The Study

The conclusion of a recent study from the University of Exeter was that exposure to blue light from outdoor LEDs, as is emitted with smartphones and tablets, can increase your risk to cancer.  The study focused primarily on outdoor blue light exposure and while previous studies have used satellite imagery to calculate intensity of artificial light in large cities, this was the first to look specifically at blue light.

The researchers found that those exposed to high levels of outdoor blue light at night had around a 1.5-fold higher risk of developing breast cancer and a twofold higher risk of developing prostate cancer, compared with those who were less exposed.  Men exposed to high levels of indoor artificial light also had 2.8-fold higher risk of developing prostate cancer, according to the study.[1]

Blue Light:  Compared to other light in the visible spectrum, blue light has a shorter wavelength – this means more energy than other types.  Exposure to blue light can decrease melatonin in the brain which supports our body’s circadian rhythm.

And to reiterate, blue light is also emitted from our monitors such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

The Technology

There are applications available to reduce our exposure to blue light.  We have taken the time to review f.lux, one of the pioneer applications in this field.

To put it simply, f.lux automatically changes the color of your screen, depending on the time of the day, for the purpose of reducing blue light exposure.  During the day time, your screen appears normal and as evening approaches it becomes more pink or rose colored.  It works well with computers and laptops and it can be used to work with iPhones and iPads.  There are also similar applications for Android devices.

Theory

PC screens, monitors, and mobile phones all emit full spectrum light to resemble full daylight conditions.  The makers of f.lux state:

“Exposure to blue light at the wrong time of day can keep you awake later and interfere with the quality of your sleep.  f.lux tries to help this by removing blue and green light to help you wind down in the evenings.”

Day time – we have bright sunlight to help stimulate wakefulness. Night time – lighting is dim and our brains secrete melatonin which causes us to feel sleepy.  It’s a 24-hour rhythm based on an internal circadian clock that is affected by our exposure to light and dark cycles.

While some computers adjust the brightness levels based on sensors, the color temperature does not change.  This is why you see more pink tones when using f.lux which help with melatonin levels and eye strain.

f.lux – The Company

The f.lux site, like the application, is pretty easy to pick up and understand.  Right up front they describe their technology as a “labor of love”.  It’s free as they pay for the development based on donations received.  They state that 100% of donated money goes to the ongoing development and operations related to f.lux.

In terms of the future of this technology, it appears as though major platform developers are beginning to include some form of night time mode in their operating system.  There is NightShift for Mac and there is Blue Shade for Amazon Fire tablets and Night Mode for Android N.  The makers of f.lux are working to make their technology available on a wide range of operating systems but they have had a hard time with mobile devices due to restrictions from the platform makers.

Before You Decide:

You can always get a preview of how your screen would look if you decide on trying out the f.lux software.  Simply go to the fluxometer page.  You can select your computer or device and try out different levels.

Start Using f.lux

f.lux works on Windows, Mac, or Linux. There is also a version for Android devices but there are some limitations – we recommend using Twilight.  Twilight is an Android app that offers similar functions to those of f.lux and we have used the free version of it and find it meets our use requirements and expectations.

If your Android is rooted, then CF.lumen found on the Google Play store, is a good choice.[2]

For iPhone and iPad users, Mac has a similar feature called Night Shift (for more information on setting this up click here: Enable NightShift on Your iPhone).

Other blue light reduction options include:

• SunsetScreen: a free Windows app and among the best.
• Iris: one time purchase of $15
• Redshift: a free, open source program inspired by f.lux

How to make f.lux work

When you have downloaded and installed the program from their website, you can begin setting up and using f.lux.

You will need to:

• Set your location: f.lux works a lot better if it knows when the sun rises and sets. The sun is the brightest light we see every day, so setting this up matters a lot for understanding your circadian timing.
• Choose your usual wake time: If you wake at a different time each day, you can pick a time on the earlier side.
• Adjust color settings so it looks as you like it. Just move the big slider to adjust, and f.lux will learn what you like.
• You can set f.lux to “disable” automatically for apps where color quality is critical.

When Not To Use It:

You may want to disable f.lux at certain times.  For instance if you are working on graphics or images, you can choose to disable it by right-clicking the icon in the taskbar.

There are three modes to choose from including a movie mode that disables f.lux for 2 ½ hours.  As the company states on their website: “We designed Movie Mode to preserve sky colors and shadow detail, while still providing a warmer color tone. It’s not perfect on either count, but it strikes a balance.”

FAQ:

If you have questions or issues, start with the frequently asked questions page which has lots of useful information: https://justgetflux.com/faq.html

Recommendations:

In the past there have been some shortcomings with f.lux, however, they are on version 4.60 and have made improvements.

Overall, you will notice this and technologies like it will make adjustments to your monitor so that it is easier on the eyes and decreases glare.

As for sleep… the American Medical Association’s Council on Science and Public Health states: “…exposure to excessive light at night, including extended use of various electronic media, can disrupt sleep or exacerbate sleep disorders”.[3]

We recommend reducing your exposure to monitor screens especially in the evening and nighttime.

If you have to be in front of a monitor or device screen… it makes sense to try f.lux.  We have enjoyed the benefits of this free technology and hope it will help you as well.

We will continue to provide story lines like this that benefit all of us and we will describe them in a manner that is within reach of everyday computer users. If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

[1] https://www.cnn.com
[2] http://www.makeuseof.com
[3] http://www.atmob.org

The post How Blue Light Affects Your Health and What to Do About It appeared first on CompuClever.

Our Private Data

As Facebook users we accept the privacy policies when we sign on.  For the most part we don’t even read over the extensive policy pages.  Instead we set up our account and enter data related to our personal lives.  We understand in the process this information gets recorded and stored.

