Journalists and people are acting as if this is so "shocking" of these events but geeks are not shocked by this because corporations have been gathering our information for years. Before FourSquare, Twitter, Facebook when we went to the grocery stores and they offered those key scanners...it's not only for discounts but it was for gathering our shopping habits, selling our information to other companies. It's like when people say, "I don't like given my credit card number over the phone." or "The idea of putting my information on a website frightens me." How is that different than when we mailed our checks into companies? All of our information is on the check. We give our information over the phone, cellphones at that.
I'm not letting companies off the hook in with hackers, spammers, phishing hacks you would think these companies would encrypted our information much better but deep down we know unless it's a gi-normous outcry, articles will be wrote up, it will receive some press coverage and then it will go away. The truth is as we have become more connected we have become more and more relaxed when it comes to online security. It's how some people once lived in a rough neighborhood and have been blessed to live in a upscale neighborhood, people tend to let their "street sense" guards down.
Here are a few tips...
Have at least 3 passwordsOne password should be for your social networks (I use my "junk mail" email address for my social networks (i.e. facebook, twitter, etc). I don't store any important information there. When I sign up for any website that is the email addy I use because if it gets breach it's nothing there. I don't have any contacts loaded there. It used to be a time when you could rely on the spam filter (especially Gmail's spam filter, which by the way is very good) but I realize that you have to stay 10 steps ahead of these creeps.
Uncheck every box in Facebook when it comes to notification.
I uncheck these boxes because I don't want that clogging up my email (even on my junk email address)
If possible if you don't have to give your personal information, DON'T!!!
When completing these online forms or signing up for social networks you don't have to put every piece of personal information about yourself.
If possible have one debit card just for online purchases.
I know the economy has made things really tight for many of us so if you can't have two you may want to invest in a pre-paid pay card. Those can be a pain with all the freakin' fees, (I mean, how can they charge you to "use" the damn card, you've already put money on the card!!!) but the way these companies are being so laxed with security it may be best to go that way. This way, that card is not intertwined with your bank account.
When making up passwords be unique
Sometimes these breaches are the user's fault. People still use their birthdays, their wedding dates, their spouses name. Be creative. Try and come up with a phrase and use the first letter of each word
SpammersAreFromHellAndShouldBeCastrated%1921 = Safhasbc%1921(and no this is not one of my passwords) but you get the idea.
With the network crashing, we don't have any control over that...it's going to happen. I'm learning that when that happens...pick up a book or write in your journal or go outside and photograph something or just smell the fresh air. I'm a geek through and through but I'm learning they is life beyond being online.
DarrenKeith3 