-
If
ordering merchandise online try not to give out your credit card number. If
there is a phone number listed to call use that instead.
- Purchase a good anti-virus
software for your computer system. There are approximately 300 new computer
viruses written each month and some of these may contain destructive
payloads, anti-heuristic measures, and stealth techniques. A small
investment on your part will go a long way.
-
Change your
passwords frequently and try not to use passwords which can be easily
guessed. Ask yourself if your password is one of the following items:
A. Your
date of birth
B. Any of your children's names
C. Your nickname
D. An anniversary date
E. A favorite hobby
F. Your spouses name
G. Your spouses date of birth
H. Your children's date of birth
I. Your maiden name
If you use one of these for
your password you are vulnerable to having your password compromised. You may
want to use a password which is easy to remember, but a Hacker will hope for
this and with a little research or social engineering can get it.
- Try not to give out
personal information online such as your real name, address, date of birth
Social Security Number.
- Watch what your children
are doing online. It is an unfortunate fact that there are people as well as
information on the Internet which is not appropriate. If you have younger
children, purchase parental control software such as Net Nanny or
Cyber-Guardian. These programs restrict the sites which your child may
access through guidelines which you set. Be responsible and take the
initiative to protect your children online.
- Be wary if you find a
program online which is listed as free. Scan ALL downloads with a good
anti-virus engine before actually running the program. Virus writers will
often distribute their creations on Websites or newsgroups as a patch for a
particular program or as the program itself as a "bootleg copy".
- If you are at work, NEVER
leave your terminal without signing/logging off. You can be held accountable
for any tampering or destruction which may occur at your terminal when you
are signed on.
- Remember, E-Mail is not
100% confidential. Every time you send E-Mail consider the fact that it is
basically the same as sending a postcard through the mail. Also, it can at
times be routed to a wrong destination, or even intercepted. If you want to
send confidential E-Mail use encryption such as PGP (Pretty Good Privacy).
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