Keeping Track of Files in the Era of the Cloud

Keeping Track of Files in the Era of the Cloud

One of the main challenges of living in this fast-paced, tech-infused world is keeping track of where you are storing your data. 

By data I mean the files you consciously make use of on any of your tech devices. This includes word processing documents, PDFs, pictures, music, videos, etc. 

The usual places
In the "old days" it was obvious where you stuff was stored. You would turn on your computer, look in your Documents folder or on the Desktop or on a server drive and there were the icons for the documents; pictures were stored in the Pictures folder; music in the Music folder; server files in a shared folder, etc. This type of data storage is still commonplace.

Beamed to the cloud
But increasingly people are also putting their data on mobile devices and in the cloud, using such products as iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, etc. This cloud storage can be done from any device, including the slimmest of smartphones. A giant spreadsheet for instance can be stored on your phone and synced with the cloud. 

Cloud or device? 
What does that mean when a file (word processing document, photo, etc.) is in the cloud? Is it only in the cloud, or also on the device? It depends, but usually the file is both on the device and sync'ed to the cloud. The cloud just means a provider's server in some building, hopefully in the U.S.A. (I mean, if we're going to be spied on, better the NSA and our corporations than Russia or China, right?)

The power of syncing 
One benefit of storing files in the cloud is making them accessible on multiple devices. So, for example, one photo could be synce'd to your phone, your tablet, and your computer. Another bonus of the cloud comes into play if a device the file is stored on is damaged, because then you can recover the file from the cloud backup. 

Treasure hunt 
So now that you have a little background on cloud storage, play a game with yourself or a friend. Make a list of five random files. They could be music files, spreadsheets, whatever. Try find where they are located, including on which devices, and whether they are also in the cloud. To check the cloud, you can login to iCloud or Google or Dropbox or wherever you think the file is stored online. Then if you're feeling gutsy, take a file of low importance and delete it from the device. Then try to restore it from the cloud. 

Freeze frame: find that file
Businesses and professionals ideally should be able to do a freeze frame at any point in time and ask, "Where is file X stored?" And know ALL the locations of that file. 

Security and privacy
The next important questions to pose include inquiring who has access to a certain file, and if that access is limited to only those who should see it, including third parties (like cloud providers). Translation, is file X is stored securely and privately? If not, then move it somewhere safe at once. 

We have a right and responsibility to keep track of our files and decide how to control access and protection. But this is just referring to the data you are aware of - files you consciously interact with like the PDF of your tax return. 

The hidden data flow
There's a whole other world of files/data you may never see, i.e. those which flow from your computer and browser to an internet-based server whenever you are online, even when your devices seems idle. Keeping tabs on that data takes even more complex surveillance on your part, and is the subject for another article, or two or three!

Thanks for reading!
-Sam 

Are You Over Exposed?

Are You Over Exposed? 

I'm not referring to what you do or don't wear in public. Here I'm talking about what personal data you expose online. 

Take stock of your exposure
How many email accounts do you have? How many social networking accounts? How many media outlets do you subscribe to? These are things to take stock of. 

Your risk of getting hacked

The more software services you have running on your computer (programs you have installed) that connect to the Internet, and the more accounts you have with various online entities, the greater your risk of getting hacked or exploited. 

Why is this? Because it’s a numbers game – sooner or later one of the services you run or access will be hacked. Depending on what information you gave them, you may become a target on hacked data black market. 

How to reduce your exposure?

My suggestions are as follows:

1. Give careful thought to whom you give your email and contact info. Imagine what would happen if they got hacked. What data would the hacker have of yours? 

2. Uninstall any software on your computer you no longer use. Software programs are reaching more than ever out to servers for updates and other communication. These programs can be a beachhead into your computer if compromised.

3. Close online accounts of any sort that you no longer use. If you have an old email that you might occasionally need to reference, then at least suspend the service so no new mail comes in.

4. Use a strong spam filter for your email, and unsubscribe to any services you no longer use that show up on your spam list. (You can label anything that comes in as spam and sort it out when convenient.)

5. Use a unique password for EVERY SINGLE ONLINE ACCOUNT. If you share passwords between accounts and one account gets hacked, the bad guys and gals will try that password on any other accounts linked to you that they can locate. (You may like to read my July blog post about passwords.)

6. Pay attention to news reports related to any accounts you have—email, banking, social networking, etc.—and act promptly if their system has been compromised. Usually the most critical action to take is changing your password. Then start monitoring the account for unusual activity. 

One last note: Parents, be nosy about what your kids are doing on their devices, and teach them about safety and security. They rely on us for such things in the offline world; we should help protect them online as well.   


Thanks for reading!

Sam

Where's Your Data Stored?

Where's Your Data stored?

I'd like to pose a question we should be asking ourselves often in this modern digital world: Where's my data?

Where is your data?
These days a person may own a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, and other Internet-connecting gadgets like a smartwatch. Each of these devices collects data we put into them, and data they gather about us. Here I'll focus on one set of important data we input: Personally Identifying Information (PII).

What is Personally Identifying Information (PII)?
PII can include your name, social security number (SSN), date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, etc. It can also relate to your unique medical, educational, financial, or employment information. PII can be exploited for identity theft and other crimes.

Know where your PII is stored. For example, do you keep your SSN, or those of family members, on your phone in the Contacts or in a notes app? This may be convenient, but it's risky. If someone steals your phone, or hacks it, the PII is exploitable.

