September 2015 LCCU Meeting

• How can you manage the Adobe Flash security risk?• How can you keep Flash and other software updated?

• We’ll answers members’ questions:– How do you use Dropbox?

September 2015 LCCU MeetingHistory of Adobe Flash

• Flash is a software platform that has run video, animation, and games in web pages since 1996. It can directly access computer memory. It uses a lot of computer resources, can bog systems down.

• Apple stopped installing it in 2010, stating that it was the main reason Macs crash. Android stopped in 2012.

• Most websites have switched over to HTML 5. It’s the default on YouTube and Vimeo.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingProblems with Adobe Flash

• Flash has long been an attack methods of choice for cybercrooks and spying governments. Security vulnerabilities turn up on an almost daily basis.

• In July 2015, Adobe put out security alerts and fixes for 38 vulnerabilities in Flash Player.

• Hacking Team used vulnerabilities in Flash to create spyware that can take control of a computer, & sold it to oppressive governments. Firefox & Chrome disabled Flash until a fix was issued.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingControlling Adobe Flash

• Internet Explorer: – To disable it, click the gear, Internet Options. Under

the Programs tab, click Manage add-ons. Under Show: select “All Add-ons”. Click Shockwave Flash Object and in the lower right-hand corner, click Disable.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingControlling Adobe Flash

• Firefox: – To disable or pause it, go to the hamburger icon in the

upper right-hand corner & click Add-ons. In the left-hand column, click Plugins. Go to the dropdown next to Shockwave Flash and select Never Activate, or Ask to Activate.

– Or install a plugin called Flashblock to block it until you decide whether to run it.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingControlling Adobe Flash

• Chrome: – To disable it, type chrome://plugins in your search bar

& go to it. Scroll down to Adobe Flash Player. Click Disable.

– To pause it, click hamburger icon, Settings, “Show advanced settings”. Under Privacy click Content Settings button. Under Plugins choose “Let me choose when to run …”.

– Or add a plugin called Flash Control, which lets you decide, case by case.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingControlling Adobe Flash

• Note - Uninstalling Adobe Flash Player using Control Panel, Programs and Features, removes it from the Internet Explorer and Firefox. Chrome installs its version when Chrome is installed.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingAdobe Flash References

• To Flash or not to Flash? That’s a good question! from AskLeo.com

• Flash. Must. Die. From Wired.com

• What Is Adobe Flash, and How Can You Get Rid of It? From yahoo.com

• MS kills critical IE 11 bug after exploit was shopped to Hacking Team – arstechnica.com

• Once again, Adobe releases emergency Flash patch for Hacking Team 0-days. - arstechnica

September 2015 LCCU MeetingSoftware Update Monitors

• Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector notifies you of security updates but not others, most updates automatically, but Flash is manual.

• Ninite Software Updater, ($10/yr) detects items from ninite; or make Installer from ones you use.

• AppManager from filehippo.com notifies you if filehippo.com has a more recent version.

• Software Update Monitor Lite by KC Software has a more complete list of updates but no links.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingSoftware Update Monitors

• Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector report:

September 2015 LCCU MeetingSoftware Update Monitors

• Ninite Software Updater - make Installer for software you use, save it, right-click & send to desktop.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingSoftware Update Monitors

• Ninite – Report

September 2015 LCCU MeetingSoftware Update Monitors

• AppManager after Secunia and Ninite updates:

September 2015 LCCU MeetingSoftware Update Monitors

• Best Free Software Update Monitor from techsupportalert.com

• The Best Tools To Check For Software Updates from 7tutorials.com

• The Best App Updater for Windows from lifehacker.com

• MajorGeeks News and Software Updater 1.0.1

September 2015 LCCU MeetingDropbox

• Dropbox download – Sign up with name, email & password, then download the app. 2 GB of storage is free, I TB costs $10/month.

• Runs on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Blackberry, Kindle Fire

• Keeps previous versions & deleted files 30 days.

• Performs incremental saves to reduce overhead.

• Can turn on auto upload of phone photos.

• Files shared with you count against your storage.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingHow to use Dropbox

• Installing the app creates a folder under your user profile called “Dropbox”.

• Move files or folders you want to save, sync or share to it, or to dropbox.com. They’re uploaded immediately & available to your other devices.

• Right-click a folder in the Dropbox folder to share with other Dropbox users or get a link to it copied to your clipboard. Right-click a file to get a link or to view previous versions.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingHow to use Dropbox

• The app also creates a taskbar icon. Click it and under the gear, Preferences you can change the folder location, decide whether to start Dropbox at startup, sync with only selected folders, limit bandwidth, etc.

• To recover a deleted file, go to Dropbox.com, click the trash can (Show deleted files) at the top of the page, click to right of desired file and Restore (& Permanently delete) options appear.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingHow to use Dropbox

• In the case of simultaneous updating by collaborators, the second one finished produces a Conflicted Copy, which needs to be manually resolved.

• Files synced to a smart phone or tablet are available offline only if they are Favorited (marked with a star) – prevents using up phone memory.

September 2015 LCCU MeetingHow to use Dropbox

• Dropbox Help Center

• Dropbox by PC Magazine

• 13 best cloud storage services 2015: Dropbox vs Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud & more