Internet Service Providers Blog and Resources

Maybe you have an online shopping addiction.Maybe you order a lot of GrubHub.Maybe you’re a freelancer.Maybe you overshare on social media.The more places you’ve shared your personal information, like credit cards or debit cards, the greater the risk of being affected by a data breach.A study from ExpressVPN found that 9 in 10 Americans worry about their online privacy and data security. “It has never been more important for anyone using the internet to be cognizant of the threats to their online security and privacy and to take steps to protect themselves. The past year alone has seen data breaches at Marriott, Quora, Google, and Facebook — a stark reminder that we must all take our cybersecurity into our own hands,” says Harold Li, vice president at ExpressVPN.With the high level of risk that occurs when connecting to the internet, some may argue that it’s best to disconnect completely.But, that’s not really feasible.“The key is to remember that whenever you are connected, your data is at risk. That doesn’t mean don’t connect, it means connect wisely — when you benefit and are confident in the security and privacy of the site,” advises Paige Boshell from Privacy Counsel. Paying attention to where and how you share your information is an important step in protecting your personal data. There are additional steps that you can take to improve the security of your information online: Protect your hardware Be careful when installing software Use a VPN Encrypt your storage Turn off location services Don’t trust companies or social media Limit information-sharing and select websites carefully Have good passwords Use two-factor authentication Choose security questions wisely 1. Protect your hardware Good systems of defense begin with up-to-date and secured hardware. Nick Kamboj, CEO of Aston & James, LLC, adds, “First and foremost, it is important for an individual to have passwords on their wireless systems or routers to prevent outside nefarious access. Furthermore, it is important for consumers to have firewall appliances (devices such as Barracuda firewalls, that use a combination of software and hardware) to allow for authorized access and prevent unauthorized access as well.” 2. Be careful when installing software The second line of defense for your hardware is being selective of what you install on it. Nooria Khan, Content Marketing Executive at GigWorker, says, “Never install unauthorized or free security software. Many harmful executable programs and software downloads automatically from the internet. Beware and never be a victim of these malicious softwares. Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report 2018 found that third-party app stores had 99.9 percent of discovered mobile malware. What are some good places to download apps and programs? Darren Gallop, CEO and co-founder of Securicy, cautions, “Make sure that you install software from reputable vendors. If you decide to install more experimental and less known software, do your research.” Khan notes that these trusted vendors include Google Play and the Apple App Store. “For iPhones and iPads you can only install what’s available in the App Store unless you jailbreak your phone. If you care about security and privacy, don’t jailbreak your phone. Check and make sure that all of the software you have has been updated and is still supported,” Gallop adds.  3. Use a VPN A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts internet traffic from your computer or connected device.Caleb Chen from Private Internet Access, says, “Whenever you visit a website, the website stores your IP address (among other things) and that can be used to identify you. Should the website's data be breached, even if you just have an anonymous email and unique password that can't be tied back to you, your IP address can still be tied back to you unless you change it using a VPN service.”Antoine Vincent Jebara, CEO of Myki, agrees: “At a macro level, users should encrypt their internet traffic in order to protect themselves from people who might try to intercept it. The best way to do that is to use a VPN which masks the traffic by encrypting it.”In addition to protecting your privacy in general, VPNs can make accessing public Wi-Fi safer.Mark Runyon, senior consultant for Improving, says, “It is ridiculously easy for a hacker to intercept login credentials or personal information over Wi-Fi networks. If you tend to work out of the local coffee shop, it’s recommended you get a VPN to secure your traffic.” 4. Encrypt your storage Just like encrypting data entering and leaving your computer through a VPN provides additional security, any data that you store should also be encrypted.Gallop explains, “If someone gets their hands on your computer and its not encrypted, they can access all of your data very quickly. Even if you have a good password on the device. This can even mean accessing stuff you deleted. Yes, even if you wipe your hard drive and sell the computer on Craigslist.” This encryption prevents stored data from being easily hacked.“Most modern smart phones are encrypted by default. Check your device and model and OS to see if that is the case with yours. For Macs, you can use a built in tool in system preferences called FileVault. Microsoft devices can be encrypted using bit locker. Do this now. It is free and goes a long way to securing your device,” says Gallop. 5. Turn off location services Location services let apps, websites, and people know where you are. Unless you want people to be aware of your location, only turn on location services when absolutely necessary. Boshell counsels “Opt out of and do not consent to location sharing or services unless absolutely necessary and the benefit is high. For weather, maps, search apps, enter your location manually each time. Check privacy policies for how to turn off location tracking. Location history alone is not sufficient.” 6. Don’t trust companies or social media Some companies are trustworthy, others are not. Monica Eaton-Cardone, owner, co-founder, and COO of Chargebacks911, says, “Fraudsters will design email offers and create fake websites that look very similar to legitimate stores. They do this to ‘phish’ for your financial information, so they can steal from your bank account. Consumers should proceed with caution and use common sense: Is the URL misspelled?  