Online Security

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theeerin/7606588048/

Amanda L. Goodman, User Experience Librarian

Darien Library, September 2013

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/looking_and_learning/8400360699

Story Time!

Source: http://www.darientimes.com/22805/darien-residents-identity-stolen-to-buy-online-goods

The Bad News

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/5739375222

The Good News

Know the signs of a scam, use strong passwords, and protect your computer from hackers.

Protecting yourself is easy!

Your Online User AccountBe fake!

Ease to do:Moderately easy

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteboard_dave/8462689688/

Create a fake persona for yourself and use its information when creating accounts online.

Your Online User AccountBe fake!

Do not use your real personal dataI.e. not your mom’s maiden name

Create a story for yourselfLove a book character to death? Use their story information for your account

Remember your fake details

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarygoblin/6888540425

Protect yourself:

Scam MessagesDo not click!

Difficulty to spot:Very easy

Shows up on:All social networksInstant messagingText messages

Scammers and spammers want to take your identity and money.

Scam MessagesDo not click!

No photo

No text but just a URLBeware of messages like:~ “You won’t believe what they said about you!”~ “Check out this video of you.”

Nonsense username

Giveaways of a scam:

Scam EmailsDo not click!

Difficulty to spot:Depends

Shows up on:All email providers

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nbr/3705010877

Email scammers prey on gullibility, greed, empathy, and loneliness.

Scam EmailsDo not click!

Unreasonably high salary

Looking for no experience or says you can work from home.

Giveaways of a scam:

Scam EmailsDo not click!

Wants to transfer you moneyFrom a foreign princeA dead family memberSomeone trying to leave a dangerous situation

Language is unusualEnglish grammar is very weak

Urges urgency

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarygoblin/6888540425

Giveaways of a scam:

PhishingDo not click!

Difficulty to spot:Moderately difficult

Shows up on:All social networksEmails

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/djwaldow/4679640891

Phisers want to hack your account and steal your information.

PhishingDo not click!

Claims there’s an issue withyour account

Wants you to click on a link tolog in or reactivate account

Warnings of doom if you do not immediately comply

Giveaways of a scam:

PhishingDo not click!

How to check if real:Hover over the URLSee if it really goes to the exact URL the email claims to be from

Check the email address of the senderBeware of close URLs like gmale instead of gmail

Know who will not send you suchan emailAKA your bank, the IRS, the FBI, etc.

If in doubt, go the website directly and log in

Romance Scam EmailsDo not click!

Source: http://dailym.ai/17zMPKm

Wants you to transfer moneyFor goods, services, plane tickets

Sweet talks you“Love of my life”“No one has made me feel like this before”

Avoids meeting you

Giveaways of a scam:

ScamsProtect yourself!

Source: http://dailym.ai/17zMPKm

Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_scam

5 Common Email Scams1.usa.gov/1fzsdCS

Latest Email Hoaxeswww.hoax-slayer.com

Urban Legendssnopes.com

To learn more:

Email AttachmentsDo not open unless you are expecting an attachment!

Difficulty to spot:Easy

Shows up on:All email providers

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ari-herzog/3346927141

Email hackers send damaging attachments via email to take over your computer.

Email Attachments

Attachment file ends in .exe or .rar

Attachment(s) from a stranger

Do not open unless you are expecting an attachment!

Attachment(s) from a friend but no text in the email body

Giveaways of a scam:

PasswordsKeep ‘em fresh!

Easy level:Very easy

Shows up:Everywhere you go online

**********

Changing your passwords frequently is the best security measure.

PasswordsKeep ‘em fresh!

Source: https://xkcd.com/936

Passwords

Do not leave your password cheat sheet lying around

**********

Protect yourself:Use different passwords for important sitesE.g. bank, email, shopping sites

Keep ‘em fresh!

Keep your password to yourself

Use a password managerE.g. LastPass, Dashlane, KeePass

Two Factor AuthenticationAdd an extra level of protection!

Easy level:Easy after setting up

Shows up:Gmail Facebook PayPalTwitter Dropbox And more

Use a second layer of authentication when accessing your online accounts.

Two Factor AuthenticationAdd an extra level of protection!

Remember how to access your accountsOr you will not be able to log into the siteYou may need your mobile phone if your site uses an app to generate the access code

Enable two factor authenticationYou will need a code, a password, or answer a question to log into a site where you have enabled two factor authentication

More informationhttp://bit.ly/17zkjEy

Protect yourself:

WiFi & Public Computer SafetyBe aware!

Ease to do:Moderately easy

When on public WiFi networks or computers, be careful to not give away your personal information.

WiFi & Public Computer Safety

If on public WiFi, know that someone could be “sniffing” and stealing your dataStudent recommended using Hotspot Shield

Stay off sensitive information sitesE.g. bank, email, shopping sites

Be aware!

Always sign off all sites you log into on a public computer

Protect yourself:

HTTPSUse secure connections!

Easy level:Very easy

Shows up:Many popular, major websites already offer HTTPS security so your data is encrypted.

Encrypt your data as you browse the web.

HTTPSUse secure connections!

Check for HTTPS in the URLIf a site which is handling sensitive data like financial information or Social Security Numbers does not use HTTPS, do not input your information

Download a browser extension that tries to use HTTPS everywhere it is available on the web https://www.eff.org/https-everywhereAvailable for Firefox and Chrome browsers

Protect yourself:

Web BrowserUse a secure browser!

Easy level:Very easy

Keeping your browser up to date is essential for safe online usage.

Web BrowserUse a secure browser!

Choose a better browserMy recommended browsers are Google Chrome and Firefox (my bias)

Add protective features to the browserAdBlock PlusHTTPS EverywhereDisconnect extensionKeep My Opt-OutsDo Not Track

Disable third party cookieshttp://bit.ly/14mVK2Q

Protect yourself:

Read Your Credit ReportIt’s free!

Easy level:Moderately easy

Source: http://www.experian.com/assistance/free-annual-credit-report.html

123-45-6789

Federal law guarantees your access to an online copy of your credit report.

Read Your Credit ReportIt’s free!

Get your free credit reportshttps://www.annualcreditreport.com

123-45-6789Reports are from three major reporting agenciesExperian Equifax TransUnion

Get a single report from a single agency every 4 monthsThis way you can watch your credit report throughout the year

Protect yourself:

Viruses

avast! Free Antivirusavast.com/index

AVG Freefree.avg.com

Paid

Nortonus.norton.com/antivirus

Bitdefender Antivirus Plusbitdeferender.com

Get yourself some anti-virus software.

Free

Other Tips

Follow the news to learn which sites were hackedChange your password immediately on that site

Do not give your password or PIN to your childThey could run up charges by making purchasing on your iPad or iPhone

Pay attention!

Be mindful of others’ privacyFamily and friends may not want their name, photo, or other information posted online

No such thing as a free lunchVisiting pornography or free download sites (i.e. movies, music, etc.) may expose your computer to viruses

Protect yourself:

You are responsible for your online security.

By being aware of what’s happening online and how your data can be compromised, you are now ready to protect yourself!