Cloudbleed Aftermath: Have you changed your password yet?

As we tweeted about on Friday, CloudFlare had been steadily leaking sensitive data all over the internet since September 2016. They’ve already got the issue patched up, but because of how long the leak has existed, they’re not sure of the extent of the damage, or if blackhat hackers have found and exploited the leak. Most hackers aren’t really after your personal information, so you don’t have to worry about that, but they could still sell your passwords to other websites that might.

So what do you do?

Change your passwords, and enable two-step authentication on all websites that offer it. Two-step (sometimes two-factor) authentication requires additional information after you’ve entered your password before you can sign in. It’s a bit of a pain to go through, but it’s much more secure, since often, that additional information is a confirmation code texted to your phone.

You should also be using different passwords on all of your websites. I know, I know, how could you possibly keep track of so many different passwords at once? It’s impossible. For a couple weeks, we had to reset my password every time I tried to log into the company VPN just because I could not for the life of me remember what my password was. In the end, I caved and got a password manager.

Like using a dual monitor set-up, I don’t know how I lived without it for so long. Not only do I only have to remember just one password from here on out, but at times like this, when account security may be compromised, I don’t even have to worry about coming up with new passwords. It makes dealing with security breaches so much quicker and easier.

Here at Deep Core Data, we recommend:

KeePass: An open source password manager that keeps all your passwords stored locally in an encrypted file. How To Geek has a great Intro to KeePass guide with all the steps towards getting set up.

LastPass: A cloud based password manager with a mobile app and extensions to keep you connected to your browser. It’s the most popular password manager on How To Geek, and once again, they have a great guide to getting it set-up.

1Password: This password manager’s claim to fame is having an intuitive and easy to use interface, as well as a “watchtower” feature that lets you know when internet security breaches occur. Get Started with 1Password here.

Dashlane: Is managing JUST your passwords not enough? Dashlane also logs your purchases from online shops, and it offers two-step authentication options as well. Still not enough? Locally stored passwords can be synced with cloud storage, giving you the best of both worlds. Clicking here can help you get started.