Protect Yourself Your home computer serves many purposes: email, shopping, social networking and more. As you surf the Internet, you should be aware of the various ways to protect yourself. Of primary concern is protecting your personally indentifying information. Use your judgment about what you post about yourself on Internet sites. When any site requests information about you, ask these questions: Who is asking? What information are they asking for? Why do they need it? Think about the amount and detail of information being requested. Does it correspond to what you think is needed to make a purchase, register for a new service, or conduct other business? Be sure you know why the information is being requested and how it will be used. Find out what s out there about you. Using a computer you are sure is safe and secure, go to your favorite search engine and put in your own name. Do the same for your children. You might be surprised how much information you will find. Email Cyber criminals often use email to trick people into opening attachments and visiting Web sites that collect personal information (phishing) or download malicious software (spyware). They overload our email inboxes with messages we didn t ask for and don t want (spam). Criminals will continue to evolve their practices, but you can keep ahead of them by staying alert for suspicious email and using technology to filter unwanted messages. Spam Left unchecked, any email account will quickly become overloaded with junk, some of which will contain viruses and scams. The good news is that most email programs contain options for filtering out what you don't want. Learn how to use those tools properly to make your email experience faster, safer and simpler. The first thing to do is to enable a junk email or spam filter. Most email programs and online services come with one of these installed. In many cases, these are set to "on" by default, but if they're not, you can easily activate by finding your filtering preferences tab, or using your program's "help" tool.
Some junk mail filters, like the one that comes with Microsoft Outlook, have multiple junk mail settings. At the highest level, these will filter out virtually everything you don't want. Just be aware that at the highest settings, spam filters can sometimes trap emails you want to receive. If you have high junk mail settings, make sure to take an occasional peek at your junk mail folder. The next level of email filtering is to block all email from specific addresses. This works differently in different programs. In Microsoft Outlook, for instance, you just select the message from the sender you wish to block, select "block sender" from the "message" pull-down window, then click "yes" and "ok." IMPORTANT NOTE: No email filter is perfect, so you still want to treat every message you get -- even the ones that appear to come from companies you do business with -- with a certain degree of caution. Phishing Phishing attacks use email or malicious Web sites to collect personal and financial information. Attackers may send urgent emails that request account information, seemingly from a reputable credit card company or financial institution. When users respond with the requested information, attackers can use it to gain access to the accounts. How do you avoid being a victim? Do not reveal personal or financial information in an email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in email. Do not send sensitive information over the Internet before checking a Web site's security. Pay attention to the URL of a web site. Malicious Web sites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g.,.com versus.net). If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it by contacting the company directly. Contact the company using information provided on an account statement, not information provided in an email. Information about known phishing attacks is available online from groups such as the Anti-Phishing Working Group. Install and maintain anti-virus software, firewalls, and email filters to reduce spam. Online Shopping Online shopping is convenient, easy, and quick. However, the Internet has unique risks, so it is important to take steps to protect yourself when shopping online.
Tune up your defenses. Before you shop online, make sure you have a security suite (firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware) installed and updated with the most current information. Also, keep your operating system and Web browser up-to-date. Apply the highest level of security available that still gives you the functionality you need. Check sellers out. Conduct independent research before you buy from a seller you have never done business with. Some attackers try to trick you by creating malicious Web sites that appear legitimate, so you should verify the site before supplying any information. Locate and note phone numbers and physical addresses of vendors in case there is a problem with your transaction or your bill. Search for merchant reviews. Make sure the site is legitimate. Before you enter your personal and financial information to make an online transaction, look for signs that the site is secure. This includes a closed padlock on your Web browser s address bar or a URL address that begins with shttp or https. This indicates that the purchase is encrypted or secured. Never use unsecured wireless networks to make an online purchase. Take advantage of security features. Passwords and other security features add layers of protection if used appropriately. In a rush to complete a transaction with a new vendor, it is tempting to create a simple password that you won t forget. However, it is not hard to create complex, yet easily remembered passwords. Protect your personal information. When making a purchase online, be alert to the kinds of information being collected to complete the transaction. Make sure you think it is necessary for the vendor to request that information. Remember, you only need to fill out required fields on a vendors checkout form. Before providing personal or financial information, check the Web site's privacy policy. Make sure you understand how your information will be stored and used. Use safe payment options. Credit cards are generally the safest option because they allow buyers to seek a credit from the issuer if the product isn t delivered or isn t what was ordered. Also, unlike debit cards, credit cards may have a limit on the monetary amount you will be responsible for paying if your information is stolen and used by someone else. Never send cash through the mail or use a money-wiring service because you ll have no recourse if something goes wrong. Don t forget to review return policies. You want a no-hassle ability to return items. Keep a paper trail. Print and save records of your online transactions, including the product description, price, online receipt, terms of the sale, and copies of any email exchange with the seller. Read your credit card statements as soon as you get them to make sure there aren t any unauthorized charges. If there is a discrepancy, call your bank and report it
