In my Mobile World

If you’ve ever seen a .menc file before, you probably saw it on an external memory card that you pulled out of your Windows Phone device.  

Essentially, .menc (Mobile Encryption) files are just your personal data (the PIM.VOL file that contains all of your Contacts for example) that are encrypted.  The extension of .menc lets the Operating System (OS) know which files are encrypted, and whether or not they can be opened by the user.   To do so, the previously recorded key (user password) must match the key provided by the user when unlocking the device.  But you won’t see those .menc files, because they are typically hidden by the OS so as not to be visible to the end-user during casual browsing.   If you ever chose to encrypt the files you store on your external storage (external memory card, etc), then they may be visible if you took that card to another computer or device for viewing.

If you’re trying to recover those files, then you have to meet some rather special requirements in order to proceed.  Unfortunately, if you have Hard Reset the device, or have a different device than the one that the files were originally created on, then the encryption/decryption keys are now lost or no longer the same, then sadly your files are totally inaccessible. 

However, if you have access to the same device that the .menc files were originally created on, and you have NOT performed a Hard Reset on the device, then you can still salvage the files:

1. Turn the storage card encryption off: Go to Start > Settings > System > Encryption (varies by your Operating System version) and uncheck the “Encrypt files when placed on a storage card” box. From this point forward, all NEW files created on that card will be unencrypted, but existing files will still be encrypted.
2. Next, bring-up your favorite File Explorer, then browse to your Storage Card. Make a new folder on the storage card, and call it “OLDData”.  This folder will, of course, be unencrypted.
3. Now, find whatever files you want to decrypt and copy them into this folder.  Those files will be decypted as they copy into the new folder.  You can now read these files on any other computer or phone.

Congratulations, you’ve just saved some data.   Hopefully it will turn out to be highly important data, which will make your victory taste just a little bit sweeter…

Since I had to give-up my Static IP Address as part of my UVerse installation, I am looking around for a way to setup a Dynamic DNS Solution that would provide consistent access to my Home Network from the outside world.

The Problem: The challenge is that since I am now using PPOE to connnect to AT&T, my IP Address changes frequently.   Since the IP Address changes frequently, I cannot consistently know when the IP Address changes, and what it changes to. 

The Partial Solution: Enter Dynamic DNS, or DynDNS.  This is a solution that works to automatically detect the new IP Address assignment and update DNS “Dynamically” whenever a change occurs.  The Router (or software package running on one of the Private Network PCs) would detect this change, then notify the DynDNS Host Server (which is always consistent) of the new IP Address.  The downside of this particular solution is that the DynDNS Host Server will traditionally only allow the new user to pick a name for a subdomain of their existing domain choices (in my case, helpdesk.dyndns.org), and some users like myself do not like this kind of restriction.  

The Rest of the Solution (I hope):  So I’m working with my provider to see if I can create a new subdomain of matson-consulting.com and have that setup to redirect incoming traffic to the helpdesk.dyndns.org URL.

I hope I can get this setup…

Today I posted the last part of my four part article “Security in a Mobile World”.   This article part, as well as the prior 3 parts, can be found at Mobility Today.

Security on the PocketPC platform is a great deal different than your laptop. Security issues considered minor on the Laptop platform like Physical Access, Application/Data Access, and Theft/Loss Mitigation are more substantial on the PocketPC platform, because the PocketPC is infinitely easier to steal than a laptop. And larger issues on the Laptop like Firewalls, AntiVirus, and AntiSpyware become less predominant because the PocketPC platform offers less of a potential target for hackers. Because there is currently more interest in cracking Windows PC data and applications, the PocketPC platform is relatively safe, but that will change soon enough.

If you would like to read the entire 4th part of this article, click here.

Today I posted the third part of my four part article “Security in a Mobile World”.   This article part, the prior 2 parts, and the remaining  part will continue to be published at Mobility Today.

It is a well known fact that most every Laptop user could stand to improve their privacy (and overall security) when utilizing their PC for everyday use. This installment is geared towards getting you started on the right path towards accomplishing this goal.

If you would like to read the entire 3rd part of this article, click here.

Today I posted the second part of my four part article “Security in a Mobile World”.   This article part, the prior part, and the remaining 2 parts will continue to be published at Mobility Today.

Public wireless hotspots are, by definition, meant to be public, and so it goes that private hotspots are meant to be private, regardless as to whether or not the hotspot is encrypted to keep unauthorized users out. This is the same as recognizing the difference between a grocery store and a residential home. A grocery store is open to the public, and you can walk through the door and browse among the aisles to your hearts content. Likewise, it is generally understood that it is completely unacceptable for someone to just walk into another person’s home unannounced. It needs to be understood and accepted that a private Wi-Fi LAN is essentially an extension of someone’s personal property.

If you would like to read the entire 2nd part of this article, click here.

Today I posted the first part of my four part article “Security in a Mobile World”.   This article part, and the following 3 parts will continue to be published at Mobility Today.

Security is a multilevel concept, in both the mindset and it’s practical application. The mindset refers to keeping the concepts of security at the front of your mind while you go through your daily activities. The practical application is Security itself. For now, I will only attempt to touch on the important levels (under the heading of Practical Application) that Mobile Users need to consider in today’s environments. Later I will touch on the mindset aspect of Security.

If you would like to read the entire 1st part of this article, click here.

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To obtain the most functionality out of your iPAQ, we suggest you configure your settings to reflect “WORK” instead of “The Internet” whenever possible, as a lot of methods of connectivity are NOT supported under “The Internet” (see table below).

Function/Ability		Work		The Internet
VPN
ActiveSync
Socks/Winsock		(Both)
Host Access		WINS Style (no periods)		DNS Style (periods)
Proxy Server

I would whole-heartedly suggest that EVERYONE set their connection to WORK (aka “My Work Network”), as it offers so much more than THE INTERNET. Here’s how to do it:

1.) Go to START > SETTINGS > CONNECTIONS > ADVANCED (tab). Choose “Select Networks” button and make sure BOTH of the entries on the subsequent page are set to “My Work Network”. Click “OK”.
2.) Then, click on the “Network Card” button, and then choose the Network Adapters tab (if it’s not already the default tab). Make sure this selection also refers to “My network card connections to:” and then the choice “Work”. Click on OK.
3.) Then the last verification: Go to START > SETTINGS > CONNECTIONS, then on the (default) Tasks Tab, choose SET UP MY PROXY SERVER option and make sure the top option “This network connects to the Internet” is checked, and that the 2nd option is UNCHECKED!

You’re done!

If you have ever wondered about the various Wireless protocols like CDMA and GSM, here they are! I have provided all of the formats that I can think of, as well as a run down on the specifications of each format:

PROTOCOL: 802.11a

• MAIN USE: PC Networking
• FREQUENCY: 5GHz
• RANGE: 25-75ft inside/100ft Outside
• SPEED: ~54Mbps
• NOTES: Not backwardly compatible with 802.11b, 802.11g. Other 5GHz devices may disrupt connection

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* If you are entering your Key in HEX format, your Key should be 10 HEX characters long.

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