In the wake of the latest data breaches, that of Home Depot and J.P. Morgan, I have been giving thought to the subject of personal data security. So I wanted to write a bit about a parallel subject, email security.
Many of us use have more than one email address; we use addresses from school, work, and more likely than not, personal email accounts with large free providers such as Gmail –the most popular on the planet-, Hotmail or Yahoo. These free personal accounts are handy in that they offer us large in-boxes, ease of access and well, their password open us the doors to many other sites.
 |
| The log in screen for Shopify |
Did you know that these accounts also offer outstanding security features? They have a myriad security questions for you to choose and answer, and they save those questions and answers to confirm your identity if they think that a log-in location is fishy; they also have two-step verification system using your cell phone that allows you to sign in from unsecure computers.
They send a code to your cell phone and you must enter it in addition to your regular password in order to access your account. Additionally some of them offer you the option of a Recovery Email. You are allowed to give a different email address so that if your account is hacked, you will be able to get it back using that email address.
They are very handy features and I have to admit that in more than one occasion Gmail –my provider- has saved me from headaches by denying access to hackers. They inform me when this happens; oddly enough my would-be hackers always seem to be in various cities of China.
But back to the subject at hand, I want to encourage you to use the security features that your free email accounts offer you. For your convenience, these providers do not require for you to change your password regularly. This may seem handy, but the sad truth is that you are exposing yourself to huge risks by not changing email passwords. Not only that… I would bet that your email password is also the password you use for one or more of your other accounts elsewhere; am I right? Well, guess what? If I know this, hackers count on it and, once they have access to your email, their first order of business is to scour your email for accounts that you have and attempt to sign-in using that email account and address. It’s the fastest, easiest method of identity theft.
Please keep this in mind and if you don’t like changing passwords regularly, at least make sure that you don’t use one or two passwords for every single one of your accounts. It will save you a lot of trouble.
I have been using it for a while now and it has not failed me. So, if you do not have an antivirus installed, consider this one. It can do no harm.
By the way, if you have a tablet and/or smartphone, you should also keep in mind that they are just as targeted for hacking as computers, and that there are good, free antivirus apps for every operating system. Check your device’s store.
Installing an antivirus brings me to another subject…
But not only that, sometimes these executables (for those of you who don’t know what I mean, an executable is recognized on the pop-ups when they say “This program is trying to access your computer” and under the description of the item is says applicationname.exe. That’s an executable) contain ‘malware’. Malware is hacker software that provides information to the creator (the hacker) about what you are doing. Specifically, it’s ‘keyloggers’. A keylogger is a program that records every single thing you type. This way hackers obtain your user IDs and passwords and gain access to your accounts.
I cannot tell you to not install add-ons and software to your heart’s content. I will, however, caution into knowing the source of the software. Install from known, trusted sources. If you are unsure about a source of a program that you need, go to download.com and look for the same software there. They guarantee that the software that they offer is bug-free so that you can get it from them.
Also, when installing, pay attention to the “freebies” that most software companies attempt to get you to install along with your software. As of late, I am always turning down Bing, free trials of this and that antivirus, and various toolbar additions. They may be handy tools, but when you don’t use them they simply slow down your browser. And with regards to free trials of antivirus software: one, after the 30 days are up they pester you every single day to buy the subscription, and two, if you already have an antivirus, a second one can make your firewall and online software malfunction. They’re not worth the trouble unless you really plan on buying them after the free trial is up.
Last but not least I will bring up the handiest tool that nine out of ten computer users ignore its existence:
This way, while your antivirus or malware detector is scanning your PC to detect and quarantine the little bug that has been stealing your data, you can use the on-screen keyboard to create a new password.
How to access the on-screen keyboard on Windows:
 |
| Two-step verification screen from Gmail |
They are very handy features and I have to admit that in more than one occasion Gmail –my provider- has saved me from headaches by denying access to hackers. They inform me when this happens; oddly enough my would-be hackers always seem to be in various cities of China.
But back to the subject at hand, I want to encourage you to use the security features that your free email accounts offer you. For your convenience, these providers do not require for you to change your password regularly. This may seem handy, but the sad truth is that you are exposing yourself to huge risks by not changing email passwords. Not only that… I would bet that your email password is also the password you use for one or more of your other accounts elsewhere; am I right? Well, guess what? If I know this, hackers count on it and, once they have access to your email, their first order of business is to scour your email for accounts that you have and attempt to sign-in using that email account and address. It’s the fastest, easiest method of identity theft.
