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Brute force hacking

Dave Farquhar security June 1, 2018March 18, 2024

Brute force hacking is a crude form of hacking by guessing passwords over and over again until you guess right. As you may guess, it can be rather time consuming. But there are more than 40 gigabytes’ worth of stolen usernames and passwords in circulation that we know about, so obviously, it works.

In computing in general, brute force refers to getting something done inelegantly, relying on persistence and the computer’s ability to repeat things over and over quickly until it’s successful. Here’s how brute force hacking works, and some ways to prevent it.

What is geolocation? And is it good or bad?

Dave Farquhar security May 31, 2018May 19, 2018

What is geolocation? It’s the practice, or some would say black magic, of inferring your geographic location from your computer, phone, or another device. It has legitimate uses, but also can arguably be an invasion of privacy. Here’s how it works, and how to defeat it.

In a nutshell, it works like algebra, where you solve something you don’t know based on two or more things you do know.

Uses of Microsoft Excel

Dave Farquhar Careers, Office May 30, 2018August 3, 2018

Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular pieces of software ever. Many job descriptions cite familiarity with Excel as a requirement, or at least desirable. But no one was born knowing it. So let’s take a look at some uses of Microsoft Excel.

What is a managed service provider?

Dave Farquhar security May 29, 2018May 30, 2018

Managed service providers have really taken off in recent years, partly due to the boom in cloud computing. But what is a managed service provider, and what are the advantages of using one?

What does No Internet Secured mean?

Dave Farquhar Troubleshooting May 28, 2018October 11, 2019

What does No Internet Secured mean? It’s potentially the least helpful error message in all of Windows 10. And it doesn’t help that it doesn’t look at all like an error message either. So let’s talk about what it means when Windows 10 says No Internet, Secured, and more importantly, how to fix it.

What is a runbook?

Dave Farquhar Servers and Networking May 25, 2018May 24, 2018

What is a runbook? It’s an IT phrase you hear thrown around a lot these days and everyone assumes you know what one is. I actually wrote runbooks at a couple of different points in my career without knowing that’s what I was doing. So it’s OK if you don’t know what one is. I’ll explain it.

Best furnace air filter

Dave Farquhar DIY May 24, 2018April 20, 2022

The best furnace air filter to use depends almost entirely on who you ask. You’ll get a very different answer if you ask an HVAC technician than if you ask your doctor. The reason is simple. They both see the purpose of the furnace air filter differently.

Of course, there’s a trade-off for each.

Radio Shack laptops

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 23, 2018March 14, 2024

Tandy didn’t invent the laptop, but Radio Shack sold more laptops than anyone else in the 1980s. Here’s a look back at the pioneering Radio Shack laptops. They may have been unsophisticated by today’s standards, but they were very innovative for their time.

Radio Shack also sold desktop and home computers, but its laptop line was a huge success.
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How to remove latex paint from plastic

Dave Farquhar DIY May 22, 2018November 27, 2018

It’s not hard to remove latex paint from plastic when you need to, even if the paint already dried. Here’s how to remove latex paint from plastic.

What is a bot in computer terms?

Dave Farquhar Software May 21, 2018September 16, 2023

You hear the word “bot” thrown around a lot today. It’s in conversations, on the news, and even in stand-up comedians’ routines. So everyone assumes you know what it means. But what is a bot in computer terms?

Don’t be afraid to ask. I’ll explain it.