Tuesday Sweep: 12 June 2018

Your weekly reminder to back up your data, update software and otherwise pay attention to your digital environment. (Oh, and to head to the CRASH Space meeting…)

Once again got to have a wonderful time at the Eyeo Festival. This year’s videos aren’t up yet, but 2017’s are. PS – give to the LAist kickstarter… IT’S SO CLOSE!!!

• On the blog
• On the repo
• See all the zones

Jump in Here

• Welcome. If you haven’t been following along, it’s okay. You’re not behind, you’re just where you are.
• Need a instant pick me up? Jump straight to our Easy Wins.
• There are more recommendations under Start Here.
• Feeling more ambitious? Just wait for the Learn section!

Sweep

Weekly Basics

• Check that backup systems are actually running. (more)
• Update main computer(s), phone(s) and tablet(s). (more)
• Clean out and reset wallet/purse/laptop bag/vehicle. (more)
• Spend some time adding passwords to your password manager and updating flagged passwords. (more)
• What neglected inbox will you check today? (more)

This Week’s Focus:

Zone 2 is “identity,” how to increase the chances they you’re you and they’re them. One key step, using a password manager, is included in the weekly basics above.

• Enable Two Factor Authorization somewhere new, and/or ask for it from a vendor that doesn’t offer it. (more)
• Log in to financial accounts to check the transaction history. (more)
• Check for new breaches & scams. (more)
• Any paper to shred? (more)
• Continue to use unique, fake answers to “secret questions” for password resets. (more)
• Do a little self-stalking (more)
• A reminder to independently verify phone numbers, links and other contact information provided to you. (more)

Learn

News and Updates

Where do you scan for news, include a politics update!

• Still processing the sale of GitHub to Microsoft.
  • https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-github-code-moderation/
  • https://www.linuxfoundation.org/blog/microsoft-buys-github-the-linux-foundations-reaction/
  • Public Goods 101: Khan Academy
• Handy reference when you change your GitHub password run “git config –global –unset user.password” in the command line. Mine was > 3 years old!
• When you can’t go national, go local.
  • I think I’m going to call my CA reps to see if we can’t get a law like Washington State, holding online media to the same standards as everyone else for political Ads.
  • Keeping with the “Washington State is Awesome,” their Net Neutrality law kicked in today. We don’t have ours yet… call your Assembly Rep!
  • While you have them on the phone… Vermont has privacy regulations on the docket that look like a good starting model, lets make sure it includes health data.
• Phrase of the day “Defensive Decentralization,” or why comfortable societies tend to end up vulnerable.
• If you ever swallow a button cell, start chowing on honey on your way to the hospital.
• The worst actors of top-level domains. Pretty much block *.man, *.click and *.work
• No, don’t put passwords in Trello, nor Evernote for that matter. Insist on data-at-rest encryption.
• Speaking of Hedy Lamarr… frequency hopping for the IoT win? (via SANs)

Engage

We are a community. You are a welcome part of it.

• Did you learn something cool in your sweep? Make something? Share it!
• Speak up
• Give
• Like going to conferences? Maybe one is coming up!
• Show up at CRASH Space.

Relax

Update your Steam wishlists now for the Summer Sale starting June 21 @ 9:55 AM PT. I’d like to make a call out for pretty much anything by Amanita Design. I’ve loved them since their very first flash game in 2003.