Tech Time Warp: O CHRISTMA tree, O CHRISTMA tree, your exec is not so amazing
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That doesn’t mean you should let your guard down when it comes to cybersecurity. That’s a lesson some computer users learned the hard way in December 1987. In this edition of Tech...
Tech Time Warp: Kenzero more than Kenough in terms of problems
It was obvious in the late 1990s and early 2000s—the heyday of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks—that the concept was too good to be true. In this edition of Tech Time Warp, we will take a look at, aside from the...
Tech Time Warp: Origins of the term “computer virus”
Now, nearly four years since the word “coronavirus” entered the popular lexicon, who doesn’t feel like an amateur epidemiologist? Given world events, it should be easy to understand why Leonard Adleman—the “A” of the RSA algorithm—was inspired by the graduate...
Pioneers in Tech: Gene Amdahl, “father” of mainframe computing
When you walk around with a computer in your hand or on your wrist, it’s easy to forget how much of the world still runs on mainframe computers. In this Pioneers in Tech, we look at how an estimated 10,000...
Tech Time Warp: Morris worm alerts the internet to cybersecurity risks
Back in 1988, the internet was a much smaller and friendlier place. No more than 100,000 computers were online, and no one considered the need for precautions like firewalls. In this week’s Tech Time Warp, we will see where that...
Tech Time Warp: Three times installing an update would have been a good idea
As Cybersecurity Awareness Month draws to a close, we turn our attention to a frequently overlooked but simple way to stay safe online: installing security updates. Security updates tend to appear at inopportune times, and it’s easy to say, “I’ll...
Tech Time Warp: First CAN-SPAM conviction snares a phisher
Most of us have experienced that horrible, sinking feeling that comes with being tricked or nearly tricked by a phishing email. According to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, one of the organizations behind the 20th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month,...
Tech Time Warp: Is MFA the brainchild of a digital pirate?
In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, organizers have introduced a new evergreen theme: “Secure Our World.” Designed for year-round use, the theme encourages adoption of now-widely available security measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). Let’s get into this...
Tech Time Warp: Cracking the code on password safety, at least for now
October 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This National Cybersecurity Alliance-coordinated event is an excellent time to remind colleagues, friends, and family about the important of protecting yourself online. In this week’s Tech Time Warp will look...
Tech Time Warp: Spilling the tea about HotJava
In the mid-1990s, when early internet users were first exposed to the online world via AOL CD-ROMs, websites were static places. You could find text, graphics, and some choppy audio and video. But that was about to change with the...
