How to safeguard our personal and financial data?

Nowadays, the internet is a very essential and common utility and communication medium to everyone. You can do many activities through the  internet, like for example, financial transactions such as online banking in order to save time and inputting our personal data into the computer. However, the internet also presents a disadvantage to the users such as when hackers and scammers can easily access your  financial data and personal information without our knowledge nor permission. Therefore, computer users must take safeguards to secure their data on the internet.

HERE ARE SOME SIMPLE SAFEGUARDS

Use security software
Anti –virus softwares such as Kaspersky, AVG and other antivirus programs can help us scan our computer and e-mails to prevent viruses from destroying our data. A firewall program, too,can preven hackers  and viruses from gaining access to your financial data and personal information without our permission. In order to be well protected, you must alway make sure that your virus definitions are up to date. Click here Internet Security - Safeguard Your Personal and Financial Data
.
Use a password and a username
Use a strong password or pass-phrase to protect against hackers who could figure out simple passwords, just by learning our IC number, handphone number, and birth date. A mix of  uppercase and lowercase numbers, letters, and symbols will offer you  more security. Click here Safeguarding your data

Avoid accessing financial information in public
It will prevent hackers from easily  logging on to check your bank balance when one is working from a restaurant that offers wireless access.

Use a credit card with a small limit
Online purchases and mail-orders easily allow a dishonest sales clerk to use your credit card information and thieves won’t be able to rack up many bills before being blocked, if one makes purchases with a low credit limit.

Approach e-mail attachments with care: Hackers and other online criminals might persuade you to share your personal information such as account number, passwords and other sensitive information through e-mail. Click here Why can't we protect our data?

Encryption: The process of encryping a message in such a way that it is expensive, time consuming, and hard for hackers to decrypt it. This process only allows the authorized person with the correct password who can see and use it. For example: the symmetric (private) key system  uses a similar key to encrypt and decrypt the message, whereas the asymmetric (public) key encryption  uses a pair of matched keys to encrypt and decrypt the message. Click here Safeguarding Your Data

Always back up important files and delete cookies: You must always back up your important financial data and personal information in a safe place. Besides that, you must preferably delete cookies after using the computer because these cookies can easily track down the password and username of the owner of the computer. Click here Why can't we protect our data?






Reference(s): 

Silki Garg. (Mar 24, 2009). Internet Security - Safeguard Your Personal and Financial Data. Retrieved Feb 8, 2011 from http://www.artipot.com/articles/312434/internet-security-safeguard-your-personal-and-financial-data.htm

MS-ISAC. (March 2007). Safeguarding your data. Retrieved Feb 8, 2011 from http://www.msisac.org/awareness/news/2007-03.cfm

Steve Schuster. (2006). Why can't we protect our data?. Retrieved Feb 8, 2011 from
http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume41/WhyCantWeProtectOurData/158084

US-CERT. (Feb 16, 2009). Safeguarding your data. Retrieved Feb 8, 2011 from http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST06-008.html