Secure IM’s: Not in the Mainstream

We tend to take our privacy online for granted.  We assume that when we enter into a private chat on AIM (or any public IM service) that the information will stay where we it.  That can be a false assumption.  There are a few ways the conversation can become public:

  • A loose lipped friend shares it either by copy and paste or by email.
  • Keylogging software is on one of the systems being used to chat.
  • The IM’s server is breached.

As you may have noticed these are in order from most to least likely.  No matter which one you fall prey to, the solution is still the same.

Don’t put it in writing unless it is ok for public consumption.

Your IM and Password Security

Stalking, and just plain crazy ex’s in general, are a dime a dozen in this world.  One of the ways that they can trash your life, or simply find out where you are going all the time is to break into your IM.  You can only imagine the possibilities there.

How do you keep this horrible fate from happening to you?  Well, all you have to do is keep an eye on your passwords.  If your crazy ex can’t get into your account havok can be circumvented.

While there are a lot of good sites that give you the standard warnings, I found this post on One You that is worth the read.  It’s all about choosing a random password.

IM’s and Information Security

I stumbled across a posting over at One You, a relatively new blog, about keeping your information safe during IM chats.

It makes some valid points that you should keep in mind, especially when chatting with the unknowns.  Sure, she says that she’s a 20 year old hottie, but can you believe that?

They also had a piece on the porn name game worth checking out.