Loose Leaf Security

Covering your webcams

Liz and Geoffrey take a look at how attackers compromise webcams and discuss why it's worth physically covering them. Malware and alleged threats of malware are only some of the avenues attackers take to access other people's webcams; vulnerabilities in legitimate software, like the recent Zoom security flaw, can also be exploited. Additionally, sharing ownership of your devices with another party like your school district or workplace may leave you and your webcams exposed. In the news, the FTC fines Facebook, weaknesses in Apple's iMessage and Visual Voicemail, and U2F support added to Firefox for Android.Show notes, timeline, and full transcript on looseleafsecurity.com

Password managers: how they should work and when they didn't

Liz and Geoffrey discuss password manager extensions in depth: everything from how they keep your passwords safe from malicious websites to how they sync your passwords between your devices to how they've made mistakes in the past. If you haven't picked a password manager yet, this hard look into the security records of popular password managers sheds light on which companies have earned your trust, but even if you're a long-time password manager user, knowing about their usual pitfalls helps keep you safe from potential future issues. Also, the new iOS 13 has a variety of security implications, and Firefox and Chrome change third-party cookie settings.Show notes, timeline, and full transcript on looseleafsecurity.com

Two-factor tidying

With a wide variety of possible two-factor authentication methods, it's difficult to keep track of which ones you're using - and which ones you could be using. Liz and Geoffrey talk about their personal strategies and how to handle difficult cases like custom authenticator apps. In recent news, there's improvements to using security keys with Google accounts and some surprises with automatic updates.Show notes, timeline, and full transcript on looseleafsecurity.com

Using a password manager effectively

In a deeper exploration of password manager browser extensions and features for sharing as well as a survey of alternatives to password managers, Liz and Geoffrey go back to the topic of Loose Leaf Security's very first episode and discuss how password managers keep them safe in practice. In the news, a research firm makes dramatic claims about password manager security, and Facebook expands data tracking in worrisome ways.Show notes, timeline, and full transcript on looseleafsecurity.com

Checks, mobile banking, cash transfer apps, and a bit more on credit cards

Liz and Geoffrey take a closer look at the security of checks and bank account numbers - a timely topic after a fraudster attempted to steal thousands of dollars from Liz with a counterfeit check - and also at mobile banking, cash transfer apps, and a bit more about credit cards. Plus, better encryption for Android, a major FaceTime bug, and practical lessons from Wells Fargo's day-long outage.Show notes and full transcript on looseleafsecurity.com