Prevent Hacking and Frustration with a Password Manager

Chances are you have more logins and accounts to keep track of than ever, and with that comes the inevitable irritation of not being able to remember a password you swore you’d remember.

Or worse, you’re still using the same password you used in middle school, leaving yourself or your business vulnerable to getting hacked. That’s where password managers come in.

Password managers store all of your login information so you don’t have to keep track of them. That way, you can make the passwords as complicated and difficult to hack as possible without worrying about whether or not you’ll be able to remember them. As we continue to live more and more of our lives online, they’re becoming an essential part of the daily routine.

So, which one should you use?

There are a ton of password managers available, so it can be difficult to narrow your choices down and make the best decision. The premium version of LastPass is available for just $3 a month and is a simple and secure way to store all of your login information, especially if you’re running a business and your goal is to keep you and your employees on the same page. It also generates strong passwords for you, so you don’t have to worry about thinking them up yourself. Once you save a password through LastPass, it’s available on all of your devices, so you can take it everywhere you go.

That’s far from the only option, though. 1Password, Enpass, and Dashlane are just a few of the trusted password managers currently available. Research your options and find the one that you think will work the best for you.

Are they always safe?

Unfortunately, as is the case with all technology, password managers aren’t perfect and do come with their security flaws. Research has found that they can be vulnerable to targeted malware attacks, and there’s reason to be concerned about the idea of putting all of your passwords in the same space.

This past February, Independent Security Evaluators did an audit of five of the top password managers and found that the Windows 10 apps for those programs left some passwords exposed in the computer’s memory when the apps were in “locked” mode. Some master passwords, used to unlock all the passwords, were even left exposed. The response of the companies differed, but LastPass performed an update that will help prevent exposed passwords going forward.

Let Us Handle the Passwords

Still feeling overwhelmed by all the options? Give us a call at 866-500-8088 and let us handle all of your digital marketing needs.

The Battle for User Privacy

People are more cynical than ever about how their privacy is being protected when they’re online these days, and with good reason.

It’s impossible not to leave a digital footprint in 2019, and search engines can end up mining your data even when you use features like incognito browsing. Keeping your browsing history private has never been more important, so here are a few tools you can utilize to make sure your information stays truly hidden.

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is a browser extension that protects your data and then gives you information on what they’re blocking. It’s also extremely easy to use. All you have to do is install the extension and you’re ready to go. As they would tell you, it’s privacy, simplified. By enforcing encrypted HTTPS connections, DuckDuckGo can give the page you visit a grade based on how badly they want to steal your data. Then, they block tracing cookies from being able to identify you and rank the privacy polices of all the sites that you visit.

Use a VPN

A VPN cloaks and encrypts your signal, thus making your search history and online activity untraceable. It also makes it appear as though your IP address is coming from a different device, location, or country. Using a VPN is particularly helpful when you’re logging onto public wi-fi or an unsecured network. This will hide your data from anyone looking to snatch it up and mine it for themselves. So, the next time you’re at a coffee shop and want to browse freely, you won’t have to worry about a thing!

Safari Safety

Apple continues to take steps to make browsing on Safari a safe and private experience. Recently, they announced new software that will alert you to a website trying to access your cookies or other data and give you the option of deciding whether or not you want to allow it. The company also plans to make the Mac devices people use to browse the web indistinguishable from one another by muting the fingerprint effect.

Firefox

If you’re a regular Firefox user, third-party cookies are blocked by default. The browser also gives you detailed information on the trackers and cookies that the sites you’re visiting have attempted to leave. If you’re looking for tracker and ad blocking protection that takes things a step further, Firefox Focus is available for iOS and Android. It’s not quite as detailed as the full Firefox, but it’s worth a try if you’re looking for a simple experience that prioritizes privacy.

Go Incognito

As mentioned above, using “Incognito Mode” when you’re on Google Chrome is always an option. This allows you to browse the web privately while still being able to bookmark sites and download files.

Keeping your browser history private is just the first step in making sure that you’re secure online. Check back soon for our blog on how password managers can keep you safe from hackers. Until then, get in touch with us if you want to discuss anything in the wide world of web, media, or marketing!

Fighting Back Against Domain Hijacking

Has your company gotten a letter in the mail recently informing you that your domain name is expiring and asking you to switch to the domain name service that they’re providing? If so, you’re likely the target of an attempted domain hijacking.

This is serious business, so it’s important that you be able to successfully identify the characteristics of a hijacking and take the proper steps to avoid falling for their trap.

Be on the Lookout

“Domain hijacking” is basically a fancy way of saying that someone stole your domain registration, which is never good. If an unauthorized source has the rights to your domain name, that means they have access to your domain registrar account details and can alter the personal, technical, and administrative details of your domain.

One of the worst offenders of this practice is iDNS, or Internet Domain Name Services. If you receive a letter from them asking you to renew your registrar with them, you’re the target of a scam and should act accordingly. Throw the letter away and move on.

