passwords

If you have WiFi and live in an apartment building, you may notice there are lots of other WiFi networks visible on your network list (and naturally, your neighbors can probably see yours as well). Although this fact alone isn't dangerous, it can be if your own network isn't password protected. Leaving your wireless signal open could put you at risk of intruders illegally downloading on your bandwidth, stealing personal info, and even gaining access to your personal documents on your home computers and laptops.

So when setting up wireless Internet at home, make sure you set a password that is long and hard to remember so your home network isn't hacked. Read through your wireless routers instructions carefully for step-by-step instructions. And, hey, Mac users — just because your computer is at a lower risk for viruses, that doesn't mean your wireless can't be hacked as easily as everyone elses, especially if you're using a lame password!

I can honestly say that I've never had a problem dreaming up complicated passwords — and by complicated I mean I can never remember them! I've gone on about the importance of creating a unique password before, but for those of you who love the abc123 passwords of the world, there's a great site to help you create a tricky password once and for all. With Safepasswd, all you have to do is type the kind of password you want — from easy to remember, or letters, or numbers — and then how long you want it to be and Safepasswd will work its magic. Not a fan of the password it generated? Just click the blue button and it'll generate a new one for you.

Do you chronically blank on your passwords? If so, I have a little tip that can make things much easier on you: you can recover saved passwords from any site in Firefox in five easy steps! Ready? Here we go:

1. Right click anywhere on the web page you need to sign in to.
2. Select "View Page Info"
3. Click on the "Security" tab in the menu.
4. Click on "View Saved Passwords"
5. Click on "Show Passwords"

You can then view all user names and saved passwords that have been stored by your Firefox cookies.

Is this tip helpful? Yes — I have forgotten many a password in my day and this would have saved me time and frustration. Is this tip dangerous? Possibly — if your computer isn't password protected and it just so happens to fall into the wrong hands, you could be setting yourself up for a problem. My solution would be to use this little tip when you need it, but remember to password protect your computer so it's safely locked when you aren't around!

I can't tell you enough how important email and online security is! I've been a little obsessed with the recent Sarah Palin email hacking scandal, but have put off saying much about it — until now. The suspected hacker — a 20-year old University of Tennessee student, and son of state representative Mike Kernell — was seen in front of the Grand Jury on Tuesday, and was let go without an indictment. Although there aren't many details as to what was or was not found, I suspect that the search for the real hacker continues.

Although hacking into anyone's personal account is a violation of the law and should be prosecuted accordingly, what really makes me uncomfortable is knowing how easy it was for the hacker to break into her account! Just by guessing a few password reset questions and some research on Wikipedia, they were in. I've talked in length about protecting your log-ins, but it's only a few security questions that separate hackers from your personal email when a password reset has been requested. Be diligent in keeping those questions and passwords hard to guess, and you won't have to worry about your emails displayed on the web, or your identity being stolen!

Source

I came across this Open Sesame Password Reminder Book on Outblush yesterday, and at first I was like, "That's kinda cute," but then after more consideration, I realized it probably isn't a good idea. Here's why: Security! Remember how I was telling you about how important it is to have complex passwords, or possibly run the risk of someone ruining your personal record, or worse, stealing your identity? All that is out the window if someone gets a hold of your password reminder book. Unless I kept it under strict lock and key, I would be a nervous wreck thinking about what would happen if I lost it.

But, of course, if I lost the key, I'd be totally screwed.Maybe it's a better idea to keep your passwords in a protected file in your computer, or better yet, a secure password storage device!