One big problem with Shellshock is that it is very easy for attackers to exploit a system. They tell a system, “Here is a program. Run it.”

Apple has not, as of now, released a patch for OSX. There is a new patch for Linux, but it does not completely fix the problem.

As an executive, even if you have limited IT experience, you can go to Google and enter this search phrase:
filetype:sh inurl:cgi-bin site:fosterinstitute.com
(replace Foster Institute’s web site with your own actual website)

Hopefully, Google will tell you that the search did not match any documents. However, either way, it is still possible you are vulnerable. Ask your IT Pros to make sure your web server does not use Linux.

Please forward this to everyone that you know if you want to help him or her be secure against the ShellShock vulnerability!

The rest of this document is more technical, intended for your IT Pros.

There is a patch, but the patch only solves part of the problem. To see if the patch is in place, you can execute the bash command:
env x='() { :;}; echo vulnerable’ bash -c “echo patch this system”
There will be an error message anyway, but if you do see the words “patch this system” displayed as output, then the patch hasn’t been applied.

Even after you apply the patch, as of the time of this blog posting, your system is still vulnerable. To demonstrate, issue this command:

env X='() { (a)=>\’ bash -c “echo date”

You will see error messages similar to:
bash: X: line 1: syntax error near unexpected token `=’
bash: X: line 1: `’
bash: error importing function definition for `X’
Then, to find out if you are vulnerable, look at the contents of the file echo by issuing the command:
cat echo
If the response shows the date, then you are vulnerable:
Fri Sep 26 02:07:16 UTC 2014

To learn more reference CVE-2014-6271 and CVE-2014-7169

Please post your comments below…

The post Shellshock: Check Your Web Server appeared first on Foster Institute.

After months of using the Windows Phone as an experiment, I saw no compelling reason to stay with the Windows Phone. So I moved back to an iPhone 5S and was shocked to realize how much better the Windows Phone really is. Voice quality is much better for one thing.

The first big improvement: Selecting text

Copy and paste are two very important functions for people who like to move paragraphs. Some people like to pull information from web sites and other email messages into a new email (or text) message.

When “Select All” includes text you don’t want, have you ever tried to use an iPhone to select specific text in order to copy and paste? Success can be hit-and-miss, especially for text close to the edge of the screen. The Windows phone provides a significantly better experience. Granted, I have comparatively big fingers. My wife is much more adept at using the tiny touch screen.

Even if you never copy and paste, consider the second biggest improvement: Auto-correct

When typing an email message on an iPhone, when the iPhone is supposedly “correcting” your typos, you have to click the little x to tell Apple to leave your word alone the way you typed it. That can mean “one more click” per word. Extra clicks just slow you down.

Except for the most obvious typos, the Windows phone actually leaves your text as you typed it. It provides options from which you can choose if you realize you made a typo.

It seems to learn complete sentences that you’ve used before and makes “next word” suggestions accordingly.

In summary, the improved “copy and paste” and better auto-correct will be enough reason for some people to switch to a Windows Phone.

Thank goodness for the 14 day testing period. I traded the 5S right back in for an upgraded Windows Phone. The 6-inch screen and processing power of the Lumina 1520 are impressive.

Please post your comments below…

The post Two Reasons Why Microsoft Phones are Better than Apple Phones appeared first on Foster Institute.

And before you label me as a Microsoft hater, know that is incorrect. I enjoy products and services from both companies very much.

6. Similarly to the hardware, think about the “Apps.” Even when Apple applications don’t claim to have so many features, Apple products work as advertised. Though they’ve gotten so much better, in the past: if a Microsoft application’s feature doesn’t work properly, why do they publish that the feature “works?”

7. Most Apple customers have nothing bad to say about Apple’s tech support experience. One reason is that most Apple customers never need to use support at all. My experience with Microsoft is that they don’t know the answer to problems, and they seem to think that I’m willing to become part of their troubleshooting team, “try this, try that, what does this do, what if you do this? Ok, reinstall Windows and call me in the morning.” No thank you.
It is important to note: My experience with the Surface, Windows 8.1, and the latest version of MS Office has (so far) been spectacular. Microsoft sure got that one right!

8. There are always features in Apple products that make people say, “Oh wow! I never thought about having that feature and it is so cool!” For example, the “Burst Mode” of their camera feature is amazing. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you can point the camera at a scene, such as your kid doing something fun, and hold down the camera’s “take a picture” button. The camera takes many photos every second until you let go. Then, whenever you have time, you can go back to see all the pictures a simply select the one (or more) you like best and tell the device to “keep” those and throw the rest away. Makes it a ton easier to catch those otherwise tough shots.

9. Apple is willing to “change the world.” They sure did that with the original idea of really cool fonts (remember those days?), portable music players, and then with iPhones and iPads. What is their next big success going to be? To further promote “put all of your applications in the cloud?”

10. Apple provides competition in the marketplace. When “nobody does it better” than Microsoft, then Microsoft won’t be driven to step up too. Android is in the mix now. Of all 10 the best things, this is the benefit I like the most.

Please post your comments below…

The post 5 More Things to Love about Apple appeared first on Foster Institute.

1. Apple Stores! Isn’t it so neat that someone can walk into a store, experiment with the products, have workers who are very familiar with the products, and – if you decide to – you can buy a device right then and there.

2. Apples have a “cool” factor that is tough (though perhaps not impossible) to match. And many Apple users know how cool it is.

My wife phoned me immediately after last week’s newsletter, about Apple computers not having touchscreens, and announced, “You were way too harsh about Apple this time!”
“But Honey,” I explained, “We get the most responses on the blogs when I’m controversial about Apple.” She replied, “There is a difference between being controversial and adversarial!”

