5 Ways to protect yourself on Kik Messenger!

Understanding the Kik Messenger!

The Kik Messenger is just a little app that allows people to chat without the need to share you phone number.   It has several things that help make people want to use Kik, and I am going to share some of them with you and hope that it helps you protect yourself from scammers.  With any messaging app, you will always have bots and scammers who only purpose in life is to steal your money or your identity.   It seems that I found a few that times when I wondered how they figure out my username.   it really wasn’t hard to find me on Kik, I seem to keep Something the same and you could find me to if your really wanted to.  

Don’t give out your Phone Number — It seems it is the easiest thing to do but if you give out your phone number to a complete stranger, you are just asking for trouble from people who are going to stalk you or harass you.  
Don’t give out specifics — until you really start to be friends it is something that should be in your head at all times.   Don’t tell them your personal stuff like where you actually work, or the exact model of your car.   If you have to answer them, just generalize it to the point that it would make it really hard for them to find you after that.   I wouldn’t say Lie to them but don’t speak the whole truth, until you are sure they are trustworthy.
Quick Repliers — If you find yourself getting almost instant replies from the sender, you can bet that it isn’t truely a person because even I can’t type that fast.   It does not mean people who reply with yes or no answer are bots because most people are quick with those.  if it is long text in under a minute, you can bet it is a bot!
Don’t share Pictures or Videos —  If you don’t want your friends to see the picture or video, you really shouldn’t share it to some unknown bot or person on the messenger app.   You really do not know who or What they will do with that stuff.   It could cause your embarrassment in the future.
Don’t click links — Unsolicited links are just going to probably get your infected and thus you shouldn’t click on any links or go to sites that that the person says unless you know about that site personally.   Just be careful what you do online and you are far better off!

If you use these tips, you are better off than before.   Just remember that you do not really know the person unless you meet them in person.   HOpe this helps!

Several online retailers have weak password security!

Retailers makes it easy for hackers!

Dashlane releases their top 100 online Retailers and “The Illusion of Personal Data Security in E-Commerce” this makes it easier for the hackers to know the common passwords for sites.   Some of the retailers that are mentioned are:

• Cafepress (affiliate link) — Although I have been a huge supporter for those really cool shirts and other personable merchandise.   They only require a 3 character password.  If your using a 3 character password, then you are just yelling to the hackers come get my credit card information and personal information!
• Scholastic Inc — This one seem likes they allow this for kids, I just hope they don’t give out all that valuable information.   They two also only require a 3 character password for an account!
• 1-800-flowers (1800flowers.com) — Only requrie a 1 character password, which means that you could use Q for your password and you’d be all set for someone to take your credit card information really quickly.

Those are only the few that I found that were really interesting.   I am calling out these retailers to make changes to their password lengths.  You can see the complete list of the 100 retailers with passwords length and various other data.   This link is thanks to Steve Gibson to see all the important stuff!

Password Length

I’ve talked about Lastpass in the past so I will not talk about it anymore.  I do recommend people use the maximum length you can have on sites that are really important to you.   This will prevent hackers from guessing real simple passwords.   Although you should have Higher, Lower, Numbers, and Special characters in your password to make password guessing even harder.  It is up to you to prevent your account from getting hacked or taken over.   No one can help you but yourself!

Those really BAD passwords you shouldn't use! The list is out for 2013!

Who uses these?

It isn’t everyday that I come across some really interesting passwords.   Among the list of the 25 that Spashdata has released!  The Ones that really stand out for me are: “trustno1” (Gives a new meaning to TNO), Adobe123 and my favorite “photoshop” are on the list of those the top 25 passwords you should NEVER USE.  I don’t know if people are just trying to come up with something no one would think of or if they really want there Facebook Account to be hacked in the first place!

Randomness is everything!

I keep telling people to go check out Lastpass to be safe but it some people will never learn.   I believe in Lastpass so much I pay for the mobile version for a year.   Only 12$ a year but it is for a good cause, and I am really happy with their service!  Lastpass is truely the Last password you will ever have to remember.  

I don’t know about you but I think it is time to go change some passwords! 

Why your Facebook account got hacked and how to secure it!

You’ve Probably seen:

Help me!!! the house was broken into lastnіght, i caught the theіves stealing our stuff on our securitу cameras! Do уou happen too recognize them?  (Some link such as Tumblr)

I know it is the hardest thing to understand but when it comes to getting your Facebook account, getting into your account is the most valuable for them.   Most of the time it is used to mine data such as your personal information or so they can become you but that it’s always the case.   It is sometimes the case that a spammer wants to get those click’s from your friends and you be the one who gets in trouble with Facebook.   It isn’t always the case though.   More than anything hackers or some call the crackers want to get your account to make money somehow.  99% of the time that is the case the other 1% is someone who wants to just be a wise guy and show you he did it!

Well it happened!

You probably like the rest of the people asking how do I prevent this in the future first thing first.  You need to change your password on your Facebook account.  Once you have your account back you will then need to end all activity on your facebook account besides the device your logged into and that means you will need to update your password on all devices.   

