ASA Tech Tips and News for May 20, 2022

Courtesy of Hive systems

I recently ran across this chart by Hive Systems, and it really stuck with me. This combined with the letter I recently received from a medical office who suffered a breach where patient info was stolen, and having about three social media friends in a week announce their accounts had been hacked, motivated me to send a password reminder to everyone. Where do your passwords fall on this chart? If they fall in the purple or red areas, it may be time to systematically change your passwords with all of your online accounts to make them more secure. Oh, and every time you receive one of those letters telling you your personal information has been stolen? Take the time to make the rounds through all of your online accounts and change the passwords...yes, on all of them - bank accounts, store sites, social media, streaming services - everything. This is the password video I show to the students if you need some inspiration for making a better password. Notice how the three characters change their passwords from beginning to end? See how they create a formula to use to alter their base password from site to site? Use a phrase, or an acronym of a phrase and not just a word. Of course, whenever possible, activate multi-factor authentication. Can't keep track of all those passwords? Time to use a password manager. I know you've heard it all before, and believe me, you'll hear it again because it's that important. Thanks for indulging my rant. <stepping down from soap box now.>

• Best Password Managers for 2022
• A Security Researcher Easily found My Passwords and More:  How My Digital Footprints Left Me Surprisingly Over-Exposed
• How to Remove Viruses and Malware on Your Windows PC
• Remove Malware Quickly with Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
• Add Dropdown Menus Into Sentences in Google Docs
• New Google Docs Features You Might Have Missed
• How to Create and Send Personalized Certificates in Google Workspace

Best Password Managers for 2022

Best Password Managers for 2022, from PC Magazine by Ben Moore & Kim Key

In consideration of my rant, above, here is a current list of the best password managers, rated by PC Magazine. As a reminder, a password manager is a service that creates very secure, and unique passwords for every online account, and remembers them for you. 

A Security Researcher Easily found My Passwords and More:  How My Digital Footprints Left Me Surprisingly Over-Exposed

A Security Researcher Easily found My Passwords and More:  How My Digital Footprints Left Me Surprisingly Over-Exposed, from ZDNet by Danny Palmer

You may think you have nothing to hide, but you do have something to lose. 

How to Remove Viruses and Malware on Your Windows PC

How to Remove Viruses and Malware on Your Windows PC, from How-To Geek by Lowell Heddings, Chris Hoffman and Nick Lewis

So, what happens if your device becomes infected in spite of your hard prevention work? 

Remove Malware Quickly with Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Remove Malware Quickly with Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, from How-To Geek by Nick Lewis and Akemi Iwaya

Malwarebytes is an easy way to eliminate the possibility that you may have picked up some malware. This article is a step by step guide to using it. I run the free version on my laptop, and set a reminder to run a scan manually every week.

Add Dropdown Menus Into Sentences in Google Docs

New Google Docs Features You Might Have Missed

New Google Docs Features You Might Have Missed, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

• In case you missed them, here are the features he covers:
• Responding to documents and comments with emojis.
• How to add a dropdown menu into a document.
• How to use the new table formatting options.
• How to change page orientation for sections of documents.
• The new extensions dropdown menu.

How to Create and Send Personalized Certificates in Google Workspace

How to Create and Send Personalized Certificates in Google Workspace, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Do you need to recognize some students at the end of the school year? Here are several ways to streamline the process using Google Workspace tools and add-ons.