I know a lot of the folks around here are pretty diligent about their computer/internet security, but being that we're part of a multiplayer community, having experienced a security mishap in my office this week, and after reading about the recent Teamviewer issues people are experiencing, I thought I'd throw out a general reminder about personal IT security to the community.
Good security practices include, but are not limited to:
Some of these things may not seem like a big deal, and most of the time they are not, but things don't usually become a big deal until you're negatively affected by them. You could get way crazier about internet security, and some may think these helpful tips are already too much to worry about because no one cares about little ole' you on the internet, but remember; that's exactly what the bad guy is hoping you'll think.
Good security practices include, but are not limited to:
- Being mindful of your passwords - the longer the better (see Storm's post below), change them often, use a combination of letters and numbers - lowercase and caps, use special characters when allowed, and don't make them from personal info such as birthdates or addresses
- Don't use the same usernames and passwords on multiple sites (I know this is a hard one to resist)
- Ensure your firewall is active and set up properly
- If you use an anti-virus software make sure to keep your database up-to-date
- Don't click on a link if it is not from a trusted source
- Treat your IP as a sacred object. It is your identity/location on the internet. Don't give it out to anyone you don't trust.
- Seriously consider and find out everything you can about a program/app before downloading it off of the internet. (This also goes back to the trusted source bullet)
Some of these things may not seem like a big deal, and most of the time they are not, but things don't usually become a big deal until you're negatively affected by them. You could get way crazier about internet security, and some may think these helpful tips are already too much to worry about because no one cares about little ole' you on the internet, but remember; that's exactly what the bad guy is hoping you'll think.
Comment