Tag Archive for: Simple

Simple way to protect your privacy on a PC or Mac

/in


Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to get your money and info, and your phone has one vulnerability you probably never considered. Stop making this simple and dangerous mistake.

Even your printer could serve as a way in for hackers. Here are the security steps you probably didn’t know you should take.

Stepping away from your computer creates an opportunity for hackers, crooks, or simply nosy people with nothing better to do than snoop. Here’s how to prevent them from getting a look at what you’re doing.

Get the free 5-minute daily tech newsletter that 400,000+ people read every day.

Protect your Windows PC

You probably lock your phone when you put it in your pocket without thinking about it, but what about your computer? The same principle applies — always lock your device.

Even if you trust the people around you, it doesn’t take more than a passing glance for someone to cause some serious damage. That’s especially true if you work from home and have sensitive business info on your computer.

Here are some ways to lock your Windows PC:

  • Hit Windows + L to lock your computer in just one step.
  • Press Ctrl + Alt + Del, then select the Lock option.
  • Click the Start button, then select your user icon and hit Lock.

TECH HACK: Sending and receiving texts on your computer is a total time saver. Here’s how to set it up.

Make it easier on yourself and set your computer to lock automatically after a set amount of inactivity. On a Windows machine:

  • Open Settings and go to Personalization, then select Lock Screen.
  • Click Screen saver settings and select any option (except None) from the Screen saver dropdown menu.
  • Set a time for Windows to wait before locking. A few minutes should be fine.
  • Check the box for On resume, display logon screen, then hit OK.

You can also set your PC to lock automatically when you step away from it. Windows uses devices paired with your PC via Bluetooth to help detect when you’re away. Pretty neat.

First, you need to pair your device. Your phone is a good choice since you will likely take it when you get up. Find instructions for pairing any device to Windows 10 here and Windows 11 here.

With your phone paired to your computer, here’s how to set your…

Source…

Four simple ways to improve your online security and protect your data from hackers

/in


When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, cybersecurity isn’t the first topic that springs to mind. 

But given the time we spend online, and the amount of sensitive information at stake, perhaps it should.

So here are four easy things you can do to protect your data and devices from hacking.

1. Choose strong passwords

Yes, this is the most boring advice in this article but it’s definitely still relevant. According to a 2019 online security survey by Google and Harris Poll, 13 per cent of people use the same password for all their accounts.

Doing this makes you vulnerable if your credentials are leaked in the event of a data breach – and we’ve seen a lot of them during the last couple of years. To know if you have been affected by one of these breaches, you can check on the website: haveibeenpwned.com by entering your email or phone number.

The site will run a search through the published breaches. If your mail appears in the list, it’s recommended that you change your password immediately. And please, do choose a strong one.

For example, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recommends combining three random words. This a precaution to take especially for your mailbox, which stores all kinds of sensitive information.

Despite some controversies, the easiest way to keep track of your different logins is to use a password manager. Even if no solution is 100 per cent safe, a password manager allows you to have different strong passwords and keep them all encrypted.

Should you change your passwords regularly? That’s a thorny question. 

The French cybersecurity agency recently changed its guidelines to say that frequent mandatory changes actually result in a lower level of password security. As a result, it doesn’t advise that companies require changing passwords regularly anymore for basic users (as opposed to IT administrators).

2. Secure your transactions with two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication, as its name suggests, combines the use of a password with another method that can be a text message, an app or a biometric identification. 

The NCSC recommends using it for “high-impact” activities such as transferring money or adding credit card details.

Yes,…

Source…

Cloud Security Made Simple in New Guidebook For Lean Teams

/in


Cloud computing was the lifeline that kept many companies running during the pandemic. But it was a classic case of medicine that comes with serious side effects.

Having anywhere, anytime access to data and apps gives companies tremendous flexibility in a fast-changing world, plus the means to scale and customize IT at will. The cloud is an asset or upgrade in almost every way.

With one glaring exception: cybersecurity.

The cloud promised to make companies more secure and security more straightforward. Yet over the same time period that the cloud took over computing, cyber attacks grew steadily worse while security teams felt increasingly overwhelmed.

Why?

We will explain shortly. For lean security teams, the more important question is how to make cloud security work, especially as the cloud footprint grows (a lot) faster than security resources. Will the cloud always cast a shadow on cybersecurity?

Not with the strategy outlined in a free ebook from Cynet called “The Lean IT Guide to Cloud Security“. It explains how security teams with less than 20, 10, or even 5 members can make cloud security work from here forward.

Storms Brewing in the Cloud

The “cloud rush” prompted by the pandemic certainly caught hacker’s attention. Attacks on cloud services rose 630% in 2020 and topped on-premises attacks for the first time. The sudden increase in cloud adoption explains some of that uptick – the cloud was a larger target than before. But this really had nothing to do with the pandemic.

It was only a matter of time before hackers started relentlessly targeting the cloud, now costing businesses $3.8 million on average with each successful breach.

Clouds look to hackers like prime targets, more appealing than almost any other.

On the one hand, clouds house huge stores of valuable data along with mission-critical applications. They are where the valuable targets live, so they’re an obvious, even inevitable attack vector.

On the other hand, clouds either complicate or compromise many of the cyber defenses already in place, while coming with complicated defensive requirements of their own. Many cloud environments end up insecure, making them an easy attack vector as well.

As long…

Source…

Optus cyber attack: Why data hack was a simple security breach

/in


A tech expert has refuted claims the Optus cyberhack that exposed millions of customers’ sensitive details was ‘sophisticated’, saying hackers accessed a ‘goldmine’ in a simple security breach. 

Optus customers past and present have potentially had their personal addresses, dates of birth, passport details, drivers licences, phone numbers and email addresses stolen last week in Australia’s largest data breach. 

Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin described the cyberhack as a ‘sophisticated attack’ that compromised the records of 9.8 million people in the ‘absolute worst case scenario’. 

However, tech expert and editor of EFTM.com Trevor Long said he wouldn’t call the data breach a ‘hack’ as the telco company’s security was ‘just not good enough’.  

Optus labelled the cyberhack, which saw nearly 10million Aussies potentially have their personal data stolen, as a 'sophisticated attack' (Pictured, Optus Mobile booth at Sydney Airport)

Optus labelled the cyberhack, which saw nearly 10million Aussies potentially have their personal data stolen, as a ‘sophisticated attack’ (Pictured, Optus Mobile booth at Sydney Airport)

‘If we are to believe the hacker, this was not even a sophisticated hack, it’s not even a hack,’ Mr Long told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘They were able to exploit an internal system and access information in a simple security breach.

‘It’s a goldmine for identity fraud and hackers and now there’s already 10,000 people whose details are readily available to scammers.’

Mr Long explained the hacker was able to find the address of the telco’s central computer containing the database of customer records and information. 

The hacker, known as ‘Optushack’, allegedly requested the records and was given access to the information without having to provide authentication or a password. 

If true, Mr Long has labelled the lack of security as a ‘fundamental flaw’ in Optus’ cybersecurity defences.  

‘If the hacker is telling people about their access to the API [Application Programming Interface] being so simple and not authenticated, it’s simply a breach and that makes this even worse,’ Mr Long said. 

Tech expert and editor of EFTM.com Trevor Long (pictured) said the cyber attack was a 'simple security breach' and claimed Optus' defences were 'just not good enough'

Tech expert and editor of EFTM.com Trevor Long (pictured) said the cyber attack was a ‘simple security breach’ and claimed Optus’ defences were ‘just not good enough’

Mr Long said Optus needs to have a ‘look at themselves’ as he believes the data was not encrypted…

Source…