Cybersecurity life is a breach
Online privacy and security are issues for people and businesses
Google “online privacy and security,” and the search engine points to an article that states “it’s a good idea to have both.”
Ironically, another search for “Google health data” spotlights an NPR story about how the company “is collecting the health data of millions of Americans in partnership with a big health care system. The project is raising questions about patient privacy.”
Yvonne C. Conway-Williams finds those results cautionary. A board member of Women Who WordPress and co-founder of ParadoxPrime Information Assurance, she has addressed cybersecurity at WordCamp.
Conway-Williams and author-blogger Carol Stephen talked about the perils of online privacy and how to deal with it.
Online privacy might be a contradiction in terms, but ideally, users should aim to protect personally identifiable information.
“Privacy deals with securing personal data on the internet,” Conway-Williams said. “That includes when, where and how information is distributed or used.”
Unfortunately, Google’s collecting information on millions of people is known as Tuesday. Cynicism comes easily.
“The fact people weren’t given the option to decline is concerning,” Conway-Williams said. “However, the information gathered may help improve patient care. Maybe. Or it might just help capitalism.”
Common cyber threats include innocent-looking Facebook quizzes where people willingly give away their private data.
“It shocks me how freely people post-critical personal information,” Conway-Williams said. “Don’t post a picture of your hospital ID bracelet, your new passport or your kid’s new driver’s license — especially not set to public distribution.”
Among best practices to protect online privacy, don’t remind others of your mother’s maiden name or your birthday. Don’t talk about your trips until after you’ve returned.
Conway-Williams added these suggestions:
- Use virtual private networks or VPNs.
- Secure passwords.
- Review permissions for sites and apps.
- Check privacy settings on social networks.
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi.
- Keep antivirus updated.
- Clear browsing history regularly.
- Avoid doing business with companies that have poor security or privacy reputations.
Never-ending fixes
If privacy has been breached, change your passwords for the umpteenth time. Enroll in free identity protection, although you are likely already a member of a dozen such programs.
“Contain, change — remediate — report and monitor what you can,” Conway-Williams said. “Contain the damage. Change passwords, email, security questions — what you can. Report to authorities and businesses. Monitor for any unauthorized use of information.”
Businesses must have published procedures in place to ensure customer privacy — and follow them.
“Encrypt, educate employees on security procedures, implement a document destruction policy and control access,” Conway-Williams said.
To protect online privacy, review online security settings, which are only as strong as your willingness to follow through on them. Don’t tell friends openly what you don’t want bad guys to know.
“Use a VPN, encrypted messaging apps, strong passwords, password manager and check privacy settings on social media,” Conway-Williams said.
It would be good to delete cookies every time you shut down your computer.
“How often you delete cookies depends on the source and what you’re doing,” Conway-Williams said. “It might be better to block cookies instead of deleting them. Whitelist sites you visit most.”
She prefers TOR — a means for people to browse the internet anonymously — as the best browser to ensure data is kept private.
“Firefox is a good choice,” Conway-Williams said. “There is also Chromium, an open-source browser by Google. Regardless of which browser you use, always check your settings.”
She regularly takes precautions to secure online privacy, but the expert seems resigned to her fate.
“I have my online activities locked down as much as possible, but between all the massive data breaches from Yahoo, Equifax and so many more, I’m aware that much of my info is already out there,” Conway-Williams said. “I’ve changed what is possible to change and will monitor the rest.”
About The Author
Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
