Online Safety • Archives Technically Easy

Five Fast Fixes When Your Computer Slows Down

September 13, 2018 by Paul Salmon

Now that computers have been part of our daily lives for a couple of decades, it’s easy to take for granted that they work just the way we want them to every minute of every day. Lightning-fast processors, broadband connections, streaming video, and real-time video capabilities make us want it all, want it fast, and want it now. That’s what makes things so exasperating when our computers slow down. They slow down our productivity at work. They limit our entertainment options. They frustrate us when we try to catch up with family and friends.

Do Data Breaches Harm Our Youth?

July 4, 2018 by Paul Salmon

It’s easy to assume that adults are the only people affected by data breaches. After all, these breaches typically expose credit card information, social security numbers, and other details used for identity theft. Anyone under 18 does not seem like a valuable target. In reality, however, children are specifically targeted by hackers. A report published by Javelin Strategy & Research showed that over a million children had their identity stolen in 2017.

Shopping Online This Holiday Season? Stay Safe with These Tips

February 25, 2016November 20, 2015 by Paul Salmon

The holiday season is upon us, and for many people, that means one thing: Shopping. More people than ever before are expected to skip the malls this holiday season and shop online, using both computers and mobile devices, enjoying the convenience, selection, and competitive prices that online merchants offer.

Security in Online Gaming

June 7, 2017May 4, 2015 by Paul Salmon

Humans naturally like to feel safe. It is a characteristic that has stayed with us from the Ice Age, although now we are fighting internet hackers and not Sabretooth Tigers. The web is a fantastic marketplace that many of us could not do without. The amount of money that flows through it every day is astronomical and needs to be safeguarded at every turn to stop these online fiends committing raids.

The Ultimate Guide to Phishing Protection

April 8, 2015 by Guest Blogger

For those of you who are not familiar with the phishing term, here is a simple definition: phishing consists in personal information theft (through any means) to get access to one’s bank accounts. Of course, the final goal is to steal money. Those who practice phishing are called cyber-criminals. In 2008, there were more than 5 million phishing victims in USA alone.

Cyber-criminals work with different methods and at different levels. They attack individuals, as well as businesses. Below, we will present the most common methods of phishing along with secure measures against them.

Be aware of the following threads and remember: caution is the best secure measure!

Is LastPass Secure?

September 24, 2022August 18, 2014 by Paul Salmon

LastPass is a popular cloud-based password manager that has quickly become popular for those looking for an easy solution to create and keep their passwords safe. There are many software and cloud-based solutions available for managing passwords, such as RoboForm and KeePass, but for many users – myself included – LastPass is what they prefer.

Of course, as with any software that stores personal information, the question on how secure LastPass really is has come up in many discussions online. The “Trust No One” mentality has led many to believe that unless they can see the source, they won’t trust the software. This is one reason many prefer KeePass over LastPass. KeePass is open source (can be reviewed/fixed by anyone), while LastPass is closed (can only be reviewed and modified by the developers)

I endorse and use LastPass for all my passwords, but haven’t really looked into how LastPass manages my personal information, from the time I enter it into their browser add-in. I was curious at what is sent to LastPass, and the software does exactly what the developer says it does to secure my personal information. The good news is that there are ways of finding out, and in this post I will share my findings so you can make an informed decision, not just a decision based on what others say on the Internet. I am hoping that my tests will answer the question – is LastPass secure?

How You Can Create Stronger Passwords

September 24, 2022August 7, 2014 by Paul Salmon

It seems that news about a breach of security that results in the stealing of usernames and passwords seems to be an everyday occurrence these days. The news, from Hold Security, that Russian hackers have created a list of 1.2 billion usernames and passwords come as a surprise because of the number of login credentials that have been stolen.

The real danger of such a list is that many users use the same username and password for many websites, which now allows the Russian hackers to get access to more sites than they managed to steal the credentials from. In order to protect your online identity and data, here are some tips to help you create stronger passwords to help keep the hackers at bay.

Why Common Sense is Vital to Computer Security

June 26, 2014June 25, 2014 by Paul Salmon

I read an article about the how Justice Department in Canada launched a mock scam as a security exercise to determine how the employees react to a phishing e-mail. Much like a real phishing e-mail, the mock e-mail was made to look like an official government or financial institution e-mail, with a link to a fake website made to look like a real site.

The results showed that people can still be tricked into navigating to a fake website with the intention of obtaining personal information. Unfortunately, phishing is still a popular method for malicious people to get information from others, and use that information for criminal purposes. This is a good reminder of how important it is to be vigilant about what we do while online, regardless if it is viewing a website or checking e-mail.