Strengthen Your Online Security: Don't Just Rely on the Software!

Your anti-virus program is only as good till the next innovative hacker comes along with his sophisticated set of digital weaponry and wreaks havoc on your passwords, social networking site accounts, and possibly even laying bare your credit card number. This definitely does not mean that you banish the security software that is currently protecting your computer or network. But it also does not mean you should let down your guard.

Your Virtual Vanguard
If you are a small business owner, then the following ways to fortify your online identity and especially the ones that relate to your work will certainly appeal to you, because they cost almost nothing and hardly demand any effort from you. Here are some ideas:

• Opt for a two-step authentication for your accounts. Some commonly-used services such as Gmail, Amazon web applications, and Rackspace cloud service offer a two-step authentication process that protects your password, doubly. What it means that after keying in your username and password to use these services, you will also need to enter the verification code that is delivered to your phone when you are connected to the respective network. Google even allows you to download an application that lets you generate the codes without needing to connect.

• Use an SSL or a VPN when you access the Internet via a public WiFi system. If you are a small business owner then it is very likely that you need to carry around your work a lot since you visit other offices or meet business acquaintances over lunches. When you access the Internet and log on to your various accounts using a public WiFi system, make sure that you use only SSL login pages. One step up on the security ladder is a virtual private network (VPN) that protects your data and online accounts by keeping away intruders and hackers from picking up their scent. The charges for basic VPN services are nominal.

• Don?t link your accounts. Or at least not the important ones. This ensures that if one account becomes compromised, the hacker automatically doesn?t gain access to your other accounts. The objective is not to make life easy for a hacker.

• Always use credit cards for shopping online and opt for single-use credit cards. With your debit card details in his hands, a hacker can empty your account in no time at all. On the other hand, with a credit card, you can always contend the charge before you pay the money thereby giving yourself a chance to salvage your account. Another layer of protection is to carry out online transactions with a single-use or a disposable credit card. Banks such as Citibank and Bank of America offer these cards with numbers that are related to your actual credit card number but lock away the number from hackers.

• And lastly, don?t do away with the online security measures that you are already practicing?using unique and complex passwords and changing them often, being creative with the security questions, and encrypting your data.

Staying One Step Ahead
Hackers are intelligent beings and so online security is always going to be an area of concern. But the above tips will definitely help you be one up on them.

Source: http://computerfixexpert.com/2012/08/13/strengthen-your-online-security-don%E2%80%99t-just-rely-on-the-software/

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