Discover how mastering email communication can boost business efficiency, avoid common pitfalls, and ensure secure, respectful online interactions.
Turkey Revenge
The turkeys are pissed this Thanksgiving they are seeking revenge.
Germs Infest 60% of Americas Phones
60% of Americans sleep with their phones, harboring germs. Cleaning regularly with UV sanitizer or alcohol wipes can help keep your phone and bed germ-free.
Smartphone Sanitizing: A Practical Guide
Securely erase personal data from your old smartphone before recycling. Protect your identity from hackers—easy steps to follow.
Why Soft Skills Matter in Today’s Job Market
Boost your career with essential soft skills like communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence. Learn why they’re crucial for workplace success.
Michigan No. 6 In Tech Jobs Posted
CompTIA recently released its monthly assessment of tech jobs. The group found that employers increased their search for the information technology workers accelerated in May 2024. CompTIA’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Jobs Report (PDF) data reveals that the tech sector added 2,181 jobs last month, increasing employment to nearly 5.6 million workers.
Artificial Intelligence tech jobs
New job postings for tech positions reached 209,000 in May. This was an increase of nearly 27,000 from April and the highest total since June 2023, CompTIA reports. In total, there were almost 427,000 active tech job postings last month. The increase of job postings for AI occupations or positions requiring AI skills totaled more than 26,000 from April 2024. AI related jobs accounted for 12% of all tech openings.
Tech jobs posted in Michigan
A closer look at the state-level BLS labor data reveals that Michigan was one of seven states with tech job postings growing by more than 1,000 jobs.
- Texas,
- California,
Illinois,- Georgia,
- New York, and
- Michigan.
In Michigan, there were 5,811 tech job postings, an increase of 1,258 from April 2024. The Lansing, MI metro led the nation in increases in tech job postings. Lansing saw a 37 percent increase in tech job postings from the previous month.
Big trends
Shifting focus to the broader landscape, the unemployment rate for tech jobs dropped to 2.5%, well below the national rate of 4%. Tech jobs throughout the economy declined by 42,000, less than 1% of the total base of tech jobs of almost 6.4 million.
Interestingly, the CompTIA report shows that employers are widening their search for tech talent. Notably, 46% of active openings in April didn’t specifically require candidates to have a four-year degree. The percentages were even higher for certain positions, such as network support specialists (86%), IT support specialists (73%), network and systems administrators (55%), web and UI/UX designers (51%), and database administrators (48%).
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According to Foote Partners‘ latest IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index, jobs with rising market value include those related to A.I. and machine learning, cloud, cybersecurity and data science. Many of those positions pay a hefty premium—in many cases, above the average tech salary of $111,193.
Related article
Ralph Bach has been in IT for a while and has blogged from the Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that has caught my attention since 2005. You can follow me on Facebook. Email the Bach Seat here.
Why Are We Still Using Bad Passwords
Why Are We Still Using Bad Passwords? 123456 is the worst password of 2023. Users have chosen 123456 on more than 23 million breached accounts, even though it takes less than a second to crack. NordPass, the sponsor of the paper, claims that the popularity of 123456 has made it the #1 cracked password for 3 of the last 5 years. In 2019, 12345 from “Spaceballs” overtook it, and “password” did the same in 2022.
Only 2 of 2023’s top 25 passwords will resist an attacker for more than 10 seconds. The 17th most common password, “admin123”, can withstand cracking attempts for a whole 11 seconds. The most secure password in the top 25, “Pass@123”, can fend off an attack for 5 minutes.
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| 01 | 12345 | 123456 | 123456 | password | 123456 |
| 02 | 123456 | 123456789 | 123456789 | 123456 | admin |
| 03 | 123456789 | picture1 | 12345 | 123456789 | 12345678 |
| 04 | test1 | password | qwerty | guest | 123456789 |
| 05 | password | 12345678 | password | qwerty | 1234 |
| 06 | 12345678 | 111111 | 12345678 | 12345678 | 12345 |
| 07 | zinch | 123123 | 111111 | 111111 | password |
| 08 | g_czechout | 12345 | 123123 | 12345 | 123 |
| 09 | adst | 1234567890 | 1234567890 | col123456 | Aa12345 |
| 10 | qwerty | senha | 1234567 | 123123 | 1234567890 |
| 11 | 1234567890 | 1234567 | qwerty123 | 1234567 | 1234567 |
| 12 | 1234567 | qwerty | 000000 | 1234 | 123123 |
| 13 | Aa123456. | abc123 | 1q2w3e | 1234567890 | 111111 |
| 14 | iloveyou | Million2 | aa12345678 | 000000 | Password |
| 15 | 1234 | 000000 | abc123 | 555555 | 12345678910 |
| 16 | abc123 | 1234 | password1 | 666666 | 000000 |
| 17 | 111111 | iloveyou | 1234 | 123321 | admin123 |
| 18 | 123123 | aaron431 | qwertyuiop | 654321 | 1111 |
| 19 | dubsmash | password1 | 123321 | 7777777 | 'P@ssw0rd |
| 20 | test1 | qqww1122 | password123 | 123 | root |
| 21 | princess | 123 | 1q2w3e4r5t | D1lakiss | 654321 |
| 22 | qwertyuiop | ompop | iloveyou | 777777 | qwerty |
| 23 | sunshine | 123321 | 654321 | 110jp110jp | 'Pass@123 |
| 24 | BvtTest123 | 654321 | 666666 | 1111 | 112233 |
| 25 | 11111 | qwertyuiop | 987654321 | 987654321 | 102030 |
| Nordpass | |||||
How can I keep my passwords safe?