immediately. Turn your computer off when you re finished shopping. Many people leave their computers running and connected to the Internet all day and night. This gives scammers 24/7 access to your computer to install malware and commit cyber crimes. To be safe, turn off your computer when you are not using it. Be wary of emails requesting information. Attackers may attempt to gather information by sending emails requesting that you confirm purchase or account information. Legitimate businesses will not solicit this type of information through email. Contact the merchant directly if you are alerted to a problem. Use contact information found on your account statement, not in the email. Social Networking Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn have become extremely popular in recent years, both with kids and adults. They re a great way to keep family and friends updated on your life, but you should be wary about how much personal information you post. Follow these tips to enjoy your social networking site safely: Privacy and security settings exist for a reason: Learn about and use the privacy and security settings on social networks. They are there to help you control who sees what you post and manage your online experience in a positive way. Once posted, always posted: Protect your reputation on social networks. What you post online stays online. Think twice before posting pictures you wouldn t want your parents or future employers to see. Recent research found that 70% of job recruiters rejected candidates based on information they found online. Your online reputation can be a good thing: Recent research found that recruiters respond to a strong, positive personal brand online. So show your smarts, thoughtfulness, and mastery of the environment. Keep personal info personal: Be cautious about how much personal information you provide on social networking sites. The more information you post, the easier it may be for a hacker or someone else to use that information to steal your identity, access your data, or commit other crimes, such as stalking. Protect your hardware: Safety and security start with protecting computers. Install a security suite (antivirus, antispyware, and firewall) that is set to update automatically. Keep your operating system, Web browser, and other software current as well, and back up computer files on a regular basis.
Know and manage your friends: Social networks can be used for a variety of purposes. Some of the fun is creating a large pool of friends from many aspects of your life. That doesn t mean all friends are created equal. Use tools to manage the information you share with friends in different groups. If you re trying to create a public persona as a blogger or expert, create an open profile or a fan page that encourages broad participation and limits personal information. Use your personal profile to keep your real friends (the ones you know trust) more synched up with your daily life. Be honest if you re uncomfortable: If a friend posts something about you that makes you uncomfortable or you think is inappropriate, let them know. Likewise, stay open-minded if a friend approaches you because something you ve posted makes him or her uncomfortable. People have different tolerances for how much the world knows about them respect those differences. Post only about others as you would have them post about you. Know what action to take: If someone is harassing or threatening you, remove them from your friends list, block them, and report them to the site administrator. Use strong passwords: Make sure that your password is long, complex and combines, letters, numerals, and symbols. Ideally, you should use a different password for every online account you have. If you need to write down your password to remember it, store it somewhere away from your computer. Be cautious about messages you receive on social networking sites that contain links. Even links that look they come from friends can sometimes contain malware or be part of a phishing attack (attempts to collect personal information: logon and password and other indentifying information by pretending to be a message form a friend or a business). If you are suspicious, don t click contact your friend or the business directly to verify the validity. Mobile Devices Mobile devices can perform a variety of tasks: take pictures, send text messages, surf the Web, and more. Be sure to take the same precautions on your mobile device as you do on your computer with regard to messaging and online safety. Follow these tips to increase your mobile phone security: Secure your phone with a strong passcode or other privacy feature. Think before you text. Keep in mind how the message might be read before you send it. Be aware that texts can be forwarded. Only give your mobile number out to people you know and trust and never give anyone else's number out without their permission.
When in doubt, don t respond. Text and call only the people and businesses you know in real life. Use caution when meeting face-to-face with someone who you only "know" through text messaging. Even though texting is often the "next step" after online chatting, that does not mean that it is safer. Make sure you have someone s permission before taking pictures or videos of them with your phone. Likewise, make sure you re comfortable before allowing someone to take pictures or videos of you. Learn how to disable the geotagging feature on your phone. Make sure you know how to block others from calling your phone. Using caller ID, you can block all incoming calls or block individual names and numbers. Remember: safer for me, more secure for all. What you do on your mobile device has the potential to affect others. If your phone is lost or stolen, report it to your local police station and your network operator immediately. Learn about Privacy in the Age of the Smartphone offered by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Learn more about privacy and security at www.staysafeonline.org. Source: StaySafeOnline.org