The Easiest way to end all activity on your facebook account is:

Settings — > Account Setting —>  (Click) Recongnized Devices —> (Then) End All activity

Before you start putting the password in to all those devices maybe it is time to use a good Password manager to do just that, I recommend Lastpass because it is has everything you need to help keep hackers out of your account.   You should use a minium 20 character length and make it as random as possible.   This is what I have used to keep people from guessing my password although it is good way to help prevent Phishing attacks from sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets!

Setup a 2 Authentication factor!

In some ways this has been the hardest for people to understand and to want to use because it slows down people logging into their account but it also makes it that much harder for someone to get into your account because they have to know your validation code.   This will help you keep your privacy and security safe.  There is a great tutorial on how to do it, and I use it with the Google Authenticator myself!

Review your Timeline!

It might not be needed but you never know what the hacker posted on your timeline or your activity and you should carefully check it out from the time you thought you got compromised to now.  You never know what has been posted or said about your until you do a complete inventory of damage control.  Delete any posts that you didn’t do and remove those from your time line.   Just look for a little X on the upper right corner.

Finally Review your security Settings!

Go back through your security settings and make sure the hacker didn’t enable something that you might regret later on.   For instants your timeline being public or your phone number or something that you don’t want anyone other than friends or family to know.  There are few places where you should check and maybe change if need be and they are:

Settings —> Privacy Settings

Settings —> Account Settings —> Timeline And Tagging

Settings —> Account Settings —> (-)Blocking

You never know what the hacker did to either unblock someone or change something that you had put private.   So this is what I call damage control.   This will keep you safe and secure, but remember the only way to truly be safe is watching what you do online and keep that information private as long as possible.

What I have learned from Person of Interest Show!

When I first started watching this show, I thought it was unique but then last year we had the revolation of the Snowden controversy and how the government was collecting all sorts of information. Then this became so relevant to the government and how they are collecting my information. You will see in this show so much talk about how they are collecting it. It is scary and I am sure the Government has put this out to help have a plausible deniability factor to it.

Click to read more ...

How Cryptolocker (Ransomware) gets installed and how to remove it!

Cryptolocker Virus!

I have been watching what has been going on in the past few days and thought it was high time I tell you about this nasty little worm or virus! It has been many months since I have talked about this and I wanted to help you understand how you might of been infected. If you have been infected and want to remove it, you can easily remove it by using Malwarebytes Pro, Which is a sponsor of my blog. The Malwarebytes Blog has some interesting stuff about what this bug really does to your files and what it encrypts!

Drive by download

Some would say it is coming from emails but I suspect it will get much worse before it gets better. If they are making money they will probably start advertising that you have a virus and when you click on the image you will be taken over to actually have the virus or worm as some would call it. It all started when scammers started infecting systems and doing the defederpageblock and others like that. They found they could actually make money by scaring people into paying. I even tried to help people by offering some great Antivirus And Antimalware tools to help fight off this types of infections.

So how are some ways to get infected? The basic ways are simple opening email links if you don’t know the sender. This is the most common approach by any scammer or spammer because you can’t really see where that link is going or even if they are trying to use a script.

Social Media is the next biggest way that you might get infected by clicking links in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and sites like that. You have to be careful but most of the time you can expand the URL by using a service like LongURL. I sometimes use this to find out where a shortened bitly link or twitter link is going to take me.

Googling or Searching is the next way an attacker would install this type of software on your system. They would just use scripts, known vulnerabilities, to force install or silent install this type of software in your system and if you were using something like NoScript you would be much safer than if you didn’t!

Installing untrusted software can lead to you getting infected by this virus and others if you think you have to have a piece of software for something then please do not use your Windows Admin account to install this on. You should try to see what others are saying about a particular software or application. It isn’t always going to be fool proof but it will at least slow it down.

Now these are a few ways you could get infected if you were trying to get infected with this nasty virus. Which case you would be paying 300 US dollars or 2 bitcoins which is how they want to keep getting paid. So if you don’t want to find your pictures, and important data encrypted, please put them on a recordable dvd and put them up! This would be one step to help fight this little problem.

I havent’ heard if it has infected any Apple, Android, or Linux Operating systems it looks to be primarily Windows Systems. I can assure you it will happen to these other OS in the coming months so don’t think you aren’t immune to this and other malwares or viruses. With Android having exploits in the wild you can bet they will targeted soon to encrypted your contact list and your pictures. This would be my next bet!

Secure Browser Alternatives for browsing safely on the web!

Cyber Security Awareness Month

If you didn’t know October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and I wanted to give out some ways to keep you safe on the internet.   I know I am not the only to suggest some of this but if you didn’t know please don’t use Internet Explorer to web browse.   If should only be used for updating Windows and that is the extent of what it should be used for it.

Is Chrome more secure than Safari?

Safari, to my knowledge as a few vulnerabilities and thus you should be keep away from using it.   I won’t say much about this because we never really know who is actually going to use these but you can bet hackers know of ways to get into your system.

