Issue 53

POST

Welcome to POST by ResTech Solutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Every week we will bring you new content covering recent events and news related to technology, Microsoft, Apple, Google, tips & tricks, useful information, and more! To read the full articles in our newsletters you can either click on the image or article headline. We've had a great response each week to our newsletter and we've been hard at work to bring you even more great information this week. Please let us know what you've enjoyed thus far about our newsletter. To see past issues click on the archives link above.

Why the name POST? In the world of computers POST stands for Power On Self Test. This is the action computers take when they are first powered on to check their basic functionality prior to loading the operating system. We decided to take this same concept and to provide you with useful technology information at the beginning of your week to help get you started. POST is also a term associated with news as well and we felt this was an appropriate and fitting name.

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News

LastPass Says It Didn't Leak Your Password

Image from Gizmodo

LastPass is one of the most popular password managers on the market. Recently LastPass had sent emails to many of its users warning them of suspicious login attempts using the users' master passwords. This lead to a suspicion that LastPass may have suffered a breach yet LastPass says there wasn't one.

Regardless of what may have happened, this is very concerning. It isn't impossible for a security company to also suffer a breach or hack but to have a situation that isn't clear to users is what is concerning. What users should be doing to ensure the security of the accounts, regardless of what password manager they use, or any account is to enable multi-factor authentication. Even a login was compromised a hacker could not access the account without the second factor for authentication.

Federal Court Ruling Will Make Wifi 6E a Reality

Image from Gizmodo

This will be the biggest upgrade for wifi in nearly 20 years! This is big news.

In a nutshell, 6GHz wifi works by both adding in new airwaves that can be used while also keeping separate wifi channels from crossing over one another. This means 6GHz wifi devices shouldn’t have to compete with other devices for spectrum. Devices supporting Wifi 6 actually began rolling out as early as 2019, but until now were unable to access the 6 GHz band. Through the 6GHz band is most commonly mentioned in reference to wifi applications, the FCC’s decision to open up additional spectrum for unlicensed use means those same airwaves could theoretically be used for 5G as well.

Cyber Security

What Is Surveillance Capitalism?

Image from MUO

Coined by Harvard Professor Shoshana Zuboff, surveillance capitalism is an economic system centered around the commodification of personal data with a core purpose of making profit.

In theory, surveillance capitalism helps businesses create better products, hold efficient inventory, and serve customers exactly what they need as soon as possible. By accurately pinpointing or swaying supply and demand, surveillance capitalism opens up a world of endless convenience.

However, the promised efficiency of surveillance capitalism doesn't necessarily mean it is ethical.

There are many sources that are used to collect data and build a profile. Our data has become something of a currency we trade for convenience with all of our smart gadgets, smartphones, and social media.

The linked article is worth a read to truly understand what surveillance capitalism is and how we've contributed to it.

How to Find Hidden Cameras Using Your Mobile Phone

Image from MUO

With cameras and other surveillance devices everywhere these days you can never be sure if you are being surveilled or not. An example of this would be if you are renting a space and want to be sure of your complete privacy. You may want to check if there are any hidden cameras. How do you check? Well, there are apps for doing so. Check out the linked article for full details.

6 Google Privacy Settings You Should Consider Changing

Image from MUO

Regardless of whether you are a heavy user of Google's services or just an infrequent user, you will want to take stock of your privacy settings and make adjustments to limit what information Google is collecting on you. Google already has a lot of information on you, more than you realize. Everyone should be concerned about this. Check out the linked article to see what settings should change and how to change them.

Windows

Windows 10 Optional Features: A Quick Guide to the Best Extras You May Want

Image from MUO

Many optional features in Windows are features that are legacy items or items that are not meant or needed by all users. You may discover a feature that you never knew existed but can increase your productivity. You may also discover a feature you can disable that you don't use or don't like. Check out the linked article for a deeper dive into the optional features and how to enable and disable them.

Tips & Tricks

Every Command You Can Say to Your Amazon Alexa

Image from MUO

Amazon's Echo devices are powerful tools. They can do so much that we may not know all the possible commands we can give them. These devices can be used at home and at work. There are endless possibilities. There is a cheat sheet available that can help you see the available options. You can get a copy via the linked article.

In addition to the commands, there are also hundreds if not thousands of skills you can enable to further extend the functionality. You can see the available skills here.

Useful Information

What Is 6GHz Wi-Fi? Is It Faster Than 5GHz?

Image from MUO

Now that the 6GHz band has officially been opened up for use you may be wondering what the difference is and if you will get faster speeds. In short, there will be more channels and wider channels, more space, so there will be less congestion. With less congestion, you will see faster speeds. There are still some caveats to be aware of. Check out the linked article for full details.

5 Digital Libraries Where You Can Download Ebooks for Free

Image from MUO

If you are looking to read more this year then here is a list, in the linked article, of some free digital libraries. There are also some great educational resources available in these libraries as well.

FAQ of the Week

Megabit (Mb) vs. Megabyte (MB): What's the Difference? Explained

Image from MUO

Each week we will address a frequently asked question. This week we are looking at the difference between bits and bytes.

For reference, a byte is made up of 8 bits.

Bits are used to measure speed and bytes are used to measure storage. You will see abbreviations such as Mb for megabit and MB for megabyte.

For every factor of 1,000, you reach the next level of measurement:

kilobits (Kb) & kilobytes (KB) megabits (Mb) & megabytes (MB) gigabits (Gb) & gigabytes (GB) terabits (Tb) & terabytes (TB)

For additional details check out the linked article.