Security Checkpoint Bitwarden Generator can help you create and securely store unique passwords for all your digital life.
It’s 2023 and you still need a password manager. Passwordless solutions are on the horizon, but in order to be ready you need to get your house in order today. One key tool to help you with that is the password manager. We use Bitwarden and recommend it to anyone who can remember their main password. If you trust yourself with that, use Bitwarden. The free account is fantastic for most people and their paid account offers more useful feature at a reasonable price. Best of all it works on all computing devices you already use: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iPhone, iPad, Google Chrome, FireFox, Edge, no matter where you are online, you can use it!
Security Checkpoint – is a new series of web videos where we go through and improve our digital privacy and security one step and one minute at a time. These are all great security and privacy practices. You can follow along as Alan goes through his digital life and cleans up data and access.
If this post helped you improve your digital security and privacy please like, subscribe, and click the YouTube bell. You’ll be the first to know when we have more tips on Security Checkpoint for twitter and other digital services.
Security Checkpoint A Layered Approach to Security
Security Checkpoint A Layered Approach to Security
Security Checkpoint why use a layered approach with Bitwarden? Imagine having a few pieces of Swiss cheese, each one has holes in different places. Then imagine stacking them on top of each other until there are no holes. Now things can’t get through. This is why we use a layered approach to security. Some measures may not prevent some attacks, but together several layers will prevent most risks.
Security Checkpoint – is a new series of web videos where we go through and improve our digital privacy and security one step and one minute at a time. These are all great security and privacy practices. You can follow along as Alan goes through his digital life and cleans up data and access.
It’s two for Tuesday today since we have 2 videos to share today!
Introduction to Bitwarden
It’s 2023 and you still need a password manager. Passwordless solutions are on the horizon, but in order to be ready you need to get your house in order today. One key tool to help you with that is the password manager. We use Bitwarden and recommend it to anyone who can remember their main password. If you trust yourself with that, use Bitwarden. The free account is fantastic for most people and their paid account offers more useful feature at a reasonable price. Best of all it works on all computing devices you already use: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iPhone, iPad, Google Chrome, FireFox, Edge, no matter where you are online, you can use it!
If this post helped you improve your digital security and privacy please like, subscribe, and click the YouTube bell. You’ll be the first to know when we have more tips on Security Checkpoint for twitter and other digital services.
Ep. 16 The Tech Industry Uses So Much Jargon – IT with Alan Youngblood
Building a better you tech talk new podcast just dropped today! When Nick Spindler and Chris Morgan, co-hosts of the Garner Young Professionals‘ Building a Better You podcast invited our founder Alan Youngblood to join for an episode he was delighted. We’ve listened to several episodes of the podcast and highly recommend that you listen, subscribe, and like the channel.
Nick and Chris are doing a great job collaborating with the Garner Chamber of Commerce. They created a great resource that is sourced by our community and the shared knowledge and wisdom we each bring.
Building A Better You Tech Talk
In episode 16 Alan Youngblood shares about Building a Better You and talks tech with Nick and Chris. The conversation covers the fundamental IT security practices that everyone can do to improve and mitigate real risks. There’s even some decidedly low-tech suggestions that Alan shares about how he connects with nature and integrates more humanity in life and work. Listen below and contact us if you have questions or need help with your company’s technology!
In this episode, Nicole Barone is back to help us take a look at the podcast so far and dive deeper into some of the insights we've gained from it.
Info about the Garner Young Professionals:Â HERE
Info about Davis Insurance and Financial Services:Â HERE
Contact Nicole:Â [email protected]
Info about Community of Hope Ministries:Â HERE
Info about Chris Morgan – Grow Local Realty:Â HERE
Info about Nick Spindler – Grow Local Realty:Â HERE
Music by Zeph Park
Security Checkpoint Twitter Part 3: Hardware Tokens
Security Checkpoint – Twitter – is a new series of web videos where we go through and improve our digital privacy and security one step and one minute at a time. These are all great security and privacy practices. You can follow along as Alan goes through his digital life and cleans up data and access.
Multi-Factor Authentication
In this quick video we go through multi-factor authentication or MFA. It’s also called Two factor or two step authentication. Think of MFA as a layered approach to verifying you are how you claim to be. Why a layered approach? Simply, the more layers of security you have create more hoops for hackers to jump to breach your data. Good security requires knowing what you value. Then you take as many reasonable measures to prevent valuable data and systems falling into the wrong hands.
Follow along with the video in your own account at twitter.com
Authenticator Apps
We covered these last time, so watch the previous episode for more info.
