Ars Technica: Patients diverted to other hospitals after ransomware locks down key software

Here is a story of how hackers are targeting hospitals and businesses using ransomware. As the article mentions, many organizations are using older software, which is easier to hack. I've noticed in dental and medical offices myself the use of Windows XP, which came out, what, 13 years ago? It apparently does the job the organization wants, so why go to the expense of upgrading, they probably ask. A good question until the day their computer is locked up for ransomware.

Jim Hamm

Patients diverted to other hospitals after ransomware locks down key software Ars Technica

Crypto-extortion increasingly targets bigger victims; most stay silent about it. Read the full story Shared from Apple News

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Apple News

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There's speculation that Apple will be releasing some new products in March, like an iPad Air 3, and more. And recently two Apple executives met with blogger John Gruber to discuss various subjects relating to Apple. If you're interested in reading more about this, here is a summary article. Jim Hamm found the following quote from the article to be quite interesting. Just look at the numbers. Can you imagine the iTunes Store and App Store processing 750 million transactions a week? Even if each transaction were only for a dollar, the money rolls in.

"Cue backed up Federighi’s point about scale with some more stats: Apple has 782 million iCloud users, Apple Music has racked up 11 million subscribers, the iTunes Store and App Store process 750 million transactions a week, and users send 200,000 iMessages a second at the peak."

Dropbox Improvements

I really appreciate the convenience and storage of Dropbox, and use it frequently. Dropbox keeps improving, and you can read here about some features you might not be aware of. Is Dropbox secure? For most of us, the answer is probably yes, but you can read more about this here, which includes info on improving the security of Dropbox using a two-step verification, an important option to consider. And here is one more commentary you might read on the security of Dropbox. I never store important or sensitive data (such as passwords) in Dropbox, or anywhere in the 'Cloud' (Ed, note: you can safely store encrypted files, such as for a password manager, anywhere). I just don't feel comfortable doing that. Also, I haven't enabled a two-step verification process, as I don't feel, for Dropbox, that I need or want that extra layer of security. But this feature does improve the security of Dropbox if you're concerned.

For me, Dropbox is a convenient way to store and access documents and pictures that I can easily access from any device --and any operating system -- I'm using. This is so handy. If you're not using Dropbox, you might give it a try. And it's free, and, of course, a paid upgrade is available.

Jim Hamm

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9to5Mac: 13 tips for getting the best results from your iPhone camera

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While these tips are nominally for the iPhone, Jim Hamm suspects they will work equally well for the iPad.13 tips for getting the best results from your iPhone camera 9to5Mac

Tim Cook’s embarrassment at the Super Bowl seems a timely opportunity to put together something that’s been on my to-do list for a while now: a quick guide to getting the best results from your iPhone’s camera. As a keen photographer, I’ve been amazed just how far cameras have come in the past few years. Where I once used to carry a compact camera with me everywhere just in case, my iPhone has for several years now been my ‘always on me’ camera (currently the iPhone 6s). And where I used to... Read the full story

Disk Utility in El Capitan

If you've upgraded to El Capitan in OS X, apparently Disk Utility has been revised also and is not as robust as previous versions. If you feel the need to revert to the earlier version, here is an article describing how to do so. Be aware, this is not for the faint-hearted. Also, be sure to read all the comments at the end of the article because corrections and permutations of the original instructions follow from readers all around the globe.

Jim Hamm

SSD Information

Today the SSD is slowly replacing the HDD in computers. Not only is the SSD faster, it is of particular benefit in laptops, where moving and jarring a laptop won't bother an SSD but could be disastrous for a spinning HDD. If you'd like to learn more about SSDs, here and here are two excellent articles from ArsTechnica. The first article discusses the need for TRIM (a wear-leveling technique) in SSDs. The second article gives an in-depth discussion of SSDs and how they function. Both articles are for technophiles. Casual users need not read (unless, of course, you want to).

While I enjoyed both articles, I must admit my understanding of the second article left something to be desired.

Jim Hamm

PCWorld: Google Chrome will flag deceptive download buttons in ads as a security threat

Here is another reason why Jim Hamm uses Chrome as his browser of choice. He rarely downloads anything from the internet, but when he does, this feature will be helpful.Google Chrome will flag deceptive download buttons in ads as a security threat PCWorld

Google is taking another aggressive step towards correcting deceptive practices on the web. The company recently announced Chrome will throw up a warning page if it detects a user heading to a webpage with deceptive download buttons attached to an ad. The new warning is in line with the company’s social engineering policy announced in November, Google said in a blog post. Google "An example of a deceptive download button contained in an ad". To read this article in full or to leave a comment, Read the full story Shared from Apple News

Tip to keep your computer from going to sleep while performing a function

John Carter shared the following tip. You leave your computer unattended while it is performing an update or downloading a large file or some other activity that will take a long time. When you come back to the computer, you find that the process hasn’t completed, and you’ve been logged out. You have unset the option to let your computer go to sleep, so why does that happen?