Your password should have at least 12 characters
A longer password with more characters is better. It gives a hacker more combinations to try. Some sites may require a certain number of characters in your password, but generally, a password with at least 12 characters is a safe bet.
Use numbers, symbols, uppercase and lowercase letters
The more variety you have, the better. Be sure to include numbers, symbols, capital, and lowercase letters. Make everything as random as possible to keep the hackers out. For example, a password like ‘S#w%i&n(g967’ would be much more difficult to crack than ‘swing967.’
Avoid using any single word as a password. It’s too easy for a hacker to take one lucky guess from a common dictionary, like ‘dog’ or ‘banana.’ Even a password like ‘freeride’, which combines two dictionary words, is too simple.
Don’t use substitutions
Avoid replacing letters with common symbols, it can weaken your password. For example, if you want to use the word ‘lucky’ but instead write it as ‘1ucky.’ It’s too obvious because the 1 and the letter L look too similar.
Choose a passkey over a password
Whenever possible, opt for passkeys instead of passwords. Passkeys, which are unique codes tied to your device, offer more security and are less prone to breaches. Companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft are increasingly supporting passkeys as a safer alternative.
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We should approach NordPass’ findings with caution due to their unclear methodology. They are not very transparent about their methodology. The presser said the passwords were “compiled in partnership with independent researchers specializing in researching cybersecurity incidents. They evaluated a 4.3TB database extracted from various publicly available sources…”
There are some suspicious trends in the Nordpass’s data. English words make up all of the top 25 recognizable passwords. Quite a feat for over 24 billion credentials breached since 2016. Many other are numerical strings or the result of typing nearby keys on a QWERTY keyboard. Despite these issues, the report makes for interesting geek reading.
Related article
Ralph Bach has been in IT for a while and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow me on Facebook. Email the Bach Seat here.
Don’t Let A Bad Recruiter Control Your Job Search
I have seen several people changing jobs with a recruiter lately. It’s common knowledge that transitioning between jobs can be stressful, and poor recruiters can exacerbate this stress. I’m sure many of us have received calls, voicemails, or emails about the next “great opportunity” because our resumes contained the right keywords.
When you return their call, perhaps feeling desperate or a bit masochistic, the recruiter begin to demand information. Often, they haven’t even read your resume. Liz Ryan CEO/founder of Human Workplace, author of Reinvention Roadmap, and a blogger at Forbes offers some advice on how to handle poor recruiters in her article, Ten Things Recruiters ‘Need To Know’ — That Are None Of Their Business.
Some recruiters are amazing
Ms. Ryan points out the obvious, that some recruiters are amazing partners who can assist you in landing a new job when you’re ready. A good recruiter will ask pertinent questions and keep you updated on the status of your application. Unfortunately though, it is very easy for almost anyone to become a recruiter. This is why there are so many unprofessional, rude, and pushy ones out there, and you need to be prepared to deal with them.
It’s important to communicate to a recruiter when they’re asking you to do or say something with which you’re not comfortable with. One of the first signs that you’re dealing with a rude and unprofessional recruiter may appear in your initial phone call or email conversation.
The unprofessional recruiter
Unprofessional recruiters will ask questions — like the ones below that are none of their business whatsoever. They might ask intrusive questions and insist, “I need to have this information.” They may even become irritable with you.
If a recruiter tells you, “You must answer my questions, or I’ll remove you from my candidate list,” you should respond with, “Go ahead and drop me!” and then end the call. They don’t truly “need” your answers; they just want them desperately so they can control the conversation. Ms. Ryan provides some potential responses to the most inappropriate questions from poor recruiters.
How to respond to bad recruiter questions
- Bad Recruiter: What is your current salary?
