Edward Vawter, president of QD Information Services, has written an extremely helpful article that appears in the May/June 2015 edition of Online Searcher. This easy-to-read resource provides everything you need to know about how to protect yourself from data breaches. A variety of resource links, statistics, tables, and clear explanations are provided and cover these key topics: history of companies and software involved with data breaches; how hackers figure out your password; software to store passwords; hints for creating secure passwords; best software updates for MAC OS and Windows OS; and steps you can take to protect yourself. Here are steps Ed recommends even if you use a service like LifeLock:
- Use software to store you passwords.
- Use a private email address for logins.
- Always make sure you are using http s for all your web browsing.
- Use the guidelines given in this article for generating passwords.
- Don’t directly answer security questions.
- Keep your credit card information offline. Don’t allow companies to store that information.
- If available, take advantage of login notifications.
- Use two-step authentication whenever possible.