How about huge Franchise portals and a bunch of smaller companies in the sector – how safe are they? The Special Sauce for today and how to start to protect yourself, your files, your belongings, your customers credit card information, social security numbers, drivers license numbers, bank numbers, investment account numbers and so much more with an easy step that is free to everyone. So what is this miracle step – one that could in effect be the most profitable idea – to protect you and your customers’ private information you ask?
The answer is to simply change your password. Now, I know you love your password like your love your first car or ice cream, but that love of the old password from 1997 might come back to haunt you. It is true that almost all computer experts and online security professionals recommend changing your Internet passwords and account log on information at least once every ten to twelve weeks. Personally I do it once a month. If you have high turnover at your company for example, you may want to change all password and user log ons each time someone leaves just as a precaution just to be that extra step safe. It may be fine for you to wait longer; it simply depends on computer habits and how and where you surf the web. It also depends on how valuable your information is to be honest. If your system stores a lot of credit card information or social security information then it is suggested that you have at least minimal security efforts in place to thwart the efforts of a hacker trying to access the system or even that former employee I mentioned earlier.
Now, my friends I know that changing some or all of your passwords every few weeks can be a bit time-consuming and even a heavily frustrating task for many, but it is the only free way I am currently aware of which guarantees a level of safety for all of your online accounts–including your customers’ accounts. It is not the only safety precaution that should be considered for your log on information, however.
Examples of HACKER
- My friends and I have been playing golf for years, but we’re still just a bunch of hackers.
- The company’s security experts spent days trying to figure out how a hacker could have gotten past the firewall>
You know the funny part to all of this? The term Hacker is mis and overused on a minute-by-minute basis by the general media from CNN, to Reuters and the Huffington Post. Why? The definition of a hacker is synonymous with “Geek” and if were to say to you, look at that “Geek” you’d think it was derogatory remark and the person was a nerd in general almost certainly into computers was the takeaway. Not so my friends, a true “Geek” could be into just about anything from being a hardcore Steampunk to a hardcore coder and lover of technology–especially computers to even someone who cooks. A hacker is just the same and major studios compounded it as a back type of person. An infiltrator– worse a ‘spy’ and that is a negative label usually.
So, the next time you hear a “Hacker” did this and that what you are really hearing is that a gifted and highly trained person is using the same tools you have at your disposal against you.
Burnt Ends: Don’t think a camera on your laptop or any USB connected camera can’t be accessed using simple and cheap software? Think again, so put a Post-it™ note over the camera and turn your sound to off while working. You never know who could be listening in right now. A bit of paranoia can go a long way to save from headaches in the future?
Carpe Diem My Friends!
Source: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
This has been another edition of: The Special Sauce – Opportunity Feed vol. 1.8 brought to you by The Brickell Media Group, LLC