Skip to main content

It is never a bad-time to start thinking about security

Image result for internet security
IMAGE: Avast

Admittedly, I have not always been the most secure person on the web; in fact, I was pretty horrible when it came to security. For someone that loves technology and interaction of connected services, my passwords and security protocols were absolutely horrible. Thankfully, I have grown up a little bit (in terms of security), and I would love to pass that wisdom on.

First of all, do NOT do what I used to do which is use the same password for almost everything including having the same password for email, social media, and financial services. Does anyone else see a problem with this? Considering how many data breaches we hear about every day, why would you want someone like Twitter or Snap having your PayPal and banking password? For the love all things, do yourself a favor and use unique, complicated passwords for every service; do NOT use pet names, kids names, birthdays, et cetera. The more complicated each password is and the more unique they are, obviously the more difficult it will be to crack.

So, I am sure you are thinking, "how am I going to remember all of those passwords?" If you like to kick it old school, write them on a paper and put it somewhere such as a safe; not exactly the best idea, but it is better than nothing I guess. How about a spreadsheet on the computer? Not too bad, but also not exactly the most secure thing in the world. My suggestion: password manager. I am certainly not sponsored by anyone, and I do not want to sound like a commercial, but I have been using LastPass and love it. I can store all of my passwords, have some randomly generated, and keep them all organized. It integrates with Chrome on my computer, and the app works nicely on my phone.

Image result for lastpass
IMAGE: LastPass

If you didn't know, password managers handle all of your passwords (heavily encrypted) so you only need to remember one master password. They work even better on my phone as I do not even need to always plug in the complicated master password because it accepts fingerprint login. So, even if you get my phone, you better have taken my finger with it if you want easy access to my passwords.

Are password managers full-proof? Of course not because no security really is 100% effective. However, it is a hell of a lot better than just using Fluffy1 as a password for everything. If you are even more security minded, I heavily suggest two-factor authentication on everything because it adds security and is easy to set up. With two-factor, you can have a unique code texted to you every time you log in so if someones tries to hack your account, they would also need your phone as well. If texting is not your flavor, use an authenticator app that gives you unique codes that only last a short period of time. You can add apps to Google Authenticator (and others) simply by scanning a QR code. How easy is that?

Image result for two factor authentication
IMAGE: OPNSense

I used to think security was overrated so I basically had the same password for everything (occasionally I would mix it up with a second password that I used for some things). However, it is stupid to think that people cannot get access to your account. While I am sure Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon have excellent security on their end, I prefer to have a little more control over my security. I suggest you do the same, and password managers, plus two-factor authentication, are a great place to start.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In-display sensors or facial scanners: which will take off?

The fingerprint sensor may be moving back to the front...under the screen. Could this be the next big trend in mobile technology (see previous entry about current trend)? Or, will companies move the Apple way and opt for facial recognition for security? With the debut of the iPhone X, Apple shifted away from the fingerprint sensor and debuted FaceID. Utilizing (arguably) some of the most advanced cameras and sensors, the iPhone X negated the need for fingerprint, bio-metric security by using 3D facial recognition to verify identity. In doing so, the home button vanished from the iPhone along with the ability to scan fingerprints. Several months later, at CES, Vivo demoed the first phone using in-display fingerprint scanner technology ; the idea being to remove bezels on the front as well remove the sensor from the back of the body. Prior to CES, many believed that Samsung would be the first to debut the technology, but they were held back by mass-producing and technological restra...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where, oh where did all of my wires go?

As I read through the comments on various mobile phone articles, I always see the same complaints: "Where is the headphone jack?" "No headphone jack? No thanks" "If it ain't broken, why fix it?" While I originally shared their contempt, I have since come to question where is all of this hate for less wires coming from? I admit that I am definitely not an audiophile, but in my opinion, Bluetooth headphones have come a long way and sound pretty solid to me. More importantly, looking at the bigger picture, haven't we been in love with the idea of losing wires for decades? As I write this blog from a wireless computer with a wireless keyboard navigated with a wireless mouse, I am reminded that we have been removing wires from everything possible for a very long time, and while there may have been resistance at the time, we have adopted this concept in to the norm. As a young kid, I remember growing up with a clear "house phone" (a rarit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Digital well-being is the trend of the year

Digital well-being is this year's buzzword With the keynote of WWDC officially over, it is safe to say one thing: digital well-being is the trendy topic of the year. I/O last month and WWDC have demonstrated that the key players in mobile devices (seemingly) want you to put your phone down. However, which company has the right idea in how to do it? Both iOS 12 and Android P have showcased coming features to address "digital well-being". For all intents and purposes, these words just mean that Apple and Google "want" you to spend less time on your phone; at least, that is the image they are portraying. Both iOS and Android offer new dashboards Now, how are they both doing it? While they differ in the approach, they have very similar tools. For instance, both operating systems will allow you to set timers on apps so that you can spend as much or as little times in those apps as you choose. If you go over, you get shut out of the app. In additio...
Post a Comment
Read more