Six Things You Should Stop
Doing
Now on Social Media Sites
Vipre Security News, July, 2014
Using a Weak Password
Avoid choosing simple names and words. Make sure each password is long and strong. Use a mixture of upper and lower cases, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols. The longer and more complex you make a password, the harder it will be for a hacker to break it. A password should have at least eight characters. A good technique is to insert numbers or symbols in the middle of a word.
Putting Your Full Birth Date in Your Profile
This is a big mistake. You’re basically inviting identity thieves to target you by giving them vital information they can use to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account.
Ignoring Privacy Controls
For almost everything in your Facebook profile, you can limit access to only your friends, family, and so on. You should restrict access to photos, birth date, and family information, among other things. Omit all contact information.
Posting Your Child’s Name in a Caption
Never do this. If someone else does, delete it by clicking on Remove Tag. If your child isn't on Facebook and someone includes his or her name in a caption, ask that person to remove the name.
Mentioning That You’ll Be Away From Home
This is similar to erecting a big “ON VACATION” sign on your front lawn.
Allowing Search Engines to Find You
You can use DoNotTrackMe, an app that prevents online tracking from more than 600 web trackers, including Google Analytics, Facebook and Twitter and prevents them from seeing or collecting your web activity.
The
Avoid choosing simple names and words. Make sure each password is long and strong. Use a mixture of upper and lower cases, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols. The longer and more complex you make a password, the harder it will be for a hacker to break it. A password should have at least eight characters. A good technique is to insert numbers or symbols in the middle of a word.
Putting Your Full Birth Date in Your Profile
This is a big mistake. You’re basically inviting identity thieves to target you by giving them vital information they can use to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account.
Ignoring Privacy Controls
For almost everything in your Facebook profile, you can limit access to only your friends, family, and so on. You should restrict access to photos, birth date, and family information, among other things. Omit all contact information.
Posting Your Child’s Name in a Caption
Never do this. If someone else does, delete it by clicking on Remove Tag. If your child isn't on Facebook and someone includes his or her name in a caption, ask that person to remove the name.
Mentioning That You’ll Be Away From Home
This is similar to erecting a big “ON VACATION” sign on your front lawn.
Allowing Search Engines to Find You
You can use DoNotTrackMe, an app that prevents online tracking from more than 600 web trackers, including Google Analytics, Facebook and Twitter and prevents them from seeing or collecting your web activity.
If you really want to stop cybercriminals from stealing
your identity as well as your bank account and credit card information, your
smartest option is to go offline. Close your Facebook account, don’t do any
online banking, never shop online, and stop sending emails.
Sure, the above option is too extreme for most of us, but if you follow it, you will greatly increase your odds of protecting your personal and financial data, and of keeping you and your family safe from thieves and even abductors.
The internet is a wonderful tool for commerce and communication, but it is also a huge fishing ground for criminals. The problem all of us face is finding a balance between using the internet sensibly and safely and not becoming paranoid about security and criminals.
Tips to Prevent Hackers From Stealing Your Financial Information:
•
Regularly check your banking and credit card statements. Small items
that you Sure, the above option is too extreme for most of us, but if you follow it, you will greatly increase your odds of protecting your personal and financial data, and of keeping you and your family safe from thieves and even abductors.
The internet is a wonderful tool for commerce and communication, but it is also a huge fishing ground for criminals. The problem all of us face is finding a balance between using the internet sensibly and safely and not becoming paranoid about security and criminals.
Tips to Prevent Hackers From Stealing Your Financial Information:
can’t remember buying may mean somebody has hacked your account.
- •
Do not save any passwords or financial information or tax forms on
your hard
drive. - •
Avoid clicking on suspicious links that land in your inbox.
Financial information
can be gleaned from password guessing and email phishing. Even worse that
phishing is spear phishing -- a specific form of phishing that targets you because
you, for example, run a chess club or are a soccer coach. - Shred all your bank and credit card information.
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