Category: Personally identifiable information

Protecting your personal information!

Paul


Booted from AmigaOS 4.1 Update 1 Live CD. Image via Wikipedia

People will steal your information in a heartbeat!

If you have had your head in the ground lately, you would let people see your information without you even knowing it.  If your one of those people who use your Ipad, kindle Fire (Affiliate link), or some really good Android device to check your emails or browsing the web, then your information is vulnerable to people reading or getting your information.

There are several ways to get your information, I’ve already talk about one way that someone hacked an account on one of my favorite science fiction site.   I actually had to help solve the problem and get the site running without redirecting visitors to another site.   This isn’t always about scaring people but to help them do what is needed.

Security starts with simple stuff!

To protect your personal information is a simple as one, two, and three.   Nothing in this article is going to be very hard but I intent to help you make it even easier to for those who are untrained.   Having to help a couple of my customers with this, I’ve pretty much come up with a way to safely browse the web without leaving footprints for those really hard to find viruses.

Portable Apps — This is a great little tool that you can customize and install Lastpass.   I thoroughly recommended it in the past and still do, it is a great deterrent for key loggers and phishing attacks.  Lastpass even has a portable(Mobile) application so you don’t have to install anything on the computer in questions.

Create a Live CD — Making a Pen Drive can go a long way to prevent from getting a virus or even someone getting your personal information, but that won’t help if your using a wireless hotspot.

Install Ubuntu — This the easiest way to have a Linux system on your computer.   Now I am not going to say Linux is worry free from viruses, but that does make it less likely to get them.   I really think Linux is OS is something that will stand the test of time because of it being an Open Source and not a closed projects like Apple and Windows.

Create a Virtual Machine —  this is like creating a live CD but not having to reboot.   You can create a virtual machine and run the live cd in the virtual machine.  This is however not as secure as rebooting because some program could be watching the network and logging everything.   I don’t recommend this as much but it is something useful if you are worried about getting a virus.

Don’t forget to use a VPN(Virtual Private Network)!

Now I already talked about some VPN’s for Ubuntu/Kubuntu but that doesn’t work with Windows or Macintosh, but I will talk about some alternatives for those who want to use Windows or Macintosh!

PublicVPN — This works with Macintosh and Windows but have not tried this so I am only showing alternatives and thus you will need to determine if this is right for your situation.

Hotspot Shield — This is one of the ones that I have used in the past and still recommend it and it now seems to work with Ipads and Apple products.

Android VPN — The Android Market Place has some great choices for several different VPN’s that may work well with your situation but I have yet to test them out and see which one is the best but yet this is something that may require some testing on your Android Device.

 Do you use a VPN?

This is something that I thought I would ask and thought I would ask it as a poll.   I would love to hear if you use a VPN and how much.   I encourage everyone to use a VPN when ever you are at a open wireless hotspot.

 

Paul Sylvester

Need Glasses? Try GlassesUSA!

Related articles

Why Opt-in is better than Opting-Out!

Paul

Starbucks Touchscreen Storefronts Image by DavidErickson via Flickr

Opting-out on Anything Worries me!

If your like me, you probably have had those experiences where you were automatically added to a list or even something like a spam list.   I’ve probably seen it all if you ask me, I know I’ve seen those phones calls where I get pitched an idea or even trying to glean some other personal information from me.   That is what really worries me sometimes, not knowing about my privacy and who all has my personal information.

Someone reader over at the GNC blog commented and said “I wouldn’t mind if starbucks comes to my place and give me a free morning coffee.”  When I read that comment it made me think about how much some people like to just be auto-subscribed to emails and charged money for things they didn’t asked to be charged for.

Differences between Starbucks and Amazon!

Hey lets face it, I wouldn’t mind a free coffee now and then.   Starbucks isn’t going to find you and give your a free coffee because that would go under the stalking rule.    They probably don’t even have your credit card on file to charge your account if you buy something else along side that coffee in the first place.   You have physically be in the store to even have a chance at getting a free coffee.

Amazon on the other hand, in my opinion has some things that can be trouble down the road.  They have your personal information in a database, which could lead to identity theft.   I really don’t think it is a real possibility but I have to at least throw that out and say it.   They also have your Credit Card on file to charge for things on their website, Kindle, and Roku Box.  It’s called the One Click buy, you don’t have much security but a pin that someone could easily guess or keep trying until they get it right.   Although Amazon has some great policies in place to let you get your money back that is, if you can prove that it was malicious and that you didn’t authorize them.

Let me Opt in!

Amazon could of easily prevented this debacle in the first place by sending out email to a select few people offering them the chance to try this Kindle Fire Compass and telling them what will happen if they do try it out.   How much it would cost after the 14 days of trial are over with and what the main idea about the product.   If they just did that, no one would of minded to try it out.   Heck, I would of jumped aboard if they ask me but I was one of the lucky few who didn’t get picked.

My Blog will always be Opt-in!

I know one thing, I will never give out your information to anyone.   For that matter will ever send out unsolicited emails from me. The one reason you might want to consider subscribing to my email campaign is to keep up to date on any new posts.   If you want to opt in and get my updates sent to your emails please join the list.

Paul Sylvester

Don’t forget to Subscribe!

Related articles

Security and Privacy go hand in hand! Or does it?

Paul

Brigid's Well (5 Stones to Pray the Rosary by) (7) Image by sfpanda_pix via Flickr

Privacy Really?

I’ve been commenting on Gail Garners Blog about how Google mail is putting ads in the emails.  Now I have done at least one post about Privacy and you not having it.  If you haven’t read my  post then I will give a outline of that post.

It basically boils down to some main points that I will discuss on this post:

  • No-one is Immune on the Net — Anyone and everyone has some information floating out on the internet and even celebrity information that they don’t want you find can be found if you look hard enough.

  • Know the Information before anyone else — Seriously if you want to keep track of what is being put out on the net about you.   Have Google email you when either name or some other information that you are looking for gets put out on the net.

  • Be Ready for Anything — There isn’t much you can do to actually be ready for Anything but it is more of a statement to yourself that “Nothing will surprise you.”.   Sometimes just taking a long hard look at your life and remembering some of this can be quite concerning, so you should be ready for someone to find out and have an answer for them.

  • Our life are infinitesimal compared to the scheme of things —  Everyday, I am constantly thinking what can I do to make someone’s else happy.   I find blogging makes me happy but I always want to make others just as happy as I am sometimes.   I sometimes like to wake up in the morning and just thank God for each day I can bring something new to my readers!

How Security is involved in Privacy

If you read the title and was a little curious why security is crucial to privacy.   It does not take a rocket scholar to figure this out.  If your are one to worry about your privacy then you should be also worrying about what information is leaking out on the internet from sources that you have no control over.   This means you have to figure out just how far you willing to go.

  • Friends —  Sometimes your privacy is left to who you decide who your friends are.   They might accidentally mention your name or some other random tidbit about you.   It all depends on who your really trust and tell them not to share your information.

  • Family — Almost the exact same people as friends but since they are your family, there may or may not be trust so you will have to deal with them in your own way.   This is why I grouped them separately!

  • Services — If your ever signed up for Facebook or other social websites than you have not truely read the Terms of Service.   Most of them, if not all, require to the user to have personal information on there server.   In turn, someone could get on there server illegally and copy all those names and information.

As with my previous post about epsilon having been hacked.   If you have a computer or the internet then your information is slowly being leaked and there is nothing you can do about it.   You can minimize it but that is about all.

I want to hear from you.   Do you think you can still be invisible on the internet?  Leave a comment or ask a question.   I’d love to hear what you have to say!

Paul Sylvester

Related articles