So, “Peggy” from “Computer Maintenance Department” called me again last night. This time I decided to mess with him a bit more. This is the second time. (No, “Peggy” wasn’t his real name, nor did he identify himself as “Peggy,” but that’s the name I’ll use, thanks to that old Discover commercial.)
All posts tagged PDF
“Computer Maintenance Department” called me again from India
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 9, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/05/computer-maintenance-department-called-me-again-from-india/
Firefox 19 is a big security improvement
Mozilla quietly released Firefox 19 this week. Its biggest selling point is a built-in PDF viewer (like Google Chrome does), which makes me more comfortable than having Acrobat Reader installed–Mozilla is generally faster at fixing security holes than Adobe. Besides that, the built-in reader is fast. No waiting for Acrobat to launch. Short documents like [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on February 21, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/02/firefox-19-is-a-big-security-improvement/
Ars Technica looks at asymmetric enryption
Ars Technica posted an overview of asymmetric encryption recently.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on February 18, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/02/ars-technica-looks-at-asymmetric-enryption/
Book scanning on the (relatively) cheap
Ars Technica has a fascinating article on the trials and tribulations of building a book scanner from a kit. They lament the lack of software support, however–namely, a program to convert the image files generated by the digital camera into a PDF. Should I point them in the right direction? Why not? The key is [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on February 15, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/02/book-scanning-on-the-relatively-cheap/
A fast way to turn a pile of images into an Adobe Acrobat PDF file
I have a collection of magazine scans that, inconveniently, came as a series of JPG images rather than as PDFs that are more conducive to reading. To make the files readable on a tablet or e-reader, I needed a way to make them into PDFs. There are any number of ways to do it, but [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on December 3, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/12/a-fast-way-to-turn-a-pile-of-images-into-an-adobe-acrobat-pdf-file/
How I turned my Nook Color into a Cyanogenmod 7.2 Android tablet
So, after most of a year, I finally revisited Cyanogenmod 7.2 on my Nook Color. Competent tablets are available for around $100 now, so perhaps this is less interesting now, but I had a Nook Color, and figured I might as well try it out before spending money on something else. I was never happy [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on November 13, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/11/how-i-turned-my-nook-color-into-a-cyanogenmod-7-2-android-tablet/
How to encrypt PDF files for free
Yesterday I wrote about the importance of encrypting documents before you send them via e-mail. But what if you don’t have a PDF creator, other than Microsoft Office or Open/Libre Office? It turns out you can encrypt PDF documents, including those you create with office software, for free–with caveats.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on October 10, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/10/how-to-encrypt-pdf-files-for-free/
How to send banking documents securely over e-mail
When you’re getting a loan, sometimes you have to send documents like bank statements electronically. If you want the money in those bank accounts to actually stay there, you need to protect those documents before you send them. There are three relatively easy ways to do it, depending on what software you and the person [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on October 9, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/10/how-to-send-banking-documents-securely-over-e-mail/
Certifications are a scam! A rebuttal
I overheard a couple of people talking a few weeks ago, and one said, flat out, “Certifications are a scam!” As one who has two security certifications (Security+ and CISSP), I disagree. Now that I’ve had my first post-CISSP professional review, I disagree even more strongly.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on September 25, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/09/certifications-are-a-scam-a-rebuttal/
Windows 8 promises better security–to a point
At the summer hacker conferences, researchers have been talking up Windows 8 and its improved security. They talk a good game, but here’s the end run around it.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 12, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/08/windows-8-promises-better-security-to-a-point/