West Shore RCMP Aux. Const. Don Devenney is doing his best to educate the public on how to stay safe while surfing the web.
B次元官网网址淚 thought it would be a great community initiative to undertake in the West Shore,B次元官网网址� says Devenney, an information technology analyst with Royal Roads University by day.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e noticed an increase in threats and complaints just in the time that I volunteer here. The more people know, the less likely they are to be victims of identity theft or spyware.B次元官网网址�
The variety of online issues and threats are currently in the spotlight, with October being proclaimed National Cyber Security Awareness month.
Emails from unknown senders, unsecured WiFi and out-of-date anti-virus software are all well-known threats, but one of the biggest risks to your online security can be your passwords.
B次元官网网址淏etween your username and password, those are the two pieces of information used to confirm who you are,B次元官网网址� Devenney says. If a username can be worked out, passwords can often be B次元官网网址榮ocially engineeredB次元官网网址� from social media pages, blogs and so on.
Devenney adds itB次元官网网址檚 vital that passwords arenB次元官网网址檛 easily guessed, meaning petsB次元官网网址� names, birthdays or anything that could be easily determined from social media or networking sites should be avoided.
B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 say youB次元官网网址檝e got a Saint Bernard named B次元官网网址楩luffy,B次元官网网址� and you say on your Facebook page that itB次元官网网址檚 three years old,B次元官网网址� he offers as an example. B次元官网网址�(Hackers) go to your banking site and type in B次元官网网址楩luffy2011B次元官网网址� and bingo, theyB次元官网网址檙e in.B次元官网网址�
A lowercase password thatB次元官网网址檚 six characters long takes only 10 minutes to crack for an experienced hacker, and if you happen to use the same password for all your logins, it can leave you wide open, he says.
B次元官网网址淣ot even counting banking sites, if you think about Facebook, email, LinkedIn B次元官网网址� if your one password gets compromised, somebodyB次元官网网址檚 going to wreak a lot of havoc in a short amount of time.B次元官网网址�
One of the most effective solutions is to use a B次元官网网址榩assphraseB次元官网网址� instead of a password. A short, easily remembered phrase or sentence like B次元官网网址榯ime for my coffeeB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址榟am and pineapple pizza,B次元官网网址� peppered with the odd number or capital letter, and B次元官网网址測ouB次元官网网址檝e got a password thatB次元官网网址檚 nearly impossible to crack, and itB次元官网网址檚 easy to remember,B次元官网网址� says Devenney.
Numbers can be used in place of letters, like in the above example, B次元官网网址榯ime for my coffeeB次元官网网址� becomes B次元官网网址楾1me f0r my coffee,B次元官网网址� and if the program allows symbols, that makes it even more secure.
National Cyber Security Month also touches on physical barriers, such as firewalls and routers, keeping your anti-virus and operating systems up to date to prevent holes that hackers can sneak through, and backing up files on an external drive in the event of a fire or flood.
A presentation later this month will focus on general online safety principles and specifically target social media safety from both kidsB次元官网网址� and parentsB次元官网网址� perspectives. For more information visit , or call the Community Policing office at 250-391-3327.
acowan@goldstreamgazette.com
10 Steps to increase Internet security:
1. Protect your identity by using different usernames and passwords for different accounts.
2. Turn on your firewall
3. Use anti-virus software
4. Block spyware attacks
5. Install the latest operating system updates
6. Back up your files on an external drive
7. Password-protect your WiFi
8. Delete emails from unknown senders
9. Surf safely: avoid sharing any personal information online and confirm sites are secure before making online purchases
10. Get expert help: call local police if you discover suspicious content online or if you suspect identity theft or a scam
B次元官网网址� Files from the Government of Canada, getprepared.gc.ca
