There was no shortage of major security stories last week, ranging from the Samsung vulnerability that affects some 600 million users to continuing coverage of the leak at the US Government’s Office of Personnel Management. That leak, by the way, now seems to have affected as many as 18 million people, including former, current and prospective federal government.
As essential as internet security is every single day of the year, June is Internet Security Month, which makes it the perfect time to review what it means to keep your computers, tablets and smartphones as secure as possible.
As you relax into summer, make sure that you are not relaxing your policies of vigilance when it comes to online safety for you and your family.
Massive data breach directly affects at least 4 million people.
Unless you were living under a rock this week (and maybe even then), you’ve heard about the recent data breach affecting the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
The hack involved personnel files relating to 4 million current and former members of the federal government. In other words, about one percent of the entire US population. It affected nearly every single federal agency, exposing people’s names, addresses, social security numbers, job details, training information, and more.
This was one very big hack indeed. It shows that the threat posed by hackers is increasing every day. It shows that everyone needs to take online security seriously. It also shows that all of us could be victims, and this means all of us must be proactive in protecting ourselves.
Most people choose their pizza toppings according to taste…and rightly so!
If you’re like most people who order pizza, how you choose toppings is pretty intuitive. If you like salty flavors, you opt for olives and anchovies; if you prefer sweet flavors, you choose pineapples and corn. If you’ve got a sense of culinary adventure, a combination of hot peppers, spiced pepperoni and buffalo mozzarella may tickle your fancy. In all cases, choosing pizza toppings is a matter of taste, and there’s no need to take it too seriously, really, since it’s just pizza after all.
Selecting the right antivirus is considerably more important, and should be approached in a more informed manner. After all, this isn’t dinner we’re talking about. It’s your personal computer. It’s your private information, your banking details, your personal email, your family photos, and your confidential files. The decision you make regarding how you protect it should be a sensible one based on facts and research, not your sense of taste.
Your online privacy depends on the strength of your passwords.
Your privacy is only as safe as your weakest password.
Ok, so maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but let’s face it. The strength of your passwords is important. If it wasn’t, why would so many people be interested in hacking them!
Passwords keep your private stuff private. They make sure that the emails sent from your account are actually written by you. They make sure that the Posts, Likes and Comments that appear on your Facebook page are authentic. They keep your Dropbox photos private. They make sure your coffee card is used exclusively to buy frothy sweet drinks for the people you want to treat.
Of course, passwords also prevent criminals from draining your bank account, running up charges on your credit cards, and causing all sorts of other mischief.
Clearly, having a strong password and keeping it secure is important. Which leads to the question – how can you create rock-solid passwords and keep them protected? Here are 14 simple steps to help you out.
