Following last month’s article on password security, we have had a large number of queries asking how people can best protect their online activities from being compromised.
To ensure your accounts are secure, you should set a different password for every site you use. This will protect you if a site gets hacked and passwords stolen. This can and does happen, as we’ve seen in high-profile examples in the press.
The advice I give doesn’t come with a cast-iron guarantee that it will work, but I will share what I do to achieve password security and protect my own online activities in the hope that it will help you.
Firstly, I’ve installed the LastPass password manager app on my web browser. I’ve added the LastPass Google extension and created an account using a very secure password with the technique I described in last month’s article. Then every time I visit a website I log in to my account using my existing password, without saving that password to LastPass. Once logged in, I then go through the process to change my password, letting LastPass create my new password and save it for me.
As an added bonus, because I have an account with Google, I can use any computer, log in to my Google account and Google then syncs all my shortcuts, favourites and app extensions so that I can log in to my accounts without any problems.
Taking these steps for password security will help you to stay safe online.
Experience virtual reality
This month we purchased and tested the Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset. Virtual reality allows you to interact with a virtual world in 3D, meaning that if you take a step to the left in the real world with the headset on, your character will also take a step to the left in the virtual world.
This technology is currently very new and is always improving, and it’s one of the most immersive ways to play video games, watch movies, or do anything that you would in the real world.
The Oculus Rift S is simply amazing. Starting at £400 (at the time of writing) you get so much technology for the money. The Rift S comes with two ergonomic and sturdy remote controls, the headset itself and some batteries. The set-up process is simple: plug the DisplayPort cable and the USB 3.1 cable into your computer, set a guardian and you’ll be playing VR games in minutes.
In the shop we tested Google Earth VR – this allows you to explore the world as you would in Google Earth, but with the added function of being able to walk around the streets etc.
Before purchasing, make sure your computer is powerful enough to run VR as the technology is still fairly new and does require a mid-to-high end PC to run full VR. You can test this simply by downloading the Steam application and searching ‘is my computer ready for VR?’. This will tell you if you are ready to go, or what you need to upgrade.
If you are looking for a completely new way to do work, game, study or anything else you can do on a normal computer, then the Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset is for you!
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