Quick Excel Tip: VLOOKUP

Excel's VLOOKUP feature lets you turn it into a sort-of database.

If you use Excel to manage projects, invoices or other tasks where you enter the same set of contact details you can semi-automate the process using a handy function called VLOOKUP.

It's extremely handy but many descriptions I've read have been a little brain-bending so here's my cheat sheet.

Certified insane: Anti-malware certifications

[Nearly ten years ago I wrote an article for Computer Shopper magazine about anti-virus (aka anti-malware) certifications. The words, along with my website, have long since shuffled off into archive.org. Here's a copy, which I think stands up pretty well even today, despite the progress that testers (including myself) have made since then.]

How was Hacking Team hacked?

The attacker who stole Hacking Team's data gained access to an employee's computer while the victim was still logged in.

The attacker either had direct physical access to Christian Pozzi's PC or they used malware to achieve a similar level of access. Whichever way it was, we can tell that Christian was logged in at the time simply by looking at a folder name among the files that were leaked onto the internet.

12 computer security tips

The bad guys can try to break in using computers only or they can try to trick you into providing them with access. Or they can use a mixture of tactics. Let's consider two main types of attack:

* Technical – breaking in via computers only
* Human – tricking people into aiding the attack

For the technical attacks you might consider the following, in order of priority/effectiveness:

Password recovery with Elcomsoft System Recovery

(Part three of Three ways to recover from a forgotten Windows password)

You've forgotten your Windows password. What now?

Password reset accessibility hack

(Part two of Three ways to recover from a forgotten Windows password)

You've forgotten your Windows password. What now?

Password Reset Disk

(Part one of Three ways to recover from a forgotten Windows password)

You've forgotten your Windows password. What now?