Is it http and not https?  When you Google the site and/or the offer, are people warning you of fraud?  Are the images low-resolution?  Does the verbiage include spelling errors and grammatical mistakes? Is the offer too good to be true?  Is it a website that you’ve never visited before?  These are the telltale signs of a fake online store. Delete the email, and do not submit your financial information. It isn’t worth the risk.” However, even well-known and highly regarded companies can have poor data privacy practices. Eric Poe, consumer rights activist and COO of the not-for-profit CURE Auto Insurance, explains, “You should not take companies at face value when they tell you your data won’t be sold. Technically, they are telling the truth.They don’t sell your data. They just trade it.  For example, GEICO auto insurance trades data for data. The insurance giant barters with third parties to trade their consumer data for discounted rates on services and/or for other consumer data.  Most consumers are not aware that this practice exists, and that even asking for a quote, or clicking around to shop for various insurance, inadvertently puts your data on the market. By trading, companies get to maintain they do not sell it.” Carefully reviewing a website’s privacy policy can help you identify trustworthy sites.Boshell adds, “If they state that the site shares information with third parties for their own use, avoid sharing information with that site. Whenever there is a tracking or sharing opt-out, use it.”It’s also important to be careful on social media.“Social media will always be attractive to cybercriminals. According to HuffPost, in the first six months of 2018, 6000 accounts were reported to have been fake and contained suspicious content on Twitter,” says Khan. 7. Limit information-sharing and select websites carefully The most secure information is the information that has never found its way to the internet.Jamie Campbell, cybersecurity expert, PhD and MS in Computer Science and founder of gobestvpn.com, advises, “This is going to sound funny but practice abstinence. Don't use social media, don't share your email address, and don't give away your personal data to companies.”While totally avoiding sharing information on the internet is a great option, it’s not always a feasible option for some, so at least be selective about what information you share and where you share it.Jebara says, “At a more specific level, users should diligently pick the services that they use in a way that favors services that collect less information about them and puts more value on their privacy. The best way would be to conduct internet searches as follows: 'what is the best ____ that protects my privacy.’ Make sure though that you are not landing on the website of a service provider that is recommending itself. Try to find sources that look objective.” Also be sure that the website is secure before providing any information. All you have to do is check for an “s” that follows “http.” Boshell says “Only give information to a site that has https (found on the far left of the URL) and that you trust. Only give the information that you are required to give and store information at very few, trusted sites. For example, if you make purchases at various sites, use sites that have a PayPal payment option; this means only PayPal has your payment info.”Jebara agrees: “Most importantly, do not provide services with data that you feel is overly personal or unnecessary for the service to be able to fulfill its role. For example, a website that recommends interesting books does not need your home address in order to do that. If asked for it without a specific reason, keep the field blank. If filling the field is mandatory, try to look for alternative services that do not ask for data that they can't justify the need for,” he says.In addition to being highly scrupulous with the information you provide and what companies you provide it to, it’s a good idea to pay attention to your credit score and even lock your credit reports. Runyon says, “Contacting the major credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) to put a lock on your requests of your data can greatly deter identity theft. No one can trash your credit by taking out a loan or applying for a credit card in your name without your authorization to unlock your credit file.” You can also check to see your data exposure on the dark web to get a better sense of what you need to secure. Gallop explains, “Most people who are active online have already had their data stolen and are completely unaware. Thankfully there are services out there that tell you if your data is out there on the dark web. This one is a great option: https://haveibeenpwned.com. It’s free and if you sign up, it will actually let you know if in the future it finds you in newly discovered breaches.” 8. Have good passwords Jack Bedell-Pearce, Managing Director of 4D Data Centres, says, “Nowadays, it’s not a matter of if your data will be stolen but when and how well prepared you are for that.” The best way to prepare? Robert Meyers, CISM, CIPP/E, FIP, Director of Systems Architecture at Managed Solution, warns, “The only thing you can do to reduce your risk of being affected by data breaches, is to minimize the impact on you as much as possible. Most breaches will still occur, but if you limit use of single passwords and limit to using trusted sites only, you can minimize the impact on you.” It’s also important to use passwords only once. Boshell says, “Don’t reuse passwords. Many older passwords have been breached. Multiple use passwords increase your risk — if one is breached, they are all breached.”The more complicated a password, the harder it is to break.Runyon adds, “Regardless of how secure you think your passwords are, they probably aren't. In my mind, computer generated passwords are the only truly secure passwords you can have.” Passwords can be hard to remember, so password managers are helpful in generating and storing secure passwords. Bedell-Pearce says, “Always use a Password Manager such as LastPass or Dashlane and make sure each site has a unique random password — that way if one site gets hacked and you lose your password, it won’t be the same one for your gmail account.” 