Password manager

How to Protect your privacy online

PaulJune 22, 2021

Online Data

52 percent of respondents shared personally identifying information through social media sites. — Dan Raffer

Do you know how much of your personal data is out there? There are many people who will not know just how much data is available on the internet. You could literally find information about a person where they live, their phone number and even their email address if you really know where to go to search for this information. No I am not joking, it is really not hard to find this information and that is what most people just don’t realize. As you might think, most people are leaking their information in many ways from their hair color to their favorite food on social media sites and this just as dangerous as you might not realize.

Hearing what I just told you, how do you feel about it?

“Most browsers — including Chrome, Firefox and Safari — offer some sort of private browsing window.” Christian Stewart

You can protect your privacy somewhat by using this private browser such as Chrome’s Incognito window but this is only the first step to protect your privacy online. You should also disable third party cookies and also use a good privacy focused search engines such as duckduckgo (duckduckgo.com), or Wolframalpha (wolframalpha.com) to help keep people from tracking you. These are all good and will help you not be tracked as much on the internet and keep your privacy safe.

Be skeptical

More than 99 percent of threats observed required human interaction to execute. – Gamelearn

Did you know that it could be as simple as being very skeptical of any links you have been sent or browsing on the web. Not every link on the internet is safe for us to click. So How do you know if it is safe to click? These are good questions that need to really be thought out before you click any link you want. Some of the common questions I ask myself are:

Did I receive this link without being told?
Was it a popup message or something like that?
Do I know the person who sent it?
Is the URL link hidden from my site?
Was it sent on a Social Media site?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions you should be very cautious to click the link. Most of the time if you received a message saying your system is infected you would be quick to click that link but that would be the wrong. Most virus authors will pray on your emotions and social engineer the attacks that will get them the most results.

Stop with the easy passwords

This is the most valuable tip I can give you, everyone who’s anyone will not create complex passwords because we aren’t complex. Humans especially when it comes to passwords will not create a really hard password because it will be hard for them to remember it. Definitely don’t write down your passwords for others to see. You’ve seen shows or movies like Ready Player One. If you seen the movie Ready Player One, in the movie Sorrento leaves his password on the rig and well you know the rest but it makes a great point that there are better ways to keep your passwords safe. I recommend using a password vault or a password manager that will do the job. I currently use Lastpass for all my needs but I am sure there are other free password managers that will create, encrypt, and even save those passwords for the next time you visit a website. Any good password manager is really going to be better at create a unique password than you would.

Use 2 factor authentication

It’s time to use 2 factor authentication. It is something you have and not something you know, you should make it extremely hard for any key-logger or other such methods from controlling your account. This is where 2 factor authentication comes into play, they might know your password but they will also need to know or have a way to authenticate in other ways. So it is best to have this turned on even if you are using your cell phone, it will provide another layer of protection and will keep your accounts safe.

When it comes to privacy, it can be a big struggle just to keep your information safe. There are several ways you can keep it from those big baddies that want to use your information for piracy and identity theft. We can never really understand why but we can at least work hard at making sure our information isn’t in the wrong hands.

Are you treating your passwords like Underwear?

PaulFebruary 22, 2020

I am perplexed

Saw this meme or poster that I found on Facebook has me thinking about password security. What is good way to tell people about Password security? Is it as simple as this poster says? We could use some really bad passwords over and over again! Let’s explore the really good questions of this. I’ll talk about what might be very well help with your password security. Although these are just a few that stick out in my mind but they do help create a strong password. I know I’ve talked about some of these in the past but sometimes it is good to talk about them again.

Now a days if you don’t have a good password manager than you are really not keeping your passwords safe. Like the poster says we usually write down our passwords on a piece of paper on the desk. Instead we should securely put them in a vault somewhere. Should we use something like Google to hold our passwords? That’s a good start. I’d be willing to bet they do a really good job of it. I personally love Lastpass and have used it for years and years. Even though there is a lot of balancing acts with a password manager and your lifestyle. It can be helpful to keep your passwords safe and away from prying eyes.

