Here are 7 tips you should take to heart for the security of your computer and the data it contains.

1. Always make backups of your documents and other important information stored on your computer. There is always the chance that malware can damage your operating system beyond repair. Take heed. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

2. Keep your Windows operating system updated with the latest security patches from Microsoft. Windows is the most popular operating system on the planet, and consequently it is the favorite target of hackers. Also locate and install patches for your Office programs.

3. Install a software or hardware computer firewall. There are no excuses for neglecting this one. If you are using Windows XP it’s built in. Go to the Security Center and make sure it’s enabled. If you do not have a firewall, viruses, worms, trojans, malware and adware can all easily enter your computer via the Internet.

4. Install an antivirus program and use it! Your computer is under a constant threat while online. Make sure you have the automatic update feature enabled, and schedule it to update virus definitions on a daily basis. You can also schedule scans with most antivirus software. I have mine set to scan every night.

5. Turn off your computer and disconnect it from the internet if you are not using it. Hackers can’t attack your computer if it’s off line.

6. Refrain from opening e-mail attachments. Don’t do it even if you recognize the sender. I use the delete button judiciously.

7. Don’t run programs from unknown origins. Be especially careful with P2P sites, shareware software, and freeware applications.

Follow these tips and your computer will run longer and have fewer problems.

Like many other social networks, Facebook also contains tons of fake profiles unfortunately. Those fake profile holders use Social Engineering tactics to attack innocent people. Facebook has almost 500 Million Users and it is not surprising to have few thousands fake profiles. Below I have mentioned some funny but true tips to check whether a profile is fake or not.

1. Profile Picture. Always be suspicious of profiles featuring photos of professional models. Most of the fake profiles, especially that of females, have only one profile picture and that too a beautiful or sexy (ahem) picture!

2. Many Males. Their friends list will contain males mostly (Well, that’s not their fault, gender issue  ). It could be around 1000s or even more than that.

3. When Did They Joined? Check when she/he joined. If they have lots of friends and have only been on the Facebook a short amount of time, it’s likely to be a fake one.

4. Tag Me! He/she would be tagged in tons of cartoon pictures than his/her own picture.

5. Apps Requests. If he/she is in your friend list, then you will get lotta application or like requests from them. I got many requests like that, some include “Can you send me a chicken?”, “Can you send a buffalo?”.. LOL.

6. Facebook Albums. Most of the fake profiles photos are open to everyone. Well, not a promising tip, but worth it. It may contain lot of pictures but they would not have tags indicating other profiles. They may also contain really tiny photos.

7. Full Filled Profile. If a profile is lengthy and detailed, then you can be sure that it is a real person. Fake Profile creators won’t have time to create long and interesting profiles.

8. Favorite Pages. Most of the fake profiles have less than 20 pages, well almost.

9. Description. Most of the fake profiles have descriptions like “Accept My Farmville Request”, “Add Me In Mafia Wars”, and many more.

10. For Boys : Girls don’t send friend requests to strangers, I mean good girls!  So if, by chance, you get a friend request from girls, don’t confirm it without verifying the details. If you are not a handsome looking guy and you got a friend request from a hot babe. Then you really need to triple check!

11. For Girls : Who said? I support boys too! But some boys usually send friend requests to girls. So it is better to confirm with others and verify. If you are not a hot babe and you got a friend request from a handsome looking guy. Then you should also really need to triple check!

12. Status Updates. Most probably fake profile’s status updates won’t get comments or likes. They may also share fake websites (Phishing attack). (Survey)

13. Celeb Request. If you are added by a celebrity!  Unless you are a celebrity please don’t add!  If they are claiming to be a model or actress or anything like that, then they will surely have professional pictures on their album.

14. Add Feeds. Fake profile’s feeds will contain only friend request adds.

I didn’t say don’t accept any strange friend requests. Trust, but verify!

So if you encounter any fake profiles, I mean if you really encounter, then you can report it to Facebook.

Did you encounter any fake profiles? Please share your experience, and at the same time, share and tweet!