9. Use two-factor authentication Two-factor authentication allows you to download an app to your phone that can be used to verify an approved sign-in for an account.Runyon advises, “Two factor authentication adds a second layer of authentication after a valid user name and password entry. Sometimes this takes the form of a code sent to your phone and other times you'll use an authenticator app on your phone which generates the code. If given the choice, the authenticator app should always be your go to since the code is sent over an encrypted channel. You will frequently see two factor authentication used on banking, email, healthcare, web hosting and sites requiring a higher degree of security.” 10. Choose security questions wisely Just as it’s important to set a secure password, it’s equally important to determine good security questions. Boshell says “Use security question answers that only you will know and that are not independently available, i.e., through a social media site.”If you’ve shared a lot of information on social media, then get rid of it. Ian McClarty, President and CEO of PhoenixNAP Global IT Services, encourages, “Remove as much public info as possible, i.e., date of birth on Facebook, favorite vacation spots, etc. These are all typical password reset questions someone can use to get into your accounts.”   If that task is daunting, there’s another simple solution: “In terms of account recovery, lie when setting up security questions. A lot of these answers can easily be researched, therefore pick a name that is memorable for you and use that to throw hackers off,” says Patricia Vercillo, Vice-President of Operations of The Smith Investigation Agency and the Smith Training Centre. Whether you choose to lie, be highly selective, or remove data from social media, these actions will help keep your online accounts and presence secure. “Remember the bad guys are processing millions of records, obscure your info enough that it won’t show up as a credible attack vector,” McClarty says. Part of making your identity hard to track involves creating a recovery email address, so “It's also a good idea to avoid any connection to your identity when creating account recovery email addresses,” adds Vercillo. Following these steps will help you stay safe on the internet and limit the effect of data breaches on you.

There are many benefits to the internet — improved information sharing, streaming TV and movies, and social engagement.The internet also poses risks. We share a lot of personal information online. While we can select privacy settings on most social media networks, we should also make sure our internet connection is secure.Below are three recommendations from internet security experts: Add a firewall Perhaps the most well-known firewall is the one in China that restricts Google, Facebook, and Twitter. On a smaller scale, a firewall increases internet security because it controls the kind of traffic allowed on your server. Jason Glassberg, Co-founder of Casaba Security advises, “It's a good idea to consider adding a firewall particularly if you live in an apartment building or do sensitive tasks over Wi-Fi. An inbound and outbound firewall is best.” A firewall can keep unauthorized devices from accessing your internet service, which is a great protection from moochers and hackers.  As you configure your firewall, make sure you configure it correctly.Phillip Livingston, who is experienced in the IT industry and currently owns SEO it, says, “One of the leading causes of compromised computer networks is misconfigured firewalls. Close all unnecessary ports on your router.” Routers have several kinds of internet ports. Some of them can be useful when open but can also create unnecessary security risk. “A lot of people enable remote desktop protocol, port 3389, so they can access their computers from the internet. They also leave port 21 open so they can access their files remotely. This leaves their network susceptible to brute force attacks. The best alternative is to disable those ports and use a VPN instead. It’s more secure,” says Livingston. Use a VPN A VPN is a virtual private network. It is another great way to enhance your internet security and protect your personal information.Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at Comparitech.com, says, “Even if a hacker has infiltrated your wireless router, using a VPN on your phone or laptop will encrypt all your internet traffic before it leaves the device. This will make it impossible for a hacker to decipher anything they happen to intercept.”A VPN can be accessed by most devices that access the internet, like routers, mobile phones, computers, and tablets. VPN companies offer subscriptions to VPNs. The subscription fee varies depending on the company, but generally hovers around $6 per month. Purchasing a VPN service contract from a reputable company is an inexpensive way to protect your personal information. Create a guest Wi-Fi network Setting up your Wi-Fi network into your personal Wi-Fi network and a guest Wi-Fi network can help protect your personal information.Sophie Miles, CEO and Co-founder of elMejorTrato.com.co, says, “A Wi-Fi network for guests is nothing more and nothing less than an SSID isolated from the main one.” SSID stands for service set identifier. It is the name of the Wi-Fi network.“This allows two actions at the same time: People who connect to this network have access to the internet and isolate the equipment from the domestic Wi-Fi network and Local Area Network (LAN) of the users of this SSID, avoiding unauthorized access,” Miles says.In other words, it permits internet while isolating your personal devices from visitor devices accessing your Wi-Fi via guest access.“It’s hard to control what sites your guests visit or what they download, but you can control the Wi-Fi they use. By having two networks, you don’t have to worry about your personal information being compromised,” says Holly Zink, a tech and online security expert for Safeguarde.Setting up a guest Wi-Fi network has other security benefits.“The purpose of creating this network is simply to enable the connection of users without offering the password of our Wi-Fi network, thus avoiding having to change the password periodically,” says Miles.