Keep away from easy passwords

Easy guessable passwords will make you loose your accounts quicker than anything. So keep away from those weak passwords and passwords that anyone can guess. I did talk about those in the past about the top ten passwords that people use and you can bet most hackers will use them to try to get into yours or other accounts. Using a good password manager plus letting them create a hard password is essential to keeping your accounts safe from hackers.

Two factor Authentication

I’ve always said having two factor authentication can also help you prevent your account from being hacked. It will prevent a hacker from getting instant access to your account and even warn you that you’ve been hacked. You can use something like YubiKey but since most of us have cell phones than I just use sms for verification. I’ve even recommend Google Authentication for this purpose. It is almost like a one time password and can save you money in the long run!

Don’t use same passwords

I have talked about this in the past also, but you should never use the same password twice on any of your really important websites like banking or electricity websites. You can keep up to date on if you need to change your passwords by checking Have I been pwned website and seeing if you might need to change your password. It’s never a bad idea to go and check every year to see if you need to change them.

If you are like me, you are constantly trying to keep your passwords safe and secure. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions. Why not leave a comment? I’d love for you to share and talk about how you keep yourself safe.

How password security will change in 10 years!

PaulMay 1, 2013

Passwords are going out the Window!

We’ve seen in the past where people have used such words as ninja, jesus, 12345678, and password! I’ve talked about Lastpass in the past and I really believe they are the best possible combination of the two. With the recent questions of Password Length and Password Strength, I have come to the conclusion that in the coming years. People will be doing a 3 factor authentication and having the passwords as a back up. It really would be nice to have two ways to authenticate and not have to put in a password.

3 factor authentication!

I know your Password! Click image to see!Three factor authentication is a simple concept. Since we have a password we can simply use two other ways to authenticate for example a cell phone and maybe a Yubi Key. The password will be the backup for one or the other. If you lost your phone and still would need to authenticate you password would be one you can use in an emergency. Thus it really becomes a 2 factor authentication but since we could use all three to authenticate it would make it that much harder for a hacker to brute force an attack and get your sensitive data.

2 factor authentication!

Although most people don’t think of this but having a limited number of possible access to the important data can make it just that much harder and maybe get the hacker to go somewhere else. What about social networks? Do we really need that for social? I am thinking maybe and it just depends on how you login in the first place. I would love most of them to to maybe let me authenticate with Google and come back to them but that leaves a large hole. It just depends on how valuable your social status is and what the possible outcome of someone getting a hold of that social network.

Elite passwords!

Some would call it “leet” speak, and I’ve heard people say this is something we should do in reguards to making a password. I tell you know, we already have a 2,000 most common passwords and I am betting it has some really good leet passwords already. So what makes a hacker no try those to hack your account. I would think these would be tried after the primary just because this would also be the easiest way to gain access to an account.

In Ten years!

I am pretty confident in ten years we will see something like this happen and we will no longer be depending on a system that was developed in the late 1990’s. We have to be ready for change and keep it. I just hope it happens sooner rather than later and that most companies should jump aboard and help us get this implemented. I don’t know how hard this will be but it will be nice to not have to worry about a password anymore with my bank or other financial institution.

Paul Sylvester

Five Essential Packages for Ubuntu/Kubuntu!

PaulJune 15, 2011

Why do I need these packages?

There is no right or wrong answer but when I say it is needed, it is because us as a community should be ready. I know I already talked about people getting a Virus on Linux, and that some people think you can’t get a Virus. In all aspects, the Linux community is in a holding when it comes to security and viruses. I will not discuss this enough but for today we will discuss what packages you should have already installed when you first start using Linux. Even the Ubuntu developers have talked about viruses on their main website, so it isn’t something that I am not a little worried about when people start to use Linux.

The Packages I have installed!

While there is no right or wrong package for your Linux system, I thought I would at least recommend the ones that I did install not just for security but also for convenience. It will be your decision on which ones you will be install and which ones you think you’ll need. This list is for those who are serious about security and want to avoid any chances of being compromised.

