Tips to Better Protect Yourself Online
Keep Your Guard Up by Following these Basic, But Important Tips…
It seems that everything to do with our computer is a threat. Whether it be checking email, researching something online, or merely visiting our favorite social networking website, the threats are everywhere. Everything is very cleverly disguised too. For example, emails from phishing scams often look like emails from your friends, your bank, or a familiar organization, which is how these criminals manage to trick you and access your computer. Granted, only a very small portion of people are fooled by these attacks, but it only takes a very small portion of people for thieves to accomplish their goals.
Here are some valuable tips for surfing the web safely and avoid being victimized by scrupulous people using the internet.
1. Be Careful of what You’re Clicking On
Fortunately, most mail reading software doesn’t allow for links in emails found in the junk mail folder to be clicked. But spam email isn’t always placed in the junk mail folder, so don’t click on links that are found in suspicious emails. Remember, you can usually hover your mouse pointer over a link and the link destination (URL) will be displayed. Webpages show the link destination in the bottom left of the browser window. Make sure that the link anchor and website address match before clicking.
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2. Be Careful of what You Choose to Download
Malware usually finds its way into unsuspecting computers because somewhere in the not too distant past, someone decided to download a file from a webpage. Usually the download is triggered by the user by mistake, after the user is told a file is missing and needs to be installed, or click here to receive a free iPod, etc. Always download files from trusted sites.
3. Be Careful of what You Share
If you’re one of the billions who enjoy social networking, make sure your are not sharing your personal information with the wrong people. Take a moment and check your account’s privacy settings and limit what strangers can find out about you… Go ahead, do it right now, we’ll wait.
Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have been described as gold mines for hackers. This is due to the abundance of personal information one can learn about another from profiles or friending a target. Think about it, have you ever been asked to verify your identity by answering one of the following questions? What is your mother’s maiden name? Who was your first employer? What is your dog’s name? Can these questions, or similar ones asked by financial institutions, be answered by viewing any of your social networking profiles?
4. Be Careful of the Password You Choose
Thankfully, access to sensitive information is usually restricted by a password which contains at least one uppercase letter and one number to help prevent people and robots from running password hacking software. You’ll want to make the passwords for your social networking sites secure too. Never just use a word from the dictionary. The best advice I ever received on how to create a good password, and I’ve yet to have any unauthorized access, is to use an acronym. My passwords for my most important accounts are all unique acronyms that use upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Related Information
University of Phoenix Provides Tips for Consumers to Protect Themselves Online
Get Safe Online – Protect Yourself
10 Ways to Protect Yourself Online
Internet Safety Guide: How to Protect Yourself Online
Wells Fargo Online, Mobile, Computer and Email Security Tips
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Tags: Identity Theft, Junk Email, Malware, Online Protection, Passwords, Phishing, Privacy Settings, Protection, Spam, TrustedID
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