Faster: 100 Ways to Improve your Digital Life
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TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
Select the Standard TrueCrypt Volume option and click on the Next button to continue.
TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
In the next step, you need to select the location on your hard drive where you want to create the TrueCrypt container file. Click on the Select File button, choose any location and type in the name that you want to give to the TrueCrypt container file. Ensure that you type in a new file name and not the name of an existing file, since TrueCrypt will completely overwrite whatever file you name. It is important to understand that during this step you are not creating any encrypted files; you are merely creating the TrueCrypt container file or virtual disk, inside which all your other encrypted data will be stored. Click on the Next button to continue.
TrueCrypt will now ask you to select the encryption algorithm which encrypts your file and the hash algorithm that encrypts your password. For most users, just selecting the default option is the way to go.
TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
In the next step, TrueCrypt will ask you to enter the size you wish to assign to the TrueCrypt container file (or virtual disk) that you are creating. Depending upon the size of the files you wish to encrypt and store, you need to specify an appropriate size. In this example, I’ve entered 100 MB as the size of the TrueCrypt container file (or virtual disk).
TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
Now, you need to choose a password to secure the confidential data you will be storing. The longer the password, the better it is. The more complicated the password, the harder it will be to crack.
TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
In the next step, TrueCrypt will ask you to move your mouse around as randomly as possible within the application window. The more randomly you move your mouse and the longer you move it for, the stronger will be the encryption that TrueCrypt will use to encrypt your files. Click on the Format button whenever you are ready to create the TrueCrypt volume.
At this stage, you have successfully created the TrueCrypt volume (or virtual disk) where you will be able to save all your files securely in encrypted format. Click on the Exit button to end the TrueCrypt Volume Creation Wizard. You are now ready to start saving all your confidential files in encrypted format in the TrueCrypt virtual disk.
TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
Now, each time you wish to access (view, save, modify or delete) data stored in the TrueCrypt virtual disk, you need to mount it using the TrueCrypt app. Start TrueCrypt and select any drive letter you would like to mount your virtual disk as. In this example, I’ve selected the drive P:. Click on the Select File button, select the TrueCrypt container file (the one we created earlier) that you wish to mount as a virtual disk and click on the Mount button.
TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
TrueCrypt will now ask you to enter the password you had chosen while creating the TrueCrypt volume. Without entering the correct password, no one can access any data stored in your TrueCrypt virtual disk. Click on the OK button to continue.
TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
Within a few seconds, TrueCrypt will successfully mount the TrueCrypt volume as a virtual disk represented as P: on your system. You can now access all the files on this TrueCrypt encrypted virtual disk just the way you would access any other drive. If you go to My Computer on your system, you will notice that a new drive P: has been mounted (notice that the size of the drive is approximately what we had selected—100 MB in this example). The moment you shut down your computer, or if your computer crashes, the mounted drive will disappear. It can be accessed by mounting the TrueCrypt virtual drive again, by selecting the container file and entering the correct password. Even if someone were to copy your container file and take it to another system, they will not be able to mount it and access your data without knowing your password.
TrueCrypt and the TrueCrypt logo are registered trademarks of TrueCrypt Developers Association, used with permission.
73. How to improve the security on your phone and tablet
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The default security features on your devices are usually not adequate to give you proper security. If you would like to make it harder for anyone to illegally access the data on your Android device, it is important to customize the security settings on your device. It is highly recommended that every Android user follows the steps below to improve the security on their device:
1. Enable a strong screen lock password by going to Settings > Location and security > Set screen lock. It is recommended that you use an alphanumeric password instead of a numeric PIN or pattern as your password.
Android and the Android logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
2. Enable the Remote controls option (Under Settings > Location & Security) on your Android device. This will allow you to remotely lock, trace and wipe data from your Android phone in case it is lost or stolen. Alternatively, you could install a third-party app like Lookout on your Android device.
3. It is advisable that you never install an app on your Android device that has not been downloaded from the official Android Market. Even while downloading an app from the official Android Market, make sure you read its reviews, check whether it is safe to use and confirm that other users did not face any security issues while using it. You can disable the installation of non-Market apps by going to Settings > Application settings and unselecting the Unknown sources option.
Android and the Android logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
4. Switch off the wireless and Bluetooth functionality on your Android phone whenever you are not using them. This reduces the chances of unauthorized access to your device. To toggle the wireless and Bluetooth features on your device, go to Settings > Wireless and network settings and then select Wi-Fi settings or Bluetooth settings and change them on the basis of your preferences.
