Tag Archives: safe
Safeguard Your Identity: Bank Online with a Sense of Security
With the eco-chic move to a paperless society, and the convenience factor of receiving bills and paying bills online, millions of people are banking online these days. When you see headlines such as “University of Florida Breach Exposes Nearly 100,000” or “Missing Arkansas Background Records Raise Concerns,” you start to wonder how safe online transactions really are. It seems that an advanced society like ours has a lock-down on our personal banking information. Our bank websites have the little lock icons that ensure encryption and security, right?
The security factor seems high until you realize that almost 10 million Americans were victims of identity fraud in 2008, which is over a 20 percent increase since 2007. With over 2 million personal data records breached since 2005, millions have been exposed to the ill effects that being a victim of identity theft can quickly have. And just like you use the Internet for convenience, thieves are conveniently using it to access your bank accounts, steal you identity, and steal your money
7 Steps to Being a Smart & Safe Online Banker
Take these seven steps when banking online for added security. While nothing is 100 percent effective in keeping the identity thieves at bay, there are ways to drastically reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
1. Create strong passwords. The entire preface of a password is to protect your information, but there are ways to create more effective passwords. First, use a combination of capital and lowercase letters. Second, create passwords that are at least eight characters long.
2. Use unique passwords. Most people have the habit of creating one or two passwords and then using those passwords for everything. The problem with this is that once a thief figures out your password, they can use it to gain access to one account after anothergaining more and more personal information on you, making you more and more vulnerable. Make sure that you use unique passwords for your banking information.
3. Sign off. Its easy to get distracted and walk away from your computer with your bank account still open online. Some banks automatically log you off if your activity goes dormant, but you can help keep your information safe and secure by logging off of your account when youre doneeach and every time.
4. Look for the safety lock. Always make sure you are working on a secure connection. Look for the little safety lock icon in your browser that indicates your connection is safe and secure (SSL).
5. Type the bank web address. Always make sure youre really on your banking site by typing the address into your browser rather than clicking on links from emails. Many thieves create phishing sites to look like your banks website, but its really a ruse to gain your logon and password information.
6. Dont save your passwords. Many websites and even programs on your computer give you the option of saving or “remembering” your passwords. Opt to type in your password instead. This keeps the wrong someone from gaining access to your accounts. Dont give them the information they need!
7. Dont go public. Never access your accounts from public computers or computers shared by someone else. This can expose private information and put it at the fingertips of thieves.
Banking online is quick, easy, and convenient. It allows you to take control of your personal finances with a few clicks of your mouse. It can also make you vulnerable to identity thieves, which can take a toll on your financesdraining your bank account and exposing your personal information. Practice safe and secure banking by following these seven steps. Itll keep the convenience of online banking in your life and the inconvenience of being a victim of identity theft out of your life.
About:
Identity Finder, LLC was founded in 2001 by innovative security experts. The company has quickly grown to become a leader in identity theft prevention by helping millions of consumers, small businesses, and enterprises in over fifty countries.
Identify Finder searches and secures personal information. Using proprietary AnyFind technology, Identity Finder intelligently locates social security numbers, credit card numbers, passwords, and other sensitive data inside documents, spreadsheets, e-mails, web browsers, and other system areas. Beyond identification, our technology helps securely shred or encrypt information. Install Identity Finder today to stay steps ahead of the criminals.
To learn more or download a free edition, go to
5 Professional Virus Removal Techniques
Virus removal can be tricky for the average computer owner. This is because, depending on the virus you catch, sometimes functions and applications that can be run are limited. In some instances the virus is so bad that the Ctrl + Alt + Delete function cant even be done. Professionals use several different, more complex techniques for virus removal on your desktop or laptop. These techniques are above the level of running anti-virus software and clicking a few different buttons to get the job done and are the biggest reasons people turn to professionals when those simple techniques just dont cut it.