Take Action:

We recommend that you get a clear idea of how much and what kind of data Facebook collects on you.  Check out the “Data In” section of our previous article for directions on accessing the data Facebook has collected from you.

Facebook is a free service and we can expect that they make revenue by providing our data to advertisers.  What many of us are not aware of is that they pass on our data to third party developers and organizations.

This is why we can sign on to a new app or online service using our Facebook login.  Right away they can access our data so that it is easier for us to create a new account with the third party app rather than having to enter all the personal information they require once again.

But what kinds of control are in place once our data leaves the hands of Facebook?  What kind of regulations are there to protect our privacy and information?  This is what Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has to address.

Facebook Updates

In the past Facebook has revised its privacy policies.  However, these previous revisions have been toward openness and sharing rather than protection of privacy.  Unfortunately, “…they were optimizing for profitability rather than security and privacy of their members” says David Kirkpatrick author of the Facebook Effect.[1]

Zuckerberg’s promise at the beginning of this year was to fix Facebook in 2018 – this is no small task.  In fact, he has stated that fixing the company’s problems will take years.

Presently, users are informing users in their News Feed if they’re among the millions of people whose data was improperly harvested by Cambridge Analytica.

Other changes we can expect in the near future: [2]

• Users will receive notice of all apps they use and what data is shared with those apps.  They then have a chance to delete apps they no longer want.
• Facebook will restrict access to certain data that applications can acquire.
• The option to search for users by entering a phone number or an email address will be removed.
• Facebook will set out to delete all logs after a year and only time of calls will be collected.
• New policy will also make users aware that WhatsApp and Instagram are part of Facebook and that the companies share information about users.  WhatsApp will still have a separate policy while Facebook and Instagram continue to share one.

Free

Whenever something is offered for free we need to ask: how is this business generating revenue?  Some companies offer a trial license for their software as a means to test drive the service.  Others rely on donation.

In the case of Facebook, it is free to users but there are associated costs.  Not only does Facebook sell data to advertisers who then place ads that are targeted to meet our purchasing preferences, they also harvests our data for app developers as well.

We need lawmakers to force these companies into the public spotlight and to enforce lawful conduct.

Regulation

Although Facebook is in the process of change and updates we need to ask: how is it possible to keep private data secure after it’s sold to third parties?  Facebook has admitted that it is impossible to monitor what these third parties do with the data once it is out of their hands.  However, Mark Zuckerberg has said that his industry should be regulated.

At present he is facing Congress and has delivered an apology and is answering questions.  But what will be the outcome of this?  What about past regulation?  Zuckerberg has stated they regularly testify before Congress on a number of topics.

In 2011, Facebook offered privacy assurances in a settlement with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission).  Allowing Cambridge Analytica to harvest data could be a violation of that settlement.  The ability to transfer the data of users’ friends should have been banned with the 2011 consent.  But what is the FTC going to do to enforce existing regulations?

Turning Up The Heat:

In 2016, the European Union passed the comprehensive General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR.  One mandate restricts collection of personal data of EU citizens to be only saved for “specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes” and only with user consent.

This means, consent cannot be buried in the terms and conditions.

This law will take effect in May and companies worldwide are paying attention.  It is expected that this will expose the industry like nothing else.  In preparation for this law, PayPal published a list of companies it might share your personal data with – over 600 companies.

 Best Practices – Privacy at Stake

There is no doubt that privacy of information is at stake.

It’s essential that we throttle back on what information we make available online and what data is stored on our PC.  Here are our recommendations.

1. 1. We recommend the privacy functionality associated with PC Cleaner. By using the available functionality you can see all the personal and private data you have on your PC which could be accessed by illegitimate means.

1. 1. When on a public Wi-Fi network, we highly recommend not sharing out any sensitive data. Even downloading records online from a public location or terminal can leave your data vulnerable to hacks.

1. If you decide to delete your Facebook account, consider the following:
   • You will need to sever all ties with Facebook including Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Your data can be shared with these apps and policies are similar or, as with Facebook and Instagram, shared.
   • Any apps that you “log in using Facebook“ will no longer work and you will have to enter your log in credentials for these.
   • Delete all Facebook instances from all devices including your mobile ones. Make sure you delete and not deactivate.  Use this link from Facebook.
   • Do not even attempt to log in to Facebook for at least two weeks or you will cancel the account deletion process.

Last Comment

We started out this two part series asking a question of what to do as a Facebook user.  Undoubtedly, the data breach has been the final straw for some and these users are choosing to delete.

Do we throw the baby out with the bath water?

We need to acknowledge that there are positive online developments, and we need to take an active role in shaping it.

With respect to the baby / bath water analogy – we certainly can agree the bath water is dirty!

As for the baby – in the case of social media technology – we need to closely examine if it’s being overfed.

“…the thing we need to understand now,” Shoshana Zuboff states, “is that the online world, which used to be our world, is now where capitalism is developing in new ways.”

[1] http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/09/technology/

[2] https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/

[3] https://www.schneier.com/

The post How to Protect Your Privacy & Identity on Facebook – Part 2 appeared first on CompuClever.

In a previous article we examined Facebook and pointed out its allure.  We listed the aspects of this “free” service and we identified “Likes” and “Dislikes”.  Were we too quick to accept at face value, the company’s emphasis on the importance of privacy?

A Bit about Facebook

• Facebook, launched in 2004, is the most popular online social media and social networking service. It is based in the U.S. and is the creation of Mark Zuckerberg and his fellow Harvard friends and roommates.
• As of June 2017, Facebook reached 2 billion active users.
• It is a giant in terms of net worth. According to Wikipedia, as of Mar 25, 2018, it is worth US$62.2 billion.
• Recently the company has faced considerable scrutiny and public pressure in relation to hate speech, fake news, depictions of violence, and privacy.

