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Show of 06-04-2022

Tech Talk

June 4, 2022

Email and Forum Questions

  • Email from June in Burke: Dear Doc and Andrew. We are not allowed to use Grammarly because of security concerns. DoD blocks its use, both the full version and the web extensions. DoD does not want documents being scanned by a third-party app. This is a real security threat. June in Burke, VA
  • Tech Talk Responds: Thanks for the email. The DoD restriction makes sense to me. That means if a government employee is going to school and uses Grammarly as part of their academic activity, they cannot use their official work computer for such activity.
  • Email from Leslie in Oakton: Dear Tech Talk. We rented out a spare bedroom to a college student a while back, and once while we were on vacation our router died. Not wanting to have to do without Wi-Fi until we got back, our renter purchased a replacement router and installed it. When we got back from our trip he gave us the password he had put on the new router’s wireless network and we used it to log on to the network with our Windows 10 PCs. The problem is we lost the paper with the Wi-Fi password on it. Leslie in Oakton, VA
  • Tech Talk Responds: There is no (easy) way to retrieve the Wi-Fi password from your router. But you do have a couple of excellent options that don’t require the purchase of a new router.
  • You could reset your router back to its factory default settings and then create a new Wi-Fi network with a new password. A faster and easier solution is to retrieve the password from your own computer.
  • Since your computer has Windows 10 on it you can easily access the Wi-Fi password from there. Here’s how:
    • If it is not connected already, connect your PC to your Wi-Fi Network.
    • Open the Control Panel.
    • Click Network and Internet.
    • Click View network status and tasks.
    • Click the name of your Wi-Fi network over on the right, then click Wireless Properties in the window that pops up.
    • Select the Security tab. You should now see a box containing the “Network Security Key” displayed as a series of dots. The dots represent your Wi-Fi password in hidden form.
    • Check the box beside Show characters to display the password for your Wi-Fi connection. Enter this password on your wife’s new laptop to log into your Wi-Fi network. You might also want to write the password down at this point and keep it tucked away somewhere for later use.
  • That is all there is to it.
  • Email from Elijah in Ashburn: Dear Tech Talk. I have an old desktop computer that is running Windows 7. It has 2GB of RAM and a 200GB hard drive. This machine runs slow, coming almost to a crawl at times. How can I speed it up? Elijah in Ashburn, VA
  • Tech Talk Responds: There are a few things you can do to speed up your computer if you decide to keep it instead of replacing it with a faster, more capable PC:
  • Add more physical RAM to the system.
    • Simply doubling the RAM from 2GB to 4GB would almost certainly make a world of difference in your PC’s operating speed. And if possible, 8GB would be even better.
    • Just head over to Crucial.com and run their System Scanner tool. It’ll scan your system and tell you how much total RAM the PC can use as well as what types and configurations of RAM you’ll need to purchase and install.
  • Replace the hard drive with a Solid State Drive (SSD).
    • An SSD is much faster than a hard drive, and that speed difference alone will make your computer run faster by reducing the time it takes for the CPU to swap data into and out of the page file.
  • Make sure your computer is completely free of malware.
    • Viruses, toolbars, adware and such can really slow a system down, and simply removing all that unwanted junk can make a world of difference when it comes to system speed.
  • Replace Windows with Linux.
    • Linux typically performs better than Windows on older hardware so you could likely speed things up a bit simply by installing Linux in place of the current Windows installation. Windows 7 is no longer safe to use because Microsoft stopped releasing security updates for it quite some time ago.
  • Email from Remy in White Stone: Dear Tech Talk. I read an article explaining how to retrieve a forgotten password from a web browser. Can I do that with my iPhone? Lightning destroyed my computer and I had to replace it. Now I can’t log in to a couple of my accounts because I can’t remember the passwords. I know the passwords are on my phone because I can log in with it without having to enter the passwords. Remy in White Stone, VA
  • Tech Talk Responds: It is very easy to do. Here’s how:
    • Tap the Settings icon on your iPhone (it looks like a “gear”).
    • Scroll down and tap Passwords. You should now see a list of accounts that have their login info stored on your iPhone.
    • Tap on the first account you need to retrieve the password for.
    • You should now see that account’s User Name followed by a row of dots representing the password. Tap on those dots. Enter your phone’s passcode.
    • The password for that account should now be displayed on the screen. Write down the password for safekeeping.
    • Repeat the steps above for any other passwords that you need to retrieve.
  • You now know how to retrieve stored passwords from your iPhone (and your iPad as well, if you have one). Of course, so can anyone else who has your passcode.
  • Email from Tung in Ohio: Dear Doc and Jim. I save all of my family pictures and party pictures on thumb drives. I have over a dozen thumb drives containing several thousand photos. One of my co-workers told me it is a bad idea to keep files I do not want to lose on a thumb drive because they can get lost or go bad. She told me to transfer them to some other kind of storage. What is your opinion on this? Tung in Ohio.
  • Tech Talk Responds: Your co-worker is right, Tung. USB flash drives come in handy as temporary storage devices. They really make it easy to transfer photos and other files from one computer to another. However, a USB flash drive should never be used to store important files on a long-term basis, for these reasons:
    • USB flash drives are notoriously unreliable.
    • They are easy to misplace.
    • They are easily corrupted.
    • They are typically quite fragile.
  • You need to copy your files to a more secure storage location. You have several operations.
    • You could copy all your pictures to an external USB hard drive. USB hard drives are much more reliable than thumb drives, and they also typically have a lot more storage space available.
    • Burn them onto blank optical discs. Optical discs still make excellent storage devices for photos. Just make sure you back them up to secondary storage media as well.
    • Store them in the cloud. It is always a good idea to augment any type of local storage media by backing up the files to a cloud storage service as well. Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, Carbonite, and many other cloud storage services are easy to use, generally secure from hackers, and extremely reliable.
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Profiles in IT: Sheryl Kara Sandberg

