PSA Newsletter 19: Privacy, Security, Automation!
TV's Should Be Dumb and The NPD Breach...
Privacy
Just a reminder to never connect your Smart TV to the internet. Don't enter your wifi credentials, conenct it to your network via ethernet, nothing. No good can come from connecting your TV to the internet and, as Ars reports (and was reported in this newsletter months ago), it opens the door to a lot of invasive and potentially unsafe behavior down the road. [1]
Security
Stop what you're doing and go check if your social security number was part of a massive breach here or here. Be thorough and use nicknames, maiden names, and old addresses to cover your bases. If you find yourself on either of those sites, I strongly recommend you go to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion and freeze your credit. Yes, all three. Follow normal account creation guidelines (use unique passwords or passphrases for each account, use an email alias instead of your real email address, etc.) when creating accounts. [2]
Automation
There's no automation section this month. Instead, please go check your information as described above, now.
Sources:
I hope it's obvious, but in case it's not, please understand the following:
- All opinions expressed are solely my own and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer, my dog, or anyone else for that matter.
- If you buy something I suggest and it doesn't work, please reach out to the vendor for supoort first.
