Has your password been stolen?

Has your password been stolen?

Almost every week a new item hits the news about compromised computer systems and stolen passwords. Do you know that passwords are actually sold on the black market for real money? Why? Because compromised passwords can, and are, being used to steal real money from internet users.

compromised passwords are being used to steal real money

Here is just one recent news item: Millions of stolen passwords and email addresses sold online

Are you at risk?

Yes, if you fit into any of these 3 categories:

  • You use the same password on more than one website
  • You don’t use a password manager
  • You don’t have 2FA (two factor authentication) enabled

Lastpass has outlined more details on why passwords matter, and what you can do to protect yourself. Please read this important article here: The 411 on the Password Black Market

Another sobering reminder about why you should never use the same password on more than one website is explained in this video: Password Cracking

How CAN I protect MYSELF?

At the very least:

  • Never use the same password on more than one website
  • Use a password manager so that you are not overwhelmed with passwords
  • Enable 2FA (two factor authentication) on any accounts of yours that support it

Does you or your business need further help on your IT security? Contact us for more information on the consulting services we offer. If you have any questions regarding this article, please let us know below.

 

Secure messaging, how?

TextSecure_icon.svgSecure messaging on the internet, is this even possible?
Believe it or not, it is. Why should you be interested, and how can you also send/receive secure messages?

Secure messaging is actually possible

What is secure messaging and why should you be interested?

It’s fair to say that despite what you think or have been told, privacy on the internet is almost impossible. When it comes to security however, this is something within your reach. It is something you should be interested in.

Consider how end to end encrypted messaging works. You send a message to me, and only my device(s) can open/read your message. Even if the data was intercepted during the transmission process, it would be impossible for it to be deciphered. This kind of security is possible today.

Read more about end to end encryption here.

While you may not be discussing anything ‘top secret’, surely knowing that your message can only be read by the recipient is reassuring.

How?

One free option is Viber (there are others). To see the details on how this works, see this Viber Support Article.

Basically, once you make a voice call and both parties click the secure padlock icon while on the call, an encryption key will be stored on both devices which ensures that all messages sent between these devices (your device and the other person’s device) cannot be read by anyone else. From that point on, voice and text messages with this person use full end to end encryption.

Do you need it?

It really depends on how securely you want to protect your information. When it comes to business, using secure messaging and data storage is essential to provide your customer with the assurance that you are doing your best to protect them and their data/information.

On a related note, do you offer your customers secure access to your website yet? If not, be sure to read our article on just how easy this is here: Do you SSL/HTTPS? You should. Find out why

Are there other messaging applications that you use and wonder if they are secure and also support end to end encryption? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll dig up the facts for you.

Does your web host offer multiple versions of php?

211px-Webysther_20160423_-_Elephpant.svgWhat is php? Why is having access to use multiple versions of php so important? Does XYZulu offer multiple versions of php?

What is PHP?

According to Wikipedia, “PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited to server-side web development, in which case PHP generally runs on a web server. Any PHP code in a requested file is executed by the PHP runtime, usually to create dynamic web page content or dynamic images used on websites or elsewhere.”

Why should you be interested in this?

your website will load faster, and run more efficiently if you are using PHP 7

Your website will load faster, and run more efficiently if you are using PHP 7. Think of is as the fuel that powers the engine your website uses. Use the right fuel, and your web site will run at it’s best.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, that elephant is the official PHP mascot. 🙂

Why is having access to use multiple versions of php so important?

PHP is constantly being updated and deployed on web servers around the world. Usually these updates are to patch security holes and optimize the delivery of website content. Each new version of PHP however, usually brings a greater jump in speed as well as well as additional features for developers. A case in point is PHP 7, which is a big jump forward in performance.

Most major scripts like Joomla, WordPress and Drupal already support PHP 7. Utilizing the performance improvements is as simple as ensuring your website scripts (Joomla, WordPress etc) are up to date and enabling PHP 7.

Aside from the benefits of PHP 7, having access to multiple versions of PHP also means that you can run scripts that support older versions of PHP as well as the latest version of PHP. The choice is up to you. A shared web host that is not running multiple versions of PHP yet, is probably one to avoid for security and performance reasons.

Does XYZulu.hosting offer multiple versions of php?

XYZulu Hosting offers multiple versions of PHP

Yes! You can choose your version of PHP from cPanel > Select PHP version. If you need a hand checking to see if your script or website supports PHP 7, please be sure to contact us from our Support Portal.

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