Was Your Password Hacked Today?

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”3446″ align=”left” size=”small 150 width” autoHeight=”true” quality=”90″] UPDATE:  Whoa! Facebook says hackers try to steal your stuff about 600,000 times daily. A more recent example: Zappos online store was hacked and hackers gained information on 24 million customers. Living Social about 50 million.  While full Zappos customer credit card information wasn’t compromised, all customer passwords had to be deleted. We’re sure you’ve heard of other scary hacks. Online financial information is a huge target.  So if you’ve been a little lax about your passwords, it’s really time sit up and take notice.

So, what to do?

First, Avoid These Common Mistakes

Creating Your Password

Special Tip:

Use a pseudo-random phrase: A great way to create a unique password is to think of a phrase only you would know, and then use letters, numbers and symbols to create the password:

Unique Passwords For Your Important Accounts

Never use the same passwords for your important banking, stock, healthcare and personal information accounts. Hackers test stolen passwords and usernames from a particular site across many internet sites, meaning your identity and banking and stock resources could be severely compromised with single use passwords. Give each of these account types a unique password!

Keep Your Password Reminders In A Safe Place

Most of us couldn’t possibly remember all of our passwords to all of the sites we commonly use. So, if you decide to save your passwords, don’t leave notes with your passwords lying around in plain sight.

If you save your passwords in a file, create a unique name for the file, so that people don’t know what’s inside. Avoid giving the file an obvious name, such as “my passwords”; instead use a unique file name.  Better yet, password protect it – just make sure you can remember the password!

Password managers are available through your security programs and elsewhere, but spend the time to check out reputable resources. If you have a difficult time remembering different passwords, a trusted password manager may be a good solution.

Need A Better Password: There are numerous password generators, but make sure you use a reputable one! As an example, here is a quick PC Tools online version: http://www.pctools.com/guides/password

By following some simple, but important rules, you can substantially reduce or eliminate your chances of having critical information such as your banking, credit card and identity stolen!

Check Out Other New Protection Methods:

As hacking and tracking become neary ubiquitous in our everyday browsing, do a little homework on browser based or device software that hides your identity, email, credit card info and more.

 

 

SiteVision News & Tips: May 2013

PasswordsNew Rules for SiteVision Email!

To comply with Anti-Spam regulations and standards:

As of April 16, new passwords must: be at least 8 characters long and contain a capital letter, lower case letter, and number.

By now, you are surely aware of our new email account requirements, limits and password requirements.  It’s become a really critical issue for you and for all of us in the digital world.

In an internal review, we have discovered that most of your SiteVision email passwords could be easily hacked using a standard desktop computer.

Since nonsensical passwords can be difficult to remember, consider using a pass-phrase that reminds you of something, or is familiar.  Examples:  iLuv2shop,  d0n’tskipLunch, meetMyQu0ta, and so forth.

For the full scoop visit this article at our Help Desk and our tutorial on passwords

Helpful Email Tips

Use Unique Passwords for Your Important Accounts. Never use the same passwords for your important banking, stock, healthcare and personal information accounts. Hackers test stolen passwords and user-names from a particular site across many Internet sites, meaning your identity and banking and stock resources could be severely compromised with single use passwords. Give each of these account types a unique password!

Keep your password reminders in a Safe Place. Most of us couldn’t’t possibly remember all of our passwords to all of the sites we commonly use. So, if you decide to save your passwords, don’t leave notes with your passwords lying around in plain sight. If you save your passwords in a file, create a unique name for the file, so that people don’t know what’s inside. Avoid giving the file an obvious name, such as “my passwords.”

convertible_No More Parking Tickets?

Several clever new mobile apps not only help you park, but check your meter and find your car, too. ParkMe for Apple displays the closest parking and real time availability.  Another, HONK, for iPhone & iPad checks your meter, records where you parked your car and reminds you where to find it again.  Waze, for Apple and Android, is a social GPS app lets you get up to the minute traffic, detours and such from fellow travelers.  Take a look at this USA Today video here.  You can also visit the app sites:  ParkMe  Honk  Waze

Google-GlassDevs:  If  You Don’t Play Nice, Google Will Brick Your Google Glasses.

For those of you developers who rushed to purchase Google Glasses for development purposes and paid a hefty price, don’t get silly and try to sell, rent, loan or otherwise try to make a penny or two off of your prized possession.  Best to stick to the challenge at hand:  developing apps for the device. Cnet gives you the details

 Mycestro-the-next-generation-mouseAw, Our Beloved Mouse Is Probably Going, Going, Gone!

How long have we had that faithful little companion around?  Would you believe about 60 years?  And  now, it seems inevitable, perhaps, that mousey will bite the dust.  Here’s one example of a 3D finger-mounted device called Mycestro that’s in the works.

javaiconHoly Moly! Oracle Fixes 42 Holes in Java.

In an effort to calm the stormy seas, Oracle has released a patch that fixes not one, not two, but 42 Java vulnerabilities.  While some recommendations have included disabling Java entirely, many companies have legacy software that relies on Java and have pushed for safer implementation. You can read about it here.

 

 

Was Your Password Hacked Today?

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”3446″ align=”left” size=”small 150 width” autoHeight=”true” quality=”90″] Whoa! Facebook says hackers try to steal your stuff about 600,000 times daily. A more recent example: Zappos online store was hacked and hackers gained information on 24 million customers. While full customer credit card information wasn’t compromised, all customer passwords had to be deleted. We’re sure you’ve heard of other scary hacks. So if you’ve been a little lax about your passwords, it’s really time sit up and take notice.

So, what to do?

First, Avoid These Common Mistakes

Creating Your Password

Special Tip:

Use a pseudo-random phrase: A great way to create a unique password is to think of a phrase only you would know, and then use letters, numbers and symbols to create the password:

Unique Passwords for Your Important Accounts

Never use the same passwords for your important banking, stock, healthcare and personal information accounts. Hackers test stolen passwords and usernames from a particular site across many internet sites, meaning your identity and banking and stock resources could be severely compromised with single use passwords. Give each of these account types a unique password!

Keep your password reminders in a Safe Place

Most of us couldn’t possibly remember all of our passwords to all of the sites we commonly use. So, if you decide to save your passwords, don’t leave notes with your passwords lying around in plain sight.

If you save your passwords in a file, create a unique name for the file, so that people don’t know what’s inside. Avoid giving the file an obvious name, such as “my passwords”; instead use a unique file name.

Password managers are available through your security programs and elsewhere, but spend the time to check out reputable resources. If you have a difficult time remembering different passwords, a trusted password manager may be a good solution.

Need A Better Password: There are numerous password generators, but make sure you use a reputable one! As an example, here is a quick PC Tools online version: http://www.pctools.com/guides/password

By following some simple, but important rules, you can substantially reduce or eliminate your chances of having critical information such as your banking, credit card and identity stolen!

Why SiteVision?

We’re your advocate. SiteVision has been providing web development and hosting services to government agencies and non-profit organizations for over 20 years. We understand how overwhelming it can be to seek out a reliable solution for you website, custom application, and hosting needs.

At SiteVision we are passionate about creating solutions for customers that make their life better. We excel at understanding your business process and developing an application that is easy to learn and operate. We will always be fair, knowledgeable, honest, and professional.