edit – guide is now final: https://www.tweakhound.com/2015/11/19/windows-10-privacy-settings-2/
Privacy
Email Encryption Vulnerable
“A group of European security researchers have released a warning about a set of vulnerabilities affecting users of PGP and S/MIME. EFF has been in communication with the research team, and can confirm that these vulnerabilities pose an immediate risk to those using these tools for email communication, including the potential exposure of the contents of past messages.“
Attention PGP Users: New Vulnerabilities Require You To Take Action Now
Officially called “EFAIL”: https://efail.de/
A number of platforms are said to be vulnerable.
Quotes include, “Email is no longer a secure communication medium” and “can confirm that these vulnerabilities pose an immediate risk to those using these tools for email communication, including the potential exposure of the contents of past messages.”.
IMHO there seems to be a bit of hysteria going on about this this morning. On the other hand, I’m no security expert so what do I know.
Protonmail has stated,
“ProtonMail is safe against the efail PGP vulnerability. The real vulnerability is implementation errors in various PGP clients. PGP (and OpenPGP) is fine. Any service that uses our @openpgpjs library is also safe as long the default settings aren’t changed.”
I dunno, I never really believed anything on a computer was 100% secure or private and tend to conduct myself accordingly. Of course I’m just an average, boring dude so I’ve no idea why someone would waste the effort to read my email.
There is gonna be a lot more to read on this in the coming days.
Monday Random Stuff…
You Can’t Opt Out Of Sharing Your Data, Even If You Didn’t Opt In
“So does that mean that, in addition to locking down our own privacy choices, we need to police the choices of our friends and family? No, said Cohen, Gillmor and Viljoen. In fact, the privacy of the commons means that, in some cases, your data is collected in ways you cannot reasonably prevent, no matter how carefully you or anyone you know behaves.”
Sad fact.
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Said
Lot’s of articles out there quoting (often wrongly) what he said at the MS Build Conference. So I went looking for the transcript.
You can download it here: Satya Nadella: Build 2018
“We ensure that when we use data, it is to benefit the user.”
Look, I don’t know much about the man but he really needs someone to look over his speeches. The “It’s for your own good” excuse is just lame and frankly a little insulting.
Then he said, “We ensure that the user is always in control of their data and its use.”
I’m…uh…hmmm…
I…um…that’s…man o man…
Windows Commands Reference
A PDF containing an overview and alphabetical listing of Windows commands.
Download
You Don’t Say…
A new report says the Chinese government is behind a decade of hacks on software companies.
Is there anyone that is even remotely surprised by this?
Personal privacy vs. public security: fight!
Good read on this topic. Recommended.
Off Topic
AT&T/Verizon lobby asks FCC to help raise prices on smaller ISPs
Android P will finally restrict apps from monitoring your network activity
How Robin Williams was being torn apart and couldn’t fight back
My name is Wil Wheaton. I live with chronic Depression, and I am not ashamed.
Wednesday Random Stuff…
***UPDATED – Windows 10 April Update Benchmark
Samsung NVMe Driver v3.0
“This driver supports Samsung NVMe SSD 970 PRO, 970 EVO, 960 PRO, 960 EVO and 950 PRO.”
Download | Alternative download at MajorGeeks
O&O Shutup10
Version 1.6.1396 – released May 2, 2018
-Adapted for the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update 1804 (Build 17134)
-Fixed issue with finding High Contrast mode on user-defined schemes
-User interface adapted
-Bug Fixes: Various small bug fixes
-Available in English, German, French, Italian and Russian
Download
Win10 April Update Freezing Chrome
Source: Neowin. It happened to me too.
Tuesday Morning Random Stuff…
Win10 SCU
The update that didn’t happen is back in the news with no news. We still do not know what the official name of the update is. We still don’t know when it will be released. Microsoft has given us a generic “reliability issues” statement as to why it was delayed.
Oh Intel
Intel says their chips have a vulnerability that, “could allow an attacker to block BIOS/UEFI updates, or to selectively erase or corrupt portions of the firmware.” This means you’ll have to wait for your PC manufacturer to release another BIOS update, if and when they feel like it.
Just after that news, Intel announced some “new initiatives that use features specific to the Intel hardware platform to boost security“.
– Advanced memory scanning will use your GPU to aid in malware scanning.
– Advanced Platform Telemetry “uses things like the processor’s integrated performance counters to spot unusual processor activity.”
Fbook
Yeah. I know I said I was out of Fbook news for a while. But this article is amazing. IMHO a must read.
‘Dear Mark, this is why I hate you.’ An open letter to Zuckerberg
Off Topic
How Often You Should Clean Everything In Your Home (Hint: Very, Very Often)
(check out the links at the bottom of the article for guides)
Researchers find genetic cause for Alzheimer’s, possible method to reverse it
‘I was a teacher for 17 years, but I couldn’t read or write’
RIP
R. Lee Ermey, Golden Globe Nominee for ‘Full Metal Jacket,’ Dies at 74
(quotes from Full Metal Jacket)
Harry Anderson, Judge On ‘Night Court,’ Dies At His N.C. Home. He Was 65
Richard Stallman On Privacy
Legendary Geek Richard Stallman has A radical proposal to keep your personal data safe.
His proposal is that collection of personal data by entities both public and private needs to stop. I agree wholeheartedly.
Tweaking Firefox
This is how I set up and run Firefox on my Windows machines. It’s pretty basic but it is all I need.
[Read more…] about Tweaking Firefox
Google Clips And Privacy
Why? Why would you let Google Clips into your life?
It sits there. Watching. Capturing. Everything. IN YOUR HOME.
Navneet Alang at The Week has a fantastic opinion piece:
The disturbing acceptance of Google’s new ‘smart’ camera
“we are unwittingly become guinea pigs for tech, and inadvertent cheerleaders for things that, in the aggregate, end up making things worse…Why is capturing more and more candid images good?…Not helping matters is that the tech press is forever breathless about new tech, obediently accepting its makers’ framing…Indeed the world is overrun with new technologies carrying unintended negative effects.”
Picture Of The Day
Google is worried about your privacy:
Seriously though, you should check your Google privacy settings regularly:
https://myaccount.google.com/intro/privacycheckup
Monday Random Stuff…
Another HP Keylogger
Security researcher Michael Myng found a keylogger on some HP laptops. There was one found earlier this year. This is on top of spyware found on HP devices.
Yikes!
GET OFF OF FACEBOOK
Another former Facebook exec rips social media:
“I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works…No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. And it’s not an American problem — this is not about Russians ads. This is a global problem.”
source: iVerge