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Computer Support For Individuals And Small Business |
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11/1/13 |
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Everyone Is After My Data - How Do I Protect It?? |
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With the recent revelations about NSA data collection, on top of all the other concerns, many people are wondering how to protect their data and privacy. It’s well known hackers are continually after our information.
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Now we find out our own government is collecting massive amounts of data on just about everyone on the planet, including U.S. citizens and residents. Even though there has been a great deal of publicity about the NSA data collection, it is a safe bet other governments are doing something similar. |
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Though ostensibly for fighting terrorism, it would appear to be only a small step to more nefarious purposes. So, what do we do? |
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For basic computer see Six Keys to Basic Computer Security. But this may not be enough for highly competent, government funded, professional computer sleuths. |
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To a large extent it may not be feasible to totally protect our individual privacy. But consider the following 10 suggestions for discouraging the intrusion of unwelcome hackers, government or otherwise: |
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- Be circumspect when using email. Write every email with the assumption that it will be seen by everyone – your spouse, family, boss, business associates, and all the readers of the New York Times (including the online edition). This is even more important if you are using a free email account (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.).
- Make the same assumption with any social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace. Assume there is no security or privacy protection with these sites. Treat every posting as if it is going directly to the AP news wire.
- The same goes for text messages and tweets.
- Same for Skype and FaceTime sessions, assume the world is listening.
- Never, ever send personal data by unencrypted email (social security number, birthdate, financial, medical, credit/debit card information, etc.). This includes attachments.
- If you must send personal data over the internet, make sure you are using a secure connection (https://, which should be used for online purchases, brokerage transactions, bank transactions, etc.) or strong encryption.
- Limit the amount of unencrypted personal data stored on your computer as much as possible. This includes financial, medical, business, etc.
- Never expect any level of privacy on a corporate computer or network, even if you are using your own device on the network.
- Do not use your business email for transmitting confidential personal information, particularly if the email address is posted on a website.
- Never respond directly to an email requesting personal information or a password. Don’t click on a link in such an email, even if it appears to be from your bank, brokerage, etc. If you think you need to follow up on the information in the email, go directly to what you know is the institution’s website, or call a number you know to be correct (not a number from the email).
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Following these suggestions won’t guarantee privacy and the protection of your data, but they will go a long way toward making it more difficult for hackers to obtain your information. |
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