Maxwell’s Tech Program for Thursday, January 23, 2020
Contrary to the Hollywood depiction, most computer hacks don’t come about because some super-genius finds a way to crack a database of encrypted passwords. Cracking strong encryption is a very time consuming process, but getting someone to give you their passwords (or something equivalent) is much more doable.
The ransomware attack on OCPL this past summer brought this reality of online security home to Onondaga County. It was, like many other ransomware attacks, accomplished by social engineering: getting someone in the system to “open a door” to someone they mistakenly thought should have an open door.
Today’s program will talk about some skills for keeping your online data safe:
- Recognizing phishing,
- Managing secure passwords, and
- Keeping software up-to-date.