Recent News

Facebook has been in the news multiple times of late.  With news related to privacy of data, we need to start with Aleksandr Kogan, a University of Cambridge professor, who created a survey filled out by 270,000 people.  In doing so, he was able to access the data of what was reported as more than 50 million Facebook users – recent news has been released whereby Facebook has admitted that upwards of 87 million people were affected by this breach.[1]

While Kogan gained access to this information using legitimate means, via proper channels governing all developers on Facebook, he violated rules related to passing the data to third parties which included Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg was aware of this in 2015.  The action taken at that time was to ban Kogan’s app and demand legal certification from Kogan and others he shared it with.  According to Zuckerberg[2], Cambridge Analtyica completed certification and told Facebook that they actually hadn’t received raw Facebook data at all.  Furthermore, Cambridge Analytica deleted it and weren’t using it.

This reliance on certification turned out to be, as Zuckerberg admits, one of the biggest mistakes made.

Cambridge Analytica:  Is a British political consulting firm established in 2013, that combines data mining, data brokerage, and data analysis along with strategic communication.  They are in part owned by Robert Mercer and Alexander Nix has been the CEO however, this position was suspended after a Channel 4 news segment was broadcasted.  In this he was videotaped in an undercover, hidden camera video interview during which he spoke to someone he believed would use the firm in Sri Lanka for election persuasion purposes.  Nix speaks of creating sex scandals and using fake news to manipulate voters.

Cambridge Analytica has been involved in elections worldwide.  Their executives claim the company has worked in more than 200 elections around the world, including Nigeria, Kenya, the Czech Republic, India, and Argentina.

In 2016 they became involved in the 2016 Brexit referendum by supporting persuadable voters to vote for leaving the EU.  On 18 May 2017, the US Congress began investigation with their connection to Russian attempts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  Cambridge Analytica worked for Donald Trump’s political campaign but there is some question as to the level of involvement.[3]

Nix has made bold claims and it is uncertain if some statements have been embellished.  He was quoted as saying this in October, 2016:

Today in the United States we have somewhere close to four or five thousand data points on every individual … So we model the personality of every adult across the United States, some 230 million people. [4]

The Data

News reports point to unethical organizations making use of personal data made available by Facebook.  This begs the question: what data do they have on us and how can they use it?

Data In:

As soon as a user signs up, data and information is collected.  This includes all data – conversations, pictures, videos, and even documents sent via Messenger.  Does this surprise you?  Would you want to see what the information on you includes?

Should we be concerned?  If you use Facebook on your phone and your phone is an Android device, or you use Messenger to send attachments… it would be a good idea to take a closer look.

Users are discovering that they can request to have all of their Facebook data in a zip file.  Some are astonished to find that this data can include data on every call made and text sent.  There are users that are discovering that the data held by Facebook includes rental property lease forms, tenant ledger reports, bill statements, and screen shots of bank transfers.[5]

To download your information:

1. Click the down-pointing triangle at the top right of any Facebook page and select Settings
2. Click Download a copy of your Facebook data at the bottom of General Account Settings
3. Click Start My Archive

In about 10 minutes Facebook processes the request and you’ll get an email and notification when the file is ready to download.

Data Out:

Likely no one is surprised to know that our personal data is being used and shared out to advertisers.  Facebook makes money on sharing out data to advertisers and to app developers.  The challenge is that there is no control of how the data is used once passed to these groups.

Indeed the most alarming aspect of Cambridge Analytica’s “breach” is that it wasn’t a breach at all. It happened almost entirely above board and in line with Facebook policy.[6]

World Response

Investigations are ramping up world-wide.

US:   Zuckerberg will testify before Congress.  On April 10, before a joint hearing of the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees and the next day before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission are conducting separate investigations. [7]

This is a serious matter as stated by Senator Amy Klobuchar who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The senator will ask him to explain “what Facebook knew about misusing data from 50 million Americans in order to target political advertising and manipulate voters.” [8]

UK:   Damian Collins, chair for the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the House of Commons, questions Facebook user data policies.  “Their answers have consistently understated this risk, and have also been misleading to the Committee,” Collins said. “I will be writing to Mark Zuckerberg asking that either he, or another senior executive from the company, appear to give evidence in front of the Committee as part our inquiry.” [9]

MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport committee have accused Facebook of misleading it in a previous evidence session and called for Mark Zuckerberg to appear before them to answer questions.  They have also recalled Nix. [10]

A U.K. parliamentary media committee summoned CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about how Facebook uses data.  U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham is investigating how Cambridge Analytica got the data. [11]

Germany: After a meeting with its executives about the abuse of users’ data, the justice minister of Germany stated she wants closer oversight.

Australia: The Information and Privacy Commission has demanded that Facebook provide information on whether any Australian citizens were affected by unauthorized use of profile data. [12]

The Response:  Zuckerberg is set to testify next week before a U.S. congressional committee, and he said top executives at the company would be dispatched to other countries wanting to hold government hearings on the scandal. [13]

User Response

Zuckerberg has stated that the users affected by the misuse of personal data by Cambridge Analytica will be notified.  To date, this has not yet happened.  There are users that are going to delete Facebook as a result of this news and one of the questions we have posed has been: What is the best course of action with regard to Facebook and social media services?

We invite you to give this some thought and to check in with us next week for our Part 2 edition as we outline what Facebook is doing to correct this wrong and we identify the costs associated with what we thought was a “free” service.

We’ll provide out best practices and recommendations for being active on a social media service like Facebook.  However, we’ll leave it up to you to choose your level of exposure and if posting online personal information is worth the associated costs.

This concludes the first part of our Facebook and Privacy article.

We’ll pick it up next week.  Stay tuned!

[1] https://www.ctvnews.ca/
[2] https://www.wired.com/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/
[4] https://news.sky.com/
[5] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
[6] http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/
[7] https://www.ctvnews.ca/
[8] http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/
[9] https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/
[10] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/22/
[11] https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/
[12] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/22/
[13] http://www.metronews.ca/life/2018/04/04/

The post Facing the Truth – Facebook & Privacy appeared first on CompuClever.

