Stay safe online for Black Friday

In light of the popularity of the Black Friday phenomenon having made a full transition online shoppers need to be more aware that ever of how they shop online. This is a day that cyber criminals will be in full flight waiting to grab shoppers credit card and login information using eCommerce sites that are vulnerable. This is a day that shoppers need to be extra vigilante when shopping online. Silcon Republic have posted a number of tips to help customers keep safe and the article can be found here.

The main points from that article can be found below.

1) Consumers should be careful not to expose their computer or mobile screen to the eyes of strangers, especially when a credit card number is visible.

2) Online shoppers need to keep their computer updated with the latest malware protection. Even if a consumer conducts all transactions on a secure site, it is possible for the computer to be hacked or to be running malware, which means all data entered can still be stolen.

3) Be aware of internet connections. Using a public Wi-Fi service without encryption gives anyone the ability to hack into the connection and collect a user’s information.

4) Pay close attention to shopping websites. Many websites do not properly protect the data they collect. Shoppers can know the site is safe if it has a green lock in the address bar, which signifies the company has met strict standards with respect to protecting data they collect from customers.

5) Finally, shoppers should frequently monitor bank statements for suspicious transactions. Many times, cyber theft is done in small amounts in order not to draw suspicion.

If you need help in making your devices even more secure you should have a read of some of my posts on securing your laptop and iphone. All of my posts can be found on my blog.

Securing your laptop

For most people laptops are a normal part of their daily lives, however how much thought do people actually put into how secure these devices are? We use laptops for work, banking, our personal data photographs etc so why don't we spend more time securing the devices that we spend so much of our lives on? The main reason is probably effort, it just takes to much effort to worry about all that crap. Whats the worst thing that could happen anyway? I suppose worst case scenario is identity theft followed by all your bank accounts reset to zero and an email to everyone in your contacts of that inappropriate picture you took on a late Saturday night and forgot to erase. But lets not think about what could happen as I am going to give you a list of 5 things you can do to hopefully prevent some of the above.

1) Patch your operating system/ applications

This one is pretty straight forward, Microsoft and Apple both send out regular patches for their operating systems you should take the time to install these and keep your operating system up to date. Most attackers will try and exploit weaknesses in an operating system so by keeping your system patched you are staying a step ahead of at least some attacks.

For information on how to do this on Windows click here

And for apple click here


Once you have your operating system all patched your focus should turn to your applications as the same applies here. A handy tool that I use for this is the free software vulnerability scanner Secunia PSI that can be downloaded here. I don't believe that this works with mac but the link above on apple explains how you can keep all of your iOS applications updated. You should also install an anti-virus software AVG is a good free one for malware you can also install malware bytes this is free for a trial period which should be long enough to get rid of any nasty malware on your system.

2) Create a backup

This is very important and with the flurry of ransomware attacks happening at the moment it may also save you losing a week or twos wages to get your data back. Creating a backup in Windows is actually pretty straight forward.

go to Control Panel - Backup and Restore - Create a system image

Once you get here you need to plug in a hard drive or multiple cds/dvds for your machine to backup to. It takes about 2 hours depending on your system but might save you a major headache long term!

Apple has a number of backup options that can be found here. 

3) Encrypt your hard drive

This is important it also takes a bit of time so do it last thing in the evening as it does effect the performance of your machine whilst running. Remember encrypting your hard drive will keep your data safe if your machine is ever lost or stolen. Windows uses BitLocker to encrypt drives and can be turned on by going to the search bar at the bottom of your screen and typing in "Manage Bitlocker"

this will open up the Bitlocker manager here you can turn bit locker on. If you get an error message about TPM you will need to do the following before you proceed:

1) Log on to Windows 10 computer with the account that has administrative privileges.

2) Click Start and at the bottom of the menu in search box type GPEDIT.MSC command and press enter key.

3) On the opened Local Group Policy Editor snap-in from the left pane expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Bit Locker Drive Encryption and from the expanded list click to select Operating System Devices.

4) From the right pane double-click “Require additional authentication” at startup.

