Thursday, December 15, 2016

Personal Internet Security

Please take a moment to read the following article.


Please consider doing the following:
  1. Get a good password vault for your smart phone.  Best to get one that can sync with your desktop/laptop machine. Enter ALL your passwords into the password vault. Most such applications give you the flexibility to securely store other information that you might want to carry with you at all times.
  2. Change passwords regularly (no less often than twice a year) .  You might for example change your passwords in January and July. I realize this is work but it is to your considerable advantage.
  3. Do not use the same password on critical accounts or web sites, e.g. banking and financial.  
  4. If your financial or brokerage company offers two level security, such as Symantec VIP, use it.
  5. Be extraordinarily careful when clicking on email links.  NEVER click on an email link that leads you to login to one of your financial accounts or other web service.  ALWAYS go directly to the website to login.  Check the URL and be sure the name is correct (you have not mis-typed it) and that it displays the features you see here:

    Notice the green lock, the https, and verify that the site name is correctly spelled, e.g. you have not transposed letters or mis-typed the first letter or a combination of letters.
    One of the ways that "hackers" steal login user names, email address and passwords is through the use of fake/spoofed websites.
  6. Cyber security is not only for the corporations, you too are a target. Protect yourself.

1 comment:

John Krupsky said...

Very good advice! Also see: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/05/krebss-3-basic-rules-for-online-safety/