Which Browser is best?

Any browser you think is safe is probably going to be wrong.   I am going to tell you which browsers are safer but none of them are a 100 percent safe.   Each one of them has good and bad but I am going to at least guide you in the right direction.  

Chrome Browser

Chrome is one of the ones, I do recommend but it shouldn’t just be used by itself.   You should add a few extensions to better protect yourself:

• Adblock Plus — Good to protect yourself from those annoying advertising.   (Please be aware that I use advertising on my site and that is how I pay for my hosting and other things like that.   Please consider white listing my website to allow advertising.)
• Lastpass — This is one of those that I recommend on a constant basis because it makes sure you create a strong password that you don’t have to remember.   It helps make sure no account password is ever the same!
• ScriptSafe — Keep unwanted scripts from playing when you visit a website!  Certain web sites should be allowed and white listed, like mine. 
• Dolphin Connect — I use the Dolphin browser on my Android Device and this is one of those ways to keep track of all your bookmarks.   Not really security related but it is very useful!

These are just a few that I recommend when you use the Chrome Browser.

FireFox Browser

FireFox is another one that I recommend when you are looking to browse the web securely.  Although it isn’t 100% secure because none are.   Some of the Add On’s you should add to your FireFox Browser are:

• NoScript Security Suite — It is another No Script app that lets you prevent unwanted scripts from running! 
• Lastpass — Just like Chrome, it helps keep your passwords safe and helps you keep all passwords unique!
• Adblock Plus — Just like Chrome this can help keep those annoying advertisements from showing but please remember to white list sites that do need to advertise and do not use annoying advertisements!
• Web Of Trust — This is a good add on for Firefox to know which web sites you can trust more with and which ones that are not trustworthy!  (if you like my site could you review it and let people know what you think about this site!)

As you can see these are the two that I always tell my family to install, I usually don’t tell them to install both but one of these two but it is up to you if you want to have both web browsers installed on your system.   It just varies from person to person which one is better for your use!   I am sure there are more addon’s or extensions that you should add but these are the ones I tell my friends and family to install first.  Which one of these two browsers are you favorite?  Leave a comment and tell others!

Do VPN's keep my private information private or does it really work?

NSA tells all sorts of tales!

With the current level of people worry about their security and privacy,  I’ve found people wanting to know just how much privacy do they really have on a VPN’s like Vpn4all, which is a sponsor to this blog.  When even more leaked documents that show that the NSA was involved in encryption formulas, people stopped buying VPNS because they were told a lie!   The truth of it is that we can Trust the Math, a great quote from Bruce Schneier.  When I first heard about this blog post, I ran to it to see what it says.   Most of it I believe and some stuff I questioned.  In the end I believe he is right about how the can not possibly break encryption in anything bigger that 256 bit encryption.  There is no super computer that I know of that can do the calculations to break the encryption.  

NSA will eventually see it!

Just know that no matter what you do online securely even if its encrypted that eventually it will be broken and they will see what you did.   I am just trying to keep my privacy until I die.   Hopefully after I die nothing will matter what NSA finds out about me.   I have nothing to Hide but I do not trust the NSA.

Truth about VPNS

The common idea that since VPNS are basic encryption tunnels made people think the NSA either has all keys or can easily get in through a back door.  I would be telling a untruth if I told you I didn’t at least suspect some providers to give all access to their servers just to keep their license’s and other legal stuff!

Vpn4All is a partner to OpenVPN and they use OpenSSL Library, so everyone can see the code and keep others safe from prying eyes.   So you see NSA would be hard pressed to break the encryption.   The other truth of the mater is that most of the time the keys get thrown away and we may never know if they are thrown away or given away!

Something to Consider!

When I first started this journey into encryption, I never knew it would be so hard to grasp it.   I will however tell you why I chose VPN4ALL for my site:

• Their Business is outside of the US.  Doesn’t mean the NSA can get the key to your encryption just makes it harder.  If someone really ones something, they find a way to do it.
• AES-256 RSA 2096 Bit Encryption.   We even see RSA making a change from unlinking to the NSA Algorithm.  So it should be safe for the time being.
• Ultra Fast Connections.   Unlike other VPNS I have tried VPN4ALL made great strides in speed and privacy.
• Got Over 1,000 IPS to chose from!  Let’s face it we have can choose any one ip we want and keep the NSA guessing!

The Truth of the matter is that VPNs are my friends and they shall always be used in any situation I deem necessary to keep my privacy safe and secure!

Yet Another Android Scarevertising!

Androidsecurityfree.org

These are on the Rise!

I’ve seen more and more of this in the last few week.   One blogger, on barfooin.net talked about TunIn their advertising practices.  This one however came up with from Defrag+ and the advertising was simple yet to some very scary “Virust Detected! Remove Now!” and you saw a little animated bar like it was actually doing something.   This form of advertising should not be allowed and you should not install it!

