Tag: austin | SpinSafe

The best security key – KXAN Austin

July 3, 2022/in Internet Security

Which security keys are best?

A computer security key can help protect your online accounts. Safe online practices are the first line of defense against potential problems, but employing multi-factor authentication (MFA) measures with a security key can give users the digital protection they need.

The best choice for an unobtrusive security key from a trusted brand is the Yubico YubiKey 5 Nano. Users like the compact design and versatile protection it provides.

What to know before you buy a security key

Type of USB port on your computer

Not all keys are the same scale or meant for the same port, so check what slots are on your PC. USB 2.0 and 3.0 have been common for a long time, but there are other types with totally different form factors. Before buying any security key, check that it is compatible with your device.

What you are protecting

If you want to prevent people from accessing locally stored files on a computer hard drive, a security key for online accounts is not what you need. You can use some for logging into a computer, but you should check with the manufacturer. If you do need a security key for your online accounts, you can take measures to protect your online presence before you get your hands on a key. Consider password-management services or managing your passwords yourself in carefully documented files. Regularly changing your passwords also helps protect you without a security key.

Are you concerned about certain information being stolen?

If you are worried about identity theft, for example, there are services you could sign up with in addition to using security keys. Credit monitoring services are available, and there are more ways to help secure your information than just a security key. For information about how to set up a security key and get started with protecting yourself online, look at BestReviews’ explanation.

What to look for in a quality security key

Authentication methods

The best security keys provide multiple methods for authenticating your identity and ways to protect yourself if someone steals the physical security key. Some keys have built-in pin codes and fingerprint sensors are available. Security methods should adapt to what the…

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Austin volunteer’s 40 years at SAFE, helping to end domestic violence

August 22, 2021/in Computer Security

Frankie Fowler has volunteered with SAFE for 40 years. She started as a volunteer on the hotline for the Center for Battered Women and now does outreach to community groups about safe relationships. "I didn't start volunteering at SAFE so they would name awards for me or give me plaques," she says. "... when you give, you receive more and then you give more."

Long before there was SAFE, there were SafePlace women’s shelter and Austin Children’s Shelter. Before that there was the Center for Battered Women, the Austin Rape Crisis Center and the Austin-Travis County Shelter for Infants and Children.

With all the mergers and name changes for this Austin nonprofit organization, the only constants have been its commitment to ending the cycle of abuse and Frankie Fowler.

This spring Fowler, 75, celebrated 40 years of volunteering with SAFE, which stands for Stop Abuse for Everyone.

“Frankie feels like that touchpoint,” says Christine Langa, the volunteer services director at SAFE. She’s outlasted other volunteers and the staff. “She precedes all of us.”

Fowler, Langa says, “has this loyalty and commitment that informs her work and dedication.”

‘Worth every single tear’:Austin mom turns fingerprints into jewelry line to honor late brother

An accidental pairing

Fowler doesn’t have a family history or personal story around abuse, she says. Her volunteering with SAFE began as a school assignment. She was finishing her college degree in business administration at the University of Texas while working for the state in 1980. A class assignment involved working with children impacted by a social services organization.

One of the places suggested by her professor was the Center for Battered Women. Fowler picked up the volunteer handbook, but center staff wanted a bigger commitment than she felt like she could give. They wanted her to plan programming for the children being sheltered at the center.

“I’m not a children’s person,” Fowler says, and she didn’t feel like she had time to plan activities. Instead, she volunteered at the children’s wing for Brackenridge hospital, a predecessor of Dell Children’s Medical Center.

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Was your data stolen in an Austin police hack? Department shares tool to look it up

May 5, 2021/in Internet Security

Austin police shared an online tool Tuesday you can use to check if your personal or financial information was leaked during a June 2020 hack of the Austin Regional Intelligence Center.

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The center is an information-gathering entity that shares intelligence on terrorism activity with the U.S. Homeland Security Department and multiple Central Texas police departments.

On June 19, 2020, records from the center were accessed and published to the internet illegally, police said.

Austin police made a website that people can visit to find out if their personal information was included in the data breach. Visitors to the site will fill out a form that asks for information including a date of birth and social security number.

READ MORE: Hackers leaked nearly 2,000 incidents of Austin surveillance. Here’s what they found.

“Once entered, the system will provide a positive or negative indication of a match,” police said.

If your information was included in the hack, you will be prompted to file a public information request with Austin police.

“The request will be reviewed and processed and the information that was published will be released to that individual,” police said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Was your data stolen in an Austin police hack? Department shares tool to look it up

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K-12 schools increasingly the target of ransomware attacks during pandemic – KEYE TV CBS Austin

September 15, 2020/in Computer Security

K-12 schools increasingly the target of ransomware attacks during pandemic KEYE TV CBS Austin
“malware news” – read more

Tag Archive for: austin

Which security keys are best?

What to know before you buy a security key

Type of USB port on your computer

What you are protecting

Are you concerned about certain information being stolen?

What to look for in a quality security key

Authentication methods