
Tech: Yes, what seems to be the problem?
Client: Take a look. I have 27 keys missing.
Tech: What happened to them? Do you have them?
Client: Yes, they are in this vacuum cleaner bag. I used an upholstery brush attachment to clean the keyboard and...
Tech: I recommend that we replace the keyboard.
Motto: Do not vacuum a keyboard with an upholstery attachment. Don't try a leaf blower either.
What is コンピューター空手 ? “ComputerKarate” is the cultivation of cyber awareness and the use of defensive computing techniques designed to protect you, your family and your computer from the mental, physical and cyber attacks of the 21st Century. http://www.computerkarate.com
Friday, June 8, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
You can still play Password—buT pLaY sTRoNg!
Can you believe it? The game of Password is still around. In this 1960s TV game show that starred Allen Ludden and Betty White, contestants would try to guess 'the secret password' from one-word clues; the fewer the guesses for success, the higher the prize. Today’s password game still involves two players; you and the cyber-crook. You know your secret password and the crook tries to guess it. If they guess correct, you pay. If they fail, they continue on to the next round. It doesn’t stop.
If you have difficulty creating strong passwords for your Internet use I jokingly recommend that you run out and buy the home version of "Password." It comes with over a thousand passwords you can use that would be hacked in a second or less by a cyber-crook's password cracking software. Creating strong passwords can be a daunting task and remembering them, for some of us, is next to impossible. Try to use these guidelines to create strong passwords.
1. At the very least it should be 8 characters long—the longer the better. XXXXXXXX
2. It should contain a mixture of upper and lower case letters. UpPeRLoWeR
3. It also needs at least two non-sequential numbers. Not a street address, SS, birthdates, age etc.
4. The password should be nonsensical, not found in a dictionary, not a name or a nickname of anyone or anything.
5. Some sites allow the use of special characters like * > & $ %. If they're allowed, stick them in to break things up.
6. None of your site logins should use the same password. They should be unique for each site.
7. Change your passwords on a regular basis. Passwords for your online financial services along with web based email services like Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail should be changed every two to three months.
Try creating your own password recipe to help you remember your strong passwords.
This sample password was created from a password recipe: g4eI2aa1Fc7oS5b. Believe it or not, it can be easily remembered or reconstructed by using a recipe. I’ll share the password recipe in a future post.
The actual game of Password can be great fun at parties. Don't make your Internet passwords a fun and easy game for criminals. Check out these links to a password generator and strength tester sites.
Click to see a password generator.
Click to see a password strength tester.
If you have difficulty creating strong passwords for your Internet use I jokingly recommend that you run out and buy the home version of "Password." It comes with over a thousand passwords you can use that would be hacked in a second or less by a cyber-crook's password cracking software. Creating strong passwords can be a daunting task and remembering them, for some of us, is next to impossible. Try to use these guidelines to create strong passwords.
1. At the very least it should be 8 characters long—the longer the better. XXXXXXXX
2. It should contain a mixture of upper and lower case letters. UpPeRLoWeR
3. It also needs at least two non-sequential numbers. Not a street address, SS, birthdates, age etc.
4. The password should be nonsensical, not found in a dictionary, not a name or a nickname of anyone or anything.
5. Some sites allow the use of special characters like * > & $ %. If they're allowed, stick them in to break things up.
6. None of your site logins should use the same password. They should be unique for each site.
7. Change your passwords on a regular basis. Passwords for your online financial services along with web based email services like Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail should be changed every two to three months.
Try creating your own password recipe to help you remember your strong passwords.
This sample password was created from a password recipe: g4eI2aa1Fc7oS5b. Believe it or not, it can be easily remembered or reconstructed by using a recipe. I’ll share the password recipe in a future post.
The actual game of Password can be great fun at parties. Don't make your Internet passwords a fun and easy game for criminals. Check out these links to a password generator and strength tester sites.
Click to see a password generator.
Click to see a password strength tester.
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