I've been doing a lot of thinking about security lately. Even before the recent Sony hacks allegedly perpetrated by Best Korea, security has been at the front of my mind in the last few months.
Recently, I attended a software convention in Orlando where I befriended a security expert. We stayed up one evening until two in the morning discussing network and computer security. He would tell me he was constantly surprised by how little people care about their own security when it's so easy.
But it's not easy. It's easy for him because it's his life and career. It's easy for me because I'm a computer expert. I have a degree in network engineering and I am always reading news articles and blogs on the latest and greatest in computers and networking. What might be surprising to you is that not much changes. Layout and design might switch up, the programs and features update year to year, but the basics are the same.
I can say the same about security. You and your parents don't have to worry about international hackers breaking into your computer to steal James Bond scripts. But you still have valuable information. You have a social security number and credit card numbers that I can either use or sell online. You have tax reports stored on your computer that might be easy to access with a little time and knowledge. You wouldn't believe the things people keep wide open while banging out emails at a Starbucks
There are things you don't think of that are always on my mind, and I want to tell you about them as well. It's my duty as your friend and security expert to give you some basic information that will harden your internet and keep you safe.
Terminology
Do you know the difference between a virus and a trojan? How about a worm? The difference between malware and adware?
Thing is, it doesn't matter. Many security experts love to talk in depth about everything you don't care about. We risk losing our audience in a muck of terminology they don't understand and don't care to know. When the people you are trying to educate have their eyes glaze over as you excitedly tell them about the latest in encryption software, they won't take the time to be safe.
In this series, I will use the word 'virus' and 'malware' as the catch all to mean "Crap you don't want on your computer." Viruses and malware both sit in different categories, but the catch-all terms are enough to get the point across.
I'm not here to make you an expert, I'm here to make you a harder target to crack. The joke of "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you" has perfect use here. You will never be 100% secure, but you can be more secure than the person down the street or the person on the airport wifi. Many times, that's all you need.
Recently, I attended a software convention in Orlando where I befriended a security expert. We stayed up one evening until two in the morning discussing network and computer security. He would tell me he was constantly surprised by how little people care about their own security when it's so easy.
But it's not easy. It's easy for him because it's his life and career. It's easy for me because I'm a computer expert. I have a degree in network engineering and I am always reading news articles and blogs on the latest and greatest in computers and networking. What might be surprising to you is that not much changes. Layout and design might switch up, the programs and features update year to year, but the basics are the same.
I can say the same about security. You and your parents don't have to worry about international hackers breaking into your computer to steal James Bond scripts. But you still have valuable information. You have a social security number and credit card numbers that I can either use or sell online. You have tax reports stored on your computer that might be easy to access with a little time and knowledge. You wouldn't believe the things people keep wide open while banging out emails at a Starbucks
There are things you don't think of that are always on my mind, and I want to tell you about them as well. It's my duty as your friend and security expert to give you some basic information that will harden your internet and keep you safe.
Terminology
Do you know the difference between a virus and a trojan? How about a worm? The difference between malware and adware?
Thing is, it doesn't matter. Many security experts love to talk in depth about everything you don't care about. We risk losing our audience in a muck of terminology they don't understand and don't care to know. When the people you are trying to educate have their eyes glaze over as you excitedly tell them about the latest in encryption software, they won't take the time to be safe.
In this series, I will use the word 'virus' and 'malware' as the catch all to mean "Crap you don't want on your computer." Viruses and malware both sit in different categories, but the catch-all terms are enough to get the point across.
I'm not here to make you an expert, I'm here to make you a harder target to crack. The joke of "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you" has perfect use here. You will never be 100% secure, but you can be more secure than the person down the street or the person on the airport wifi. Many times, that's all you need.
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