Credit Cards, Student Loans

Are You at Risk for Getting Hacked?

If you want to keep your personal information private and ensure online security, then it is necessary to take some steps to ensure that it stays that way. Otherwise, you are at risk for getting hacked.  There are many hackers and software programs constantly working to collect personal information from your computer – especially your financial information, such as bank account or credit card account information. Here is a review of online security software and techniques to help you maintain computer security on the Internet.

Several steps can be taken to help protect your data from thieves when you are surfing online, and when you shopping on the Internet. Without them, it is just a matter of time before your data is stolen – and possibly your money.

One of the most important things you can do about online security is to invest in a good anti-spyware and anti-virus protection. Because hackers and virus programs are created or altered every day, you need one that automatically receives virus protection updates each day and can perform virus removal. Some of the best paid programs are Norton, Symantic, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, BitDefender, and McAfee. There are also some good ones that are free, and this includes AVG and Avast. These can be downloaded online or purchased at a store that sells computers.

Another important way to protect your computer is to be very careful to enter personal or financial data only on secure websites. Thieves have created many look-alike websites of companies that receive a lot of traffic, just to collect data from unwary people. Unfortunately, it often works. The primary way you can tell whether to not it is the real website is to carefully look to make sure that the web address is spelled correctly. If one letter is not right – it is a phony.

You also need to be very careful about emails and downloads, says KS.gov. An email supposedly from a known source, can have bad links in them to give you a virus – which will then steal your financial data.

Before you enter any financial or personal data on a webpage, make sure that it is secure. A secure webpage uses 40- or 128-bit encryption to code your data. This means you get a lot of protection, especially with the 128-bit encryption, which is thought to be just about unbreakable.

Even with a great anti-virus and anti-spyware program, it is still possible for someone to steal your computer or laptop. Some software programs enable you to encrypt your documents so that they are inaccessible even if stolen. PCMag.com says that several anti-virus programs offer this option, which includes Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2012, Bitdefender Total Security 2012, McAfee Total Protection 2012,  and TrustPort Total Protection 2012. Other specialized programs are designed just to secure your data, and that includes IronKey Personal S200, and Defender F200 + Bio uses fingerprint identification. CSOOnline says that a program like BitLocker offers even more encryption features, such as creating hidden volumes.

Having a good backup of all of your data is also a very good idea. This way, even if your computer gets stolen, lost, or destroyed, you can still access your important data. Many secure websites are available online just for this purpose.

You can lower your risk for getting hacked by protecting your credit card information by using one-time credit card numbers. This feature is only offered by some credit card companies, but it will give you a new number to use online when you are making a purchase. Even if the number is stolen, it will not work a second time, which will also help to protect your credit and is another way to have further online security.

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