"I love Michael Horowitz - Personal Web Site"

2022-05-08 11:11:58

Michael Horowitz This is my personal web site When printed, this page will be automatically re-formatted. There are no separate "Printer Friendly" versions of pages on this site. To preview the printed format, use Print Preview in your browser. [Formatted for Printing] The personal web site of Michael Horowitz About me Contact RSS Feed @defensivecomput F_ck Russia (except Alexei Navalny, of course) This is my personal website.See more about me. I tweet at @defensivecomput My latest website: DefensiveComputingChecklist.com is a list, both of things to be aware of, and specific defensive steps that we can take in response to assorted threats. Don't miss the VPN page and the page with Domain Name rules. The site went live in March 2019. My other website is RouterSecurity.org which I started late in 2015. On March 7, 2022 it passed 8 million page views. In July 2014, I spoke on Securing a Home Router at the HOPE conference. See the presentation (PDF), hear the audio, read about it or see the video. In November 2017, I spoke about Router Security at the O'Reilly Security Conference. The talk was very different from the first one. See a PDF of the slides or watch the video. My most important blogs The world's BEST password advice Created: Aug 2019 | Last Update: February 17, 2022 A second router can make working from home much more secure Created: Sept 25, 2020 | Last Update: Jan. 25, 2022 My recent blogsKicking the tires on the pcWRT router Jan. Feb 2022Windows 10 spies on your use of System Settings October 23, 2021The Adobe PDF Reader occupies a massive 2 Gigabytes on Windows October 13, 2021Using ProtonMail encrypted messages with a normal email account October 2, 2021A firewall rule can help block ransomware August 29, 2021Hiding on a Wi-Fi network August 4, 2021Lowering the Shields - the down side to ad/tracker blocking July 31, 2021More strange network activity from an iPad May 20, 2021 (updated May 22)Bing prefers miserable Router Security advice May 15, 2021 (updated June 22)Asus router firmware: How do you prefer your bugs? New or Old? May 11, 2021Banned by Bing April 26, 2021 (Updated May 16))First impressions of the Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Chromebook April 13, 2021The misery of a Linksys router January 2, 2021Location Tester What does your browser know about your location? November 10, 2020 Two Chromebooks compared - the Lenovo Flex 5 and Google Pixelbook Go November 5, 2020 Another miserable visit to an Apple September 21, 2020You will be spied on August 27, 2020 (updated Sept 4)My Android tablet spied on me while we both (me and the tablet) were sleeping June 29, 2020 What is my iPad doing? It made strange outbound connections. June 18, 2020 Windows Update vs. a Router May 28, 2020Windows 10: Default apps by file type (Microsoft makes miserable software) May 11, 2020Internet Speed Tests Testing the testers. March 24, 2020 (updated April 1st)Shame on American Express and evaluating a phishing email March 18, 2020Submitting Data with HTTP and HTTPS February 27, 2020 | Updated Dec. 30, 2020.A sample Mixed Mode web page February 27, 2020Hover a mouse over a link - just don't trust the results February 16, 2020 (updated Sept 30, 2021)A nifty router firmware trick December 23, 2019Web browser fingerprinting - testing the testers November 27, 2019Judging a VPN by its website November 22, 2019Tracking down a port 53 (DNS) mystery October 25, 2019Private IP addresses on the Public Internet What the heck? October 20, 2019The only way to fight Windows 10 spying is in your router October 15, 2019Faster Backups - Tales From The Trenches September 25, 2019Hidden Wi-Fi Networks on a Synology Router September 20, 2019Firefox Send is broken in many ways September 11, 2019About the Guardian iOS Firewall App August 2, 2019Strange network things: the Brave Browser and UDP port 137 July 15, 2019 (Updated Aug. 17, 2021)Twitter has a few problems with email June 20, 2019Debugging a Chromebook Powerwashing has a side benefit June 14, 2019 Asking the Wrong Question The Elephant in the room. Commentary on the state of IT May 30, 2019 Barbarians at the gate Attacks/Probes of a router May 28, 2019 Ticketmaster fails three times I could not buy tickets on their website April 30, 2019 Why I like my router About the Pepwave Surf SOHO April 26, 2019 Is Word 2016 spying on users? April 18, 2019. Updated Nov 27, 2020Saved by my router - debugging a network problem. March 4, 2019Two things about Eero routers having