Rad Apps: Basic Security

Have you ever been ‘hacked’? Was your account taken over by a malicious app, spambot, or some nefarious asshole? This month, we’re talking about simple security practices.

Depending on the platform you’re using, there are various precautions you can and should take. If you’re on an obscure forum with 15 members, for example, you’re probably not at a high risk of getting hacked. But your Runescape account with millions in Gold? That’ll make you a target.

A two-factor Authentication (2FA) is one way to significantly beef up your security. Think of it like a second password that’s tied to your phone. For example, when Google freaks out about you logging in from a VPN and refuses to let you into your account until you enter a password from a text sent to your phone: that’s a form of 2FA. Google provides their own 2FA Called ‘Google 2-Step Verification’. There are also other non-Google options, such as Authy and AndOTP on Android.

Not everything uses 2FA though, and it’s not a perfect stopgap for security. The best way to enhance your security is to make your passwords long and never reuse them. Stringing together simple words is the ‘CorrectHorseBatteryStaple’ method (from XKCD.com) and provides an easy way to accomplish this. As for password reuse, when digital attackers go after one website, they often try the passwords they find there on the email accounts they find- then you’ve lost your email.

It’s important to keep your shit secure, so make sure you’ve got a good lock on it; and for god’s sake, don’t use ‘Password1234’.