The story behind installing this app, was a very simple one.   My Acer tablet was starting to get unresponsive and I wanted to see if the internal memory needed to be cleared and re-arranged.  I guess I could of bought the 10$ version but if they are going to allow this type of advertising on their app then I guess it doesn’t really do anything else. 

Third Party Advertising!

I should say this isn’t a big problem right now but I can see that if you got did your research to find me and you probably did.   You will see that there isn’t any real information out their about this and others like androidantivirusfree(dot)org which is one of the few that I’ve actually documented and talked about in the past! 

I don’t know which advertiser networks are allowing this sort of thing but I am sure sooner or later someone will start giving this people a mess of problems and they will see that they need to fix the problem.  

Push Notifications problems!

It definitely seems that this little app wants to advertise every chance it gets and it kind of seems the publisher is money hungry.   So I am unsure how trust worthy this app is and how much I want to keep it on my android device.   No wonder he is charging 10$ for the pro version of this app.   Oh well, I am going to delete this app and figure out how to fix the problem with out paying for apps like this one and others.   I am sure there is a simple solution to the problem but first I will go through and remove some of the apps that I don’t use anymore for starters and see where that leads me!

Some stories of the week!

News around the web!

Use Coupon Code “savenow15” and save 15% off the lifetime of your account!I really didn’t have a lot to say this week but I thought it would be nice to provide some useful links to my readers:

• Microsoft to Patch 23 Security Holes — Krebs on Security!
• Encryption is less secure than we thought — MIT
• The Risk of Running Windows XP After Support Ends April 2014 — Technet
• Google patches Android after Bitcoin wallet issue  — Infoworld
• The Myths of Security: What the Computer Security Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know
• Lavabit founder, under gag order, speaks out about shutdown decision — Arstechnica
• Snowden downloaded NSA secrets while working for Dell, sources says
• Hacked baby monitor? Welcome to the security implications of the internet of things  —Gigaom
• 12 Back-to-School Cyber-Security Tips — PcMag

As you can see there are these and more are out and about.   I have been reading all these blogs and thought these could be of value to my reader!

I’ve busy with looking for another laptop and I have yet to find one that I can afford or want but it does help that you have been using my VPN4ALL link — Surf Anonymously Super easy-to-use yet powerful VPN Client with many useful functions Instant VPN Download and Activation!  I’ve had so many start using it, I am really surprised.   Keep up sharing my link and my Coupon Code and you keep helping me with getting me a new laptop! 

The Untold Truth about VPN's and the NSA Prism Scandal!

Truths about Virtual Private Networks!

I’ve had a few people email me and ask the ultimate question.  “How does a VPN actually protect my privacy from the NSA?” and I thought this was a good time to answer the most important question.   Most people don’t really understand what a vpn actually does.  When I reviewed VPN4ALL, I didn’t expect so many people to sign up for the service.   Here though is the some things you need to remember.

VPN’s are like condoms!

If your not using it then you are prone to get your information sniffed.  Just using VPN4ALL and sponsors this blog, you can keep some of your information from being seen.   Here is a truth that you probably don’t know but just because you use a VPN doesn’t give your protection.   You must understand that when you use a VPN you are setting up a tunnel to another server some where.   This will stop the NSA and others from seeing your data from your local ISP and any other sniffer along the way to the exit server.   When you finally get out to the internet then you have to worry about where those servers are that the NSA is using to collect your data.   See top of the article for examples.

The problem with a VPN is that you still need an encrypted connection to the site in question because you never know if your will bounce from the exit server into a server that the NSA is tapping.  So again, you really should use something like SSL Everywhere plugin to try to protect your from the NSA and people from seeing who and what you do.

SSL Keys and the NSA!

We’ve heard about the NSA bullying and almost intimidating companies like Lavabit!  As of The last few days they have shut down their email servers and then after that Silent Circle email encryption decides to shut down in fear of what the NSA will ask of them.  So now all we have to consider is which companies in the US are being threatened or bullied for the so call encryption keys and why should we not be looking over seas for companies like VPN4ALL who an European company and is a yearly sponsor to this blog!

We basically need to be able to encrypt and  decrypt the information ourselves and implement an TNO model for all types of encryption from email to website browsing.   The problem with this is that we have yet to come up with an alternative to that.   We’ve got a few ideas like PGP but nothing where we can setup our Secret keys and use them.  

I believe in time we will see this happen but until then we will only have a to depend on programs and software that is out of reach of the NSA and other government institution which are also open source so everyone can see the program.   This is the only way we will ever have true privacy on the internet.   It will have to a concerted effort from every individual saying to the government that you don’t want to be tracked and documented.

How Much Tin Foil is too much? Why do we need to worry?

Tin Foil is all the rage!

I started this process, we we asked all sorts of questions about your Privacy and you.  One of the questions that was ask was about How much Tin Foil and how much do you need to wear on Security Now. I tried to listen to all of it and absorb as much as I could and I must say that we do not know how much data is actually being leaked to the NSA!  I don’t know how much you can prevent the NSA from getting your personal information and if you decide to do what this poor guy does, I have to wonder just how well this will work.   So I thought we should at least touch ground on this the episode and trying to figure just what you could do to get some peace of mind.

