Have I Been Pwned?

Hi All,

Yet another computer/technology/internet related blog entry. A short one to be sure...but its valuable and helpful.

Have you been pwned?  Check to see if you have an account that has been compromised in a data breach. 

Just enter your email address or your username and a new page comes up telling you whether or not you're email has been compromised. 

Users can get notified with updates about future pwnings...

The site has a list of the top 10 breaches.  The first three on the list (MySpace, LinkedIn and Adobe) have a total of over 676 million accounts compromised.  That's more than twice the population of the United States!!!

In any event, click on this link which explains the 'background on the who, the what and the why of Have I been pwned?  Basically its a very helpful FAQ for the site.

Okay...so now that you know you've been pwned...how do you protect yourself?  Click on the next several links that will help you after you've been pwned.

10 Steps to Protect Yourself From Data Breaches - CreditCards.com

How to Deal with a Security Breach? - Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

Worried About Data Breaches? 7 Steps to Protect Yourself - Forbes.com

More About How to Protect Yourself From Data Breaches - FDIC.gov
 
5 Ways to Protect Yourself From Data Breaches - USAToday.com

Enjoy the site - and I hope you don't have to use the other 5 links to fix a data breach problem!

Regards,

Stu

More Computer Security - Why? Because It's Important!

Hi All,

I just came across an interesting New York Times article on the web titled, 'How Many Times Has Your Personal Information Been Exposed To Hackers?'

Indeed...using the interactive features on the site, readers can find out how many times your information has been exposed to hackers in categories like:

address information,
birthday,
credit/debit card,
email,
employment history,
financial history,
fingerprints,
health history,
password,
phone number,
social security number

Users are asked to answer basic questions and check off which of the various services they used - then the numbers in the various categories change based on which the user checks off.

The United States Government, AOL, Ebay, Twitter, Anthem, Kmart, Home Depot, Target and UPS are among the larger companies listed in the article as to whether or no users had any affiliation to the organization.

The article goes on to explain what readers should do now, why this keeps happening to websites and how you can protect yourself in the future....

Click on these links to learn more about how you can protect yourself online so you are less likely to become hacked, spoofed or have your identity compromised.

Online Safety - USA.gov
Tips For Online Safety
Secure Your Computer
FCC - How to Protect Yourself Online
FBI - How to Protect Your Computer
US Department of Justice - Protecting Yourself While Using the Internet

Hope the links help protect you while you are online!

Regards,
Stu

Computer Security and Passwords

Hi All,

Check out this article from the New York Times (title is: Even Big Companies Cannot Protect Their data) concerning computer/internet security:

It is very interesting article. Internet users should just ignore this issue - it seems like every week another company comes out and discusses a breach in their data. Click on this link from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) for lists of companies that have had data breaches over the past few years. Wow - this is scary stuff!

So, what can users do to protect their data online?

From the University of Texas Information Technology Services comes this article that suggests that strong passwords are an essential way to keep computer, data and accounts safe. Some tips for creating and using safe passwords are included: use both upper/lower case letters, use special characters like !@#$%^&*()_+ and others and don't use sample passwords that are give on different web sites...

The Microsoft website has an interesting feature called 'Password Checker' - basically the site grades how strong - or, weak - a particular password is. It is very interesting to see what they consider a strong password has...let's just say that the password has to have a LOT of letters and numbers and unique characters included.

Also, this site comes from Microsoft as well. It explains how users can create strong passwords online. Useful, interesting and it cuts to the chase - no extraneous material included.

Symantec is one of the world's largest computer security firms. As a result, I went to their website and dug up this webpage titled, 'The Simplest Security: A Guide to Better Password Practices'.

Many computer users have wireless networks at home now that they are easier to install. This means there is a whole new way for hackers to compromise your computer security. Click on this link from About.com which discusses Wireless Network Security. Note that on the About.com there are many links on the left side of the page for readers to get more information about wireless networking...

Finally, this link from OnGuardOnline.gov discusses multiple issues about computer security. Topics like encrypted websites, password protection, treating personal information like cash and using security software that updates automatically are discusses. And it is from a reputable source - the US government.

Enjoy the links I've included - hopefully they'll save you a lot of grief and repair time from fixing a compromised computer or computer network.

Regards,
Stu