Please keep this in mind and if you don’t like changing passwords regularly, at least make sure that you don’t use one or two passwords for every single one of your accounts. It will save you a lot of trouble.
Antivirus
I am a firm believer in Antivirus software and for many years was a subscriber to Norton Antivirus, one of the best paid antiviruses in existence. But two or three years ago it was brought to my attention that the best antivirus software out there these days is Microsoft Security Essentials, and it’s free. At first I hesitated: for one, I don’t like Microsoft, but also I hesitated because something free, in my opinion, cannot stack up to something you pay for. Yet when I thought about it, it makes sense. Windows is the most attacked operating system in the world, so the best thing they can do is offer free antivirus and anti-malware services to help thwart attacks as fast as possible when they occur, as it saves them time in actual customer request responses.I have been using it for a while now and it has not failed me. So, if you do not have an antivirus installed, consider this one. It can do no harm.
By the way, if you have a tablet and/or smartphone, you should also keep in mind that they are just as targeted for hacking as computers, and that there are good, free antivirus apps for every operating system. Check your device’s store.
Installing an antivirus brings me to another subject…
Careful when installing executables
from unknown sources on your computer
Many a time, when we are trying to access something online, a pop-up comes up saying that in order to proceed you need to install this and that. More often than not it is ‘adware’, a program that tracks your browsing and software activity. Adware in general is not bad, if you do not mind having information about your habits tracked and sold. Personally I despise it.But not only that, sometimes these executables (for those of you who don’t know what I mean, an executable is recognized on the pop-ups when they say “This program is trying to access your computer” and under the description of the item is says applicationname.exe. That’s an executable) contain ‘malware’. Malware is hacker software that provides information to the creator (the hacker) about what you are doing. Specifically, it’s ‘keyloggers’. A keylogger is a program that records every single thing you type. This way hackers obtain your user IDs and passwords and gain access to your accounts.
I cannot tell you to not install add-ons and software to your heart’s content. I will, however, caution into knowing the source of the software. Install from known, trusted sources. If you are unsure about a source of a program that you need, go to download.com and look for the same software there. They guarantee that the software that they offer is bug-free so that you can get it from them.
Also, when installing, pay attention to the “freebies” that most software companies attempt to get you to install along with your software. As of late, I am always turning down Bing, free trials of this and that antivirus, and various toolbar additions. They may be handy tools, but when you don’t use them they simply slow down your browser. And with regards to free trials of antivirus software: one, after the 30 days are up they pester you every single day to buy the subscription, and two, if you already have an antivirus, a second one can make your firewall and online software malfunction. They’re not worth the trouble unless you really plan on buying them after the free trial is up.
Last but not least I will bring up the handiest tool that nine out of ten computer users ignore its existence:
The on-screen keyboard
The on screen keyboard is a feature both on Windows and Mac and as the name implies, it is a keyboard that appears on your screen and is usable by means of the mouse. It is a very useful tool when your email –or other account- has been hacked, as it allows you to reset your password by clicking the keyboard (on the screen, using the mouse) in a way that malware cannot log. |
| Example of an on-screen keyboard |
This way, while your antivirus or malware detector is scanning your PC to detect and quarantine the little bug that has been stealing your data, you can use the on-screen keyboard to create a new password.
How to access the on-screen keyboard on Windows:
Click the Windows Icon on the bottom-left of your screen and click where it says “Search programs and files”. Type the word keyboard. The program named On-Screen Keyboard will appear. Click it to open it.
How to access the on-screen keyboard on Mac operating systems:
Go to System Preferences, go to Keyboard, and click the Keyboard Tab on there. Click the box that says “Show Keyboard & Character Viewers in menu bar”. Now a keyboard menu will appear, click it to open the pull-down menu and you will see “Show Keyboard Viewer”.
How to access the on-screen keyboard on Mac operating systems:
Go to System Preferences, go to Keyboard, and click the Keyboard Tab on there. Click the box that says “Show Keyboard & Character Viewers in menu bar”. Now a keyboard menu will appear, click it to open the pull-down menu and you will see “Show Keyboard Viewer”.
For Mac OS X it's a bit different: go to System Preferences, International. Check the box that says "Keyboard Viewer". With that, atop your desktop screen where you usually see the clock, now you will also see a flag corresponding to the language of your computer (for English, a US or UK flag). If you click that, the option Show Keyboard Viewer appears and there you have it.
That’s all for today. Please remember that your online security in this day and age is as important as the safety of your wallet. Take good care of it.
That’s all for today. Please remember that your online security in this day and age is as important as the safety of your wallet. Take good care of it.
No comments :
Post a Comment