nothing to do with Amazon February 18, 2019. Updated Feb. 26th.Reporting a UPnP quirk in a Netgear router February 16, 2019I found a Windows 7 PC still infected with GWX (Get Windows 10) software January 14, 2019Blocking Windows Update on Windows 10 with C disk freespace January 8, 2019 A case of bad IT at Lord & Taylor Normal, ordinary screw-ups January 4, 2019 Killing Windows Update on Windows 10 - a cheat sheet Sometimes stability trumps patching December 5, 2018 Defending against Windows 10 bug fixes Anyone using Windows 10 should read this. Last updated Dec 18, 2018. First released Oct 20, 2018. Spying on web browser history. News or not? November 5, 2018. Using a router to defend against Xiongmai video devices October 10, 2018 Tales from the trenches - Ethernet LEDs October 8, 2018 Windows Update on Windows 7 is not secure September 24, 2018 (and its buggy too) Making Windows 10 a bit more private by blocking Cortana with firewall rules September 3, 2018Audio problems with the MLB At Bat app A story from the trenches of technology July 30, 2018A hidden Firefox feature easily verifies websites July 15, 2018Debunking the New York Times on Router Security and VPNFilter Lots of errors in an article. June 17, 2018VPNFilter router malware - just the bad stuff June 4, 2018An insecure credit union website in Texas. A trend? May 6, 2018Insecure bank websites South Central in Kentucky and First National in Pennsylvania May 3, 2018 Routers are constantly being probed - An examination of a firewall log March 19, 2018 Some Routers can force their DNS servers onto all devices to make them safer March 5, 2018 Using a Ubiquiti AmpliFi Mesh Point to extend a non-AmpliFi Wi-Fi network February 27, 2018 Windows 10 Forced Updates Yet another reason to dislike Windows 10. January 30, 2018 Windows 7 users without 3rd party antivirus can get the January patches without manually updating the Registry How? MSE. January 19, 2018 Explaining a CPU flaw with an analogy January 5, 2018 Donating privately to NPR December 9, 2017 Some thoughts on the F-Secure Freedome VPN December 6, 2017 (updated Dec. 12, 2017) NBC News promotes a web browser extension that can spy on you November 26, 2017 Net Neutrality Explained by Examples November 24, 2017 People do care about Router Security November 22, 2017 Lying to non techies November 9, 2017 A tale of two cable modems Netgear vs. Arris October 25, 2017 The downside of Security Software on Windows October 23, 2017The Best Security for Wireless Networks October 17, 2017 at eSecurity Planet. A thorough revision of an introductory article that stood the test of time. ComputerWorld Defensive Computing Blog:For 8 years, I blogged about Defensive Computing at Computerworld WifiInfoView is a great Wi-Fi utility for Windows Now with extra data. September 18, 2017 Testing an AmpliFy mesh point as a Wi-Fi extender Initial setup. August 7, 2017 Tweaking Internet Explorer to only use TLS 1.2 July 24, 2017 If you're going to lose a laptop, better it be a Chromebook July 21, 2017 This was the basis for a follow-up article at Chromebook Live (in French) Verifying and testing that Firefox is restricted to TLS 1.2 July 16, 2017 Restricting Firefox to TLS version 1.2 makes browsing safer July 13, 2017 A Chromebook can increase the protection of air gapped computers June 28, 2017 Are Android bug fixes worth $510 when buying a phone? June 20, 2017 Flash Player Updated just 3 days after an update June 18, 2017 The Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool has been updated for WannaCry May 26, 2017 Windows Defender does not defend Windows 7 against WannaCry May 21, 2017 The Windows firewall is the overlooked defense against WannaCry and Adylkuzz May 19, 2017 Patching Windows XP against WannaCry ransomware May 14, 2017 Third party antivirus programs interfere with Windows Defender critical patch Avast, in particular May 10, 2017 7 mistakes Google made updating my Google Wifi router May 8, 2017 Asus router warnings on privacy and security May 5, 2017 Bookmarking some IP addresses now provides easy DNS debugging later May 1, 2017 How seven mesh routers deal with WPS 5 of 7 don't support it. One does push-button only. April 28, 2017 An introduction to six types of VPN software April 15, 2017 How to test your home network for a Telnet vulnerability April 12, 2017 VPNs on a Chromebook: a scorecard of VPN providers April 6, 2017 Triple your privacy with a Chromebook and two VPNs March 31, 2017. Thinking out of the box Ubiquiti called out for security flaw March 19, 2017 Defensive