Posts Tagged ‘Password’
Friday, April 27th, 2012
RePost: It’s been over a year since this article was first published here on JumpstartMyPC, but the subject matter is still as relevant (if not more) as it was the day it was first posted. If you EVER use public WiFi, you need to read on and take action.
Take a look around you and count the number of portable, WiFi enabled devices that you currently own. Of course, there are obvious choices like your laptop, iPod touch and iPad, but there are a few you might be forgetting. Chances are that your cell phone, portable game system, e-reader (Kindle, Nook, etc.) and netbook are also capable of using WiFi when you need it.
Now ask yourself how many times you have connected to a free WiFi hotspot at a coffee shop, fast food restaurant, book store or other establishment. That number is also the number of times that you have opened yourself up to identity theft. That’s right, using free WiFi could very well be an open door for hackers to spy on your internet activity and steal personal information or even take over your Facebook account.
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Tags: cyber security, Free WiFi, Hackers, hotspot, https, internet connection, login, Password, personal hotspots, public WiFi, sharing, vpn network, WiFi
Posted in Security, Social Networking | 4 Comments »
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
For years now, I’ve preached to people about the importance of using strong passwords. My posts have included tips like: make it complex, make sure it is lengthy and change out common letters for numbers. I’ve considered these to be golden rules for creating a password, and I stick by the fact that they can help protect you from the “bad guys,” but a recent article on Gizmodo.com has me rethinking a few things.
As the author of Why That Fancy Password Isn’t Nearly as Safe as You Thought puts it, that password you created is super complicated (which is good) but “You know who else loves it? Computers!” A strong password is necessary, but are the rules we have lived by really helping us to create a VERY strong password? Also, how difficult have we made it on ourselves to remember that password. Personally, I have to hit the forgot password link on at least one website a week now, simply because I tricked myself, and I am getting really tired of it.
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Tags: forget password, forgot password, Gizmodo.com, Online, Password, safety, Security, Strong Password, super password
Posted in Security, Tips and Tricks | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
Over recent months, hackers have been busy exposing security flaws in some very well known organizations. In most cases, the information stolen from these high profile breaches was then immediately shared on the web. With log-in and personal information taken from sites like Sony, Fox, Nintendo, PBS, AOL and even the CIA (just to name a few) it is entirely possible that one or more of your passwords is now available to millions of people on the internet.
Scared? Hopefully a little bit. In addition to accessing the sites that you have created accounts on, criminals can use that personal information to open bank accounts and get credit cards, loans, state benefits and documents such as passports and driver’s licenses in your name. There are some steps you can take to check on your information and limit any potential issues, but you must act quickly, like now!
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Tags: change, hack, Hackers, identity theft, log-in, nintendo, Password, personal information, protect, Security, shouldichangemypassword, shouldichangemypassword.com, sony, Strong Password, user name, username
Posted in Security, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Passwords are a necessary evil that we cannot escape and, as we have pointed out again and again, you are responsible for creating and remembering/storing all of the passwords you use. As recently as March 31, in the article Online Security Begins or Ends With Your Choice of Password, we provided readers with some frightening data about “consumer password worst practices” and explained the idea of strong passwords. In that post, and several others before it, we provided some tips on creating strong passwords, but only skimmed the surface of possibilities.
Today, sparked by a recent article on Lifehacker.com, I will share with you a list of methods that you can use to create strong passwords. These methods are taken from sites all over the web and are merely suggestions on how you can protect yourself from crimes like identity theft. Before you jump down to the list, remember that EVERY password you use should follow these rules:
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Tags: complex, different, identity theft, Lifehacker.com, Password, secure, Security, strong
Posted in Security, Tips and Tricks | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
This article was originally posted in January of this year (here on JumpstartMyPC.com) but, as I pointed out in the article the first time, some topics need to be revisited regularly. Several recent events, including a comment from a reader and some trouble with my own credit card prompted me to post this article once more.
A strong password, by definition, is a password that is both complex AND secure (contains numbers, letters, and special characters that do not include personal information such as name or birth date). We should all be using these types of passwords to protect ourselves from potential hackers and thieves, but the sad truth is that most of us are still taking the easy way out. These easy passwords are about as effective as NBC’s late night talk show programming strategy.
Although we like to cover a different topic almost every day, there are some topics that are worth covering again and again. Of course, our favorite is PC maintenance, but we do have a few others up our sleeve. Today, thanks to a recent white paper released by Imperva, we find ourselves once again talking about strong passwords and why you should use them.
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Tags: Imperva, Password, secure, Security, strong
Posted in Security, Tips and Tricks | 4 Comments »
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
A strong password, by definition, is a password that is both complex AND secure (contains numbers, letters, and special characters that do not include personal information such as name or birth date). We should all be using these types of passwords to protect ourselves from potential hackers and thieves, but the sad truth is that most of us are still taking the easy way out. These easy passwords are about as effective as NBC’s late night talk show programming strategy.
Although we like to cover a different topic almost every day, there are some topics that are worth covering again and again. Of course, our favorite is PC maintenance, but we do have a few others up our sleeve. Today, thanks to a recent white paper released by Imperva, we find ourselves once again talking about strong passwords and why you should use them.
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Tags: Hackers, Imperva, Password, Security, Strong Passwords, Thieves, White Paper
Posted in Security, Tips and Tricks | 4 Comments »
Friday, November 13th, 2009
Today, we are surrounded by technology. Some embrace it, some detest it, but all will come in contact with it at some point. Whether it is at work, school or home, you will eventually use some form of computer and at that point, one thing is certain… You will have to create and remember a password.
Our information and our lives depend on our ability to protect what is important from potential thieves. We bank online. We email private thoughts and information with friends and relatives. We even file our taxes via the web. All of this information is stored electronically and there are people who know how to get to it, assuming they can bypass one tiny hurdle, your password. We may have the best technology in the world at our fingertips, but people are still the weakest link.
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Tags: Password, Security, Strong Password
Posted in Tips and Tricks | 3 Comments »
