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With the growing variety of mobile devices, social networking sites, and online offers, it is important to protect yourself and your computer. We’ve compiled this list of 17 cyber security tips to help you take action now.
1. Do not use your full or partial Social Security number as a Personal Identification Number (PIN), user ID or password.
2. Make sure that your password is 8 or more characters and combines capitalized letters, numerals and symbols. Do not use the same user ID and password for your financial accounts as you do for other sites.
3. Consider a screen lock on your mobile device. Many mobile phones offer this option, as well as other customizable security settings, which can help keep your phone and information secure.
4. Do not use your mobile device to store sensitive personal information or bank account numbers.
5. Never respond to urgent email claiming to be from a bank or any company that requests your account information or personal details. Forward these emails to www.fbi.gov or call your local police immediately.
6. Limit the amount of personal information you provide on social networking sites. The more information you post, the easier it may be for a criminal to use that information to steal your identity, access your data, or commit other crimes.
7. Be cautious about messages you receive on social networking sites that contain links. Even links that look like they come from friends can sometimes be harmful or fraudulent attempting to gain control of your computer or steal your personal information. If you are suspicious, don’t click the link. Contact your friend or the business directly to verify the validity.
8. Keep your computer operating system and browser up to date with the latest and official software and security downloads. These may be called "patches" or "service packs" and should be installed as soon as possible.
9. Don’t open attachments or install free software from unknown sources, this may expose your computer and the information on it to unauthorized sources.
10. Install a comprehensive (official) Firewall/Antivirus/Anti-spyware software package on your computer. These software suites help detect and remove viruses and spyware, which can steal vital information.
11. When entering personal information into a website, make sure that the URL starts with https://. The “s” stands for secure and means that any information entered into the website is encrypted so that no one else can access it.
12. Use caution when connecting to unfamiliar or public Wi-Fi networks. These networks are sometimes referred to as zombie networks and can be the gateway to malware or viruses. As an extra safety measure, turn off your Wi-Fi or Bluetooth when not using it.
13. Add a DNS service to protect other devices. A DNS or domain name system service converts a web address (a series of letters) into a machine-readable IP address (a series of numbers). You're probably using your ISP's DNS service by default, but you can opt to subscribe to openDNS which redirect you if you attempt to access a malicious site.
14. When checking your bank account or paying a bill online use the incognito mode or private browsing and when you finish the browsing, clear browsing history, stored password and cache from browser settings.
Normally web browsers store information like your browsing history, images, videos, text and cookies in a cache. A cache stores information about a webpage that lets it load faster the next time you visit.
15. Use more than one email address one for social networking and other for your business. (Honestly, i've more than 23 email addresses).
16. Keep your account numbers, user names, and passwords secret. Don't share it with your boyfriend/girlfriend. At the time of breakup, they can hit your privacy by getting the help from outside sources.
17. Avoid tech support phone scams: Cybercriminals don't just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call you on the telephone and claim to be from Microsoft. They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Once they have access to your computer, they can trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data.
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