Passwords and all that security stuff

With all the security scares in the news, people are scrambling to change their passwords. So, here's my take on the subject. In fact, this is what I did/do in my own life. First, separate all your logins into three categories: the critical ones, the important ones and everything else. The distinction between these categories is the amount of aggravation and losses you would suffer if a malicious person were to steal your login and completely take over your account.

Encrypting files, in Dropbox and elsewhere

Online/cloud storage -- i.e. keeping your files with an online storage company that allows you to access them from anywhere -- is here to stay. The best known example is Dropbox. The newer kid on the block is Google Drive, which has similar functionality. If you already have your entire world set up with Dropbox, there is no overwhelming reason to switch. However, if you are just starting with online/cloud storage and you have a Google or Gmail account anyway for your other needs, Google Drive is great because it is integrated with all Google apps.

If you are staying with Dropbox and you are worried about security breaches (honestly -- a security breach at this day and age is unforgivable), there are simple ways for you to keep sensitive files -- just encrypt them.

If you want the gold standard in file encryption and are not bothered by less-than-friendly user interface, use TrueCrypt  (good how-to link).

If you want a simpler and friendlier program, there are two good choices:
1. Use encrypted zip file -- see link for details.
or
2. Use BoxCryptor -- see link for details.

Worthwhile additions to your Web browser

They go by many names: plugins, extensions, add-ons, bookmarklets. Whatever you want to call them, they are extra functions that you can add to your Web browser. The best browsers for adding stuff is Firefox and Chrome; the worst is Internet Explorer. But, even with Internet Explorer, there are ways. While you can certainly go crazy with these add-ons, be warned that they do take up extra resources. So, if you have an old machine and you like having a gazillion tabs open at the same time within your browser, you may want to severely limit your add-ons. Here are the ones I use on a daily basis:

• to make reading Web content easier: Evernote Clearly and Readability
• to capture screenshots (including automatically scrolling a long webpage): Pixlr Grabber
• to create a short URL for a webpage: bitly (if you are wondering why anyone needs this, leave a comment and I'll explain)
• to manage my passwords: LastPass

I also have an auto-syncing cross-browser bookmarks manager since I use a number of personal and work devices daily and want to have a consistent and organized set of bookmarks: Xmarks.


All the ones mentioned here have Firefox and Chrome versions. If you are using Internet Explorer and are looking for an excuse to switch, this post might be your ticket.

Passwords ... no need to remember

If you are tired of remembering your passwords (or tired of always forgetting them), there are some very good solutions that will remember the passwords for you. The one I use is lastpass.com. It has extensions for all common browsers, which means that when I create any account, it offers to remember the login and password for me. When I come back to the site sometime later, lastpass offers to log me in automatically. Lastpass stands for "last password", as in "the last password you need to remember". If you need help installing or using it, leave a comment and I'll get a short screencast to show you how to do it.


In case you are not convinced you need to have different passwords, especially for the "unimportant" logins, read the excellent post "The thousand-dollar penalty for reusing passwords" by W. Leonhard