A new year brings new opportunity for us all to change our old habits for new ones. Take me, for example. I’ve set up a few resolutions for myself that include getting healthier, spending more time with my family, and learning a new programming language. Maybe you want to dedicate more time to a hobby, or finish up that project car that’s been sitting in your driveway since 1998. :)
New Year resolutions are kind of a laugh to most people, because we all know that as humans, we’re loathe to change on our own. We all get used to doing things a certain way unless life kicks us in the behind to do something about it. But this year, you and I can make a positive change before something bad happens.
I’ve got 3 super simple things you can do to make the technology-related side of your life better. Each of these will either save your life (seriously), save you from embarrassment &/or identity theft, and save you from the wrath of a loved one for losing important files… like wedding photos, etc. Read on:
- Resolve to be safe with technology
Some of you probably laughed when I said a tech-related resolution could save your life, but this really could: Use your tech and gadgets only when appropriate. I’m looking right at you, car texters. But it goes beyond texting while driving. Stop messing with your GPS devices, using your cell phone without a hands-free device, and even fiddling with your stereo settings while driving. A click here or there to change a station or re-route your GPS is one thing, but I’ve seen a lot of people concentrating more on the gadgets than the road. Don’t be the one who becomes a statistic!
- Resolve to change your passwords
This will be, by far, the easiest and best thing your can accomplish in this resolution list. For every service you use, whether a bank, Facebook, or Amazon.com, change the password. You and I both know that it’s been a while. Maybe not for every login you have, but if you’re like most people then many (or even most) of the services you use haven’t seen a password update since you first signed up.
- Resolve to back up your important files
With services like Dropbox, making backups of important files like your digital photos is easier than ever. And if you’re worried about putting sensitive data in the cloud then do what I did: Buy yourself an external USB hard drive and back them up there. Even if all you did was a straight copy and paste from your desktop or laptop to your external drive, you’d have the peace of mind that your files are safe. I have a friend who lost all of his wedding photos because of a hard disk crash, and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty to hear about the wrath of his lovely wife.
I sincerely hope you take those 3 simple changes to heart. You’ll find that they aren’t tough to do, and you’ll be a lot safer in the long run by doing them. Here’s hoping you and your loved ones enjoy a happy, safe, and technology filled 2012!
Malware continues to grow in both complexity and subtlety, and you’ve got to keep a constant vigil against viruses & spyware to protect your computer and tech gadgets. Virus and spyware detection tools (like our own StopSign Internet Security software) are great, but real computer security starts with you. Knowing what malware comes to us as (i.e. in what form it lands on our computer) is a key to recognizing what to click and what to avoid.
Pictures and software downloads have long been associated with malware. This isn’t to say that all pics and downloads are bad, but it’s best to keep an eye on them before you open them up. Especially if you receive them out of the blue or from an unknown source. Listed below are some different PC security tactics you can use when it comes to attempting to weed out any bad software or files from hopping onto your computer. None of them are foolproof, but they can be a big help in getting rid of potential problems.
- The Browser Shuffle:
If you maintain 2 or more different browsers (Internet Explorer and Firefox, for example), you can keep one of them locked down for secure usage (no cookies, no JavaScript, no proxies, etc.) and the other for general surfing. If you find yourself needing to browse to new or unfamiliar sites, just switch over to your secured browser. With fewer parts for potential malware to play with, you’ll help yourself by decreasing your chances of getting a computer infection.
- Cache/Trash Control:
I always recommend checking the option (if available) to automatically clear our your browser cache when closing the browser. This makes it a easy way to keep any potential snags away from the browser. It also clears up room for newer bits and pieces of the pages you surf.
- Dropbox Downloads:
Using a service like Dropbox will help keep your Inbox cleaned up, and it will also limit who you serve your files to, or who you are served files from. For example, if you know your friend Billy is going to send you a file, have him use Dropbox to keep it clean. This way you’ll know that any new files from Billy in your Inbox might be suspect. (Or it could just mean Billy forgot to use Dropbox)
- Just Say No:
Maybe you don’t want to download Billy’s latest funny picture or whatever he’s sending you today. Dropbox or no, just don’t click it. The less you bring into your computer, the less likely you’ll be hit by anything nasty like malware. We’ve all got a friend like Billy who likes to send us lots of junk, don’t we? :)
It’s all about being smart about who’s files you choose to open up and/or download, as well as what you keep around. Steering clear of unexpected files is a big first step, but there are plenty of ways to still get the ones you want.
As wireless devices become more common, keeping your wireless (AKA WiFi) network at home secure is increasingly important to many people. And while a lot of people keep their WiFi open, we feel it’s erring on the side of caution to go ahead and lock down your wireless network at home.
Looking at 2 opposite sides of the wireless security spectrum, you have well-known security expert Bruce Schneier who allows his home WiFi network to be open and unsecure, which sounds all well and good. But then you read stories about neighbors and/or strangers using your “wireless network for criminal activities” like downloading child porn, and it makes you think twice about keeping an unsecure network.
Here are a few tips you can use to help keep your wireless network secure:
- Change the username & password on your wireless router:
Keeping the default factory settings of any device opens you up to hackers who keep track of these things and share them among each other. And creating a good, secure password is a quick and easy way to alleviate the risk of easily hacked WiFi gateways.
- Use wireless network encryption:
Wireless routers in recent years all have the ability to use the WiFi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2) protocol. Break out the instruction manual or do a Google search for your router, and figure out how to set up WPA. Older WiFi routers may have WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, but it has some security holes that make it vulnerable to attack and isn’t recommended. If your wireless router doesn’t support WPA/WPA2, then we suggest you get a new one.
