Hard Drive Life Expectancy (and the Right Question)

Whenever I am asked, “How long can I expect a hard drive to last?” I reply with, “How often do you back up your data?” This seeming non sequitur perplexes people, but I have found that the answer to my question is, almost invariably, the reason the first question is asked. The questioner is wondering how much longer he/she can get away with not backing up data.

Technobabble about MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) in the 50,000 to 100,000 hour range is useless. Those hours are active hours during which the read/write head of the drive is moving. You have no way to monitor and record read/write head activity and you don’t want to be bothered doing so unless you’re a test engineer for a hard drive manufacturer.

Furthermore, MTBF measures mean (average) time before the hardware fails catastrophically, as in “won’t spin anymore.” That is the very last thing that will go wrong with a hard drive, akin to throwing a rod in your car’s engine. Long before the hardware fails catastrophically, you will be experiencing losses of data, and you might not even notice that it’s happening.

When data is written to a drive, the magnetic charge of tiny areas of the physical disk is altered. One magnetic state means “0” or zero, the other means “1” or one… or on/off, if you prefer. The patterns of this binary code store your data as a collection of magnetized spots in one state or the other. In order to make the disk reusable, the magnetic state of each spot on it must be changeable.

A lot of things can change that magnetic state beside the drive’s read/write head. A strong magnetic field near a drive can scramble data. Power blips can cause a read/write head to write (change the magnetic state of a spot) instead of read, overwriting data with gibberish. Even cosmic rays can penetrate any computer case and zap the data on a hard drive, although a cosmic ray is so narrow it will probably affect only one or a handful of data spots.

You don’t believe in cosmic rays? As I like to say, choosing not to believe in something doesn’t make it go away. But no matter — natural disasters like fires, floods, hurricanes and tornados also tend to dramatically shorten the lifespan of a hard drive. Even if your brand new 2 terabyte hard drive has no manufacturing defects, it won’t last long in an F5 tornado packing 200 MPH winds. And of course, there are well-known threats from viruses, botnets, and ransomware.

So a hard drive is in constant danger of having all or part of its data either erased, corrupted, destroyed, or otherwise rendered unreadable. It doesn’t matter if the drive is fresh out of the box or nearing its MTBF. (That list of destructive actions reminded me of another phrase: “Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate”. I searched for that and found an interesting 100-year history of the punch card.

What Studies Have Been Done on Hard Drive Life Expectancy?

A study on hard drive longevity was conducted by Backblaze, an online backup provider that has more than 25,000 consumer-grade hard drives in service. They found that 78% of the drives they use are lasting longer than four years. That might sound good, but it also implies that 22% of hard drives fail in the first four years.

The Backblaze study identifies the three most common causes of drive failure: factory defects, random failures, and parts that wear out. The failures due to factory defects tend to happen in the first 18 months of service. Failures due to wear out start to increase much faster after the three-year point.

The Backblaze study has been ongoing for several years. Other hard drive studies done by Google and Carnegie-Mellon University have been five-year spans, and both were conducted in 2007. So there just isn’t an authoritative answer as to how long a hard drive will last. Backblaze has some stats that give them confidence to predict that more than half of all drives will last six years. I think you’ll find their report interesting.

What Are the Implications?

Let me summarize and pontificate a bit. About one in five hard drives will fail within four years. Failure rates start to jump after three years. And there’s a 50/50 chance your drive will last six years. Does that give you a warm fuzzy feeling? I’d rather not rely on luck and statistics. My advice is simple… why take chances?

It’s vital to back up your data regularly and not just whenever you don’t feel like doing something else. Regular, automatic backups are the best defense you have against loss of data.

Have a great week from all of us at ZI

What is Two-Factor Authentication?

It goes by many names… Sometimes it’s referred to as “2FA,” “two-step verification,” “login approval,” or “enhanced login security.” Bottom line, it’s a big improvement on the username/password method of gaining access to online accounts. Massive data breaches, often exposing millions of login credentials

Two-factor authentication makes it much more difficult (if not impossible) for someone to hack into your online accounts, even if they have your password. That’s because a password is just one factor used to prove (authenticate) that you are who you say you are. The other authentication factor will be quite different.

A username, such as JSmith419, is who you claim to be. In order to authenticate that claim, you may provide a password which, in theory, only the real JSmith419 knows. That’s one-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication requires two of the following three types of authentication factors:

• Something you know (e.g., a password)
• Something you have (e.g., a mobile phone)
• Something that is part of you (e.g., a fingerprint)

Passwords and mobile phones have become the preferred pair of factors for two-factor authentication. To use two-factor authentication methods 1 and 2, you might register your phone number with an online service such as Gmail, Facebook or your bank. Then, each time you enter your username and password, the service sends a text (SMS) message to that phone number, containing a unique one-time code that you must type in to be fully authenticated.