Hardware Token Keys
We also demonstrate setting up a hardware token key. These function like the technology equivalent of a house key. You’ll have to pay a premium if you want this next-level security. We have the Yubikey 5C with NFC and Yubikey 5 with NFC.
You’ll want at least two (one shared backup is fine for a small company or department). Remember house keys? What happens if you accidentally lock yourself out of your house in a hurry to get somewhere? Well maybe you have another key entrusted to a neighbor or nearby family or friends. You don’t hide it the first place any thief would look under your doormat, do you? Maybe you need to check on that too. That’s why it’s important to buy at least a couple keys whenever you choose to use them. Set up both the same way at the same time and store your backup in a safe place. You can literally use a safe or locked filing cabinet for extra security!
Because you’ll want two hardware token keys and they are roughly $50 each, you should budget $100 to get started with these. You will also need to plan a couple of weeks lead time for the order process and until you get the devices delivered.
Don’t Care About Twitter? Think Again
Don’t use twitter much anymore but still have your account? Neither do we! Who cares? Well we do, and you should too! Cleaning up old data, accounts, and systems is a very vital part of your digital security and privacy well being. Imagine you had your old email from middle school without updates and just left the account running. The old server never got updated enough and now someone got into it and used it to compromise your work Instagram. Yikes! So safe removal, deletion, or updated security are required for all systems you use in your digital life.
If this post helped you improve your digital security and privacy please like, subscribe, and click the YouTube bell. You’ll be the first to know when we have more tips on Security Checkpoint for twitter and other digital services.
Security Checkpoint – Twitter – is a new series of web videos where we go through and improve our digital privacy and security one step and one minute at a time. These are all great security and privacy practices. You can follow along as Alan goes through his digital life and cleans up data and access.
Multi-Factor Authentication
In this quick video we go through multi-factor authentication or MFA. It’s also called Two factor or two step authentication. Think of MFA as a layered approach to verifying you are how you claim to be. Why a layered approach? Simply, the more layers of security you have create more hoops for hackers to jump to breach your data. Good security requires knowing what you value. Then you take as many reasonable measures to prevent valuable data and systems falling into the wrong hands.
Follow along with the video in your own account at twitter.com
Authenticator Apps
In this video we setup an authentication app on our mobile phone. We use Authy and recommend it to everyone. If you already use Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Cisco Duo, or a similar app feel free to use that instead. These apps provide a good level of extra security with no additional cost. Don’t be distracted by that long list, just pick the one that you like the most and only use one.
Hardware Token Keys
We also demonstrate setting up a hardware token key. These function like the technology equivalent of a house key. You’ll have to pay a premium if you want this next-level security. We have the Yubikey 5C with NFC and Yubikey 5 with NFC.
You’ll want at least two (one shared backup is fine for a small company or department). Remember house keys? What happens if you accidentally lock yourself out of your house in a hurry to get somewhere? Well maybe you have another key entrusted to a neighbor or nearby family or friends. You don’t hide it the first place any thief would look under your doormat, do you? Maybe you need to check on that too. That’s why it’s important to buy at least a couple keys whenever you choose to use them. Set up both the same way at the same time and store your backup in a safe place. You can literally use a safe or locked filing cabinet for extra security!
Don’t Care About Twitter? Think Again
Don’t use twitter much anymore but still have your account? Neither do we! Who cares? Well we do, and you should too! Cleaning up old data, accounts, and systems is a very vital part of your digital security and privacy well being. Imagine you had your old email from middle school without updates and just left the account running. The old server never got updated enough and now someone got into it and used it to compromise your work Instagram. Yikes! So safe removal, deletion, or updated security are required for all systems you use in your digital life.
If this post helped you improve your digital security and privacy please like, subscribe, and click the YouTube bell. You’ll be the first to know when we have more tips on Security Checkpoint for twitter and other digital services.
Security Checkpoint – Twitter – is a new series of web videos where we go through and improve our digital privacy and security one step and one minute at a time. Because these are all great security and privacy practices you can follow along as Alan goes through his digital life and cleans up data and access.
In this quick video we go through app sessions and user sessions. We apply the principles of least privilege by getting rid of app connections and logged in sessions that are no longer needed.
Follow along with the video in your own account at twitter.com
Over time we all add apps and accounts that we no longer use or care about. Let’s take care of those now on Twitter. Each one of these increases our cyber attack risk surface. It’s a simple theory: any way that I can access my own accounts is also a potential opening for hackers.
If this post helped you improve your digital security and privacy please like, subscribe, and click the YouTube bell. You’ll be the first to know when we have more tips on Security Checkpoint for twitter and other digital services.
Are you ready for the passwordless future with passkeys? It’s already here. Or near. Well, it’s a good goal for all of us.
Passwords are annoying. And many times they don’t do enough to prevent data breaches.