- Update your Internet security software:
Whether you use StopSign or another product, make sure that you keep it updated. Most antivirus/anti-spyware packages have a mechanism to auto-update itself. Turn that on so you’re always sure to get the latest updates. Keeping your Internet security software updated can help prevent any problems if/when an attacker breaks into your WiFi network and starts to poke around.
- Change the Service Set Identifier:
Also known as the SSID, this also come with a default name that tips hackers off when they see it. Most people who aren’t computer savvy leave the default, and that can indicate to a hacker that there may be other easily found vulnerabilities with a particular network. Change the SSID to hedge your bets against the hackers.
- Remove the ability to log in remotely:
Most wireless routers come with remote log in turned to off by default, but don’t take a chance. Be sure it’s off, and leave it off.
- Enable MAC address filtering:
Not to be confused with Macintosh computers, a MAC address is a unique code on all wireless network cards. MAC address filtering tells your router to only allow devices with a known MAC address to connect to your WiFi.
It may seem like a lot to do, but today’s wireless router manufacturers know the dangers associated with an open WiFi network, and most work hard to make changing these things easy on you. Changing defaults, making secure passwords, and keeping updated Internet security software will to a long way in making your home wireless network secure!
When it comes to Internet security, most of us have a hard time finding the time to keep up with the latest trends, monitor all of our accounts, and spend a lot of extra time trying to determine whether something is a credible threat or not. It’s not laziness, it’s very often a time management issue. I mean, would you rather spend an hour a day going over a list of possible threats to your Internet security, or would you rather spend that hour with your friends and/or family?
The harsh reality, though, is that if we’re going to be online, we’re going to need to make the time to keep our online life as worry-free as possible. Because if we don’t, there are plenty of identity theft experts and malware-writing authors out there who would love nothing more than to get a piece of our pie. But it’s about striking a balance between Internet security and real life commitments. Luckily, we can take an 80/20 approach to our digital world and still have time for family, work, and hobbies.
With just a few small tweaks to our day, we can all be that much safer, and take a lot of the pressure of dealing with Internet security and online safety off of our shoulders and onto a computer program that will do it for us. Here are some examples:
- Use strong passwords to lock down your accounts:
A good, strong password can do wonders for the security of any Internet-enabled accounts you may have. Do yourself a favor and create a great password that you can remember and stop making it easy for would-be hackers from swiping your info. (Yes, it’s possible to create a strong yet easily remembered password)
- Use, and update, antivirus, antispyware, and firewall software:
A good Internet security tool is a great way to get a helping hand with automating your online safety and data integrity. With the triple protection of antivirus, antispyware, and firewall software installed (and automatically updated), you’re taking a great step in preventing a bad piece of software from infecting your computer(s).
- Check privacy settings in your social media profiles:
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter… they’re all being targeted by data harvesters and malware authors. Learn how to keep the information private on your social media profiles such as Twitter and Facebook. Doing so will not only prevent embarrassing status updates away from the public eye, but will also make it that much more difficult for others to siphon off your data.
- Beware all links to photos, videos, and other media:
Stop being your own worst enemy when it comes to malware. Learn how to really read whether or not that email, tweet, or instant message contains a link to bad software. For example, if a friend, out of the blue, sends you a link to a video or picture and they ask if it’s you? Yeah, very likely your friend got hacked and their account was taken over and sent you that message to make you click on it and help spread the malware. Unless you know that the source of a message sent you a link to online media on purpose, consider all of them suspect. Clicking on every attachment or link that comes your way is a danger, and unless you’re aware of what’s happening, you’re your own worst enemy.
Using the four tips above, you can spend just a few hours (in total) to keep your online life safe and secure from prying eyes. Your Internet security can’t be 100% guaranteed because there are always more folks out there with creative (yet devious) minds who want your info, but keeping things under wraps will make it that much harder for them to be able to take advantage of you.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
We’re definitely in the middle of tax time here in America, and most people are stressing about one of two things: how much they’re going to have to pay to Uncle Sam or how much he’s going to be giving back. No matter which camp you’re in, it’s always stressful to have to do a financial recap of your whole year while juggling receipts, donation stubs, and all the other joys of tax preparation.
The last thing you want (or need) during tax time is to be hit with some kind of tax scam. You know what I’m talking about; you’ve probably heard your local news mention something about it in a blurb between stories.
I could probably give you a whole slew of advice on how to avoid tax scams like we did last year with our blog post about “IRS tax and refund scams“, but I’m going to be distilling it even further this year and only give you two. The number of tips may seem a little thin, but you’ll see that these two scams account for the majority of all phishing/etc. attempts at tax time.
- Email scams:
These are rising in popularity across the board with scammers. Email is so cheap and easy to spread that they can send out millions with the push of a button. Be smart: know who the sender of an email is, and be careful about clicking on any links from emails. It’s not too difficult to create a convincing looking email. My suggestion is that if an email looks legit, trust but verify; Contact the agency that contacts you. And if it is a scam, report it to the IRS.
- Website scams:
These should be easier to discern because if the domain name doesn’t end with “irs.gov” (or at the very least the “.gov” part, since only government agencies can register those domains), then it’s very likely a scam. The IRS and other government offices may direct you to a .com website for informational purposes, but never for anything important wherein you’d be requested to enter personal information. Be sure let the IRS know if you find a possible scam site by reporting tax scam web sites to them.
As a general rule of thumb, the IRS won’t contact taxpayers individually via unsolicited email. And more importantly, they aren’t going to be asking for your Social Security Number, your PIN numbers, or any other sort of personal financial information in said email.
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