But there are serious vulnerabilities in SMS-based authentication. The SMS protocol was never designed for sensitive communications, so it utterly lacks encryption and other ways of defending against eavesdroppers.

You’ve Got Options

Google and other online services offer 2FA without the insecure SMS requirement. If you turn on this option you’ll need to enter your username/password as usual. You’ll then be prompted for an authentication code before the login can be completed. The code can come from Google Authenticator, an app for your Android or iOS device. This time-sensitive code can be generated even if you’re not online, and you can also print a list of codes for use when you don’t have your phone handy.

The really cool thing about using a two-factor authentication app is that even if a malicious person has your username and password, they cannot login to your account! And no, using Google Authenticator does not give Google access to any of the accounts you use it with. If you prefer to use a non-Google authentication app, check out Authy or the Lastpass Authenticator.

If it sounds like a nuisance to enter both a password and a verification code every time you log in, well, you’re right. But most services that offer two-factor authentication give you the option to enter the code once and check a box that says something like “trust this computer.” If you do that, you won’t need to enter a verification code each time you sign in with that computer.

Online businesses increasingly urge customers to use two-factor authentication. Some even insist upon it. Their reasons include the skyrocketing frequency of mass thefts of username/password pairs by hackers, and the cost of responding to such breaches. Those costs can include lawsuits, fraudulent transactions that merchants or banks must eat, the cost of notifying affected customers, and even the cost of providing a year’s worth of credit report monitoring. Not to mention the cost of bad publicity and lost customers.

2FA: Step-By-Step

There are a couple of websites developed to encourage and help Internet users enable two-factor authentication on all the sites that offer it. The Turn It On site is chock-full of information about two-factor authentication (abbreviated 2FA). Even better, it provides step-by-step instructions for enabling 2FA on over 100 sites, a list that is growing rapidly. See also TwoFactorAuth.org for a long list of websites that support Two-Factor Authentication.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, Outlook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Yahoo are among popular sites offering 2FA. “Turn It On” also documents 2FA procedures for backup and sync services such as Dropbox; financial sites including Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America; cloud computing resources such as Amazon Web Services; communication services such as Skype and Office 365; domain services such as GoDaddy; Web hosting services; government Web sites; Paypal and other payment services; eBay, Etsy, and other shopping sites; and many social media sites.

Another option for two-factor authentication is a gadget called a security key. We are all relying on web-based services for an increasing number of functions. As the number of user accounts you have grows, so does your exposure to identity theft and fraud. Two-factor authentication is the best way to protect yourself. It’s worth the small extra effort.

Have a Great week from all of us at ZI

When and How to Reset Your Browser

When struggling with a web browser that’s not doing what it should, sometimes it’s better to just reset it to the “factory defaults” that are known to work. However, that may come at a price. But let’s talk about the problem first, and then move on to solutions.

Symptoms of a borked browser may include browser lock-ups, Web pages that do not display properly (or flash on screen and then disappear), very slow rendering of Web pages, and add-ons that do not function as expected. You may also have unwanted toolbars or notice that your search function has been hijacked. If you are being redirected to a page that you didn’t request, that’s almost certainly a sign of a malware issue affecting your browser. Generally, problems start shortly after a new add-on or software package is installed.

When do you need to reset your browser? Most often, a reset is needed because add-on software is causing a problem. Sometimes add-ons don’t play well together, and finding the subtle conflicts between add-ons is a detective job for professionals. Some add-ons are Trojans concealing malware, and it’s not always obvious how they get there.

If you like to tinker with browser settings you may have caused the problem yourself. For example, the wrong font size combined with a text-magnification factor of 150% can produce very weird results. It can be very time-consuming to review and adjust a lot of settings; a reset may be easiest way out.

If you’ve recently installed or uninstalled software, the Windows registry could have been damaged, causing browser oddities or malfunctions. Viruses and other types of malware can also do this sort of damage.

Dangerous Curves Ahead…

When you reset a browser, you may lose some data stored in it that’s important to you, or be forced to restore it from backup files. Most people have customized their browsers with extensions, add-ons, themes, font changes, and other setting tweaks. Many people have stored usernames and passwords in their browser’s vaults. Most folks don’t realize how convenient cached images, files, and browsing history are until these things vanish. Depending on which browser you use, some of this data will not survive a reset.

