Yesterday my Gmail was hacked and I realized email is very important for me and for you. It can be used to access other services in the internet. Lots of people complains about their email being hijacked. Some is the user mistake, and there might be also the free email service fault. Until now Google haven’t done anything to help me.
Motivated by the event, I want to share how to protect your self in the internet. Here are tips on how to protect your self in the internet:
- Use password with the combination of letter and number. Minimum 8 letter password.
- Don’t use passwords that is easily obtain like phone number or date of birth.
- Use a different password for each service you register with. This is very crusial. If you have only one password, and someone knows that password, he will be able to access all your accounts.
- For sensitive accounts, like bank service and option trading account, change your password passwords frequently, at least every two months.
- If is hard to remember many password, you can use pattern for your password. For example if you use service at yahoo.com and google.com, you can take the first and second letter to build your password: ‘YpasswordA’ for Yahoo and ‘GpasswordO’ for Google.
- Consider shopping only with companies you already know. I used to check their PageRank. I tend to believe websites with high PageRank, larger than two.
- Minimize the using of free email like Yahoo and Gmail. They are riskier because they are the target of hackers. It is better to use your company’s email.
- Always remember your secret question and answer. You might need it in the future.
- Use anti virus software, because there are trojans out there which can steal your confidential data.
- Install firewall on your computer. Windows have have built-in firewalls, so use it.
- Use different email for different purpose, like business, personal, etc. This will minimize risk, when your email is separated.
- Do not use public computer for sensitive transaction like banking transaction. It’s possible that a thief may have installed keylogger software on the computer. This software can track your key strokes.
- When you are in public computer, do not let the computer save your login information. Do not use ‘Remember me’ featured found in websites and Intant Messanging.
- Shop on websites which have SSL (Secure Socket Layer). You can tell if this technology is in use when you see a lock icon in your web browser window or having ‘https’ in your url.
- Do not cought in phishing trap. Somebody might lure you to reveal your passwords, and credit card numbers. They first send you email from a well-known company such as PayPal, and eBay that appear to be real. They might say that they are updating their data and asked you to enter your data again in their website. There will be link in the email which will redirect you to a website which looks like the well-known company’s website. There they asked you to to login or write your credit card number.
