Check out Google’s Password Alert

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Cyber crooks have phony websites that masquerade as the legitimate site you want to log onto. They’ve spun their web and are just waiting for you to fly into it. Google now has Password Alert, which will tell you if you’ve landed into such a non-Google web.

2DFor the Chrome browser, this extension will prompt the user to change their password.

When you change a password (regardless of reason) or sign up for a new account and it’s time to come up with a password…don’t just make up an easy word to remember or type.

  • No part of the password should contain actual words or proper names.
  • Each account, no matter how many, should have a different password.
  • If allowed, use a mix of characters, not just numbers and letters.
  • Use a password manager to eliminate the excuse of “I can’t remember a zillion passwords so that’s why I use the same one for multiple accounts.”

Even a strong password, when used for multiple accounts, can present a problem, because if that password gets in the hands of a cyber thief, he’ll then be able to access not just one—but all of your accounts with that password.

A different password for every account at least means that if any password gets into the bad guy’s hands, he’ll only be able to hack into one account per password.

And how might he get the password if it’s long, strong and full of different characters in the first place? By the user being tricked into giving it to him.

This is most often accomplished with a phishing attack: an e-mail that fools the user into thinking it’s from an account they have, such as PayPal, Microsoft or Wells Fargo. The message states there’s a problem with their account and they need to log in to get it fixed. The truth is, when you log in, you’re giving out your crucial login information to the villain.

However, Password Alert will intercept this process. And immediately, so that you can then quickly change the password and protect your account before the thief has a chance to barge into it.

Other Features of Password Alert

  • Many sites are phony, appearing to be legitimate Google sites. Password Alert will spot these sites by inspecting their codes when you visit them. You’ll then get an alert so you can get out of there fast.
  • Password Alert has a database that stores your passwords in a very secure way called a “hash.” This is the reference point that Password Alert uses every time you enter your password into the login field, to make sure you’re not entering it on a malicious site.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to Hotspot Shield. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him discussing internet and wireless security on Good Morning America. Disclosures.

Apple’s bizarre Crashing Text and how to fix

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Of all the weird things that can happen to your iOS device, the latest is a relatively benign situation in which a string of text is sent to the phone…and it causes the phone to crash.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-online-risks-sign-road-banner-image34668294The phone will reboot if the particular nonsensical text string is received while the phone is locked.

Data won’t be stolen; nobody will gain remote control of your device (yet); but heck, who wouldn’t be very annoyed that their phone crashes? And this is going on all over the world. The text characters can also be sent from any device. Apple says it will get this problem fixed.

But in the meantime, there are things you can do to undo the problem.

Mac Users

  • Reply to the gibberish text in iMessage, and the reply can be any string of text.

If you don’t have a Mac:

  • Send a text message via a third-party application by using its share feature.
  • Ask Siri to issue a reply or “read unread messages.” Then reply to free your Messages.
  • When you’re in Messages, delete the whole chain.
  • If you know who sent the crazy message, ask them to send a follow-up message.

A software update will soon be coming from Apple that will include a fix to this situation.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

An ode to Angry Drivers

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“Wes” is a professional man who, if you saw walking on the street, you’d easily imagine being jumped by a few teen punks and getting beaten up for his wallet. Wes is nearing retirement age, has a potbelly, doesn’t work out, has grey hair—hardly an imposing figure.

1SBut look out when he gets behind the wheel of his car. Cut him off and he’ll give you the finger and holler out obscenities.

“Dan” has two cars: an old beater and a corvette. He’s mellow in the beater, but something comes over him in the corvette.

Experiments show that the anonymity of being enclosed by two tons of steel, and the group participation aspect of driving (others are also on the road), cultivate a new level of anger and fury in drivers who are otherwise rather complacent people.

An article on wired.com mentions an experiment by Ed Diener in which kids were given an opportunity to steal candy on Halloween under various controlled circumstances. The kids stole more when the givers didn’t require their identification, and when the kids were part of large groups, vs. when they were alone and not revealing their names.

This is a no-brainer, but this principle applies to the driver. This is de-individualization: anonymity and group activity. Add to that some sensory overload and emotional arousal, and you have the recipe for road rage.

An added element to the driver is that he can’t intelligently communicate to the other motorist who cut him off or otherwise p’d him off. So drivers resort to rudimentary communication: the finger, a fist, holding down the horn, flashing the brights.

How often shall we give a rude or “stupid” driver the benefit of the doubt? Maybe the driver tail-gaiting you at 80 mph has a passenger who’s in labor. But come on, there are so many irresponsible drivers, you know as well as I that very few have a legitimate excuse for doing something dumb.

Like all those people who drive at night without their headlights on.

And if you’ve ever been pissed off that someone took the parking space you were waiting for, ask yourself if you had your blinker on to let that person know you were there first and waiting. If you were just sitting there without a blinker on for that parking space, maybe the other “jerk” thought you were waiting to drive straight through the lot. But you went ahead and keyed their car anyways.

The wired.com article points out that angry drivers operate on emotion, not logic.

Solutions

  • The article suggests to add a passenger. Sounds great—if you can find someone who’s willing to be your passenger every time you drive.
  • View images of gruesome car accident aftermaths. This might shake you up into being more patient, and thus, safer, on the road.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.