Generally, I will try searching online for a solution to a browser problem before I reset everything. I look for an authoritative source; ideally, the browser’s developer. That would be the official user or support forum provided by Microsoft (Internet Explorer), Google (Chrome), Mozilla (Firefox) or Apple (Safari).

If your problem is an unwanted toolbar, or you suspect the problem is related to recently installed software, first try removing the offending item(s) via the Control Panel (for Windows) or delete the program from the Applications folder (Mac OS X). It’s also a good idea to run a scan with to check for and remove malware. Just be cautious about advice from self-appointed experts who urge you to “try this and see if it works” unless you see that several people have done that and it did work. If I don’t find a credible solution I will reset my browser.

Hitting the RESET Button

Actually, there is no big red button, sorry. But here are brief instructions for resetting Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Apple’s Safari browser for desktops. I’ve included lists of what each browser keeps and deletes during a reset, and provided a link to the official low-down on resetting for further details.

Internet Explorer: On IE Version 11, then click on the gear icon and select Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab and then click the Reset button at the bottom of the menu. IE will warn you, “You should only use this if your browser is in an unusable state;” just ignore that.

By default, IE’s Reset permanently erases browser, privacy, security, and pop-up settings, and any stored passwords. You have the option to “delete personal settings” which include your preferred home page and search providers, and the temporary files, browsing history, and cookies specific to your user profile. Add-ons will be disabled but not removed from IE, so you can re-enabled them if you wish.

Microsoft Edge: Microsoft Edge is the default web browser for Windows 10. If it seems to be giving you trouble such as slow performance or crashing, you can do a reset. First, click the WIndows button, then open the Settings app. Go to Apps then Apps & Features. Scroll down to find Microsoft Edge and click it once. When the “Advanced options” link appears, click it. You’ll see two options here: Repair and Reset. I recommend you try Repair first. If that doesn’t solve the problem, try Reset, which will return Edge to default settings. The downside is that you’ll lose your History, Cookies and Settings. Your Favorites (bookmarks) will not be affected.

Google Chrome claims it “gives you the option to reset your browser settings in one easy click.” But it takes several clicks and some scrolling to get to the Reset button:

• Click the Chrome menu (three vertical dots) in the upper-right corner of Chrome
• Click on Settings
• Click “Advanced” in the left sidebar
• Click “Reset and clean up”
• Click “Restore settings to their original defaults”
• Click the blue “Reset settings” button

Here is what happens when you reset Chrome, quoted from the Google Chrome Reset support page:

• Default search engine and saved search engines will be reset and to their original defaults.
• Homepage button will be hidden and the URL that you previously set will be removed.
• Default startup tabs will be cleared. The browser will show a new tab when you startup or continue where you left off if you’re on a Chromebook.
• New Tab page will be empty unless you have a version of Chrome with an extension that controls it. In that case your page may be preserved.
• Pinned tabs will be unpinned.
• Content settings will be cleared and reset to their installation defaults.
• Cookies and site data will be cleared.
• Extensions and themes will be disabled.

Saved bookmarks and passwords will not be affected by a reset. Extensions and themes can be re-enabled, you don’t have to install them again.

Mozilla Firefox’s Reset button is just a few clicks away. Click on the three-bar menu icon, then Help, then “Troubleshooting Information” and there’s the “Refresh Firefox” button in the upper-right corner. Alternatively, type “about:support” in the address bar to go straight to the Troubleshooting Information page.

A Firefox reset saves backup copies of your bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, open windows, tabs, and tab groups, cookies, Web form auto-fill information, and personal dictionary. These data are stored in a folder on your desktop labeled, “Old Firefox data.” They can be restored if desired by simply copying files from the “old” folder to the new user profile folder, overwriting the default files.

Unlike all the other browsers, Firefox deletes all extensions and themes during a reset; you’ll have to re-install those you want. Also purged are website-specific preferences, search engine preferences, download history, DOM storage, security settings, download actions, plugin settings, toolbar customization’s, user styles and social features, according to the Firefox Reset support page.

Safari: Apple’s Safari browser doesn’t really have a reset option. You’ll have to take a series of steps to remove browser history, cookies, cache, extensions, and plugins. Rather than re-invent the proverbial wheel, here’s a Lifewire article that details all the steps.

To summarize, if your web browser is not behaving, a browser reset can often cure your ills. But first, try removing any recently installed software. Next, run a malware scan. If that doesn’t fix things, check online support forums for possible fixes. As a last resort, hit the Reset button.

Have a great week from all of us at ZI