How to protect yourself against SIM swapping
SIM swap, the latest fraud technique, happens when a hacker is able to transfer your mobile phone number to another SIM card in their possession thereby securing their exclusive use of your number and in doing so, part of your identity. Fraudsters can physically change it if they have access to your phone or do so remotely by calling your mobile phone provider to impersonate you and activate a new SIM card. How do you find out if you've been the victim of a SIM swap? A SIM card is the bridge between your mobile device, your number and your provider. You may have already had to ask to swap your SIM card yourself either because you lost your device or changed to another mobile service provider. Your phone number then was legitimately transferred to a new SIM card. However, if you’re the victim of fraud via a SIM swap, your mobile device could suddenly lose its connection to the cellphone network you’re subscribing to. So you won’t get any more calls, texts or emails because now the hacker is receiving them on their device. The fraudster can also reset your passwords and access your online accounts to use them as they please, especially when your phone number is used as an authentication factor or for recovering your accounts. How can you protect yourself from this type of fraud? To avoid making yourself an easy target for fraudsters, here are a few tips to improve security for your SIM card: Add a complicated PIN to lock your SIM card and keep it secret. Choose complex usernames and passwords that are different across all your accounts (emails, social networks, banks, government, etc.). Use two-factor authentication that is more secure than emails or texts, for example a security key or an app like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. Make sure you’re not needlessly sharing personal details. Your birthday, phone number, card numbers, driver’s licence numbers, subscriptions numbers or any other number should remain confidential and should not appear in your emails or on social networks. Be vigilant when it comes to phishing attempts by email, text or phone. Never give out personal information through those means. What do you do if you’re the victim of SIM swapping? To report the fraud, contact the police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Warn your financial institution and have them block your credit cards to protect your accounts. You can also apply to credit assessment agencies to make sure this fraud is recorded in your file. Videotron cares about your safety. If you realize that hacker has swapped your SIM card, go to a store with your IDs so our representatives can quickly remedy the situation and replace your SIM card. Find a storeChoosing Password Management Software
If there’s one problem we all experience, it’s having too many online accounts and passwords to remember. To solve this problem, we’ve developed a very bad habit: using the same passwords all the time. But there’s a much better solution: using a kind of software called a password manager. By Marc-André Gagnon, information security specialist. The way a password manager works is that you enter all your passwords into a database that itself is highly secure—a kind of digital vault. There are two kinds of password managers: local and cloud-based. Local password managers Local password managers save your passwords in a local database on your own computer. Your information never leaves your computer, and you are responsible for backing up your database manually at regular intervals. The two big players in this category are KeePass and Password Safe. Both of these software packages are open-source and free. KeePass for Windows was audited by the European Commission's EU Free and Open Source Software Auditing project (EU-FOSSA) in 2016, and no critical vulnerabilities were found in it. This represents a good guarantee that the source code is free of any major flaws or “back doors”. Because both KeePass and Password Safe are open-source, there are dozens of clones and derived versions of them, for all platforms (Windows, Linux, iOS, Android). But you have to be careful, because these clones do not provide any guarantees against vulnerabilities. If you’re concerned about security, use only the official versions. Local Password Manager Price Platforms KeePass free Windows (Linux/OSX: use the KeePassX clone) Password Safe free Windows Cloud-based password managers Cloud-based password managers save your database of passwords in the cloud. They represent an interesting compromise, in terms of ease of use and security. If well implemented, cloud-based password managers are considered secure and offer some additional benefits: they support all browsers; they let you access your passwords on all your devices at any time; they let you share certain passwords with other users, such as your spouse or your children; they let you monitor attempts to access your account, define trusted devices, and so on; some of them let you define an emergency contact who will be able to access your password database if anything happens to you. Like all other cloud-based services, cloud-based password managers charge an annual fee (although LastPass does offer a worthwhile free version). Cloud-based Password Manager Price Allows two-factor authentication? Platforms LastPass free or $US 24 per year Yes Internet Explorer/Edge Mozilla Firefox Google Chrome Apple Safari Opera 1Password $US 35.88 per year No Chrome Firefox Safari Opera Dashlane $US 39.99 per year Yes Internet Explorer Chrome Firefox Safari Can the software provider (or a hacker) access my passwords? The provider cannot read your database, because it is encrypted with your master password. All of the encryption and decryption operations are performed locally on your own computer, and your master password is never transmitted to the provider in any way. If this complex technology is properly implemented in accordance with best practices, it is considered impossible for the provider or potential hackers to decrypt your passwords without your master password. Essential advice Choose a master password that is complex and unique. Try to have 15 characters or more, including letters, numbers, and special characters. This password is going to protect all your others, so you can’t afford to be lazy! One