Improve Your Online Safety Today

Online safety is only as strong as its weakest link is a statement I see often in articles about the topic. With so much of our lives online today, we need to be vigilant and pro-active about our security online. And we cannot just think because we “took care of that” last year or five years ago, we are safe.

The criminals are more sophisticated and software programs and social media sites have made changes that we may not have accounted for when we took our precautions last year. It is good for us to review our online security from time to time and use common best practices to keep our online lives safe (at least as safe as we can make them).

In my search for 2017 articles to address this topic, I found two that were easy to read and follow:

5 Steps to Boost You Safety Online by Kim Komando written for USA Today in January 2017 and Rules for Computer & Online Safety 2017 by Bruce Berls posted on his own website.

Both writers address passwords:

• Change passwords regularly i.e. once every 12 months
• Use strong passwords
• Use a different password for every site

Kim also recommends unsubscribing to accounts we no longer use or trust. She provides links to help you do that.

The Bruce Berl article addresses online safety for these areas (in brief points):

• Email & Online Security
• Computers
• Phone and Tablets (“Set a PIN code, password, or fingerprint authentication to unlock your phone or tablet.”)
• Antivirus Programs
• Adware
• Passwords
• Phone Scams
• Wire Transfers

Take a few minutes to read these articles and see what you can do to improve you online safety today:

5 Steps to Boost You Safety Online 

Rules for Computer & Online Safety 2017