I've been blogging about security and privacy over the past few weeks. This week, we took a look at security awareness training and I thought about how this could factor into your personal life. So, I just wanted to pass along some tips to the personal user on how to better secure your information. I wanted to discuss phishing, passwords, and malicious software.
Phishing is the act of presenting an email to look as though it came from a legitimate user or business. These emails can be disguised to fool you into thinking they came from a friend or a business you regularly deal with. How many of you have received an email from a friend with a strange subject, such as "Hey, check this out!," and contains a link for you to click? What about an email from PayPal asking you to verify your log in information? Chances are, neither of these emails came either your friend or PayPal. Rather, it is a phishing email designed to gain some type of information from you. In the case of the PayPal email, once you enter your username and password, a thief now has your information and can access your account. Be weary of strange emails! But, you have all of your sites password protected, right?
Passwords are the weakest link in the chain for gaining unauthorized access to sites. Many people choose common terms that are found in a dictionary. They also use things such as pet names, birth dates, anniversaries, or another easily remembered combination. This is bad! Cracking programs can run thousands of times per minute and throw a wide variety of passwords at your account to attempt a log in. Yes, many sites have a lockout feature, but do not bet your money on that protecting you. The person running the script may likely just keep trying. Choose a strong password that contains a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Make the password as hard to crack as you possibly can without using anything that resembles a common phrase. The more complex your password, the less likely it is to be cracked.
Lastly, I wanted to take a minute to discuss malicious software. This is software that, with or without your approval, can run on your system and accomplish a multitude of dangerous tasks. Malicious software can scan your computer for vital documents, photos, and can even record your keystrokes on the keyboard. The last one is very dangerous, because it can track the sites you visit, harvest your usernames, and grab your password...all without your knowledge. It is very critical that you run some type of virus software to pick up on these types of programs. Some will install just by visiting a web site. Once you have clicked a link, the rest is history. Virus scanning software can help defend you against these types of attacks. If it looks odd and feels strange, do NOT click on it!
In conclusion, for personal safety, it is important that you understand what you are doing. Do not respond to strange emails, ensure you have strong passwords, never use the same password on multiple sites, and always make sure that any computer connected to the Internet is protected with an anti-virus or malware protection software. Just taking these small precautions can spare your time and your checkbook of any harmful activities!
Phishing is the act of presenting an email to look as though it came from a legitimate user or business. These emails can be disguised to fool you into thinking they came from a friend or a business you regularly deal with. How many of you have received an email from a friend with a strange subject, such as "Hey, check this out!," and contains a link for you to click? What about an email from PayPal asking you to verify your log in information? Chances are, neither of these emails came either your friend or PayPal. Rather, it is a phishing email designed to gain some type of information from you. In the case of the PayPal email, once you enter your username and password, a thief now has your information and can access your account. Be weary of strange emails! But, you have all of your sites password protected, right?
Passwords are the weakest link in the chain for gaining unauthorized access to sites. Many people choose common terms that are found in a dictionary. They also use things such as pet names, birth dates, anniversaries, or another easily remembered combination. This is bad! Cracking programs can run thousands of times per minute and throw a wide variety of passwords at your account to attempt a log in. Yes, many sites have a lockout feature, but do not bet your money on that protecting you. The person running the script may likely just keep trying. Choose a strong password that contains a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Make the password as hard to crack as you possibly can without using anything that resembles a common phrase. The more complex your password, the less likely it is to be cracked.
Lastly, I wanted to take a minute to discuss malicious software. This is software that, with or without your approval, can run on your system and accomplish a multitude of dangerous tasks. Malicious software can scan your computer for vital documents, photos, and can even record your keystrokes on the keyboard. The last one is very dangerous, because it can track the sites you visit, harvest your usernames, and grab your password...all without your knowledge. It is very critical that you run some type of virus software to pick up on these types of programs. Some will install just by visiting a web site. Once you have clicked a link, the rest is history. Virus scanning software can help defend you against these types of attacks. If it looks odd and feels strange, do NOT click on it!
In conclusion, for personal safety, it is important that you understand what you are doing. Do not respond to strange emails, ensure you have strong passwords, never use the same password on multiple sites, and always make sure that any computer connected to the Internet is protected with an anti-virus or malware protection software. Just taking these small precautions can spare your time and your checkbook of any harmful activities!
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