Using the autocomplete function in Internet Explorer to save user names and passwords or having Firefox remember passwords for sites is not a secure method of storing passwords.
I was recently checking out a handy little utility program called System Information for Windows when I clicked on an icon called ‘Secrets’ and BAM! there were all of my user names and passwords that were stored in my Firefox browser.
Eeek! I did a little research and found free utilities that can access your Firefox and Internet Explorer saved passwords – a potential security hole a mile wide. The video below shows the problem and what to do about it.
The solution for Firefox passwords can be adding a master password that you enter each time Firefox starts and you go to a page that needs your user name and password. It stays in effect until you close Firefox.
There’s no remedy for Internet Explorer other than to disable autocomplete. While the passwords are encrypted, all you need is to be logged into your Windows profile to access the passwords.
The video also shows how to turn autocomplete on and turn autocomplete off in IE and to clear your autocomplete file.
One solution discussed is RoboForm. It cost $29.95 but may be worth it. It sits in your browsers and stores encrypted passwords, name, address, etc. for use as needed.
If anyone out there has another solution please comment below..
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If you are a local business owner and are running a special on one of your products, should you advertise in the local paper or on the web?
According to the latest AdWeek Media/Harris Poll it depends on your target market. The specific question the survey asked was “When you are looking for a bargain, which of the following types of advertising, if any, do you believe is most likely to help you find one?”
Of the over 2,000 adults surveyed 23% say the best bargains are in newspapers and magazines, 18% say the Internet is best and 34% say it makes no difference.
But, when you break it down by age groups…
When looking for the best bargains, different age groups have different ideas of where to look. Those 18-34 are more likely to say online ads (22%) and television commercials (17%) are the best places to go while those 35-44 years old go online (26%). The older one is, the more likely they are to use newspaper and magazine advertisements, as 24% of those 44-54 and one-third of those 55 and older (33%) say those are media most likely to help them find the best bargain.
In other words, if your product is slanted at a younger age group, you’ll get a better response with online ads. If you are targeting an older group your newspaper ad may get a better response.
Females had a slightly higher bias toward newspapers/magazines/catalogs, men had a higher preference for online ads.
29% of college graduates chose online ads for bargains while only 12% of high-school grads did.
So it pays to know your target market. While the difference isn’t all that much, you should gear your print ads toward products for older women and online ads for younger, college-educated males..
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Most small business owners start out doing everything themselves. If you continue doing everything, your business can’t grow. That leaves two options: outsource or hire local employees.
The do-gooder government has made hiring local employees a real hassle. pay requirements, Equal Opportunity, payroll taxes, and the possibility of getting sued if you try and fire someone, just to name a few.
Your other option is outsourcing. It’s just like hiring the services of an independent contractor and in the new digital age that contractor can be local, national or international. Contractors can by hired for a specific project or for continuing operations.
Here are the advantages of outsourcing: Continue reading .
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Google has announced that it is adding location oriented suggestions in it’s Mobile searches. This is in regular Google search, not just Google Maps.
It is, according to Google,
an improvement to Google.com search suggestions offered on Android powered devices and iPhone. Now, Google will offer suggestions based on the phone’s current or last location, making the suggestions more relevant.
From the comments on Google’s Mobile blog the effort has started off with spotty results, but the idea its that eventually you will just have to start typing a search into google.com on you mobile phone and search suggestions will load based on your location.
This will be an advantage for local businesses because potential customers don’t always know to use Google Maps to find your business, although you have to turn on “Save recent locations” and “Allow use of device location” under the Settings link on the google.com home page to use the new feature.
The point is, that with advancing technology it will become even easier for people to find your business using their mobile phones..
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We always recommend that our clients use secure measures for their data, including encrypting data on USB Flash drives. That way, if they get lost or stolen, no harm done, right?
Not anymore. Certain Kingston, SanDisk and Verbatim drives using AES-256 encryption are no longer safe, and the reason is so stupid as to be unbelievable.
Here’s how it works. You enter your password, a signal is sent to the encryption program which then encrypts or decrypts the file(s).
The problem is, no matter what your password is, if it’s valid the same signal is sent to the encryption/decryption process. All three manufacturers have USB drives with the same problem! Continue reading .
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I just came across a study on so-called “green marketing”. The complete study costs $479 but there is an executive summary that has some interesting findings.
33% of respondents said green marketing was more effective than normal, 7% said it was less effective, and 60% said it made no difference or they didn’t know.
DIDN’T KNOW? What percentage didn’t know whether the money they spent on advertising was effective? If you can’t track the results, don’t spend the money – a rant I’ll save for another post.
Smaller companies with advertising budgets less than $250,000 spent over 26% on green marketing, larger companies (> $50 million ad budget) spent just 6% on green marketing. Continue reading .
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