GuessMedia
.security ./
feeling insecure?
i'm putting this together for two reasons. the first is superfluous. second, as some guidelines that may be of help to my friends and family, whom i love dearly. (i love you.) =)
the first and most obvious thing to be careful of is giving out your phone number. try this experiment: type your home phone number into google.com's search box. hit enter. many people will be surprised to see a link to a map showing their home address. think that guy in toronto is just a late-night phone buddy? *knock knock*
tips for avoiding a bald-face, shameless security breach invitation
• when you sign up for an account online, don't use information that you've published in an online diary as part of your security question / answer. (yes, most people will be saying "duh" at this point. i'm typing this out just cuz it needs to be covered.) if all a person has to do to get your password is get your birthday and zip code, and you've published that info in your online profile(s), its going to be painfully easy to get in... be careful with the information you share online.
• be careful not to think of any one account online as being in need of less security than your others. if you let somebody into your excite email account because you picked an easy-to-guess password, its going to be that much easier to get into your other accounts. this is very much related to the next tip:
• think through how another person might escalate their privileges within your accounts. for instance, lets say you have a hallmark e-card name and password online. (this is just an example, and that particular site may not work this way.) often times a site will ask for an email address they can use to send you your password in case you forget. if somebody has gotten into your excite email, and they ask the hallmark site to email the password to your excite account, they've got your hallmark password too...
• don't use high-risk passwords for highly sensitive accounts. most people have more than one password among the various accounts they use. be careful that any easy-to-retrieve passwords are not shared with accounts that really matter. while all of your accounts should be equally secured, there's no sense in making it *that* easy for somebody to scoot back and forth between them with a single password, should they happen to compromise one.
• change your password(s) now and again. if somebody has been accessing your account(s), or has a good lead as to what your account information may be, changing it can shut them down in a heartbeat.
there are, of course, much more complex ways of getting into your stuff. but the main two things that get people in trouble are guessing passwords and retrieving passwords. while this may be called "hacking" by some people, its really more just a creative exercise in problem solving. people who would never go rummaging through your dresser drawer at home can suddenly do about the same thing online, just because its all accessible on their computer in the comfort of their den.
other computer-related safety issues: