Lance Cottrell, world-class expert on cyber security and also a Club member, presented a program on Basic Survival Training For The Cyber Wilderness
 
Lance Cottrell, world-class expert on cyber security and also a Club member, presented a program on Basic Survival Training For The Cyber Wilderness. Ultimately gave us five things that we should all be doing… Read on!
 
Hacking, or breaking into an outside computer system, used to be relatively benign and was done simply to prove that it could be done. More recently it has become big business with a corporate structure as criminals seek evermore sophisticated ways to hit larger and larger targets that give them a greater chance to make more money.
 
Early in his talk he dispelled four myths. Rather than being extremely vulnerable, mobile units are probably less likely to be hacked then desktop computers and are actually quite safe. Phishing, sending out emails to solicit your help in solving a problem, or to correct deficiencies that may be present on your system, is increasingly common and is frequently accompanied by attachments that can contain mal-ware that can infect your computer, while at the same time you are giving the Phisher your personal information that will allow logging on to any of your accounts. Macintosh computers are not immune from hacking although they are relatively safer than PCs. The fourth myth he wanted to dispel is that single users, rather than large businesses, are not worth hacking. The opposite is true as most of these organizations that prey on Internet users are looking for large numbers of potential victims.
 
Some of the phishing techniques are clearly designed to get you to interact with an email, possibly open an attachment, and possibly ultimately be directed to log into a website with your username and password to help resolve the issue that you may or may not have. Simple rules are to not open any attachments and if you suspect that somebody is fraudulently trying to get information from you on behalf of a financial institution you use, go directly to that financial institutions website and login outside of your email system.
 
Ransom hacking is an increasingly common and difficult to spot technique to infect one's computer and gradually encrypt the entire hard disk in the background while you are using your computer. After a certain period of time, when your hard disk has been completely encrypted you receive an email telling you that your files are all encrypted and you must pay a "ransom" to get your information out. A robust backup system is about the only way you can prevent this from happening.
 
There are five things that every computer user should do:
PASSWORDS
If you can remember your password it is not good. Never share your password. Never reuse your password. Have different passwords for different sites. Most computer users would be wise to invest in a password vault. Three examples were suggested; 1Password. Dashlane and Last Pass. Members were encouraged to visit those websites to see if the software would be beneficial to them.
ANTI-MALWARE/ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
These programs are cheap or free are safe, and generally reliable. All users should have one.
BACK UP-BACKUP-BACKUP
You should back up to multiple sources frequently, and possibly even make a bootable backup copy of your hard drive. It is wise to keep an off-site backup that is refreshed every few months in the event you are hacked by a ransom where program.
UPDATE PROGRAMS
Make sure to update your operating system, browsers, and other programs when updates are available as they generally address vulnerability problems.
CLOUD STORAGE
Cloud-based storage is big business and providers employt a rigorous team of experts to look constantly for intrusions into your data. May or may not be useful for individual users but if you are running a business or keep other important information on your computer, it is probably wise to have a cloud server.