I have spoken at conferences three times (twice on Router Security, once on Defensive Computing). Each talk is on this personal YouTube playlist.

2022

Again, for 4 years, I forgot this page existed.

• In November 2022, Kevin C. Tofel wrote about the Chromebook page on my Defensive Computing Checklist site: 4 Chromebook security tips for data privacy and protection
• In September 2022, I was mentioned in this Wall Street Journal article: When to Use a VPN - and When It Won't Protect Your Data. Both the article and the reader comments are quite sad, the blind leading the blind. Really depressing.
• In May, I blogged that VPNs on iOS are a scam. In August this got picked up by Ars Technica: VPN security - iOS VPNs have leaked traffic for more than 2 years, researcher claims and dozens of other sources such as Macworld: iPhone VPN apps are 'a scam,' security researcher warns–and Apple knows it. In September, the issue was written up at HowToGeek.com: Are VPNs Broken on iPhone?
• In July, I gave a presentation on Defensive Computing at the HOPE conference that was based on my DefensiveComputingChecklist.com site.
• I was mentioned on the July 12, 2022 edition of Steve Gibson's Security Now podcast. I had asked him if the multiple Guest Wi-Fi networks on an Asus router were really separate. Steve and Leo also seemed to like my DefensiveComputingChecklist.com site.

2018

• I was mentioned on the February 27, 2018 edition of Steve Gibson's Security Now podcast. The previous week Steve had said that DNS servers, hard coded in a computer, over-rode those in the router. While this is sometimes true, it is not always true. I wrote to him that "Peplink routers can over-ride all DNS requests from devices connected to their routers. In this case you WILL use the DNS servers in the router, NOT those hard coded in your computer. From the perspective of the router, its easy, just look for outgoing port 53 traffic." Gibson read my note on the show and it generated a five minute discussion with show host Leo Laporte. Read the transcript (search for my name) or listen to the audio at SoundCloud.com. If the subject interests you, I also blogged about it, see Routers can force their DNS servers onto all devices.

2016

• For the most part, I broke the story about TP-LINK losing control of a couple domains used for configuring routers and other TP-LINK devices. The story was picked up almost everywhere, with the best coverage on Steve Gibson's Security Now podcast of July 5, 2016. Read a transcript or listen to audio (7 minutes)

2015

• I was mentioned in Your Internet router is a security risk. Here's why along with my RouterSecurity.org site. The article was in the Christian Science Monitor on December 2, 2015.
• Bill Mullins has often carried links to my blog in his Tech Thoughts blog/newsletter. Thanks, Bill. The November 23, 2015 issue included my blog on the security of the D-Link DIR860L router.
• My Sept 22, 2015 blog, Lenovo collects usage data on ThinkPad, ThinkCentre and ThinkStation PCs got some traction. For one, Lenovo issued an official response: Statement on Lenovo Statistical Data Collection three days later. Steve Gibson picked up on it in his Security Now podcast. I am 44 minutes in. Hear the audio. Cory Doctorow went a bit overboard.
• My Feb 5th blog, Talk to your modem was discussed by Steve Gibson (Listen: 4 minutes) on the Feb. 10th edition of his Security Now podcast (look for Question 7 in transcript).

2014

• I spoke on Securing a Home Router at the HOPE conference on July 20, 2014.
  A PDF of the presentation and audio are both available (see home page for links).
  I hope to turn this into a Router Security website. Work started on this at the end of Jan. 2015.
  Brief description: Routers are a perfect target for abuse. The presentation will explain some of the configuration options in routers that can make your Local Area Network more secure. Among these are locking down access to the router, Wi-Fi security, firewalls, DNS, and hiding on the Internet. Also covered are known security flaws in routers and how to defend against them. Some of the covered flaws are: WPS, UPnP, port 32764 and smartphones leaking Wi-Fi passwords.

2013

• My September 2013 blog, Google knows nearly every Wi-Fi password in the world got more attention than anything else I have written (when Computerworld changed the software running their website in Aug 2014, the comments to all the blogs were lost). Leo Laporte discussed the issue on his radio show, The Tech Guy.
• In April 213, Steve Gibson rolled out a digital certificate fingerprint service to detect SSL man-in-the-middle attacks. I blogged about it shortly after it was available. Gibson read my blog and added it to his documentation, writing: Michael Horowitz's "Defensive Computing" blog at ComputerWorld has a terrific and even more extensive explanation of this issue. If you're interested in reading more about this, check it out!.
• On the March 13, 2013 episode of the Security Now podcast, Steve Gibson discussed my JavaTester.org website.

