Let's mix it up and make a change!

So, what changes can we make to help protect ourselves online?  If you haven't read my VPN post, read it here!

Being anonymous online doesn't do much if you allow people into your computer.  There are plenty of ways for unwanted visitors to gain access to your system with or without your permission.  This is where we need to take a step back, use some critical thinking skills and some common sense to make sure our business stays our business!

Deep Packet Whaaaaaat?

Just because a website has a secure (https:) it doesn't mean they won't take any and all information they can from you.  Many companies have turned to deep packet inspection to gather data about you.  This means every time you go to a website, search for anything online or enter in your information they log it and hold onto it.  It's terrifying to think everything you do online is being watched by someone else.  This is what deep packet inspection is in essence.  Companies use it on you, then sell your information off to advertisers in an attempt to get you to buy products you didn't know you needed.

Have no fear, helpful tips are here!

There are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself from spying eyes.  

• Firstly is to always read the terms of service!  Make sure you know what companies are going to do with your information (they are required to tell you!).
• Always check your bank and credit statements for weird transactions or payments you don't remember making.  Contact the bank or credit card provider immediately!
• Get anti-virus software and make sure it's always up to date!
• If you don't feel safe giving a company your information, DON'T!  There's nothing saying you need to!

Java drive-by??
It's scary to think but there are exploits out there that will give hackers the ability to get into your computer using Java!  This one is simple enough to combat, don't run ANY java applications you don't trust.  If it doesn't seem 1000% legitimate, don't run it.  One wrong click and your whole life can become someone else's!

How does the Internet affect you?

There are many ways the internet can affect you including personally, professionally and collegiality.  These elements of the digital citizenship (which can be seen here) all play a role in our lives.  Let's discuss shall we?

Your Personal Life!
It's no secret that you use the internet (almost everyone does these days!)  The element I believe affects your personal life on the web is digital communication.  This has revolutionized our world completely and we all enjoy the benefits it brings!  We can now instantly communicate with almost anybody in the world at anytime!  Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, instant messages, cell phones and texting, Skype, online gaming and online forums have made it possible to share and communicate anything we want!  You can share stories, movies, pictures and music.  You can have a conversation about a topic of interest such as gardening (which you can view here)  The ability to share information and just connect with people have made the world an incredible place.  Digital communication is the way of the future and is here to stay!  It has so many benefits and we all use it everyday!

College!  Hooray for school online!
Moving on, what about school?  Sure we can all communicate on a personal level, but what about in a classroom setting?  Is that possible online?  Do people even know how to use the technology to allow this to happen?  This is where digital literacy comes into play.  Most people can read and write just fine.  The words do you no good if you can't get them out to the person you're trying to reach.  In our modern world we need to be able to use the tools at our disposal to become better digital citizens!  For example, lets say you create a song and want to share it with the world.  If you don't know how to use any of the tools out there in order to share your song with the world it gets lost and forgotten.  This is why we need to be better educated and have better digital literacy.  I predict that sometime in the future digital learning will replace the old systems we have in place currently.  We must be able to learn and find information quickly and have the ability to understand it.

Virus'!  Virus' Everywhere!
What about your job?  Let's say you have 5 min to yourself and you want to be entertained.  Little to you know you have just infected your workplace computer and it has spread across the entire network!  Everyone's e-mail and data has been removed and you cost your company thousands of dollars in damage!  This is where digital security comes into play.  We have to understand and recognize any threats that may be online and what to do when we encounter them.  If you can't handle a computer and keep it secure no company in the world would want to hire a security risk!  You need to understand that there are people out there trying to get into your computer.  We must learn how they do it, why they do it and what we can do to stop it!  Especially on the job where the risk becomes that much greater.  You have to have a job to survive and support yourself, the last thing you would want to do is let a hacker or virus into your employers network and in turn ruin everything.  Be safe and be smart!

Employers have even started looking at potential employees facebooks and other social forums to see how worthy they are of a job!  Anything you post online can and will be found.  Think of how scary that is..  You upload a photo or video of you doing something you definitely wouldn't want your boss seeing and when you don't get the job you're left wondering why.  Check out the article "Employers, Get Outta My Facebook" to see how the whole hiring process is changing.

Virtual Private Network (VPN) Guide!

Hello CIS205, I want to take a minute to give you all some additional security tips when you're online.  If you don't know what a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is, let me explain.  What a VPN does is connects your computer to a server somewhere else in the world and it allows you to use the IP address of that server while hiding your own!  Here's a little flow chart to help you understand

Your computer (with your real IP)  --->  VPN Server (that gives you a "fake" IP)  ---->  Internet


If you still don't completely understand, hopefully a real world example will help you out.  If you go to http://whatismyipaddress.com/ you will see all the information anybody in the world could have just by obtaining your IP.  Check this out:

With a VPN however, your IP gets masked and all your data gets encrypted!  That way any login information or passwords you send online are encrypted before they get encrypted by the website you visit (ex. Paypal encrypts the data you send them once you login, with a VPN the data is encrypted once and then a second time by Paypal)  Same website only I'm connected to a VPN:

As you can see, my IP now shows that I live in Switzerland!  All the information that can be obtained by your IP changes (It's the internet, never good to show anything about yourself!).  So if you want to add a bit more security to your online browsing habits, I would highly recommend purchasing a subscription to a VPN.

Talk about cost, it's about 9$ US a month for this service (including the firewall protection that encrypts your data).  That's a pretty small amount to keep hackers and other people who wish to do you harm at bay!  Hope this helps and happy surfing!