Digital Security
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Don’t Think, Just Do!
Pick one or do both!
- Run your computer updates and do a reboot.
- Turn on 2-factor authentication for your online banking and your social media accounts.
GUIDE VIDEO: Join me as we work on this challenge together
Simple Setup for Digital Security
Run your updates and set your devices to update automatically.
- PC or Mac
- Browser
- Virus Protection Program
- Smartphone
- Tablet
Check Computer Security Dashboard
- PC
- Mac
- Download Malwarebytes
Set 2-Factor Authentication for these important accounts
- Social accounts
- Banking
- Password management
- CRM and ESP systems
- Domain Hosting/registration
Uplevel your passwords – especially for your important accounts
Evaluate your current passwords and step it up a level. Here are some examples:
- THE MOST SECURE: jhavo#$6h89cy743]49iekLK%^TIOL
- HIGH SECURITY: A*Long!Sentance%That?Only!You#Know
- MEDIUM SECURITY: Password Pattern – see the Mastering your Passwords game challenge
- LOW SECURITY: 1234Password
- THE LEAST SECURE: password or 1234
Set up find my…
- Find my Apple device
- Find My PC
- Find My … Do an internet search: Find My [BRAND] [DEVICE]
Join the Lux Lab and we can work on this together with friends.
When you join the Lux Lab you get to work on your current digital office backend issues while having tech support and group energy available for troubleshooting, brainstorming, and general productivity solutions.
Join the Lux Lab (Group Session)
- Get feedback on that crazy thing your computer is doing.
- Conquer your email inbox
- Organize your digital files
- Untangle your passwords.
- And more Rescue your Digital Office challenges.
View the LUX LAB Schedule
With your registration, you will also receive the regular Tech E-Rescue email dispatch which offers challenges and guidance toward rescuing your digital office.
You can unsubscribe anytime.
Deeper Work for Digital Security
It is an ongoing struggle to choose the right balance between being able to do the things you want to do easily vs safely. There are some very simple things you can set up for your digital security and easy habits you can implement to protect yourself and your system from digital dangers.
At the same time, be aware that often the easier or cheaper something is, the less secure it is.
Step 1: Don’t be low-hanging fruit
Humans (and most beings) will usually do what is easiest when they want something. When you want a cherry from your cherry tree you are likely to grab the ones that are easiest to grab from the ground, if none are available you may climb the tree or get a ladder.
To thwart the criminals and opportunists who wish to steal your identity or infect your computer with unpleasantness your digital situation needs to be more secure than other digital situations. Like any kind of security, there are levels. It is your mission to determine what your levels are and what you are willing to do to implement and maintain them.
When I was young we never locked our front door. It was just come and go as you please. When I was older my dad’s tools were stolen from the shed in the back. They installed a lock to the shed and we started locking the house door. This meant that I needed to learn to carry a key to get into the house after school (or at least know where it was hidden). The process of entering the house was more complicated, but the security was worth it.
I have a friend who has an alarm system installed in their house. One evening it was triggered when they came home and they couldn’t turn it off so they hit it with a hammer until it was no longer so noisy. Then they uninstalled it. For them, the extra security was not worth the extra complication.
Step 2: The very least you should do
Make sure your devices are up to date. DO the UPDATES!
Many times we think of computer updates as just for upgrades and new features we don’t actually want. It can be very irritating to have your favorite features rearranged and you may not actually want the cool new thing the update is offering. That said, updates are extremely important for improving and maintaining the digital SECURITY of your system.
Old features and outdated code are one of the most common ways viruses are able to infect a system. Running updates is like patching the holes in your fence to keep the rabbits out of your garden. You MUST be diligent to make sure the holes don’t open up again and prevent new ones from forming. This diligence is achieved by letting your computer and the important programs you use do their updates.
TASK: Make a list of the important programs on your computer so you know what updates to accept.
Malware protection – more than just virus protection
All viruses are malware, but not all malware are viruses. There are companies that spend all their time tracking down viruses and programs that try to cause your systems harm. They do their best and are continually improving, just as the cyber villains are also improving and doing their best.
Your operating system (Windows or Mac OS) has built-in malware protection and does a reasonably good job protecting you as long as you run your updates. Pairing that with an additional malware protection program like Malwarebytes https://www.malwarebytes.com/ or Webroot https://www.webroot.com/ is an easy way to improve your security with minimal effort. Both Malwarebytes and Webroot also have a browser extension that also monitors your online activity to warn you of potential dangers you may encounter while browsing the internet before they try to infect your system.
Set up barriers to access
Having solid passwords and setting up 2-factor authentication will pull you up to an even higher level of security.
Choosing complicated passwords is another good layer to improve your security.
- THE MOST SECURE: jhTvo#$6h89cy743]49iekLK%^TIOL
- HIGH SECURITY: A*Long!Sentance%That?Only!You#Know
- MEDIUM SECURITY: Password Pattern – see the Mastering your Passwords game challenge
- LOW SECURITY: 1234Password
- THE LEAST SECURE: password or 1234
Using a password manager like Onepassword https://1password.com/ or Roboform https://www.roboform.com makes dealing with, and remembering passwords much more achievable. They can allow you to use a password you have chosen and hold it for you in a safe place or they can come up with a super secure password.
Surf Safely
As in real life, the internet and online world has some locations that are more dangerous than others.
They are the places you would suspect. Gambling sites, porn sites, hacker sites, and gaming sites are notorious for harboring malware. Any website that offers an aggregate of things you can download is also dangerous, as are websites with a lot of “good deals”. If your internet adventures take you to these sorts of places you will likely need even more security in place and a greater awareness of the potential dangers.
Step 3: Prepare for the Future
There are times when you have done everything right and some things still go wrong. Or maybe you made a misstep and something went sideways. Whatever the initial cause, it is important to be able to recover from the damage that is done by a simple miscalculation, villain attack, or life complication.
In the wonderful age of GPS and smart technology, we have really useful options for finding lost gadgets and wiping them of data if need be. Maybe you left your smartphone on the bus, or your laptop at the coffee shop and you have been unable to track it down. The good news is that even if the device is gone, you may be able to recover it or, worst case you can still protect your information by having it “Self Destruct” the next time it connects to the internet. (No, in this case, “Self Destruct” does not mean exploding. It just means wiping the data from the hard drive, and potentially making the device unable to function.)
To use this feature you may need to turn it on, or at least make sure it is turned on before it is lost. (Sometimes it is a default feature and already turned on)
Look for instructions for your particular device on how to set up and manage this useful feature.
- Find my Apple device
- Find My PC
- Find My … Do a search: Find My [BRAND] [DEVICE]
