Techniques and Tips for. Everyday Uses of Excel. Oakton Community College For example, when “January” is entered, it will repeat rather than increment. …
|{INSERT Organization}
Monthly Cyber Security Tips
NEWSLETTER | |
|September 2008 |Volume 3, Issue 9 |
|Personal Privacy “ How to Protect Your Information |
|From the Desk of {INSERT Name} |
| |
|As we continue to conduct more business online, such as banking, |
|shopping and other activities, our personal information such as |
|name, credit card account, address, etc is increasingly utilized|
|Personal information has become a frequent target for data thieves|
|and the volume of breaches involving personal information |
|continues to grow According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse,|
|there have been more than 240 million records containing sensitive|
|personal information involved in security breaches to-date |
|nationally |
| |
|What Personal Information is Collected? |
|Many types of organizations are interested in obtaining and using |
|your personal information, and its
important to know what |
|information is being collected, by whom and how it will be used |
| |
|Websites track web users as they navigate cyberspace Data may be |
|collected about you as a result of many of your routine activities|
|including: |
|When you make purchases and pay bills with credit cards, you leave|
|a data trail consisting of purchase amount, purchase type, date, |
|and time |
|When you pay by check, data such as phone number, home address, |
|drivers license number, etc may often be requested to verify |
|your identity |
|When you use supermarket discount cards, the store is able to |
|create a comprehensive database of everything you have purchased |
|When you surf the web, you leave a significant data trail such as |
|your name, email address, Internet address of your computer, the |
|name of your computer, the last time you visited that particular |
|site, the type of browser and operating system you are using
|
|When you sign up for a subscription or service for a magazine, |
|book or music club, professional association, warranty card, etc|
|or give money to charities your personal information is often |
|collected and stored |
| |
|Protecting Your Personal Information |
|The following tips should be used to help you manage your personal|
|information wisely, to help minimize its misuse, and to lessen the|
|risk of your personal information being compromised: |
| |
|Most legitimate websites include a privacy statement This is |
|usually a link at the bottom of the home page and details the type|
|of personally identifiable information the site collects about its|
|visitors, how the information is used”including with whom it may |
|be shared” and how users can control the information that is |
|gathered Be sure to read the privacy statement on websites you |
|are visiting prior to providing any personal information, to |
|understand that entitys policy
regarding protection of data |
|When shopping online, guard the security of your transactions by |
|ensuring the transaction is submitted securely When submitting |
|your purchase information, look for the lock icon on the |
|browsers status bar to be sure your information is secure during |
|transmission |
|Periodically check your Internet browser settings eg Security |
|and Privacy to ensure that the settings are adequate for your |
|level and type of Internet activity |
|If you are not already using anti-spyware or adware protection |
|software, start now This software is designed to protect against|
|spyware or malware designed to extract private information from |
|your computer without your knowledge Make sure you keep the |
|anti-spyware or adware protection programs updated |
|Be sure to have a firewall installed and enabled on your computer|
| |
|If you store private data on your laptop or other portable |
|electronic devices eg USB, use encryption software to protect |
|your
private data in the event the device is lost or stolen |
|Use strong passwords on all your accounts, such as a minimum of |
|eight characters and a mix of special symbols, letters and |
|numbers |
|To protect against identity theft, always question someone who is |
|asking you to reveal any personably identifiable information Find|
|out how it will be used and whether it will be shared with others|
| |
|Keep items with personal information in a safe place When you |
|discard receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, |
|health records, bank statements, or other personal documents, tear|
|or shred them |
|Order a copy of your free annual credit report Make sure its |
|accurate and includes only those activities youve authorized |
| |
| |
|References |
|To learn more about protecting your
privacy, you may wish to visit|
|the following sites: |
|Identity Theft: wwwftcgov/bcp/menus/consumer/data/idtshtm |
|Consumer Action: wwwconsumer-actionorg |
|Electronic Privacy Information Center: wwwepicorg |
|Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: wwwprivacyrightsorg |
|World Privacy Forum: wwwworldprivacyforumorg |
|Free Annual Credit Report: wwwannualcreditreportcom |
|US-CERT Tips for Strong Passwords: |
|wwwuscertgov/cas/tips/ST04-002html |
| |
| |
|Resources |
|For previous issues of the Monthly Cyber Security Tips Newsletters|
|visit: |
|wwwmsisacorg/awareness/news/ |
| |
|The information provided in the Monthly Security Tips Newsletters |
|is intended
to increase the security awareness of an |
|organizations end users and to help them behave in a more secure |
|manner within their work environment While some of the tips may |
|relate to maintaining a home computer, the increased awareness is |
|intended to help improve the organizations overall cyber security|
|posture |
| |
|Organizations have permission–and in fact are encouraged–to |
|brand and redistribute this newsletter in whole for educational, |
|non-commercial purposes |
|Brought to you by: |
| |
|http://wwwmsisacorg |
Source:hiqantennas.com
