Cyber Safety - Thing 2,3 & 4

Step one was to make the decision to undertake the journey, step two is to ensure that the boat and any equipment I might need is safe and ready to use. It would be a terrible faux par to be up the mast when a gust of wind pulls me off my sure footing and then my safety rope snags and slowly tears while I am dangling upside down.

In terms of my digital Journey the relevance of password and security is timely. Having just had one of the crew (Children) go onto my online bank and transfer some money for an activity that they were doing, before I had given permission. When questioned as to how they could have done it the two direct answers, Mum your passwords are always the same and it’s my name and a few numbers... too easy.

So the major information that I have taken away from thing 2, was to change all my passwords and how to check if they were safe. Using the detector tool with my original combination was a wake up call as it predicted it would take 11 seconds for an average desktop to break the code and gain access. WOW!

I have also found a parallel to my research under this topic, under the issue of passwords to social media. If you take cyber bullying as a tool to inflect pain, humiliation and to gain power over others, you will often find cases where adolescents and adults will get into a social media account and post comments or pictures that are not from the owner of the page. This can unleash a torrent of humiliation for the victim in the real world, as they have to face the repercussions. Especially if the owner has spent a great deal of time cultivating what they perceive as the perfect persona online. 

I came across this blog while doing thing 4 this week and find that it's relevance resonates with me and the research field that I am working in http://thecybersafetylady.com.au/news-blog/. 

I am now of a mind to reinvent myself as a superhero in cyberspace.......... mmmmmm this requires pondering!