WebSafetyTips is a comprehensive site where people can find tips on how to protect themselves and their family from online dangers. Millions of people are subject to identity theft, cyber crimes, and hacking every year. Put a couple of our recommendations in place and reduce your risk of being a victim.
TIP 1: Take Security Measures
The best way to keep yourself and your family secure online is to take general preventative measures. The best way to do that is to subscribe to a service that was built to protect people against very specific dangers online.
Child Safety: We recommend signing up for SafetyWeb, which is designed to help parents monitor their child's computer and cell phone usage. Get instant text messages and e-mail alerts directly to your phone every time your child does something online that might put him or her in danger.
Computer Safety - The best two product available on the market today are Norton's Symantic Anti-Virus 2010, and AVG. For a 1 time cost of $200 you will be completely protected against SPAM, Phising, Hackers, and other online predators.
Identity Protection - Identity theft is quickly becoming the greatest threat to the American consumer. Even the most careful consumer can have their Identity Stolen without ever knowing it. We recommend TrustedID which monitors your credit, identity and has a guarantee up to $1,000,000 in damages.
TIP 2: Proceed with Caution
Make sure you do your research before you download a new program or application. A basic Google search of the program will tell you whether or not the program is trusted. If other consumers have had issues in the past there will be blog posts and comments. Anything mentioning a "virus" or fake program should be an immediate red flag not to download.
When purchasing products online always make sure that the merchant has seals of approval from Verisign, Better Business Bureau, or a consumer advocate website such as BizRate.
TIP 3: Beware of E-mail
Your e-mail inbox is a breeding ground for hackers and cyber criminals to attack your computer and personal information. In addition to the endless amounts of SPAM you receive on a daily basis you also need to follow a couple general rules to maintain your security.
Never share your e-mail password with anyone
Change your password frequently and always log out of your e-mail when you are finished
Reputable companies will never as of personal identifiable information over e-mail - NEVER share it
Never open an attachment from an unknown source
Never respond to an e-mail from an unknown source
Use SPAM filters such as MailWasher.net
TIP 4: Social Network Safety
The most important rule of social network safety is: Don't post anything about yourself that you don't want the whole world to know or see. Social networks are the largest sources of personal information and gives immediate access to future employers, police, teachers, strangers, and predators.
Children are at a greater risk than adults when it comes to social networking. Parents need to make sure that their children follow a couple of general rules to help keep them safe.
Never let your teen post an explicit photo of themselves
Keep your status as hidden and only approve known friends
Create groups for friends, family, school, etc.
Do not post your address and full location details
NEVER meet anyone that you met on a social network
Children need to make sure that their social network identity is kept clean and free of drinking, sex, and drugs. Colleges and future employers will search for their profiles before accepting of hiring a child. If there is something they can find on your network that you don't want them to see - remove it.
TIP 5: Child Safety
Parents have a lot to worry about when it comes to their children's use of computers, social networks, and their mobile phones. One of the biggest dangers is the sexual exploitation of children. Any child with unrestricted access to their computer can access pornographic material at any time. All parents should enable parental controls on their PC's to restrict their kids from accessing pornographic material online.
The Internet also gives sexual predators unprecedented access to children online via chat rooms, gaming, and social networks. Make sure your children are aware of online dangers and subscribe to services like SafetyWeb to keep your children safe at all time.
TIP 6: What's the Password?
Passwords are very tricky because it's important to keep different passwords for every new website you subscribe too, but very hard to remember all of them. There are websites like http://www.Billeo.com, which is a toolbar that automatically stores and remembers all of your passwords.
Make sure that you never store a file on your computer with all of your passwords on it. If you do, never name the file "passwords" as hackers are always looking to steal those files. Try and come up with your own password scheme that only you and your family knows.
TIP 7: Always Lock your Computer
Hackers and Identity Thieves are looking to steal your files in all types of ways. The easiest is to steal your computer or extract the files that they need quickly. When using a public computer always make sure you log out so that the next person cannot access your information. When using your computer in public (like Starbucks) always lock it so that someone cannot access your files while you are getting coffee, etc. Simple tips will go a long way.
TIP 8: Protect your Wireless Network
Wireless connections are great but they can compromise your safety without you ever knowing it. Always make sure that your home wireless network is safe by having it password protected. Do not share that password with anyone other than the people who use that particular network every day. An experienced hacker can access all of your files from your wireless network once they have access. Contact your wireless network provider to make sure your network is secure.
Your home wireless connection is not all you have to worry about. Never connect to a wireless network that isn't yours and isn't password protected. Once your computer connects to a public network it gives hackers easier access to your files.
TIP 9: Protect against Identity Theft
The fastest growing threat for today's consumer is having their identity stolen. Over 30 million Americans have been victims of identity theft in the past 5 years. Following our tips can help protect you against identity thief's but it's impossible to prevent sometimes. For example, lets say your favorite clothing store just had their credit card database compromised, your identity was stolen and you didn't do anything wrong.
The only way to stop Identity Theft is to pay for it. Companies like LifeLock and TrustedID has software that monitors your credit report, social security number, and full personal history to make sure nobody can steal your identity. These companies also come with a $1,000,000 insurance guarantee in the event that you suffer a financial loss due to identity theft.
TIP 10: Set Safety Guidelines for your Family
It's important to talk with your kids and family members to set important guidelines when it comes to computers use. Give them general rules to abide by that will cause them to think twice in the event that they need to make an important decision. The two most important would be never to engage in any sexual related conversations with strangers, never share or post something on a social network that you don't want the whole world to see, and never under any circumstances meet someone that you met online.
