Fabulizr

Passwords

Before you start building out your online presence, think for a moment about the use of your passwords. That’s plural. You do use multiple passwords, right? Oh, you don’t? Too hard to remember, is it? Let me guess, is it “password”?

But seriously, you need a decent password policy. Think of the different web applications you encounter online. Internet banking, email, instant messaging, blogging, social networks,… Each serve a different purpose. Each will have their own password policy. They will require you to use a password of minimum 4 to 8 characters long, and up to (or as short as) 10 to 30 characters long. But some will only allow regular characters, while others will require stronger password. Some websites will even mail you your password as a reference. Not good practice but something you need to keep in mind, as your password may be viewable by all (if people read along over your shoulder)!

What makes a password strong? Or, to turn it around, what makes a password weak?

• A weak password is less than 15 characters long.
• It contains a word which can be found in a dictionary.
• It contains a commonly used word, as for example:
  • Names of family members, pets, friends,...
  • Names of locations (cities, employer,...)
  • Birthdays, address information, number plates, your email address...
  • Common letter or number combinations like qwerty, 1234567890, abcdefg,...

So the longer a password, the better. At least 8 characters long at any time (even for less valuable passwords, only good for temporary passwords), but better starting at 10 or even 15 long. Use a combination of letters in lower case and upper case as well as numbers, and at least one punctuation character like !@#$%^&*()_+|~- =\`{}[]:”;’<>?,./) Don't use a single word in any language, or slang, or dialect.
Better yet, don’t just use a “word”, but use a phrase, a passphrase! Especially for financial information like your internet banking or PayPal account. But use something you can remember.
"DonteatSh@rkmeats0up", "Br1ngTwinPeaksB@ck" (oh, don't use these, get your own!).

And then for each web application, or at least for each web application category, create a unique password, which might sound daunting. For example you can use a single password for all low security applications, such as reading on-line newspapers and accessing entertainment web sites. But use another one for messaging and blogging, and then yet other ones for each financial application you register for. To make the password unique, you could incorporate (part of, like a couple of letters) the domain of the web application into your password.
But since your email address is probably used by all online applications, you should have a single unique password for your email account, totally different from any of the other passwords! Lots of password retrieval methods involve sending you the password (or temporary password) to your email account, and you don't want any of the online applications (and the people behind them) given access to your email account which would contain references to any of the applications your subscribe to.

And of course, don’t share your passwords, write them down, and stick them to your monitor, or keep them in your desk drawer. Don't give out your password over email. Don't type your password on devices you don't control, like public computers at the airport, library, internet cafe, kiosks,.. They might contain keyloggers, logging your username and password.

You can test out your password's strength over at Microsoft's Password Checker.

Reference:
SANS Password Policy http://www.sans.org/resources/policies/Password_Policy.pdf
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password_policy
GetSafeOnline http://www.getsafeonline.org/
Bruce Schneier http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2006/12/72300

Added a contact page to Fabulizr, using a Google spreadsheet to store the data.

G’day!

This is a blog about how to create a web presence, manage your online reputation, “fabulize” your online life.
Intimidated by big words like “user-generated content”, “microblogging”, “social networks”,...?
Concerned about your privacy? You should. This blog is about putting out what you want to be out, while keeping privacy and online security in mind.

Where does it start?

Do a vanity search. Search your own name online, full name (“first+last”, “last+first”), last name only, or abbreviated (“abbr first + full last”) – first tip: put your name in quotes to get an exact match. Or if you have a nickname, try that too. What do you find?

Wha? Nothing? OK, keep cool, stand up, and quietly back away from the keyboard…
This is a good thing. No one knows you online. If you want to keep it that way, then unplug now.

Still here? Great!

Again, if you don’t want your name online, then don’t do anything online. Be passive. Just read. Don’t interact.

Sure, you can do your banking online. Your bank doesn’t spill the beans on you online.But be sure not to get caught in a phishing trap (or hook rather) when reading your email. “A what?”

And you may not be online, but your employer may be, and your friends certainly are, your hobby club, the fitness center,...At one point in time they might spill the beans on you (the office party pictures, the trivia night results, ...)

Most likely your name did turn up some results.
Are these results indeed about you, or someone else?
If they are someone else, is it obvious they are someone else?
If the results are you, did you put them online?
Are they what you expect them to be? Is it good? Or is it baaaaad? Worse than bad...?
Or you couldn’t care less. That’s cool. You can do the exercise again next year, see what turns up then. In the mean time, break up with your friends, go live in a tree house in a forest and ignore the fact that the Internet exists and is here to stay.

Why should you care?

The Internet has become part of every day life, on every level of life. Government, banking, employment, shopping, social interaction,… Looking for a new job? You would probably set up a CV online, and look for potential employers on job sites. But the other way round, an employer might very well look up any potential employees too. Again, on job sites for CV’s, but whenever an employer receives a CV, they can easily search for your name too and see what gets returned. Now, they can either find nothing (but find positive things for another candidate), they can find less favorable things or they can find whatever you put out there (the volunteer work you’ve done, your insightful comments on blog post or forums, short articles you wrote on one of your pet subjects,…).

Take control now. Build up an online presence, at all the right places. Start using the Internet to your advantage. Make yourself look a little bit better. Bury any dirt that’s around to the back of any search results, manage your online reputation! It’s about looking good, online.

Geekredentials

I believe in each of use there is an inner geek, big or small. Want to find, and release, your inner geek?
You are reading this blog, god knows how you came here. Actually, Google knows (in fact) how you came here.
The fact that you did find this page, is your inner geek trying to break out… This blog will improve your geekredentials.

Fabulizd - fabulized?

To fabulize

1. To improve something. The Simpsons, Lisa: ”Can’t a girl fabulize herself before the big dance?”urbandictionary.com

2. To invent, compose, or relate fables or fictions. thefreedictionary.com