  • Sheryl Kara Sandberg is best known as the COO of Facebook and the force behind monetizing the site and for previously monetizing Google the advertising platform.
  • Sheryl Kara Sandberg was born on August 28, 1969, in Washington, DC.
  • Her family moved to North Miami Beach, Florida, when she was two years old.
  • She attended North Miami Beach High School, from which she graduated in 1987 and ranked ninth in her class. She was sophomore class president.
  • Sandberg taught aerobics in the 1980s while in high school.
  • In 1987, Sandberg enrolled at Harvard. She graduated in 1991 summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in economics.
  • While at Harvard, she co-founded an organization called Women in Economics and Government. She also met Professor Lawrence Summers, who became her mentor and thesis adviser.
  • Summers recruited her to be his research assistant at the World Bank, where she worked for approximately one year on health projects in India dealing with leprosy, AIDS, and blindness.
  • In 1993, she enrolled at Harvard Business School, and in 1995 she earned her MBA with the highest distinction.
  • After graduating from business school in 1995, Sandberg worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company for approximately one year.
  • From 1996 to 2001, she again worked for Lawrence Summers, who was then serving as the United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton.
  • Sandberg assisted in the Treasury’s work on forgiving debt during the Asian financial crisis in the developing world.
  • She joined Google in 2001 as its VP of Global Online Sales & Operations.
  • She was responsible for sales of Google’s advertising and publishing products.
  • In late 2007, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder, and chief executive of Facebook, met Sandberg at a Christmas party. Zuckerberg thought she would be perfect for COO.
  • They met again in January 2008 at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
  • In March 2008, Facebook announced hiring Sheryl Sandberg away from Google.
  • Sandberg quickly began trying to figure out how to make Facebook profitable.
  • Before she joined, Facebook was primarily interested in building a really cool site; profits, they assumed, would follow.
  • Sandberg oversees business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy and communications.
  • By late spring, Facebook’s leadership had agreed to rely on advertising.
  • By 2010, Facebook became profitable.
  • When Facebook issued its IPO on May 18, 2012, Sandberg held approximately 41 million shares valued at $2.38B.
  • In 2012 she became the eighth member (and first female) of Facebook’s BOD.
  • In March 2013, Sheryl Sandberg published her first book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, co-authored by Nell Scovell.
  • Lean In is a book for professional women to help them achieve their career goals and for men who want to contribute to a more equitable society “
  • After the death of her second husband, David Goldberg, the CEO of SurveyMonkey, in 2015, she wrote and published the book, Option B. The book addresses grief and resilience in challenges within life.
  • On June 1, 2022, Sandberg announced she would be leaving Meta as COO in the fall of 2022 but would remain on the board of directors.
  • Her departure was expected because of negative press regarding Russian interference in the 2016 US elections and its Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
  • Advertising revenue is also struggling because of the Apple privacy initiative. Sandberg has not created a suitable response.
  • Finally Zuckerberg’s recent Metaverse initiative did not involve her.