- You: If I decide to change jobs, I’ll be targeting a position that pays around $75,000.
- Bad Recruiter: What other companies are you interviewing with?
- You: I’m actively job-hunting, but as you can understand, my job search activities are confidential, just like the identities of the other candidates being interviewed for this job.
- Bad Recruiter: Can you provide proof of your last year’s earnings?
- You: If your client requires written proof of my compensation then they are not the right employer for me.
- Bad Recruiter: Can you send me your list of references immediately?
- You: I can provide that when an employer has expressed strong interest in me, and I have reciprocated that interest, further down the line.
- Bad Recruiter: I must ask all my questions first. Then, I can listen to your questions.
- You: Recruiters should respect your time. Selling candidates on job opportunities, and selling employers on candidates, requires listening. Any recruiter who insists that their questions must be answered before the candidate gets to ask any questions is not competent.
More bad recruiter questions
- Bad Recruiter: What’s the lowest salary you would accept?
- You: I’m targeting $75,000 in this job search.
- Bad Recruiter: What makes you an exceptional candidate?
- You: You reached out to me based on my LinkedIn profile, correct? What aspects of my profile piqued your interest?
Bad Recruiter: What did your manager say about your performance on your most recent performance review?- You: If you have concerns about my qualifications or competence, there’s no point in continuing this conversation. If you believe I’m a suitable candidate for a job opportunity you’re working on, please share the details with me.
- Bad Recruiter: What size pay raise did you receive last year?
- You: I’m targeting jobs in the $75,000 range. Does this job offer a salary close to that number?
- Bad Recruiter: Are you considered a top performer in your current job?
- You: I haven’t heard enough about the opportunity you contacted me about to determine whether it makes sense for us to continue our conversation. Could you please provide more details about that position now?
- Bad Recruiter: Don’t call me or email me to ask for status updates during your interview process. If I have any news from the client, I’ll let you know.
- You: Run away! A good sales person should keep you updated, no matter what is happening or not happening. A Recruiter should have good follow-through and build relationships to get feedback from their clients who are interviewing one of their candidates.
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Don’t be afraid to walk away from a bad recruiter interaction. Remember, it’s your career, and you deserve to be treated with respect. By learning to identify red flags and advocate for yourself, you can navigate the job search with confidence.
Related article
Ralph Bach has been in IT for a while and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow me on Facebook. Email the Bach Seat here.
Creating Strong Passwords is Good For You
You can buy a small padlock for less than a dollar—but you shouldn’t count on it to protect anything of value. A thief could pick a cheap lock without much effort, or break it. Yet, many people use weak passwords. They use them to “lock up” their most valuable assets, such as money and secrets. Fortunately, everyone can learn how to make and manage stronger passwords. It’s an easy way to strengthen security both at work and at home.
What makes passwords ‘Strong’?
We all hate the dreaded “you must change your password” email from IT. It must be at least 12 characters long. It must include numbers, symbols, and upper- and lowercase letters. You think of a word you can remember, capitalize the first letter, add a digit, and end with an exclamation point. The result: Strawberry1!
Unfortunately, hackers have advanced tools. They can easily defeat passwords based on dictionary words. These are words like “strawberry” and common patterns. An example is capitalizing the first letter.
Increasing the complexity, randomness, and length of a password makes it stronger. These changes make it more resistant to hackers’ tools. You can see in the table below from MyITRisk.com. An attacker could guess an eight-character password in 8 seconds. But, a 12-character password would take four years to guess.
It is also important to pay attention to password complexity. Also you should also pay attention to password unpredictability. You want to avoid common substitutions (e.g., ‘a’ to ‘@’, ‘s’ to ‘$’).
Why Uniqueness Matters
People reuse passwords for many accounts. This risky behavior opens the door for attackers. Even a single password, even a strong one, can lead to access to valuable accounts. Password reuse can lead to a domino effect of account breaches.
- 44% of passwords are reused on many accounts worldwide. This puts sensitive data at risk.
- Hackers compromise 20% of passwords, and users reuse 51% of passwords.
- 54% of employees use the same password for several work accounts.
Reusing passwords, even strong ones, can leave accounts exposed to attacks.
Here’s a real-life example
Ten years ago, Daisy joined an online gardening forum. She also created an online payment account and used the same password. She soon forgot about the gardening forum. But, someone accessed her payments account years later and stole a lot of money.
Daisy didn’t know someone had hacked the gardening forum. The hackers leaked users’ logins online. An attacker likely tried reusing Daisy’s leaked password on popular sites. Eventually, the attacker got lucky.
