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How Vulnerable Are You to Identity Theft?

In today’s asymmetric threat environment you must practice situational awareness, follow computer security best practices, and use plain common sense. The burden for keeping your confidential information safe and secure rests squarely on your own shoulders. Identity theft truly is easy for a criminal or unscrupulous person and a high reward, low-risk crime.

What level of vulnerability do you have? Read the questions below. If you answer “No” to one or more of the questions it is only a matter of time before your personal digital profile is successfully attacked.

Do you shred all printed material (unsolicited offers for credit cards, subscriptions, loans, etc.) that contains your name, address, and account number written upon them? Identity thieves love to pillage through discarded trash that has been left “whole”.
Do you employ extra caution when using social media? Sooner or later you’ll be in contact with an illegitimate user and targeted when using social media. You must be careful. Identity thieves love the target-rich environment of dating sites, electronic meeting sites, and linked in sites.
Do you and members of your family carefully use mobile media? We have aggressively moved our personal digital profile into a world that is filled with threats. Active threat vectors are arrayed against your mobile computer or communication devices and are constantly probing for vulnerabilities. You will be “targeted”. It’s only a question of whether your security preparedness allows you to deter the attack.
Do you cautiously use public “hot spots” to access your computer? Public wireless access points are literally a playground for identity thieves. Your information will be stolen if you are without the protection of robust encryption mechanisms.
Do you routinely obtain and download software updates to your computer? An intruder has already been on your computer if you fail to routinely update your application software, operating system or browser version. Make it a habit to update.
Do you know what the word “phishing” means? “Phishing is another word for a scam. Be alert. Sometimes these communications can appear to be real (i.e. from your bank or credit card company). Be suspicious of any contact that asks for confidential information. Contact the organization by telephone if you have any concerns.
Do you have Internet security software installed on your computer? You must have an up-to-date Internet security software installed and operating on your computer; otherwise, you are being negligent.
Do you actively practice threat and vulnerability analyses? Consider the threats around you and take steps to determine how you might be vulnerable.
Are your home and personal items secure? Make sure that you have your valuables and confidential information locked in a safety deposit box, home safe, or otherwise protected.
Have you educated your spouse and children as to the threats against you and your family? The most innocent are frequently targeted. Predatory identity thieves want information that they can use about your spouse, children, and the elderly. That is both intolerable and very dangerous.
Do you encrypt sensitive files? Using strong encryption on your critical files will increase the difficulty of a cracker or hacker gaining access to your information.
Do you share files downloaded from the Internet with others? Simply don’t. Malicious people have countless ways to invade and steal from your computer. Avoid “opening the door” for them.
Do you use strong passwords and backup your critical information? You must. Weak passwords can be defeated. Electronic or mechanical failures will occur. The only question is when.
Do you routinely analyze a website’s privacy policy before providing information? You invite the pilfering of your confidential information if you are without the knowledge of how a website plans to use your information.
Have you changed the password to your wireless router from that which was provided by the equipment manufacturer?

Identity thieves hope your password to your network is exactly as it was when it came out of the box.

Internet Security Threats Awareness

Increasingly, most people in the present modern society rely on the internet for easier and fast communications, for purchasing and buying things or services and business online. Because of the good benefits and wide selection of choices, people respond more by the means of the internet and it’s different Social Media Tools that is aids of our lives and make it easier. Transacting business matters and paying for the bills was one of the benefits that people enjoy conveniently and practically.

We cannot say that all good things do not carry with “bad or unlikely things”. Living our lives was much more easily compared before the time Internet has captured us was a whole lot more different when it comes to speed, convenience, and the aspects of the financial resources. Because of these, people with bad motives or intentions and with knowledge and are capable of misleading and deceiving other people to gain their bad intentions leave us users’ problems on security, and even life-destroying threats. We use the Internet as a means of making our lives better but those criminals also use it as their means of deceiving us.

One of the biggest problems nowadays is Phishing and Copycat, which is a major Internet Security Threat. It is a popular line of attack in stealing vital information like user name and password. This actually works through e-mails sent on your email accounts and pretends to be trusted and reliable sites such as eBay, PayPal, and even your own personal or business bank account. The e-mail contains links that redirect you to a counterfeit site that imitates their preferred front site.