The identified flaws are in the very core of the computer hardware – the CPUs or also known as the processors.

About The Defect

The two newly identified defects have wide ranging impacts on devices from the phone you are carrying to the servers that send data to it as well as other mobile devices, laptops and desktops whether PC or Mac. The vulnerabilities enables hackers to access people’s personal information.

Google’s Project Zero team states that these flaws can enable hackers to gain passwords and other sensitive data from system memory.
The two flaws are known as Spectre and Meltdown.

Meltdown: Named this way because it melts security boundaries which are normally enforced by the hardware. This was found mostly in Intel processors (as far back as 1995). Also ARM has reported their processors are affected, but it is unclear at this time if AMD processors are affected. This vulnerability can be patched through an update. However, this fix could slow down computers as much as 30%.

Spectre: The name is derived from the root cause: speculative execution. It is not easy to fix – it requires a re-design of computer chips – so it is likely to haunt us for some time to come. This defect was found in Intel processors as well as AMD and ARM chips. While this flaw is harder to exploit for hackers, it is also more difficult to mitigate for users.

For more information on these we highly recommend going to: https://meltdownattack.com/

The Impact

Google engineers discovered these flaws and had kept the news a secret to enable time for fixes to be created and issued before other computer hackers could take advantage. However, Intel was forced to disclose as the story received coverage when a British tech website, The Register, uncovered it. This led to a drop in Intel’s stock.

These flaws have wide ranging impacts on all types of chip-based devices including cell phones, laptops and desktops – whether PC or Mac.

According to researchers:

“While programs are typically not permitted to read data from other programs, a malicious program can exploit Meltdown and Spectre to get hold of secrets stored in the memory of other running programs,”^[1]

News reports are emerging that any computer made over the last 20 years could be impacted and that fixing the issue could cause significant disruption around the world. So in a nutshell, it is almost certain that your PC is affected, especially if it uses an Intel based chip.

Companies such as Amazon state they are in the process of creating and distributing a fix for their services and devices. They made a statement: “This is a vulnerability that has existed for more than 20 years in modern processor architectures like Intel, AMD, and ARM across servers, desktops, and mobile devices.”^[2] They further stated that most of its infrastructure had now been made safe.

However, for older computers the update could be more difficult. Many devices have few updates as phone makers are slow to provide updates.

Risk Mitigation

It is not safe to work with sensitive information given there is a chance of leaking information if your device has a vulnerable processor and runs an unpatched operating system. This is applicable to personal computers and anyone using cloud infrastructure.

To deal with these defects you will need to update your software as patches become available.

Unfortunately, with older computers it may be harder to update. For many devices – especially those running Android – updates are few and far between since phone makers are often slow to provide their customers with new updates.

According to the Meltdown site:

There are patches against Meltdown for Linux , Windows, and OS X. There is also work to harden software against future exploitation of Spectre, respectively to patch software after exploitation through Spectre.

There is also work to harden software against future exploitation of Spectre, respectively to patch software after exploitation through Spectre.

The site goes on to explain that unlike usual malware, Meltdown and Spectre are hard to distinguish from regular benign applications. However, your Antivirus program may detect malware whichuses the attacks by comparing binaries after they become known.

We highly recommend that you ensure using a legitimate and effective Antivirus program such as: CompuClever Antivirus PLUS.

Brace for a Slowdown

To add salt to the wound, your device could be slower after you have made it safer from hacks. Hard to imagine – you fix your device and it actually results in a slowdown!

Intel says the average computer user won’t experience significant slowdowns after receiving the fix.

However, there are news reports^[3] that state fixing these defects will slow performance – especially for devices more than five years old. And for companies that deal with considerable network traffic and processing power the slowdown could be even more severe. This includes cloud computing providers, systems that crunch data, and retailers that process consumer transactions.

Was there ever a time that having your PC running at peak performance was more critical?

Which brings us to our second recommendation: CompuClever PC TuneUp Pro – not only will you find areas of improved system performance you can also better manage security of sensitive data.

Moving Forward: There are reports^[4] that point out that some experts are saying the affected processors will need to be replaced entirely in order to completely get rid of the risks created by these flaws. We can’t foresee newly designed chips replacing flawed ones in existing devices in the near future.

At present, there are no available processors that can replace the vulnerable ones and still provide the same kind of functionality. It will be years before new chips that can perform the same tasks safely and effectively, will be made available.

During the wait we need to take whatever measures we have that are at our disposal, to remain safe and to ensure the best performance we can manifest.

[1] https://meltdownattack.com/

[2] https://aws.amazon.com/security/security-bulletins/AWS-2018-013/v1/

[3 & 4] http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/04/technology/business/apple-macs-ios-spectre-meltdown/index.html

The post Spectre and Meltdown: Massive Security Holes Impacting All Mac and PC devices appeared first on CompuClever.

In this article we share my “back story” and how I reclaimed my back health by sitting less and sitting properly.

My Back Story

My “sit”uation is not unusual – as a high-tech professional I have to endure prolonged sitting in front of my PC.  My back pain came on unexpectedly and demanded me to discontinue my day-to-day activities.  It was so severe in fact, that I was bed ridden for almost six months.

Pinpointing the source was problematic to say the least and I’m sure, like many others suffering from back pain, this is a common experience.  In time, with the help of experts, I discovered that my back problem was actually tailbone related and included having a herniated L4/L5 disc.  It went out of alignment at the Sacroiliac (SI) joint and eventually pinched my nerve to the point that it was unresponsive for quite some time.

