c/cybersecurity-tips

21

rowanbennett•2h ago

Heard a podcast claim most breaches start with a phone call, not an email

It was on the 'Darknet Diaries' episode about vishing. They said over 60% of initial access in a recent big breach came from a fake IT support call. I always thought phishing emails were the main threat... has anyone else shifted their focus because of a stat like that?

2

palmer.val•1d ago

Appreciation post: I stopped using the same password for everything after my old email got hit

My old Yahoo account got broken into about six months ago because I used the same password on a sketchy forum, and it took me three days to get everything back. I started using a free password manager and making every password different, which felt like a pain at first but saved me when another site got hacked last week. Has anyone else made the switch to a password manager and found it actually stuck after a scare like that?

6

lindahunt•1d ago

PSA: My neighbor convinced me to stop using a password manager

I was talking with my neighbor, a retired IT guy, over the fence last week. He said, 'Putting all your keys in one digital lockbox is just asking for trouble.' He argued that a single breach of the manager's vault gives an attacker everything. I've used one for 5 years and always thought it was the safest way. But his point about a single point of failure really hit different. Has anyone else moved away from a password manager for this reason, and what's your system now?

1

ray_carr•2d ago

My 10-year-old niece just asked me why our home router has a password if the internet is free.

It hit different because she thought the password was a fee to get online, which made me realize how many folks might not get the basic idea of a network perimeter (you know, like a fence for your data).

3

mary_schmidt•3d ago

A friend in Denver called my password system 'lazy' and they were right

I used to just add a number to the end of my old passwords when a site made me change them. They pointed out that pattern makes it easy to guess if one gets leaked. Now I use a password manager to make a totally new 12 character password for each account. Anyone else have a bad password habit they had to break?

19

shane_williams•4d ago

Just read a report that 80% of data breaches start with a stolen password

I was looking at the latest Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report yesterday. It said that a huge number of attacks, like four out of five, begin with someone's password getting taken. They don't always crack it with tech; they often just trick people into giving it away. I always thought most hacks were from fancy software bugs, not just someone clicking a bad link. Has anyone else changed how they handle passwords after seeing stats like this?

15

lucas_grant83•6d ago

Heard a guy at the hardware store say he never updates his router firmware

Honestly, I was grabbing some packing tape and overheard this conversation. One guy was telling his friend that updating router firmware is a waste of time and just breaks things. His friend argued back that it's the main way to patch security holes. It got me thinking, because my own router from the cable company hasn't had an update in maybe two years. Tbh, I'm not sure which side is right. Is skipping firmware updates a legit risk, or is it mostly fear mongering from tech companies? What's your take on this?

12

kelly.robin•7d ago

I just checked my password manager and saw I have over 200 unique passwords saved

It hit me when I was adding the login for my kid's new school portal, which was number 204. I never realized how many accounts I had made over the years, from streaming services to hardware store accounts. How many passwords do you all have stored, and does that number ever surprise you?

11

hall.charles•8d ago

My coworker kept telling me to turn on two-factor for my work email...

I brushed it off for months, thinking our company firewall was enough. Then last week, a phishing email got through and someone tried to log in from a city I've never been to. The 2FA alert on my phone stopped it cold. Has anyone else had a close call that made a simple tip click for them?

25

the_jake•8d ago

My kid's tablet got hit with a crypto locker last month

It was a free game download from a sketchy site, totally my fault for not checking. I restored it from a backup I made two weeks before, only lost some game saves. Anyone else have a good backup routine that's actually easy to stick with?

23

karenlane•10d ago

A guy at the coffee shop in Austin showed me how he got my email

I was just working on my laptop, and this guy at the next table leaned over... he asked if I was on the shop's guest wifi. When I said yes, he opened his own laptop and in about two minutes, pulled up a list of network traffic that included my email login attempt. He wasn't being creepy, he was just a pentester having coffee and saw a chance to warn someone. I never use public wifi without my VPN now, not even for a second. Has anyone else had a wake-up call like that in public?

21

blake432•10d ago

My friend in IT support told me my 'password123' was so weak it made him physically wince.

That awkward moment last Tuesday made me finally set up a password manager and generate a unique 16-character passphrase for every single account.

