If I’ve gained anything from this final module, it is that I have not been taking my security seriously when it comes to being online.
I’m the first to “x” out of my software protection update notification and I have been known to use the same variation of password for all my accounts. I suppose it’s the idea of, “Well, it hasn’t happened to me yet, so I’m sure I’m fine!”
Reading through just some of the treats in our learning materials, such as my data being sold by the browser extensions and surveillance capitalism as just a few examples.
I found the article that helped me clean up my act the most in terms of security was the Lifehacker article, “Top 10 Security Basics Everyone Should Follow.”
Some of the more obvious tips were along the lines of, “Never use public Wifi without a VPN” or “Use a passcode on your phone that’s more complex than a 4 digit pin”
I will say, the tip that I didn’t even realize was changing the basic settings on your Wifi router box and changing the router’s administrator login. This is defiantly something I did after reading about it.
Tor is also something that I have looked into after reviewing these module’s learning materials. Usually, I would use Incognito mode as an avenue to keep what I was looking up private but to have an entire browser system that runs like that is defiantly intriguing. However, It is scary that some people’s purposes for having such browsers would be for reasons like child pornography or even worse.
As stated in both the lecture and the Lifehacker article about Tor, if the NSA wants to find you, they will. Or at least be able to tell that you are using an encrypted service like Tor.
In conclusion, my final thoughts for this module, if it could be wrapped up in one word, it would be insecure. (No pun intended.) Before this final module, I was sure that nothing I would read could convince me to reactivate my security membership. Like many things I’ve learned in this course, I feel that I was let in on a dirty little secret about the internet that I wasn’t supposed to. I am happy to share that I have activated my software protection once again, as well as changing the basic setting on the wifi box not only at my apartment complex but at my aunts as well. I feel like my approach to security and safety on the internet has gone from laissez-faire to “Better safe than sorry.”