Guarding your passwords
Don’t write them down. Many write passwords on post-it notes and leave them in plain sight. Even if you hide your password, someone could still find it. Similarly, don’t store your login information in a file on your computer, even if you encrypt that file.- Don’t share passwords – You can’t be sure someone else will keep your credentials safe. While at work, you may have to take responsibility for anything that occurs when someone is logged in as you.
- Don’t save login details in your browser. Some browsers store this info in unsafe ways. Another person could access your accounts if they get your device.
Tips for keeping passwords secure
Consider sharing these password tips with family and friends.
- Never reuse passwords – Create a unique, strong password for each account or device. This way, a single hacked account doesn’t endanger other accounts.
- Create long, complex passwords. Don’t use passwords based on dictionary words, pets’ names, or personal information. Attackers can guess them.
- Use a password manager. These tools can store and manage your passwords. They can also generate strong new passwords. Some can also notify you when a password might be compromised.
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A strong password is the main barrier keeping most of your online accounts from being hacked. Without up to date practices, you might be using passwords that cyber-frauds can easily guess within minutes.
The average user creates passwords to fight data theft. The user could switch up the characters in your passwords and “Tr1Ck” your way into security. However. in today’s environment you need to create passwords that can fight modern password theft methods. Today, cyber-criminals use sophisticated technology to get your passwords. Users must consider the hackers software that is designed to account for user behavior as it guesses your passwords.
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
Category: Uncategorized |
Tags: 2024, Business, Password, Password management, Password strength, Passwords
War on SPAM: Do New FCC Rules Help?
In the battle against SPAM, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has made a move that may help us. Back in December 2023, the regulators published new rules to close loopholes used by spammers. FCC commissioners voted 4 to 1 in favor of these regulations, but skepticism remains. Will these changes reduce the flood of unwanted messages we get every day?
These rules focus on closing lead generation-based loopholes. Companies are exploiting the loopholes. They use them to flood consumers with robocalls and texts without consent. Reuters predicts the new rules may “double or triple” the number of lawsuits against spammers. This sounds promising. But, we still need to see how well authorities will enforce these rules. Another concern is if the new rules will succeed. They aim to stop the unethical tactics used by spamming entities.
More control over who can contact them
The new rules require consent from consumers on a per-seller basis. This will give consumers more control over who can contact them. The new rules make clear that it is no longer “business as usual.”
Websites that compare prices and lead generators must get consumer consent to receive robocalls and robotexts. The consent applies to one seller at a time. It can’t apply to many telemarketers at once.
But, the approach’s efficacy remains uncertain. It relies on these entities’ willingness to adhere to the regulations.
SPAM red flags
Furthermore, the FCC now has the authority to “red flag” select phone numbers. Carriers must prevent the flagged numbers from sending texts. The new rules also expand the federal “Do-Not-Call” registry. It will now apply to unwanted marketing texts. It still remains unclear how this will be implemented in practice. There are so many SPAM calls and texts flooding consumers’ phones. Spotting and flagging specific numbers may be hard for the FCC.
Colin Sholes has covered SPAM’s dubious tactics. He is cautiously optimistic about the potential impact of these rule changes. Mr. Sholes, told Business Insider the FCC’s rule changes were “a long time coming.” He predicted they’ll have a big impact. They will decrease the number of SPAM calls and texts consumers get each day. He thinks the new FCC rule put companies “out of business” for using “slimy” tactics.
Politics as usual
It’s worth noting that political and campaign-related messages remain exempt from regulations. This is a significant gap in the FCC’s approach to combating SPAM. This loophole raises questions. Can the new rules fully address the SPAM problem?
Sholes predicts the exemption will last. It will last due to political benefits. Campaign stuff is just never going to go away. Members of Congress and their campaigns benefit from mass communication services. They carve out political exemptions in anti-SPAM laws to protect those conduits.
They may reduce SPAM. But, Sholes also stresses the challenges from political exemptions. He also notes the growing cunning of spammers.
SPAM continues
Despite FCC efforts, SPAM continues to plague consumers with no end in sight. Sholes points out that the FCC’s rules only apply to groups that use robocalling and robotexting tools. Marketers are generally allowed to call or text consumers without consent. This is true as long as they manually dial the phone numbers.
Stricter rules may lead to more lawsuits against spammers. But, it’s unclear if this will actually help consumers flooded by SPAM.
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In conclusion, skepticism persists about the effectiveness of new FCC rules. As we await the outcome of these regulatory changes, the battle against SPAM calls and texts wages on, leaving many wondering if true relief will ever be achieved.
Related article
- The FCC just fined an international network of robocallers nearly $300 million for making 5 billion calls in a three month span (Business Insider)
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.