Cybersecurity, Netflix & Why Kanye Is An Absolute Idiot
Is there anything more frustrating than seeing this screen?
You generously let your friends use your account then you’re the dumbass left unable to watch your own NetFlix. But what if you haven’t actually given out your login details? Who the hell is using your account??
In September, Facebook suffered its biggest hack to date with the information of 29 million users scraped, but apparently by scammers wanting financial gain, rather than for political or ideological purposes i. The security breach then took the company 11 days to stop it. Now THAT is a bad few weeks at work.
So how do we stay safe online? We’ve done a U-turn with our banking from the introduction of “chip and pin” in 2004 before being compulsory in 2006. Now with contactless and Apple pay we’re just tapping our way through our day to day life without a care in the world. Whilst we’ve chosen convenience over safety with our banking, are we being less vigilant elsewhere? Here’s our top tips to staying safe and secure online.
Perform Google’s Security Checkup
Never done it before? Most people haven’t. Using Google’s Security Checkup you can analyse four key sections. Here you will be informed of any unusual activity on your account such as new device sign-ins or new app accesses. Google also encourages you to remove old devices with account access if they haven’t been used for a long period of time.
And yes, it would appear we have accessed this account from every computer in our office… (cue mass logout).
Enable Touch ID for passwords – and don’t do a Kanye
Kanye just unlocked his iPhone before the TV cameras in the Oval Office. And his password is just 0 repeatedly pic.twitter.com/mOAbhRLr7s
— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) October 11, 2018
If Kayne can teach us anything, it’s not to have a passcode as f*#king stupid as 000000. I mean, really Kanye??
If you have a passcode similar, you’ll want to further protect your other apps and accounts. The convenience factor of password store is great, until a Kanye factor lets an undesirable access your entire phone – in some cases your life – contents. Apple has recently included Touch ID for login details so unless your robber has the same prints, you should still be safe. Safer than Kanye anyway.
Don’t click that
Hopefully we’re all internet savvy enough to spot a scam email or advert a mile off. But scammers are becoming more pro too. With emails, if you don’t usually receive a receipts or account confirmations from somewhere but the email send name looks legit, ALWAYS click the name and verify the email.
Look at this example. I don’t actually have an American Express account but if I did this could seem like an honest security breach. But a quick click on the From: shows me that eaxprotectid-2399355026@aexpservicesonline.com probably doesn’t work for American Express.
Get a vault
Since internet = life these days. We all have tens if not hundreds of accounts with websites and apps. How do you remember them all? First of all, don’t assign the same password to every account you have ever had. One easy guess and that’s your internet life blown wide open! Second of all, don’t expect to remember them all by heart unless you’re Alexa or Mike from Suits. Being locked out of an account is especially frustrating if you’ve accumulated points, vouchers or matches 😉
Solution? Get LastPass. It remembers all your passwords so you don’t have to. Convenient? Yes. Safe? Also yes. It can generate super strong passwords so your accounts are unhackable and also store digital records such as insurance cards and wifi passwords.
So please ensure you update your passwords regularly, stay vigilant of spam, NEVER give anyone your Netflix login and just don’t be like Kayne. Stay safe everyone ✌🏼