Computing for email attachments March 15, 2017 Computers in the news -- how much can we trust what we read? Hint: Not much. March 9, 2017 A hard learned lesson in VPNs and secure websites March 6, 2017 Defensive Computing and the Academy Awards March 2, 2017 How to immediately update Flash in Chrome February 14, 2017 President Bannon Chrome Extension is a security problem, not a joke February 6, 2017 Spyware on a Chromebook Applies to all instances of the Chrome browser January 25, 2017 2016 The Netgear router flaw post mortem -- plenty of blame to go around December 24, 2016 Updates and more on the Netgear router vulnerability December 17, 2016 Easily exploited Netgear router flaw discovered December 10, 2016 Blame the ISPs rather than the routers December 3, 2016 Getting started with the Ubiquiti AmpliFi mesh router November 23, 2016 Bloomberg says Apple is getting out of the router business Not really the topic. November 22, 2016 Another HNAP flaw in D-Link routers And, how to test if your router supports HNAP. November 11, 2016 Windows Update on Windows 7 is fast again Yippee. November 6, 2016 The continuing slowness of Windows Update on Windows 7 November 4, 2016 Why OpenDNS succeeded where ISP DNS failed when Dyn was unavailable October 25, 2016 Testing for vulnerable IoT devices using ShieldsUp! port probes. October 22, 2016 Today's Internet DNS outage and me About DNS. October 21, 2016 Tweaking WSH helps defend Windows PCs from malicious email attachments October 16, 2016 Taking a break from Windows Update October 9, 2016 Kim Komando offers flawed advice on router security October 8, 2016 What the Ubiquiti AmpliFi mesh router is missing Hint: Remote Administration. October 1, 2016 The Social Security website is now secure Some good news for a change. September 25, 2016 Dealing with VPNs on a Chromebook running Android apps September 23, 2016 A Defensive Computing term paper on privacy: VPNs, Tor and VPN routers September 18, 2016 Apple websites can leak Apple ID passwords September 14, 2016 Trusting the Social Security Administration? September 4, 2016 Windows Update update - You're welcome everyone August 17, 2016 A router security cheat sheet August 16, 2016 ISP outage: my personal disaster recovery August 12, 2016 A bug fix bake-off Comparing how Windows 7/8, iOS9, OS X Yosemite and Chrome OS install OS bug fixes. August 5, 2016 Backing up to the cloud? Read the fine print About accidentally deleting files. July 30, 2016 TP-LINK lost control of two domains used to configure routers and Wi-Fi extenders July 4, 2016 This got some traction: here, here, audio, here, here, here, here, and here. Blocking JavaScript can stop some Windows malware June 29, 2016 Lessons and observations from the GoToMyPC hacking incident June 24, 2016 Windows 10 forced updates - lots of blame to go around June 13, 2016 Upgrading to Windows 10 and questioning the New York Times Note: two pages long. June 2, 2016 And, at AskWoody.com, Michael Horowitz takes on the Win10 FUD and hits the New York Times. A web page consumes a constant 25% of the CPU - after it has loaded May 25, 2016 Dealing with a problematic Chromebook - Part 2 May 20, 2016 Dealing with a problematic Chromebook - Part 1 May 17, 2016 Windows Update on Windows 7 is still a problem May 15, 2016 The shame of Windows Update on Windows 7. May 8, 2016 Patching Windows 7 can be painfully slow But, there are 4 patches to fix it. April 27, 2016 An experiment with a secure web browser fails Remotely control a Chromebook? Nah. April 18, 2016 A handy tip about updating Flash in the Chrome browser April 14, 2016 More Adobe mistakes with Flash April 11, 2016 Screwed by a VPN April 5, 2016 Blocking Windows 10 with Never10 March 31, 2016 Router Security done wrong February 29, 2016 Poor Wi-Fi security - my visit to the dentist February 3, 2016 Defending a network from the NSA February 1, 2016 Defending yourself from Amazon.com January 29, 2016 Sub-optimal computer advice from the New York Times January 14, 2016 Flash has been updated again. Seriously. Really. No joke. January 2, 2016 2015 When it comes to bugs, the Adobe Flash Players cup runeth over December 28, 2015 To share or not to share - a look at Guest Wi-Fi networks December 13, 2015 Buying a surge protector remains hard December 6, 2015 The D-Link DIR860L router - how secure can it get? Extra long, don't miss page 2 November 20, 2015 How secure can your router get? November 10, 2015 Controlling Chrome plugins: Lessons learned the hard way October 26, 2015 Trusting Lenovo A follow-up