Observations from the Faculty Lounge

  • Many experts say that Sheryl Sandberg is responsible for Facebook’s stunning success because founder Mark Zuckerburg was not good at logistics or handling other aspects of Facebook’s business like HR and advertising.
  • There are some unique and surprising leadership qualities about Sheryl Sandberg that every boss can learn from today.
  • Engage with every employee.
    • As reported in Forbes Magazine, when Sheryl Sandberg started as Facebook’s COO, she went to hundreds of people’s desks and interrupted their work, and said: “Hi I’m Sheryl.” She then asked lots of questions and listened.
    • Commit to schedule time to talk to as many employees as possible both formally and informally. Front line people often have the answer to solving the company’s most pressing problems. It also makes people feel that their ideas matter.
  • Ask people what they think and encourage debate.
    • Sheryl is well known for asking many smart questions about what employees think and encouraging debate. She understands the high value of debate because it gets better results.
    • Many leaders have a preconceived notion about how they want something done and don’t encourage debate at all, in fact, they do the opposite- shut it down. Decide to welcome and encourage debate. You will get honest feedback and better information.
  • Be honest about your feelings.
    • Many people think that revealing your feelings, as a leader is a sign of weakness. Sheryl thinks it is a strength and makes employees more willing to discuss their feelings as well. When her husband died suddenly, and tragically she posted a long essay on Facebook and made it public.
    • Are you willing to be vulnerable to show you are human and help others to be honest about their feelings? When Sheryl opened up to her team members, they felt a connection, and were more likely to be open.
  • Be willing to address the elephant in the room.
    • In December 2010, Sheryl Sandberg gave a Ted Talk: Why we have too few women leaders. The talk was funny, backed up with solid research, and asked a question that silicon valley and corporate America needed to hear.
    • She spoke of the tiny percentage of women in C Suite roles. She was also honest in saying she didn’t have answers just questions and some ideas. This Ted Talk ended up being viewed over seven million times and resulted in a book called Lean In. It created a movement and the creation of lean in circles.
    • Sheryl dared to bring up the issue and start the discussion. Are you willing to raise the issues so that can be discussed openly?

