ending is better than mending
Multiple vulnerabilities have been found in Flash media player, software that is almost universally installed across the Internet. These vulnerabilities can allow a hacker to take over your computer. Download the update here:
If you are wondering what version you currently have installed check this page.
The old method of hitting printscreen (usually twice for good measure) and then editing the photo in Gimp just wasn’t working for me anymore. Luckily I found this little shiny collection of 1’s and 0’s:
http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html
It has more features than I really need, but here is a list of the cool ones:
You could pay $39 for Snag It or you could download this great tool.
It’s a good time to buy an Apple:
http://www.apple.com/backtoschool/?cid=WWW-NAUS-BTS20060530-8EBFY
If that’s not enough here is some mind numbing propaganda:
Recently my business partner gave me one of these marvelous machines from across the ocean. A gift from Italy.
The problem I usually encounter with these mini espresso makers is that they are all designed for electric stoves. The base is so small it will drop through the grate of my gas stove. This one fits, barely. It’s steady enough, but it’s in a precarious position. When you remove one cup the unit becomes further unbalanced. Combine that with the brass hooks that are just waiting to catch the cup as you remove it and you have a recipe for DISASTER:
Dell and Apple have announced two huge recalls on laptop batteries made by Sony. If you own a Dell or Apple laptop it’s in your best interest to check these links and see if you battery is covered:
https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/
https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/index.html
My new battery for my iBook is already on it’s way.
Theoretically.
On Saturday, Jaime and I leave to hike the grand canyon. We will be camping three nights and deciding what to pack is crucial. I found this list by Matt Simerson to be really helpful.
You don’t cook with the book. You cook with the heart and the hands.
Today’s lunch:
Drop some rice in the rice cooker, and place some vegetables in the steaming rack. Start the rice cooker.
My original goal was pan fried chicken. You start by putting flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix and dip the chicken in it, you want as much of the flour mixture to stick to the chicken as possible. Throw some butter in a pan and the chicken dives in too. The chicken begins to cook, but you realize something is wrong. Horribly wrong. The chicken is too thick! The center isn’t cooking. Grab a pan and some vermouth. Pour the vermouth around the chicken and cover with the lid. The steam will cook the center of the chicken.
The chicken should come out marvelous. The taste will bring a little tear to your eye. It’s not crispy, it’s more like a Japanese katsu. The flavor is all USA though, well maybe a little French flavor.
It’s fast, and you don’t need to touch a measuring spoon.
Annabelle has a slender neck and complicated eyes. You think they smile at you at first, but a closer look reveal determination and dangerous intent.
It’s nighttime in Nuremburg and my parents have closed the door. Some time passes and the yellow light streaming under the door goes dark. The entire room is still illuminated with the light of the city, there are no shadows. I feel that I have stepped into another world. I must explore this strange new dimension, but the bars of my crib hold me prisoner. A deluge of water begins silently pouring through the airconditioning vent, filling the room. It’s not real water, it’s cartoon water and cartoon fish and other strange things swim around the room. I am not asleep. Maybe sleepwalking, but this isn’t completely a dream. It’s a mashup, dream and reality. The room is still there and I am still standing in my crib, breathing cartoon water.
That’s my possibly my earliest memory, and it illustrates the power that comic book or cartoon images hold over me. I like when you can see the sketch lines, and a simple, but amazing color scheme doesn’t hurt either.
Enough words, check out:
http://www.sircle.net/
Computer Security. Who cares? You didn’t build your business in order to spend all your time defending your network from bad guys, you want to concentrate on your core competencies. Besides who is interested in hacking my network anyway?
Lot’s of people. The barbarians are at the gates:
Spam Gangs
Spam gangs are groups of people who make money by sending out massive quantities of SPAM. Many of them operate out of Russia and Asia. Since the IP Address they send the spam from will eventually get blacklisted, they constantly need to switch to a new address. Your computer has one. Your computer also has bandwidth, in the form of your connection to the internet. It is very cost effective for the spam gangs to hack your computer, use it to send out mass amounts of spam email and let you deal with the aftermath, such as being blacklisted.
Russian Organized Crime
Hacking and identity theft has become big business in Russia. Your accounting data is a prime target. Your computer, IP address and your bandwidth are also valuable in launching attacks against other targets. The financial damage to you and your customers could sink most small organizations. Add in legal liability and damage to your reputation.
Worms, Virii and Spyware
Malicous programs programs, test your security every second of the day. If you have a weak link in your security, you will be compromised. If you use a computer, I’m sure you’ve encountered one of these pests. To call them a pest however is to underestimate them. The noisy ones, the ones that attract attention, pop up windows, slow down your PC, delete files and so forth, these are not the dangerous ones. The ones that give remote control to an attacker, the ones that search your computer for credit card or social security numbers, these are the truly damaging specimens. You won’t even notice they are there.
Alright. As the owner of a small business what do I do?
Start by recognizing that information security is a process. You need to treat it like your other ongoing business processes such as sales, accounting and marketing. Start by creating a policy. I’m going to give you a basic sample:
Sure it’s incomplete, but if you enforce this simple policy then you are no longer a soft target. Remember that security is a process, so each policy item must be audited on a regular basis:
Start with the policy, enforce it, audit on a regular basis. That’s the process. Rinse and repeat.
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