Everyone wants to feel secure in their own home. We lock our doors at night and when we’re not home. Some people even have home security systems installed. Just as we take measures to ensure our physical safety, we should also take measures to ensure our safety on the internet. Your Wi-Fi network should be at least as secure as your home. Many internet service providers include an internet security feature as part of their internet package. This is a good start, but there are many simple and free ways to keep your Wi-Fi network secure. Stop broadcasting your Wi-Fi network Wi-Fi networks are broadcasted to allow devices to find and access the internet. A Wi-Fi password helps keep unauthorized users from using your internet, but you can go further by concealing your internet. Austin Norby, software engineer at Blue Star Software, says, “You can turn off your SSID broadcast messages so when anyone looks for a network to connect to on their computer, they won't see yours. In order to connect to the "hidden" network, you must specify the SSID and then authenticate with the password.”  An additional step is to use a MAC address filter. A MAC address is a Media Access Control address. MAC addresses limit the devices that can access your Wi-Fi. Norby says, “Even if you know the SSID (hidden or not) and you know the password, if you're device is not on the whitelist then it won't be authenticated to the network.” Keeping your Wi-Fi off the radar and limiting who can access it are great ways to protect your privacy, but they have their limitations. Norby says, “These measures will keep most unsophisticated people out, but it is possible to spoof or manipulate MAC addresses and avoid this hindrance.” Monitor Wi-Fi use One way to see if anyone has gotten past your broadcasting precautions is to check the router to see who has been using your Wi-Fi.Jason Glassberg, Co-founder of Casaba Security, says, “You should do regular checks to see if anyone else has been connecting to your Wi-Fi router. You can do this by logging into the router's administrative console, which will give you a list of connected devices and usage statistics.”With some internet companies, you don’t even have to log into the router.Todd Morris, CEO of BrickHouse Security, says, “Use the mobile app that comes with most modern browsers to see what is connected to your network and look for any unusual activity.”   These checks will let you know the IP addresses of who has been using your internet. If you see unfamiliar IP addresses, you should check them out.Jason Polancich, Co-founder of Musubu, says, “Check to see if the IP addresses hitting your Wi-Fi are malicious using a service like Musubu that lets you query IP addresses for free and see if they are associated with cyber threats. For the ones that come back with associated high scores of cyber risk, you can then put them into your router’s blocklist for IPs to keep them from even connecting or pinging your IP in the first place.” Update device software It is important to keep your router’s firmware up-to-date because it is the front gate to your Wi-Fi. The next step is to keep all of the devices that access your Wi-Fi up-to-date.Mitchell Klein, the executive director of Z-Wave Alliance, says “Always install the latest software updates to ensure you have the best defense against malware and other online threats.”Keeping your devices current will keep you from falling prey to old, easy hacks and security breaches. You can also go further.Morris says, “Make sure the devices on your network are also secure with updated security patches and antivirus scanning software.”These device-specific features will further enhance the security of your internet connection. However, consumers should be aware that not all devices that connect to Wi-Fi are created equally.Glassberg says, “If your family uses an IP security camera, a baby monitor, or a kid's 'smart' toy, you need to understand that these Wi-Fi-connected devices are often highly insecure and easily hacked, especially if they are inexpensive. Even if you've taken the appropriate steps to protect your router, these connected devices can still be hacked and the hacker could eavesdrop on you and your family.”It may be best to avoid these products altogether because of the risks they pose for internet security. However, if you choose to use these devices, there are a few things you can do.“At a minimum, be sure to change the default passwords on these devices, but even that may not protect you if the device has other security failures. Do your homework before you buy these products,” says Glassberg.Learn more about Internet Security Essentials.

