Safe Computing

Personal Identifiable Information (PII)

As we create a Web Site and post information we are adding to the Searchable PII. However, there is a dichotomy as a site like LinkedIn is a place where we want to be known for our accomplishments. But be aware, the person that looks at your LinkedIn will, most likely, look at things like TikTok, Instagram or Facebook.

PII considerations

  • Things that will be known by everyone: Name, Email (suggest a junk email), Picture, High School attended, College Attended, Properties you own, State-City of residence, all State-City of previous residence, Credit Reports, …
  • Gray area items, more cautious: Birth date, Place of Birth, Street Address, Phone Number, Maiden names of Mother and Grandmother, Drivers License Number, …
  • Things that you should strive to keep absolutely secret: Credentials for Access, Two-Factor Authentication on Financial accounts, Social Security Number, Tax records, …

Beware, Establish practices for your own Safety

  • Multi-factor authentication often requires you to enter a code that has been texted or emailed to you. Other types of authentication are biometrics (finger print or facial recognition).
  • Malware is often sent in attachments to things in email. Often they request you to click on an attachment and it starts the process of adding a virus to your computer.
  • Phishing is where unknown sources try to entice you into a response, like click here and receive $500. Often such systems impersonate someone like Amazon asking for login information. Be careful to look closely at source of email (ie amzn.com vs amazon.com).

Factors to Increase Security of System (recommend Watch 5.6 Video 2)

  • Most of my financials or critical systems use Multi Factor authentication
  • Biometrics is something that is used secure systems, fingerprints or facial recognition
  • Symmetric encryption is a type of encryption where only one key (a secret key) is used to both encrypt and decrypt electronic information.
  • Asymmetric cryptography, also known as public-key cryptography, is a process that uses a pair of related keys – one public key and one private key – to encrypt and decrypt a message and protect it from unauthorized access or use.
  • SSL Uses both Asymmetric and Symmetric Encryption

Nefarious Uses of Internet

  • A Virus or Malware compromise security, they are opposite of increasing security.
  • Phishing is a way to get a Virus on your machine, or a way to get you to input PII.
  • After a Virus or being compromised by Phishing it is advised to review all of you PII vulnerabilities.

Blog Post Reflection:

  1. Describe PII you have seen on project in CompSci Principles.

Many of the project ask for names for a sign in. Additionally one of the projects asked for your grades which can be very personal to students. What are your feelings about PII and your personal exposure?

  1. What are your feelings about PII and your personal exposure?

I feel that my data when given to websites should be protected. I would not like it if my photos were out without my permission unless its something that I have given permission to post, such as school affiliated clubs and organizations. Describe good and bad passwords? What is another step that is used to assist in authentication.

  1. Describe good and bad passwords? What is another step that is used to assist in authentication?

Good passwords are unique to the person and do not contain ‘easy to guess’ information like names and birth years. Another step used in authentication is two factor authentication, using your email or phone number which is good because it is less likely for someone to access your account that way. For example Slack uses two factor. I learned this the hard way because I used my school email to sign up and when it asked to email me I realized I couldn’t access an inbox thorugh my school email. (Still don’t know how to fix this) Try to describe Symmetric and Asymmetric encryption

  1. Try to describe Symmetric and Asymmetric encryption.

Symmetric encryption uses the same key to both encrypt and decrypt data. Assmmetric uses two different keys to encrypt and decrypt. Provide an example of encryption we used in AWS deployment.

  1. Provide an example of encryption we used in AWS deployment.

AES-256 is the technology we use to encrypt data in AWS

  1. Describe a phishing scheme you have learned about the hard way. Describe some other phishing techniques.

So I’m a big cricket fan and recently the international board for cricket fell for a phishing scheme and lost thousands of dollars. Personally I have never fallen for any major phishing scheme but I have gotten lots of scam calls where people try to get information about me like my social security number or my credit card.