Hijackers have several ways of snatching your domain name from you. Phishing pages, data breaches, calls to you claiming to be your domain registrar, and local keyloggers installed in your computer all present hijacking threats.

What Should You Do?

If someone is able to infiltrate your domain, the next step you should take is to immediately contact your domain registrar, or the company you registered your domain with. Let them know that your domain has been stolen out from under you, and if you’re able to prove that the transfer was fraudulent, your domain can be transferred back to its original registrar. If your domain found its way to a new registrar after getting hijacked, that registrar will work with your previous one to return the domain to you.

Hacking Prevention

Of course, you should avoid letting your domain get hijacked at all if possible. Make sure the domain you registrar with is trustworthy. SPARKS! can help with that. If you don’t fully trust the registrar that you’re with right now, transfer it as soon as possible. Ensure that your passwords and login information are air tight and not easy for anyone to hack, and be diligent about not letting your domain registration expire, which would result in a hacker not even needing to hijack the site.

Some domain registers are now providing domain locking services that prevent domain transfer without heightened security checks and authentication.

Searching for a company that you can trust your domain with? SPARKS! Marketing Communications has you covered. For more details about how we can keep your website safe and secure, please contact us at 866-500-8088 or visit https://www.onsparks.com/.

5 Tips for Safe Online Holiday Shopping

Protect your money and your identity when shopping online during the holidays.

The holidays are here, which means it’s a stressful time for many. Between the family, the travel, and the gifts, there’s no shortage of things to worry about between now and the New Year. But there’s one potential threat to a happy holiday season that most of us don’t spend much time thinking about: online shopping safety. More than ever, people are doing their holiday shopping online. How can you ensure that your personal information is safe? Follow these security measures so you can shop stress-free.

Make sure you can trust the website

Don’t just hand your credit card information over to a website without first being sure that it’s a legitimate business. Each passing holiday season brings a record amount of online sales, which attracts fake businesses looking to steal your credit card information. Stick with businesses that you’re familiar with and have shopped at before.

Pay with a mobile wallet

When shopping on a mobile device, mobile wallets like Apple or Android Pay are more secure than using your physical payment card. This is due to the mobile wallets encrypting the transaction data and using substitute numbers in place of the real debit or credit card number.

Don’t get lazy with your passwords

Sometimes we fall into the trap of using the same two or three passwords for everything, but it’s important to switch it up and create new ones, especially when you’re online shopping. To make it easy on yourself, use a password manager like LastPass or Keychain so you can simply keep track of all your logins.

Be stingy about what you share

Retailers want as much information about you as possible so they know how they can reach you for future sales, but you should never provide more than your email address and payment info if possible. If the only way to buy from an online retailer is by setting up an account, take your business somewhere else.

Utilize credit card security features

Look into registering for security features through your bank. You can login to your credit card account and get a temporary credit card number so that the retailer never sees the real account number, making it useless to hackers. Programs like Bank of America ShopSafe and Citi Virtual Account Numbers are perfect for this feature. Turning off your card when you’re not using it is also an effective way to keep your information safe.

Avoid the Holiday Headache

The holidays come with enough baggage and stress, don’t give yourself another reason to reach for the eggnog. Make sure your personal information is secure when shopping online so you can focus on spending time with family and friends instead of on the phone with the credit card company.

WordPress: Content Management or Major Security Vulnerability?

Enjoying the Benefits and Preventing the Threats From One of The World’s Most Popular Open-Source Web Platforms

Now powering over 27% of the world’s websites serving over 400 million users monthly¹, WordPress has certainly established itself as one of the web’s top applications. One of the reasons is that, as an “open-source” software platform, it is largely built by a collaborative developer community from around the world contributing to the easy-to-use content management system (CMS) enhanced by hundreds of convenient add-on functionalities and tools (plugins). Perhaps, that is also the reason why WordPress could become one of the biggest threats to our privacy, security and maybe even the internet itself.

Essentially, “Open Source” software is not proprietary nor restricted and anyone can access the code that makes it run. With knowledge of the “engine” behind a program or application, developers can improve and expand its capabilities and performance. That is good and benefits us all. Similarly, those with more sinister intentions can find and exploit vulnerabilities. That is bad but can be defended against.

There are many tools available to minimize the potential risks, and reputable web developers (like SPARKS!) employ them to safeguard WordPress sites and protect our clients and their visitors. One of the most popular plugins, Wordfence, blocks millions of malicious attempts every day from all over the world. That also gives them insight into the sources, reasons, and methods used in hack attempts, from which they can refine and update their protection measures. But, it will likely be a continuous game of cat and mouse.

All in all, WordPress is an outstanding platform and offers great flexibility and scalability in serving the needs of businesses, news outlets, retailers and bloggers alike. But, like homes, cars, banks and everything else these days, a security system is needed to protect what’s inside.

The Importance of Strong and Unique Passwords.

