digipidge

iI‘m Syd and this is my project

I’m not sure If I’ll keep this or not. Maybe I will. Maybe not.

Introduction

So I’m Sydney, Digipidge is named for my pet pigeon. I’m currently working myself to death but we’re good. Everything is good. I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Russian. After promising myself to never set foot in a classroom for at least 5 years, I enrolled in a 6 month Cybersecurity Bootcamp. It’s online, so I guess I somewhat kept my own promise. I’m hoping to couple my knowledge of Russian and my future cybersecurity skills to do something meaningful with my life one day I guess. Anyways here is my Project :^)

OFF THE HOOK

Phishing scams and ways to keep your money and data safe

The internet is a wonderful and wild place. Communication is more accessible now than ever before. However, with this ability, it is harder to stay safe from anonymous bad actors.

I think it’s safe to say that anyone that has access to the internet or has a mobile device has had some kind of run-in with an attempted Phishing scam. There is the classic “YOU WIN!! Click the link to collect your prize” , to a more malicious and sophisticated spoofed security alert from an email service provider like gmail or outlook. I saw one of these on my work email the other day. I was able to quickly identify the scam and report it to our IT Department. Here’s what I looked for:

1. I checked the email address it was sent from. It was similar to a legit Google domain, though not an actual service from Google.
   
2. The biggest red flag was that security alert for my ‘gmail account’ was sent to my work email which is powered by Microsoft Outlook. My first though was ‘that’s sloppy’ on the attacker’s part.
3. Check for typos and misspellings
4. Hover over the links to see where they actually lead. All of the links on the email lead to very long gibberish filled BS locations. Not something you would see if the email was actually from Google.

There are plenty more ways to identify phishing scams. Here are some good links to learn more about how to protect yourself and your data:

https://phishingquiz.withgoogle.com/

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams

Is your password garbage?

Most Likey

Passwords. The key to a person’s digital life and identity. Almost everything requires a password protected account in some way, shape, or form. With more and more services going digital, there are a lot of passwords to keep track of. People tend to keep their passwords simple for efficiency and memorability. This idea turns into a list. The list of the most commonly used passwords. A list you do not want your password, or some variation thereof, on. Here is an excerpt from Geeks For Geeks list of most commonly used passwords in 2024 so far:

password (+ variations, i.e. 1, ! )

qwerty (+v)

1234567 (+/- numbers)

admin

letmein

whatever

If you see your password here: SHAME

These are some of the easiest cracked passwords. You are not safe, and to be completely honest, your accounts are probably already compromised. Surprise!

Here are some alternative ways to create passwords and keep them safe:

1. Use a trusted password manager. I personally use LastPass. It is amazing.
   
2. use the randomly generated passwords
3. Come up with a phrase that only you would know, or try and make a sentence that you don’t think has ever been made before. Have fun with it.
4. DO NOT GIVE YOUR PASSWORDS TO ANYONE