Moving Forward

Getting the right attention along with rest and gentle rehabilitation, is fundamental.  And now that I am relatively back to my old self I am well aware of the need to correct what went wrong.  The fundamental reality is – we need to listen to our body!

If you have sat too long you understand pain associated with the tailbone whether intermittent and frequent or lasting pain.  It has very real consequences as it can take everyday tasks – like sitting, bending, and even walking – and make them near impossible.  At times the area feels numb and aches and other times it is sharp and is brought on by certain movements such as picking items up.

Regardless of the cause or length of suffering, this kind of Coccyx pain can be reduced with the help of proper cushioning as an aid to improve alignment.

Coccyx Cushion

While at work, I now alternate between standing (using a standing desk), and sitting using a Coccyx cushion, which enforces correct posture and ergonomics.  Here is a rundown of the features if you are unfamiliar with this kind of supportive aid.

• Ergonomic design: The U-shaped cushion relieves hip pressure by hugging the thighs and prevents leg numbness due to poor blood circulation while the back pillow promotes good posture. This supports recovery from lower back and Sciatica pain, Arthritis issues, herniated discs, tailbone injuries, Coccyx pain, Hemorrhoids, pressure sores, backache pain, butt pain, and other spinal issues.
• Cut-out design: It allows you to pile the weight on and take the pressure off your spine. This ensures that the tailbone does not touch the sitting surface and prevents soreness or discomfort from prolonged sitting.
• 100% Orthopedic Memory Foam: The comfortable seat cushion and lumbar pillow reduce the back pain and give you the best back support.
• Perfect Size & Thickness: The seat cushion can hug your buttocks fully allowing for hours of sitting without experiencing any pain, aches, fatigue, or soreness. It can be used as a seat cushion and lumbar support back pillow for those of us that spend considerable time driving or traveling in a sitting position.

Coccyx cushions can make an already comfy place to sit, easier on your body. Even soft chairs can inflame sensitive areas as they simply weren’t made to help prevent back pain. However, by adding a layer on top of the chair, you can achieve the luxury of coziness without affecting the tailbone.

Posture Up

What I really find beneficial from this tailbone cushion (as shown above) is that it helps improve my posture. When I use it on my chair I can comfortably sit up straight. When seated correctly, my spine is better aligned, circulation is improved, my ribs are adjusted for a more efficient position, and general posture is enhanced.

Most medical professionals agree proper posture is one of the easiest ways to reduce pain and inflammation. Achieving this on one’s own is not easy to do as we are up against some unconscious daily habits. With Coccyx cushions, the change is barely noticeable!  It trains the body gradually with each use.

All of these changes – which are subtle, yet important – work to alleviate pain. Gradually, the body learns to better align itself and will begin to do so even when not seated and when not using the cushion.

What I Recommend

I purchased two Coccyx cushions from Amazon:

• An Orthopedic Memory Foam Seat Cushion for work, and
• a Memory Foam Seat Cushion and Lumbar Support for driving

I have had them for a few months and both seem to be of good quality and provide the support and relief as I was looking for.

Sit Less

Last but not the least, after telling you how well a Coccyx cushion can improve your way of sitting, I still would like to recommend that you sit less and be more active. Whether you go for a brisk walk, or simply stand up and do some gentle stretches, your body isn’t stuck in one position or one posture for too long.

The world is too big to be “stuck” in one place.

The post Correct Ergonomics Sitting at a Computer Desk appeared first on CompuClever.

Incognito, according to Wikipedia, from the Latin incognitus, refers to a person who wants to remain anonymous to the world and others, in hiding or shut off from humanity.

Web surfers have the option to enable privacy mode or “Incognito” mode on their browser.  Each of the main browser type offers some level of private browsing.  It is known as Private Browsing, InPrivate Browsing, and Incognito depending on the type of browser used.

Basically – this is a privacy feature that quite simply provides some privacy on your local computing device but, DOES NOT provide hidden detection or stealth beyond that.  Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and other agencies connected on the Internet can detect your activities via your unique IP address on the web servers.

Disabling functions such as the web cache and browsing history make this a relatively private way of browsing the web.  Cookies, the data holders sent by web sites to recognize or track your online activity, are also disabled.

Items Deleted or Not Saved:

The list  of items that are deleted or not saved when you browse during Incognito or Privacy  mode are:

• Website history.
• The cache of files stored during your browse session.
• History of files downloaded.
• Search history stored by the browser.
• Cookies from browsed sites.
• Data on forms you have filled out.

Items That Are NOT Private:

There are items that are not deleted and the ways you remain exposed to detection:

• Search histories stored from search providers like Google are not deleted.
• Websites can identify you and keep a record of your visit.
• Your ISP can detect your network traffic and identify your IP address.
• Any malware on your PC or device can track your activities.

Also, it is important that you keep in mind the browser does not likely perform a secure delete and items from your browsing session can be recovered.  Until that data is overwritten with other data it can be undeleted using special recovery software.

Pros and Cons?

So why would you want to use Incognito?  It doesn’t seem entirely private after all.

Pros

The reasons for using this more of browsing include:

1. Reducing the history, browsing, and personal data stored on your PC or device.
2. You can prevent storage of sensitive data such as log-in credentials.
3. You can also use multiple accounts simultaneously using several tabs at once.
   Tip: You can let a friend check their email or log onto Facebook without you having to log out.  Just start up a new Incognito window.
4. You can perform searches that are not influenced by any prior browsing history.
5. Browser extensions are disabled so that Facebook and Google and other services can’t track you.

One of the main reasons however is to hide your online interactions on the computing device you are using from those sharing the same device.

In a busy household full of people… using Incognito mode can prevent others from seeing potentially embarrassing items.  It also prevents others from revealing your search history or the cache of browsed files.

Cons

We’ll, conversely, you may want to monitor online activities on your PC or device.  You may be concerned that someone will incur a malware infection or that they are browsing to websites that could be considered risky, unethical, or harmful. This is when you would want to disable Privacy / Incognito functionality as described below.

