Encryption isn’t wise

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Before you think I’m about to say encryption in all cases isn’t wise, no, I’m not going to say that. But I will say there are times that encryption is
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Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Elly, Michael432, lmacri, Great Lake Bunyip, dataman1701, bbearren, TechTango, Cybertooth, Kathy Stevens

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Susan Bradley wrote:

But I will say there are times that encryption is a very bad idea if you’ve made no plans for someone else to know or how to handle getting back into a “thing” that is encrypted.

My passwords are encrypted in a password-protected Excel spreadsheet, but my daughter knows the password, as well as my PC login password. She’s known for years.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Susan Bradley

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A great point to make sure to plan ahead for the day when you die, or are incapacitated and cannot help you family access your information.

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I use Dead Man’s Switch to send a few messages if I’m not around ($50 one off payment).

The messages provide details of where to obtain the things needed to access my digital life.

cheers, Paul

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I have been supporting hundreds of PCs for decades. I have lost count of the number of PCs hopelessly lost because of encryption. That is a crying shame because in 99.9% of the cases, that kind of “protection” was of no value.

The vast majority of PCs never leave home and remain in a “safe” place. A few are under threat from living-in associates, but those can easily be secured with a simple logon password

That said, the vast majority of PCs have no threat. Even a logon password can spell a looming disaster for a PC

When it comes to security, paranoia is rampant and is pushed by software sellers. Microsoft is one of the biggest cuprits.

CT

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RetiredGeek, Elly, SkipH, Cybertooth, bbearren, Alex5723, satrow, pmcjr6142

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FYI – I have more on the subject here

https://defensivecomputingchecklist.com/death.php

One issue is that many companies have their own death related systems. Dealing with these systems strikes me as a bad idea. Another issue is that passwords change and accounts come/go, so however you give a trusted person access to your digital affairs,  updates are needed over time.

Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com

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Cybertooth, Elly

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