Android and the Android logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
5. On certain Android versions you can encrypt all the contents of your phone and SD card so that none of the data stored on it can be accessed without entering an access password. To enable this encryption feature, simply press Settings > Security > Encrypt device.
Android and the Android logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
6. Install an antivirus app on your mobile phone that will protect you against any infected files, malicious apps that you may download to your device and even SMS text message scams. For example, AVG is a free antivirus that does a great job of protecting your Android device. You can download it from http://www.avg.com/in-en/antivirus-for-android.
Once you enable these additional security features on your Android device, it drastically reduces the chances of someone else illegally accessing your device.
On an iOS device, a four-digit numeric password is used by default to unlock the screen. Although a four-digit password is easy to remember and convenient to quickly type in, from a security perspective it is not very secure. To improve the security of your iOS device, it is advisable to switch from the four-digit numeric password to a traditional alphanumeric password. Alphanumeric passwords are tougher to guess or find out. In order to do this, tap on Settings > General > Passcode Lock. Turn the Simple Passcode option off and enable the Turn
Passcode On option. You will now be asked to enter a new alphanumeric password, which will be used in the future to unlock your screen.
1. It is also advisable to enable the Erase Data option on your iOS device, which will automatically erase all data from your device in case an incorrect unlock password is entered ten consecutive times. This additional security feature protects the confidential data on your iOS device from malicious users who are trying to guess your screen-unlock password. Moreover, if you enable this option, even if your iOS device gets stolen, at least the data on it will remain out of the hands of miscreants. To enable this option, go to Settings > General > Passcode lock and turn on Erase Data.
2. As with Android, switch off the Bluetooth and the Wi-Fi features on your iOS device by going to Settings and disabling them, whenever you are not using them. This reduces the chances of unauthorized access to your device.
3. It is a good idea to install the Find My iPhone app, available as a free download from the iTunes App store, so that it is easy to trace it in case it goes missing. This app not only shows you the exact geographical location of your missing device on a map, it also gives you the option to remotely wipe out all data from it. Moreover, Find My iPhone will allow you to play a loud alarm on your missing device to scare off potential thieves or to help you locate your missing device if you have dropped it in a dark room. Finally, this will app will also allow you to display a message on your missing device with your contact details.
Once you enable these additional security features on your iOS device, it significantly minimizes the chances of someone else illegally accessing your device and stealing data from it.
74. How to password-protect apps on your phone or tablet
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A problem for many of us is how to protect our apps and data from friends, family and colleagues. If we share our device with someone and give them the phone-unlock password, they can also access the rest of the device. For these occasions, there is a way to password-protect our apps even if we use a device that we share with other people on occasion.
On your iOS device, go to Settings > General > Restrictions. By default the Restrictions setting will be off on your device. Simply tap on it to enable it.
Tap on the Enable Restrictions option to enable restrictions on access to specific apps on your device. You will now be asked to choose a password which will toggle whether restrictions on access to apps on your device is enabled or not. In other words, whenever the restrictions are enabled, the selected apps will not be displayed on your iOS device. To access any of the restricted apps, you have to disable the restrictions.
You can now choose which apps you would like to restrict or hide on your device. For example, you can disable the Safari browser, the camera on your device, the ability to install new apps, the ability to delete apps, iTunes etc.
To enable the restricted apps again, you need to tap Settings > General > Restrictions. You will be asked to enter the same password that you had selected in the earlier step. Tap on the Disable Restrictions option and you will be allowed to access all the restricted apps on your device.
Once you have enabled restrictions on your device, it is also possible to disable certain types of content on your iOS device. For example, you can disable TV shows, movies or music on your device, which may be inappropriate for your kids to access. It is also possible for you to disable access to all apps entirely.
Similarly, if you want to password-protect apps on your Android device, simply follow the steps below:
Go to the Google Play App Store, download and install the Smart App Protector app. It is available as a free download.
When you start Smart App Protector for the first time, you will be asked to enter the unlocking password, which is initially set to 7777 (you should obviously change this password). Enter the initial access password to continue.
Smart App Protector and the Smart App Protector logo are registered trademarks of SPSoft Mobile, used with permission.
When you press the Add button, all the installed apps on your Android phone will be displayed on the screen. You can select which apps you would like to password-protect and restrict access to. In this example, I am going to password-protect Camera and Camera Zoom FX.