If you’ve ever heard our founder Alan talk for a while you’re guaranteed to hear him say:
Security and usability are fundamentally at odds.
Alan Youngblood
This doesn’t have to be the case though. It is super easy to use Passkeys, but don’t take my word for it:
Login process with Passkeys on Macbook Pro
And it’s even more secure to use Passwordless systems.
By using the security capabilities of your devices like Touch ID and Face ID, passkeys are way more secure and are easier to use than both passwords and all current 2-factor authentication methods.
Typically this is a natural trade-off. Most security measures make your everday work and life a little bit more difficult while also making it much more difficult for hackers. So in practice it’s good security policy to take reasonable efforts that you know will be a slight pain to you and a major pain to hackers making them think twice.
Can’t we have both though? Every so often there is a truly different way that makes that possible!
That’s where Passkeys and passwordless systems come in. There’s a lot to say about this but the bottom line is simple: there are now computer systems that do not use passwords and are actually more secure than the systems that do.
Passwordless Future with Passkeys is More Secure
Do not mistake any of this to say we need to get rid of passwords. We’ll come back to this later but in some ways we may always have passwords for certain uses even in the passwordless future.
This also doesn’t mean wide open access or less secure systems. But how? In InfoSec we refer to authentication in a few ways. Authentication verifies a person or user of a system to make sure they are who they say they are.
Authentication can be:
Something you know. For example: a password.
Something you have. For example: a hardware token or smart badge/card.
Something you are. For example: fingerprint scanning, Face ID, or other biometric data.
Two factor or multi factor authentication (MFA) is just a combo of more than one of those methods. More layers of security tends to give a more secure system.
But many passwordless systems actually combine several factors into one more simple action. For example, using Passkeys combine Something you have: your mobile smartphone and something you are: the phone’s biometric touch or face id. So instead of fumbling around with a 6 digit code or remembering a password that’s hard for you to remember and easy for a computer to guess, you already have MFA built-in with one simple step.
Passwords are the weakest link in security. Think about it: they are shared at some point in the login transaction with the server. It’s something you know but that doesn’t mean someone else might know it too. I can tell you about “MySUPERsecretPasswd456!” and you you already know that one. Pro-tip: we never use that password and we recommend you never use it either. With something like passkeys, the hardware of your smartphone is leveraged and authenticates to the server basically saying you are who you claim to be and everything’s fine to let you in.
I’m just going to assume for a minute that you do a good job managing your passwords and use significantly complex, unique ones on all your accounts. Even if that were true for everyone, there’s a lot of data that gets exposed when you are a part of a service, let’s just say Facebook because so many people are there. Let’s say someone on Facebook signs up with a password “Password123.” This laughably easy password then gives hackers a potential in to the entire system. While it may not expose everyone or everything, at minimum, it provides this hacker with the next step and clues to hack other data and people.
Why We Can Trust the Security of Passwordless Passkeys
What’s wilder about these systems is that they aren’t entirely new. That’s part of the reason we can trust them.
These are all built on well established protocols and technologies. Much of the magic of public/private key cryptography has been around in regular use for decades, since the 1970’s. Passwords we use now are still vulnerable because common wording or being knowable by people other than the authorized users.
Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
The biggest challenge is that even if there’s a better way, it requires change from a lot of people. Many of us are not ready for a passwordless future with passkeys if it involves doing things differently.
There’s two crucial requirements to be able to use Passwordless systems:
Everyone using them has to have either an up to date smartphone, computer, or hardware key token.
Every account and system software needs to have this feature integrated into them and users need to learn how to use it.
Easier said than done.
I don’t wanna change I’ll rise above it But it’s so damn hard to make that change
Adam Granduciel, song Change performed by The War on Drugs
Change isn’t always easy. I get it. Even when we’re in a bad place sometimes we want to cling to the “devil we know.” Why risk it doing things differently?
Plus this requires change from a lot of people, namely those we lack any control or influence over. As a company’s leader it would be easy enough to make it corporate policy to assure all employees make a change that helps everyone. But there’s still the other end of these systems, the platform holders that you can make requests to but ultimately don’t have to do anything. And there’s the bit about having updated computing devices. While this is good practice in general, it doesn’t mean we all do it. And there’s the training, why learn a new thing if what we all did a few years ago seems perfectly fine to get the job done?
Passwordless Future Goals with Passkeys
For all these reasons we recommend Passwordless systems as a great goal. We ourselves are working toward implementing and using these systems incrementally in our business and personal lives where possible. But it has to be opt-in.
You can lead an animal to water but you cannot make them drink.
