Futurelawyer

You Can Be Secure Over Public WiFi - PureVPN

Pure VPN. When asked, at my recent Florida Bar presentation on Mobile computing about the VPN I use, I blanked, since I have it load automatically every time I boot the computer. I always use my own Internet, with the TMobile 5G Hotspot I carry everywhere. But, after the question, I realized that Pure VPN has become so much a part of my system that I should highlight it for those who are looking for a solution. Public WiFi is just that, and anything you send over a public system can be logged and viewed by anyone with a basic knowledge of computers. So, a private tunnel to the Internet, that is encrypted and secure, is essential. I use, pay for, and recommend Pure VPN. It is self managed, secure, encrypted, and as secure as you are going to get as a non governmental computer user. Be careful out there.

 

Do You Know How To Spot A Phishing Scam?

The first step in fighting phishing scams is to identify the attempts to make an email or text seeking personal information seem genuine. If you receive an unsolicited email from an unknown source, and it requests that you click on a link, be careful. Often, return addresses aren't what they appear to be. Sometimes, there are errors in punctuation, or diction, that identify them as coming from a foreign source. There are many hints, and you need to learn how to spot them. One big one is a text, email or social media post that comes from someone you know to have been dead for 3 years. Be careful out there.

Facebook Users - Do You Know Who Is Sending That Message?

Phishing scams on social media aren't always easy to detect. I wish I had a dollar for every time I get a message on Facebook from a friend who advises me to ignore messages because they have been hacked. It is a common scheme to steal a Facebook user name and password and send messages to unsuspecting friends. If you get a "hello" message from a current friend, be careful. Better yet, avoid the problem by using two factor authentication on your account. Schemers won't always steal user names from your dead friends and relatives, making the scam easy to spot. Unless, of course, you already talk to dead people.

Do You Know Where Your Samsung Android Device Is?

How To Find Your Samsung Phone. We carry our lives on our phones and tablets and smartwatches. The loss of any of our devices can be catastrophic. I remember a frantic couple of hours in Las Vegas some years ago, when I got back to my room and realized I had misplaced my smartphone. Thankfully, I had installed a third party app that located it at a restaurant we had just been at, and I went back for it. Since that time, I have always made sure I knew where my phone was at all times. Other than their superior build quality and functionality, I buy primarily Samsung devices. I have a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra phone, a Galaxy Watch 4, and a Galaxy tablet, along with some older Galaxy devices as backups. Samsung defaults to an app it calls Find My Mobile, which can locate any Samsung device that is turned on, anywhere in the world. Go to the website, and it permits the location of the device to show up. If it has been stolen, it will look for it every 15 minutes, and, as soon as the bad guys turn it on, you can locate it, and wipe it, if you wish. Whatever phone or device you have, take some time to figure out how to find it if it is stolen or lost. You will be glad you did.

Ms. Lawyer, Is Your Client Data Secure On Your Phone?

Secure Android. As lawyers, we have an ethical duty to keep secure and private our clients' secrets. Android phones, and Apple's as well, carry our lives in a small device that fits into a pocket. This creates the ability to be lawyers wherever we are; but, it carries a risk. There are various ways to keep your phone secure, and you must consider and use them. For me, I always use a security front end, which Google suggests, when setting up the phone. Pattern security, password security, or biometric security options are available. They can be a pain; but, use them. Two factor authentication can use the phone as a security buffer for computer and web applications; but, what protects the apps on your phone? My favorite is the mobile Android version of Malwarebytes, which is a comprehensive anti-malware, anti-phishing, and anti-ransomware application that is the best in the business. For the phone version, it is only $11.95 a year; but, a comprehensive desktop license includes up to 5 devices, one of which should be your phone. Be safe out there.

Do You Know Whether Your Data Is Safe?