5) On the opened box click to select Enabled radio button and ensure that under Options section Allow Bit Locker without a compatible TPM checkbox is checked.

6) Once done, click Ok button to allow the changes to take effect and close Local Group Policy Editor snap-in.

Once this is done return to the Bitlocker manager and turn Bitlocker on, it is very important that you keep the recovery password you are given in a safe place as you will need this if you ever forget your password.

Apple uses FileVault to do this and the instruction to do this can be found here.

4) Invest in a VPN

I know I have said this before but I can not stress it enough if you want to keep your online data away from prying eyes and protect yourself whilst using wireless networks a VPN is a must have!! There are tons of premium VPNs on the market so do some home work and find one that suits your budget and expectations. Like I said before I use AirVPN I haven't had any issues with it yet other than a few lingerings DNS issues that may be linked more so to Windows 10 than the VPN. My plan costs €30 for six months and I have unlimited bandwidth, but like I said do your own research and pick a VPN that suits your needs. Stay away from free services unless you really trust to provider even then be wary.

5) Lock-down Windows 10 

Microsoft has more or less given anyone who wants Windows 10 the operating system for free. Now when large multi-nations start giving their products away for free its only natural to ask why. I don't have the answer on this just yet but I am guessing it has something to do with the large amount of access and data their new operating system gives them if a load of options are not turned off. After researching Windows 10 I have altered my privacy settings from on to off as I do not want to share my location, microphone, camera or calendar with Microsoft or any third party applications. The fact that all of these settings are turned on by default is a bit worrying as many non-tech users are unknowingly sharing all of their private information with both Microsoft and third party applications. To turn all of these setting to off navigate to the bottom right of your screen and click on the notification manager. This is the little box that looks like a chat icon. From here select the all settings tab, you can now navigate to privacy and choose what setting you want turned on or off. I recommended turning everything off unless you rely on an application that requires some of these features left on. And next time you get something for free maybe consider what the motive is for such a generous giveaway in an age where data is the new gold.

If you want to read a bit more about Windows 10 and get more indepth advice on how to lock down certain features I suggest reading: How to secure Windows 10: The paranoid's guide

Securing your iPhone 5 +

As the title suggests for this post I am just focusing on the iPhone 5 and up. For the most part Apple are pretty slick when it comes to patching their devices and keeping things secure, however a lot of the features of the iPhone that may make your life a bit easier may also create an area of insecurity around your device. Lets take siri for example, shes great to have a chat with on cold nights when there is no one else around. The issue with siri is she's a bit of a gossip and will talk to anyone. Let's take the following scenario your phone is stolen, you have a lock code on it so even though your pissed your not going to panic just yet. Lets say who ever stole your device has been watching you and they want to find out where you live, they cant do that right? WRONG if you have spent a bit of time setting siri up chances are she can be accessed from the lock screen of your phone, so all our thief/stalker needs to do is ask siri a few simple questions.


Who am I?

Where do I live?

What are my upcoming appointments?


Try this yourself see what information you get back....


Am I starting to paint a picture of how this can all go wrong so fast..... Hold on just before we start to panic I have created a list of 10 things you can do to help protect yourself and your family. Of course you can completely ignore my list and keep living life on the edge if that's your thing :).

1) Disable Siri on a lock screen

Go to “Settings” –> “Passcode” (or “Touch ID and passcode”) –> “Allow access when locked” section –> “Siri: off” and “Settings” –> “General” –> “Siri” –> “Allow “Hey Siri”: off”.

2) Use a strong password instead of a 4 digit code

This is important I cant stress enough, how simple it has become to smash out your 4 digit passcode in a few hours. You might think who the hell would bother doing that I'm not some Government spy no your not but you do have lots of juicy personal data in their that can be used to steal your identity or exploits your friends and family. As an extra option, you can also turn the “erase data” feature on, so the device will wipe everything from its memory after 10 failed passcode attempts. But keep in mind that all the data will be erased forever and you won’t be able to recover it i.e DON'T FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD!!!!!

Where can you set these requirements? Go to “Settings” –> “Passcode” (or “Touch ID and passcode”) –> “Require passcode: immediately”; “Simple passcode: off”.

