Your Connected World

How connected is your individual world? Think about all gadgets that you own, how many of those have an internet connection either directly or through Wi-Fi? Most of you will think about your laptop, cell phone, tablet and desktop and you would be right all of these have an internet connection. The “Cloud” is what connects all of these together. In cloud storage you sign up with a service that provides storage for all of your files. So no matter what device you use you have access to them.

Now let’s think about other things that might have internet access such as your car, garage door, front door, thermostat and other appliances. Some of these may already have internet access, others surely will in future years.

So now the big question; Is Your Connected World secure now and in future years. Here are some security items to consider:

• Each online account that you have should have a strong and unique password, use at least 14 characters.
• If you use online storage make sure that it is secure and encrypted.
• Consider a password manager to manage all of your passwords; they even work with tablets and cell phones.
• If you use Wi-Fi make sure that your router has a unique password and uses modern security settings.
• As you purchase new appliances, vehicles, etc. if they have internet connections secure them from the start using strong passwords and device security settings.
• You should consider using “Two Factor” authentication for banking and investing. Two-Factor authentication is where you enter your unique and strong password, then the institution will send you a onetime code to enter. This will be sent via text or email. It will be valid only for a short period of time.

The above is not all inclusive. It is meant to get you thinking about security and how important your passwords are. If you use a password manager, and you should, make sure that your master password is unique, that it contains upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. And above all remember that one password, if you don’t it cannot be recovered.

The easier things try and become for us, the more complicated things get. This is something that we cannot stop. So build a strong and good security base and the rest will be just adding to your already good security practices.

You should also change your passwords on some type of schedule; you probably don’t have to change all of your passwords only the ones that would cost you the greatest loss.