A Big Geek's Safe Internet Surfing Tips
If you do nothing else at least Download and Install SiteAdvisor to help protect you while you use the Internet.
1. Never Open Attachments in Email: Instead, save the attachment to a separate folder on your computer. Then go to that folder
and right click on the attachment. Choose "Scan with AVG Free" to make sure it's not an infected file. If you're not using AVG Free then scan it
with whatever Anti-Virus program you are using. If the scan comes back clean then it's probably OK to open it. Use common sense here
though and don't open attachments from people you don't know.
2. Don’t click on Hyperlinks in Email: Never respond to email's that ask you for your security info such as passwords and account
numbers. An email arrives supposedly from PayPal, eBay, or your bank asking you to verify your info and they conveniently provide a link for
you to do so. Even if the email appears to be from a company you do business with do not reply to it with your info. The link will most likely
take you to a spoof website and once you enter your info you’ve just compromised your account.
3. Never send Sensitive Info to anyone via Email: Email isn’t secure and can be intercepted and read by hackers.
4. Use Strong Passwords: These would be the longest and most confusing password allowed by the site. For example, if a site will
let you use a 32 character long password then choose to do so, don’t opt for an 8 letter password. Why? You tell me which one is easier to
crack based on example below:
BigGeek1 cgzSF9S&!5c!vfe3XkDPCcDTapfvFMyN
The first one was generated by my simple mind. The 2nd by RoboForm’s password generator. If you haven’t tried RoboForm yet I
encourage you to do so. To use the password generator right click on RoboForm icon in system tray, choose Tools, then Generate
Passwords. Make sure you immediately log in to whatever site your generating the password for until RoboForm prompts you to save it
because unless you’re a genius there’s no way your going to remember a long random password.
5. Log off of Websites: I know it’s much easier to just click the X in upper right corner of a web page to close the site, however, that
might leave you vulnerable. Take the time to actually log off the site and then close the browser window by clicking the X. Then open a new
browser window to go to the next site you need to visit.
6. Watch for websites using Similar Names: Again, this can be prevented by RoboForm. Let’s say you’re on someone’s
webpage and you click on an Amazon.com link to shop.
It takes you to: http://www.amazen.com/gp/product/B00008BFS8/102-4136487-3340104?n=228013
Instead of: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008BFS8/102-4136487-3340104?n=228013
The difference is so subtle you probably wouldn’t even notice the “e” instead of an “o” in amazon.com.
So you add the hot product to the checkout basket and proceed to type in all your info to complete the order…you just gave it all away to a
hacker.
RoboForm will help prevent this because once you go to checkout it will ask you for your user name and password as a returning customer
and if it’s not a legit site then RoboForm won’t pop up asking you to fill in the user name and password.
7. Don’t enter Security Info on Another Computer: For example, you’re in the hotel lobby and want to check
how your stock portfolio did so you go to your brokers web page and type in you easy to remember user name and password because you
were to cheap to buy RoboForm Pass2GO.
So, since you’re on a public computer let’s just assume it’s infected and has been targeted by hackers…you just gave them your info.
Solution: Don’t enter sensitive info on someone else’s computer or if you must use a computer other than your own use a
USB Drive RoboForm Pass2GO.
8. Make sure you spell Search Words correctly in Google or whatever Search Engine you use: This will help you
avoid being the victim of Search Engine Typosquatting.
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