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You’ve all heard about the nude celebrity photos stolen from iCloud. But have you been paying attention to the story about the 5 million stolen Gmail passwords? The cloud can be wonderful … but it isn’t foolproof. These are just two events that shine the spotlight on cloud insecurity!
In this month’s edition of Technology and Your Family, IT Expert Bryant Harrison tells you how to find out if your email address has been stolen, and how to deal with other issues related to relying on the cloud. Last, he has two easy things you can do to counter cloud insecurity!
Got a question or a suggestion? Leave it in the comments and Bryant will be sure to cover it in the coming months.
Cloud Insecurity: The Gmail Heist
Do you know how to find out if you name is one of the stolen email addresses? Just in case you don’t … Use this link to type in your email and see if your Gmail address was part of this password compromise heist.
https://isleaked.com/index.php?lang=en
You can put stars (*) in your address to ensure privacy. For instance use “my***ress@gmail.com” instead of “myaddress@gmail.com”
It looks like the password data was stolen a while back. Even so, if you are not in the habit of changing your passwords, it’s worth your time to do one or both of these things:
- Check to see if you are on the list
- Change your password just to be safe
Cloud Insecurity: Can I escape these annoying hack-a-thons?
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Can you escape it? Well, kinda… you can.
There are sooooooo many people with unsecured email and Cloud accounts (e.g., iCloud, Google, Yahoo!, Drive, Dropbox, Box, et al) that you can put yourself in the hard-to-hack category very easily. Email being the most common cloud product that we all use, but the recommendation below will help with all cloud-related accounts.
1. Use 2-step Verification
If you have properly set up 2-step verification on your account, a hacker can get an email with your password and a box of chocolates and they still will not be able to access your account. BUT! If they have your cell phone number, you remain vulnerable. Most cloud providers are enabling this feature on their cloud products.
If you want to find out how to enable 2-step verification, go to your favorite search engine and type in something like “enable 2-step verification on Gmail” or “enable 2-step verification on Yahoo”. There will be plenty of tutorials that give you step-by-step instructions on how to set up 2-step verification on your accounts.
2. Use Encryption Tools
Encrypting all of your data is a solution, albeit a complex one. Putting into place a comprehensive encryption strategy will require a third-party solution.
Encrypting your data, in a big way, will turn your made-to-be-easy cloud solution into a complex one.
Conclusion
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Encrypting and 2-Step verification are viable solutions for securing your data. Companies like Google and Yahoo know that their future depends on securing your data – that is why they offer 2-Step verification options for free and with easy-to-implement instructions. Encryption, on the other hand turns your made-to-be-easy cloud solution into a complex one that requires someone who can “speak geek.”
If you use these solutions, does that mean no one will ever hack into your accounts? As the saying goes, never say never. There are other ways to hack into a user’s computer that go beyond getting your passwords and guessing challenge questions. Some super-clever hackers have been able to bypass the password protection mechanism altogether.
With 2-step verification, you are securing your data as best as you can. Ditto for an umbrella encryption strategy. Ultimately, you have to have faith that your cloud provider is smarter than the attackers.
When it comes to countering cloud insecurity and Cloud best practices, consider these three questions when looking at providers:
- Do they offer encrypted logins?
- Do they offer 2-step verification?
- Do they allow you to control from what devices you can connect?
If you answer NO to any of these, then you may be putting your stuff in a more risky place than you really want.
Worth it? You tell me…
Meet Bryant
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Bryant Harrison is the founding partner of QuickFix in Charlottesville, VA. He and his partner also own three other IT companies along the US East Coast: BrightFlow, MePush and Avati.
Bryant is quick to laugh and enjoys discussing new ideas and solutions to problems with anyone in need. His dedication to customer satisfaction and achieving “the warm-fuzzies” with clients, as he likes to put it, are the keys to his success. Bryant believes that,
People want someone to help their home or business to be efficient and to grow. They want someone who feels like a collaborator and family member… not an equation.
We have been so successful because in all of our businesses, we hire like-minded people who care for others. It must be about taking care of customers in the same way that you would take care of your family.
Links for Bryant
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Websites
www.quickfixgeek.com – Charlottesville, VA
www.mepush.com – Lewisburg, PA
www.brightflow.net – Charlotte, NC
www.getavati.com – Charlotte, NC (Headquarters)
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Note: The views and opinions are solely those of the author, who is providing the article for informational purposes. Products discussed are presented as professional recommendations by an IT expert. They do not represent endorsement by or approval of the Mom’s Choice Awards.
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