EXPERTS AND ENTHUSIASTS IN TECH SHARE DIFFERENT WAYS THEY PROTECT ONLINE INFO
PLANNED ACTIVITY
IMPLEMENTATION
RESULT
SUCCESSES
CHALLENGES
HOW THE CHALLENGES WERE MANAGED
Date
November 5th 2014
- The organizers had to do some
background reading so as to make sure that when the info is shared, they are able to explain it. - The technicality of the info received
from I-Network prompted the organizers to include a selected group of soci0- techies. This was on Facebook and LinkedIn
Main Presenters
Ednah Karamagi
Experts and enthusiasts in
they protect online info
- The post was accepted on
the I network
dgroup - Members
posted actively and we got several pieces of advise - The target group was
spot on in the sense that they indeed shared the technical aspect of the topic
Topic
tech share different ways
No of attendees
All members subscribed to the dgroup.
This was approved in the later part of the same day
The responses were too technical even for us the organizers
Activity
A group that brings
together people who are
experts in or enthusiastics
about technology, and
especially computing to
learn and share from each
other different ways how
information stored online
can be protected
On 4th November 2014, the post was submitted for moderation to the I- Network dgroup.
WAY FORWARD:
Advise generated from the three platforms to be posted on Twitter is: –
FROM I-NETWORK DGROUP1
FROM FACEBOOK2
FROM LINKED IN3
o
o Encrypt your data wherever it is online or local storage medium. You can start by encrypting your hard drive5
o Use your own storage systems drive6 Disable location apps on all your phones and
computers.
Instead of using passwords, use
o Fingerprints7. Opt to use an application
that stores prints for all your fingers and a password for emergency. Google for options
o Voice recognition
o Face recognition. This doesn’t deal with
hair but the face…distannce between the
eyes, nose, and other parts.
Third-party cookies are one of the most common methods that are used to track your browsing
habits. If you visit two sites using the same service, rest assured that members will keep tabs on that information. To avoid this,
o use a firewall integrated in your ati virus o the website browser to block the
cookie(s)
o use Tactical Tech or
https://myshadow.org with caution that the more apps that record your net usage online in the name of protection, the slower your system gets.
Create smart and strong passwords. Make it difficult for hackers to crack your password. o You can create a smart password by
incorporating capital letters, numbers, and special characters, and using more
- Be cautious that any information you place online enters the public space and security is at best tenuous, at worst non-existent
- Run your computer under a non-administrative account (ie setup a non-administrative user account on your computer and use this account for all day-2-day computer activities). This helps prevent unwanted exploits installing while you are using the computer
- Always ensure when entering information into a web that the site is encrypted. This will be evidenced by the web address starting with https: (not http:)
- Run a local firewall, install updates regularly and install an up-to-date virus scanner set to ‘auto- scan’ file accesses and online content.
- Wherever possible encrypt all email messages (Google how depending on your email client of choice)
- Do not open email attachments from unknown sources, and never send a password by email (no matter how many fraudulent emails you receive asking for your password!)
- There are plenty of other good tips available at:
o The Australian Government initiative8 o TechSoup9 is also a great resource for
For passwords,
You can use two factor authentication
with SMS4
- Remove personal information like date of birth or former places of work. This is because fraudsters will always try to break into your accounts based on information that is easily accessible to them.
- Do not sign up for online promotions requesting for personal information. Contact the Merchant directly by phone.
- Shred as much waste as possible.
- You can check security settings and what history exists for your Google accounts below.
https://www.google.com/settings/accounthi story
- Hardware theft protection, open sourced software https://preyproject.com/
- If you use 2 factor authentication, get the backup codes for emergency situations when mobile is lost or not available
1 If you are not a member of the I-Network dgroup, this link will take you to a page from where you can apply to be a member. Thereafter, you can view the full conversation at:
https://dgroups.org/iicd/i-network/discussions/e9e8ecc2
2 https://www.facebook.com/ednahkaramagi/posts/10152494824972081?comment_id=10152496171157081&offset=0&total_comments=36
3 https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Apart-from-using-passwords-safeguard-877757.S.5935725724714442753?view&item=5935725724714442753&type=member&gid=877757&trk=eml- group_discussion_new_comment-see-more-link&midToken=AQFRDHq9ZmLV9g&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=0RsAqeBwq03Cw1
4 https://www.duosecurity.com/
5 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/bitlocker
6 owncloud.org
7 http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fh10025.www1.hp.com%2Fewfrf%2Fwc%2Fdocument%3Fcc%3Dus%26lc%3Den%26docname%3Dc00958213&h=NAQEKQZg9 8 http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/
Attached are results from facebook post | than six characters e.g GGo1dM!n3. o Avoid generating passwords from common words like “your name”, “phone number”, “birthday”, etc. o Use different password for your email o Never sign-up on unknown platforms as o AND dont forget its hectic to type
|
help in this area o Cyber Smart10 There are many options for sending encrypted email and a good list of options is available at: o How to Geek11 o Trend Micro12 |
Report compiled by:
Mary Nakirya
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marianakirya Twitter: @marianakirya Net2uganda Local Organizer
Ednah Karamagi
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ednahkaramagi Twitter: @ednahkaramagi Net2uganda Local Organizer
9 www.techsoup.org
10 http://www.cybersmart.gov.au
11 http://www.howtogeek.com/135638/the-best-free-ways-to-send-encrypted-email-and-secure-messages/
12 It is easy for mail recipients to use as well – info and a good user guide are available at: http://free.antivirus.com/us/email-encryption-service/index.html