Techno babel, decoded.

I probably shouldn't be posting about this but here goes. WTF even is a crypto currency? If you aren't familiar - crypto currencies are a new(er) type of currency that exist exclusively in the digital realm.   They are "mined" by computers solving hashing algorithms to encrypt the currencies. They are based on Block Chain technology which basically means that every transaction is recorded in a block, encrypted, and then built upon providing a chain of evidence so that nothing can be falsified.  (It is WAY more complicated but I'm explaining from a very high level.) So should I just buy bitcoin and get on the bandwagon?  Probably not. This is a HIGH risk, high reward scenario.  You would need to do a LOT of research or have a lot of money to spare to be able to spend time investing/trading/mining crypto currencies.   If you are reading this blog, you probably want to invest your money in something a bit safer. Now, the technology behind crypto-currencie

Did you know that when you are doing online chat with a company you are often talking to a chat bot? They use advanced scripts and keyword searches on what you type in to present answers. Often they present it in such a way that most don't realize they are talking to a bot. Personally I always ask the chat bot if I can speak to a human because if I've called or am trying to chat, I know it has a 95% chance of needing human intervention. Once a chat bot actually taught me something.  You used to have to get a human to manually reset your TWC (Spectrum) modem, but now it can be automated and the request submitted through their website.  Since then, I have had to call TWC less frequently because I can fix a lot of issues myself, but No chat bot has presented me with something I hadn't already researched. However, they are more and more prevalent. Not just in tech support, but there are marketing chat bots now to help sell you on goods and services.  I myself am c

So it never fails, you call tech support and the first thing they ask you to do is REBOOT, right? Have you ever wondered why?  If so I’m here to give you a hopefully not too technical explanation of why techs ask you to do this.  So in order to explain this I need to give you a brief introduction on the basics of how and why computers work. Hardware is the physical computer, the case, the power supply, the motherboard, the central processor chip, video card, hard drive, and ram.   (Same for a phone or tablet.) BIOS:  Basic Input Output System:  This is a tiny piece of software that lives in the hardware of the computer (generally a BIOS chip).  This tells the computer what type of hardware to expect and where to look for the operating system.  Operating System: Is technically software but is really the interface that allows you to communicate with the hardware and software on your computer.  Examples are Windows, Mac OS, iOS Android, Blackberry (seriously people still use t

Smart home devices, like smart locks, thermostats, internet connected appliances so you can leave something prepped in your oven and turn it on when you are heading home, are designed to make our lives easier and more convenient. But guess what, it also opens you up to more dangers and threat vectors from the internet. Many of the smart home devices also send data back to their parent companies.  Smart TV's even had back doors from some vendors to collect data about how you used your smart tv without your consent. They are often low level code and easily hack able. It's great that Alexa can order groceries for you but she can also let hackers into your home network. Make sure you configure every smart home device with whatever internet security features are available. You might consider an IDS appliance on your network that will monitor these for you. I recently purchased this https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/akita-instant-wifi-privacy-for-smart-homes-security#

April 24, 2018.  US and UK issued a joint statement that Russian hackers are conducting extensive attacks on US Small office, Home office, and personal networks. This isn't news, but the fact that it is severe enough to warrant a statement from homeland security means you should really make sure you do something about it. I want to help keep you safe.   Let's take 1 minute to review the easiest most important things you can do to secure your network. Change the default username and password. Disable wi-fi protected setup (WPS). Configure WPA2 instead of WEP (Seriously why is this still available?). Use Long, strong passwords for your username and for the wi-fi login.     For Example:  https://xkcd.com/936/     (15 characters or longer) Update the firmware on your router! Look, I've consulted in IT for 25 years.  I have lost track of how many times I googled a router default username and password to get access to a customer system.