As usual, she is right. My wife said to tell you about her Apple Tattoo. That was a surprise to me too.

I do enjoy Apple, own and use two MacBook Airs that are a big part of every week for work. On the road, I carry two Airs and one Surface. I do use the Surface the most but don’t make up your mind until you’ve tried them both.

Bottom line: I respect Apple and enjoy their products. In fact, in many cases working with top level executives, I recommend to them the Apple (especially the Air) after finding out what their wants and needs are. Some dearest friends, and my lovely wife, are total Mac people too.

3. Apple’s “No-questions asked” 14 day return policy. Where else can you go buy a piece of hardware that you can use, including reloading the operating system with a new one such as Windows, connect every peripheral imaginable to test compatibility, and then can return it if it doesn’t suit your needs? After 14 productive days, you are likely to ask yourself how you ever lived without it. Or not. Isn’t it great for you to be able to find out?

4. Apple is a leader in the marketplace. Not just by selling so much hardware, but in the past, they’ve been “first to market” with features that none of their competitors had even thought of yet. Often, Apple defines the cutting edge. Though there is controversy, many Apple fans will tell you how the Macintosh was the first computer to even have a mouse – and then everyone else copied Apple.

5. Apple products actually work when you get them out of the box. Even “first releases.” Thank goodness, users of Windows products can now enjoy the same experience, but Apple was the first. Apple has the longest running record. Having confidence in the products you purchase is a huge buying factor for most people.

Keep an eye out: Next week will be the 5 more of 10 things to love about Apple.

The post 5 Things to Love about Apple appeared first on Foster Institute.

Do you like the Kindle and ESPN app for the iPhone? They work great on the Surface too. Of course the Kindle reader works. Visit http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/apps to choose “Search for Apps.”

Smoke and Mirrors: When we look at Windows 8 on a Surface Pro (not Surface RT), in the “tiled” interface, it has icons like the iPad has icons. It is a “tease” that you can operate the Surface Pro like you operate an iPad. It is true that the tiled interface is similar to the icons on an iPad, sort of.

One of the best tiles on the Windows 8 tiled screen is the tile named “Desktop” that takes you to something the iPad will never have: Windows, with an interface almost exactly like Windows 7.

Practically any Windows program runs on the Surface Pro. That’s a huge boost in your choice of apps.

Applications that run via web site interfaces – commonly called Web Applications – run fine as well.

Remember, Apple has had time to polish iOS, Microsoft is still polishing.

The post Where are the Microsoft Apps? appeared first on Foster Institute.

Your problems are over. Think of the Microsoft Surface Pro as being an extremely powerful laptop computer packed into a very small size. Because that’s what it is.

When you edit a Microsoft Office document on your Surface Pro, you are actually using the real live Microsoft Office.

While Drop Box is a phenomenally useful app and you’ll continue to use it for other purposes, there is no need to use Drop Box to transfer files between your non-Microsoft devices and your Windows machine that sits on your desk. Since the Surface Pro is running Windows, you’ll see all of your familiar folders including “My Documents,” your C: drive, and even the network drives you use when connected to your network.

In fact, why not get rid of your old computer and just use the Surface Pro at your desk from now on. You can connect large monitors, keyboards, printers, and just about everything you want via a USB hub that you plug into the Surface Pro. Nobody even needs to notice since you keep using your same screens and keyboard as before. Then, when you are ready to leave the office, just unplug the single USB cord and head out carrying everything you need—all in a small portable device that is a “big laptop” packed into a very small package.

The post When a Surface Pro Computer is Better than an iPad appeared first on Foster Institute.

If you want to get other work done, forget about using Microsoft Office for the Mac. It is bad.

You could use Apple’s boot camp. It goes like this: When you turn on the Mac, your Mac will ask if you want to run Windows or Mac OS. You choose. The advantage is that your Mac basically “becomes a Windows Machine” when you want it to—and can still be a Mac the rest of the time.

Maybe the best solution is to use Fusion or Parallels. It goes like this: You boot the Mac as usual. Now, you can run Windows programs inside the Mac OS. The Microsoft Office you are used to runs fine right next to your Apple programs on the same screen. Cool.

Frankly, IT probably gave up trying to control what you do with your personal computer years ago. Ask IT to use Fusion Unity or Parallels Coherence on your Mac. Now you can “be cool” with your Mac and run all of your Windows programs, too. (With Windows 8, Microsoft may become “cool” too. Eventually.)

Please share this with your fellow executives—you may help them increase their ability to express their inner coolness, too!

The post Executives Express Their Coolness in Spite of Windows appeared first on Foster Institute.

Rather than improving the old app, LinkedIn opted to generate a new app from the ground up that is worth checking out. If you’ve elected to use an iPad, the app for LinkedIn is especially neat.

Be sure to notice the ‘LinkedIn Today’ section at the top. You’ll see that LinkedIn provides you with popular and useful news and updates.

Please post your comments on this blog.

The post New LinkedIn App appeared first on Foster Institute.

There are plenty of tools such as Boot Camp, VMware Fusion, Parallels, etc. that allow you to run Windows along with Apple’s OSX operating system.

In case you ever want to convert an Apple to run only Windows, click here to discover the technical steps I use.

Depending on your experience with the nuts and bolts of computer setup, these instructions may be daunting for you; however, they may save your IT professionals a lot of time setting up your computer.

Please post your comments on this blog.

The post Would you use an Air as your next Windows laptop? appeared first on Foster Institute.