Teen identity theft becomes a growing problem! Although many adults have been victims of identity theft and many more are concerned about this kind of crime, this new wave of identity theft focuses on teenagers and even preteens.

In fact, one study reports that the age group most affected with teen identity theft is between 10 and 16. And this presents a difficult challenge for young people. Because sadly, young victims like teens often do not know how to protect themselves. And before they can even get a good start in life, they already have a big problem on their hands.

It may surprise you to know that some parents or step parents are using their own children’s identities. They are usually parents that are in a bind and they may think they can just use their child’s identity to get out of the situation. But like with everything thing else, once they get started the abuse continues. Teen identity theft is especially sad since the victim is totally unaware of this for years and since the person is someone they should be able to trust the most is the predator. Of course, in most cases, the parent does not mean to harm their child and probably does not think of it as committing teen identity theft. They may think they are just borrowing their child’s name until they are clear of the problem they are having with their finances. The teen may not find out about this until some years later when applying for a student loan, for example.

But there are also other dangers for teens to become victims of identity theft. Places like My Space, for example, where kids give out information about themselves that may be just the right kind of information that can be used by a person who is committing teen identity theft.

Responsible parents who know of this growing problem can help other teens to protect themselves from being victims of teen identity theft. Here are some points a parent needs to discuss with their child:

1. Do not give any personal information like birth date and social security to anyone over the phone or on the internet, unless you are dealing with a reputable company

2. If you are applying for a student loan, for example, check your credit history first by contacting a credit bureau or your bank for more information.

3. When going to college or any other school, ask them not to use your social security number as your ID number.

You also want to tell your child the consequences of a stolen identity. Keeping in mind that your teen is just getting to know about life and serious consequences of wrong behavior. A young person has not had the experiences in life that you have had, so you want to help them to keep from being a victim of teen identity theft.

For children who have been victims of teen identity theft because of their own parents have the option to report the incident. A parent who has committed this kind of crime against their own child should take care of this in a responsible manner and have the account removed from their child’s name so that the teen can start his or her life in the right direction.

When traveling, the main point is to keep your laptop in sight and it is not at all wise to leave it unattended. Try not to leave your laptop in a motor vehicle; it should be covered when placed in the trunk. Some companies provide a fully bonded security box with high-density safety cables to maximize security when the laptop out of the usual protected surroundings, such as while traveling in a vehicle. Don’t ever forget and leave a conference room without your laptop; it should be taken along or it may not be there when you return. Locking your laptop is the best way if you leave it in your office or workplace out of hours. Top security systems can be used to lock laptops securely away.

Therefore, the security of a laptop is a matter of great concern for those with large IT assets and people who are constantly traveling. Laptops represent a nearly impossible temptation for thieves, in the workplace, at the coffee shop, or on campus. They’re small, portable, usually of high value, and next to impossible to trace.

Current estimates say that a laptop is stolen about once every minute in this country, or half a million of them per year, and 97% of them are never recovered. Even more frustrating than losing the hardware is losing any data that’s on them – particularly if it’s a corporate laptop, where the files may be more valuable than the hardware!

Even if it’s not a corporate laptop, it may have your passwords for web sites, financial sites like PayPal or eBay embedded in it, or your bank. This can let a laptop thief make utter hash of your accounts in minutes with virtually no way to trace it back.

Holding on to your laptop is critically important and there are some simple, common sense guidelines to help you do this.

- Don’t advertise. Carry your laptop in something that carries other things as well. Obvious laptop bags are tempting targets on campus and in airports.

- Keep your eyes on it. Don’t let it out of your sight. If that means you wait to go to the bathroom until after you’ve put it in the car, you do that.

- Deterrence counts. Use a visible lock and cable to latch a laptop down to the table or chair you’re at – you don’t need to make this fool proof, but you do need to make it look hard to steal.

- When you’re computing in a public place, use passwords, use encryption, and read all the network availability lists carefully. One particularly ruthless trick is to impersonate the WiFi network of a public place, generally by changing the letter “l” to the number “1? in the name, and hope someone connects to them thinking they’re connecting to the real network, and using a keystroke logger.