From now on, if anyone tries to launch any of the restricted apps, Smart App Protector will ask them to enter the access password. Without the correct password, none of the restricted apps will launch.
Smart App Protector and the Smart App Protector logo are registered trademarks of SPSoft Mobile, used with permission.
On the home screen of Smart App Protector, you can press the Additional Locks button to enable additional security features. Using this feature, you can disable the USB connection, outgoing calls, 3G data access, Wi-Fi and even the Manage Applications page on your phone.
75. How to password-protect your photos and movies on iPhones and iPads
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If you have private photos on your iOS device and want to keep them completely private, it may be a good idea to password-protect them. There are various third-party apps available in the iTunes App store, which allow you to password-protect files on your iOS device. One of the most popular apps is Private Photo Vault.
Private Photo Vault and the Private Photo Vault logo are registered trademarks of Enchanted Cloud Studios, used with permission.
Once you have installed Private Photo Vault on your iOS device, you need to choose a password that will protect all the confidential photos that you wish to hide on your device.
Import all the confidential photos or videos from your device into Private Photo Vault by using the built-in interface. Any photo or video that you import into this app will be protected by the access password. Without entering the correct access password, no user will be allowed to view the protected photos and videos.
Private Photo Vault and the Private Photo Vault logo are registered trademarks of Enchanted Cloud Studios, used with permission.
The interface of Private Photo Vault is very intuitive, user-friendly and easy to use. The process of importing photos, videos and other files into this app is a breeze. Once you have imported the files, make sure you manually delete the originals from the Camera Roll of your iOS device, since they will otherwise continue to be accessible there without a password.
76. How to secure your Wi-Fi network at home
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If you are worried about your neighbours misusing your home Wi-Fi network without permission, it is important that you take the necessary precautions to secure your Wi-Fi network. In order to achieve this, connect to your Wi-Fi network the way you normally do, click on the Start button and type ‘cmd’, and press enter to start the MS DOS prompt on your computer. In the MS DOS prompt type the following command:
ipconfig /all
Within the output screen, look for the Wireless Network Connection, and, under that, look for the IP address mentioned next to the Default Gateway entry. This is the address of your Wi-Fi router, using which you can connect to it. In the following example, the IP address of my Wi-Fi router is 192.168.0.1.
Start your browser and key in this IP address in the URL address bar. This will allow you to connect to it and change its settings. Most Wi-Fi routers will ask you to enter a username and password to access the router settings page. Depending upon the manufacturer of your Wi-Fi router, the default username and password may vary. You can refer to your Wi-Fi router manual or the manufacturer’s website to acquire the default password applicable to your router. For most routers, typing ‘admin’ as the username and ‘admin’ as the password, or typing ‘admin’ as the username and ‘password’ as the password should work.
MS DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Inc., used with permission.
Once you have successfully logged in, you will be allowed to change the settings related to your Wi-Fi network. Enable encryption on your Wi-Fi network, so that no one who doesn’t have your access password is able to co
nnect to your Wi-Fi, and, moreover, all your data communication is encrypted and secure. It is a good idea to enable WPA2 security on your Wi-Fi router instead of WEP or WPA security. As of now, WPA2 security with a strong password is the highest level of security available on a Wi-Fi network.
It is also advisable to change the name (also known as the SSID) of your Wi-Fi network to something that makes it harder for someone to figure out that the network belongs to you. Although changing the name of your network does not improve the security of your Wi-Fi network, you don’t need to broadcast to everyone the fact that a particular network belongs to you. Moreover, using the default SSID name that was selected by your service provider tells the cybercriminal that you are not very tech-savvy, and attracts unnecessary attention. Just browse through your Wi-Fi router settings page to find the SSID Network Name option, and change it.
On the other hand, if you continue using the default username and password, any malicious user within the range of your Wi-Fi network will easly be able to access your router settings by typing its IP address in their browser. They can also change your security settings without your knowledge. Hence, it is highly recommended that you change your Wi-Fi router access password to prevent illegal access to it.
Besides, make sure you have disabled remote access and management of your Wi-Fi router settings, so that it cannot be remotely accessed.
For advanced users, it is advisable that you enable MAC Address Filtering on your Wi-Fi router and manually enter the MAC addresses of all the devices (laptops, mobile phones, tablets and others) that you want to allow to connect to your Wi-Fi router.