ACCOUNT SECURITY QUESTIONS:
Account security questions are a common staple with any account you create; however, the problem
is much like your passwords. You probably use the same answers for your security questions. This
is a bad habit to develop and you need to really think outside of the box. A social engineer can piece
together answers to your security question by monitoring the conversations within your social
network. They will look for postings or commentary on things like; your pet’s name was, when
someone wishes you a happy birthday or anniversary, what your likes and hobbies are, what you like
to eat, the schools you attended, etc. Don’t feel bad, most accounts give the user the same security
questions and for convenience, most every user will provide the same answers. Now a really radical
and outside of the box thinking is to “
Provide Knowingly False Answers”
to your security
questions. For example, if the question is: What is your favorite food? You can answer with “trash
or garbage.” This is probably something that you would never post on your social media account.
VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKING (VPN)
A Virtual Private Network gives you online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network
from a public internet connection. VPNs mask your Internet protocol (IP) address so your online
actions are virtually untraceable. Most important, VPN services establish secure and encrypted
connections to provide greater privacy than even a secured Wi-Fi hotspot. Virtual Private Networks
are often used by corporations to protect sensitive data.
STEALTH OR INCOGNITO MODE
Internet browsers offer private browsing options to avoid being tracked, some of the more privacy
and security conscious people use privacy tools such as the Tor browser to browse incognito;
however, there is no need to go to that extreme, especially if you value good browsing speeds. The
most obvious change you’ll notice after a privacy browsing session is that it doesn’t show up under
the History tab in your browser. But you may also notice less tracking from advertisers. You can use
Google Chrome Incognito, Firefox In-Private Browser, Microsoft Edge In-Private Browser, and
Safari.
DEVICE PROTECTION WHEN TRAVELING
Most people do not think about this when they are traveling. There are many ways that nefarious
actors can steal data from your devices, whether you are in a hotel room, at Starbucks, renting a
vehicle, or just charging your device. Here are a few tips that you can use:
1. Turn off your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
2. Do not connect to the media center in any rental car. Meaning do not link your phone via
Bluetooth to the car radio.
3. Do not connect to any free Wi-Fi or hotspot.
4. If you need to charge your device, use the power outlet. Avoid any USB ports in a car, hotel,
and airport.