Develop a Productive Online Volunteer Program through the Use of Appropriate Technology
About
Randy Tyler is a recognized pioneer and expert in Online Volunteer program development. Since 1998, his work has been noted by numerous news sources from The New York Times to CTV's Canada AM, and shared with non-profit organizations through provincial, national and international conference presentations and published articles. Randy provides training, workshops, presentations and consultation for non-profit organizations. He is a Gold Medallist graduate of both the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. For further information, please visit: http://www.RandyTyler.org
The following content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Windows Shortcut Exploit Protection Tool: Detects the Windows Shortcut Exploit, Blocks Exploit from Running and Works with Your Existing Anti-virus
What is the Windows Shortcut Exploit? As articulated by Sophos, "The Windows Shortcut Exploit (also known as CPLink) is a zero-day vulnerability in all versions of Windows that allows a Windows shortcut link to run a malicious DLL file. Sophos has released a free easy-to-use tool that blocks this exploit from running on your computer." The Current release of this tool (Version 1.0) provides protection for .LNK files only. System Requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit) Direct download Link to Sophos Windows-Shortcut-Exploit-Protection-Tool: http://downloads.sophos.com/custom-tools/Sophos%20Windows%20Shortcut%20Exploi...MD5 Checksum: 51621ec89978080674b7897cef85c36e For further information about Sophos Windows-Shortcut-Exploit-Protection-Tool: http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/sophos-windows-shortcut-exploit-pro... Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in Windows Shell could allow remote code execution: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2286198
For further information about how a non profit organization can develop a productive virtual volunteering program through the use of appropriate technology, please visit this Online Volunteering Resource.
Do You use the Same Password in Different Places? If you use the same password for your e-mail account, Twitter and your online banking, cracking your Twitter account, for example, makes your other accounts vulnerable to cyber criminals. A recent study by Trusteer (which I cited in an earlier post) based on a sample of more than four million users, many of whom are customers of leading North American and European banks, of the Rapport browser security service found that passwords were being re-used in surprising numbers (73 percent). Although creating a number of different, strong passwords for each of your accounts may at first seem cumbersome, Trusteer's findings suggest that many online users are leaving themselves more vulnerable if they do not. Thus, the first question seems apparent: How does one create a strong password? How to Create a Strong Password
Create a password that is easy to remember but difficult to guess
Your password should not contain words found in a dictionary or other personal information that prying eyes may guess, know about you or can easily find (such as your birth date, address, telephone number)
Your password should contain a minimum of 14 random characters combining upper (A-Z) and lower case (a-z) letters, numbers (0-9) and special characters (@#$%^!)
Your password should be different for each place (whether your e-mail, your Facebook account or computer log-in) requiring a password .
To test the strength of one of your current passwords (or to create one to secure 100 passwords at one time), please read about the free Secure Password Generator below.
Free Secure Password Generator PC Tools, the developer of Registry Mechanic and Spyware Doctor offers a free PC desktop-based Secure Password Generator (see the screen capture above) and a password strength tester to test your current or created passwords (see the screen capture above). The 392 KB application, which does not require installation, can be downloaded from the following URL: http://www.pctools.com/guides/password/ PC Tools also offers a Web-based Secure Password Generator if you do not want to download the aforementioned desktop application. Use the SSL connection (which provides an encrypted connection between your computer and PC Tools' Web server) when if you decide to create a secure password via their Web site so your password is not created in the clear. Their online password generator, using a secure (https) connection is located the following URL: https://secure.pctools.com/guides/password/ Whether using the online or desktop version, the password generator can create up to a 64 character password with an accompanying Phonetic Pronunciation (to possibly assist with recall). Using the online password generator, you can create one to 50 passwords at one time and one to100 passwords with the desktop program. For further information about how a non profit organization can develop a productive virtual volunteering program through the use of appropriate technology, please visit this Online Volunteering Resource.
When e-mail is too slow and inefficient to plan an event or fundraiser or collaborate on a project, consider a free Web hosted microblogging tool. Yammer, similar to Present.ly, offers a private, efficient way for employees to stay connected through the posting of messages, file sharing and the creation of groups (based on, for example, department, project or team, fundraiser). SMS integration, e-mail as well as iPhone and BlackBerry applications along with an Adobe Air-based desktop application ensures employees keep updated whether on or off their work site. To allow quick and easy identification of your colleagues' expertise, each employee can create a photo-based profile. Although Yammers' free level of service lacks the administrative functions Present.ly currently offers without charge, all users are required to confirm they have a valid organizational e-mail address (from the same domain) in order to sign-up. Along with requiring users to have a valid organizational e-mail address, the ability to suspend former employees allows a measure of privacy. To easily create your non-profit organization's free Yammer microblogging tool, visit: https://www.yammer.com/ For further information about how your non profit organization can develop a productive virtual volunteering program through the use of appropriate technology, please visit this Online Volunteering Resource.
