Tuesday Sweep: 6 June 2017
Welcome to your weekly reminder to back up your data, update software and otherwise pay attention to your digital environment. (Oh, and to come to the CRASH Space meeting…)
Jump in Here
- Welcome. If you haven’t been following along, it’s okay. You’re not behind, you’re just where you are.
- I highly recommend the coach tool at the Crash Override Network has a great step by step break down for many of the same introductory steps we did here.
- Feeling more ambitious? Review the list of OneThing articles and pick one to catch up on.
Sweep
The basics.
- Updated software recently? Pick a new device to check on today.
- Backups still up and running? When was the last time you made a clean disk image? Here’s a new great article on how to design a backup system.
- Reduce your attack surface: Delete a low quality app from your phone or delete an account that you don’t need that doesn’t make you happy. Digital cruft builds up. Delete it.
- Anywhere you could add two factor authentication? While you’re at it, move the password to your password manager… and delete it from everywhere else.
- Double check privacy settings on your phone, social media accounts. Especially Twitter if you haven’t since their T&C changed.
Weekly Round Up
Where do you scan for news?
- Go see Wonder Woman.
- It’s been a hard time for those of us who believe in democracy and the rule of law. The Intercept’s article on Russia’s attack on our voting system and how the leaker got caught could be fun to discuss on an intellectual level. I’m not there yet today. Maybe next week. Maybe after I go see Wonder Woman 5 more times.
- Once again, proud to be in California with our votes for Single Payer (Important for to the many crashers who are freelancers) and our Governor’s commitment to Green Tech (which supplies some of us with jobs). Call and thank your representatives if they supported single payer, and encourage them to keep up the good work.
- Google is having a hard time figuring out how not to be evil given it’s business model. On one hand it rejects your right to privacy, and continues to be a chump for Trump… on the other hand it’s rolling out it’s own ad-block that will target those ads that don’t play nice with the user experience. Baby steps. (I’m sticking with Privacy Badger for now. )
- Seems like the University of Washington Privacy and Security Researcher Lab have built a system to help them create a models of Stingray deployment by taking a leaf from SafeCast‘s book – getting individuals to drive around with data collectors. They call it SeaGlass. I’ll keep my eye out for the crowd sourced kit – but you can read the white paper.
- YouTube Channel of the Week: BlackHat conference keeps posting videos including this timely one on Spear Fishing highlight on Schneier’s blog.
- Oh – and WWDC is happening. I’ll post a wrap up next week, but this video from last year on how they protect user privacy might give you some ideas for best practices in your own work on any platform.
Reflect
Feeling dumb or stupid about how not-l33t you are? Angsting over some silly thing you “know better than to do.” Stop. That isn’t useful. Regret is only of use if it prompts an actual change in behavior. Maybe it’s not YOU that sucks. Could be it’s the technology and you could come up with a fix that would help lots of people. Look forward and make a plan.
Engage
We are a community. You are a welcome part of it.