good method is to use the first letter of each word in a sentence that will be easy for you to remember. For example, you could set your master password as “ta12aitb, ok?” and remember it with the sentence “There are 12 apples in this bag, OK?” For more details on this method, I recommend anarticle by Bruce Schneier. You’ll have to remember your master password, because there is no way to recover it. Some cloud-based password managers may offer options to make it easier to recover, but these options are still limited, because the provider can’t decrypt your information and doesn’t know your master password. Activate two-factor authentication For cloud-based password managers, two-factor authentication involves associating your account with your smart phone or other smart device (there are other options as well). Once you activate two-factor authentication, you will be allowed to access your database only if you enter your master password AND you demonstrate that you have physical access to the smart device that you have associated with your account. Thus, even if your password is compromised (by a virus, for example), the attack will be blocked by a second factor. I think this is the best way to make your account secure with the least effort. By the way, that’s true not just for your cloud-based password manager but for all your other cloud-based accounts—Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, etc.!Cryptojacking – When your computer mines cryptocurrency without your knowledge
In the past few months, we’ve seen a lot of news about cryptocurrency, including harried headlines about extreme fluctuations. All this can be attributed to an unending speculative bubble and possibly also the fear of government regulation. This partially explains why bitcoin’s value took such a spectacular plunge, falling from CA$25,000 to just over CA$10,000 between December 17 and today. Beyond the technical challenges that these headless currencies bring to the table, the fluctuations in exchange rate parity likely played a key role in the resurgence of attempted pirating, theft of digital wallets and personal data, and other fraudulent acts. If we’re to believe the predictions of certain industry leaders, more major heists could be coming. So far this year, we’ve already witnessed the record theft of $60 million in bitcoin from NiceHash, a violent attack on a British couple for their virtual wallet, and Coincheck reporting more stolen assets than MtGox did in 2014. Given that bitcoin could recover and hit $60,000 sometime this year, security has become a big issue for this type of investment and for cryptocoin mining as well. However, with a little common sense and caution, the risk is minimal. What is mining? Unlike the coins and banknotes we carry in our pockets, which are issued by central banks, cryptocurrencies are virtual. They can be transferred across the network and are secured by alphanumeric strings called “hash.” To create virtual currencies, protect them and keep them functional, the mining process uses software that connects computers to a mining pool, making it possible to leverage the power of several devices at the same time. The processors work 24/7 to keep the currency going. The transactions (blocks) are then correctly added and recorded on the blockchain, which is a public documentthat lists all transactions—and it’s also a real headache for financial institutions and governments. Miners contribute their computers’ processing power to the network and are paid in cryptocurrency. Day after day, these profits add to the amounts already in circulation. Mining is rarely done alone because it uses a lot of power and is not very profitable. Instead, pools or farms do most of the work. There is power in numbers, and in mining it increases both the processing power and speed (i.e. hash rate). More calculations = more blocks added = more profits. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ When hackers target miners Clearly, mining isn’t totally safe and provides an opportunity to attack honest individuals whose computers are connected. In fact, it is becoming increasingly common for the CPU (processer) of a computer to be “taken hostage” so that it can be used for mining, without the computer’s owner even knowing about it. For instance, this can be done with Coinhive. This simple script discreetly mines Monero (one of the many forms of crypocurrencies out there). You’d never even know it was there. If your computer lags x 1000 and your electricity bill skyrockets, you might inadvertently be making cryptocurrency. And the worst part is that you won’t see any of the bitcoins that your computer is generating. According to a handful of experts, we can expect this CPU-borrowing trend to increase in 2018. After Youtube, The Pirate Bay and several government sites, we could even see a broader range of websites and platforms used for cryptocurrency mining. Currently, none of the available browsers offers protection against this type of activity, but there are solutions like No Script extension for Chrome, Firefox and Opera. You can also turn to traditional ad blocking services like 1Blocker, uBlock Origin and Adblock Plus. These can help relieve stress, since they minimize the chances that someone will get rich off your back. Helpful definitions courtesy of bitcoin.org: Hash: One of the essential components of BTC security is the SHA 256 hash function. It’s a mathematical function that uses a compilation of data (words, numbers, characters) to create a unique output value called a “hash.” Block chain: The block chain is apublic record of Bitcoin transactionsin chronological order. The block chain is shared between all Bitcoin users. It is used to verify the permanence of Bitcoin transactions and to preventdouble spending. Block: A block is arecord in the block chain that contains and confirms many waiting transactions. Roughly every 10 minutes, on average, a new block including transactions is appended to theblock chainthroughmining.Stay connected
