Another day another breach

Are we enjoying the new year yet?

Roku was hacked last week to the tune of 15,000 accounts. You should probably change your password just to be safe.

Roku apparently does not use multi-factor authentication for account access, but you should. I would recommend another safer streaming service…. Apple TV anyone??

Read last weeks post about Data Brokers

A fake wedding invite scam has been targeting seniors worldwide. Targets receive a message about a wedding invite with a download prompt to access the invitation. This download is in fact an app that runs undetected and steals your user information.

Avoid downloading anything from anyone that you do not know. To take it a step further contact the sender if you now them and verify that they have sent you the message.

Click her for the top scams targeting the elderly.

Security tip #1

Create a separate checking account for your internet spending. All of your subscriptions, consumer purchasing, and bill paying activities. Only transfer into this account what is needed monthly and turn off over draft protection.

This protects your money from any breaches that expose your debt card and banking information. It also allows you to closely monitor your subscriptions.

Security tip #2

Create a separate email account for all your internet accounts. This is the email you use when you sign up for Roku, or that free web guide, or any online services.

Use an email application to see all emails in one inbox. Gmail and Outlook allow this. If this email is leaked then it only gives access to your online accounts from tip #1 and those accounts only have access to a checking account with limited funds.

Security tip #3

Enable MFA (multi-factor authentication) on all of your accounts. With MFA a password is not enough to access an account. You will also need to verify that you are you via text or email. This keeps attackers from accessing your account and making changes without permission.

What does it all mean?

We can only control what we can control. We have to provide our information for everything online now and we have no control over how big companies secure our data. What we can control is what can be done with that information should it be stolen. The goal is that eventually if our data is leaked we know the damage will be minimal if any at all.

See you next Tuesday.

Stay informed,

The Help Desk

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