to the prior blog. October 20, 2015 Lenovo collects usage data on ThinkPad, ThinkCentre and ThinkStation PCs September 22, 2015. This got some traction: Lenovo issued an official response Statement on Lenovo Statistical Data Collection 3 days later Steve Gibson picked up on it in his Security Now podcast. I am 44 minutes in Cory Doctorow went a bit overboard Matthew Hughes at MakeUseOf said not to buy Lenovo PCs Lenovo updated their documentation on the subject at least 3 times since the blog Wi-Fi at DEF CON - dealing with the worlds most dangerous network August 23, 2015 Flash click-to-play on Chrome breaks Ticketmaster August 19, 2015 Stop the Flash Player madness - 5 new bugs a week August 16, 2015. This was picked up on by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols in Adobe Flash: Kill it now A look at the security of Wi-Fi on a plane August 6, 2015 Reviewing the Windows Scheduler with TaskSchedulerView from Nir Sofer August 2, 2015 Windows 10 is for Suckers July 28, 2015 Linksys Smart WiFi makes a stupid Guest network June 25, 2015 The NetUSB router flaw Part 2 - Detection and Mitigation June 20, 2015 What most people don't know about the NetUSB router flaw - Part 1 June 16, 2015 Some perspective on Flash Player bugs And, 4 defensive strategies May 17, 2015 Insecure routers hacked yet again May 13, 2015Security issues at the HP online store May 5, 2015 SSL/TLS/HTTPS: keeping the public UNinformed A rant. April 13, 2015 Web browsers are also to blame for Lenovo's Superfish fiasco Tell us the CA vouching for secure sites. Also at cio.com March 7, 2015Bloatware free Windows computers Both buying and keeping February 28, 2015 Using a router to block a modem A follow-up to the previous blog February 23, 2015 Talk to your modem February 5, 2015. Steve Gibson discussed this on his Security Now podcast (Question 7) Down the rabbit hole with NOD32 antivirus January 19, 2015 Recovering lost bookmarks in the Chrome browser on Windows 7 January 5, 2015 2014 Fighting with a broken Windows Update - Part 2 November 24, 2014 Windows Update is broken on XP November 21, 2014 Wi-Fi security vs. government spies November 3, 2014 What's new with Java October 31, 2014 SSL,TLS, POODLE, email, Fastmail, Popcorn and me October 15, 2014 Fallout from the JPMorgan Chase breach October 11, 2014 A router firmware update goes bad (and, what to do about it) October 6, 2014 Scammed by EarthLink September 23, 2014 In Aug. 2014 Computerworld re-did their website. Initially, the reader comments disappeared, then many of them returned. The re-design has left a lasting effect on page layouts. If the blogs below have images all over the place, that's why. Financial firms not offering two factor authentication (so use Chromebook Guest Mode) August 12, 2014 Consumer Reports drops the ball on airport Wi-Fi August 7, 2014 The security flaws in Tails Linux are not its only problem July 25, 2014 Protecting email at a hacker conference July 10, 2014 Comcast XFINITY WiFi: Just say no June 27, 2014Five days after this article was published, PCWorld covered the exact same topic. Co-incidence? Xfinity WiFi we're all hotspots, but you don't have to be July 2, 2014 The Woops of WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) raises its ugly head again April 12, 2014 Why Chrome OS should have fewer bugs than other operating systems March 12, 2014 Chromebooks are a revolution in Easy March 4, 2014 Chromebooks defend against the Flash Player February 26, 2014 A Chromebook offers Defensive Computing when traveling February 14, 2014 The Adobe Reader consumes mass quantities of hard drive space February 6, 2014 How and why to check port 32764 on your router January 27, 2014 CNET Defensive Computing BlogFrom July 2007 through November 2008 I wrote a Defensive Computing blog for CNET. Here is an index of those blog postings.My old retired websites JavaTester.org has been retired after 30 million page views. An applet that I wrote reported the version of Java used in your browser. For now, the site still exits.FlashTester.org started off as just a link to the Adobe tester page that reported on the version of Flash used in your browser. It also kept a monthly Flash release history from 2003 through 2019. The site was retired in January 2020. Here is what it looked like at the end.My First Public Blog I started out at Blogger from January through July 2007. michael --at-- michaelhorowitz.com stats Last Updated: April 14, 2022 10PM UTC Viewed 803,203 times since June 1, 2014 (277/day over 2,898 days)Copyright 2001-2022