2012

• I forgot about updating this page.

2011

• I forgot about updating this page.

2010

• I forgot about updating this page.

2009

• I spoke at the February 2009 General Meeting of the New York Personal Computer User Group on security software. Part of my presentation, on disabling autorun, is available at YouTube.

2008

• I spoke at the December 2008 General Meeting of the New York Personal Computer User Group on two subjects: portable applications and Netbooks.
• I wrote an article on netbook computers, One Guy, 3 Netbooks, for Datamation that was published on November 24, 2008.
• Cheaper, smaller 'netbooks' ignite portable computer sales by Bryan Redemske in the Omaha World-Herald. October 19, 2008. I'm quoted about Netbooks.
• The home page of Lenovo's blogs lenovoblogs.com links to an article that I wrote about SSDs. That article discussed the findings of one of their bloggers.

2007

• My CNET blog article, Everybody likes Mozy - except me was mentioned by Deb Shinder in both her blog (Mozy May Be Popular, But it's Not Perfect) and the Windows XP Newsletter she runs for Sunbelt Software. August 15, 2007.
• My JavaTester.org web site was mentioned in the August 9th issue of the Windows Secrets newsletter. The article was Your application software sorely needs updating By Ryan Russell, but it only appeared in the paid version, not the free version.
• I was mentioned in Leo's Answers, a newsletter by Leo Notenboom. The July 20th edition.
• My Defensive Computing blog at CNET went live in July. Screenshot.

2006

• My Secure Submit web page was mentioned in the August 17, 2006 issue of the Support Alert Newsletter by Gizmo Richard.
• I spoke about two topics: Hard Disk Partitions and Buying a New Computer at the NYPC General Meeting June 15, 2006
• I spoke about Spyware at the NYPC General Meeting February 16, 2006

2005

• The September 29, 2005 issue of the Langa List newsletter, by Fred Langa, included a letter from me about problems with version 6 of the ZoneAlarm firewall.
• The August 22, 2005 issue of the Langa List newsletter, by Fred Langa, included a letter from me regarding a problem with Windows XP wanting to install the same printer every time it boots. I experienced this with a Samsung printer and documented it on computergripes.com. I found one solution and readers of the page have found others. The letter was in the Plus! edition which is only available to paid subscribers.
• I spoke at the July 21, 2005 General Meeting of the NYPC User Group about Remote Control (NetMeeting, Remote Desktop, Go To My PC, etc.)
• My Java Tester web site was mentioned in the June 1, 2005 issue of the Privacy Watch newsletter from PC World Magazine.
• My Links That Lie web page was mentioned in the March 3, 2005 edition of Karen Kenworthy's newsletter.
• My Spyware removal page got mentioned in Scot's Newsletter from Scot Finnie. February 2005 issue. Scot re-published the article at Security Pipeline: Anti-Spyware Technology Needs To Get Better January 31, 2005
• My Rebates page on computergripes.com was mentioned in Followup: The Rebate Debate on January 18, 2005. This article, from the WinXPnews newsletter by Sunbelt Software, is excellent and should be read by anyone who has ever filed a rebate. It is a follow-up to The Rebate Hassle: Is it Worth It? in the January 11, 2005 issue of the newsletter.
• My Removing Spyware page got mentioned in More on safe computing by David Strom in his Web Informant newsletter. January 10, 2005.

