In the 17+ years I’ve been webmaster at Linfield College, I have learned the internet can hurt you anonymously, quickly and painfully. There isn’t enough space in this magazine to cover the topic in detail. But if I had to give an elevator pitch about what you should worry about and what you should do based on my experiences and what Linfield’s Information Technology support desk deals with, it would be this

Pierce, Jonathan

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Advice from the Webmaster: Be Paranoid

DigitalCommons@Linfield

Linfield Magazine Volume 14 Number 1 Fall 2017 - #THETECHISSUE Article 9 Fall 2017 Advice from the Webmaster: Be Paranoid Jonathan Pierce Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine Recommended Citation Pierce, Jonathan (2017) "Advice from the Webmaster: Be Paranoid," Linfield Magazine: Vol. 14 : No. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine/vol14/iss1/9 This article is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. 	 In	the	17+	years	I’ve	been	webmaster	at	Linfield	College,	 I	have	learned	the	internet	can	hurt	you	anonymously,	quickly	and	painfully.	There	isn’t	enough	space	in	this	magazine	to	cover	the	topic	in	detail.	But	if 	I	had	to	give	an	elevator	pitch	about	what	you	should worry about and what you should do based on my  experiences	and	what	Linfield’s	Information	Technology	support	desk	deals	with,	it	would	be	this.	 Hackers	and	viruses	have	been	around	as	long	as	there’s	been	an	internet	to	hack	and	infect.	The	current	wave	of 	 ransomware	is	especially	bad.	Once	infected,	your	computer’s	hard	drive	is	encrypted	and	you	have	to	pay	someone	for	decryption	keys	that	probably	won’t	work	(customer	satisfaction	isn’t	 a	high	priority	here).	The	most	common	way	to	get	infected	is	clicking	on	a	link	in	an	email.		 The	single	best	thing	you	can	do	to	protect	yourself 	is	 be	paranoid.	Imagine	that	everything	you	see,	read,	click	 or	download	is	potentially	dangerous	because	it	is.	My	assistant,	Sean	Ezell	’05,	has	always	believed:	“If 	I	didn’t	ask	for	it,	I	don’t	want	it.”	Be	like	Sean.	If 	you	get	email,	texts	or	message	requests	from	a	source	you	don’t	know,	toss	them.	Don’t	click	on	embedded	links,	don’t	download	attachments.	You	didn’t	win	the	lottery.	 Nobody	wants	to	transfer	a	million	dollars	to	you.	You’re	not	 that	lucky.	You’re	like	me;	you’re	lucky	enough	to	click	on	one	of 	those	links,	download	some	North	Korean	ransomware	and	encrypt	your	entire	hard	drive.	 Social	media	presents	a	different	set	of 	issues	that	are	 more	personal,	and	even	more	dangerous.	People	have	died	 from	what	someone	else	posted	on	Facebook.	The	best	thing	you	can	do	right	now	is	locate	your	privacy	settings	in	your	social	 media	tools	and	learn	how	to	use	them.	Make	sure	you	know	who	can	see	what	you’re	posting.	Learn	how	to	block	garbage	and	 report	bad	behavior.	Find	privacy	and	security	documentation	 at linfield.edu/social-privacy.	 Back	up	your	data.	What	if 	you	didn’t	listen	to	me	and	clicked	on	a	link	in	an	email	from	that	person	you	had	a	crush	on	in	high	school	and	now	your	hard	drive	is	mush?	Small,	1TB	USB-powered	drives	are	cheap.	Get	one	and	copy	your	important	stuff	to	it.	I	like	the	USB	drives	because	you	can	keep	them	 unplugged	until	you	need	them,	which	means	they’re	less	likely	 to	get	infected	if 	you’re	compromised.	Local	storage	is	so	last	century,	but	it’s	the	most	reliable	way	to	get	back	your	data	if 	your	computer	is	dead.	