Going on Spring Break? Protect Your Smart Devices When Traveling

Whether it’s because we need to video chat with family members, share selfies or keep in touch with clients from work, most of us want to stay connected to the internet while traveling. However, being away from your home or work network also increases the risk of cybercrime. According to an Experian study, 33 percent of the 15 million Americans who have been victims of identity theft had their devices hacked while traveling, so it’s very important to protect connected devices before taking off and while on vacation.

Before Traveling

Many cases of cybercrime and identity theft can be prevented if you implement a few security measures before leaving. Some of these may sound a bit extreme, but keep in mind that things that may seem worthless to you are essential for hackers.

• Update your operating system (OS) and apps. Most OS and app updates include security patches, so many sure you install them before leaving.
• Check that you have your firewall and/or anti-virus software enabled and the virus definitions up to date.
• Set up a start-up password or PIN for your device. Avoid simple passwords such as qwerty123 or password, because those are easy to break. Make your password a passphrase or sentence that’s at least 12 characters long, and change the settings so that a device is blocked after three unsuccessful attempts.
• Activate the passcode, pattern or fingerprint scanner to unlock your phone.
• Install a Find My Phone app and/or a remote wipe app so you can easily disable access in case it is lost or stolen.
• Disable the Remember Me option from websites.
• Revise your account passwords. If you’re using the same passwords for multiple sites, which you shouldn’t be doing anyway, change them. If you’re using your phone for banking, make sure you have strong, unique password.
• Delete sensitive information from your device and store it on a remote hard drive at home. This includes personal photos, classified work documents, photo copies of your IDs, notes with bank account details or passwords – basically, any kind of information that you wouldn’t want a stranger to see.
• Password-protect personal files and folders.
• If you travel with both your laptop and your phone, enable strong authentication on those devices and the apps and websites you use.
• Delete your cookies and disable autofill features.
• Turn off location tracking and Bluetooth. Only turn on the GPS while using maps to find your way. Bluetooth drains your battery and could allow hackers to access your phone.

While Away

Once you’ve taken these security measures, the risk of being hacked while on vacation will be lower. However, some mistakes can still make your devices vulnerable; here are some online safety tips for while you’re on the go:

• Disable Wi-Fi while you’re not using it so your phone doesn’t connect automatically to networks set up by hackers.
• Avoid public Wi-Fi. Although using free public Wi-Fi seems convenient on vacation, it can come at a cost. Public unsecured networks are very vulnerable because any information transferred between your device and the computer you are accessing can be intercepted by anyone using the network. This includes everything from usernames and password to private personal data – even if the website you’re accessing has an https address. Security experts recommend not using free public Wi-Fi at all. If there’s an emergency and you need to use the internet, consider using a virtual private network (VPN) or your smartphone’s hotspot for a safer connection.

After Coming Back

You can’t always tell right away that you’ve been hacked. Sometimes, it takes days or even weeks for suspicious device behavior, so these are some final security tips for more peace of mind:

• Check your activity log on social media to make sure there wasn’t any suspicious activity while traveling.
• If you use your phone for payments, check your bank account statement for unauthorized purchases. If you see the smallest transaction that you don’t remember making, contact your bank right away.

Last, but not least, remember that a hacker doesn’t always need high-end tools and devices to gain access to someone’s phone or laptop, and they can easily rely on social engineering. Most attacks are caused by human error, so be careful who you trust while traveling to better manage your privacy.

How to Make Your Internet Faster with Privacy-Focused 1.1.1.1 DNS Service

Cloudflare, a well-known Internet performance and security company, announced the launch of 1.1.1.1—world's fastest and privacy-focused secure DNS service that not only speeds up your internet connection but also makes it harder for ISPs to track your web history.

Domain Name System (DNS) resolver, or recursive DNS server, is an essential part of the internet that matches up human-readable web addresses with their actual location on the internet, called IP addresses.

Since the default DNS services provided by ISPs are often slow and insecure, most people rely on alternative DNS providers—such as OpenDNS (208.67.222.222), Comodo DNS (8.26.56.26) and Google (8.8.8.8), to speed up their Internet.

