Online Security

Hey you, Browser Dude!
You've stopped by my page - that's awesome.  I'm really happy!

I would like to introduce you to Internet Awareness 101, a very short online course designed to keep you safe and secure. 

I am by no means a security expert - which kind of means I'm on your level - an average guy doing average online stuff... Browsing the internet, banking online, sending emails, Facebook, Twitter and so on.

The other day I was listening to a podcast about IT stuff - Hackable? by McAfee - the antivirus guys, and this one podcast made me stop and think.  In it, them mentioned the LinkedIn hack of May2016 in which 164 million email addresses and passwords were stolen.  Did you know about that?

It goes on to mention how you can easily check your email address to see if it's been pwned - which is hacker slang for Owned - as in "I own you!"
Simply browse to HaveIBeenPwned.com and enter your email address, and it'll quickly tell you if your email address appears in any online directories of stolen details!  Scroll down the page to see where your data was obtained.

The first think you should consider is - Have I changed my password since that breach?  If not - change it asap.
The next thing to consider is - do I use that password for anything else that I log into using that email address? 

Yes, change that too!

Now I'm not one to panic-monger,  I tend to think "Hey, these hackers have more important things to do than nick my paypal funds", but who knows?  They could.

My funds, your funds, his funds, their funds... and before you know it your day is filled with proving to paypal you didn't make that money transfer to Ibiza, and they're sipping a Manhattan in Bali with your cash!  Do me a favour... No, do yourself a favour - change that password!

And speaking of passwords... try and think of something new.  I know it's hard to remember complex passwords.  Hell, it's hard to remember simple ones when you have so many to remember - so tip one is:
1. Don't use the same password for everything!

Tip 2...
2. Make it random.

I don't use my wife or daughter's name, my date of birth, their dates of birth, the street I live in, my dog's name.  Anyone that Google's your Twitter or Facebook can find that out.  Think random...
word, symbol, word, symbol, number. (just a suggestion by the way - you can make your own convention up)

BlackMicrobe?23%?

Whatever you choose - mix it up.

And while on the subject of security - let me just mention emails - phishing emails to be more specific - the ones that look legit, but invite you to click on a link to open an invoice or document.
Sometimes the sender looks OK - an organisation your might trust - the bank, a university, or the local scout group, even a friend or relative.  The subject might look reasonable "invoice for scout funds", and in the email will be an attachment or a link...
Click to Open Invoice

Don't click it!
No.
Don't.

If it looks odd, trust your gut and don't trust it!

Do you know the sender?  If you don't, then delete it.  If you do, call them and ask "did you send me this invoice?"  Suggest they change their email password!  These things are spread by our laxity and our trust. And they wreak havoc!  They can pick up your contacts and email out to all of them, leaving no trace that they've done so.  Your friends receive emails from you with invoices or attachments you never sent, and they click, and they're compromised... and so it goes on.

Be savvy, be suspicious, be careful.

And, if you just happen to fall for this scam, this phishing trip, don't fret.  Change that password - and think if you use that email address and/or password elsewhere -  and change that too!

I have over a dozen email addresses, depending on what I'm logging into - one for paypal, something different for eBay, something else for Facebook, and so on.  Each one has a different password.
I'm not paranoid, but I do know if all your apps run off the same username and password, and you fall foul of a hack - you have a lot of work on your hands resetting everything. 

I understand that you probably can't be bothered to have loads of different email addresses - but just consider this.  If you use your firstname.lastname@email.com for your Facebook with password Albert1954, and the same for your online banking, and the same for your Amazon account, and the same for your PayPal... just think what I can buy with your account, your money.  Just think what I can see on your Facebook or Instagram, or Tumblr - your photos, your history, your cherished moments.

Please, take this seriously - and make sure those close to you do too.  Online Security is big business these days - and it can only spread when we click that link.  When In Doubt - Check It Out.

Check Before You Click.

Thank you for reading, and please, stay safe!