MasterCard, VISA Warn of Processor Breach

Here we go again. Be sure to check your accounts online daily!

 

"VISA and MasterCard are alerting banks across the country about a recent major breach at a U.S.-based credit card processor. Sources in the financial sector are calling the breach “massive,” and say it may involve more than 10 million compromised card numbers.

In separate non-public alerts sent late last week, VISA and MasterCard began warning banks about specific cards that may have been compromised. The card associations stated that the breached credit card processor was compromised between Jan. 21, 2012 and Feb. 25, 2012. The alerts also said that full Track 1 and Track 2 data was taken – meaning that the information could be used to counterfeit new cards."

Read more here or on your favorite news site.

Why Tablets in the Classroom Could Save Schools $3 Billion a Year

Hmmm. Very interesting indeed. It seems we are headed down this road at warp speed. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens.

"A group of publishers and tech companies gathered in Washington today to talk about getting digital textbooks into U.S. classrooms. The gathering, convened by the FCC and the Department of Education, included everyone from Apple to Intel to McGraw-Hill, and it was premised on the idea that digitizing classrooms is a good thing."

This was in the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital, and the article can be found at  Why Tablets in the Classroom Could Save Schools $3 Billion a Year

7 Great All-in-One Desktop PCs

The modern desktop doesn't have a tower. What? Yes, that's right. Everything is located within the display case. Apple has been doing this for a while now with their iMacs, and now the PC makers are doing the same thing. The best thing to come along, I think, is that the displays are touch screens. The nicely-configured ones are still quite pricey, and I view buying one as something of a risk. Upgrading options are not too many since everything is contained within the display case. I think I'd miss all of the extra slots that one finds on a desktop tower, but then you can get most everything you'd want on one of these all-in-ones. However, until/unless my old IBM desktop dies, I won't be faced with having to make this decision: all-in-one or traditional tower.

7 Great All-in-One Desktop PCs

Facebook strips 'privacy' from new 'data use' policy

It is a non-ending story and here is the latest saga!

"NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A Facebook privacy policy revision intended to make the site's methods more transparent is instead kicking up a fresh firestorm.

Facebook posted a draft version of its revised terms on March 15 and gave the site's users a one-week comment period to weigh in with questions and suggestions. The changes include many semantic tweaks, like stripping the word "privacy" out of Facebook's "privacy policy," which is now called a "data use policy."

That sounds scary, but Facebook says the changes to its policy documents don't reflect any actual changes in how the site operates. Instead, what it calls "clarifications" are aimed at more clearly describing to users what Facebook does.

That clarity is freaking some members out. Many responded on Facebook's comment page with a wholesale rejection of the new terms. On the German-language version of the proposal, more than 32,000 Facebook members issued the same one-sentence protest: "Ich lehne die Änderungen ab."

That roughly translates to: "I reject the changes.""

Read more here

2012 Password Management Software Product Comparisons

This is an excellent web site. It lists the top 10 password management programs and all of their features. I am seriously considering PAYING (yes me, that's right!) for one of these programs. Kaspersky is the only name I recognize and they are known to be a leader in security systems for PCs. The price for all of these seems right, but it is not clear to me yet, without doing a little more research, if these are one-time or recurring prices. In any case, do take a look at the chart on this site. It is amazingly comprehensive! 

2012 Password Management Software Product Comparisons

"How I divorced Google"

This one really caught my eye. It's not about me, but one Tom Henderson

He writes for ITWorld.com.

With all of the bad press Google has been getting lately because of their privacy policy, I found this article very interesting. He has laid out a 7 day calendar for divorcing himself from Google's products. It is worth a look to see some of his reasoning and how he went about it. I don't think this is for me, at least not yet, but maybe some of you will want to consider it.
   

How I divorced Google

Time to change your passwords!

This is always good advice. Changing your passwords regularly can help you avoid some real problems - like your bank account or credit cards being compromised. This blog post came from the Call That Girl web site.

"With spring here and the changeover for daylight savings time, I thought right now would be a good time to remind everyone to change their passwords  for most of their online accounts. Most people do not ever change their passwords unless forced by the online sites. Really? Yep. I see it all the time. Nobody likes changing their passwords and usually when they do it, it’s a very similar password that they just used. Is that ok? Yes, but I do recommend on occasion to change it completely.

What are good passwords? Uppercase/lowercase letter, numbers and special characters, 6-8 is the golden rule!

If you have a simple password, such as “password”, you definitely need to change your password! 

Sites where you should change your password:

• Banking sites
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email
• Paypal
• Email marketing"

Link to this post on Call That Girl