App Limits
The information that the Screen Time features provides through the insights and weekly usage report reveals a great deal of information to users and can be useful to parents to gage how family members are engaging with their device. App Limits allows users and controllers of the family account to set limits for themselves and their family members for app categories or specific apps on a 24-hour basis. To set this up and start setting limits you will need to select the individual breakdown screen, select Add Limit at the bottom of the page, then set the selected time. This can be customised based on day of the week and is a great setting if you want to make quick and immediate adjustments to particular limits. As the set time limit approaches an alert is received by the users to remind them that their time limit is nearly up. Once the time is up, the app will lock you out (and give you the option to approve more time, should you absolutely need to use the app).All these tools with the iOS 12 updates when used effectively provide information to promote and encourage responsible digital use and screen time. The Cyber Safety Project believe that the detailed information and insight data provided through these Screen Time features will create a great conversation and learning opportunity for the entire family. It is this information that will drive discussions between parents and children about what the appropriate amount of screen time is, why limits around particular categories might need to be put in place, what behaviours the weekly report is showing in how family members are using their device and of course why there is a need for downtime away from device.
The Passphrase
Here’s an idea … Rather than using a word or a set of completely random letters, numbers AND symbols that are seemingly impossible to remember, try using a passphrase. A passphrase is a clever trick to create a set of what may appear to be random digits. To design a passphrase, think of a phrase or sentence that you will be able to remember. Next, use the first letter of each word from your memorable sentence or phrase to create a unique passphrase. Let’s try this out…
“Nobody will ever be able to hack into my Xbox with this passphrase” = nwebathimxwtp
Whilst this may look complicated, lowercase letters on their own are still susceptible to hacking, particularly by software programs design to process 1000s of password combinations per second. So, next we need to add some extra complexity. Review your sentence and see if you can manipulate or transform some of those letters into numbers or symbols. It’s also a good idea to make some of the letters into capital letters too. By doing this you will accelerate your password design skills tenfold.
Passphrase Sentence: “Nobody will ever be able to hack into my Xbox with this passphrase”
Simple Passphrase: nwebathimxwtp
Letters, Numbers and Symbols Passphrase: Nw3b4th!mXwtp
If you look at the example Nw3b4th!mXwtp you will notice the symbols align with the letters used to create the passphrase. In this example you can see that we substituted some of the letters with ‘like shaped’ numbers.
– Substituting the ‘E’ for a ‘3’
– Substituting the ‘A’ for a ‘4’
– Substituting the ‘i’ for a ‘!’
This password now contains 13 characters (2 capitals letters, 8 lower case letters, 2 numbers and 1 symbol) and still aligns with my memorable sentence that I’ll be using to remember the password. The added benefit of a Passphrase is that you can customise the sentence any way you like to make sure it is in line with any website or online profile specifications.
Have a go at creating a sample passphrase and test out its strength by visiting the “Check My Password” website. *Note: never ever use your real password in this tool – just to be safe!
DOs and DON’Ts when creating a Passphrase
When creating a password or passphrase there are some things that you should and shouldn’t do to protect your personal devices and online profiles/accounts:
DO: Have a 12-character minimum – at the very minimum, 12 characters is acceptable. Ideally, even longer is better
DON’T: Make sure it is NOT a word that can be found in the dictionary – never use common words or combinations of words. Words are patterns in language and patterns reduce the strength of your passwords.
DO: Include numbers, symbols, lower case and upper case letters – the greater the mix the harder it is to crack.
DON’T: Never rely on the one basic and predictable substitution. Using symbols is very important, but don’t just use the symbol @ as a replacement for the letter a or number 5 to replace the letter ‘s’ within a ‘word’. It’s too obvious.
Got multiple accounts? Have multiple passphrases.
When logging into any online account, it is extremely important to be extra cautious of the domino effect that may occur if using one single password/passphrase across all of your accounts. If one of your accounts is compromised, this will put your other online accounts at risk. Having the same password/passphrase across all of your accounts provides an open door for hackers who will browse your history and view other platforms or sites you have been using to obtain a range of our personal information.
A new season is a great time to design a new set of passphrases
Developing long and strong access codes is now just an important part of online life, but we must not set and forget! Regularly updating our passwords/passphrases minimises the chances of our online accounts being compromised. Use the seasons of the year or set a reminder in your phone every few months alerting you to visit your frequented online accounts and update/change your passwords.
A proactive password strategy is key to preventing cybercrime. The “it won’t happen to me” outlook does not cut it!
For more easy-to-apply hints and tips to keep your home and the technology you use safe and secure, check out our blog post Five Simple Ways to be Cyber Secure at Home and our downloadable Cyber Security at Home Guide.