Also, having a false sense of protection can lead to consequences.  ISPs pass data to copyright holders (such as music, videos, books, or games), who are cracking down on the downloading of copyright materials.  The ISP is required to forward notices from the copyright holder alleging infringement of that work.

And, as we have pointed out, you are not completely stealthy.

How to Go Incognito

So now that you have a better idea of what the limits and benefits of this mode of browsing are, you can follow the easy steps outlined below to activate it.  Of course it will depend on which browser you are using.

• Chrome: Click on the ellipsis menu (…) at the right end of the menu bar, and select: “New Incognito Window”.
• Firefox: Click on the icon with three horizontal lines near the top right corner of the browser, and select: “New Private Window”.
• Internet Explorer: To change to an “InPrivate” session in Internet Explorer you would hold down Ctrl+Shift and press P (Ctrl+Shift+P).
• Microsoft Edge: Click the button with three dots (…), called the “More” button, and select: “New InPrivate Windows”.

Disabling It

As we mentioned above, you may want to disable this function so that you can detect for yourself the online activities of others in your household. Click the links below to take you to the specific directions for your browser type.

• Chrome
• IE / Firefox / and a freeware tool for Chrome
• Microsoft Edge

Warning: most of these procedures require a change to the registry.  We recommend you do a backup beforehand and proceed with caution.

For Parents:

If you’re a parent worried about your kids and their private online activities (for example, pornography or social networking sites), then you can first try to disable the functionality as mentioned above.  That way you can check the search and browsing history items.

You can also take the next step and look at filtering software such as NetNanny that will block porn and whatever else you want to filter even when the browser is in Incognito mode.  They have it for computers and mobile devices.  It’s not free but could be worth the peace of mind.

Last Note

We’re in favor of providing information that in the right hands is used with good intent.  To reach a higher level of stealth you would need to look at using a VPN solution.  A VPN masks your physical location and IP address so the website you’re visiting doesn’t really know who or where you are.

We hope this information has been of help to you and enhances your web browsing experiences.  For more information on this topic see our past posts:

• Privacy – Don’t Give It Away
• What Is a VPN, and Why Do You Need One?

Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments on this and other subjects.  Simply send us an email at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post Going Incognito – Browse Web in Privacy Mode appeared first on CompuClever.

With two prominent malware attacks occurring back-to-back during the past two months, you’re likely familiar with the term  – “Ransomware” – a cyber-crime gaining worldwide attention. In this article we explore ransomware in depth and offer recommendations and instructions to prevent it from happening and to protect your PC.

Ransomware defined:

You can think of ransomware as “data kidnapping”. It is the result of a malware attack that blocks access to a user’s PC data. Once infected, the attackers try to force you into paying money so you can regain access. In some cases there is a threat to publish or delete the data unless the ransom is paid. Data and access is blocked by using strong file encryption.

Computers can be infected whether at home or in the work environment. This includes PCs on an enterprise network or government agency servers.

Some ways of infecting your PC include:

• Surfing to unsafe or fake websites.
• Opening emails and email attachments from unknown sources.
• Opening malicious links in emails, Facebook, Twitter, and from online chat apps such as Skype.

The two main types of ransomware are: Lockscreen and Encryption.

1. Lockscreen ransomware prevents you from accessing your PC or files and instead displays a full-screen message saying you have to pay a ransom to regain access.
2. Encryption ransomware prevents you from opening your files by encrypting them. The encryption is very strong (uses an AES-256 “military grade” cipher algorithm), and would take an estimated 3×10⁵¹ years to crack. Also, a unique encryption key is generated for each infected computer so you can’t just get someone else’s key.

Note: There are older versions of ransomware that display false messages such as claiming you have performed an illegal activity with your PC. They then state you are being fined by a police force or government agency. We want to stress that these claims are false and can be considered a scare tactic designed to extort money from you.

What is the result of the attack?

While there are various forms of ransomware, all of them prevent you from performing normal PC functions. This includes:

• Getting locked out! Preventing you from accessing your operating system.
• Blocked access to files! Files are now encrypted and you can’t access them.
• Disabled apps! Certain programs (like your web browser), are no longer able to run.

What about the ransom?

Some ransomware attacks involve the victim having to pay money while some make you complete a survey. Payment of money is performed online and sometimes involves the victim having to pay in Internet currency Bitcoins. Due to the nature of those that commit these cybercrimes – there is no guarantee that your data or PC will return to the pre-attack state.

How much do they extort?

Symantec gained access to a malware server in 2012. This provided them first hand insight of the ransoms that were paid out. In a single day 5,700 computers were infected and 2.9% paid the ransom. This comes out to approximately $33,600 for one day.

“Given the number of different gangs operating ransomware scams, a conservative estimate is that over $5 million dollars a year is being extorted from victims. The real number is, however, likely much higher.”[1]

Recent Ransomware attacks…

WannaCrypt; May 12, 2017:

Many users around the world were victims of the malicious “WannaCrypt” software attack which has been considered one of the worst and most widespread cyber-attacks. More than 230,000 computers in over 150 countries were affected. All files on infected PCs were locked and the demanded ransom was 300 dollars in bitcoins.

Interestingly, people running Windows 10 were not targeted by the attack. Despite this, this attack was serious as evidenced in the steps Microsoft took. They took a highly unusual step in providing a security update for all customers to protect even the Windows platforms that are in custom support only. This includes Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003.

Supported versions of the operating system (Vista, Windows 7, 8.1, 10, etc.), have access to the security update MS17-010. If users have automatic updates enabled or have installed the update, they are protected. Microsoft states[2]: “For those organizations who have not yet applied the security update, we suggest you immediately deploy Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010“. They go on to state that this attack may evolve over time and additional defense strategies are warranted.

