This phrase is not too difficult, and if you’re like some folks I’ve had to deal with recently, will serve you immensely well. Say it with me: “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Continue reading “"I'm sorry, I don't understand."”
On Evernote (and other cloud services) Security
No, it really is you
As a techie, I am sometimes told that I “speak a different language” than “ordinary/normal/regular” people. To this,?I usually respond by giving thanks for the backhanded compliment, as I appreciate being considered more than ordinary/normal/regular. Second, I may say “just because I am Greek, doesn’t mean I speak it.” Finally, my new and go to response is “No, I’m speaking English. You are choosing not to understand me.” Continue reading “No, it really is you”
The Dangers of ?Set It and Forget It.?
Effective Email: It Starts With a Good Subject
Does Free Security Software Really Offer Peace of Mind?
Who?s Looking Out for Your Business?
How to Drastically Cut the Spam From Your Inbox
New App Helps Balance Your Life
For the last few weeks, I’ve been playing with a new iOS app called Balanced – Get more out of life. Balanced is good for reminding you to perform recurring tasks, but it is not a traditional “todo” list. You would not, for instance, put a reminder to “buy milk,” or do something that is time-sensitive into Balanced ? it’s for recurring tasks that you want to accomplish. Balanced seeks to help you keep your life in balance, and rewards you for doing so with some motivational feedback. Continue reading “New App Helps Balance Your Life”
Let Me Fix Your Computer, Without Accessing Your Stuff
Normally, I’m not what I would call an “idea guy.” I’m not someone who sees all sorts of innovative new things and shares his creations with the world – it’s just not the way my brain works. I’m a problem solver. I see a problem, I come up with a fix, workaround, or solution – that’s what I do. Every now and then, however, there’s an overlap between problem solving and innovation. This may be one of those.
I want a way for a custodian of a system (think “computer technician”) working on a system, to be able to do everything needed to set up, maintain, and troubleshoot said system, without requiring any credentials from the owner. This is tricky because if I want, for instance, to set up your email for you, without requiring any interaction from you, I need to have your password. Sure, I could set up everything except the password and then have you fill it in later, but this road sometimes leads to frustration on the part of the end user, as they don’t have a “completely” working system that they asked for.
Encrypting the owner’s data does not meet this goal, as it needs to be decrypted for the custodian to do their job. Two-factor authentication doesn’t solve this because the password would still need to be placed in the hands of the custodian, along with the second factor, at least temporarily. Combining these two, along with a forced password change, go a long way to securing your data from your custodian’s prying eyes, but don’t ultimately solve the problem.
Do you have a fix for this? Does anyone? Drop me a line and let me know.