- Don’t be afraid to encrypt important data. You can even set these things up so that someone who has your laptop needs to have your thumb drive to read the data on the hard drive.

- Look at all security options – marking your laptop with UV markings, including your name and phone number means that if it’s recovered, it may be returned. You can also buy software called LoJack for Laptops that will secretly report it as stolen after you’ve notified the company, and is hooked up on the internet.

- If you’re doing corporate laptop management, have policies in place – laptops will get stolen. Look into remote data destruction; in conjunction with a unique ID, to remove sensitive data from laptops that are stolen. Likewise, back up everything on a laptop – nothing should ever exist on a laptop that’s company critical that doesn’t have a backup on your servers.

So take care. Guard your laptop and keep your information safe.

So stay alert! Beware!

Is online banking safe?

To those who fear being ripped off by cyber-thieves, the answer is a resounding “no.” There are criminals lurking online just waiting for an opportunity to steal your banking information, they will tell you. Yes, it’s true, there are cyber thieves waiting to retrieve your information. Just as there are thieves waiting to steal your mail and retrieve your vital information, or thieves waiting to steal your credit cards and rip you off.

But, if you fear doing your banking online there is one thing you need to know. Online banking can actually HELP keep you safer, IF you follow simple safety tips.

How can online banking help keep you safer? By allowing you to monitor your account between statements. How many times have you received your statement only to find something was amiss? Perhaps you find a check you remember writing, only it’s for an amount greater than what you wrote it for. Or you find ATM purchases and withdrawals you didn’t make. If you’re able to spot problems quicker, you’re able to avert a disaster down the line.

Online banking can be safe if you follow certain safety rules:

Be very careful when choosing passwords for online accounts

Use some common sense. Don’t choose your birthdate. Don’t choose pets’ names if you carry those names around with you in your purse or wallet, or if those around you are familiar with your pets’ names. Thieves are smart enough to try birthdates and pet names. Use strong passwords – that means a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers that can’t be easily guessed. Some experts suggest long words, or two long words broken up with symbols or numbers.

Do not share your passwords with anyone

Well, that certainly seems simple enough. However, are you inadvertently sharing your password with strangers? Do you have passwords written down in your purse or wallet that could fall into the wrong hands if lost or stolen? And, remember, it’s not just strangers you have to worry about. According to one survey done by www.idtheftcenter.org the victim respondents indicated that 43% of them thought they knew the thief; 28% said the thief had done this to other family members as well.

Don’t have a file on your computer with your passwords

Again, a computer, particularly a laptop, can be stolen, along with all your sensitive passwords. And, if you ever get rid of your old computer make sure you take out the hard drive and destroy it, along with all sensitive data.

Use different passwords for different accounts

If you only use one username and password for all accounts and that information is compromised for one account, it’s then compromised for all accounts.

Don’t respond to emails asking for personal information

No matter how official the email looks, don’t give out your personal information. If you receive an email saying your account is going to be suspended, call the bank yourself, with a phone number from your bank statements, not a phone number provided in the email. And, never click on a link in such an email.

Don’t give personal information in unsolicited phone calls

If you receive a phone call purporting to be from your bank and they ask for personal information, don’t give it to them. Again, call your bank with a phone number from your own bank statements and see if the phone call is legitimate.

When using an ATM, don’t allow anyone to see you keying in your code

So you look a little paranoid when you cover the keypad with your body or hand. It’s your money and information you’re protecting.

Pick up your mail as soon as possible

Don’t let your mail sit in your box overnight. There may be a banking statement just waiting for a thief. And, if you can, purchase a locking mailbox which will thwart a future thief.

Check your online account regularly

Monitor your account to check for any unusual activity.

Online banking can be a wonderful timesaver. It can allow you to write bills online, transfer money between accounts and avoid long lines at the bank. And, if you follow basic safety rules it can also be a stress-free endeavor.

This will show you how to set up your wireless network security.