Here are a few helpful articles during the confinement period. Helix, what does it offer exactly? Helix offers more than just entertainment. It adapts to your connected life to brighten it and make it easier in many ways, while allowing you to manage your services yourself. Discover everything Helix has to offer!... Helix offers more Wi-Fi calling, the perfect solution for flawless reception quality At a time where we’re spending a lot of time at home or where teleworking is starting to become the norm for companies and slowly winning over every generation, having impeccable mobile phone reception everywhere in your house is a necessity... The ideal solution Advice and Tips for Avoiding Internet Fraud In today’s environment, when most of us spend many hours on the computer for telework or entertainment, it’s important to remember best practices to avoid fraud and traps online... Advice and Tips Did you know that you’re in full control of your Videotron services? In the middle of this confinement period, where you have to stay at home as much as possible and limit non-essential travel, you have the ability to change or pay for Videotron services by yourself... How to be in control Tips for a Safe Return : Are you coming home from Florida, a trip down south or from studying abroad? We are with you as you are subject to the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine... How to adapt returning home from abroad Keeping busy to keep seeing the bright side : The COVID-19 pandemic that’s keeping use home is no reason to go around in circles... How to entertain yourself at home Teleworking : During this isolation period, the majority of employees who can still enjoy working are doing it from home – this is our case in the Videotron Web department. Some of us are available part time due to our family responsibilities, while others are giving more than they’ve got... Make the mostourof your workday from home. Rebooting your router When one or several of your devices is lagging, a simple device reboot, starting with your router, can help solve most problems... 5 solutions to enjoy the best home Internet speeds. Phishing attempts on the rise : The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security has unfortunately noticed an increase in phishing campaigns regarding the COVID-19 among businesses and individuals (our customers)... Vidéotron remains on alert and has taken action to stop these campaigns. Changing TV Channels 101 Say goodbye to the same old routine! Did you know that you can switch the channels in your cable TV plan whenever you’re craving something new?... Modify your channels directly on your TV in a few steps. Messaging apps: Messaging apps are incredibly popular. In fact, WhatsApp, Skype, Messenger and the like have been downloaded billions of times... What are thedifferencesand which is best for you? Audio app : While the status of traditional on-air radio is increasingly precarious, each day brings new applications and other online platforms designed for sharing audio content... Everything you need to know to listen to what you want. Kids & Screens: That’s what most of us say when we don’t want our kids to use our mobile devices... A few pointers to ensure kids use screens responsibly. Mobile phone during the pandemic : We’re all confined during the COVID-19 pandemic, your already useful phone is proving to be a valuable tool to keep you informed and connected to your work, family and friends... Make time fly, without going over your data Videotron is committed to supporting you every day and simplifying your life during these unprecedented times. Learn more.Cloud accounts, a user’s manual
Personal devices are evolving so fast, it’s enough to make you dizzy. But getting a new product doesn’t necessarily mean having to learn everything all over again. Written by Michel Baril, your Pro. Cloud solutions are a great example. You’ve probably already heard that they can help you make better use of your devices. That’s true, but many people still aren’t clear on how they work and, more concretely, how can they help. Here’s some handy information to help you understand what cloud services are all about. 1. Your cloud is yours only! The first thing you need to know is that when you use a cloud service, the only person who can access your data is you. It’s important to let that sink in. A lot of people are afraid that once their information is sent to the cloud, it will be accessible to everyone on the Internet. But the fact is that no one knows your password but you—not even the cloud service provider’s staff! So don’t forget this important nugget of information: you are the only person who can access your information. 2. What exactly is the cloud? In the IT field, the term “cloud” refers to storage space reserved just for you. Think of it as a bank account for saving your information. To access it, you need a device (computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.) and an Internet connection. Most cloud services require an email address (to use as your ID) and a password. To understand how the cloud system works, let’s go back to our banking analogy. When you want to access your bank account, you need a debit card (which is like a user name) and a PIN number (which is like a password). 3. What is the cloud used for? The cloud’s main function is to make a copy of your information so that nothing is lost if your device is misplaced or stolen. Services like AppleiCloudor Google Drive have features that enable automatic backups. In fact, whenever your device is connected to Wi-Fi, its contacts, photos, notes, reminders, appointments, search history and more are all saved in this virtual storage space. That way, even if you lose your device, you can still access most of your personal information via websites like icloud.com or google.com/drive. 4. How does syncing work? To get a better understanding of what we mean by “syncing devices,” let’s imagine that phones, tablets and computers are all ways of accessing the Internet and your accounts, much like an ATM at the bank. No matter where you go, you still have access to the same amount of money. The same is true with the cloud! Syncing your devices allows you to access the same contacts, photos and other data on all your devices. This means that if you make a change on one device, it will be automatically applied to all the others and saved in the cloud. Did you buy a new phone? Simply connect your new device to your cloud account and all your information will be available to you. How do you know if these features are enabled? Open the settings on your various devices and go through the backup options.
