The World Wide Web has become such a part of every day life that it is now second nature for most people to log on and take care of business. Whether it is paying bills, online shopping, or sharing music files you created using Audacity software, too often we take for granted that the sites we are dealing with are secure. There are dangerous people in cyber space who can not be trusted. It is very important that you take precautions to protect yourself.
There are 2 basic types of security threats posed by spending time on the Internet. One is the hackers who are trying to steal your personal information and the other are predators who could come after you or your children. There are several ways you can protect yourself from each. The number one rule is to be very cautious about the information you share about yourself online.
Web sites like Facebook are the rage right now, but remember that anyone can get into the system and view your personal information. Never list where you live or phone numbers. You should also be very careful about the photos that are posted and what is said in status updates. For instance, the information could get back to your employer, and there have been cases of people losing their jobs because of facebook. It is very important to monitor a child’s use of Facebook and other social networking sites. These sites are a sexual predators dream come true.
To protect yourself from hackers trying to steal credit cards or checking account numbers be sure that you are only dealing with web sites that have security encryption. And when downloading software like Calibre for e-books or any other downloaded programs, look for the https prefix in the web address to be sure that you are on a secure site where personal information cannot be intercepted.