Storing Your Password on Your Computer

Internet Security- Storing Your Password on Your Computer

One of the most common things that you do might be threatening your internet security. It's a

mistake that nearly everyone is guilty of making. What is it? Storing your password on your

computer.

When you create a new account, or sign into your account, your computer generally asks you

if you would like to have the password saved. It makes more sense to answer “yes” due to the

fact that it makes life a little simpler to not have to re-type your password time and time again.

However, doing this can compromise your security and your personal information.

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side from the fact that if someone comes into your home and gets on your computer, they can

easily have access to your accounts, saving your password also allows hackers easier access

to your accounts as well.

Think about the accounts that you might have saved your password on. Expedia, for example.

Even within Expedia you save your credit card number, billing information, and other pertinent

financial information. In fact, you might have more than one credit card number entered in it.

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nother account that you probably have personal information stored in is Amazon. Again, with

this type of account you store your credit card information. Although Amazon itself is a secure

site, someone with access to your information can use it against you to make purchases, open

new credit cards in your name, and generally ruin your credit.

Your bank account is one of the most important things that you need to protect. With online

banking being very popular these days more and more people are using it instead of traditional

banking. However, is your information gets into the wrong hands then someone can transfer

money from your bank account or even use your information to open an account in your name.

Job search sites can also be a problem. In some cases, you have to enter your social

security number or driver's license number in order for them to run a security check on you.

These are two things that you do not want people to have access to.

If you have trouble remembering your passwords, write them down on a piece of paper and

store them close to your computer, but not in an obvious place. Many people actually create

a file on their computer but then they name it something like “computer passwords” which

isn't very secure at all.

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Internet Security-What Does Your Large Business Require?

Why is internet security important for a large business? There are several reasons.

One of the most important reasons is due to the fact that a breech of internet security can

threaten the very livelihood of the company itself, including vital information such as financial

formation. For that reason, one system should be able to keep track of recording and

monitoring all internet activity across the board when it comes to the business itself.

There are a couple of different ways that you can go about doing this. To begin with, you can

monitor your employees using restricted access and by not allowing access to certain

websites. (A lot of companies block facebook and myspace, for example, much to the chagrin

of the employees).

It is important to do this because many large businesses are threatened by hackers who get

onto the internet and hack into the business's system and threaten secure information. They do

this by either gathering the information to use for various reasons, or by sending out viruses that

can harm the integrity of the system itself. By restricting access and monitoring your employees,

you can help stave off some of these attacks.

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good security protection system within each computer is also recommended. This can be in

the form of a firewall or anti-virus program-preferably both. By installing these, you can try to

ward off some of the most common attacks. Programs that block adware and spyware is also

suggested and should be included as part of a good anti-virus program, too. In addition, it

should be noted that updating your web browser from time to time can be advantageous as

well. (Windows Vista does it for you automatically.)

Some companies have started having internet training sessions for their employees as well.

In these sessions, employees are taught the dangers of opening attachments from people

they don't know, changing their passwords frequently, and staying away from sites that are

not secure.

Ensure that the email system that your employees use has a virus system included as well. A

good system will read and scan the attachments quickly to ensure that there are no viruses

included. Some of them even do this right as the emails come in, making it go a little bit faster.

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astly, make sure that you always back up your important fields and documents and make

certain that your employees know to do this as well. Invest in flash drives for everyone.

Internet Security-Using Social Utility Sites

If you don't have a Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter account then you are among the few. Social

utility sites are some of the most common websites on the Internet today. Children as young as

ten years old can build their own websites and upload music, photographs, and videos on

them. They can be a great way to keep in touch with family and friends, promote your business,

or even meet new people. However, do they threaten your internet security?

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In some cases, they can. They can also threaten your personal security if you don't make

wise decisions about how you use them.

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ike in “real life” you should use caution in your “virtual life.” You wouldn't give someone on the

street a photograph of your child, your phone number, or your address, right? Well, believe it

or not millions of people do that on the internet everyday.

On Facebook, it gives you a place to enter your employment information, your address, your

telephone number, and your work history. If you choose to make your profile public, that means

that anyone who looks at your profile can read all of that.

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acebook also has applications that require you to pay for certain things. (Usually things like

“gifts” that you can send to people on your friend's list.) However, if someone hacks into

your account they can steal your credit card information. This is particularly easy if you store

your password on your computer.

In addition, sometime people hack into social utility sites, use a person's profile, and send out

viruses to the people on their friend's list. When this happens, the victim's friends open the e-

mail thinking that it is from someone that they know, only to be hit with a virus that could crash

their entire system.

To avoid this, make sure that you change your password on a regular basis and that you keep

diligent watch of your activity. If you decide not to use your account anymore, have it deleted.

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lways ask permission before you include a photograph of someone on your site. Many

people do not want their picture posted for various reasons.

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on't add someone if you do not know them. It I very easy to pretend to be something

that you're not when it comes to the internet.

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astly, make your profile private so that only the people on your friend's list can see it. This

will stop unwanted people from lurking on your site