Heck,	when	they	start	selling	2TB	drives	for	less	than	you	paid	for	your	1TB	drive,	go	get	one	and	toss	the	old	drive	in	your	fireproof 	home	safe.	Now	all	the	digital	video	of 	your	 family	is	safe	from	hackers	AND	fire.	I	know.	You’re	welcome.		 You	do	have	a	fireproof 	safe,	right?–	Jonathan	PierceFa l l  2017    |    L i n f i e l d  Magaz ine  -  15Jonathan Pierce, a Colorado College graduate, has been tending Linfield’s Internet presence since 1999.Advice from the webmaster:Be paranoid.	 In	the	17+	years	I’ve	been	webmaster	at	Linfield	College,	 I	have	learned	the	internet	can	hurt	you	anonymously,	quickly	and	painfully.	There	isn’t	enough	space	in	this	magazine	to	cover	the	topic	in	detail.	But	if 	I	had	to	give	an	elevator	pitch	about	what	you	should worry about and what you should do based on my  experiences	and	what	Linfield’s	Information	Technology	support	desk	deals	with,	it	would	be	this.	 Hackers	and	viruses	have	been	around	as	long	as	there’s	been	an	internet	to	hack	and	infect.	The	current	wave	of 	 ransomware	is	especially	bad.	Once	infected,	your	computer’s	hard	drive	is	encrypted	and	you	have	to	pay	someone	for	decryption	keys	that	probably	won’t	work	(customer	satisfaction	isn’t	 a	high	priority	here).	The	most	common	way	to	get	infected	is	clicking	on	a	link	in	an	email.		 The	single	best	thing	you	can	do	to	protect	yourself 	is	 be	paranoid.	Imagine	that	everything	you	see,	read,	click	 or	download	is	potentially	dangerous	because	it	is.	My	assistant,	Sean	Ezell	’05,	has	always	believed:	“If 	I	didn’t	ask	for	it,	I	don’t	want	it.”	Be	like	Sean.	If 	you	get	email,	texts	or	message	requests	from	a	source	you	don’t	know,	toss	them.	Don’t	click	on	embedded	links,	don’t	download	attachments.	You	didn’t	win	the	lottery.	 Nobody	wants	to	transfer	a	million	dollars	to	you.	You’re	not	 that	lucky.	You’re	like	me;	you’re	lucky	enough	to	click	on	one	of 	those	links,	download	some	North	Korean	ransomware	and	encrypt	your	entire	hard	drive.	 Social	media	presents	a	different	set	of 	issues	that	are	 more	personal,	and	even	more	dangerous.	People	have	died	 from	what	someone	else	posted	on	Facebook.	The	best	thing	you	can	do	right	now	is	locate	your	privacy	settings	in	your	social	 media	tools	and	learn	how	to	use	them.	Make	sure	you	know	who	can	see	what	you’re	posting.	Learn	how	to	block	garbage	and	 report	bad	behavior.	Find	privacy	and	security	documentation	 at linfield.edu/social-privacy.	 Back	up	your	data.	What	if 	you	didn’t	listen	to	me	and	clicked	on	a	link	in	an	email	from	that	person	you	had	a	crush	on	in	high	school	and	now	your	hard	drive	is	mush?	Small,	1TB	USB-powered	drives	are	cheap.	Get	one	and	copy	your	important	stuff	to	it.	I	like	the	USB	drives	because	you	can	keep	them	 unplugged	until	you	need	them,	which	means	they’re	less	likely	 to	get	infected	if 	you’re	compromised.	Local	storage	is	so	last	century,	but	it’s	the	most	reliable	way	to	get	back	your	data	if 	your	computer	is	dead.	Heck,	when	they	start	selling	2TB	drives	for	less	than	you	paid	for	your	1TB	drive,	go	get	one	and	toss	the	old	drive	in	your	fireproof 	home	safe.	Now	all	the	digital	video	of 	your	 family	is	safe	from	hackers	AND	fire.	I	know.	You’re	welcome.		 You	do	have	a	fireproof 	safe,	right?–	Jonathan	PierceFa l l  2017    |    L i n f i e l d  Magaz ine  -  15Jonathan Pierce, a Colorado College graduate, has been tending Linfield’s Internet presence since 1999.Advice from the webmaster:Be paranoid.

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Advice from the Webmaster: Be Paranoid

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