Michael Horowitz
Michael Horowitz wrote his first computer program in 1973 and has been a computer nerd ever since. He spent 20 years working in an IBM mainframe environment as both an application developer and a DB2 DBA. He then spent a few years working in the Research and Development group of a large Wall Street firm. He has also done technical writing and teaching. He is an independent consultant who has long been focused on Defensive Computing. His personal site is michaelhorowitz.com. This is a weblog of Michael Horowitz. The opinions expressed here are those of Michael Horowitz and may not represent those of Computerworld.
Third party antivirus programs interfere with Windows Defender critical patch
To install the latest Windows Defender update, I had to fight it out with Avast antivirus. It took a few rounds, but in the end, I won.
7 mistakes Google made updating my Google Wifi router
Google Wifi mesh routers may be great on speed and range, but the automated software update process leaves something to be desired.
Asus router warnings on privacy and security
Before buying an Asus router, it would be wise to read Daniel Aleksandersen's review of the stock Asus firmware, especially the privacy issues regarding the included Trend Micro software.
Bookmarking some IP addresses now provides easy DNS debugging later
DNS is a world-wide system that translates the name of computers on the Internet into their underlying IP address. A problem with DNS can make an otherwise functional Internet connection appear to be broken. It's easy to test an...
How seven mesh routers deal with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)
Wi-Fi protected setups are a security nightmare in routers. Here are seven new mesh router systems (Eero, Google Wifi, Netgear Orbi, Linksys Velop, Plume, Luma, Ubiquiti AmpliFi) and how they support WPS.
An introduction to six types of VPN software
Anyone interested in a VPN to protect their privacy from their Internet Service Provider needs to be aware of the six types of available VPN software.
How to test your home network for a Telnet vulnerability
Is anything on your network vulnerable to PDoS from Brickerbot?
VPNs on a Chromebook: a scorecard of VPN providers
Interested in using a VPN on a Chromebook? Here is a scorecard of VPN providers that do and do not support Chrome OS.
Triple your privacy with a Chromebook and two VPNs
In response to privacy invasions by internet service providers, a Chromebook and two VPNs should offer great security, privacy and anonymity.
Ubiquiti called out for security flaw
SEC Consult reported a flaw four months ago. Still no fix.
Defensive Computing for email attachments
Email attachments are the modern Trojan Horse and need to be treated as such.
Computers in the news -- how much can we trust what we read?
A big part of Defensive Computing is knowing who to trust. Oftentimes, when reporting on technical computer issues, the media does not deserve that trust.
A hard learned lesson in VPNs and secure websites
My personal information was potentially exposed while using a credit card online. A secondary website, invoked to provide extra identity validation, was triggered by using a VPN. Unlike the primary payment processor, this secondary...
Defensive Computing and the Academy Awards
Sunday nights screw-up naming the Best Picture at the Oscars offers a lesson in defensive thinking, if not exactly in Defensive Computing.
How to immediately update Flash in Chrome
Chrome can take a while to update its embedded copy of the Adobe Flash Player. On days like today, when Adobe released a new copy of Flash, this can leave you vulnerable. A simple procedure forces the update.
President Bannon Chrome Extension is a security problem, not a joke
Pretending that Steve Bannon is really the President was funny when Saturday Night Live did it on their opening bit. Then today, Business Insider wrote about a Google Chrome extension that replaces every mention of "Trump" with "Steve...
Spyware on a Chromebook
Two more cases of Chrome extensions that have way too much latitude.
The Netgear router flaw post mortem -- plenty of blame to go around
In the recent Netgear router flaw, its easy to blame Netgear for ignoring the initial report of the vulnerability. They have since admitted that it fell through the cracks. But there appears to be plenty of blame to go around.
Updates and more on the Netgear router vulnerability
On December 9, 2016 we first learned of a command injection vulnerability in some Netgear routers. In the worst case, simply viewing a malicious web page could result in your router being hacked. What follows is a recap and expansion...