Safety Tips

It’s not possible to emphasise enough the importance of using sensible passwords on your network. Not just on the areas of your network that you don’t want your users to traipse through, but also on the default network shares that are present on installations of commonly used operating systems. The Windows versions Conficker targeted — NT, 2000, XP, and 2003 — are all end of life and no longer receive security updates. The lesson still applies to any machine with open shares today. ...

Treat your passwords with as much care as you treat the information that they protect. Use strong passwords to log on to your computer and to any site where you enter your credit card number, or any financial or personal information — including social networking sites. A password manager (Bitwarden, 1Password, KeePass, or similar) makes it practical to use a unique, strong password for every account. 1. Never provide your password over e-mail Internet “phishing” scams use fraudulent e-mail messages to entice you to reveal your user names and passwords, steal your identity, and more. Learn more about phishing scams. ...

Communicating by using an instant messaging (IM) program has some of the same security and privacy risks as e-mail, but there are a few dangers that are unique to IM. The original 2009 version of this guide was written for desktop IM clients like AIM and MSN Messenger. The same principles apply to modern apps — WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Discord, Slack, and iMessage. 1. Never open files or links from strangers Never open pictures, download files, or click links in messages from people you don’t know. If they come from someone you do know, confirm with the sender that the message (and its attachments) is trustworthy. If it’s not, close the conversation. ...

Social networking Web sites like Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, and Threads are services people can use to connect with others to share information like photos, videos, and personal messages. As the popularity of these social sites grows, so do the risks of using them. Hackers, spammers, virus writers, identity thieves, and other criminals follow the traffic. Read these tips to help protect yourself when you use social networks. ...

Strong passwords are important protections to help you have safer online transactions. The best approach today is a password manager that generates and stores unique passwords for every site, combined with two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever it is offered. Keys to password strength: length and complexity An ideal password is long and has letters, punctuation, symbols, and numbers. Even better: use a passphrase — a sequence of random words that is easy to remember but hard to guess. ...

If you suspect that you’ve responded to a phishing scam with personal or financial information, take these steps to minimize any damage. Step 1: Report the incident Contact the following authorities: Your credit card company, if you have given your credit card information. The sooner an organization knows your account may have been compromised, the easier it will be for them to help protect you. The company that you believe was forged. Remember to contact the organization directly, not through the e-mail message you received. In the United States, report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov and file a fraud report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report the phishing scam to the Anti-Phishing Working Group by forwarding the phishing e-mail message as an attachment to [email protected]. ...