Internet Safety

I am often asked:  “How do I know that my identity won’t be stolen if I buy something on the Internet?”
Secondary to that question is:  “How do I prevent my computer from getting a virus?”

So – let’s list a few of the possible responses…

1. There is no way to protect yourself
2. Don’t worry about it
3. Use a fake identity
4. Buy a MAC
5. None of the above

Ding Ding Ding - #5 – Yes, you are a winner

[This reminds me of checking out at our grocery the other day.  Cashier gives me a small card with a game piece and says “Run it through the scanner to see if you are a winner.”  Yeah – right.  I run the card through the scanner which replies so quickly that it couldn’t possibly have read my card.  It said something like “Hey guy, this card is not a winner.  Please try again.”  Come-on, tell it like it is.  Why not just say “Dude, you’re a loser and you’re holding up the line.”   Anyway – the pain is still fresh so I’ll move on.]

Back on topic: 

1. Yes – there are ways to protect yourself
2. Yes – you should be concerned about your personal & online identities
3. Fake-ID:  let’s not even go there
4. Not that I have anything against MACs.  In fact I had one in my last job.  But, you’re kidding yourself if you think that using a MAC “protects” you
5. So – how do you protect yourself and your computer?

Well – before I give you a few good Internet resources, allow me to suggest a few general rules:

• Never use a public computer to logon to your private accounts (i.e. bank, brokerage, credit card, retailer account, etc.) – EVER!  The last hotel computer I considered using was so infested that I felt dirty after touching the mouse.  Never, ever use a public computer to logon to your accounts – period!

• Always use a reputable Anti-Malware (virus) product.  There are only a limited few that I recommend.  Email me if you wish to know what they are – I’d rather not enrage their competitors by mentioning their full names online.  Just be aware that here are fake Anti-Virus programs out there, and that they can and will do you damage.  My general rule is to only use Anti-Virus products from the short list of safe, effective titles.  And remember, “Friends don’t let friends use Syma…, Nort…., or McAf…. products.”

• Use “strong” passwords for your important accounts.  I mentioned the rules on that in one of my other blogs - http://thecomputerconnectors.blogspot.com/2010/04/email-hacker.html: “mix of at least 3 types of characters - uppercase, lowercase, symbol, number - and at least 8 characters long”

• Never click on an email link that asks you to “verify” your information

• Be wary of all email attachments – even if you know the person sending the email.  Never “Run” anything that is attached to an email.

• Porn – seriously.  How old are you?

• Notify your credit card (or other creditor) immediately if you notice anything “odd”

So – those are some general rules, but know that even the best rules are not perfect.  The Internet is a great tool, and with careful use can be reasonably safe.  Here are a few more good resources on the topic…

http://thecomputerconnectors.com/foryourfamily.aspx
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/index.html
http://www.idtheft.gov
http://www.onguardonline.gov
http://internetsafety101.org