So after answering the "Where's my data?" question, the follow up should be: "Is it safe there?"

Is your data safe there?
In the example of a smartphone, is yours password protected? Is it encrypted? If the answer is no, no, then do not store PII on the phone. If you are using an app like Lastpass on your phone to store PII, this app's vault encrypts the data. This is good protection, but still password-protect and encrypt your phone. Nothing is 100% secure.   

What if… your phone is lost or stolen?
The third data risk question to ask is: "What if?" For example, ask yourself, "What if my phone is lost or stolen?" Have a protocol you can follow quickly to minimize the potential for information theft, the first step being locating the phone and trying a remote wipe. 

If that isn't effective, then consider all apps and accounts you save on the phone that are password-linked and change those passwords on the website for those apps and accounts immediately! (If you haven’t done so already, make complex and unique passwords for each of those accounts.)

Don't keep any PII on a portable device
To err on the side of paranoia, don't keep any PII on a portable device, or for that matter any info that you don't want going public. Take measures to protect what’s most precious. 

Thanks for reading.
Sam

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Ransomware Attacks Are On The Rise

Ransomware attacks are on the rise

One of the latest ploys cybercrooks are using is to lock up your computer, or the files on it, and demand payment to re-enable access.

Via links in emails or website scams, the crooks trick computer users to install software that encrypts all or parts of a computer's files. The only way to decrypt is to pay a ransom demanded by the perpetrators.  

This is happening not only on home computers but also on government and business systems. Recently Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center was subjected to this scheme. The hospital said it paid a $17,000 ransom in bitcoin to the hacker who seized control of the hospital's computer systems. Apparently it was worth it to regain access to the data asap instead of struggling to restore it.

The most important defensive tactic against ransomware attacks is to be very, very careful which emails you open, links you click, sites you visit. Even so, we are not perfect.  

So the next best thing is to use an online data backup service, like Mozy.com. Online backup enables you to restore files if you are hacked by ransomware. Worst case, after an attack, you can have a computer tech erase your computer’s hard drive and reload software, then restore the backed up files. Or you can buy a new computer.

Either approach can be cheaper than the ransom requested. And you avoid dealing with the ransomware jerks at all, effectively not supporting their vile business model. That’s cold comfort, but any comfort counts when we’re victimized by criminals.

If you'd like to read more about this, here's a story in the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/local/crime/la-me-malware-ransom-20160220-story.html

And here's another story about two more hospital ransomware victims, these in Germany:

http://www.scmagazine.com/ransomware-holds-data-hostage-in-two-german-hospitals/article/479835/

If you like to beta test software, click here to install an anti-ransomware software program I'm trying out. It's made by Malwarebytes, whose anti-malware program, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, I recommend.

A REMINDER...

If you ever suspect your computer is infected by ANY malicious software, unplug if from the Internet immediately and request trusted tech support. The longer the exploit goes on, the more damage the hackers can cause.

Please feel free to forward this tip to friends, family, colleagues, and others.  

If you haven't already, you can subscribe to our email tips by visiting www.kokuadigital.com and entering your name, email, and "add to email list" in the request form, then click Send.

Thanks for reading, 

Sam

Offline Data Security - A Very Good Place to Start

Offline Data Security - A Very Good Place to Start

What's the issue?
All the buzz these days in computer security is about protecting your digital data (computer-generated data) from hackers, which is a very important concern. But confidential digital data that can be exploited online (on the Internet) can actually originate offline. 

Why care?
It can be even easier for a criminal to steal your confidential information offline instead of trying online, and then use that info online to cause you much grief.

Take the contents of your wallet for example. Your identity and your financial assets can be exploited by a crook who obtains the items in your wallet--namely, your drivers license, bank and credit cards, membership cards--then finds a buyer for these items on the Internet. (There is a thriving online market to exploit these assets.)

With the info on your precious plastic cards a cyber (computer) criminal can open new accounts in your name, make purchases, and impersonate you. Depending on the creativity of the cyber thief you could be in for a long struggle to mitigate damage to your identify, reputation, and/or finances.

How to protect yourself?
A good habit is to take stock of the confidential items in your wallet. Photocopy and/or write down all pertinent information on the front and back of each card. Then store this record in your home safe. In the event your wallet goes missing you can refer to this record to notify the appropriate institutions and authorities immediately to stymie criminal activity. 

Also, the fewer items in your wallet the better. And don't carry your Social Security card, account numbers, or passwords in your wallet. Let’s not give the bad guys extra ammunition.

When should you do it?
A monthly check and update of your wallet's contents is best. After you first make the record it only takes about five minutes to note what's been added or removed from your wallet. When done, put the record back in your safe.

Where can you find more info on this topic?
The Better Business Bureau of Hawaii website has some good tips about identity and financial theft. Click here to learn more.

Who can help?
If you are elderly, ask a trusted friend or family member to assist. Seniors are frequently the victims of identity theft and financial scams. You can also ask your bank and credit card companies how they can help protect you in the event of theft.

In Sum
The bottom line is to be wary of theft in the offline and online world, and minimize our information exposure so cyber criminals can't use the latest tricks to their advantage and our anguish.

Thanks for reading. You're feedback is appreciated!

Aloha, Sam

P.S. You can subscribe to emailed computer tips by visiting www.kokuadigital.com and entering your name, email, and "add to email" in the request form.