Windows only: Got a webcam bundled with your last computer but don’t know what to do with it? Turn it into a motion-sensing security camera with freeware application Yawcam. All you need is a webcam to get started, but after spending a little time in the Yawcam settings you can set automatic FTP uploading, emailing, or just saving captured images to your hard drive. You can even set a schedule for when Yawcam is enabled to capture images so your security camera isn’t constantly snapping pics while you’re sitting in front of your computer. We’ve seen similar motion detecting software, but Yawcam looks like an excellent and simple alternative. I don’t have a webcam on my Windows PC, so if you give it a try, let’s hear how it worked for you in the comments. Yawcam is freeware, Windows only.
Category: Security
Enable Leopard’s Off-By-Default Firewall
Computer securityfirmpublication Heise criticizes Mac OS X Leopard for shipping without its firewall enabled by default like Windows Vista and advises users to turn it on. To do so, in System Preferences’ Security area either block all incoming connections or set explicit exceptions for services that can communicate through the firewall, like file or screen sharing, as shown. (More on that in an upcoming post.)
Create Strong Passwords with Password Hasher
Firefox only: Create strong passwords with Password Hasher, a Firefox extension that automatically generates unique passwords based on the destination. Unlike previously mentioned PwdHash, Password Hasher has integrated functionality (the “Bump” button) that assigns version numbers to passwords. It also consolidates passwords for domains, which is particularly useful if you use the same login across several subdomains on the same main site. Finally, save portable versions of the HTML so that you can generate your hash words on any machine without requiring the Password Hasher extension itself. Password Hasher is a free download, works wherever Firefox does.
Password Hasher [Firefox Add-ons]
Nice program if you are concerned with online passwords!! Only use this if you intend to keep your password file backuped!!
