I wasn’t expecting to get as much out of this course than I did. This week especially woke me up to the fact that we live in a world that can be extremely unsafe, especially on the Internet. Even if it is safe, our information is out there for people to find, or even buy. I plan to make a few changes to my online habits and see if I can take back some of the privacy that was unknowingly taken away from me and millions more.
The first thing I did to make myself more secure was install two-factor authentication. I was reading “How to Enable Multifactor Security on Amazon” when I quickly opened a new tab and followed the instructions on how to complete it. I knew that was something simple, quick, but effective. After finishing the readings this week, I did the same thing with Facebook and plan to for other websites and apps that contain sensitive information. I am choosing to do this step because I believe it is important to protect myself, even in a small way. I like knowing that even if my Amazon account gets hacked or someone signs in on a new device, they can’t get much further without the physical phone that I set up in that instance.
My next big plan is to encrypt my entire computer. I have had no issues with security on my hard drive in the past, but I must not be naive and think it won’t happen to me in the future. I love traveling, and have to bring my laptop with me while in school. If my computer fell into the wrong hands, all my information and files could easily be stolen from me. While I may not being able to fully prevent theft or loss, I can create a passphrase that only me and my husband know to unlock the devices we have. I also noticed that it is different for a desktop than a laptop in the sense that sleep mode in a laptop doesn’t erase the RAM. This article was very useful to me, and explains why I should be shutting down my computer more often, perhaps even if it remains at home. While I can do everything in my power to prevent someone from breaking into my house, it doesn’t make it impossible. Someone can still smash a window and steal my computer, along with my unlocked files.
I haven’t done anything else yet, but I also plan to do something different with my online activity. The problem is this whole security thing can be confusing since we still aren’t sure what information about ourselves is out there. We can guess but I don’t know what websites to avoid entirely, since I still use Google to search things.There was also so many articles to read this week, taking in all that information takes time to absorb. There are also so many things to consider in terms of security. Encrypting my information everywhere will do a better job at covering more bases than I would on my own. I definitely think I am more equipped to protect myself after reading this week’s materials.
