Enlightened minds

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Did you know that no less than 78% of people between the ages of 18 and 65 use a password manager? And that even more than eighty percent of youngsters use one? The vast majority of people are sensible and use a different, strong password for all their accounts, and they allow themselves the convenience of automatic login. Are you already participating?

I made up the above figures. “ Ooooh, shame on you!”, I hear you think. Let me explain how I arrived at that. I feel cheated myself. By an article that appeared in the newspaper the day before yesterday under the headline: ‘The cyclist without lights is now noticeable – Good lighting is the norm thanks to clip-on lights and e-bikes’. A traffic psychologist (I didn’t know this profession existed) explains in the article that people are trend-sensitive herd animals; if it is obvious in your ‘subculture’ to turn on the lights, then you will do so too. According to the psychologist, the general view used to be: frumpy old people have bicycle lights and young people don’t (I prefer to make the distinction between smart and stupid). Moreover, it is becoming increasingly easier to have lights on thanks to cheap, rechargeable lights and the e-bike. Not having lights on would then be a conscious choice.

I disagree with that article on so many points that I hardly know where to begin. Well, to start anyway: where on earth did they investigate this? Certainly not in my city, where I often encounter unlit cyclists who are also wearing dark clothing. When I encounter such a person, I sometimes shout: “Light on!” A boy recently snapped back: “The light is broken, man!” There is also a lot of junk among those loose lights. Some of them barely give more light than a candle – I call them ‘shame lights’, because their only purpose is to be able to triumphantly say: “Look officer, my bike does have lights!” Those people simply don’t understand that good lighting is crucial for their own safety.

The newspaper article got me thinking. How is it possible that I read something in the newspaper that does not match my own experience at all? Okay, I am willing to believe that things are less bad than they used to be, but all this cheering about how great things are these days goes way too far for me. The article itself seems to answer my question: If psychology dictates that we do things to avoid being left out, then you can also use that mechanism to influence people. If you write in the newspaper that most people obediently cycle with lights, then you can use that to encourage dark citizens to turn the corner, because who wants to be left out?

And that's how I arrived at my fake figures about password managers. With the final remark "Are you already participating?" I even pushed you a little more. Because it's pretty important that everyone starts using those tools. It used to be easy: you had one password and no one else was interested in it. Nowadays you have dozens of accounts and there's a cybercriminal on every digital street corner. That's a dangerous combination, and there's another important factor: not all sites and companies where you have an account protect your data equally well. Sometimes user data is stolen during a hack and the criminals manage to crack the passwords. If you use the same password for multiple accounts, they're all at risk. By the way, do you know what your most important account is? No, not your bank. Your email. Because someone who has access to your email can click on "Forgot password" anywhere and, using the emails that result, set a new password. That locks you out and the criminal can do all sorts of things under your name.

An equally important measure is two-factor authentication (2FA), which ensures that you can only log in after you have performed an additional action via another device (for example, entering a code or swiping your finger). This prevents someone who has a password for you from logging in to that account. So turn it on wherever possible. Did you know that more than seventy percent…

You may find it patronizing to shout “Lights on!”. However, I do this out of pity for the motorist who will sooner or later knock an unlit cyclist off their socks. And when I say to you: “Password manager and 2FA on!”, it’s also with the best intentions. And one more thing: watch out for fake messages.

 

And in the big bad world…

• There are also information stealers lurking. [DUTCH]
• This article makes fun of 2FA.
• Of course, a cloud-based password manager can also fail. [DUTCH]
• This ransomware gang presents itself as a company.
• the digital war in Eastern Europe is still raging.
• the European Commission must pay compensation to a citizen for a GDPR violation.
• Telegram shared more information with (Western) law enforcement agencies last year.
• Not all data leaks are handled properly.
• smart consumer devices can get a safety label in the US.
• Passkeys are not yet suitable for the masses.
• The government wants to move to the cloud, but preferably in Europe. [DUTCH]
• of course you can also hack a car charging station. [DUTCH]
• European data protection authorities do not sufficiently protect our privacy.