Visiting a public Wi-Fi spot can be a great alternative to working from home, a convenient way to stay connected while you travel or even just an excuse to browse the web while you get your coffee fix. Hello Starbucks! But there’s a very dark side to these public hotspots… they’re an open door to your electronic world of information. Bank accounts, credit card numbers, passwords, and more. Our entire lives are on our devices. Here are some steps you should take to keep hackers out of your hardware.
ALWAYS confirm the network name. Bumming Wi-Fi at a local coffee shop? Looking for a network in a hotel lobby? Wherever you are, never assume you know the network name. Some hackers create free Wi-Fi spots that don’t require passwords, making it easy to access your information due to lack of encryption security. To be sure, verify with an employee or triple check the spelling if it’s printed out before connecting.
Use HTTPS when browsing the web. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure is the secure version of the HTTP you usually use when visiting a URL. Adding that simple ‘S’ at the end encrypts everything between your browser and the sites you visit, keeping information like banking passwords and credit card numbers safe and sound.
Use encrypted storage security. Storing your important files in encrypted storage means they’re password protected and as safe as the money in a bank vault. You can find a range of encryption options, from free downloads to software for purchase that offers more security features. This will ensure that even if hackers do gain access to your computer via an open network, they will not be able to enter your protected vault of files. Think of it like a locked treasure chest within your system, and you’re the only one with the map and the key.
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is simply a group of networks that secure and encrypt communication, and can be connected to remotely. Businesses use this often to connect individuals to network resources, but you can use it to secure your public Internet connection and to protect any data you’re sending and receiving. However you choose to use your VPN, make sure you choose a service that offers protocols on connectivity, server location, and offers features that meet your needs.
Make a turn-off checklist and follow it. When you’re planning to visit a location where you know you’ll be using a public network, turn off automatic connection to Wi-Fi on your device. This guarantees you’ll never accidentally join a fake network created to steal your data. Also remember to turn off Wi-Fi when you’re done browsing, always ensuring that you are in control of what, when, and how you connect.
Finally, make it a habit to turn off sharing. You never know who’s roaming around trying to covertly access your information. If you have sharing enabled on your device and forget to turn it off, you’re basically waving a flag to potential cybercriminals and saying, here’s an easy target! And never, ever save passwords. It’s convenient but it makes it even easier for any potential threats to access your electronic information.
Email tends to be the default when it comes to communicating in an office setting. In fact, the average adult receives 122 business emails per day. While they’re great for updates, recaps, and other informational exchanges, there are many situations where email is not the most efficient form of communication. Sometimes it can slow things down or muddle an important message.
So in what situations should you resort to another form of communication?
First, ask yourself these two questions:
What is the nature of the subject? Is it informational and specific? The best route may be an IM (instant message). If there are complexities and certain particular details, then a phone call or a brief face-to-face meeting may work out significantly better. If your task requires input from multiple parties, then you may want to plan a conference call or in-person meeting.
What type of response do you need? It’s best practice to make it easy for people to respond to your message by choosing the most convenient route. Is your request urgent? An IM would be your ideal option. Do you need a detailed response? Then it might be more helpful to hop on a quick call to iron out the details.
Once you answer these questions, you’ll have a clearer understanding of the route you need to take to get the response you want. But just because you choose the right avenue of communication, doesn’t mean that you’ll be sending the right message. Consider these next tips to ensure you’re communicating efficiently.
Set the scene: Just because something is top of mind for you doesn’t mean that it’s top of mind for everyone else. You want to be sure to provide enough information to get the person you’re talking to up to speed and properly invested in the task at hand.
Be concise: Brevity is key here, folks. No one wants to read a novel (regardless if it’s sent over IM or email), so get to your point and get to it quickly. It’s best to stick to two or three questions over IM or email. If you need more clarification, pick up the phone and just call.
Manage your recipients: In today’s digital world, it’s easy to get caught up in an email chain that you really had no part in. Or maybe you did at one point but your duties for that task ended a while ago, and yet you’re still in that dreaded email thread. So to save everyone involved a headache, be sure to only keep the appropriate people in the loop. If someone needs to know certain information but doesn’t need to take any action or respond, just CC (carbon copy) them.
With Father’s Day right around the corner, what better way to show your appreciation than some of the latest and greatest tech toys—that also don’t break the bank. Read on for some of our favorites here at ARRC.
Welcome to the latest wireless speaker from Ultimate Ears. It looks cool, sounds great and it even floats! Is Dad a fan of hanging by the pool during the summer? Get him a Wonderboom immediately.
If these 1990s-era headphones don’t give Dad some nostalgic feels, then we don’t know what will. The Sony MDR-7506 may be the best-sounding headphones you can get for under $100. Pick ‘em up and wrap ‘em up.
Is Dad one of those “I-like-real-books” type of people? Well, Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite e-reader is as close to the real deal as you can get, with its fancy e-ink technology and sturdy frame. It’s a good choice if Dad is a bookworm who’ll be on the next episode of Hoarders if he buys anymore paper books.
Nudging Dad into a healthier lifestyle without offending his sensitive soul is easy when you gift him the sleek Fitbit Flex 2. Having a fitness tracker helps keep Dad accountable, and you can even challenge him through the Fitbit app to make sure he’s staying on track.
For those Dads always on the go, the Mophie PowerStation Plus is an excellent idea. It’s an external battery charger with an integrated Lightning cable and a micro USB adapter so good ol’ Dad can charge a variety of devices on the fly and not have to worry about anything dying.