3) Turn off lock screen notifications

This is similar to the stalker/possible killer type scenario or just the nosy work colleague keep your shit private! The more information you allow to your screen the more exposed you are, you may not think that matters until you are sitting in the pub and your friend sends you a message to ask: "is that asshole Dave there?", and you can then respond saying "yup hes here and by the way he read the message cause I let my phone display everything to the screen.... sorry plus Dave said he wants the €50 he lent you back!".... Maybe that's exaggerated but don't take any chances.

Where can you set these requirements? Go to “Settings” –> “Passcode” (or “Touch ID and passcode”) –> “Allow access when locked” section.

4) Turn on two-step verification for Apple ID and iCloud

This is a big one, in my opinion it will only be a matter of time before every device that requires a log in will force people to use two-step verification, but just in case I'm wrong you should set it up anyway. Apple makes you wait a few days before you can actually set this up so if you start the process don't forget to log back in and finish it off after.. 3 days I think.

Where can you set these requirements? Go to https://appleid.apple.com –> “Manage your Apple ID” –> “Password and Security” –> “Two-Step Verification”.

5) Turn off automatic sync to iCloud

This is one of those things that could really come back and bite you in the ass literally! If you have iCloud set up you have 3G/4G or wifi and you take a picture boom its in the cloud... FOREVER!!! So I don't know but I'm guessing after a crazy night out you may want to review what picture leave your phone and head off to god knows where.

Where can you set these requirements? Go to “Settings” –> “iCloud”.

6) Turn off cookies in your browsers

Your now thinking "cookies" what the hell is this guy on about there is no "cookies" in my phone, I can't dip this thing in tea! No you cant and please don't try your phone won't taste great it will just stop working. Cookies are small files which almost any website generates and leaves on your device. They may contain some information about you, your computer or smartphone, and your preferences. It helps websites keep you logged in, or to show you some relevant content including ads, but in some cases they may be very helpful to cybercriminals as they can contain credentials and other sensitive data. The only issue here is some site just wont work when you disable this so its one of those catch 22 situations.

Where can you set these requirements? For Safari: Go to “Settings” –> “Safari” –> “Privacy & Security” section –> “Do Not Track: on”, “Block Cookies: Always Block”; For third party browsers: see similar browser settings.

7) Don’t let apps access your contacts, photos, messages and other private data

This is one of my pet hates, when I download an app for getting dinner recipes why the hell does it want access to my contacts, my camera and my microphone???? And secondly why would anyone allow it access to any of these things? This really is one that you should spend a bit of time looking into.

Where can you set these requirements? Go to “Settings” –> “Privacy”.

8) Turn off the AutoFill option in your browsers

This is another of those be less lazy common sense type things, if this feature is turned on and someone gets your phone chances are they will be able to log into a number of sites..As you!

Where can you set these requirements? For Safari: Go to “Settings” –> “Safari” –> “General” section –> “Passwords & AutoFill”; For third party browsers: see similar browser settings.

9)Discard automatic WiFi connections to known networks

I don't like this feature at all, and I'm going to tell you why. By having this enabled your phone will not only automatically connected to any wifi network that you logged onto before, but it will also log onto any network with the same SSID (name) of a network that you logged on before. This is dangerous, think of shopping areas that offer public wifi (which of course you wouldn't use because your smarter than that) most of these networks have the same name a common one in Ireland is "eircom". Therefore your phone will automatically connect to these networking if you ever connected to one of that name before, so I really shouldn't have to explain why this can be a fruitful play ground for a cybercriminal.

Where can you set these requirements? Go to “Settings” –> “Wi-Fi” –> “Ask to join networks: on”.

10) Get used to VPN

A VPN or virtual private network is the best way to go to really ensure some safety when browsing the web especially on those public wireless networks that you would never use. There is also no point going for a free VPN as the speeds and reliability and all that other stuff that you don't really understand wont be great. You can make up your own mind on who to go with for this I use AirVPN they charge around €30 for 6 months with unlimited bandwidth.






So guys, that's it for today if anyone has any questions post them below and I guarantee to get back to you within one working year.