Front Porch Perspective

by John Fairhead

 

On May 29, I suddenly stopped receiving emails sent to John@johnfairhead.com. At first, I trusted the Technology Fairy to resolve the issue while I diverted my attention (you’d be amazed how often this works). With all due love & gratitude to the Tech Fairy, I decided to try my hand at it after a couple hours. Unfortunately, the issue lasted until June 6, when my email host, Network Solutions, finally diagnosed the problem. Their explanation? Apparently, I had “redirected” my own emails to an unfamiliar recipient.

 

I’m pretty sure I did not forget that I did this to myself or that I accidentally redirected my own emails. From what I’ve since learned, accomplishing this would’ve required a level of familiarity with the advanced settings at Network Solutions that I simply do not possess. This led what remains of my once-cunning intellect to a troubling conclusion:

 

My email account was likely hacked.

 

If you’re like I WAS and lived under  the “that’s not gonna happen to me” delusion, I encourage you to rethink it. The experience has been stressful, unsettling, and educational. Mostly unsettling.

 

Harrowing what-ifs whisper and yelp. Controlling what I can control (changing email hosts, changing passwords, double-checking virus/malware protection, freezing online accounts, constant mumbling and brow furrowing, etc.) seemed like logical initial steps. This has morphed into the crossing-my-fingers strategy as I try to not think about the other shoe dropping. So far, so good on this end.

 

There are some practical lessons here, but also deeper emotional ones. I’ve been reminded that our quality of life isn’t determined solely by what happens to us. It’s determined by the meaning we assign to what happens to us.

 

At the risk of over-sharing, I assigned a few meanings to this experience.

 

Part of me concluded that I failed to protect myself, my family, my business, and my clients. That I was careless. Reckless. Irresponsible.

 

Upon reflection and thoughtful discussions with ones I love and trust, this meaning might be a tad harsh, even untrue. A more accurate meaning might be that I’m not super tech-savvy and probably could have leaned on the tech support and security teams at Network Solutions to fix the problem with more vigor. Who knows if that would have made a difference. They are not gonna get a second chance from me, that’s for sure. I am also learning more about protecting myself in this regard.

 

Enough about me. What this means to you, other than a cautionary tale, is:

 

Stay as far away from Network Solutions as you can. They stink.

 

Protect your tech.

 

If you tried to reach me via email to john@johnfairhead.com between May 29 and June 6 I did not receive it. I’m not ignoring you. I do care. And I really do want to hear from you.

 

It is likely that emails I sent to you between June 6 and June 23 landed in your spam filter because my new email was misconfigured. On brand, given circumstances. Check your junk/spam file if you care to.

 

And finally:

If you ever receive wiring instructions related to a transaction via email, PLEASE verify them by calling the recipient using a publicly listed phone number. Do not trust the email alone, even if it looks legitimate. Also, if you receive an urgent email from me saying I’m stranded and only a handful of gift cards can save my life… you can safely ignore that too.

 

Love y’all,

-jf