To Be Secure Online

Personal security, or the secure management personal records, finances, and other individual effects has been more and more transferred over to computerized databases that are recently housed on the World Wide Web. With all this information within the reach of some kind of online server to access, the question of how safe digital storage is arises. Storing files on the much vaunted "almighty cloud" is merely sympathetic spin for "your data is on somebody else's server." What exactly is secure about your information being on somebody else's computer system anyway? How can the individual take better control over their online data in this environment?

The first step towards securing data is placing tight controls over releasing it in the first place. Ensure that you never give up information to phishing e-mails, or other correspondence that casually ask you to divulge an account number, social security number, password, or other critical data. You may have to think hard about the pros and cons of including a detailed profile of yourself on a social networking website. An extensive individual profile may be used to help track and spy on your activities, by parties that they pretend to be your friend by contacting you through those same social communities.

For that matter, if you do take the plunge with Facebook or Twitter, be careful about what you post on such sites, where everybody's listening. Many celebrities have already experienced the awkward embarrassment of discovering what they thought were cute but un-PC "personal" postings to friends and followers get treated like a de facto public communication. An urban legend already exists about a family that posted the details of their cookout in the park event on a social media site, only to find their home robbed when they returned to it, since the crooks had read up online as to exactly when they would be out!

A third precaution to take is to install a well-regarded security program onto your PC. Much of the malware online is designed not to harm computer files, but to raid them, and extract personal data for either marketing, surveillance, or at worst, theft or identity fraud purposes. Some such software plants persistent cookies on your computer to track your browsing history, or key voters that record each keystroke you make, then send the info and reassemble what you've typed at a remote location. A variation on this are programs that actually remotely take over your system and create unauthorized remote access to the PC.

For these reasons it's important to keep your PC's security software updated, as well as install a good firewall and registry protection program, to prevent a silent digital takeover of your desktop. I most security suite software will cover all these areas, plus send regular updates to prevent new viruses or spyware from escaping detection. On top of all this, take the extra step of establishing restore points for your PC beforehand, to more easily correct a problem if it does become infected, and also regularly backing up your most critical files.

In the interest of still further securing your computing online, two additional safety measures involve opting to encrypt your files, and to attach custom security protocols in order for someone else to access info you sent and received. Using passwords or security questions and answers are the extra layer that controls the number of people who could unlock your transmission, cutting down on the theft of proprietary information (which could be most crucial who perform much work at a home or mobile PC or before transferring the data to the office).

Finally, when setting up a security firewall or password system, take care to select terms that are not so obvious as to be figured out by almost anyone. Sadly, common passwords are the weakest link in the security of most online users, who lazily pick terms such as their last name, "1234" or similar easy to guess passwords and pin numbers. Also remember to log out thoroughly of a computer system when you are finished using it, otherwise a second party can then easily take over from where you left off, and access everything even with all your security software is running.

In case of keeping a child secure online, both parents and many Internet platforms have become more vigilant about providing of keeping their young or teenaged children secure and safe while using Internet. This is become especially important since the arrival of smart phones and other mobile devices that also provide easy online access. At a time when more and more appealing Internet portals are available to attract young people to the web, from social media to chat rooms to texting and more, more avenues exist for them to be exposed to child predators, cyber bullies, phishing scams, and invasions of privacy.

If the actual online behavior in question is benign, one silent danger of the Internet is the time wasting aspect. If the child or teen is spending way too much of their day online, the parent should discuss ground rules for how much of their life will be spent on the PC or mobile. Encourage the child to agree with you has to how many total hours of online gameplay, browsing or messaging is appropriate, and hold them to that schedule. Keeping a child secure online in this manner can be as simple as training them to restrict their time spent in front of the screen to a sensible amount.