1. Always take passwords seriously:
A recent study conducted by My-Space (a social networking site) states that almost 80% of people on the web use the most obvious passwords. The most common being password1, abc123, myspace1, password. Your passwords are like keys to your safe, so make sure that no one gets to the keys. You can do that by setting passwords that are difficult to guess or crack. Here are a few thumb rules: Avoid passwords that are too short - a minimum of 8 characters is a good idea. Try not to use passwords based on a word in the dictionary.
Combine numbers and characters. Avoid anything that is familiar to you that someone else might know. So don’t use your spouse’s name or favourite rock band.
2. Be wary of emails that ask for your person
al details: The first thing you need to remember about such scams is that most of these scamsters don’t rely on the technology, they rely on you! Agreed that they keep thinking up new ways to con you and technology does help them, but remember that it’s still a con game, which won’t work without your “co-operation”.
3. Check for security stamp on websites:
Almost all websites that require you to divulge your personal/financial data carry a stamp of security on them. Especially websites of banks and financial institutes or the ones that let you buy and sell online, using credit card and such.
You can identify this one by the URL: Check if the URL begins with https: instead of http: and if you see the security symbol locked in your browser. However, this is not totally foolproof, since these days phishers manage to get legitimate-looking certificates too.
But if your browser gives you a warning about a site’s security certificate, make sure to read is read it. If the certificate isn’t valid, shut the page immediately.
4. Use a transaction security program:
There are software that focus on your online security. For instance, Symantec’s Norton Confidential offers to shield against phishing websites and other malicious software. It promises to help users manage login names, passwords, credit card numbers and other information used in online transactions. It warns the user when an online transaction is suspicious or when information such as a password or credit card number is being passed to a suspicious site