Captured Russian Equipment Contains Foreign Computer Chips

  • When Ukrainian forces began to take apart several pieces of captured or partially destroyed Russian military equipment, they found a strong reliance on foreign microchips, especially those made in the United States.
  • The chips in question were found inside a recovered radar-equipped air defense command post vehicle that is part Pantsir air defense system.
  • Ukraine intelligence said its specialists found eight microchips from U.S. manufacturers like Intel, Micrel, Micron Technology, and Atmel Corp. in its communications systems.
  • Ukrainian specialists also found five U.S.-made chips – manufactured by AMD, Rochester Electronics, Texas Instruments, and Linear Technology – in the direction-finder of a Pantsir air defense system.
  • There were at least 35 U.S.-made chips found in the Kh-101 cruise missile, including those manufactured by Texas Instruments, Atmel Corp. Rochester Electronics, Cypress Semiconductor, Maxim Integrated, XILINX, Infineon Technologies, Intel, Onsemi, and Micron Technology.
  • When they opened up the turreted electro-optical system of the Ka-52 Alligator, Ukraine specialists found 22 U.S.-made chips and one Korean-made chip.
  • The U.S. manufacturers included Texas Instruments, IDT, Altera USA, Burr-Brown, Analog Devices Inc., Micron Technology, Linear Technology and TE Connectivity.
  • The origin of the microchips found in these Russian weapons is unclear. These chips would not necessarily have to have been sourced directly from the manufacturers. Also, there is a massive and largely unregulated market for recycled chips, largely emanating from China, and many of them appear to be quite old.

Ukrainian Fighters Use Electric Bikes in War Against Russia

  • Ukrainian fighters are using electric bikes in the battle against Russia, mostly in support of reconnaissance missions, demining operations, and medical deliveries.
  • They’ve reportedly also been used for carrying out sniper attacks.”The bikes have a top speed of 55 miles per hour and are relatively silent, helping their riders evade Russian fire.
  • Ukrainian e-bike firm Eleek initially gave a few bikes to the military when the war began.
  • Soon after, they began to mass-produce bikes, in military green with a small Ukrainian flag on the rear wheel, or Ukraine’s fighters.
  • Working from a bomb shelter, Eleek began making a power bank based on lithium-ion battery cells it had left in stock.
  • After struggling for parts, it turned to electronic cigarettes, launching a social media campaign to get people to send in their devices.
  • The company added footrests for passengers, improved the charging time, installed a battery control system, and included a 220V output that allows soldiers to charge gadgets and can help power Starlink satellite Internet terminals.
  • Another advantage of the bikes is that they may not be visible on thermal imaging systems, which are used to detect differences in temperature and help militaries pinpoint potential targets. Bikes can carry antitank weapons.
  • The company is donating 5 percent of all sales to fund humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Beware of Unknown USB Drives

  • Did you find a random USB stick, perhaps at your school or in a parking lot? You may be tempted to plug it into your PC, but you could leave yourself open to attack or, worse still, permanently damage your machine.
  • Malware — Perhaps the most famous example of malware disseminated by USB is the Stuxnet worm, which was first discovered in 2010.
  • This malware targeted four zero-day exploits in Windows 2000 through to Windows 7 (and Server 2008) and wreaked havoc on around 20% of Iran’s nuclear centrifuges.
  • Since these facilities were not accessible via the internet, Stuxnet is believed to have been introduced directly using a USB device.
  • Ransomware — In early 2022 the FBI released details about a group called FIN7 who were mailing USB drives to US companies. The group attempted to impersonate the US Department of Health and Human Services by including letters referencing COVID-19 guidelines. They also sent some infected drives out in Amazon-branded gift boxes with thank you notes and counterfeit gift cards.
  • The USB drives presented themselves to the target computer like keyboards, sending keystrokes that executed PowerShell commands. In addition to the installation of ransomware like BlackMatter and REvil, the FBI reported that the group was able to obtain administrative access to target machines.
  • Even if you have set your computer to scan all incoming drives, if a device disguises itself as a keyboard then you are still open to attack.
  • USB Hardware Killers — There is a potentially even greater threat out there in the form of “USB killers” which can physically damage your computer. The most famous variation was USBKill, released in 2010.
  • This device (and others like it) discharges power into whatever it is plugged into, causing permanent damage. USBKill claims that 95% of devices are vulnerable to such an attack.
  • If you don’t know where a drive came from, don’t touch it. Stick to brand-new drives that you own and purchased yourself, and keep them exclusive to devices that you trust. This means not using them with public computers that could be compromised.
  • You can purchase USB sticks that allow you to restrict write access, which you can lock before you connect (to prevent malware from being written to your drive).