GeekSugar

Another Friendly Reminder to Choose a Safe Password

Kristen Hawley — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:30:29 PST

After an attack compromised the information of anyone who's ever registered to comment on any of the popular Gawker Media sites, Twitter experienced an attack of its own, spamming users with bogus acai berry links. Users whose passwords on any Gawker site were identical to their Twitter passwords probably experienced some form of Twitter hacking. Of course, one of the first ways to deal with a compromised account is to change your password, but let's take a minute to discuss (again) the point of choosing an unusual or hard-to-guess password.

A list of Gawker's 25 most popular passwords surfaced yesterday, and even I'm surprised at some of the passwords on the list. For example, the most popular password is "123456" with over 2,500 instances; the second most popular password: "password." Other predictable passwords: "abc123," "whatever," and "iloveyou." The merits of a safe password are obvious, so let the unfortunate password attacks serve as a helpful reminder: change your passwords often, try not to use one password for every site, and choose a hard-to-guess password.

Tech Peeve Du Jour: Needless Crazy Password Rules

GeekSugar — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:00:09 PDT

I, like many others, take online security very seriously. Now that our entire lives have been arguably completely digitized, there is a lot of sensitive and personal information floating around secure websites. Banking info, credit card data, rent and mortgage payments - for all of the sites containing this sort of information, a complicated password isn't just required, it's necessary to keep you safe. I have no problem with restrictive password requirements for these sites. I do have beef with password requirements on sites that don't necessarily contain sensitive personal information.

Are you with me? Keep reading.

How Often Do You Change Your Passwords?

GeekSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:44:13 PDT

Earlier this week, we found out that 10,000 email passwords were leaked and posted online. The number then slowly crept close to 20,000 - until Hotmail disclosed a whopping 100,000 accounts could have been affected.

After hearing the news, I immediately changed the passwords on all of my email accounts. Thankfully most of you have super-secure passwords (and if you don't, here's how to create a secure one), but sadly even a secure password is vulnerable when leaked.

After rushing to change my password, I realized I hadn't changed it in nearly a year. I'm also guilty of using the same passwords for multiple sites and applications. And, I'll admit I'm guilty of using an overused password now and then. I set a reminder on my calendar to change my passwords every three months, and hopefully I'll stick to it. What about you?

Do You Ever Have Difficulty Making Out a Site Security Code?

GeekSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:05:55 PDT

You know those little encrypted passwords and codes you're sometimes required to enter before paying for something or accessing a certain feature of a website?

Gone are the days when they were actually legible, because now I can hardly read them! I realize that they are used to block spammers, hackers, and bots, but they are getting so sophisticated that I can barely make out the numbers and letters.

I mean this one isn't that bad, but it did take me a few seconds to make out what the letters were - just frustrating and slows me down when I'm trying to make a split-second purchase!

Are you noticing that they are getting increasingly more difficult as well?

Etsy Rolls Out Direct Checkout - Will You Prefer It Over PayPal?

Elka Karl — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:19:07 PST

Have you ever tried to buy something on Etsy, but didn't follow through on the sale due to the extra step required to complete the sale through PayPal? I can think of at least one instance when I forgot my PayPal password and abandoned a sale - and I'm sure I'm not the only buyer who's faced this quandary. Starting today, however, the PayPal step will become a thing of the past: a direct, on-site Etsy payment option is rolling out in the next few months.

Today, Etsy's CEO Chad Dickerson wrote in an open letter,

I'm excited to announce that we are rolling out direct checkout, a new way for shops to accept credit card payments from buyers directly on Etsy. The rollout will continue over the next several months to all U.S. sellers . . . This is an important step forward for Etsy.

Etsy shop owners can learn more about the direct checkout in this video or on this open Etsy thread. Direct checkout will cost an additional three percent plus 25 cents USD in payment processing fee per sale, which may turn off some sellers, especially those who deal in lower-price-point items.

One of the other improvements slated for rollout in 2012 is a gift-card option, which should boost Etsy sales even further. While I love choosing Etsy items for friends and family, sometimes a gift-card option would make it a more feasible option for those hard-to-buy-for folks like my dad.

I know that I'll appreciate having the checkout process streamlined and not having to hop over to PayPal to finish my purchases. Will you be using the new direct checkout instead of PayPal?

