Privacy and Security
Passwords
- Never use personal info: Using personal information for passwords (birthdays, name of spouse, etc) makes for passwords that are easier to guess - especially since personal information is usually publicly available in some way.
- Use a long, elaborate password: Short and simple passwords are easier to crack than longer ones with symbols and numbers in them. Try to include uppercase/lowercase letters as well as symbols and numbers. Passwords should be at least 6 letters long (12 if you want extra security).
- DON'T USE THE SAME PASSWORD FOR MORE THAN ONE ACCOUNT: If someone can gain access to one of your accounts, they can access ALL OF THEM (if you have trouble with creating a password that's secure enough for use, you could use a password generator website).
Scams
Scams (otherwise known as "Internet Frauds") are frauds that consumers face when using the Internet; use of Internet services or software with internet access to defraud victims or to otherwise take advantage of them.
The purpose of a scam is for the scammer to gain access to your information/money.
Scammers trick and goad consumers into their scams by doing things like sending people faulty emails telling the consumer they've won some sort of prize, that their bank accounts are in jeopardy, etc.
There are ways to determine whether or not an email is a scam. However, not all scam emails contain these tells:
Need to verify account information
Sense of urgency
Spelling errors
Alert that your account is in trouble
Link in email or attachment
Too good to be true
Generic greeting
Privacy
If you do not protect yourself, everything you do online can be tracked by companies and the government to create a profile of you and your activity.
You should . . .
- Lock down your privacy settings
- Avoid using unsecured public hotspot to avoid information breach: (connecting your wireless devices to public WiFi makes it easier for hackers to access your information through the established connection).
- Google yourself: In doing this you can find find, get rid of, and hide information about yourself that you don't want other people to see. Limit the amount of information you share about yourself as well in order to allow companies (+others) to have the least amount of information about you as possible.
- Disable location-based posting
- Only provide personal information on sites protected by HTTPS. This is the secure form of the standard HTTP address, and data transferred to and from HTTPS websites is encrypted.
User Agreements
Citations
- Source 1: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/internetsafety/2 - "Internet Safety: Passwords: The First Step to Safety." GCFLearnFree.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
- Source 2: "True Random Number Service." RANDOM.ORG. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
- Source 3: https://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/internet_fraud - "Internet Fraud." FBI. FBI, 17 Mar. 2010. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
- Source 4: "How to Maintain Your Privacy Online." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
- Source 5: "Appendix A: Sample Acceptable Use Agreements and Policies, Forum Unified Education Technology Suite." Appendix A: Sample Acceptable Use Agreements and Policies, Forum Unified Education Technology Suite. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.