Passwords Are Your First Defense In Internet Security

In today’s world we all have dozens of usernames and passwords for countless online accounts. From email and social media to online shopping and banking, it seems like every website we get on wants us to “log-in.” So what do we do? We have the same password for everything of course! Or we make the password something extremely obvious so that we remember it. But when we make the password obvious for ourselves, we are also making it obvious for hackers. Here are some useful tips for creating a strong password to keep your accounts secure. [Read more…]

Celebrity Photo Leak: How To Protect Yourself

As more news breaks about the leaking of nude photos of celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton and others, this has caused anyone who uses their smartphones and tablets to take photos and store other sensitive information to question the security of Apples iCloud and Google Drive.

We hope that the perpetrators that have broken the law are caught and punished.

What this has done, though, is put a question mark over the companies and their products, making users wonder if they can ever trust the claims of security and privacy of these products. [Read more…]

Tips For Safe Online Shopping This Holiday Season

Cyber deals are everywhere! Use these tips for safe online shopping this holiday season!

1. Avoid Phishing

No, phishing has nothing to do with your favorite jam band. Phishing occurs when fraudsters create a fake site, send out a link, and victims type in their personal information which is then sent to the fraudsters.

Ensure pages that require your personal information are legitimate by making sure the web address in the bar matches the site that you are visiting. [Read more…]

Baltimore Beware: Email Phishing On The Rise.

Objects in Email Not Always What They Appear

Have you received an email from a ‘reputable source’, such as your bank, credit card company, or Paypal account, that notifies you of a password reset or the completion of a successful transaction that you know you didn’t make? Chances are, you’re the target of Phishing – and not the kind we like here around the Chesapeake Bay.

One quick and easy way to verify if an email like this is legitimate is to give it the Hover Test. Place your mouse’s onscreen icon over the links in the email – but don’t click!! Instead, look for a small pop-up box to appear which will contain the actual URL of the link, not just what is typed. Phishers mask the links in the email to make it appear they are going to an actual site, however, the link really points to a fake website setup to capture your precious online data. Try it with the link below:

http://www.international-house-of-money-bank.com

It’s always a good idea to forward any suspicious emails to your financial institution for verification. If you can find the actual URL of the sender, you can also block, or blacklist, the address in your spam settings as well.

Just like the big rockfish in the bay, know that you don’t always have to take the bait. Show those scammers it called ‘phishing’; not ‘catching’!

New Google Security Measures Protect Your Account

Dosey-Doe and the Google 2-Step

The next time you log in to your Google Account, you’ll likely be prompted to setup your 2-Step Verification Code. According to Google, “2-step verification drastically reduces the chances of having the personal information in your Google account stolen by someone else. Why? Because hackers would have to not only get your password and your username, they’d have to get a hold of your phone. ”

Makes sense, right? Although it does cause a bit of consternation as you’ll need to receive Google’s automatic text or robot call each time you use a different computer, the 2-step process is used by more institutions to combat hacking and protect your online life.

So grab your partner, put on that hoop skirt, and do the Google 2-Step!

866.500.8088 - 410.244.5111

Prevent Hacking and Frustration with a Password Manager

Chances are you have more logins and accounts to keep track of than ever, and with that comes the inevitable irritation of not being able to remember a password you swore you’d remember.

The Battle for User Privacy

People are more cynical than ever about how their privacy is being protected when they’re online these days, and with good reason.

Fighting Back Against Domain Hijacking

Has your company gotten a letter in the mail recently informing you that your domain name is expiring and asking you to switch to the domain name service that they’re providing? If so, you’re likely the target of an attempted domain hijacking.

5 Tips for Safe Online Holiday Shopping

Protect your money and your identity when shopping online during the holidays.

WordPress: Content Management or Major Security Vulnerability?

Enjoying the Benefits and Preventing the Threats From One of The World’s Most Popular Open-Source Web Platforms

The Importance of Strong and Unique Passwords.

Passwords Are Your First Defense In Internet Security

Celebrity Photo Leak: How To Protect Yourself

Tips For Safe Online Shopping This Holiday Season

Cyber deals are everywhere! Use these tips for safe online shopping this holiday season!

1. Avoid Phishing

Baltimore Beware: Email Phishing On The Rise.

Objects in Email Not Always What They Appear

New Google Security Measures Protect Your Account

Dosey-Doe and the Google 2-Step

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Chances are you have more logins and accounts to keep track of than ever, and with that comes the inevitable irritation of not being able to remember a password you swore you’d remember.

People are more cynical than ever about how their privacy is being protected when they’re online these days, and with good reason.

<img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-642" src="https://www.onsparks.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/sparks-online-security.jpg" alt="Protect your online security!" width="300" height="199" />Passwords Are Your First Defense In Internet Security

Cyber deals are everywhere! Use these tips for safe online shopping this holiday season!

1. Avoid Phishing

Objects in Email Not Always What They Appear

Dosey-Doe and the Google 2-Step

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Sparks Marketing Communications

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CONNECT

Passwords Are Your First Defense In Internet Security