Daily Tech: Facebook - Fan Fic Edition

GeekSugar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:48:17 PST

Um, Mark Zuckerberg fan fiction. It's a real thing - Dvice
5 things to know before attempting to fix your computer - Cracked
Secrets revealed in Facebook's IPO filing - Newser
Test your space knowledge on NASA's new trivia game - Tecca
How to protect your passwords on the Chrome browser - Geek.com
Aw, nostalgic and sweet E.T. poster art - GeekTyrant

Passwords: the Promise Rings of a Digital Generation

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:11:18 PST

Once you've gotten to a comfortable point in a romantic relationship, how do you recognize mutual trust and respect for one another? With our private lives stored within emails, Facebook photos, and Netflix queue preferences, many young couples now see the final pillar in solidifying trust in a relationship is sharing the password into a partner's virtual world.

The New York Times recently profiled what they see as a growing trend of teenagers showing their security in a relationship by sharing the passwords for email, Facebook, instant messenger accounts, even their phone with a girlfriend, boyfriend, or close friend. It's easy to get lost in the euphoria of a new love, believing they should be privy to your every digital thought. The hindsight of a relationship gone sour suggests that sharing a password can lead to a slippery slope where the no-longer-significant other has access to potentially embarrassing information on the former love.

If you've had either a positive or negative experience with sharing passwords in the past, chime in with your thoughts in the comments.

Security Tips For Data Privacy Day!

Anna Monette Roberts — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:30:34 PST

It's Data Privacy Day, so we're here to give you 10 tips to keeping your computer safe, secure, and totally private. Nothing is worse than having your computer hacked into, your personal information stolen, or becoming a victim of fraud. We've rounded up all of our best tech advice to help keep your computer protected and free from hacker malice. If you haven't implemented these 10 tidbits yet, today is the perfect day to begin to take charge of your computer's safety.

Avoid fraud: Be wary of emails, calls, and log-in screens that ask you to verify all of your information. Always air on the side of precaution when sharing more sensitive information like banking passwords. If a company reaches out to you (rather than you personally reaching out to them), don't give your personal information out. Redial the number or email the company using the information posted on their website.
Set up a hack-proof password: When logging in to websites, come up with difficult and different passwords for each site, using a variety of letters, numbers, and symbols. Change it every couple of months for additional safety.
Double-check your firewall: Most computers have a built-in firewall that protects your computer by stopping hackers and malicious software from accessing your computer via the Internet. Make sure to keep your firewall setting on, and you could even customize what websites, domains, and IP addresses you want to access from your computer.
Forget about free public WiFi: Hackers often create fake networks, titling them "Free Public WiFi" in hopes of stealing your personal data. Even if the WiFi is legit, it's still dangerous to access private information in an unsecured network. Always opt to pay the small fee for a service that requires you to log-in to an official network.
Safely search for celebrities: Googling your favorite celebrities can be a dangerous business if you don't recognize the sites you are clicking on. Many Google results of famous celebrity names lead to infecting your PC with malware and viruses.

See more tips to better privacy.

How to Create a Hacker-Proof Password in 5 Easy Steps

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:51:22 PDT

You've heard it a hundred times before: you need to create a hacker-proof password to keep from falling victim to cybercrime. But not only are you supposed to choose a hard-to-guess password, it's best to have a different one for each website you've registered with. This fact was reinforced after the recent hacking of Gawker, which allowed hackers to gain access to Gawker user accounts, as well as any other online account that used the same password. Even more worrysome: this weekends massive email data breach.

Talk about confusing! So how do you go about creating a hacker-proof password that's easy to remember? Find out after the break.

Anonymous Hacks CBS, Universal, Heading For Facebook Next?

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:15:58 PST

Internet hacktivist group Anonymous blocked traffic from CBS.com and deleted all of its files last night during Operation Global Blackout, a hackathon that began shortly after file-sharing site MegaUpload was shut down, and has its sights set on Facebook as its next target. In a YouTube video released this morning, the group (or an affiliate group) asks users to help take down the world's biggest social network at 12 a.m. on January 28th.

Your Facebook profile most likely holds tons of your most precious photos and videos, and like your computer, you should back up all that data just in case. Here, I'll tell you how to download all of your Facebook content - from wall posts to photo galleries - for safe keeping.

Download Your Data From Facebook
You can download a copy of all of your Facebook data right on the social network. Just head to Account > Account Settings > Download a Copy of Your Facebook Data (this link will be in the bottom left-hand corner of the Account Settings window). Included in the download is your contact info, photos, videos, notes, and wall posts as well as chat conversations, friend lists, events, and comments made on your wall posts. If you do choose to back up your Facebook data (it's recommended!), then be sure to keep it in a safe place, like a password-protected file on an external hard drive.