Heartbleed Report
 Heartbleed is a vulnerability in the software called Open SSL (SecureSocket Layer). Open SSL is used to protect information moving through web traffic. Websites that process secure transactions between you and them use Open SSL to make sure that the transaction is not open to viewing by others. A discovered flaw (Heartbleed) has allowed others access to this data. More importantly, this flaw has been in existence for two years time and was only recently discovered. Adding insult to injury, thieves using this flaw could have gotten in to a website and back out again without leaving any trace!!!
How do you know if a site you have shared personal information with was or still is vulnerable? The answer is we really don't. Yahoo is certainly on the list and if you follow this link you can view a number of the major sites that have been vulnerable. As of this newsletter publication date it is estimated that there are 300,000 sites that have as of yet not taken action to patch their website.
What to do? Watch your financial statements carefully over the next month or two. You should certainly change your passwords for any and all sites where you have personal data at risk, especially sites where you've used a credit card. Before you do that though, check this website to make sure that the site is now secure.
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 Microsoft's official position? Here! If you're still using a computer that runs XP then there are certain precautions you should take to mitigate your risk, now that Microsoft has made it clear that it has terminated support. If you're using Microsoft Security Essentials (MSSE), then you've been receiving messages telling you that you're no longer protected and that's sort of true. Microsoft  will discontinue updates to its Anti-Virus (A/V) product but not until July 14, 2015. That's better than a year away. Nevertheless, I personally, find the MSSE warning and their icon in the system tray being red all the time disheartening. So switch to another free product. Most other A/V companies, including my recommendations, Avast and Avira, have assured everyone that their product will support Windows XP into at least 2016. Take note with both of these products to select only the Free version and to resist urges to upgrade. Not only is there no additional virus protection offered with the paid version, but most XP computers are older and will bog down under the additional software delivered with the paid version of these products.
If you're using Outlook Express, switch to Outlook, which is less of a security risk. That because Outlook Express is integral to XP and was replaced with other tools in Windows Vista and Windows 7. In fact Office 2003 is also being discontinued along with Windows XP and technically should be replaced with Office 2007, 2010 or 2013.
As I've indicated before, the JAVA plug-in in your browser is frequently exploited by virus and malware writers. Uninstall it or turn the plug-in off and use it only if a website isn't working properly without it.
Stop using Internet Explorer and switch to Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome which are better supported. Also check your plug-ins to make sure there's no vulnerability. A plugin is an add-on to a browser that lets it add a feature to your webpage. Java, Flash Player and Shockwave are all Plugins. You can't watch a Youtube video without the Flash Player Plugin. Check your plugin here. This website will check plug-ins being used in any browser not only Firefox.
Interestingly, Microsoft has announced, this week, a security patch update for all versions of Internet Explorer to include those versions that run on Windows XP.
If you're having trouble with the message at the top of this panel and checking the box does not make it go way then Go to Control Panel and then to schedule tasks. Delete the two tasks (See image below; Windows XP end of Service) and restart your computer.
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Netflix anybody? You no longer need to have an ongoing TV service. You don't need cable, FIOS TV or Dish. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and a variety of other streaming video providers will bring a slew of TV series as well as recent and older movies to your TV via the internet connection you now have. In my experience, most people are not in fact dropping their TV service, though some are scaling back premium services such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Stars, Encore.... That's because these Netflix like services provide the same content, on demand, for substantially less money. Netflix is presently $9 a month, current subscribers will continue to pay $8 for now. All the other steaming services are pretty much the same or less money. Netflix has just signed a deal with HBO to stream their entire library.
What you need to take advantage of these services is an internet enabled TV (Smart TV), an AppleTV (device) or one of the many Blu-Ray players with a built in Wifi connection. Most, if not all of thse appliances have wired network capability as well, but you would need to have the TV pretty close to your router to take advantage of the wired connection. Whereas with wireless all you need to be is within range of your router's wifi signal.
Once you connect the Smart TV or Blu-Ray to your wireless network, you sign up for the service you want, give them a credit card and you're off and running. You can select movies and shows to queue up from either the TV or from your computer. The throughput is smooth because these services cache enough frames ahead of time and continues to cache so that you viewing is neither interrupted nor choppy. Each member of your household is welcome to build their personal queue or playlist.
If you're wifi connection is too far from where you watch TV and you're having difficulties you can add wireless access points and other types of range extenders that will carry your signal to the desired location without having to drill holes in the walls and run cables. Call me for help.
These boxes also provide access to a variety of music services like Pandora that are free. You Tube is also free and you can browse the internet through the connection. Finally, the cost of a quality brand Blu-Ray these days is less than $100.
The studies are in and in the words of Bruce Springsteen, there are 57 channels and there's nothing on. In fact there are on average 189 stations in a providers network and the analysis (Nielsen) reveals that any given household watches no more than 9% of those stations. Nine! If you're paying cable $6+ a month for each cable box, why not swap some if not all of those cable boxes for one $9 monthly subscription.
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Spying on Cell Phone Everything
If you're interested in spying on your kids cell phone, there's an app for that, Mspy. Once installed on your computer and the cell phone(s) you want to monitor, you're good to go. Text, phone calls, emails, you name it and you can see it, all without the cell user's knowledge.
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VIRUS ALERT!
I received this email and you might get one that is similar. This is not the first time I've received this type of message. This is an attempt to gain access to some of your personal information, either by inserting a virus or some malware on your machine or it's an attempt to gain some password. The first inclination is to click on one of the two buttons provided. Take a closer look at the sending email address and see that these rocket scientists have it as from someone at fedex.com, not Facebook.com. Duh! Now why would someone at Fedex be involved in a Facebook notification. When you have any doubt about the validity of an email, go to the source. In this case you would sign in to your Facebook account directly via a web browser.
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MEO will encrypt any and all data on your computer your information for free.
You buy an airline ticket and the price drops! If you've booked with JetBlue and a variety of other airlines, you can actually get a refund of the difference. Check out Yapta.
No drug plan? Try GoodRX. Enter the medication and the site will find the least expensive place to buy it.
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Restaurant doesn't do reservations? Try No-wait. (IOS & Android) Real time reports on your favorite sporting team on your phone. Try Bleacher Reports. (IOS & Android)
And if you're at the stadium try Hungry Fan. It tells you what food is available and where to find it. (IOS)
The newest innovations, tips and tricks for Android at this (new) Greenbot website.
My Mail picks up all your email in one fell swoop and makes it easy to manage. For Android and IOS.
Duo Lingo quicky translates into the local vernacular. English to Spanish, Italian, French, German and Portuguese. Free for Android and IOS.
If you're looking to move over the summer, try Homesnap. Take a picture of the house you like, with your phone, and Homesnap will instantly tell you whether it's on the market, its current sale price or what it sold for last, the number of bedrooms, square footage and more. (IOS & Android)
While you're looking use Sitegeist for neighborhood demographics such as average income and education level. For IOS and Android.
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I make DVD, BluRay, Chromecast and Roku connections for that Netflix account or to watch web content on your TV.
I also connect your Homelink and your garage door.
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