Opting Out!

I don’t think it is possible to opt completely out of the NSA wiretapping and have them over look you.  Likewise I don’t think they will ever leave you alone even if you did nothing wrong in the first place.  The question though that must be asked is how do I protect my civil liberties and make sure they follow the rules.  Again, I really don’t know the answer to this question but I believe VPN4ALL is one way to tell them that you don’t want to be tracked and spied upon.  Whether they listen and only do it to those they deem possible terrorist, I can not say.  I will say though, they are a sponsor on my blog because they have paid for one year of service for me and every time someone click on that link and orders their prouct, I get a little revenue.   

FAST & EASY VPN HIGH SPEED 1000+ IPs 50 Locations Worldwide Windows, MAC, Mobile 24 x 7 Support Buy Now Only 9.95

I really wish we could see the process and know just how much they collect on every US citizen and who over see’s this.  There is of course a process an I am unsure as to how well that is being used or if it is in the process.

GNU Privacy Guard!

I’ve started to use this GnuPG.org and It isn’t bad but I am sure it isn’t the only thing that we can do  to protect our privacy and try to keep out personal from getting to NSA.  We still need come have a way to get our emails to being sent even though your encrypting the message the meta data is being sent in the clear and thus the NSA still knows who you are and when you sent it.   We have to wonder who will force companies to allow sending email through SSL and not just in the clear.   This would greatly make it harder for anyone to get that sensitive data and your information would still be safe from prying eyes. 

I’m going to look for a service that does just that but I am not sure who I would trust with my personal information, hopefully a company out there will become available.  How Much Tin foil do you use to protect your privacy?  I’d love to hear your answer in the comments section!

If you want to keep your Privacy, look no further!

Privacy and the NSA!

When I first said something about NSA wiretaps the Internet, you probably thought I was joking.   Well, it looks to be a real issue now a days and that is a problem!  So we have heard about the NSA will consider any encryption being at risk, so they will be keeping those encrypted data for later inspections. Privacy is everything in my book and this is a continuing series for those who want to know how to protect their privacy from thief and criminals.   

Programs to protect your Privacy!

There are programs out there to help keep people from snooping on you.   Although it has gotten a lot easier because of Firesheep and most web sites now offer secure connections but not all.  This is where I suggest you use something like VPN4ALL and I’m not saying that because they paid me to say it.   I am saying this because they have become a sponsor for me for the whole year.  I get paid every time someone uses buys a subscription and they are affiliate links!   They’ve given me a free 1 year account and I really am impressed at how well they get around the library restrictions and that they are a OPENVPN provider.  There are others such as SecureVPN and CyberGhost VPN and even ProXPN VPN.  Each one has their merits and I have nothing against any of them.   I just have had a better experience with VPN4ALL and I think you will to.

Streaming Music and Videos

I’m no advocate for people getting around international borders to watch BBC and other such videos but you could if you wanted to and be able to watch Netflix and Hulu from outside the USA.  This is one of the many reasons I like this service because you don’t have to pay for watching a show that is being played over seas.   

Online Activity

Keep your online activity safe from prying eyes and people who are looking to cause trouble.  It isn’t going to be bulletproof but it will at least help with coffee shops and if you use it all the time at home also.   You don’t have to look over your shoulder as much, figuratively, and wonder who is see the insecure connection.

Mobile Devices!

Another reason, I love this service is that you can take your Tablet, like my Acer 200 to a free wifi hotspot and not worry because they even have a very good PPTP(Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) that allows you to use your device anywhere you may go and keep people from spying on you while you on an un-encrypted free wifi hotspot.   So you can sit back and watch or do what you want and no one will know or see your actions.  You can use this for Mobile Phones also but that is totally your call.   I use it strictly for my Acer 200!

30-day money-back guarantee

Although this has some conditions, and I will be honest with you it is really always a full refund.  You have to have use under 100 megabytes of data or have some other issue that has been document with a support ticket and usually they will refund your money but it is still a better way to go then not to have any privacy or risk your identity from being taken.   You owe it to yourself and others to protect your privacy and identity and give yourself and others peace of mind.  Give VPN4ALL a try and Save 15% with Coupon Code “savenow15”, and I am sure you will be as happy as I am when I’m at a insecure location.  

The Perfect Pin Password! How to not be predictable!

Predictability is the Key!

It isn’t like we have a lot of imagination, I was looking around and saw this blog post post about PIN number analysis.   Let’s just say after I read this, I got chills and it went down my back.   No one person can come up with a easy to remember PIN number and it be safe.   So the problem with this and other passwords are that people tend to make them easy.  This is where the problem lies, if it was easy to come up with a PIN number that is can be predictable then someone else can figure out the pin quite easily.

What throw out and what to keep!