We use the internet for almost everything. Internet companies are continually improving their internet speed, which makes streaming TV and movies even better. The internet also makes paying bills and keeping current with friends’ and family’s life events convenient. However, the internet can pose risks, like hackers and data breaches.Taking basic steps to secure your home internet can help protect your privacy. Select up-to-date hardware Hardware for internet use includes modems, routers, and ethernet cables. Wi-Fi is one of the most common ways to access the internet. Wi-Fi networks are created through a router. The router is where your home Wi-Fi network’s security starts.Jason Glassberg, Co-Founder of Casaba Security, says, “Make sure your router is a good brand, and check the model to make sure it is still supported by the manufacturer. For example, D-Link no longer supports several routers it considers 'end of life,' and which now have serious security vulnerabilities. D-Link has even been sued by the FTC for shoddy security practices.”Choosing a trusted brand can save you the headache of dealing with a security breach.Todd Morris, CEO of BrickHouse Security, says “Use a modern router that gets firmware updates and security patches from the manufacturer. If it's more than three years old look into a new Wi-Fi router.”These updates will ensure the consistent security of your internet. However, these updates are not usually automatic.Holly Zink, a tech and online security expert for Safeguarde, says, “Often, but not always, router firmware updates need to be installed from the manufacturer’s website. These updates are essential to make sure your router is working properly and has no security flaws.” “Check to see if the router needs to update its software or firmware, and be sure to check this regularly,” Glassberg adds. Don’t use the default settings When it comes to the default settings, laziness can lead to high security risks.Doug Brennan, Digital Marketing Associate and manager of the Digital Addicts blog, says “One of the most important things you can do when securing your home’s Wi-Fi connection is changing the default login information on your router. This is something that not many of us do, but it leaves our Wi-Fi networks wide open to a variety of malicious attacks.”The default information includes the Wi-Fi network name, IP address, and passwords. Unfortunately, this information is very easy to figure out.Victor Congionti, who works at Proven Data, says “The default router name and password are often manufacturer generated and can be easily guessed by a digital thief.”  Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to change the default information. Brennan says, “Simply open your favorite browser, enter your IP address into the address bar, and log in using your router’s default username/password (typically located on the bottom of your router). From here, navigate to your router’s settings and change both the username and password. Just remember to write down your new login information, in case you need to change any other settings in the future.” Choosing names and passwords When it comes to choosing a new password and Wi-Fi network name, there are a few important things to consider. Glassberg recommends that passwords meet the following criteria: 10+ characters Upper and lower case letters Numbers Special symbols Phillip Livingston, owner at SEO it, says “Don’t use common passwords, like birthdays, names, or even pets’ names. Use a password generator to make an arbitrary but secure password.”Creating a complex password will help ensure your internet security. Changing it on a regular basis also provides an added measure of security. Be sure that you don’t reuse passwords.When choosing a Wi-Fi network ID or Wi-Fi name, Glassberg says “Since the ID can be seen by anyone within range, or anyone scanning for local networks, it is a good idea to make this ID as generic and unassuming as possible so a nefarious person will have a harder time singling you out.” Encryption Encrypting your home internet means that all the data coming and going via your internet connection is coded to be unreadable. The only way for it to become readable is if someone breaks the code. Austin Norby, software engineer at Blue Star Software, says “There are different levels of encryption for a home network. The first level of encryption is no encryption. The next level of encryption is using a protocol called Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). The only benefit of WEP is that your network traffic is not sent in the clear, otherwise, it's just as bad as no encryption.” If your home internet isn’t encrypted, than anyone can see the data coming in and out. You’ll want to make sure you have a sufficient level of encryption for your internet. Congionti recommends using the highest level of encryption. “Ensure that the wireless security settings are updated to the most current standards, which are a WPA2,” he says. WPA2 stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2. Norby agrees, “The best and standard level of encryption to use for your home Wi-Fi is WPA/WPA2 with a Pre-Shared Key (PSK). WPA is the first version of this protocol and WPA2 is the second version of this protocol and should be used in all cases where available.”