Month: October 2015

Dear NTCHelp.net – Update popups: which ones should I go ahead and update?

Dear NTCHelp,
On occasion I get pop-ups regarding various product upgrades/updates and I really don’t know which ones I should be updating and which ones I should ignore.As an example, right now I have one from SUPERAntiSpyware; is this something that I should Update or ignore? Perhaps there is a master or semi-master list of what we need and don’t need around or one could be generated – I don’t want to ask (Bill) every time I get a pop-up but I also probably shouldn’t just be ignoring them, either. Please advise me what to do.

Your friend and frequent user,
Katie.

Dear Katie,
That is a great question and an awesome idea. You can safely update SUPERAntiSpyware. And based on your suggestion, I’ve created a list that you can access anytime at NTCHelp.net. Here’s the link: http://ntchelp.net/2015/10/21/updates-on-your-computer-that-you-can-and-should-approve-master-list/

You can bookmark that page, or print it out (or both). If you come across an update message, check it against this list. If you encounter an update that’s not on the list, put a ticket in at NTCHelp.net, and I’ll either add it to the list and let you know or let you know that you shouldn’t update.

Thank you for your question and for using NTCHelp.net!

“Mr. Coca Cola” -or- Hackers never sleep: Protecting Data at rest

Data at rest is stored data that isn’t currently being used or transferred.

For instance, at the Coca Cola factory: when Mr. Coca Cola sends all the “cola artists” (I’m assuming he calls them that) home for the evening, the secret recipe won’t be needed for at least another 8 hours.

Mr. Ebenezer Coca-Cola (artist’s rendering)

So of course, he just takes the piece of paper with the secret recipe on it, and sticks it to his personal office vending machine with a refrigerator magnet, and heads home to watch “Fired Up,” right? Wrong!

First, “Fired Up” went off the air years ago, lasted only two seasons, only aired briefly in syndication and is not available on Netflix. Not even star Sharon Lawrence has any copies. It’s gone gone.

Second, Mr. Coca Cola needs the secret recipe to remain a secret. During the day, he can personally add the ingredients for Coca Cola to the giant mixing vat located in earthquake-proof bedrock five miles below the factory floor. But at night. At night he needs to store the recipe safely, while it is Data at rest. That’s because a) it’s always night somewhere b) hackers never sleep.

So what he really does is quite simple: he encrypts the file that contains the recipe. Only Mr. Coca Cola and the President of the United States know the password to decrypt it. The recipe is safe until tomorrow morning.

The end.

Next time…protecting Data in motion.

What is your favorite Sci-Fi series?

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Encryption: “♫ Doo-dot, deeyowwww, da-doo-daaa! ♫”

That’s what James Bond sings to himself as he walks down the street, or skis down a bobsled run as he’s being chased by henchman on motorcycles with ridiculous spikes on their tires. Unless he’s listening to Astley.

Singing to himself in the face of mortal danger: that kind of confidence comes from years of training and discipline, and the knowledge that all of his secret spy files are safely encrypted.

Now you can enjoy that same level of confidence when you need to keep information safe. It’s called encryption, and it’s pretty simple to use, with a free program called 7-zip. If you want to learn how to do it, watch the slideshow below. You can come back here any time to get a refresher:

Which of these actors only played James Bond in one film?

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