Safeguard your personal information against the most common Internet insecurity, uncertainty by taking these few security measures. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Especially when it
comes to your personal information.
Follow the steps below to increase your online security and uncertainty.
Follow the steps below to increase your online security and uncertainty.
Keeping your information secure online
requires you take more time and care, but what you lose in moments
you'll surely make up in peace of mind.
Cyber criminals will always want your bank account details and credit card numbers so they can steal your money and use your credit while stiffing you with the bill. They want your social security number so they can apply for credit in your name, stealing your identity (identity theft). The funny thing is they have even started selling stolen medical insurance information.
They take control of your computer when they steal sensitive personal information. This control also lets them install rogue programs on your computer, turning your computer into a zombie under their control. These control programs make money for the cyber criminals by sending spam, displaying pop-up ads, and committing sophisticated computer crime.
1) Protect your password
For sure, you're not likely to openly share your password with people you don't trust, but unfortunately you don't have to go that far for it to be compromised. Yes, keeping passwords to yourself is a smart first step, but there is room to go further.
One tip is to choose a password that is not easy for others to guess. For example, you can combine a personally memorable sentence with some personally memorable tricks to modify that sentence into a password. So if your sentence is When I was 10, my brother made me fight the neighborhood, then your password could be "Wiwa10mbrmf". Obviously, don't use that one, but instead come up with your own.
2) Keep your email from getting hacked
Believe it or not, even in the age of Twitter, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Whatsapp and text messages, people still use email to communicate. Consequently, emails still get hacked. As many times as computer users have been told not to click attachments from untrustworthy sources (or sometimes even from people you do know) apparently we still click on them. Which unfortunately can lead to your email being hacked or some worms or XSS scripts program being installed on your machine. So seriously, stop doing that.
Cyber criminals will always want your bank account details and credit card numbers so they can steal your money and use your credit while stiffing you with the bill. They want your social security number so they can apply for credit in your name, stealing your identity (identity theft). The funny thing is they have even started selling stolen medical insurance information.
They take control of your computer when they steal sensitive personal information. This control also lets them install rogue programs on your computer, turning your computer into a zombie under their control. These control programs make money for the cyber criminals by sending spam, displaying pop-up ads, and committing sophisticated computer crime.
Follow these simple steps below to increase your online security and uncertainty.
For sure, you're not likely to openly share your password with people you don't trust, but unfortunately you don't have to go that far for it to be compromised. Yes, keeping passwords to yourself is a smart first step, but there is room to go further.
One tip is to choose a password that is not easy for others to guess. For example, you can combine a personally memorable sentence with some personally memorable tricks to modify that sentence into a password. So if your sentence is When I was 10, my brother made me fight the neighborhood, then your password could be "Wiwa10mbrmf". Obviously, don't use that one, but instead come up with your own.
Check out for write up on password guide on this blog soon. Also, getting a password manager can make keeping track of passwords much more convenient and less time consuming if you forget them.
Believe it or not, even in the age of Twitter, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Whatsapp and text messages, people still use email to communicate. Consequently, emails still get hacked. As many times as computer users have been told not to click attachments from untrustworthy sources (or sometimes even from people you do know) apparently we still click on them. Which unfortunately can lead to your email being hacked or some worms or XSS scripts program being installed on your machine. So seriously, stop doing that.
If you get an attachment from someone
you know that you were not expecting, check with the sender to confirm
it was sent on purpose. Clicking on a malicious attachment can install
malware on your machine, like a worm or virus.
3) Shopping online
If
you're using your credit card to shop online, there is risk that your
information will be stolen and used to buy something without your
consent. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Only use your card on websites with the prefix, "https". That is only buy online from merchants using SSL, which means the website address begins with https://. Look for the “lock” on the title bar of Internet Explorer or Firefox’s lower right corner. It means that the site in question is using a secure protocol to encrypt communications between you and the website. You will see this protocol used on online banking sites and shopping sites if you're looking at sensitive information. For example, https://www.blogger.com/.
Only use your card on websites with the prefix, "https". That is only buy online from merchants using SSL, which means the website address begins with https://. Look for the “lock” on the title bar of Internet Explorer or Firefox’s lower right corner. It means that the site in question is using a secure protocol to encrypt communications between you and the website. You will see this protocol used on online banking sites and shopping sites if you're looking at sensitive information. For example, https://www.blogger.com/.
If you don't see "https", the chances of
your information being compromised increases. For more detailed and
specialized information on protecting your info online, watch out for guides on shopping safely online and protecting your credit card online on this blog soon.
When most users log into their accounts, they enter their username and a password and they're in. This is known as single-factor authorization and it is indeed secure, but there's an even more secure way to log into important accounts.
Two-factor authorization uses an additional
security credential to access an account like a fingerprint or a unique
pattern or token. This way, if someone does gain access to your basic login
information, they will also need access to your fingerprint or unique
pattern to access your account info.
Protect your system by installing a reputable antivirus/antispyware product & keep it up-to-date. If you want to be IT savvy, run Firefox with the NoScript add-on inside of sandboxie and install a host intrusion prevention system. Sophisticated cyber criminals can get past basic antivirus/antispyware software. Antivirus is necessary. It is not sufficient.
Secure Your WiFi if you have a wireless network, encrypt it
with WPA2 encryption. Otherwise anyone near you can eavesdrop on your
communications and piggy-back on your connection.
6. Marry yourself with your information
Keep your laptop with you at all times.Never leave it unattended in your car. Keep WiFi and Bluetooth turned off except when you are using them.
Encrypt the hard drive of your laptop, protecting it with a strong 15+ character passphrase. If you lose the laptop, the information is still safe. You can get free encryption software at http://www.truecrypt.org/.
7. Protecting your mobile device
Finally,
There is pretty much nothing you can do if someones wants to get your personal information and has the time and means. Sometimes it's out of your hands; however, the tips outlined above are things you can control. Focusing on that is your best bet and always think about the information you are giving out anytime.
Stay Away from P2P Networks: Don’t run Peer-to-Peer or other
file sharing programs, such as Limewire or BitTorrent. These
networks provide strangers access to your computer.
Keep your laptop with you at all times.Never leave it unattended in your car. Keep WiFi and Bluetooth turned off except when you are using them.
Encrypt the hard drive of your laptop, protecting it with a strong 15+ character passphrase. If you lose the laptop, the information is still safe. You can get free encryption software at http://www.truecrypt.org/.
Never use a public computer, or public WiFi for online
banking, shopping or to access sensitive information without signing off when done. If possible do away with them since you don’t
know how secure these are, prudence requires you to assume they are
insecure.
Most
of the tips outlined above can also be used on your smartphone or
tablet, but for more specific mobile device security tips, watch out for my smartphone security tips.
There is pretty much nothing you can do if someones wants to get your personal information and has the time and means. Sometimes it's out of your hands; however, the tips outlined above are things you can control. Focusing on that is your best bet and always think about the information you are giving out anytime.
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