Protect your identity with this few simple tips. Don't make yourself a victim to the bad guy! Keep your nose clean and out of jail because he doesn't care what happens to you.
Beware! There are threats lurking all around you not just to your identity but your very livelihood are at stake! Did you know that according to the Ponemon Institute, a monitor of privacy and security issues, 10,000 laptop computers are stolen from airports every WEEK? Can you imagine what crucial data is being accessed by criminals around the nation? Your credit card info, pictures, information and anything about you is very likely to be compromised if you travel by air. This doesn’t even include cell phones, cameras, Ipods or any other digital media device that contains information about you.
Let’s face it. We do not live in a safe world so what can you do to protect yourself? It boils down to some very common and not so common sense. So what can you do to help protect your data and potentially your identity? Did you know, according to current trends, one in twenty people will become an identity theft victim this year? Wow! 11 million Americans had their identity stolen in 2009. While due vigilance will keep you safe for the most part, you can still increase your chances of not being a victim. How? I thought you’d never ask!
1 - Passwords! Make them hard to guess!
If someone does manage to get your computer, make it hard for them. Make sure your password is an alpha numeric (numbers and letters) combined with special characters. The recommendation is at least 10 to 12 characters to ensure a good strong password. Also, try to use a different password for each site if at all possible. If you can’t or don’t want to forget it, then PLEASE do not write down the password on or near your laptop or computer. This just makes it easy for the bad guy. Plus you don’t want your kids getting into your stuff!
2 – Create a back up admin account!
I know it is very tempting to have the username on your computer as an administrator but let’s make it harder for the bad guy. In addition to disabling the default admin account on your computer, assuming it is windows XP or higher if it has not already been done so, create an alternate admin account for installing software on your computer. Also, make sure your account is NOT an administrator.. The administrator can do anything to the computer, like delete crucial files, delete accounts, reset other user passwords, install malicious software, viruses and the list goes on. So avoid this by making another admin account which is not named admin or administrator (easy to guess and the first thing bad guys want to try to break into). Okay, it might be a pain if you are running Vista or higher with that annoying User Access Control banner but it’s worth it because it will keep your computer safer.
3 – Encrypt your files!
Why encrypt? It makes sure only you, the owner/creator has access to the files. If you need to, you can give permissions for other users to access it but it provides another layer of protection between you and the bad guys. There are a few encryption options available out there. BitLocker is included in Vista Ultimate and Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate and allows you to encrypt your entire hard drive with a pin number or a usb thumb drive. Having used it before, it definitely works and is pretty easy to set up. You can also use True Crypt, a free open source program which has fairly good reviews. There are paid solutions out there to encrypt your files and you might have to do your research depending on what you need.
4 – Delete your internet history and cookies.
A good practice that should be done regularly to ensure your privacy. To the untrained individual, it would be hard to recover your browsing history but depending on how determined the bad guy is, they can still recover your browsing history, credit card numbers and other personal information. This is an important thing to do regularly, but I would highly suggest something like Evidence Eliminator to do the job on this one. Having used Evidence Eliminator before, I know that it will permanently remove any personal information or browsing history that could be used against you. Like I said, if a bad guy really wants your credit card numbers, he could use something like Encase to recover data files you “thought” you deleted. Evidence Eliminator will eliminate this data beyond recovery as well as other data that could be used to identify you and what you do. I highly suggest looking into this program here
5 – Secure your Wireless Router!
Time and time again I find a lot of open, unsecured Wireless Access Points that are connected right to the internet. If you had any idea what a bad guy could do with this, you would think twice about leaving yours unsecured. Not only could a bad guy get free internet on your dime, he could download illegal software using your connection and have the cops knocking on YOUR door while the bad guy gets away with it! I highly suggest using WPA (Wifi Protected Access) or WPA2 if available to encrypt your traffic. Use TKIP and AES as your encryption method if available. Your Pass Key preferably needs to be numbers, letters and special characters. The harder the password, the harder it is for the bad guy to hijack your internet and steal data off your network. Trust me, you don’t want someone to get onto your network, employ a packet sniffer and steal your personal information, credit card numbers, social security numbers or other sensitive information. If you don’t know if your wireless network is secured, ask a technically inclined coworker or friend you trust to help you out. This is very important!
There are other things you can do to minimize your personal data getting compromised and I will probably cover these in another article so stay tuned if you want to protect yourself! These tips are a great place to start. If someone really wants to steal your laptop or computer, you can at least protect your valuable data from being recovered. I definitely recommend checking out Evidence Eliminator if you don’t want someone to know where you’ve been going. Check it out here!
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