Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch
la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.
Has your anti-virus or firewall program ever blocked a site and left you wondering what happened? Should you continue or not? This month, instead of recommending a free program, I’m going to tell you about several internet sites that only do one thing. All of them provide a service that helps you to stay safe while you’re surfing the Wild World Web.
URL Void is a free service developed by the NoVirusThanks Company that allows users to scan a website address with multiple web reputation engines to facilitate the detection of possible dangerous websites. It’s easy to use. Either type or paste the URL of the website you want to check in the box and click the “Scan Now” button. In a few seconds you will know if you should be wary.
Should I Change My Password was created to help the average person check if their password(s) may have been compromised and need to be changed. Simply type an e-mail address in the box and click the “Check it!” box.
PWNED List is another site that does the same thing as Should I change my password. Check if your e-mail has been hacked.
How Secure is my Password? Is kind of a fun site to use. As you type a password into the box, the site estimates how long it would take to hack it. At the same time, tips on selecting a good password are displayed. The New York Times has an excellent article about this site.
Email Trace searches and finds where and email originated. Copy and paste the email header and this site will find the sender.
Remember, just because you’ve checked a sites URL, doesn’t mean it is safe. Common sense is probably the easiest way to stay safe while surfing the internet. Excuse me, I think I’ve finally found the web site of the real Nigerian prince. I’ll probably be a lot richer the next time you see me.
If you like any of these links, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.