passwords

Two-factor authentication is great security when it works. Here's what to do when it doesn't

How valuable is your Gmail account to cyber crooks?

While there's nothing you can do if hackers get into a database with your password in it, you can still protect yourself for all the other worst-case scenarios involving hacking. This tech tip gives basics on how to do that.

Just like a passive-aggressive family member would

Because sooner or later, it’s probably going to happen to all of us

Twitter sent emails to thousands of users telling them their accounts were hacked -- but they weren't. Now everyone's confused about what they should do.

Fear of losing your mobile device is just one of a number of new phobias that the rapid pace of technological advance has birthed

Hackers have leaked more than 450,000 Yahoo passwords onto the InterWebs. More proof you never should have used Yahoo Voices in the first place.

There is nojustification for a boss, prospective employer or college admissions officer to demand access to private Facebook accounts, but they are doing it more and more often. Until it's ruled illegal, camouflage can preserve what confrontation can not.

As at other breached sites, Sony customers used short, simple passwords that could be cracked easily; if Sony hadn't stored them as plain text that could be read without even that much effort.

In the wake of the Gawker security breach some pundits are using the lists of leaked passwords as a means to scold us all about our poor password choices. I disagree. Match the password to the value of the data you store on the site. A lousy -- but easy to remember -- password is fine for some sites, as long as you're set up properly.

With some very simple encryption tools, you can have a system that doesn't give up its secrets -- and you won't have to spend your weekend figuring out how to get it that way.