Here are a few things that I saw on the analysis that you should be throw out for sure:

• Birth dates and years — This seems to be a very popular way to go to remember a pin number.   People are either using their year they are born or their month and date they are born to make a pin number for banks an other institutions.  Just throw those out the door.  If I could think of them so could a hacker who wants to get your money!
• Don’t just go down PIN #2580 — Here’s another that seems be a common ploy, looking at your phone and just going straight down.   Which seems to indicate no imagination on the part of  people making the pin.
• Don’t Use only one or two numbers like 1212, 6969, 2000, 1122 — It isn’t hard to figure out what numbers you use will make it easier to remember but it will always make it easier for the the hacker or the bank thief to get your money.
• Don’t try to be cleaver — Something like 42069 is one that is spoken really well on the analysis and thus it comes as a interesting pin.   He didn’t know why but I suspect I know why, and here it is.   420 is common for elight speak for smoking illegal sustances and we know what 69 is.  So you tried to be cleaver but I figure it out and I am sure someone else could easily.

Picking a Good Pin!

Now since we talk about the analysis of the pin numbers, a little and I do hope you checked out the Analysis.   I thought it would be a good idea to at try to guide you into coming up with a less predicable PIN and thus making it that much harder for a Hacker and would be bank thief to get access.   Here I will describe what you might want to do to make it almost unpredictable and still make it remember able. 

• Use the Random Number Generator — Come up with Four numbers you may want to use and use them as your PIN.   (Remember the rules, No repeating numbers, and nothing guessable.)
• After you find a PIN — try to come up with a four letter word that will allow you to remember the number.   You might also go backwards such as starting at the end and create a word for it using your phone.

Use your phone keypad to basically associate the pin with a letter so you can remember it or if you can come up with other ways that will help you in the long run.   You shouln’t write it down but if you do have to, I suggest using something like Lastpass password database and keeping it secure for your eyes only.

This is one way to do it but I am sure someone somewhere has a much better way but at least this way you have control of who or what will know your password.   You want to keep your money safe, and yes I am sure hackers are going to try to use this to figure out your new PIN but it is much harder for them to know which number you picked and when you did it.   So the ball is in your court and not theirs.  Hope this helps!

The NSA and You, what they probably know about you!

NSA has Secrets!

In a recent report by USA Today, we see just how much the NSA is keeping behind closed doors! I have been seeing this come over the years and quite frankly have expected this to happen.   Nothing has changed in my mind, but I am sure everyone is either quite uncomfortable or in denial of the whole thing.  They have everything they need including your identity, although they already had that if your a US citizen.

Cell Phone Data!

With Prism program being exposed you can bet they are wire taping all the data from Cell Phones, your IMEI, GPS location, and even who you sent or received text messages from.  That is however where you should worry.   

Most phones are using data to place phone calls now a days.   We have went from analog to digital on over the air televisions and they did the same thing to digitial voice calls.   So when you dial your cell phone and talk to your friend or family member.   You can bet the NSA is listening in.   

Emails and You!

Just like Google will look for keywords in your emails to serve up relevant ads in your Gmail account. That was to unexpected they have to make money somewhere.   It can be very dangerous though to email someone with really bad words and I mean those words you don’t want to flag you as a potential terrorist.  Emails are being sent to other servers without encryption and this is a good example on how the NSA is also getting your private emails to friends and family.

All Data is be collected!

I am almost certain that all data you have is being collected at some form or another.   You can really expect it to change over night but you can at least keep what privacy you have safe and secure.   You need something like VPN4ALL Enhanced VPN Security Military Grade Encryption Hide your Identity from Hackers and Government ALIKE.   I won’t say this is the only thing you need but it will help you protect your privacy online.   I like them because they have mobile VPN that you can use with your mobile phones and tablets and keep your safe and secure.

If You Cherish Your Identity, Start Paying Attention...

Identity theft is a growing concern for many consumers, especially we increasingly conduct business online and share our personal information on social media. Pittsburgh’s WPXI reports that identity theft occurs at the whopping rate of once per every three seconds. Even for people who keep much of their personal information as private as possible, recent security breaches at several major organizations show that no individual is safe from a loss of personal data, regardless of their personal habits.

For example, a security breach at the national payroll company ADP recently exposed the names and social security numbers of nearly 5,000 Houston government employees, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently settled a case in which the names, social security numbers and dates of birth of 26.5 million veterans and their families were stolen. Situations such as these are, unfortunately, out of consumers’ hands.

However, there are ways people can protect themselves and their family members from identity theft, even if their personal data is somehow compromised. Several companies are rolling out additional identity theft protection services every day.

Banking Trends

One industry implementing its own identity theft precautions is banking. Most banks offer customizable account alerts, but many consumers may never look into the advanced area of their control panels. Consumers who do want to take advantage of account alerts may be surprised to see what they can control. Account holders can get texts, emails or even calls in the event of suspicious activity or low account balances. Many banks can also alert clients if there are transactions larger than specific amounts on their accounts.

Credit Reports

The three major credit reporting bureaus all offer credit score and credit report monitoring services. These agencies can alert you to any inquiries to your credit reports or any adverse actions noted on their credit reports. Consumers can also freeze their reports in events they believe their personal information has already been compromised. Credit reports should be requested on an annual basis from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, to make sure there is no suspicious activity.