Petya; June 27, 2017:

Companies across Europe and the US were affected by the ‘Petya’ ransomware attacks. Infected computers displayed a message demanding a Bitcoin ransom of $300. Victims were unable to unlock their computers even if they paid the ransom.[3] The instructions included sending confirmation of payment to an email address. However, that email address was shut down by the email provider and there was no way to contact the attacker for a decryption key to unlock their computer.

This ransomware attack exploited the same Microsoft exploit as WannaCry – the vulnerability known as EternalBlue. Even with the patch, this cyber-attack has two other ways to spread within an organization focusing on the network administrator’s tools. Experts believe the initial infection is suspected to have been delivered through email (as with WannaCry).

If Infected With Ransomware:

You are a victim of a ransomware infection once you see some form of ransom demand appearing in a dialog window, an app, or a full-screen message. Unfortunately, this demand is displayed after encrypting your files or disabling some part of your PC.

Before you try to recover your files, Microsoft suggests trying to fully clean your PC with Windows Defender Offline. After this you can try to Backup and Restore in Windows.

We fully agree with Microsoft: “Do not pay any money to recover your files. Even if you were to pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that you will regain access to your PC or files.”

If You Already Paid:

If you paid the ransom, contact your bank and local authorities immediately. Your bank may be able to block the transaction and return your funds if you paid with a credit card. Inform your bank if you did submit credit card details to the cyber thieves.

We suggest you also contact the following government agencies that deal with fraud and scam reporting:

• In the United States, go to: On Guard Online.
• In Canada, go to: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
• For other countries: go to this Microsoft site.

Prevention:

There are safe measures you can take to lessen the impact of attacks and failures and there are ways to prevent malicious attacks from crippling your PC and network.

1. Keep a current back up of your data files (images, video, documents and music).
2. Keep your Windows install up-to-date with the latest Windows security updates.
3. Keep your antivirus program up-to-date. We highly recommend a reputable AV program with active subscription (one that keeps up to recent malicious attacks). We invite you to check out the performance and protection offered by CompuClever Antivirus PLUS.
4. Do not open email links or files from a sender you do not recognize. In many cases you can recognize a fake email and webpage because they have bad spelling or look unusual.
5. Be careful where you surf on the internet especially with less reputable sites. There is a greater chance of contracting a malware virus. Quite often unsafe sites can look convincing and have only subtle differences.

Microsoft states[4]: “Look out for strange spellings of company names (like “PayePal” instead of “PayPal”) or unusual spaces, symbols, or punctuation (like “iTunesCustomer Service” instead of “iTunes Customer Service”).”

Stay Safe:

Hundreds of millions of emails that include a ransomware attachment are being sent out every month. Many of these are being blocked and software vendors are working hard to shrink security holes and fix this ongoing cyber-crime.

As can be seen with the information provided here, staying informed, taking precautions, and using safe practices can help prevent you from getting an infection that could save you time and your data. If you require further information on this subject we recommend Microsoft’s Ransomware FAQ page.

[1] http://www.symantec.com
[2] https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com
[3] https://www.theguardian.com
[4] General information on ransomware

The post Don’t be Held at Ransomeware appeared first on CompuClever.

Thanks for choosing Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc, featuring Microsoft ReadyBoost technology. Before you start, please save all your documents and exit all running applications. Follow the steps below to install your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc and optimize your PC.

Step 1. Insert the Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc to a USB slot of your choice.

Step 2. If AutoPlay/AutoRun is enabled, you can click the Speed up my system using Windows ReadyBoost option.

Alternatively, you can open Windows | File Explorer (or use keyboard shortcut: Windows Key + E), right-click the newly discovered removable drive and select Properties from the menu. Select the ReadyBoost tab from the Properties dialog box that appears.

If Windows states that “This device cannot be used for ReadyBoost – The device does not have the required performance characteristics for use in speeding up your system“, follow the instructions of Reformatting Your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc below. And then come back to this step.

If Windows states that “ReadyBoost is not enabled because this computer is fast enough that ReadyBoost is unlikely to provide additional benefit“, this probably means that Windows is installed on an SSD and no performance gain is possible. Please contact our support team (support@paretologic.com) for further options of how to speed up your PC.

Step 3. If ReadyBoost options appear, you can use the device for speeding up Windows Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10.

In Windows Vista, enable the Use this device option and move the Space to reserve for system speed slider all the way to the right.

In Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, select the Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost option.

Click OK and your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc device is ready!

Reformatting Your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc

Occasionally, your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc requires initial reformatting prior being used. Follow the steps below to format your drive.

Step 1. Open Windows | File Explorer (or use keyboard shortcut: Windows Key + E), right-click the newly discovered removable drive and select Format.

Step 2. In File system dropdown menu, choose NTFS. In Allocation unit size, choose Default allocation size. And check Quick Format under Format options. Click Start.

You will be notified once your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc has been formatted and ready for being used. Simply follow the steps in the previous section to finish setting up your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc.

Need Support or Help?

Email us at support@compuclever.com for more information and get help with using your Digital Care ReadyBoost Disc device.

The post A Quick Start Guide for Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc appeared first on CompuClever.

A: ReadyBoost is a Microsoft Windows technology that allows you to use ReadyBoost compatible USB flash drive, such as Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc, as an additional memory. Doing so, ReadyBoost improves your system’s performance by providing quicker access to data compared to accessing the information from the hard drive. To learn more about the ReadyBoost technology, please read this blog post.

Q: What’s the System Requirement for Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc?

A: Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc supports Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10

Q: Do all USB flash drives support the ReadyBoost technology?

A: No. A USB flash drive must meet the minimum random ready and write speeds requirements to support the ReadyBoost feature.  In order for ReadyBoost to work, it requires a USB storage device to have at least: 64MB, USB 2.0, read at 3.5 MB/s, and write at 2.5 MB/s. Our Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc well exceeds this requirements.