Old English proverb attributed first to John Heywood
Having the personal buy-in from each person who will use the system means they are showing up ready to learn something new and try it for its merits.
The Password is dead! Long live the Password!
The password is DEAD! Long live the Password!
You didn’t really think we’d be giving up the passwords everywhere so soon did you?
Because it’s simply not practical to expect everyone to give up their current systems we suggest you phase in the Passwordless tech where you can. Meanwhile, passwords are still the best standard way to secure everything from your WiFi connected toaster to databases with trade secrets.
So we’ll end here by pointing you back to advice that’s still great for using BitWarden as your password manager for all the systems that aren’t ready for that change yet. If you don’t feel like you can remember your master password or secure it in a safe place like a lockbox, you should consider using a different trusted system like 1Password in the video below.
Garner High is doing their Reality of Money interactive lesson to teach students how to handle their finances. Alan’s not one to toot his own horn often. However it’s a great thing to be part of a community and to help out. We volunteered to help this week on Wednesday, though the event is on-going.
Garner Magnet High School
Garner Magnet High School has long been the only High School in Garner back to when Alan Youngblood was there. That all changed about 4 years ago when South Garner High opened for students.
GMHS is known primarily for sports and is where Alan first picked up his love for sports that flourished much more during his time at NC State. Read more about the school and notable alumni like singer Scotty McCreery, olympic gold medalist Randolph Ross, and current NFL stars Nyheim Hines and Richard Medlin.
The Reality of Money
Sounds kind of good to me, don’t you think? Were that it really was the reality of us all getting money. This event simulates what it’s like to have a budget and expenses as an adult. The students make payments and plans while contributing to savings. Most of you reading this have learned from years of practice, and the students experience it for the first time. Alan heard about this through Paige who is the career advisor at the school. If you’re interested in other opportunities and live in the area contact us and we can get you connected.
New Curriculum for a New Reality
The program has been designed in large part as a cooperation with the NC State Employees Credit Union. Alan uses them for his personal finances. He also recommends them as one of the best employee benefits ever for North Carolina state employees.
Each volunteer shift consists of two sessions or class periods with a couple of classes of students participating. During break Alan chatted with the other volunteers some who are teachers or faculty at the school. They said this is part of a new curriculum for the students to learn about how to manage their money.
When I attended Garner High in the late 90’s through early 00’s, the curriculum didn’t have these kind of ingenuous and practical lessons. Luckily I had a great teacher in Drew Cook who is now an Assistant Superintendent for Wake County Public Schools. When we got our schedules back then they printed them out for us at orientation. Mr. Cook taught Economics, Legal, and Political Systems but the printer at that time didn’t have extra space and it showed up abbreviated on our schedules. “EcoLePSys?!?” What is this, some kind of disease? Joking aside, Mr. Cook was an excellent teacher and used a lot of great examples to demonstrate complex concepts in economics, among the other subjects. Further, he’s just a wonderful person that gives back to the community. So here I am all these years later giving back a bit to help the students now learn some of these lessons which are thankfully a part of everyone’s curriculum.
Alan Youngblood
Lessons in Finance
The students each got randomly assigned a sheet with demographics for their imagined adult life. Their sheets gave them a marital status, children, student loan debts, their education level, credit score, and current salary. It also has a basic ledger for a checking account and savings account.
The Best for Last
Alan worked at the “Next Payday” table. He helped the students move to the next month of the experience and collect another paycheck. Naturally, some students wanted to do this first but they had to go through all necessary and discretionary spending. So Alan helped out at some of the other tables where they purchased expenses.
Before a new paycheck the students decided what to do with left over money. Some chose savings, some wanted to keep it in their checking accounts for a big expense, some rethought their purchases.
Though simply a simulation many of the students had those moments where it clicked. They saw where it was important to put money in savings, not spend everything they had, or get higher education. Others learned how to do accounting to be aware of their money.
Seems like just yesterday I was wrapping my head around Inception-style remote connections and virtualization with the support team at Global Knowledge. Now I’m managing Oak City IT’s microservers in docker on infrastructure we designed and built to serve our clients’ needs!
Vote in the People’s Choice Awards! We know that we make a positive impact for anyone that we do business with. We consider ourselves thankful to have such great clients to work.
Have another unique tech challenge? Contact us to see how we can help you fix problems, improve systems, and reliably flex on your competition.
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Mayor Ken Marshburn at Garner Chamber Ribbon Cutting Networking Event at the Tru Hotel off of Highway 70
Much like the town itself, the Garner Chamber retains the culture of a small Southern town where people are happy to help and genuine. As the town grows rapidly we hold on to that identity because it’s what makes us such a great place. All of the NC Triangle area has wonderful people and if you’re around let’s connect.
