Bring on the Passkeys

Passwords are porous, and so are some forms of two-factor authentication (2FA), such as those numeric codes sent to your phone or email to verify your identity. Known as one-time passwords (OTPs), they’re relatively safe, but hackers are getting better at breaching that defense. Passkeys are coming into their own as a stronger cybersecurity tool.

OTPs are typically provided in a text message, which is vulnerable to attacks in several ways. A hacker who intercepts the text to your phone might not get the password directly, but they could launch a smishing attack (it’s like an email phishing attack) and wait for you to make a mistake (responding to the text) to get into your account. More sophisticated hackers engage in SIM swapping or a more effective means of message interception to take over your phone and account. With those latter two forms of intrusion, it may take a while for you to discover the hack. Even if it’s less than an hour, it could be too late.

Risky as they are, OTPs by text are likely to remain in use for a while. Some companies are reluctant to change because they fear it will cost them customers who are not tech-savvy enough to adapt to more sophisticated verification tools. Most of you can reduce the risk somewhat by using a password manager. Reputable providers keep your master password secure – sometimes allowing you to bypass using it (as you’ll read shortly) – and add a strong layer of protection by generating long, complex passwords that are hard to crack.

As a smartphone and password manager user, you’re likely to be using a passkey already. For iPhone users, it’s facial recognition. For Android users, it’s a fingerprint. These and other passkeys work in the background to assemble a mathematical puzzle. The numbers are always changing, and they are not tied to anything that’s unique to you as a person. It doesn’t care about your mother’s maiden name or your first-grade teacher.

Most password managers use biometrics to authenticate you and your device, and you don’t need to be a tech wizard to set up and use it. For facial recognition, you just need to let the authentication app see several views of your face. For fingerprints, you just need to roll a finger over a sensor. In most cases, when using your smartphone, tapping on the app for a website automatically starts the authentication sequence.

Authenticator apps such as Microsoft Authenticator and Google Authenticator can work with website visits from a computer or mobile device. We like to set up our Microsoft OneDrive clients using Microsoft Authenticator to access files securely from any device from any internet connection.

For mobile devices, you can use a mobile app push for even more security. It works with mobile apps on your phone. When you log in to a website, you get a notification in the corresponding app on your phone that prompts you to verify your identity through that notification. This verification method is independent of the device you are logging in on and better than SMS or authenticator OTPs. However, you still need to pay attention. A hacker could repeatedly try to log in to your account using a stolen password, and you would get multiple messages on your phone to verify. If you click to verify, you could give the hacker account access.

We can help you move to a stronger authentication process. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to see what authentication could work best for you. We can help you install and configure the necessary software and get you started on using it.

You and Your Credit Card

Credit cards can be convenient and reliable, but sometimes, you’re much better off if you just leave yours in your wallet. The following “don’ts” apply to online and offline occasions when you’re tempted to pull out that piece of plastic.

  • If you don’t see the letters https as the first letters in the address bar of a website’s URL, don’t use a credit card. https is the universal protocol for secure communication over a computer network on the Internet. However, don’t blindly trust this. A scam website or scam merchant can obtain https certification, so be sure it’s the correct website before you type in your info. As an alternative, you can use PayPal if it’s presented as an option.
  • If you don’t see any online reviews of a merchant, consider that a red flag. If you see a merchant with no or few reviews while shopping on a site like Amazon, it’s a caution flag. While you assume they were vetted, they could have slipped something through the process. Some other things that shouldn’t be missing from a website are social media accounts, though there are Facebook marketplace scams. Be wary if you don’t see complete, verifiable physical addresses and telephone numbers.
  • Don’t put your credit card info into an email, especially if responding to an email. It could be part of a phishing campaign. We’ve written extensively on how responding to misspelled email addresses or URLs are ways to get you to provide a valid card number to a fraudulent operation. You’re actually better off giving your credit card to someone over the phone – but only if you initiated the call. A valid merchant uses a system that only retains the last four numbers of your card.
  • Going offline, don’t allow a merchant to take your card out of your sight. Who knows what they’re doing with it? More restaurants are processing your credit cards at your table. It’s all the same “trust but verify” thing.

If you’re a consumer, you likely know just about everything we discussed in our “don’t do” list.

If you’re a merchant, we can help you keep your credit card system secure by providing you with hardware and software systems that comply with all regulations. We can also help you get the proper https certification you need for your website. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us for an appointment to talk about it.

Manage Wi-Fi Network Overload

We love our smart-home devices, and it’s easy to overload our Wi-Fi networks with them. When that happens, our network traffic can slow to a crawl – just like we see at our Hudson River crossings. It’s easier and faster to clear up your network traffic jams.

Just as roads have a capacity, your Wi-Fi network can only handle a specific volume of traffic, which means it can handle only so many devices before performance backs up. We don’t think much about it as we add all sorts of smart devices in our homes, such as smart speakers, cameras, lighting, HVAC controls and some appliances. They’re all in addition to computers, TVs, and all our mobile devices. In most cases, the problems creep up on us gradually until we notice not everything is working at their expected speeds. Sometimes, we’ll see a lot of buffering while streaming 4K video or gaming, and those problems grab our attention.

To clear up network traffic jams, you can start with some easy steps. First, make sure all dongles and power cords have solid connections. That could solve a problem with one or a few devices. The next step is to restart your router. Unplug it from the electric outlet, and if you have a power on/off switch, hold it in for 30 seconds. That will help clear out the electronic junk that can accumulate in any device. While you’re at it, you should also check for firmware updates for your router and install any that are available.

Another easy step is to make sure your router has plenty of room around it. If it’s in the middle of clutter or too close to a wall, moving it or cleaning up the surrounding area can help.

If you still don’t get the performance you want, you can take a couple of technical measures. The first is managing the traffic on the router’s frequency bands. Most routers are dual-band routers, which means they run both the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz bands. In an ideal setup, the 2.4 band carries signals for smart speakers, light switches, door locks, garage door openers, and security cameras – to name a few. Those devices usually have default settings for that band. Computers, TVs, tablets, and other devices used for streaming and gaming are suited for the 5.0 band, which is faster and more robust for shorter distances.

There are a number of apps – including those from Apple (Siri), Amazon (Alexa), Google, and others – that can tell what devices are connected to your Wi-Fi network. Some apps allow you to assign some devices to one band or the other and even let you assign devices to specific channels in each band. The apps also enable you to disconnect devices from your network, and this alone might be enough to restore some speed to your network.

If none of these steps gives you the performance you want, you can consider getting a new router and/or adding a mesh network. Electronic components do wear out, and older routers may lack the technology needed to handle the growing demands on your network. A mesh network is essentially a system of smart repeaters that work in combination with your router to extend and manage network traffic to optimize performance for connected devices. Like routers, newer generations of mesh networks are built to handle more network traffic, and if you have an older one, it may not be able to keep up with your technology needs.

If the simple DIY suggestions in this article don’t give you the network performance you want, we can help you with more extensive analyses and solutions, including setting up a network management app and selecting and installing a router, mesh network, or both. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to discuss your needs.