Security

Using ZOOM is a calculated security risk

April 15, 2020 by Tim Baggaley

Zoom’s developers have, no doubt, been burning the midnight oil fixing the security and privacy flaws in their programming and a number of updates have been made. But is it still risky to use?

Well, yes. Zoom’s popularity is, in no small part, down to its intuitive and simple user interface but the question is; is that convenience worth compromising security for?

Writing in the New York Magazine, Brian Feldman suggests that if you and your data are not important in the grand scheme of things, then you’re unlikely to be targeted by hackers and it is not worth worrying about Zoom’s weaknesses.

How important is your data?

The question should be; how important is your data to you? We’re not important people here on the global scale but if we get hit by a bus tomorrow, it is still going to hurt like hell. One also has to wonder what rarified circles Feldman moves in that the criminals are so discerning…

Anyway, read the following articles and make your own mind up but if you are the sort of person who always locks their car when they park it, even when it is surrounded by hundreds of other cars and many of which a lot fancier, then you understand the point of your personal security. Look for a Zoom alternative. We’re using Meet Now on Skype.

The lesson we are learning from Zoom – The New York Times
Is it safe to use Zoom? – New York Magazine
1o tips for Zoom security and privacy – Kaspersky Daily

Resources

Photo by Ethan Sexton on Unsplash

The post Using ZOOM is a calculated security risk appeared first on Graphic Violence.

Is your password rubb!$h?

April 9, 2020 by Tim Baggaley

Here’s a quick test: Can you remember your passwords for all your online logins? Is that easy because you use the same one for everything and it is dead easy?

Don’t tell me, let me guess…

Well, then, you know your security is rotten. While we are all quarantined and spending more time online than ever before, this really is the best time to overhaul your online security. Indeed, there really are only two available slots in the security update calendar:

Do it now
Wait until it’s too late

The simplest and most effective way to ramp up your security is to use a password manager. There are a number of different service providers and they are all similar. At Graphic Violence, we use LastPass. Password managers enable you to use very strong, unique passwords for each of your logins without you needing to remember any of them.

Shared logins multiply the risk

Are you thinking that no one would bother hacking you? It doesn’t work like that. The hackers steal huge databases from the likes of Facebook and Netflix containing millions, even billions of user logins. They then run software that checks those logins on other sites, like eBay and Amazon. If you use the same password on all your sites, then they are all busted.

You won’t know your data has been stolen until you start getting bills for credit cards you don’t have

The hackers collate the data they get from multiple breaches and match it to your email. Data from all your accounts on the same login can be aggregated; date of birth, postal address, mobile phone number and then this bundle is sold to ID fraudsters.

You won’t know your data has been stolen until you start getting bills for credit cards you don’t have, payments on a car you have never seen and bills for mobile phones you’ve never used.

This video explains the risks hackers pose and how the use of password managers greatly increases your online security.

This video walks you through the installation and use of LastPass.

If you need help installing and using a password manager, do get in touch, we’ll be more than happy to help you.

Create a strong password and remember it
Check if you have an account that has been compromised in a data breach – Have I Been Pwned?
Huge Facebook breach: your personal data compromised
The Best Password Managers Of 2017 – PC Magazine
How to use a password manager (and why you really should) – The Verge
The guide to password security (and why you should care) – c|net

The post Is your password rubb!$h? appeared first on Graphic Violence.

ZOOM is the weakest link

April 5, 2020 by Tim Baggaley

Zoom has become the go-to video conferencing solution for social distancing in these coronavirus times. Unfortunately, you would do well to distance yourself from Zoom

The platform has some serious security weaknesses as well as dubious personal data harvesting practices and deeply inadequate privacy controls. Our advice is unequivocal; do not use Zoom in your web browser, do not install the app. Have no contact with the platform at all.

We’d guess, Zoom’s developers are working hard to fix the problems but that is their problem. Make sure it isn’t yours. We suggest using Skype or Google Duo as an alternative.