Reconnecting Hard Drive
One technique professionals use is to disconnect the hard drive from the infected computer and reconnect it to a computer that has the latest anti-virus software installed on it. This is good for the computer that has been infected and not protected by anti-virus software. The hard drive is cleaned up by the clean computer. All too often, computers come to professionals that have caught a virus and have absolutely no protection whatsoever by anti-virus software, making it necessary to completely disconnect an infected hard drive and reconnecting it to one that is protected.
Safe Mode
Booting the computer into safe mode will, with some viruses, give the specialist a little bit more wiggle room to get in there and remove the virus themselves without having to resort to more drastic options like disconnecting the hard drive. In safe mode, milder viruses are kept at bay until the worker can maneuver and clear away the virus. Safe mode can also keep your computer safe from additional viruses until the first ones can be taken care of.
Reinstall Hard Drive
Sometimes with medium-toughness viruses, reinstalling the hard drive can give the computer a chance to kind of regroup and fight harder to allow the professional to manually remove viruses from it. Reinstalling the hard drive is one of those “drastic measures” listed above, because its much more difficult than running anti-virus software like with smaller virus pests.
System Restore
In cases where the virus hasnt completely limited the amount of options we can use to remove viruses, a system restore can be achieved. System restores can completely wipe out the hard drive, causing you to lose everything, or they can restore your computer to a date previous to when the problems started, back to a time when the virus wasnt there. System restores can be very effective, but professionals are best to carry them out to prevent any more data loss than necessary.
Advanced Anti-Virus
Anti-virus software that you buy in a store and install on your computer is often quite simple and works best for simple, less complex viruses. Hard-hitting, debilitating viruses, however, sometimes require more advanced and complex anti-virus software. Software like this is most often used by professionals and allows them to get a more firm hold on the virus (especially those tough ones) an eliminate them more thoroughly.
5 Professional Virus Removal Techniques
Virus removal can be tricky for the average computer owner. This is because, depending on the virus you catch, sometimes functions and applications that can be run are limited. In some instances the virus is so bad that the Ctrl + Alt + Delete function cant even be done. Professionals use several different, more complex techniques for virus removal on your desktop or laptop. These techniques are above the level of running anti-virus software and clicking a few different buttons to get the job done and are the biggest reasons people turn to professionals when those simple techniques just dont cut it.
Reconnecting Hard Drive
One technique professionals use is to disconnect the hard drive from the infected computer and reconnect it to a computer that has the latest anti-virus software installed on it. This is good for the computer that has been infected and not protected by anti-virus software. The hard drive is cleaned up by the clean computer. All too often, computers come to professionals that have caught a virus and have absolutely no protection whatsoever by anti-virus software, making it necessary to completely disconnect an infected hard drive and reconnecting it to one that is protected.
Safe Mode
Booting the computer into safe mode will, with some viruses, give the specialist a little bit more wiggle room to get in there and remove the virus themselves without having to resort to more drastic options like disconnecting the hard drive. In safe mode, milder viruses are kept at bay until the worker can maneuver and clear away the virus. Safe mode can also keep your computer safe from additional viruses until the first ones can be taken care of.
Reinstall Hard Drive
Sometimes with medium-toughness viruses, reinstalling the hard drive can give the computer a chance to kind of regroup and fight harder to allow the professional to manually remove viruses from it. Reinstalling the hard drive is one of those “drastic measures” listed above, because its much more difficult than running anti-virus software like with smaller virus pests.
System Restore
In cases where the virus hasnt completely limited the amount of options we can use to remove viruses, a system restore can be achieved. System restores can completely wipe out the hard drive, causing you to lose everything, or they can restore your computer to a date previous to when the problems started, back to a time when the virus wasnt there. System restores can be very effective, but professionals are best to carry them out to prevent any more data loss than necessary.
Advanced Anti-Virus
Anti-virus software that you buy in a store and install on your computer is often quite simple and works best for simple, less complex viruses. Hard-hitting, debilitating viruses, however, sometimes require more advanced and complex anti-virus software. Software like this is most often used by professionals and allows them to get a more firm hold on the virus (especially those tough ones) an eliminate them more thoroughly.