If you are aware of this kind of Internet Security Threat, then good for you but what if you are not aware of it? Probably, you would type in your personal information like usernames, passwords, and even your bank account numbers and other personal details. Unknowingly, those hackers will steal your much-valued information and details to make online transactions using your money. You don’t only lose money but even worst, they could even destroy your image and eventually, ruin your career or life.

How can we protect ourselves and our reputation and security?

As an online consumer or visitor, you should be able to recognize and be aware of fake web sites. The first thing you should do is to check the website’s address you are visiting. For example; If you received an email from PayPal and after you clicked on the link in the email you landed on then it is genuine but if you landed on a website with a different website address which is not the same as the main website address of the sender then you should be very cautious. If that happens, you should either call their customer support and check if they really sent you an email and re-check the website address in the email that was sent to you or check the website you landed on for any digital certificate that proves that website is really genuine. For example, it has a Trust seal from Verisign and by clicking on it you would easily verify if the website is a spoof or not. All website owners should be aware of these kinds of threats and should take proper and extra care of security is important to have a seal that directly relates to their kind of business. Companies and organizations can issue a seal that can be used as a Website Protection Seal which is a whole lot more practical, re-brandable, and convenient. Being alert, aware and responsive on these kinds of Internet Security Threats makes us way up ahead from all these malicious and dangerous people whose only aim is focused on their own interests, not thinking about the others who spends and invests all their resources and priceless efforts to achieve what they have established. It is such a waste and pity on our part. Do not let it happen to your brand or business.

Trust me; it is not worth risking too. 😉

Helpful Tips For Cleaning Computer Files

Computers have been part of our everyday life. In the fast world of computer technology, monthly, weekly, or even daily, we are introduced to new software programs, games, and even new ways to download music and videos through the internet and a lot more. Of course, the companies that produce these also have very good marketing strategies that tend to make the consumers try out and even buy their product – may it be a game, a new photo editing software, music converter, and what-not. Consumers, meanwhile, tend to enjoy these programs or files but do not realize that they have accumulated so much of them over a period of time – too many that it eventually slows down the computer. Originally, we use a computer to speed things up. But with all the new downloads we get every so often, is the computer still doing its main responsibility?

Computer speed is a vital characteristic of a good and reliable computer. May it is at work, at school, or even at home, one cannot waste a minute or even just a few seconds waiting for the computer to load. Nor can you afford it if it hangs. We have deadlines to meet, calls and online conferences to attend to, some researching to do for a final paper, etc. But having a “crowded” computer makes these things impossible to achieve. Consumers now have to realize that the key to making computer faster is by choosing, sorting, and cleaning or deleting software programs and files which are only necessary for them to get things done (plus a few extras won’t hurt).

Going over your “My Computer” is the best place to start. If you have several drives or hard disks, you may start with the default disk drive then go over the others alphabetically to be organized. Browse through all the programs installed and all the files stored and then think: for the past few months, which programs and files have I used for only once or twice? Which are necessary to do my everyday tasks and which are not?

Writing these down will help you save time later on when you delete all those which belong to “the programs and files which I have only used for only once or twice”. This way, not only will it make computer faster, but it will also aid you in organizing or re-organizing all your programs and files.

To make computers faster, make sure to remove or delete as many files and programs as possible. For your files, check the date you last opened each file to identify which files to delete and to keep. Make a folder for the “never to be deleted” files, which, as the title indicates, contains files that you need for a long period of time. Files such as resumes, soft copy of your IDs, certificates, contracts, etc. Make separate folders for the rest of the important files, and delete the others.

For software programs, there is actually a faster way to sort them. By going to the Control Panel and then to Add/Remove Programs, you will see all the programs installed in your computer and a column where you will see the frequency you use a particular program. Through this, you may now delete the programs you rarely use.

Just a tip: you may also sort the programs according to size to check if you have programs that are just taking up too much of your disk space which you can already delete or replace with a lighter version of it. Also, there are programs that you rarely use but are still necessary for a task to be done. Make sure to keep those.

For some, letting go of some programs and files may be a bit harder, especially when they have too many programs and files they’d love to keep using. For some files, such as photos and videos you cannot delete, you may always burn them in a high-quality CD or DVD for storage. Just keep in mind that you have to do it and just tell yourself “I need to make computer faster”!