Review of June General Meeting

     by Liz Wright

      Gene Barlow has been an important resource for User Groups for many years. His newsletter contains a great deal of useful information. Gene and his wife, Linda, brought us a program that showcased many hard disk utilities and security options. The most informative part of his presentation was giving us an insight into just how hackers work their mischief in our computers. It is very difficult to convince most users of the real dangers we now face from hackers. High-speed internet connections plus greater disk space and memory in most new computers are almost routine now. He pointed out that the old phrase “Who would want the information on my computer” really has nothing to do with hacking. Of course, for people who input personal information into their programs, such as online banking, tax preparation, etc., the very data hackers want, is there for the taking.
       The other very real threat is the hidden programs hackers can place on your computer so it can be accessed remotely by them and used without your knowledge for spreading everything from pornography to terrorist plots.
       All of this was most interesting to me personally because I have tried unsuccessfully to convince family and friends that they are at high risk. Most of them are unsophisticated in computer hardware and programming and therefore tend to dismiss any discussion of computer security.

The Barlows brought two software programs to give as door prizes. These were won by Retta Kuehner and Kerry Lund. The prizes given by the CCOKC were won by Sue Kern, a 20G external hard drive, and T. J. Stukey, a 120G internal hard drive. Two visitors, Dolores McVay and John Lawton won memberships for one year in the CCOKC.