Among Friends

[wagirl]

I woke up this a.m. to a notice from my Iphone that was in the Settings and then go to passwords---  that 4 of my passwords on 4 sites had been breached! It was suggested I immediatley change those old passwords which I did. Am waiting for one of them to get back to me---that one is the allrecipes app/website. Now I did go to the actual websites and changed the old passwords --didn't click on anything. Have never had that warning before. I have used the allrecipes site,  but not for many years----and it is very hard to navigate that site. Just a heads up ----

[cheriere]

@wagirl 

This happened on my iPhone not too long ago.  It was all breaches in the software that came free with my iPad I purchased too!  It was a hassle changing everything.  Sure hope I don't have to go through this again.

I hope you're able to fix everything with as little hassle as possible.  Thanks for letting us know.🙏❤️

[wagirl]

@cheriere --Oh yes, was an easy fix---changing passwords should be done often. 

[gaga]

May I add that I recently was told not to keep my passwords on line i.e. in Microsoft Word!  I have removed them& now keep them on a Flash Drive.   However I always chg. my PW's frequently anyway!!!  Also have upgraded my antivirus program & other means of protecting my phone & PC.  

[NYCLatinaMe]

iPhone has a password management tool that is always warning about passwords.  They have all sorts of reasons, they want you to use the passwords they recommend that are more secure but no one will ever remember.  They will always warn if one uses the same password in more than one website.

Password managers I believe are essential because we shouldn't keep our passwords anywhere anyone can access and use them, and there is no way we can remember them all.

I trust myself to remember a handful of passwords and otherwise rely on a password manager.   

The WSJ is always recommending password managers.

The ones below are from an article in January.  There are more recent articles with recommendations, but they are from a WSJ Buy section, and not the editorial section. You can probably google that and read those recommendations.  The ones below are from a January article (I am not vouching for these, just sharing their recs).

They mention that devices like iPhone have free, built-in password managers that work across their related devices.  ICloud Keychain is compatible with iPhones, iPads, Safari on Mac and Windows computers. Google Password Manager works best on Android devices and Chrome on desktop, though it also supports iOS.  Thir downside is they don’t work universally across browsers and operating systems, as third-party managers do.

There are third-party password managers, that are free and paid . Free ones are adequate for basic password generation and storage. Paid password managers include secure document storage, family account sharing and other perks.

• Free: Bitwarden works across different browsers and operating systems. You can pay to upgrade—starting at $10 a year—if you want additional features such as family password sharing and trusted contacts for emergency access.

• Paid: the WSJ reporter recommends 1Password ($3 a month for individuals, $5 for up to five accounts) for its balance of price and features. Also Dashlane ($5 a month for individuals, $7.49 for up to 10 accounts), which includes a VPN for private internet browsing. WSJ states these are ideal for families. With a subscription, you can keep communal accounts (e.g., Netflix) in a shared “vault,” and the apps can also monitor the web for exposed passwords, Social Security numbers and other data.

I don't store any data on the Microsoft Word account, I don't trust them, maybe that is just me.  I do use their software.  I just don't save to their cloud.

[bmorechick]

It's scary how you can be accessed so quickly.  People sometimes refuse to believe that.  Somehow, don't know how and never will, my ssn was stolen.  I only knew it because my HR office at work called me in to ask if I had applied for unemployment benefits.  I looked at her like she was crazy because I am still working full time, you people know me well as I have been there 40 years, I mean seriously??  Then she told me what happened. Someone applied under my ssn.  It was a huge deal.  A nightmare.  Omg banking, retirement accounts from work,  my health insurance, everything, everything needed a new email and every single account or online shop place now has a different PW.  I do not use the same PW anywhere.  To this day, we don't know how it happened but it did.  My HRoffice also reported it to local law enforcement.   

This is my only social media and yeah, sometimes maybe we all share too much but I never have and never will post my picture anywhere ever.  Or pictures of anyone in my family.   My daughter has FB and I warned her to never, ever post me anywhere.  And yes, you can locate someone from a picture.  I have family in law enforcement and they say yes, you sure can.  So scary.

I hope you get it all fixed @wagirl  and keep an eye out on all your online stuff.