4

jason_stone•11d ago

My friend in IT support told me my 'password123' was so weak it made him physically wince.

He said it was like leaving my front door open with a neon sign, so now I use a password manager and make them all look like random keyboard smashes.

3

rayc89•18d ago

I paid $60 for a password manager and it just locked me out of my own accounts

Set it up last month, put all my logins in there, and it worked fine until yesterday. The master password I know is right just gives me an error now. Customer support says they can't recover it because of 'zero knowledge' security, which is great until you're the one locked out. Has anyone else had this happen with a paid service, and what did you do?

22

ward.mason•19d ago

My email spam folder went from 20 a day to maybe 2 after I stopped using my main address for online forms.

I used to sign up for everything with my personal Gmail, and my spam filter was catching about 20 junk messages daily. About three months ago I made a separate 'junk' email for store accounts and newsletters, and the difference is insane. How do you guys keep your main inbox clean?

18

ninasingh•19d ago

Pro tip: My cousin's story about a fake invoice email from 'his boss' changed how I see work messages.

He showed me the email at a family BBQ in Austin, and the sender address was one letter off from his CEO's real one. How do you spot a fake sender address fast?

13

jamiewalker•21d ago

Spent $60 on a hardware key and it just stopped a phishing attempt cold

Got a fake login email for my bank yesterday, but my Yubikey stopped anything from happening because the site couldn't ask for it. Anyone else have a close call that made a security purchase worth it?

1

laura_white99•21d ago

Can we talk about that public USB charging station at the Denver airport?

I saw one last week and remembered reading that hackers can use them to install malware, so now I only use a portable power bank when I travel.

30

elizabeth_martin•21d ago

I finally checked my password manager and saw I had over 200 unique logins saved

It hit me that every single one of those is a door someone could try to kick in if I reused a password. That's why I keep telling my friends to use a manager, even if they think they only have a few accounts. How many do you all have stored?

13

martin.margaret•21d ago

I finally saw a public USB charging station at the Denver airport and it gave me pause

It was in Terminal B near gate 45, a whole bank of ports with cables already plugged in. I mean, they look so helpful when your phone is at 3%, but I've always heard they're a huge risk for data theft. On the other hand, maybe the risk is overblown and it's just a handy public service. Has anyone actually used one of these and had a bad thing happen, or is it mostly just a scary story?

5

singh.jessica•22d ago

My bank flagged my account for fraud because I used a VPN on vacation in Miami

I was in Miami for a week and kept my VPN on for security, but my bank locked my card thinking it was a stolen account. After three calls, the fraud agent finally told me to add a travel notice AND whitelist their app in the VPN settings. Has anyone else had to tweak their VPN setup just to keep their own bank happy?

16

quinn_henderson•23d ago

I thought my friend was nuts for putting tape over his laptop camera

He told me about a talk he saw at a conference in Austin where a guy showed how easy it is to hack a webcam. I figured it was just fear stuff, but then I read a report last month that said over 15% of malware now tries to access cameras. So I cut a tiny piece of black electrical tape and stuck it on. It's been there for a year and I don't even notice it. Anyone else do this simple thing or think it's overkill?

18

jason328•24d ago

Paid for a 'lifetime' VPN subscription that vanished after 8 months

I saw an ad for a service called SecureTunnelPro offering a one-time $75 payment for a lifetime VPN. Figured it was a deal, but their website just went offline last month with no warning. I mean, I should have known it was too good to be true, but it looked legit at the time. Has anyone else had a VPN service just disappear like that, and what do you look for to avoid scams?

22

jamierodriguez•24d ago

Can we talk about how many people still use 'password123'?

I was reading a Verizon data breach report from last year and it said over 80% of hacking breaches involve stolen or weak passwords. That's just wild to me in 2024. What's the dumbest default password you've actually seen someone use?

27

emma_butler87•27d ago

I finally stopped using the same password for everything after my friend called me out

My buddy Mark, who works IT in Denver, saw me logging into my email and my bank with the same password last week and said 'dude, if one site gets hacked, they all go down.' That hit me hard, so I spent Sunday setting up a password manager and making unique ones for all my accounts. Has anyone else made the switch to a password manager and found it way easier than they thought?