{"id":1238,"date":"2011-08-19T18:37:20","date_gmt":"2011-08-19T22:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geekitdown.com\/blog\/?p=1238"},"modified":"2011-08-19T18:37:20","modified_gmt":"2011-08-19T22:37:20","slug":"online-security-accessing-personal-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geekitdown.com\/?p=1238","title":{"rendered":"Online Security: Accessing Personal Information"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AccessAs we continue our focus on the subject of online security, this time around we look at accessing secure information through the web.\u00a0 In a previous post<\/a> we looked at what the user can’t control, but now the focus turns to what users can control and we start with how information is accessed.
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Accessing the Information<\/h3>\n
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Without a doubt, some websites are more secure than others and it’s something users can’t change.\u00a0 However, accessing the information on those websites is something users can control.<\/p>\n

First<\/strong> and foremost, make sure you know where you’re going.\u00a0 Confirm the web address is correct from a paper statement or other form of direct correspondence.\u00a0 Don’t navigate to websites by clicking links in your email.\u00a0 Email can be spoofed and convincingly real.<\/p>\n

You can use search engines to find your destination, but don’t click a result just because it’s the first one listed.\u00a0 Read the result before clicking it, check the web address that’s displayed underneath each entry heading and when you finally do click, look over the website to make sure it’s what you wanted before entering your login details.\u00a0 When you find the website you want and confirm it’s accurate, bookmark it to make it a favorite.\u00a0 Next time you need to login, you’ll already have the website saved, confirmed and easily accessible.<\/p>\n

Second<\/strong>, login or enter personal information only from a secure location.\u00a0 A secure location is a broad term, but overall it means don’t login from wifi hot spots or cafes.\u00a0 Obviously using cafes and such for browsing is fine, but we recommend against logging into banking or other important websites via public hotspots.\u00a0 Avoid logging in from computers you’re unfamiliar with.\u00a0 An insecure system may not be easily noticeable and if you leave footprints behind, they could be vulnerable on a compromised system in the future.<\/p>\n

Third<\/strong>, use a strong and unique password for every website you access which holds personal, private or financial information.\u00a0 The strongest type of password is one which includes both letters (uppercase & lowercase mixture), numbers and special characters.\u00a0 Many banks in their infinite wisdom don’t allow special characters which is a glaring reflection on the rest of their security, but again that is beyond your control.\u00a0 We recommend passwords with those combinations of at least 12 or more characters in length to maximize security.\u00a0 Additionally, you should change the password with some regularity.\u00a0 A good rule of thumb is once a quarter.<\/p>\n

Passwords are a particularly hot topic and we will revisit passwords in a future online security article.\u00a0 Users need to know how to create strong passwords, store the passwords and manage login credentials, all of which we’ll be addressing as our series continues.<\/p>\n

Your Thoughts<\/h3>\n
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Comments are always welcome and we do our best to respond to as many as we can, thanks for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we continue our focus on the subject of online security, this time around we look at accessing secure information through the web.\u00a0 In a previous post we looked at what the user can’t control, but now the focus turns to what users can control and we start with how information is accessed.       Accessing the Information Without a doubt, some websites are more secure than others and it’s something users can’t change.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,23],"tags":[84,85,86,88,283,284,358,359,3577,4273],"class_list":["post-1238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet","category-web","tag-access-information-securely","tag-access-information-securely-through-the-web","tag-access-online-information-securely","tag-accessing-personal-information-online","tag-are-internet-cafes-safe","tag-are-wifi-spots-safe","tag-be-secure-online","tag-be-secure-online-series","tag-online-security-2","tag-securely-accessing-online-information"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t