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German researchers find ‘flaw’ in Password Checker

Posted on by Fred Langa

Reader Doug* sent in this report after reading, “New, free Chrome extension checks for password hacks in real time.” “Fred …found this in a forum…..a security flaw in the Password Checker extension…from Google…unfortunately it is in German….but perhaps you can further research the security flaw:https://www.kuketz-blog.de/chrome-add-on-password-checkup-uebermittelt-domainname/andhttps://www.deskmodder.de/blog/2019/02/06/password-checkup-google-uebermittelt-doch-nicht-alles-verschluesselt/ “ Thanks, Doug! Yes, a German researcher looked at the datastream that…

Reader response on: Chrome’s new Password Checker

Posted on by Fred Langa

Wow! Yesterday’s item, “New, free Chrome extension checks for password hacks in real time” generated a ton of replies… and questions! For example, over on the AskWoody lounge, a number of readers expressed concerns about explicitly asking a Google product to examine your passwords. As I explained there, I completely understand the reluctance to invite…

New, free Chrome extension checks for password hacks in real time

Posted on by Fred Langa

Google’s new Password Checkup extension for desktop Chrome automatically checks your passwords, as you use them, against a Google-developed database of some four billion known hacked/stolen logon credentials. (Fig. 1) Note that this is not the same as sites like have i been pwned , which check to see if your email address (not passwords) appears…

A reader asks: “Is there any way to recover data from a computer that has been factory reset?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

Reader Troy Marcotte* asks: “Is there any way to recover data from a computer that has been factory reset?” If the device was simply reset using an ordinary factory recovery DVD/flash drive, or the like, then yes, some data may still be available. With a standard factory reset, the drive usually gets reformatted, and fresh…

A reader asks: “How do I safely transfer files from an old, possibly infected laptop to an external HDD?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

First, scan the “possibly infected” system using an external, self-contained, bootable, DVD- or flashdrive-based anti-malware tool. (Examples; many are free.) Boot and run the suspect PC from the anti-malware DVD or flash drive — not from the possibly-infected hard drive. The anti-malware tool then runs, scans, and cleans all the files on the hard drive….

A reader asks: “Can I let ‘Chkdsk /f /r’ run all night on a conventional HDD?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

Sure, if you’re trying to repair a damaged hard drive. Chkdsk — check disk — is the Windows tools that examines your drives for logical and physical errors. Adding the “/f” tells Chkdsk to fix logical errors on the disk, if any — things like file fragments that the operating system lost track of. Adding…

Managing pre-Win10 File ‘Permissions’ Issues

Posted on by Fred Langa

Older Windows Secrets/LangaList columns are in the process of being moved to their new home at AskWoody.com, and may not yet be publicly available. In the interim, I’m reprinting selected columns here to help ensure readers can find and access information I’m referencing in new columns. The column below was originally published in the May…

“Why is there no ‘A’ Branch on Boston’s Green Line transit?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

Boston’s street-level, light-rail, “Green Line” has B, C, D, and E Branches. Reader Kevin McCullough* asks: “Why is there no ‘A’ Branch,” There was, originally. It ran to Watertown and incorporated some of the oldest street-transit lines in Boston, dating back to pre-electric, horse-drawn streetcars. Today’s B Branch split off from it: But the tracks…

A reader asks: “Why is the weather SO unpredictable in Boston, MA?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

Regional forecasts are actually pretty accurate. (See: How Reliable Are Weather Forecasts?) But very local, small scale forecasts have additional variables. For example, Boston is a waterfront city and so is subject to various effects that apply only to the immediate coast. A distance of a few miles/KM can make a huge difference in temperature,…

From the InBox…

Posted on by Fred Langa

A few days ago, in “Taking my own advice,” I told you how I used Task Manager to objectively determine that I’ve maxed out my current hardware. It’s time for a new PC. Several readers had interesting reactions, suggestions, and questions. For example, App103 wrote: Before you run out and buy a new computer, perhaps…