Don't be caught with your pants around your ankles people, and take charge of your online security today. Having a background in IT security, I've seen individuals, small companies and multinational corporations overlooking major security issues, that can be mostly be solved at very little cost; and in a lot of cases no cost at all, other than time and effort. Initially it was mind boggling for me, but now I just take it "as in" and try and help the poor buggers. What I dislike are blatant oversights where it concerns the storing of personal details by companies, using poorly implemented security systems. Anyway on a monthly basis I've noticed a higher amount of attacks originating from Swiss networks. Of course these can be falsified and mostly are, but I have the gut feeling that it means an increase of hacking attempts from Swiss IPs. For individuals I have concerns because often, from my experience working abroad this time, if there is an increase in companies being targeted, there is a greater increase of individuals being targeted. I'm talking about mobile phones, laptops connected to hotspots, home wireless LANs. I don't mean for this to be scaremongering. It's only from my experience of working in the "IT security" field and this is only warning against the safe guarding of such; it does not concern physical pickpocketing or theft. There is a lot of shoddy advice out there too. Changing your password frequently, can sometimes help but not if your computer is no longer controlled solely by yourself. I'd urge anyone to educate themselves on network security and there's never a better time than today.

Cheers for the warning! I've now changed my password.

I just changed my password to UnguessablePassword. That should keep them out.. -Oops

Our company requires us to change our passwords every 6 months now to "improve" security. Right.. you'd be surprised how many workers are now taping their passwords under their keyboards because they can no longer remember their new password. Myself I've already been locked out of my computer once after returning from vacation because I couldn't for the life of me remember my most current password.

I don't get it... what are you selling? Where do I enter my credit card details?

Not selling anything.

It's a cry for help !!!


"I want to know how to write paragraphs so that my message to the world can be easily read."

I just use "passwrod" for everything. No one will ever guess that!

I also use PASSWORD, but I vary between upper and lower cases.
Maybe I should post on the Maths Geek thread to enquire how many different variants have to be tried before the hackers computer can come up with the right sequence (8**8; 8**7; 8!?)

Could be worse - there could have been a PayPal button and you'd have paid already.

I read the OP as a cry of frustration from an IT person who has very recently had to clean up the mess and then sanitize their system after someone else on the company payroll allowed a password to become compromised.

IT people are on the sharp end of the results of user cluelessness, and they go rapidly insane unless they rant a bit now and then to get it out of their system. That's more or less how Dilbert and XKCD started.

If you mean the number of variations of the word password where only the case is variable then it is 2^8 (256).

IT told me I needed an 8 chracter password, so I chose

SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves

I would suggest endless patience

...... and I thought 7Up was a drink.

DHL did it every month, i suggestet to "my users" there: use the month, i.e. SnowWhite01....SnowWhite12

to keep it all the way use also the year: SnowWhite01-10 ...
Easy and it hardens the Password

Another customers made his password by forming a big W on the keyboard.
so, on a Swiss keyboard: QSCGZJMLP - I found it neath...

What? Their webcam works both ways?

Not for them, unless you're really unlucky and/or inept. However someone could be using your webcam without you knowing it, turning off the webcam's light, irrespective of you having the latest update for your anti-virus.

Hacking - the key points are:
Secure your perimeter - have a router with a firewall function
Have an anti-virus solution
Change your passwords periodically; also try to avoid using the same userid/password for many sites (which ends up being hard when userid is your email address)
Use a complex password base - i.e. have a solid 8-10 characters (upper, lower case, number and special character) and add to it for changes and sites
Use common sense when surfing
Trust no-one. If something's too good to be true, it usually is
If you're going to write down passwords, treat them like you treat your cash - keep it safe

This is the advice we give during audits. It's mostly common sense but worth remembering.

*sigh* Sorry Dr Spock.

Hi Thanks,
changed my password,,,