Go to System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> General and then click the Advanced button. Uncheck the box that logs you out after ‘x’ minutes of inactivity.

Problem solved.

PMUG membership -- is it worth it?

Do you feel like you’re getting nothing out of your PMUG membership? Are the presentations going over your head or not addressing your concerns? You’re not alone! The purpose of giving presentations at our meetings is to educate our members about possibilities. It’s like planting seeds. To actually get into details about any given topic would convert the meeting into a workshop, and workshops typically require hands-on by all students with a lot of special attention from the instructor. We prefer to scatter seeds at our meetings rather than get into digging up weeds. The meetings are then a field of possibilities, not a full service educational endeavor. We are also akin to a social club where people meet new friends and nourish old friendships.

Hence, to get anything out of the meetings, it is necessary to take notes and then go home and do research and practice. The presenter’s notes are always posted on our website and are available to all members, so it really isn’t necessary to take notes during the meeting unless you want to do your research while it is fresh in your mind.

For others like myself, we enjoy the opportunity to share what we know. If we’re not effective in teaching, it’s because we’re not trained educators. But that won’t keep us from trying.

If what you are looking for is something more like a workshop, there have been times when OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) has provided classes that are more like a workshop.

If you need personal training on any given topic, there are a few people in the area who are available to come to your home for one-on-one mentoring for a fee. And there are hundreds of short video tutorials for free online an any subject imaginable.

The real problem regarding computers is the terminology. If you don’t understand the terms, nothing will make sense. So learning computer terminology is important no matter what task you want to do. What is a Dock? What’s the difference between a browser and a search engine? What’s the difference between a Window and a Desktop and a display? How can I find what I know is on my computer? That all comes under the heading of Computer 101. So maybe we need to offer workshops or spend a little more time in our presentations just about computer terminology and how things work together.

My take on not coming to meetings is like not going out to the garden. You have no idea what will germinate if you don’t pay attention to it.

When I go to a meeting (any club that I belong to), I might go home with only one new piece of information. And for me to spend two hours listening to the same stuff over and over to get one new idea is worth it to me. Because my friends are there.

John Carter

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Avast Antivirus

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For your possible interest, here is a current review of the Avast Antivirus program. Jim Hamm has used the free version of Avast for years on both his PC and Mac. He likes it, but it does occasionally do a popup, asking you something, or possibly to upgrade to the paid version. Often enough to be noticeable, but not aggravating -- at least for him. Whether one needs to run an AV program or not, especially on a Mac, certainly has proponents both ways. For Jim, the possible added protection is desirable. Your mileage may vary.

Snow Leopard update

7 Free Anti-Virus Tools For Your Browser: Scan Links Before You Click

We all want to avoid getting a virus on our computer, and practice safe 'surfing' on the 'net. But, if you want to add another layer of protection to your browsing, read the following article: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-free-anti-virus-tools-browser-scan-links-click/

I use Safari on my iPad, but prefer the Chrome browser on my computer. One other security tip I use is, if I get an email -- even from a friend -- that only has a web link but no message, I don't click it. If, say, my friend's email has been hijacked, the hackers send out nefarious links to all the email addresses in my friend's contacts, but they don't include any message, like, hey, Jim, take a look at this article on blah blah.

I'll probably use the extension for Chrome referenced in the article, just to see how it works. I'm not paranoid about internet security, but do prefer to be cautious.

Jim Hamm

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There is a NEW Sophos for Mac

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Sophos Home includes all the features of Free Mac AV with a sleek new user interface that allows you to protect all computers in your home (Mac and Windows) from a single interface. And yes, it’s still free. When downloaded and installed, this new interface, called Sophos Home, replaces the existing Sophos Antivirus application.

There is a totally new interface, in fact, two new interfaces. One is an app that runs on the computer and the other is a web interface accessed at home.sophos.com for which you are required to create a free account. Both will allow you to run a scan on the computer, but the web app is where you define or configure how Sophos checks for trouble.

From the computer app, you can only scan the computer or turn on or off a protection. From the Web interface, you have complete control of how each of your computers are protected.

There are three kinds of protection. These are Automatic Virus Protection and Web Protection. The virus protection can also check for Potentially Unwanted Applications in real time and prevent them from being installed - and you an override this if you really want to install an app that you are sure will cause your computer no harm.

In the web protection, there are three categories. These are General Interest, Social Networking & Computing, and Adult & Potentially Inappropriate. For each category there are numerous items to select one of three levels of protection for each item. These are Allow, Warn, and Block.

It is still recommended to do a full scan after installing just to let Sophos know it has done that at least once. Thereafter, it may not be needed to do another full scan since the system is being protected in real time.

The only caveat that I might mention here is that blocking some items can result in your not being able to view attached images that someone sends you. Tinkering is allowed.

John Carter