2004

• My Firefox gripes got mentioned in Secrets of Firefox 1.0 by Brian Livingston. This was the December 2, 2004 issue of the Windows Secrets newsletter. There is a short, free version of this newsletter and a longer, paid edition. I was also mentioned in the paid edition.
• I spoke at the November 18, 2004 General Meeting of the NYPC User Group giving a brief rundown of some of the things that need to be done/installed/tweaked on a new computer.
• My backup class was mentioned in Newsday by Lou Dolinar November 14, 2004. The reference was regarding Replicator a great, free backup program that is covered in the class.
• My JavaTester web site was mentioned in the TechLove With Mr. Roboto column in the Village Voice by Brendan I. Koerner. November 2nd, 2004
• Steve Bass mentioned my Spyware Removal page in PC World magazine. More Spyware Prevention and Removal October 27, 2004. The article was re-published at MSN Tech & Gadgets.
• Fred Langa published a note from me about my Bad Emails page in the September 30, 2004 issue of the Langa List
• Fred Langa published a note from me about my review of NASLite in the September 13, 2004 issue of the Langa List
• David Strom mentioned my Removing Spyware page in an article he wrote on the subject for Security Pipeline Opinion: Cleaning Up Your System which also appeared at Desktop Pipeline. August 30, 2004
• Computer Gripes was mentioned in Ten things I hate about tech in the Sydney Morning Herald August 21,2004
• My Removing Spyware page got cited by Lockergnome August 20, 2004
• My Firefox gripes were also cited by Fred Langa in his newsletter, the Langa List on July 22, 2004
• I was mentioned for my Firefox gripes in Can Your Site Survive Firefox? by Brian Livingston in Datamation July 19, 2004
• My Computer Gripes site was mentioned in the April 15, 2004 edition of the Neat Net Tricks newsletter.
• In March 2004, my Java Tester web site was named a Computing Coolsite by Emerald (see the software section).
• In February 2004, my Computer Gripes site was named a Computing Coolsite by Emerald. Their review is archived in their software section which has a direct link to it.
• In January 2004 while discussing moving his web sites, Fred Langa mentioned my gripes about Hostcentric.

2003

• I was mentioned by Lou Dolinar in his column in Newsday on December 2, 2003. The subject was backing up your computer.
• I spoke on Defensive Email at the New York Amateur Computer Club November 13, 2003
• I lectured to the NYPC User Group on September 16, 2003 about Securing Your Computer.
• Fred Langa published a letter from me in the August 18, 2003 Plus edition of his newsletter. The topic was how best to share Windows between parents and children. Read it here
• Fred Langa published a long letter from me on upgrading Windows in the April 24, 2003 issue of his newsletter, The Langa List. The letter was about four ways to update an old version of Windows to a new one on the same computer. Read it here. In an unusual turn for him, my letter was the entire expanded "plus" material. Three computer user groups reprinted it: The Sun City Anthem Computer Club, the South Eastern Michigan Computer Organization and the Canton/Alliance/Massillon User Group.
• Jim Eshelman links to my Java Tester site from his page that lists Windows Support Sites. That page has links to helpful web pages where you can find help for Windows problems. He described the site as: "The best site for addressing Java’s presence on your computer. See if Java is installed and enabled. Learn what version you have".
• On April 4, 2003 my JavaTester site was a hot site in USA Today
• LockerGnome mentioned my JavaTester site in their daily newsletter GnomeREPORT on February 19, 2003
• Fred Langa printed a note I sent him in his Langa List newsletter of January 30, 2003. The subject was cleaning out old service pack folders.
• The Screen Savers show on Tech TV said nice things about my Java Tester web site on their January 24, 2003 show.
• My Java Tester web site was mentioned in Scot Finnie's newsletter of January 21, 2003.

2002

• My Java Tester web site was mentioned in David Strom's newsletter of December 28, 2002. The topic was The trouble with Java
• I was mentioned in the November 11, 2002 issue of Business Week Magazine regarding keychain flash ram storage devices
• My backup script was featured in the August 26, 2002 issue of the Langa List newsletter by Fred Langa. There is a free and paid version of his newsletter. The script was one of the extras for subscribers to the paid version. As such, access to the article is limited to his paid subscribers.
• I was mentioned in the April 2002 issue of Mark Minasi's Windows 2000/NT Newsletter (Issue #22) regarding ad-hoc WiFi wireless networking. (1)

2001

• I got a special thank-you from Scot Finnie in the October 17, 2001 issue of his newsletter for some help in debugging the transfer of his web site from one hosting company to another.
• I got mentioned in David Strom's newsletter, the Web Informant on October 10, 2001. He raved about, what was then, the newly released Norton Anti-Virus 2002. In response, I sent him some gripes which he linked to in the online version of the newsletter.
• I was mentioned in the May 15, 2001 issue of Scot Finnie's newsletter regarding ZoneAlarm.
• In an article on CPU-Slowdown Sleuthing Fred Langa published a message of mine. May 7, 2001.
• I was interviewed by John Rhodes of WebWord in February 2001 about the Computer Gripes web site

2000

• I was referred to as "something of a NetMeeting maven" in the May 2000 issue of Mark Minasi's Windows 2000/NT Newsletter (Issue #5). Mark printed a letter I wrote about NetMeeting. (1)

And . . .

  My hobby web site, Computer Gripes, has also gotten some publicity of its own

  (1) Before you can see archives of Mark Minasi's newsletter, you have to subscribe to the newsletter