But if you use Cloudflare new 1.1.1.1 DNS service, your computer/smartphone/tablet will start resolving domain names within a blazing-fast speed of 14.8 milliseconds—that's over 28% faster than others, like OpenDNS (20.6ms) and Google (34.7ms).

However, Cloudflare has changed this game with its new free DNS service, which it claims, will be "the Internet's fastest, privacy-first consumer DNS service," promising to prevent ISPs from easily tracking your web browsing history.
 

How to Change DNS Settings to Boost Internet Speed

For Macs:

• Open System Preferences.
• Search for DNS Servers and tap it.
• Click the + button to add a DNS Server and enter 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (for redundancy).
• Click Ok and then Apply.

For Windows Computers:

• Tap Start and then click on Control Panel.
• Click on Network and Internet, and then tap Change Adapter Settings.
• Right-click on the Wi-Fi network you are connected to, then click Properties.
• Select Internet Protocol Version 4 and click Properties, and then write down any existing DNS server entries for future reference.
• Now tap Use The Following DNS Server Addresses, and replace those addresses with the 1.1.1.1 DNS addresses: For IPv4: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1; and For IPv6: 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001
• Click OK, then Close, and Restart your browser.

For Android Devices:

• Connect to your preferred WiFi network.
• Enter your router’s gateway IP address in your browser. Fill in your username and password, if asked.
• In your router’s configuration page, locate the DNS server settings, and enter any existing DNS server entries for future reference.
• Replace those addresses with the 1.1.1.1 DNS addresses: For IPv4: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1, and For IPv6: 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001
• Save your settings, then restart your browser.

Note: Android requires a static IP to use custom DNS servers. This setup requires additional setup on your router, affecting your network’s strategy for adding new devices to the network. Cloudflare recommends configuring your router’s DNS instead, which gives all devices on your network the full speed and privacy benefits of 1.1.1.1 DNS.

For iOS Devices (iPhone/iPad):

• From your iPhone's home screen, open Settings.
• Open Wi-Fi and then your preferred network in the list.
• Tap Configure DNS, and then click on Manual.
• If there are any existing entries, tap the - button, and Delete next to each one.
• Now, add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (as alternate DNS server for redundancy) to the DNS address.
• Now, tap the Save button on the top right.

You’re all set to go! Your device now has faster, more private DNS servers.

How To Prevent Cloud Data Storage Risks

Have you ever lost a really important document on your computer? Or had a computer that simply failed to turn on one day, and you never saw your files again? Or dropped your phone in the toilet? If so, you aren’t alone. This very common problem is what prompted digital strategy consultant Ismail Jadun to found World Backup Day, “a day for people to learn about the increasing role of data in our lives and the importance of regular backups.”

According to World Backup Day, 30 percent of people have never backed up, 113 phones are lost or stolen every minute and 1 in 10 computers are infected with viruses each month – all very crucial reasons why backing up is of paramount importance to our increasingly digital lives.

There are two main ways for individuals to back up their digital information (which includes everything from your family photos to financial documents, music and emails): via an external drive or using cloud/internet solutions.

As of 2018, approximately 1.9 billion people are using cloud storage, a number that’s forecasted to grow to 2.3 billion in 2020. While cloud storage is a great solution, it’s important to acknowledge the risks of using the cloud for storing data and collaboration. The more aware of those risks you are, the better you’ll be able to avoid them.

Mitigating 3 Risks of Cloud Storage

Risk #1 – Cybercrime

By 2021, the damage caused by cybercrimes like data hacks and security breaches is projected to cost a total of $6 trillion annually, which will represent the greatest transfer of economic wealth in history…and will be more profitable than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.

When it comes to following data storage best practices, there is still nothing that can guarantee your information won’t get compromised. Knowing that, one of the most important things you can do is to catch it early. In other words, if you happen to fall victim to a data breach (of which the company may not even notify you of right away), you’ll likely notice unfamiliar activity on your financial statements or a sudden inexplicable change to your credit score.

