The Star: March 14, 2019

The Star Thursday March 14 2019
Rob Pope
The power
of the password
Iheard a story the other day that really made me think about
the importance of a strong password.
My sister-in-law received a message from her friend on Facebook. In
the message, her friend explained that she was in Vietnam, had been
robbed and had no way to get home. She asked for money to be sent urgently
via bank transfer.
Fortunately, Kate knew this wasn’t true as she’d only just seen her friend a
couple of days before. She realised that the message was a fake and that,
somehow, her friend’s Facebook account must have been attacked. Her friend
was upset when she found out but it did make her see how easy it was for
someone to tap into her personal information.
At CERT NZ, we hear of many situations where
people have received messages on social media,
supposedly from a friend or family member,
asking for money. Not only is the thought of
someone pretending to be you frightening, it’s
also worrying that people you care about may
believe what they are reading and get caught
up in the scam. It’s easy to think they won’t, but
these fake social media messages can look very
real and be very convincing.
So how does this happen?
Fake social
media
messages
can look
very real
and be very
convincing.
Cyber attackers are always looking for easy ways to find out personal
information online. And sometimes the information we post on social media
is exactly the type of information they are looking for.
If you use personal information in your passwords, such as your birth date,
your dog’s name, or where you went to school, chances are an attacker
can find out this information through your social media activity and figure
out your password. Then, hey presto, the attacker can convincingly
impersonate you.
My advice to avoid being caught in this type of situation is to beef up your
security and get password smart.
Create long, strong passwords that don’t include any personal
information. Use a four word phrase that only makes sense to you,
eg.Cricketbatsandwickets.
20
NEWS
Exhibition to mark
Sumner Rd reopening
THE HISTORY of Sumner
Rd has been captured in
exhibitions being held to
celebrate its reopening.
The exhibitions, at Lytteltton
Library and the
Mataku Takotako: Sumner
Centre, tell the story of the
road and the important
role it has played in linking
the communities.
They have been put together
to celebrate the postearthquake
reconstruction
of Sumner Rd, which is due
to reopen to traffic for the
first time in eight years at
6pm on March 29.
“Since Sumner Rd
opened in 1857 it has
played a vital role in
Christchurch’s transport
network,’’ said Lyttelton
community librarian
Annette Williams.
“It has been a crucial
route for carting goods
between the port and the
city and over the years it
has had everything from
churches to planes hauled
along it.”
Ms Williams said it also
played a role in the defence
of Christchurch against
possible enemy attack.
USAGE: A plane is among the over-sized items
that have been trucked along Sumner Rd.
“In the late 19th century,
when there were fears the
Russians were going to
invade, gun emplacements
were installed at strategic
points along Sumner
Rd. During World War
II Sumner Rd was again
pressed into service by
the military who saw it as
strategically important to
coastal defences.’’
The exhibitions detail the
engineering work that has
gone into keeping Sumner
Rd open for the past 160
years.
Photographs and video
of the work that has been
done to reinstate the road
are also included.
The Following the Sumner
Rd: An exploration of its
past and present exhibitions
are on at the Lyttelton
Library and the Mataku
Takotako: Sumner Centre
from Saturday to April 28.
Volunteer Drivers Needed For
Red Cross Meals On Wheels &
Community Transport
• Weekdays only
• Regular or Relief
rostering
• Current NZ
drivers licence
• Training given
Meals on Wheels - Pat 339 3759
Community Transport - Jacky 027 839 7724
Use different passwords for each of your online accounts. That way
if someone guesses one of your passwords, they can only access that one
account. If you have trouble remembering them, write them down but make
sure you store them away from your computer and phone. You could also try
using a password manager – an app that stores all your passwords in
one place.
Social media is a great thing – so too is having strong and unique passwords.
Please take a moment to change your password on one of your accounts
today. And spread the strong password message to your friends and family –
via social media of course!
PS: It’s a good idea to set your social media settings to private so that only
your friends and family can see what you’re up to.
Rob Pope is the Director of CERT NZ. CERT NZ helps New Zealanders to protect
themselves by improving cyber security. www.cert.govt.nz has
helpful information about strengthening passwords.
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