Locking up 'secure' browsers?

self | 20 sept 2013 | self

[maine-iac7]

Anyone having trouble using 'secure' web browsers?

I have been using Ixqick for some time now, hoping to by-pass snooping and tracking. (As an old great-granny, I'm not 'up to much the gov't should be interested in, except of curse being a conservative - high on 'enemies of the state' list, I guess.) However, I'm a stubborn old crone and don't want to think about someone leering over my shoulder every time I email a grandkid or whatever. It's MY DAMN business. I was raised when America was America.

So - For about a week, when I tried to bring up my email box, I'd get a pop up saying "Your favorites [I wasn't trying to get to favorites] are unavailable at this time, try later" but a side box would allow me to click on 'mailbox' and it would populate. But...

[maine-iac7]

FastMail

THANKS!

At this point I'm ready to pay for it! (Speaking of Australia, did you see what the new PM did his first day in office? Booted the whole Climate Control gang out of their cushy jobs "effective upon date of this letter"

gotta love it.

[TChad]

I know this stuff can be confusing, but...

Firefox is a browser, a program located on your computer used to browse the Internet. Ixquick is a search engine, an Internet website (that is not located on your computer) devoted to handling Internet searches. Similarly, Google is not a browser, it is a search engine on the Internet. Google Chrome is a browser that runs on your computer.

[maine-iac7]

You should write to them in cursive. They will probably think it’s some kinda code or sumpthin.

ahahaha

I taught my grandkids real penmanship - some even calligraphy. A vital brain training tool. Which, of course, why penmanship is no longer taught.

For emailing, there's always this:

spɹɐʍʞɔɐq puɐ uʍop ǝpısdn ,,ǝdʎʇ,, ʇsnſ

[publius911]

What you should do is download a free email client, like Thunderbird, and then use encryption on your email. It’s still not foolproof, but it makes it considerably harder to crack your correspondence.

That's wonderful.
But I'm with Grandma. How do we deal with learning a new email client?
And how do we get around the sites tha show us a "email us" button, but will only continue if we use MS Outlook as our mail client?

[TomGuy]

It is not just the internet.

Every software upgrade breaks something else.

Firefox has had trouble with Adobe Flash since around FF version 12. Now, later versions of FF (22, 23) have problems with .pdf files.

Then there is the java stuff (not javascript, but Sun’s java).

And Windows updates. I just rolled back an upgrade to IE10 I did not instigate, but Windows did on its own. I have some old IE add-ons that are no longer updated, but they are handy tools that do not have modern equivalents. They worked, until IE10. When I uninstalled IE10, Windows reverted back to IE9. The add-on tools are working again.

It is frustrating. Upgrades or updates create as many new problems as they fix existing ones.

[cynwoody]

I can access the old account through a 3rd party email reader, but I cannot access it via mail.yahoo.com.

Your 3rd party email reader would need a password to get access. Thunderbird example.

If you're on a Mac, it's possible your email reader is storing the password in Keychain. If that's the case, you can start up the Keychain app and recover the relevant password by supplying your Mac user password.

[TomGuy]

A system restore to a date previous to your troubles might be in order.

I have been restoring things to a new hard drive I had to put in my laptop. It is a pain. Luckily, I had an image file that has my basic settings, so I wasn’t at a ‘virgin’ Windows install level.

[maine-iac7]

Online storage of your pictures,mail, or anything else is a disaster in the waiting.Anything important to you ought to be stored on a drive you have right there.And make copies. Always run some firewall,anti-virus,and malware fighter

put my pics and columns on thumb drives - and do hard copy prints for albums.

Demanding all my kids/grandkids do the same AND to write some REAL letters of at least print out some emails of their 'messages' to one another for 'forever keeping' - for example, like my daughter's FB message to us the other day:

"Going fishin!" (Alaska)

Note from friend: "Watch out for bear at bridge #1. He just chased my friends!"

"No worry, Billy's got his gun."

The our next message from her - a pic with her hand in a fresh bear paw print, and a pick with her and two huge salmon she caught. Those are memories that shouldn't be lost.

I show them photos Of my great great grandmother taken in the mid 1800's - and a stack of ribbon tied letters from my grandparents that they wrote in the '40-50's and ask them: "Do you think you'll have access to your photos and memories that are locked in you PC - even 10 years from now, let alone be able to hand down to kids and grandkids? This technology changes overnight - it was only "yesterday" that we were using VHS and floppys. Things are becoming obsolete almost faster than new things come in.

