Newsletter Archives

• Reviewing your subscriptions

  Posted on December 23, 2024 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  On an annual basis, I like to review those subscriptions and services that impact my bank account.

  Many times, vendors use the end of a year to change their focus or — as is apt to happen more recently — increase their prices. You should do the same. Review each and every subscription to make sure it’s delivering the value you expect.

  One recent announcement? YouTube TV just raised its price by $10 per month, a 14% increase.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.52.0, 2024-12-23).

  On Security Backup Software, Browser Protection, Endpoint Protection, Newsletters, Password managers, Patch Lady Posts, Software Subscriptions, VPN, Windows 10 ESU

• Must your password manager be multiuser or just single-user?

  Posted on March 18, 2024 at 02:44 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  So many websites these days require usernames and passwords of varying lengths and strengths that installing a secure password manager to keep track of them all is almost a necessity.

  But there are big differences between versions of password managers that are designed for a single user (for example, you) and versions that can securely inform multiple users about all the credentials your home or business has created.

  Today’s column is the final piece of my four-part analysis of password managers.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.12.0, 2024-03-18).

  Public Defender Bitwarden, Dashlane, Newsletters, Passkeys, Password managers, Passwords

• Store your passwords locally or in the cloud?

  Posted on March 4, 2024 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Do you create a different username-password combination for every website where you register? This can prevent a data breach at one site from revealing to a hacker how you sign in at other sites. But it almost demands that you install a password-manager app to remember every combo.

  All password managers, however, do not keep your secrets equally secure.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.10.0, 2024-03-04).

  Public Defender Bitwarden, Cloud storage, Dashlane, Database Breaches, Newsletters, Passkeys, Password managers, Passwords

• Can you use a free password manager, or must you pay?

  Posted on February 19, 2024 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  We all face security threats on the Internet. A common recommendation by tech pundits is this: at each website where you register, enter a different username-password combination.

  Remembering all those combos — especially if you make up random strings, such as 6!p#o&a0%9b — almost forces you to install software called a password manager. But do you really have to?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.08.0, 2024-02-19).

  Public Defender Bitwarden, Dashlane, Newsletters, Passkeys, Password managers, Passwords

• Do you need a password manager?

  Posted on February 5, 2024 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  It seems we all have to deal with different usernames and passwords for every website we visit and every device we own. The situation is rapidly changing, as I’ll explain below. But at the moment, the need for you to remember or juggle all these credentials can strain your brain.

  One approach that many pundits recommend is to invest your time and money in a password manager. The best of these apps can store for you hundreds of passwords, make up ridiculously strong password strings that are impossible to guess, alert you if one of your passwords was exposed in an Internet security breach, and more.

  My column today is the first in a four-part series. In this multipart analysis, I’ll explain the pros and cons of the highest-rated password managers and, most importantly, whether you need one at all.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.06.0, 2024-02-05).

  Public Defender Newsletters, Passkeys, Password managers, Passwords

• The season of devices

  Posted on September 4, 2023 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  It’s the time of the year when PSLs hit the menu.

  What? You don’t know what PSL means? Of course you do, because Pumpkin Spice Lattes arrive at those coffee shops you find on nearly every street corner. You can’t miss them.

  As summertime fades into fall, it’s also the season of rumors about the new phones and tablets that will soon hit the headlines. And that means it’s time for me to take a hard look at all my devices in this category.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.36.0, 2023-09-04).

  On Security Android, Backups, Battery charging, Battery life, iOS, iPhone, Newsletters, Password managers, Passwords, Patch Lady Posts

• An audio problem in Win10, a forgotten app, and a Dropbox update

  Posted on October 4, 2020 at 21:00 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  SHORTS

  By TB Capen

  Controlling audio in Windows has always been one of those things that should be really simple — but aren’t.

  Recently, I ran into another audio problem that really had me flummoxed. When I was watching a Netflix movie on my PC, inside a Firefox tab, audio came through just fine on my USB headphones. But if I unplugged them, there was no audio from the speakers attached to the machine’s audio-out port.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.39.0 (2020-10-05).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Windows 10 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Audio controls, Benchmarks, Dropbox, Password managers, Windows Experience Index

• Freeware Spotlight — Infinite Password Generator

  Posted on January 6, 2020 at 01:00 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  BEST UTILITIES

  By Deanna McElveen

  If you’re looking for a password-keeper/-generator app, there are plenty offered for nearly any platform.

  It should be no surprise that my preference is a password manager that’s both simple and portable — such as Yuku Sugianto’s Infinite Password Generator (IPG, for short). It generates secure passwords for websites and applications by combining a single master keyword with keywords you provide for each site. It then stores your passwords on your computer in an encrypted file.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.1.0 (2020-01-06).

  Best Utilities AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Password generators, Password managers, Portable apps