Q: Aren’t Hard Disks faster than flash? My HDD has 80MB/sec throughput.
A: Hard drives are great for large sequential I/O. For those situations, ReadyBoost gets out of the way. We concentrate on improving the performance of small, random I/Os, like paging to and from disk.

Q: What’s the recommended capacity for a USB flash drive for ReadyBoost?

A: We recommend a 1:1 ratio of flash to system memory at the low end and as high as 3:1 flash to system memory. So if your existing PC has a 4 GB of RAM, then you should choose a 4 GB USB flash drive for ReadyBoost, or consider an 8 GB or 12 GB USB flash drive if possible.

Q: I encounter the message: “This device cannot be used for ReadyBoost – The device does not have the required performance characteristics for use in speeding up your system”. What should I do?

A: Your Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc is fully compatible for Microsoft ReadyBoost technology. When you encounter this message, you simply need to format your USB flash drive.

To do so, open Windows | File Explorer (or use keyboard shortcut: Windows Key + E), right-click the newly discovered removable drive and select Format…

In File system dropdown menu, choose NTFS. In Allocation unit size, choose Default allocation size. And check Quick Format under Format options. Click Start.

Once the formatting is completed, your Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc is ready to be used.

Q: What does it mean if Windows states that “ReadyBoost is not enabled because this computer is fast enough that ReadyBoost is unlikely to provide additional benefit“?

A: This probably means that your Windows operating systems is installed on an SSD and no performance gain is possible. This is only true in theory because each PC is different. If you feel that your PC is sluggish and requires optimization, please contact our support team (support@CompuClever.com) for further options of how to speed up your PC.

Q: What happens when you remove the drive?
A: When a surprise remove event occurs and we can’t find the drive, Windows fall back to disk. Again, all pages on the device are backed by a page on disk. No exceptions. This isn’t a separate page file store, but rather a cache to speed up access to frequently used data. So no data loss will occur.

Q: Won’t ReadyBoost wear out the drive?
A: Nope. ReadyBoost technology is designed to take care of the lifecycle issues with flash drives and are smart about how and when it performs writes to the device. Relevant third party tests show that you will get at least 10+ years out of flash devices by using the ReadyBoost technology.

Q: How secure is ReadyBoost?

A: ReadyBoost is secure. ReadyBoost by default uses Advanced Encryption Standard 128 (AES-128) encryption, which should be sufficient as the chances of exposing sensitive data are very slim.

Q: What alternatives are there to ReadyBoost?

A: Two alternatives that will significantly improve performance over ReadyBoost are:

• Using a Solid State Drive (SSD) for your Operating System drive.
• Adding additional memory (RAM) to your computer.

Nevertheless, neither alternatives are cheap or easy to perform, as compared to using the ReadyBoost option.

The post FAQ – Digital Care ReadyBoost USB Disc appeared first on CompuClever.

How to Repair Windows 7

This process will repair your systems Windows files and is useful for correcting issues within the operating system itself; the process will not delete your personal files or data.  Windows Store programs are also safe, but you may need to reinstall third party programs in some cases.

Insert the USB key, Restart your system. Wait for the first screen to pop up, then, click F8 or F12 (you can see which shortcut key on the screen) to enter the boot menu. Then select USB HDD option on the boot menu.

Select the Time and Keyboard options, and click “Next”

Click “Repair your computer”

Select the first option: “Use recovery tools that can help fix problems starting Windows. Select an operating system to repair”, click “Next”.

Choose a recovery tool base on your computer problem:

1)  If you have issues about starting, click “Startup Repair”. If it detects a problem, it will automatically fix the problems that are preventing Windows from starting. If not, please select another option.

2)  If you want to restore Windows to an earlier point in time, please click “System Restore”. If you have more than one save point to restore please do them in the order of most recent to oldest.  You may have to restart the computer between each restore to complete the restore process, the computer will tell you is you need to restart the system.

Windows 7 is set to automatically create Restore points so even if you have not created any but have used the system for a while, there normally will be several restore point to choose from.   Using the “System Restore” may remove programs (if they were installed after the date you go to they will need to be installed again), but it will not affect your data files.

3)  If you want to recover your computer using a system image you created earlier, please click “System Image Recovery”.  (Please note, using the “System Image Recovery” will result in data and personal files being erased, as well as programs (unless you created the image after installing your programs).  We advise only using this option when all else fails and after your data files are backed up.) It will search on your system to find the image. If you backup the system image on a DVD, you need to insert the DVD.

Create System Recovery Image

In case the system you purchased did not have an image created you can do this for yourself.  If you are organized you could create one after your programs are installed, this would mean you would only need to backup data files and restoring the image would correct Windows and install all of your programs too!

If you would like to create an image please perform the steps detailed below:

Click Start (normally in the lower left corner of the screen)
Click “Control Panel”
Click “System and Security”
Click “Back up your computer”

The Backup and Restore Center then opens.

Click “Create a system image”

Windows looks for available backup devices, such as a hard drive, DVD burning drive, or network drive.

Choose the location to save your system image
Click “Next”

***Do not save the backup to the recovery partition: FACTORY_IMAGE or Recovery. Doing so corrupts the recovery information.

Confirm the settings, and then click “Start backup”

***Make sure that you have enough blank space on the external drive or enough blank DVDs to create the system image.

Windows will then prepare to create the system image. (If you are backing up to DVD, label and insert a blank DVD in the DVD drive.)

If you are backing up to DVD and a message displays requesting to format the DVD, choose to format the DVD.

If using DVDs label and insert a blank DVD when you are prompted. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions until the image is complete. This might take from several minutes to several hours, please store the backup in a safe place once the image is complete.

The post Repair Windows 7 with Your Recovery Disc appeared first on CompuClever.