Many of us travel during the holidays to visit family, have them visit us, or at least touch base with those we haven't talked to in a while. One of the kindest gifts you can give beyond your own company and a new blender is to help relatives sort out online password and security problems that they may not even know they have.
Glenn Fleishman | 30 Dec | Read more
As our lives increasingly go digital, security is a major concern not only for the various online services we use, but also for the devices on which we save our data. Chances are that if you're reading this article, you own a Mac. And on your Mac, you'd like much of the work you do on it to be kept private.
Topher Kessler | 18 Dec | Read more
Password manager apps Dashlane and LastPass are hoping to take the sting out of the next security snafu that affects your online accounts. This week, both services new automatic password-changing features that let you swap your login codes with just a few clicks, replacing them with randomly generated passwords made up of letters, numbers, and symbols. The new features automatically save the new logins to your password manager of choice.
Every password you create should be unique: every site, service, or system needs its own. Also, they should be long, not contain any words found in dictionaries, and contain punctuation, a clearly expressed thought, and your grandmother's famous corn-pudding recipe.
Glenn Fleishman | 05 Dec | Read more
Last week, I went to a project meeting so I could provide security insights as some consulting software developers updated us on the customer-facing application they're building for us. But I was dumbfounded when they asked me, "How should we encrypt the passwords?" Will developers never learn?
By J.F. Rice | 03 Dec | Read more
If police suspect that you've committed a crime, the odds are pretty good that they'll want to search your smartphone for evidence. Whether they can actually search your phone depends on the security method you've picked--if any--to protect the device. Use Touch ID? Turn over those fingerprints. Have a passcode? You're home-free.
Caitlin McGarry | 01 Nov | Read more
I've been stressing two-factor authentication (2FA), or two-step verification, in my early columns here at Private I, because I believe most people avoid using this extra protection for their accounts due to the fuss and management, and may think it will lock them out of access or require an extra step when it's unnecessary.
Glenn Fleishman | 31 Oct | Read more
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is the latest thing that hundreds of millions of people will likely be dragged into using for the purposes of securing their private information. It's necessary, and will be irritating to most people, despite their having seen some of the endless reports of sites being cracked and passwords being revealed--whether the passwords were stored in clear text, or using an unsophisticated encryption method that allows crackers to easily test common passwords against the stolen information.
Glenn Fleishman | 18 Oct | Read more
Thanks to a poor initial launch followed a few months later by the Heartbleed scare, Healthcare.gov has had its share of security problems. Now, we can add one more security snafu to the list. In early July, a hacker was able to infiltrate a server connected to Healthcare.gov, deposit malware on it, and remain undetected for about a month and a half.
Celebrities probably aren't used to proving they are who they say they are. People recognize them wherever they go. Your online accounts should not treat you like a celebrity.
Susie Ochs | 03 Sep | Read more
You probably know by now that you should never use the same password in more than one place, and that each of your passwords should be strong enough to resist an automated attack. Perhaps you use iCloud Keychain, or a third-party password manager such as 1Password or LastPass to generate random passwords, store them, and fill them in automatically. But all that may not be enough if a site suffers a security breach that reveals its users passwords to an attacker--sadly, a frequent occurrence.
Joe Kissell | 01 Jul | Read more
The balancing act between security and usability is hard to achieve. Inevitably, compromises are made either by system designers or wily users who find ways to circumvent complex rules and processes. But researchers from the University of Pretoria in South Africa have been conducting research and designed a new approach to authentication.
Anthony Caruana | 26 Jun | Read more
A forgotten Windows password isn't the end of the world. You don't have to trash the computer, or even perform a dreaded factory restore. There are many ways to remove or reset a Windows password, but how quickly and easily it can be done depends on the situation.
Eric Geier | 09 Jun | Read more
Growing data sharing between security and law-enforcement organisations may be improving visibility of the global cybercrime risk, but many Asia-Pacific region companies continue to jeopardise their data with lax security, senior Verizon security executives have warned on the release of the company's latest comprehensive security report.
David Braue | 23 Apr | Read more
Google may be opening a new front on the war against the password with a smartphone-enabled unlock option for Chrome OS PCs. Dubbed Easy Unlock, the new test feature would "instantly unlock your Chromebook when you and your phone are nearby, no password necessary."