Star Wars is always a safe choice if you don’t know what Dad may be interested in, right? He can channel his inner Han Solo with this Millennium Falcon drone and the family will appreciate its crash-friendly foam body. Just make sure to give it to him on a weekend so he can play with it all day and not miss work.
The skull logo on these wireless headphones means Dad has to be semi-cool to pull them off, but they’re a steal at $65 and Skullcandy has always been a reputable brand. As long as Dad doesn’t headbang too hard to Metallica, these should survive for quite some time.
Is Dad a runner? Or more accurately, does he want to look like a runner? The sporty BackBeat Fit wireless headphones may be just the ticket. With bright colors and the ability to leave them hanging around your neck when not using them, Dad can put on his gym clothes and run errands and fool everyone into thinking he just crushed a workout.
We all remember the commercials on TV (or in my case, Hulu) for Facebook Live. Share with friends! Be in the moment! Never miss a thing! They preyed hard on the fear of missing out most of us social creatures suffer from, and they succeeded pretty well. Here are the top 4 reasons why you should try Facebook Live for your personal enjoyment.
It may sound a little counterintuitive to say using a social media application fosters personal connections, but in the grand scheme of things, Facebook Live is the closest we’ll get to being in every spot around the world we want to be in with the people we want to be with. Want to see the World Cup with your dad but couldn’t get off work? Check out his live stream on Facebook, along with the official FIFA live steam. You may even see some things your good ol’ dad missed! Did your best friend go on vacation to Montana? Watch her video of the snowy mountaintops live and feel like you flew there with her. Now when she talks about the sun on the snow and how it sparkled, you’ll remember that moment she shared over Facebook Live. It’s not entirely as personal as a one-on-one video chat, of course, but it allows friends and family to share moments with everyone without having to call down the list individually. Which bring us to…
With new updates came new features to Facebook Live. One of the new items is the ability to private chat with a group of your friends about a Facebook Live stream while it plays above the thread. So let’s say you and your buddies have a favorite sports team, and they’re streaming a game live on Facebook. Gather your friends in the private chat and go ham on the opposing team or share inside jokes without the rest of the Facebook universe there to interrupt or argue. It’s like a welcome shield from the vast amount of faceless Facebookers.
Sometimes doing a Facebook Live video all by yourself can be… well, kind of lame. But now you can have a friend in a separate location on the screen with you. It’s basically like letting others watch your Skype or Facetime conversation with your BFF. Think podcast with your favorite person but live, on video. Don’t have anything interesting to say? No problem! Let your friend hold the conversation while you think of the next punch line.
Maybe a little contradictory here as well, but think about it. You capture a birthday party or a surprise homecoming on Facebook Live, and when you look back on the moment, it’s real and in the present, not rehearsed or staged in any way. It adds that sprinkle of genuine to the occasion, and it’ll make reminiscing that much more special. Plus, you get to see all the comments and likes streaming in real time, so you can laugh with your kids in ten years at the reactions to the Facebook Live video of their gender-reveal parties.
Remember the hullabaloo when banks and card companies made the switch from magnetic strip credit cards to chip credit cards after a bunch of consumer data was stolen? I do. My mother was terrified for MONTHS that her identity was stolen and she would have to move to Belize. It took a long time to get her over that fear, and even longer for her to use her credit cards again. Now, if you didn’t have an overdramatic mother or need a refresher on the chip cards, check out this article from Forbes for a quick recap on the whole transition.
Basically, chip credit cards are a lot more difficult to counterfeit, which was one of the benefits proffered by supporters. By using the chip technology along with requiring a personal PIN number, many believed the new cards would be exponentially more secure. The thought that a thief could take your card but not use it without magically knowing your PIN number was a relief to a lot of people. However, not every establishment requires a PIN number to be used. You can still insert your chip card and opt for the credit option, which only requires a signature. And we all know those are never accurate or properly vetted. (I’ve signed everything from a triangle to squiggles to random words just to see if any alarms were ever triggered… the answer to that is a hard NO.)
Unfortunately, once you get past the fancy chip part, nothing new is really happening. And with every new advancement comes villainy. A new fraud scheme called ‘shimming’ is targeting our chip credit cards. Thieves who target chip credit cards insert a paper-thin device inside a chip card reader on a credit card terminal. Then, when the credit card is inserted into that slot, the device (appropriately called a “shim”) captures the card information by reading the chip and storing the data.
Although such a delicate scam is not a widespread issue yet, it is something keep in mind as a consumer and it serves as a reminder for credit card holders to monitor fraudulent purchases on their statements. Don’t be that person who blindly pays their bills without looking at the charges! Nothing is ever bulletproof, and with new technology, criminals find new holes to exploit.
To combat ‘shimming’ and boost security, MasterCard is planning to introduce a variation of credit cards that use fingerprint identification to produce secure point-of-sale transactions. In this innovative move, the card holder’s fingerprint, which will be stored on the card’s EMV chip using a fingerprint reader embedded on the card, will be needed before a transaction can go through. So unless criminals find ways to steal fingerprints AND the associated credit cards, MasterCard could be on to something extremely secure and simple. And maybe it would speed up the process so we all aren’t waiting in line at Target for hours, am I right?
So how does a biometric card work? The chip validates the user’s identity by matching the fingerprint to the stored pattern. The change process is simple for merchants, as those with a chip reader don’t need to invest in a separate fingerprint reader. Theoretically speaking, this biometric card improves security compared with chip-and-PIN, and a fingerprint card is significantly more secure than a chip card that needs only a triangle or squiggle signature.
The biometric card is currently in a trial phase but with fingerprint technology so widely accepted with the introduction of the biometric readers on smartphones, it could come around much sooner than expected.
