We're increasingly dependent on the internet. And it's become commonplace to find yourself far from your computer and urgently needing to get online. In these situations, a shared internet access point, a friend's computer, or a work computer usually comes to the rescue.
And everything would be fine, but one day you may receive the most unpleasant news: your personal correspondence or your statements in chats or forums are known to those people who would rather not know it.
How does this happen? There can be various reasons. The actions of people deliberately trying to uncover your secrets, accidental leaks of information (unless you consider that nothing is accidental). And finally, your own carelessness.
A standard computer is generally very bad at keeping secrets. Protecting your secrets from those who are specifically after them is an art form. In this article, we'll learn how to avoid the most basic mistakes that most often lead to your secrets being exposed.
The beauty of online communication is that it often takes the form of a masquerade. You invent a new name for yourself, put on a mask, and… do whatever you want. You allow yourself freedom in communication and reveal your deepest secrets to others. And you're not afraid that this will affect your future life. After all, no one will know who was behind the mask!
But let's imagine for a moment that in the midst of a masquerade, when you've had your fill of mischief, your mask is ripped off (even if unintentionally). Think about what that would entail. It would likely be embarrassing. And maybe even trouble in real life.
It's roughly the same thing when someone gains access to your forum or email account. It's as if they've obtained the key to the locker where you change clothes, keep your costume, and keep secret notes. Now they know who's behind the mask, can read all those notes, and, wearing your mask, reply to them on your behalf.
Let's look at what you can do to prevent this. The standard way to protect your privacy on an online website is through the authorization process. This means that when you visit a website, you first enter your username and password, and only then are you granted access to your account.
A login is usually not a secret and is known to a large number of people. A password, on the other hand, should be kept secret. It is the only protection, the key to your “changing room.” The same security rules apply to a password as to a key to a lock.
- The password must not be left where others can get it.
- It cannot be transferred to anyone.
- It shouldn't be as primitive as the key to some Chinese locks (which can easily be replaced with a screwdriver). This has been discussed many times, so I'll just give an example here.
Let's say you created an email address like “[email protected].” You can be sure that if someone were to read your emails, the first thing they'd do would be try to access the mail server, trying passwords like “olga86,” “123456,” “qwerty,” and the like. If those attempts fail, they'll try variations like “olga,” “olya1986,” “olenka,” “olechka,” and so on. The English spellings of these words will be checked. They'll also take into account tricks like typing letters from one language on a keyboard layout for another.
So, if your password can be guessed this way, consider that anyone with a screwdriver can get into your “secret cubicle.” Put a more secure lock on it immediately!
Now let's imagine the lock is secure, but you simply left the door unlocked when you left. No further explanation is needed. However, very often, after finishing their visit to a website, people simply close the page (by clicking the “X”).
But in this case, you simply stopped seeing the door. That doesn't make the door itself locked. It's good if the lock automatically closes when you slam the door. Many websites log out users automatically if they're inactive for a long time. But that's not always the case.
And then anyone who sits down at the computer after you and goes to the same site goes straight to that secret corner of the site that only you had access to.
Remember and follow this simple rule: lock the door when you leave. If you entered your username and password when logging into a website, there's bound to be a button or link somewhere (usually at the top of the page) that says “Logout” or something similar.
And finally, your computer will often offer to help you remember your passwords. It usually looks like this: as soon as you enter your password, a small window appears asking you to remember it. Sometimes, instead of the window, a button with a similar message appears on the browser toolbar (the program you use to view web pages).
Typically, users automatically click “OK” without realizing what they're agreeing to. After that, the site no longer asks for a password when logging in. Or, it does ask, but the password field appears pre-filled with asterisks. All that's left to do is click “Login,” and you're logged in.
It's the same as leaving your key in the door lock. It's very convenient. You don't have to carry the key with you and you won't forget it anywhere. The only downside is that anyone nearby can now open the door.
There's another side effect here, not directly related to security. A good password is usually difficult to remember. And if a person doesn't type it regularly, their memory relegates this incomprehensible string of letters and numbers to some distant corner. Because it's no longer needed. For example, after some time, the operating system is reinstalled on a computer. As a result, all the passwords memorized for its owner may be lost. And then the owner often realizes that they themselves don't remember their passwords. Some people cry at this point.
Attempts to write a universal guide to resetting already remembered passwords are doomed to failure. Not only are various programs designed to help you remember passwords, but these programs are constantly being updated. A guide that's correct today may be incorrect tomorrow.
Therefore, you'll have to search online for a password reset method for the current version of your program. Before doing so, you need to find out which program helps you remember passwords. Most often, this is a browser (such as Opera or Firefox). To find out the program version, select “Help” from the program's command menu, then “About” from the drop-down menu.
On a website page, below the login and password fields, there's usually another small box where you can check or uncheck a box. It's a good idea to examine the text next to this box. The phrases “Remember me” and “Someone else's computer” are opposite in meaning, meaning that checking or unchecking the box on different websites can have opposite effects.
Typically, the presence or absence of checkboxes only affects whether your login will be displayed the next time you try to log in to the site. However, when combined with password memorization, these checkboxes can have unexpected effects. Review them and choose the safest option.
And remember to be vigilant. For example, Mozilla Firefox has a feature that's handy for those who forget passwords. It displays a list of logins and passwords for all websites for which you've enabled the browser to remember passwords. The passwords aren't displayed as asterisks, but as the characters the password is made up of.
By gaining access to a computer with such a browser for just a few minutes (for example, if you walked away from the computer and didn't lock it), someone with knowledge could copy this list. Then, from other computers, they could easily log in to websites using your accounts. Furthermore, they would understand the system you use to create passwords. Knowing your system makes it much easier to guess your passwords even for websites not on the list.
To be fair, it should be noted that, along with the “traitorous” feature, this browser has a wonderful private browsing mode. Once in this mode, you can visit any website you want, but after exiting, no traces of those websites remain on your computer.
Enjoy your conversations! And may all your secrets remain yours alone!
