For many years, Bitdefender has offered free antivirus to all, but that ends soon for Windows users. As of 1/1/2022, they say that their free software will be discontinued. And they’d love to sell you their paid antivirus! But whoa there, let’s slow it down a bit. If they’re trying to convert you to a … Read more
2FA is shorthand for Two-Factor Authentication. It’s an extra security feature to protect an online account, and is offered by many companies for their users. But soon, Google is making this feature mandatory for its Google and Gmail accounts. If you aren’t already using 2FA to protect your account, you may soon get an email … Read more
Here’s another reason not to leave your electronics in your car: Thieves may target your vehicle if they detect your devices’ Bluetooth signals. Anyone can use free apps to scan for Bluetooth in their vicinity. And this kind of app has a very legitimate use: Finding your lost Bluetooth device! If you misplace your Fitbit … Read more
Many of my clientele are in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the home territory of an ISP named Shentel. And like many ISPs, Shentel provides free, courtesy email addresses to its subscribers. It’s like a mint on your pillow, except this mint needs some extra warnings on its wrapper and may give you some indigestion… … Read more
The Trend Micro company has come out with a new tool that I want to recommend. Trend Micro Check is a free browser extension that you can install in Google Chrome (or Microsoft Edge) that will protect you as you surf the web. Specifically, Trend Micro Check blocks ads and trackers (like AdBlockPlus), warns you … Read more
A modern boarding pass (plane ticket) has a QR or Bar Code on it. Quickly scanning that code makes it easy for an airport employee to check you in and get you on your plane. But some people warn about those QR codes and their security. USA Today and other news stories have been circulating … Read more
Amazon is rolling out a new feature in their Alexa-enabled devices on June 8. It’s named Amazon Sidewalk, and it’s getting a lot of attention. More and more people are writing to me to ask about it, and the concern in their questions is quite apparent. Why? Well, in short, because Amazon is adding Sidewalk … Read more
Too Much Info Recently I commented on YouTube that we should be very careful about what we share on social media. Specifically, I mentioned that we should avoid posting personal or sensitive facts about ourselves. Consider this ubiquitous example: I see this post repeated all over Facebook, sometimes with over 500,000 comments. My jaw drops … Read more
Having trouble with an iPad you just bought second-hand? A common problem with used Apple devices is that buyers can’t get them to work properly, due to Apple’s Activation Lock. Apple created the Activation Lock feature to protect against device theft. When an iPad, iPhone or newer Apple computer is properly signed into iCloud services, … Read more
In 2017, Equifax experienced a large data breach that exposed millions of peoples’ sensitive data. Fines, litigation and media uproar ensued. But perhaps most significant was that our government mandated that the big 3 credit bureaus offer free credit freezes to consumers. Previously, the big 3 would charge you a fee any time you requested … Read more