VLC Media Player — Although this has nothing to do with security it is something that will prevent those nasty attempts, claiming your don’t have the right Codex to play this streaming Video. At least, if you have this installed you are one step closer to and knowing that this is a fake because I have found to be very affective having all the codex I will ever need.
AVG Antivirus — I have personally installed means I am a little more safer but not out of the woods just yet. Although, I am much safer having installed there is a long way to go before there is a good enough Antivirus program for linux and that I hope that changes in the future.
Firewall — Although this is your choice, I picked arno-iptables-firewall, which seems to be what I need right now. It however is something of a personal choice and probably even an OS choice.
Password Manager — Yes you heard it right, if you have a good Password manager then you are less likely to give out your password to sites that look like the real thing, which is called phishing attacks. With a good Password manager, you can go to right the right site with a click of the manager. I personally recommend Lastpass, but it is all up to your which one you want to use. I really don’t know if there are more linux based password manager but I am sure you can find them.
VPN — Although this isn’t really a package per say, but one that talked about in the past. How to get a VPN on Ubuntu/Kubuntu. I am sure there are others out on the internet. I just don’t want to make it to complicated for beginners, so I did make my own tutorial on getting a free VPN. You really don’t want anyone listening in while at a public hotspot do you?

Your one step closer!

As you can see these are what I call essential because of most of these will make you a little more security conscience and that in turn will make you a better Linux user. for the most part your be more ready than a lot of Linux user but that doesn’t mean your invulnerable, just more educated the rest. If you have a recommendation, I encourage you to leave a comment and let others know, but for the time being these are just what I have installed on my Kubuntu 11.04 right now and I’m really happy.

See you on the Flip Side

Paul Sylvester

Are your ready for your last post??

PaulMay 9, 2011

A Great post by Derek K. Miller!

I was reminded by a great post by Derek and it was yes sadly his truelly last post. If you didn’t know Derek and kept reading blog you’d have heard nuances of his problems. You also have grown to know about his family through his blog post and yet you’d only touched the surface of this man by reading his blog posts. I didn’t know him personally but that last blog post made me want to know him. It was inspiring and well written and made everyone cherish the person he once was. I come to think each blog should have something like this to let our readers know that there will be no more blog posts from us. This is one reason I thought about making an educational post about getting ready to die posts?

How to Get ready for Death!

We’ve all wondered how we’d have our last blog post published and who’d do it. That part is yours to decide but I am going to talk about the fundelmentals and let you decide just how you’d it. I personally feel there are three ways to it:

Family — This is the most trustworthy choice because the family members will almost always want your wishes carried out.

A Will — This is common in the United States and I am sure in other parts of the world but it is one way to let someone know you have a final post and to publish it.

A Lawyer — This is another common way to make sure your post is published by giving access to your blog through a lawyer.

As you can see these are my ideas of how to publish that last post. All though these are just a few, I thought the list might give you an idea to publish in your own way. I won’t say these are the only ways but these are my ways and I don’t see any other ways to do it.

How will they log in?

This problem is common for blog owners because they want to protect there blog from being used for wrong doing. So you’d probably be one of those who has an really good password that no one has access to it. I currently use Lastpass and would tell people even with the last problem they had, it is still the best password manager you could have. One way to give people the access to your blog and all that information that they will need after you die is to give your families or lawyer several one time passwords for your Lastpass password database. Now I say that because some of us bloggers have affiliate sales and there may be a need to switch the commission to someone’s elses name for them to use the money to keep the blog going. It just depends on what you want the money to be used for. A way you can think of it is, it will help pay for your funeral expenses and pay the persons back in the long run. You’ll just want to make sure they know that the domain and hosting should be paid first to keep the money coming in but is little from the money you’ll be receiving each month.

Give Admins rights to someone you trust!

This is something that people will have to decide if it is right for you. You can give someone who you trust their own account on your blog. Although this is something that you have discuss well in advance. I don’t recommend this tactic because of the possibility that someone could brute force that account and no one would be the wiser. It however is important to come up with your own way to have that last post publish that your readers can know that their won’t be any more post by you and that they can morn for your death because you were part of their lives and you could very well be missed.