Options for High-Risk Consumers

Certain consumers may be at higher risks of identity theft. These consumers include those who do a lot of transactions online or otherwise have high levels of exposure. If this is you, consider using an identity theft protection service such as LifeLock for added security. This protection service detects any threats on an individual’s identity and sends alerts if anything suspicious occurs. It also helps consumers track their credit scores and allows them to view their reports at any time.

Do you use any identity theft protection yourself? Tell us your preferred services in the comments.

Get a 30-day free trial of LifeLock Ultimate and save 10% off your final purchase!

Heidi Diamond

Heidi is a grad student working on a Ph.D in linguistics and communication. When she’s not studying and blogging, you can find her jogging on the beach with her beloved golden retrievers.

How to protect your privacy online and from the NSA!

Who watches the watcher?

That phrase has always made people think and I think it is high time we think really hard to ask those tough questions.   A few weeks ago we had Edward Snowden release statements on the NSA, and it got me asking questions that I am sure you are asking to.  Some of the questions I have are:

• What can I do to protect myself?
• What does the NSA actually know about me?
• What programs, and ways can I keep my privacy private?
• Why Do I need to keep my privacy private?

As you can see this is going to be a pretty big multiple posts.   To start it off with we need to lay a few building blocks and hopefully it will help you to understand the problem at hand.

The Internet and You!

When your on Facebook, or any other social network.   You have to understand that what you put out on the network.   More than you can see.  Although it shouldn’t be a surprise to my readers, you may want to at least consider that what you put out on the networks, might come back and bite you on the behind later.  

So obviously when you visit a site and maybe you are using an Android Device.   You probably don’t see the long outlandish URL and that can be problematic at best and at worst it can be used against you.  If you know anything about URL’s you know that nothing is sacred on the browsers and every link you click someone is tracking you.   Whether it be your ISP to an Affiliated Link, or it could be a bad guy just waiting for you to give out your personal information to him!

Privacy and you!

So now we come to the question of why protect it if we have no privacy?  Just because we have no privacy doesn’t mean we can’t keep what we have a secret.   I know all to well that people say or do stuff that they doesn’t want others to see.   It can be a make or break a person depending on who and what they see from a post on Facebook and other social media sites.  

If you were to walk into an interview unprepared then you will not get the job.   You can bet that most hiring managers will do a quick name search on your name on Google and other social media outlets.   Just to get ready for that interview.   Now we all know that if it is a really important position you can bet they may want to know all your profiles.   I don’t know if it is legal or not so that is up to you, it may help and it may harm.   You see the point in this, and why it should be kept private until you think it should be public.

In the coming weeks I will talk about rest of this but for right now.   You can sit back and reread this and absorb what you can from my post.   It might be a good idea to subscribe by email for the updates!  You never know when I will post more about my favorite topic…Security!!

PRISM and Edward Snowden scandal!

Prism Scandal?

Some of you would wonder if the Surveillance scandal of 2013 will be remember in 2050?  I really can’t say for sure in the past few hours the US Government has issued an arrest for Edward Snowden.  It really looks quite suspicious that the government uses this tactic.   It seems almost like they want to blame someone who wanted to let the world and the his fellow US citzen the right to know what they are doing.   This is getting quite scary as some of you would like.   With Obama on his last term as president, we have to wonder what will happen for the next 3 years.   Will he make our privacy just as bad as China?

Tech Giants are the ROOT to this!

Most Tech giants are afraid of the government and what will happen to their reputation if they were to be truthful.   I really doubt the government would do anything but slap them for saying no.  They afford so much of this blame that seems to be going around and around in circles.   One company blames another company and it is an endless blame.   Just like the US government is blaming Snowden for leaking this information, you wonder why all the fuss about leak.   He didn’t leak any personal information such as people and social security numbers.

Tempora program and The British Secret Service!

While we are on the subject of PRISM, we have to at least show that it has been going on in other governments around the world and good old James Bond likes his Tempora Program “Shaken, Not stirred”.  We’ve see that the US isn’t the only one doing the serviceable of their people.   Quite scarey isn’t it?   The Tempora program is a co-operation between the NSA and Britain exchanging information about what people do.

What can I do?

If you wondering about cloud backup, you can try Malwarebytes Secure Backup Pro and that will at least encrypt all your data before it is stored in the cloud.   I won’t say that is the only thing you can do.   You can also use a VPN Service such as VPN4ALL The Best Protection Online AES-256 RSA 2096bit (Military Grade) Encryption for all your internet traffic. Unlimited and Metered VPN Plans starting 9.95 / month which is what I am using now so It will help keep your privacy a little more safe. There are no guarantees that government has keys but at least it is one more step to privacy that shows them that you want to be “Do Not Tracked”.   One last way to help keep your information a little more private is Secured Texted on the Android phones.   Looks nice and it is opened source so you have little worry about who has access to your text messages.   In the last 30 days, this app has been getting popular.  

