Four Important Security Tips

One of the most difficult things to protect is data security.  Whether in the form of files on computers, or personal identity, there is no doubt there are threats to the security of our information all around us.  The following is a list of four tips to help address personal security in an effort to protect personal files, identity and privacy.  

Using an ATM pin as a Phone's Unlock Code
I cannot stress enough how important it is to use different passwords and codes for different items.  However, using different codes for ATM cards and smartphones is probably the single most important instance of this.  While it might be difficult for someone to shoulder surf at the supermarket or while getting gas to procure someone's ATM pin, people are logging into smartphones hundreds of times each day.  Most of the time we rarely think twice about who is around or who might be looking when unlocking our phones which is a serious mistake if the code is also used as an ATM pin.

Make sure the code used on a smartphone is not used anywhere else!

The Quickest Way to Find Previously Opened Files

There are many ways to struggle accessing a previously opened file.  This is especially common for in-progress files which are often renamed upon each review for proper tracking.  From forgetting the file name to the place it was saved, wasting time looking for a file can be frustrating.  Using search is helpful, but when you are unsure of the file name, this can be a bit more challenging.  

Rather than opening multiple files or searching through folders, open the application originally used to access the file.  Once the program is open, use the list of recently accessed files to find and open the file.  Below is an image from Excel listing recently accessed files which can be opened with a single click.

Most applications will allow the number of recently accessed files displayed to be uniquely set via menus in advanced settings.

How Email Threatens the Security of your Devices and How to Protect Yourself

Email is a staple of our lives yet at times it threats the security of our devices.  Using caution when opening email is important to protect devices from unwanted malware, spyware, and viruses.  Unfortunately email can be malicious even when we know the sender if their email account has been compromised.

Examples of how emails provide threats to the security of devices are:

• Using images infested with malware or spyware - adding images to emails is helpful for many reasons but can also be used for harmful reasons.  Since people learn differently adding images to present a statistic rather than just sentences is a better way to cater to any audience.  In some cases images tell a story in a way words never could.  Unfortunately, images can also carry malware or spyware or simply link to malicious sites.
• Through attached files infested with malware or spyware - file extensions of attached files are often masked to appear to be documents when they are really executable files.  If opened or clicked, these files can cause real damage.
• By misrepresented links - these are links that appear to go to a specific website but actually go somewhere else.  Due to the way hyperlinks are created, the name of the link can be set to anything while the code behind the link may be pointed to somewhere completely different.  A hyperlink is coded like this:
• <a href="http://www.eyonic.com/about/renewable-energy">Apple</a>
• In an email or on a website the user would see the word "Apple" for the hyperlink, but in this example, the link is set to go to our website.
• From misrepresented senders - emails from known individuals seem safe but at times the sender name set up has nothing to do with the actual email account.  Spoofing email accounts increases the likelihood people will open infected emails.
• From hacked email accounts - getting an email from friends or coworkers seems and usually is safe to open.  However, if their email account was compromised, emails from them are likely full of malware, spyware or virus.  When this happens, the program usually propagates by sending out to everyone in your address book, then everyone from those people's address books and continues on.

Ways to Protect the Security of your Devices