Are you safe from hackers?

A few weeks ago Lockheed Martin, a major military contractor for the United States government, was hacked by an unknown group.  The verdict is still out whether it was a group of hackers acting on thier own or if it was a group that was financed by a rival nation.  Either way it seems there has been an increase in these attacks on our nation and we should only expect them to get worse and more widespread possibly attacking residential or small business networks.

I thought this would be a good time to help prepare my friends and family ward off any hackers or thieves that could try to steal information or privacy.  Here are a few tips when it comes to securing your personal devices.

The first thing everyone should lock down is their personal computers and home network.  By installing a firewall on the network it will prevent unwanted users from accessing your network and personal documents.  One should also make sure your wireless network is secured with at least WPA2 technology.  Regular WPA security can be broken in a matter of hours for someone who has advanced computer knowledge.  Finally for extra security it may be a good idea to hide your SSID.  SSID is the name of your router and typically can be seen by anyone in the vicinity of your router.  Hiding your SSID is easy to do and keeps your network from being a target.

Just this week a guy from New York had his laptop stolen and because he had installed a security app he was able to take pictures with the webcam at will.  This showed who the thief was and even where he worked.  This led to the thief's arrest and the return of the victim's laptop.

Next and sometimes overlooked is mobile phone security especially if you have a smartphone.  Not only does your phone contain loads of personal information, it is an expensive device that can be relatively easy to steal.  For those who were smart enough to buy an Android powered phone are in luck.  You can download a free app from the Android Market called Where's My Droid? This app allows you to send your phone a text message that turns on a loud ringer on your phone until you find it.  So if you are at a party and someone picked up your phone send your phone the pass phrase and listen for who's pocket starts to ring.  If you have lost or had your phone stolen at a more public place then simply send it an alternate pass phrase to GPS your Droid.  Your phone (if on) will send back it's exact coordinates.  If you keep your GPS on this usually can track your phone with 5 meters!  There are also apps like this for IPhone but you will need to look those up on your own.

Most smartphones allow you to have a security pin to unlock the phone.  This is always a good idea to slow them down a bit.  Hackers and thieves can get around this but it will buy you a little time to make your next move which is wiping your phone memory remotely.  Using an app called Android Lost.  This app allows you to change many settings on the phone that may come in use.  The most important feature is remotely wiping your phone and SD card.  That way those pictures you took last spring break won't end up on the internet.

If you apply some of these security measures to your devices you can have peace of mind knowing your personal info and property are secured.  Take my word on it by 2015 hacking and other forms of digital burglary will be widespread issues that must be taken seriously.