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Computer Security and You

This is a membership Morsel from “Too Young to Retire”. Today, we are continuing to

talk about what work. Work that you have to do to keep your computer and records safe from bad actors.


A problem was discovered in computer coding in December 2022 that was caused by a common program snippet called log4j. How big a problem is it, well it only effects a couple of billion programs. Yes, that is billions. What does it allow bad actors to do? They can plug malicious software into your programs and take control of your computer, drain your bank accounts and all sorts of bad things. How long will it take to resolve this problem probably years.


What do you need to do? Several things, first is to make sure your programs are updated regularity. If the company has installed a patch for the log4j problem, then you want that patch in your program. You want to download and update, make sure you restart your computer. It does no good to have up dated software that is downloaded on your computer but not activated because you haven’t restarted the computer.


What else can I do to keep my computer, programs, and records safe; lots! Change your passwords. Take a few hours at least once a year and change all the passwords. Keep a record of them off-line, or in a password manager like Norton. If you keep offline (think pen and paper) put down program, email (login), password, and date changed. Then keep in a safe place at home.





Prune your accounts once a year. Online programs, retailers, restaurants, job hunting sites and social and media sites you no longer use should be closed out. You don’t need to provide a back door to some hacker.


When you change passwords do a wholesale change, don’t tinker with changing only one letter or number that might be easy to detect. Use a nonsensical phase that is easy to remember. Replace letters with numbers rather than e use a 3, or replace 1 with !.


Last, use two step verification to make it almost impossible to hack your account. Just don’t lose your phone because you will struggle to log in. That happened to me when I lost my computer and phone on a trip to Rome and I had to get my boarding passes from a hotel computer, but that is another story.


I read an article by Doug Shadel who wrote an article for AARP Magazine called “5 steps to Online Security” for some of the ideas mentioned. By being part of the 2 Young 2 Retire group you can talk with others who are also dealing with these same issues.


There are so many things you will learn that you should never run out of options. Sign up for our classes, join in the discussion and become part of our community about life after working at www.patterson2y2r.com


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