GoodSync Backup. After Malwarebytes and Start11, the first software I install in a new computer is GoodSync. This easy to use backup software allows me to keep safe all of my essential files and data. All of my poems, photos, law firm documents going back decades, my real estate closing file data, all scanned receipts and documents over years, and more, are all safely synced to 3 different drives in 3 different locations. Once installed, Goodsync allows the user to check off all of the folders and files on the computer and copy them to an external drive. I have a MicroSD in the computer, and external USB 3.0 hard drive, and an external USB-C SSD, each with all of my essential files and data. Takes only a few minutes to sync them, and, after installing my apps on a new computer, it is a simple matter of syncing the data from one of the backups to the new computer. With 3 backups, the chance of all 3 being corrupted is zero. If you want to keep your files and data safe, check out GoodSync.

If The Link Is On LinkedIn It Is Safe, Isn't It?

Cybervillains-Lurk-on-LinkedIn. In the five years since this article was written, computer and online security has been tested even more by phishing scams, data hijacking, and other criminal activity. However, many of us are lured by the apparent safety of recognized websites that have stellar reputations. LinkedIn has grown by leaps and bounds, and is primarily used by businesses and professionals to create contacts in a chosen field. It is folly, however, to assume that any website or information found on the Internet is safe and secure from criminal activity. Learn as much as you can about computer security. You will never be completely safe; just as you can never guarantee you won't be a victim of a physical crime. But, you can install locks on your doors, cameras in your home and office, and be careful when out and about. Vigilance is half the battle. You are responsible for your own computer security. Be careful out there.

 

You Too Can Have A Secure Android Phone...Do This, Not That.

5-quick-tips-for-better-android-phone-security-now Might not data security be an issue, when we are carrying our lives, and access to data about out clients, on a device that fits in a pocket? Some of us are actually not even bothering to set up security to turn the phone on. Read this article. Do the things suggested. Do not put your life and the life of others, at risk. Never download an App you aren't going to use often. Delete any that you don't. Never side load apps; only download apps that are in the Playstore. Use a strong swipe, or fingerprint code for access. NEVER tap on a link from an SMS message. Never tap a code into the phone. Security codes sent to you by phone are intended to be entered at the other computer. That's why it's called two factor authentication. Never let a day go by without checking your phone for updates. Security patches are essential to protect you from whatever hack is going around. You are staring at the phone all day anyway. Take a few seconds and check. If there is an update, download and install it now, not later. Remember, there are millions more of you than there are Apple users. You are a big target. Be careful out there.

CatFishing Isn't Just A Threat To Online Romance Seekers; Lawyers Can Be Victims Also.

Catfish And Protect Yourself From Online Scams. We have all heard the stories. People who are victimized by catfishing; or, someone who claims to be what they are not online to scam others. The most sensational stories become news, and the general public asks why someone could be so prey to such a scam. The Internet, however, can make keeping anonymity a lot easier than physical person to person fraud. Lawyers also need to be careful about fraudsters as well. We need to be very careful about clients with whom the only contact is the Internet. The article's number one safeguard involves research. Check out everything you can about that prospective romantic partner or prospective client. Do a Zoom call to see who you are dealing with. Ask for photographic ID. Don't give them money. For lawyers, don't accept payments by check, and, even in the case of wires, wait until the funds have really cleared; not when the bank allows you to draw against them. As always, vigilance and common sense are the best protections. But, nobody is completely safe or immune. Be careful out there.

So Many Scams - So Little Time To Prepare.

I am always counseling readers to use two factor authentication to protect themselves from hackers hijacking their website profiles. I see a lot of hacked Facebook accounts because the user didn't set up two factor authentication. However, scammers are clever devils; and, they have figured out a way to social engineer the two factor system. They send a text to your phone, and act like a website seeking to authenticate you as a user. Then, they ask you to input a code that allows them to gain access to your system. Don't do it. Authentication is designed to generate a code to be entered into the main device, not the phone. Learn about two factor authentication. Use it. But, be careful about using it. The big red flag here is that any text message that asks you to enter a code on the phone itself should be viewed with suspicion. The phone should only be used as a tool that only you could possess; and, which gives you a code to enter into your computer or other device to gain access on that device. Never enter a password or code unless you are certain that you are at a legitimate website. Be careful out there. There be dragons.