Mikko Hyppönen’s take on Online Security

May is the Month of Mikko as we publish numerous articles and blogs about some of the things he has said. Mikko Hyppönen is a global security expert and the resident Chief Research Officer at F-Secure where he has been employed since 1991. He is also the keynote speaker at the upcoming ITWeb Security Summit in Johannesburg on 22^nd May. His TED Talk is the most watched computer security talk on the internet and with very good reason as Mikko’s insight on how we can stop new viruses from threatening our online safety is different from the rest. His ability to make complex technical concepts easy to understand, separating fact from hearsay, and his detailed storytelling earn him the title of being the most influential worldwide authority on computer security.

Mikko has introduced a concept to the world and turned the way we view cyber security upside-down. Hyppönen’s law states that: “Whenever an appliance is described as being ‘smart’, it’s vulnerable”. He argues that it all stems from a basic fact of computing: “If something can be programmed, it can be hacked.” Here are his top tips to internet users about security and privacy, and how to protect themselves:

1. 1. Change how you think about passwords
      “Bad passwords or recycling passwords doesn’t only invite surveillance, but all kinds of other problems,” says Mikko. The crucial thing is to use strong, unique passwords for all of your important accounts. Use a password manager.This will solve tons of other problems for you, as you will automatically have a unique strong password on every site.

 

1. 1. Always have a backup
      “Accidents happen to everybody,” Mikko says. Make sure any important file, document or image exists on more than one hard drive.Make a backup. Then make a backup of your backup. Backup your laptop, backup your phone, backup your tablet. And back them up so that you can recover your data even if your house burns down. Because sometimes your house really does burn down, and sometimes you are hit by encrypting ransom trojans. Our lives and memories are on our devices and they deserve to be backed up.

 

1. 1. Use a VPN
      Without a VPN, it’s easy for anyone else using the same wi-fi to see big parts of your traffic. Use a VPN on your laptop, on your phone and your tablet. The added benefit of this is that browsing becomes much faster as it’s typically faster with a VPN than without one!

 

1. Sign up for data leak notifications
   This service will email you right away if your email address is part of some data breach – such as the recent Yahoo and Ashley Madison breaches.

The advice received from Mikko is imperative in maintaining a secure online profile. His many years of expertise in the field also provide surety that he knows what he’s talking about.

 

“The world is changing. We shouldn’t just blindly accept the change. Just because something is technologically possible, it might not be right. And we really have to think about these things now when we can still change them.” – Mikko Hyppönen