Keeping IT Simple

Tech Blog

Random thoughts on current trends.

Where have I been and what have I been up to...

It’s been over 3 years since I have posted any updates. Well folks I’ve been around but life has been busy. Rather than spending endless hours in front of the screen, been spending more of my time outside as it’s much needed.

What’s been happening. Well top of mind is Indigo Chapter’s data breach. Everyone knows about this and everyone across Canada is most likely affected by this. Why is it so bad, well first off their site has been offline for over a week and still going as of today (Feb 16, 2023). When majority of sales comes from online sales, this is def effecting Indigo’s bottom line for Q1 sales results. The longer they are offline the worse it will get. What other reasons can there be for their site to be offline this long… Chances are their website was infected with some type of malware that has been skimming payment cards, how long has yet to be known. (note this is all speculation, until Indigo comes out with an official Root Cause Analysis one should just be under the impression of the worse case scenario). Remember Indigo’s digital payment system was offline for almost a week too as they were only accepting cash payments.

Look folks, we can bury our heads in the sand and presume all is well or we can do what is appropriate for ourselves and protect our data. What are some options:

  1. Quit using simple passwords, I’m sorry but your pet’s name or kid’s name as part of your password is just stupid these days. What are some idea for strong passwords, use a phrase from a book, combine words together that have meaning to you, use acronyms. Or just a combination.

  2. Don’t post your entire life online, the more you post the faster it is for someone to build a profile about you to steal your life. I get it, you using Social Media to get rich, well there are smart ways of doing it, and then there’s the idiot’s guide. Practice safe social media. What does that mean… Don’t use your real name, use a pseudonym if possible. Don’t tell people where you are all the time, the more you goto the same places the easier it is for someone to stalk you. Everyone loves to share their lives with the world as a means to either drum up likes or use it as a way to entice you the consumer to buy more.

  3. Use a password manager. LastPass was my goto, but since they have been hit by a data breach and lost all of their customer database to the malicious world, time to pick a new option 1Password, BitWarden are options, but with these solutions they require strong master password. So refer to the first item on this list.

  4. Start purging your digital footprint. You can’t delete what’s already out there, but you can whittle it down and keep your footprint with a more manageable size. Do you really need all these social media accounts, or can you limit yourself to a couple? Ask yourself if TikTok, SnapChat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc are all needed. The more you disconnect from the better it is for yourself to manage and even for your own mental health.

  5. If you aren’t already, secure your home wireless network. WPA2 and WEP aren’t what they are cracked up to be anymore. Really WEP shouldn’t be an option. WPA2 is fine and all if that’s all you got for support, WPA3 is prob a better option but again this comes down to password strength and how you choose to set up your wireless network. There are some best practices some folks follow, and there are some practices others enforce for themselves. If you aren’t sure, ask someone you trust to help you out.

All of these are just my own thoughts, do what you want with them. These are open ideas and discussions for folks to have with each other.

As always, questions, comments are welcomed, just direct them to my mailbox.

Vince Chan