What to do: Take steps to prevent criminals from stealing your data by seeking a data storage provider who offers high-quality encryption and uses end-to-end encryption when transmitting your data. Make sure the company doesn’t log data and has processes in place to keep staff away from consumer IDs.

Risk #2 – Data Ownership

Cloud storage is relatively new, and the U.S. government can sometimes take a while to catch up. Lawmakers have brought up the issue of whether or not storing your data online somehow affects your ownership of it, and it’s an issue that has yet to be firmly resolved.

What to do: A quality cloud storage provider will give you a contract which clearly states who owns the data you store. As tempting and easy to do as it is, do not gloss over the license agreement when you sign up for a service. Make sure you read and understand every term and condition.

Risk #3 — Outages

While very rare, there is always a chance that your cloud service could experience an outage at the hand of a cloud bug, which can completely shut service down and prove disastrous, meaning you could lose everything.

What to do: Thankfully, many top cloud storage services have built-in safety features, including doubling up your data. Look for these services plus companies who don’t have a history of outages.

Of course, the best backup plan includes multiple forms of backing up, given that there really is no one perfect solution. In this case, we recommend having a physical backup, such as an external USB hard drive, in addition to your cloud storage.

More Than 5 Million Card Numbers Stolen From Lord & Taylor & Saks Fifth Avenue

A well-known ring of cybercriminals has obtained more than five million credit and debit card numbers from customers of Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, according to a cybersecurity research firm that specializes in tracking stolen financial data. The data, the firm said, appears to have been stolen using software that was implanted into the cash register systems at the stores and that siphoned card numbers until last month.

The Hudson’s Bay Company, the Canadian corporation that owns both retail chains, confirmed on Sunday that a breach had occurred.

“We have become aware of a data security issue involving customer payment card data at certain Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off 5th and Lord & Taylor stores in North America,” the company said in a statement. “We have identified the issue, and have taken steps to contain it. Once we have more clarity around the facts, we will notify our customers quickly and will offer those impacted free identity protection services, including credit and web monitoring.”

Hudson’s Bay said that its investigation was continuing but that its e-commerce platforms appeared to have been unaffected by the breach. The company declined to identify how many customer accounts or stores were affected.

The theft is one of the largest known breaches of a retailer and shows just how difficult it is to secure credit-card transaction systems despite the lessons learned from other large data breaches, including the theft of 40 million card numbers from Target in 2013 and 56 million card numbers from Home Depot in 2014. Last year, Equifax, a credit reporting firm, disclosed that sensitive financial information on 145.5 million Americans had been exposed in a breach of the company’s systems.

Hudson’s Bay said customers could get further information on dedicated pages on the websites of Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off 5th and Lord & Taylor.

The Ultimate Guide to Facebook's New Privacy Settings

It seems there isn’t a day that goes by without Facebook and privacy being in the news. Most recently, there’s the small matter of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, which is causing users to leave Facebook in droves. But there is an alternative. Our guide to Facebook’s privacy settings explains all you need to know to keep using the popular social network safely.

Facebook Privacy Settings: The basics explained

You can find a list of apps that have access to your Facebook data, such as your name, pictures, birthday and friends list, on the App Settings page. There’s a good chance the list will be significantly longer than expected.

Clicking each entry in the list shows you the types of data you’ve given them permission to access. By unchecking each box, you can limit how many of your personal details they can get their hands on. You can also unlink the apps from your Facebook account on this page, by clicking the ‘X’ that appears next to them.

You can also switch off Facebook’s integration with apps completely, meaning you won’t be able to log into apps, games and other websites using your Facebook account. To do this, go to Settings, Apps and Websites and Plugins, then select Edit and Disable Platform.

Using your Facebook account to login to another app bridges your digital islands, allowing the two companies to collect more data and build an in depth profile about you and your activity. Set up a new login and password for the apps you’re using. to help you to avoid data being shared between different services.

