Security

We have put together the following links and resources to help you keep your data and gadgets safe.

Take some time today to make sure you’re secure!

Updated 10/24/18: We have been working with some friends who have some security issues.  Their Amazon account has been hacked a few times, the wife lost access to her Instagram account and a few other odd things that have them worried. 

Nate has been working with them to make sure they are doing the best they can. There is no sure fire way to prevent everything, but there are several simple things to do to make things better.

Note: If you are trying to make sure your business is secure, the recommendations get more complicated. Contact Nate’s business Consist Media LLC to get a free evaluation.

Slow Down, Be Aware

We understand this is a hard ask, but most security issues are caused by not paying attention. A click on a link, an attachment on an email and boom your computer is taken over. Since this isn’t always possible, keep reading.

Backup, Backup, Backup

As Nate always says, “One Backup is None Backup”. The best way to protect your data is to have a good copy. That doesn’t prevent someone from getting something you don’t want them to have, but it does make sure you don’t lose it.

To learn more about backing up your data visit our backup guide (notnerd.com/backup)

pick a unique passwordPasswords

We understand, it is easier to use the same password everywhere, but once any of those services are hacked technically they are all hacked. Once a bad person gets an email and password they have programs that automatically go to every service on the internet and try it. They have also added options that if the password was ‘password1’ it will automatically try ‘password2’ ‘p@ssword’ ‘Password’ and all common variations on the original password.

  • Use strong unique passwords for every service you use. It should be something like ‘cw6!6FqyY3Ly’ (LastPass automatically generated this) or ‘wildfanclockremoteblanket’. I understand that is nearly impossible without a password manager.
  • Use LastPass. There is a free version that will work great for one person. They have a family plan that is $48/year https://www.lastpass.com/pricing
    • The family plan allows you to each have your own ‘vault’ as well have a shared ‘vault’ for common passwords for the family.
    • You can install LastPass on computers, tablets, and phones. So you have all your passwords in one place.
    • It will also generate very random passwords for you and test all your passwords to make sure you don’t have duplicates.
    • You only need to remember your master password to get into LastPass (I suggest a random 4-5 words with some symbols as well)

Passwords are not enough anymore. To easily add another layer of security, most services off 2 Factor Authentication. A 6 digit code is synced between the service and your app. You need your password and your app (thus the 2 factors) to login in. Use Authy 2 Factor Authentication on any service you can. It is free and based on Google Authenticator. It supports most services and unlike Google Authenticator, can be installed on multiple devices. https://authy.com/

Prevention/Scanning

Antivirus, Malware, Phishing, etc. There are all kinds of terms that we are scared with. Here is what we recommend:

For both Windows and Mac we strongly advise installing the free version of MalwareBytes and either run a scan every month or so or if anything comes up. There is a paid version that will automatically scan for you. We don’t have any experience with it but it looks like they have a version for Android phones too.

If you are on Windows 10 I suggest using the built-in Defender antivirus. For Windows 7 I would use something like Avast or AVG which are both free, but a paid version would be better.

On Apple computers having the MalwareBytes should be fine. On iOS (iPhones and iPads) you do not need any extra software.

We also strongly suggest Credit Karma for credit monitoring and freezing your credit.

Lost/Stolen Phone

On Episode 14 of the podcast, we talked about what happens when your phone is lost or stolen. The following are some links you will need if that happens. But before anything, make sure you have a strong pin/passcode and please make sure your data is backing up!

This page will be updated as we gather more resources together. It is a living page, if there is something you would like us to work on please let us know.

We talk about security a lot on the podcast, below are some recent episodes you should check out.
Episode 416: AirPods, They’re a Thing

Episode 416: AirPods, They’re a Thing

This episode is packed with ProTips and picks, with a side of tech news. Even with Thanksgiving and Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness we still found some stories to get you caught up with what is going on in the world of tech. Intro (00:00) Followup: Black Friday -...

Episode 415: Eat the Astronaut Ice Cream

Episode 415: Eat the Astronaut Ice Cream

Sam Altman and OpenAI had a crazy weekend, Apple surprisingly announced RCS support coming to iMessage, and Microsoft celebrated 20 years of Patch Tuesday. We discuss all that and then plenty of tech news you probably actually care about. We've also got the great...

Episode 413: Avoid all Robots

Episode 413: Avoid all Robots

SBF was found guilty, Biden is taking control of AI, and Elon has a new chatbot named Grok. What more could you need for one episode? Well, we found plenty more to talk about with plenty of side-steps and hot technical difficulty talk. Enjoy and tech better! Intro...

Episode 411: Integrated Incremental Capability

Episode 411: Integrated Incremental Capability

Gmail is getting less spam, and Amazon is getting more robots. After that, we're all over the place, from graphite exports to background checks to buy a 3D printer. So much technology news and so little, but we've got you covered, including some great tips and picks...

Episode 410: Degrees of Photofication

Episode 410: Degrees of Photofication

If you’re looking for a podcast episode where two nerds try to figure out streaming issues, we have the one for you. Even with the issues, we managed to carry on and get you updated on the week’s tech news and some tips and picks to help you tech better.

Episode 409: 23andMe and U2

Episode 409: 23andMe and U2

Dave’s iPhone 15 Pro Max showed up, and we forgot to warn you about the test of the FEMA emergency broadcast system. U2 opened up the Sphere in Vegas, and Google announced new Pixel phones. Get caught up on all of this and more with some great tips and picks so you can tech better.