David L. Farquhar on technology old and new, computer security, and more
Right now the only consumer OS that supports DNS over TLS is Android Pie 0r newer. But that doesn’t mean you can’t run DNS over TLS yourself to protect your DNS privacy. Here’s how to implement a local DNS server that uses TLS to talk to upstream DNS servers to keep your ISP and other hostile third parties from seeing your DNS lookups. As a bonus, it caches your requests to speed up your Internet connection, and you can filter out malware domains with it.
There’s a lot to like with this setup.
You can expect any midlevel or higher security certification test to require you to compare and contrast a vulnerability assessment vs penetration test. The difference is important. But since I still see people confusing the two, let me explain them.
I conduct vulnerability assessments for a living. I’ve done some light pentesting in the past, but I’m happier doing assessments. I don’t want to be a penetration tester. That seems strange to some people. Maybe that gives me a good perspective to compare and contrast the two, because both have their uses. But they aren’t interchangeable.
The Apple IIgs was a 16-bit Apple II with a Mac-like user interface. Why did Apple make something like that? Let’s take a look at the Apple IIgs vs Macintosh to understand what the differences were, and what Apple was thinking when they did it.
The Welsh Baby Carriage Company, and its eponymous five-story factory, is a prominent landmark along I-55 in St. Louis. The Welsh Baby Carriage Factory on the south side of downtown no longer bears the company’s name. But the building survives as the Soulard Market Apartments.
A small leak in a basement wall can scare people off. It looks like it should be an expensive repair and a precursor to all sorts of other problems. But there’s a DIY repair for a small basement leak that is easy, inexpensive, and effective.
If the basement wall has severe cracks, you probably need to bring in a professional. Assuming the wall hasn’t moved, you’re looking at a couple hundred dollars to have a professional fix it. If the walls are moving, that’s a bigger issue and definitely needs professional help. But you can fix small leaks yourself cheaply and easily, especially if it’s a chip, not a crack.
How long do graphics cards last? As with anything computer-related, it depends. But as long as the card isn’t abused, it’s not uncommon at all for the card to be obsolete before it stops working.
I’ve advocated using something other than your ISP’s DNS for years. There’s little if any downside to doing so, and tons of upside. My current favorite third-party DNS is Cleanbrowsing.org because it does so much to improve performance and security. Here’s my Cleanbrowsing.org review.
First things first: Don’t worry about how much Cleanbrowsing.org costs. It has useful tiers available as a free service, even though it’s tremendously valuable.
Have I got one weird trick for you. I spent most of a night fighting an SSD not detected in BIOS problem, and the answer was simple. But weird. Even for a guy who once recovered the data off a broken USB thumb drive with two clothespins.
But my clothespins trick was temporary. This is a long-term fix, even if it lacks something in the professionalism department. MacGyver-style computer fixes can be fun.
Chrome OS is a great alternative operating system for secure, modern computing. But did you know you don’t have to just buy a Chromebook or Chromebox? Did you know you can install Chrome OS on an old laptop or PC? Here’s how, and why you might want to do so.
Setting up a printer on a Chromebook is quite a bit different from what you’re used to on a Mac or Windows PC. Google provides cloud printing and similar functionality to make it easy, but it doesn’t work with all printers, especially older printers. Believe it or not, new Chromebooks work great with ancient HP Laserjets. So here’s what I learned about how to print from a Chromebook to an HP printer.
It’s not super user friendly but this is still fairly new functionality. It works well if you know the trick. And this is important. I like Chromebooks. But you won’t like Chromebooks if you can’t do the stuff you want on them. Not everyone does a ton of printing anymore, but printing is basic functionality that people expect to be able to do. You won’t care how secure a Chromebook is if you can’t do basic functions.