vulnerabilities | Database Doctor

Your Mac is Not Immune to Hacking

My wife and daughter use Macs, so I need to be at least somewhat aware of Mac security. The general consensus is that Mac security is better than Microsoft… but that’s a pretty low bar. How vulnerable are Macs?

I’m tired of hearing from Mac people how secure Mac OS X is. Apparently, I’m not […]

How to Protect Yourself from Hacking Attacks

Hacking attacks happen all the time and pose a real security threat. Here are ten things you can do to protect yourself:

1) Don’t use the same password for all of your user accounts. Choose a variety of passwords, and make each one strong (no full words, use both numbers and letters). Keep your list […]

How to Implement Security Sandboxes

You may not know it, but ALL your programs can access your Quicken data. Not good. So, what can you do?

One solution to this nasty problem is to run all programs in a security sandbox. Unfortunately, the sandboxes in Windows 8 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) are voluntary. Programmers can choose to […]

All Your Programs Can Access Your Quicken Data

Note: The issue discussed on this page affects you if you use Windows or Mac OS X, unless you have taken the following precautions:

For Windows: You are running Windows 8 or later, and only purchase and run programs from the Windows App store. For Mac OS X: You are running Mountain Lion (10.8) or […]

Security Sandboxes and Virtualization

The easiest way to take advantage of the new security sandbox technology is to upgrade your hardware and software. Not everyone can afford to do that. What other options are there if you want a security sandbox? Sandboxing is closely related to virtualization. Virtual computing is a good way to get some of the benefits […]

Security Concerns with Quicken

Suppose you run Quicken. You enter your checkbook balance, and some checks that haven’t cleared the bank. Then, you enter the password for your online account at the bank, and download your checking account history and/or your credit card history.

Now that you have synchronized your computer with your bank, Intuit (the makers of Quicken) […]

How to Automatically Update Your Software

Part of security maintenance is making sure that your software gets the latest updates. If you have a Windows computer, there is a great software package that will help you do this: Personal Software Inspector (PSI). For Windows users, I recommend that you download and install this program right away.

Secunia PSI inventories the software […]

Uninstall Software You Don’t Use

If a software package is installed on your computer, some hacker out there has probably already figured out a new security vulnerability for that software. If the vulnerability is so new, that there is no patch to fix it, it is called a “zero-day” vulnerability. So, the best way to stay secure is… drum roll […]

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