[Jeff Chandler]

use encryption on your email.

For an extra measure of security:

Steghide

[maine-iac7]

ahoo turned to crapware. I tried several times to log into my email I have had there for years. It would not accept the user ID/password. When I would try to bypass and go to the ‘help’, it allowed me to set up a new account.

I didn’t want a new account. I want to get to the old email box,

Did the same thing to me a couple weeks ago - I think it's all connected them to getting more and more access to everything we do.

I simply couldn't lose my main mailbox - so in desperation, I called Yahoo! They got it back for me - (Whenever I stumble on the impossible to find contact phone numbers for any of these outfits, I write them down -

This may help you?

1 800 318 0612

[maine-iac7]

VEry good advice - Thank you! One of my sons, a long hauler, will be home in a couple weeks. He's built all the family computers for years and, when needed, does all the things you listed.

So, as my brain cells are twisted in a knot at this point, I'm going to just let Malware wipe out what it found, do a restore and maybe switch over to my mainframe in the office until he gets home... At this point, I don't trust myself not to get it beyond resuscitation ;o)

[publius911]

Revo Uninstaller Freeware version is really handy for getting at the whole annoying program you want to remove. Even goes into the Registry to get it all.

Really?
Somehow I got something called citrix, which snuck onto my computer and I tried to uninstall it, but like a vampire, it keeps wanting to run a DLL. I managed to blow that away, but it keeps wanting to run a DLL that it can't find. Perhaps this program might deal with the residuals.

[Lancey Howard]

LOL!
Yeah, those "free cleaners" are themselves viruses.
So are a lot of "anti-virus" programs.

Here is my recommendation for you, based on what has worked well for me:

Get (free) Microsoft's Windows Essentials and back it up with (fairly cheap) Malwarebytes. Both run at the same time with no complications on my computer and catch most (if not all) of the crap. Add the (free) Abine "Do Not Track" program. Finally, get the (free) Eusing "window washer" and clean up every day or two.

DuckDuckGo is a better, anonymous, version of Google and can find you all of the above stuff easily.

So, the above recommendation amounts to little cost (Malwarebytes) and works real well for me.

[Utilizer]

I second that. Been using FastMail for more years than I care to admit. They had a free version that I used for the longest time, but they became so necessary for so many things that I finally admitted that they provide a very valuable service and paid (lowest level, what the heck -it’s only for personal use) for an enhanced account. Undoubtedly worth every penny.

[maine-iac7]

I know this stuff can be confusing, but...

Firefox is a browser, a program located on your computer used to browse the Internet. Ixquick is a search engine, an Internet website (that is not located on your computer) devoted to handling Internet searches. Similarly, Google is not a browser, it is a search engine on the Internet. Google Chrome is a browser that runs on your computer.

Oh my - now I really do need that drink - or maybe a piece of my homemade mincemeat pie - with homemade mincemeat...it's old fashioned with brandy ;o)

But I'm writing down what you explained and taping it on my PC

[TChad]

maybe a piece of my homemade mincemeat pie

If you are trying to make me hungry, you are succeeding.

[Political Junkie Too]

For $9.95/month, you can sign up for a private VPN service from GoldenFrog that encrypts all of your Internet traffic, and hides your computer behind a VPN server farm.

-PJ

[maine-iac7]

Lancey -
Thank you!
got your advice all saved to ‘play’ with tomorrow.
the “Abine “Do Not Track” program.” - I had that up until when this all Yahoo! lockout/change over carp*ola started yesterday - Now it’s gone and I couldn’t remember the name or even how to look for it.

[maine-iac7]

For $9.95/month, you can sign up for a private VPN service from GoldenFrog that encrypts all of your Internet traffic, and hides your computer behind a VPN server farm. -PJ

NOw that sounds intriguing - I'm going to think on that!

On the other hand, how long before Big B knocks on their door with a fish wrapped in newspaper - Play ball with us or you're gone.

then they'd have a golden list of folk 'obviously ter*ists,' and that list would rise to the top of the big list.

I'm getting to old for this. Trouble is, I remember the movies about WW11 times in Europe with people and their forbidden radios, transmitters and such, living in fear of that knock on the door. ARe we far from that? (Hitler must be spinning in his grave thinking of all he could have done with today's technology! ;o)

[frog in a pot]

BFL...great thread, thank you.