1. I want to get an overview of my privacy settings

Facebook’s privacy settings are spread over a number of portions of the site. However, you can do a quick health check by tapping the padlock to the right of the Home screen and selecting Run Privacy Check Up. This will allow you see privacy settings at a glance over three key areas of Facebook

1) Posts – As explained below, this will explain how to control your privacy settings for every post.
2) Apps – Who sees your activity within third-party apps
3) Profile – Here you can limit what personal information (work, age, contact details) is visible to who.

2. I want to control who sees my posts

This is perhaps the key privacy concern of Facebook users who’re concerned. No-one wants their boss spying on their weekend activities, so it’s important to be clear about when you post. Whenever you upload a photo, fill in a status, or check in at a location there’s the opportunity to customise who you wish to share with. You can also adjust this by clicking the padlock and selecting “Who can see my stuff?”

The three main options are:

• Friends – Only people you’re friends with can see the post. If you’re posting photos of your children or any information you’d deem personal then this is what you need to select.
• Public – Anyone can see it whether they’re friends or not. If you want to be part of a public discussion to be seen by friends and within search; like on Twitter, then select this.
• Only You – Perhaps if you use Facebook as a repository for personal memories or a blog you can select Only You to ensure you, the account holder are the only one who sees it.

Here you can also select Custom to add Friends of Friends to the list of people who can see the post while there’s also the opportunity to post only for the eyes of various Groups you may be part of.

3. I want to hide my personal information

Thankfully, much of this can be controlled via the Privacy Check Up mentioned above. You can alter who sees what by heading to the About section of your profile and selecting Edit under each section. To alter privacy settings from Friends to Only Me will hide the information from your profile. In many cases you may want to remove it completely by clicking the X.

4. I want to hide posts from other people

If you’re still friends with an ex on Facebook, it might be considered poor form to post photos of you in a new relationship in a place where he/she can see them. You can get around this by hitting Custom from the “Who should see this?” menu and tagging people you wish to hide the post from.

5. I want to post something, but hide it from my timeline

Maybe you have something to say and don’t want it as a permanent record on your timeline, a thought, a meme, a joke in context that’s of its time, a photo, etc. You can achieve this by ticking the Hide From Timeline box in the post field.

6. I want to stop people sharing my photos and posts

If you’ve shared a photo or a status on Facebook, it’s open to be re-shared by those who have access to it. That means Friends and, if you’ve tagged people, Friends of Friends. If the post is Publicthen anyone in the world can share it There’s no way around that, other than to set the post to Only Me in the first place, which kind of defeats the point in most cases.

7. I want to limit who can send me friend requests

Click Settings > Privacy and head to “who can send me friend requests.” You can change it from Everybody to Friends of Friends, but that’s about as far as you can go. This is also accessible form the Privacy Shortcuts accessed by clicking the padlock.

8. I want to block someone

Use the Privacy Shortcuts or go to Settings > Blocking, begin typing the name of the friend (or ex-friend) you wish to block from your account. You can also block certain people from sending you messages, but you have to be friends with them.

It’s also possible to block people people you’re not friends with by heading to their profile, clicking the “…” on the right hand side and selecting Block.

9. I want to limit who can look me up through contact information

Facebook probably has your phone number and some email addresses. If folks (i.e. potential employers, old flames, stalkers, etc.) were to enter these in search, they may be able to discover your profile. In Settings > Privacy you can correct this by selecting either Everyone, Friends of Friends or Friends.

10. I want my Facebook page kept off Google

There’s no hiding from Facebook’s overarching Search engine, all you can do is lock down your privacy settings and hope you have a common name. However it’s different in the case of other search engines like Google. Within Settings > Privacy, you can ensure your Facebook profile is exempt by selecting No.

11. I want to protect my location

Facebook loves it when you check into places, it gobbles up all of that lovely data to attract advertisers. However, you may want to protect your location. The very obvious step is not to click the location pin when posting.

However, when you’re using the mobile app, Facebook may try to use GPS and Wi-Fi to name your location. You can prevent this from happening by entering the Location settings on your mobile device and denying Facebook access.

In iOS: Settings > Privacy > Location > Facebook > Never