Winning Online

 By Ralph Serra

So we all know what a hacker is and what a hacker does, but can you honestly look yourself in the mirror and say that you have done everything possible to protect yourself against them? Until recently I know that I thought I was doing a pretty good job but deep down knew I wasn’t doing everything possible. It turns out that there are even small details that many of us overlook that can make a big difference.

The first thing I want to do is talk passwords. Whether you are going to admit it or not I know there are many of you out there who still use the ole’ birthday or address as your password. Not you? No you’re clever you use a pet’s name, son/daughters name, or even your anniversary; still no good. There are a few things to keep in mind when beginning to revamp your security level. The first tip is that your password should contain both numbers and letters quite simply that makes it even harder to hack. The pass word you chose should have nothing to do with what it is for, for example your eBay pass word should not be “ralphebay1”. Finally do not recycle passwords. Having one password for all accounts means that if a hacker guesses right once you are in trouble on many levels.

I recently read an article that listed the 20 most popular passwords, and I can’t say I was shocked. Below are the top 5. I beg you to please change yours immediately if any of yours are remotely close to these.

1.       123456

2.       12345

3.       123456789

4.       password

5.       iloveyou

The next thing that comes to mind when you think security is virus protection. I would say that the vast majority of people use whatever free software they can download if anything. Quite frankly this is insufficient. Can you really put a price on your privacy or your identity? In my opinion the peace of mind is well worth the few extra dollars you would spend on a quality anti-virus software.

If you want to take it a step further (which I strongly recommend) your next step would be a security assessment from a professional. Have someone who specializes in this come to you and customize a strategy that will keep you safe. One of our highly trained engineers can put together the perfect combination of anti-virus software, anti-malware software, spam filter, and firewall technology.

Ultimately the decision is in your hands. One thing I do want to touch on however is that Google was recently the recipient of a double Trojan virus. This made headlines and was quite a big deal. If it can happen to Google, it can happen to you… unless you consider yourself to be more tech savvy than the folks at Google. Please do not take this topic lightly, take a few minutes change up a few passwords, reach out to a professional and let one of us come up with a strategy that fits your needs.