A Universal Threat Model For Online Adults

What can go wrong on the Internet, and what can you do about it?

When you were young, your parents told you “Look both ways before you cross the street.” Solid advice then, and even more useful now that we’re so distracted by our cell phones.

So . . . what’s a Threat Model, and why should I care?

A Threat Model is a tool — a way of questioning yourself — that helps you understand what you want to do, what’s happening in the World around you, and helps you accomplish your goals more safely.

Complicated? Heck, no. Simply ask yourself 4 simple questions, and your likelihood of success increases.

#ThreatModel
#Cybersecurity

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/this-universal-threat-model-will-help-you-stay-safe-online

The Passwords Of The Past — simply don’t keep us safe online anymore.

Making up a password on the fly simply won’t protect your online account like it did even 5-10 years ago. You need a Modern Password.

How do you make a Modern Password?

The short answer is: use a high-quality Password Manager.

Your Password Manager will create a Modern Password for you, quickly and almost effortlessly, with just a click or two. It’ll remember that new password forever, no need to even try to memorize it. And when you visit the site again, your Password Manager will type that long, complex, unique password into the website’s login page for you.

But Wait, There’s More . . .

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/why-use-a-password-manager

PASSWORDS

After all these years, is there really anything new or different to say about passwords?

☑️ Hamilton in theaters this month.
☑️ The tech of that era.
☑️ Why one cybersecurity researcher abandoned a successful body of work.
☑️ The "funeral" that came went, but we didn't get an invite.

Digital Kleptos™ Newsletter

Weekly resources to help keep you safer online — protecting you from hackers, online scammers, and other Digital Kleptomaniacs™

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/how-to-make-strong-modern-passwords-and-why-you-need-to

5 Simple Cybersecurity Tips To Keep You Safe Online

Worried about scams, fraud, and online crime?

You have more power to protect yourself than you think.

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/5-simple-cybersecurity-tips-to-keep-you-safe-online

Hackers Now Striking Death Blows To Successful Companies

We’re seeing a worrying new trend — not simply damage, but destruction

The Einhaus Group was once a familiar name in Germany, boasting 170 employees offering its services through 5,000 retail outlets with an annual revenue close to $82 million dollars. The Einhaus Group invented electronics insurance in Germany, including a popular 24-hour cell phone repair or replacement service.

Three hackers planted the "Royal" ransomware on their network, encrypting all their systems, including contracts, billing, and communication data, crippling the business.

Despite heroic efforts to save the business by laying off most of their 170 employees, and selling their headquarters, the damage was devastating.

How do we avoid joining the growing list of companies destroyed by hacking?

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/hackers-now-striking-death-blows-to-successful-companies

The Woman Who Smashed Codes

A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies

Suppose you have a friend with an interest in history who wants to know more about cybersecurity. Before “cybersecurity” there was “information security,” often practiced between countries and against criminal organizations.
What would you use as a good introduction to the topic?

Seriously, I thought this book was fantastic. Elizebeth Friedman’s team saved at least 8,000 lives when the Queen Mary was being hunted by German U-boats, and she directly helped stop the Nazification of South America. She became — by far — America’s most famous codebreaker during her lifetime, with stories about her appearing in national magazines and newspapers all over the country.

This NPR Book of the Year is a thoroughly enjoyable, great read! Probably the best single book for anyone starting out, trying to gain an understanding of the historical landscape of information security. It definitely helps the reader imagine the through-lines running from the past up to the current time.

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/the-woman-who-smashed-codes

Mark Zuckerberg’s Building A Huge Bunker On His 2,300-Acre Fortified Estate in Hawaii

But you don't need to spend $300M to protect what you've earned.

It’s understandable that the founder of Facebook wants to protect himself, his family, and his lifestyle.

But what about the rest of us?

Even an underground bunker twice the size of a typical U.S. home won't protect us from hacking or online fraud.

Instead of building a bunker, gaining cybersecurity expertise is a form of Wealth in itself, and it helps us protect (and keep) what we’ve earned.

Many of us are living below the cybersecurity poverty line, and don’t even know it.

Cybersecurity is a modern form of wealth, and you deserve to keep what you've earned.

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/mark-zuckerberg-s-building-a-huge-bunker-on-his-2-300-acre-fortified-estate-in-hawaii

We've Been Using The Internet for 30+ Years.

What could possibly go wrong?

Consumer use of the Internet began rapidly expanding in 1995. Now we’ve had 30 years to watch what happens when typical consumers use the Internet to connect with each other, purchase products, and conduct the everyday business of life.

The Internet offered tremendous convenience: renewing your drivers license from home, paying bills without envelopes and stamps, strengthening social ties with just a few clicks.

But so much can also go wrong. We’re living through an explosion of online crimes against the public. Hackers are going after every age group, in every area of our online lives.

What’s the best practical cybersecurity solution for most online users?

This guidance comes from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), long considered the standard-bearer of all things cybersecurity.

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/the-internet-s-30-years-old-now-we-know-what-can-go-wrong

Hackers Took Advantage Of One Crappy Password To Destroy This 158-Year-Old Company

We almost never hear of a business completely destroyed by Digital Kleptos™.

Unfortunately today’s story highlights what happens when a business fails at The Basics of Business Cybersecurity. What were once “nice to haves” have now become “must haves” if you want your business to survive one of these increasingly common ransomware attacks. As the old saying goes, Knowledge Is Power.

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/hackers-took-advantage-of-one-crappy-password-to-destroy-this-158-year-old-company

Imagine you publish an article in a technical journal detailing your research results. How far beyond the technical “bubble” would that message travel? How many people would see it?

Sometimes a dress is just a dress, but in this intriguing example, a technical journal article received massive coverage in the mainstream media and exposed millions of readers to a niche area of cybersecurity research.

Can you identify the elements of this story which resonated so strongly with the general public?

https://www.digitalkleptos.com/p/solving-the-silk-dress-cryptogram