03-24-2016
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maymay ambassador
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,508
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Securing Skype
Background Due to the recent up-tick in hacking activity it should be used as a reminder to secure your online accounts particularly your Email and Skype. One of the biggest security issues affecting Graalians is Skype. For a few reasons: 1. It's notorious for leaking your IP address. 2. There's no 2FA for Skype accounts out of the box. 3. Chat history is saved by default. How to Configure 2FA for Skype 2FA is short for two-factor authentication. It's accomplished in many ways, namely by requiring the use of Google Authenticator on your phone/mobile device or through SMS/Email code validations. The absolute best thing you can do to start securing your Skype account is enabling 2FA by linking your Skype with a Microsoft account and never using your Skype handle/account to login with again. 1. Create a Microsoft (formally Hotmail/Live/Outlook) account. 2. Login to your Microsoft Account. 3. Enable 2FA on your Microsoft Account: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ca/w...rification-faq 4. Login to Skype with your Microsoft account. You will be prompted to link your existing Skype account during Login. 5. Once your Skype and Microsoft account are successfully linked, change your Skype password ( File / Change Password ). Pick a Ft. Knox password from http://www.randomkeygen.com. Store the password in a password manager or on paper as a backup. 6. Now whenever you login to Skype you need to use your Microsoft account login and password. From this point you will have done the following: 1. Configured 2FA on your Microsoft account. 2. Linked your Skype and Microsoft account. 3. Reset your Skype password. 4. Using Microsoft account to sign in to Skype. It is of utmost importantance to also enable 2FA on the email address you used to sign up with Skype. If they have access to your Skype email address then they can reset your Skype password and gain access to the account. Making a New Account If your Skype account is too well-known and you want to start over you should create a new Skype and only give it out to people you truly trust. Rather than creating a new account through Skype I would recommend creating a new Microsoft account and using it to login to Skype instead. Additional Skype Security Tips 1. Under Privacy and IM & SMS in Skype Preferences limit calls to Contacts only and disable automatically 'receive and share screens with' settings. 2. Don't accept contact requests from people you don't know. 3. Under Advanced / Connection check 'Allow direct connections to your contacts only'. 4. Disable / Limit IM Chat History. Microsoft does record history to an extent so avoid sending sensitive information through Skype. |
04-12-2016
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 3,204
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Security questions are probably the leading cause in getting people's accounts hacked, they tend to be generic questions that hackers can easily obtain the answers to by using social engineering and basic knowledge of the victim. 4-digit passcodes are also pretty flawed as people have a tendency to pick really easy ones based on patterns or simply things like 1234 that are pretty guessable. Typical 2FA requires something physical like a phone in order to get the authentication code or to accept a login which makes it near impossible to be hacked as a hacker would physically need your phone to do so. Which is why as fp4 mentioned, after linking your skype to your email account enable 2FA authentication on the email account and from then on you are required to use 2FA to login Skype, which is the most secure method of protecting your account. |
04-13-2016
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:pluffy:
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Sweden
Posts: 5,944
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