NSA wiretaps the internet, and what you should do about it!

NSA wiretaps your Internet!

The National Security Agency has been in the past a thorn in most people’s sides. As of late though their new Prism program has raised some very interesting questions. It isn’t like they have anything to hide, after all if you haven’t done anything wrong than you neeed not worry! That logic just elludes me, we have seen this is history. People who haven’t done anything wrong who are prosecuted for their believes and actions. They will make everyone evil some how. See how they did with Edward Snowden, NSA and other’s are saying he was wrong to do this but it was the public right to know. While whistle blowing is a necessary for the public to know about it, the NSA thinks we should always be kept in the dark over some of this. I personally believe we should not only be told but also have a public forum over stuff like this. Now let’s not forget that we are trying to fight terrorism, but this is what they wanted us to do in the first place. Fear brings down our civil liberties by making it harder for us to be free, hince we now have to worry about the NSA!

The Pipe

If you haven’t figure out how they National Security Agency is doing this than, one you didn’t watch that video or two it just didn’t click. I am going to try to dumb it down a little more and make it easier to understand. Let’s say you have an apple, the apple in this case represents your data or metadata as some would call it. You have two people who want the apple, so you would basically cut it in an equal half. Now that doesn’t mean both people have different information they have the same information but it is simply just been cloned, or copied. Another way to look at is this: You have a piece of paper with your information on it. You send it Google, Bing, Yahoo, ETC and just before it is delivered there, someone graps your paper puts it on a copy and makes a copy for themselves, and send the document along it’s way as if nothing happened. You wouldn’t know, the place you sent it to would not know and somewhere there is a piece of paper with your data and no one is the wiser. Kinda of snicky isn’t it!

Fighting the NSA!

You can always fight the National Security Agency, with a few good steps you can make them worry and wonder where you are actually coming from. This won’t stop them but it will at least keep yourself private and less likely the NSA will get this personal information of yours. I am hoping this helps people find out how to fight this injustice.

• VPN4ALL — this is a vpn service that I have started using to help keep my information safe. They use a 256 encryptions algorithm and it means no one can see where you go when you don’t want them to know. Works with Android, IOS, and most Mobile Devices also…
• DNSCrypt — Making sure no one knows where you go to on the internet is made a little easier with DNScrypt. It works really nicely but nothing yet for android. Hopefully soon, someone has something.
• Encrypting your Email — Although this seems kind of hard it is actually quiet easy. Any emails your send get’s transmitted and that means the NSA can get them. If you encrypt them they can read them. So this is always a good idea to do, because you never know.

So you can see there are a few ways to encrypt your information so no prying eyes can see it. Although it won’t stop them from seeing what you done later on the in future but it will stop them for right now. As technology advances so does un-encryption, so hopefully by the time they see where you went and what you did, you will be long gone dead. I do hope this helps those of you who are worried and want to protect your sensitive information. This won’t help all over but it will help the average person surf the internet a little more securely and hopefully shows the NSA we mean business!

Why companies don't consider Security and how to decode a Barcode!

Weak Security is NO security!

I am working with a company of late that few months and I must say their security is weak to say the least. They use Barcodes to establish who they are and what jobs they are doing.   It seems kinda simplistic to some but to me they are just asking for problems.   Now a days, 90% of people who work have access to some kind of smart phone, whether it be Android or IOS each one has their unique problems but I am not here to talk about their problems but to point out that each one can literally scan a barcode and decode it in a matter of minutes!

How to decode a Barcode!

If your looking to decode a barcode for Android, I can help.  Here are a few that I've found to work really well with any and all barcodes you might have a need for!

• Google Goggles -- This app for the Android is so interesting, I have installed on my phone just to see what would the world be like if we had those on Google Glasses which I suspect is coming soon!
• Barcode Scanner  by ZXing Team -- This is a good little app for those of you who just want to see what the code is and so forth.   It can does 1d, 2d, and QR Codes.   This is also a really useful app for those of you who want to see what the barcode at work really says about you!
• Barcode Scanner by TACOTY CN -- Another one that does basically what others do and it can decode any barcode that you might have to see what it really says about you.   
• Scan by Scan, Inc -- Here is a good tool for reading barcodes.   I really can't say much more than this because they are do basically the same thing 1d, 2d, and QR Codes.   Works really well though!
• ClearImage Free Online Barcode Reader / Decoder -- Although this isn't a app for Android it can be very useful for anyone who has a camera and would like to decode a barcode this way.   No need for a smart phone, just a camera will do that can take digital pictures.

The Problem!

The company I am contracted with thinks this is convenient and probably even thinks no one will abuse this.   I hate to think of who might use this to gain personal information about another worker or even get them fired.   It isn't hard to imagine that someone may go so far as use someone else's barcode just to get them in trouble.   So why use barcodes in business?  This is a constant problem that needs to be fixed ASAP for any business that does this might want to consider changing over to something a little more secure.   In the coming weeks, I'll probably talk about this in more detail but until I fix the problems with this company I can't go into much more detail.   

Paul Sylvester