Security Online

When you start up your computer, you should be asked for a password. If you are not asked for a password, you should go to the control panel, and set one up. This is done under ‘users’ in the control panel. This will keep anyone from getting into your system directly. Identity thieves are not limited to hacking into your system from a remote computer. In many cases, they can just as easily walk into your home, turn your computer on, and find out anything that they want to know.

You may think that the people you know would never do such a thing. But really think about that for a second. Would you hand these same people your credit card? Your check book? You might hand some of those people these things, but not all of them. By not password protecting your system, you are handing them that information without even realizing it. People you don’t even know may enter your home, without your knowledge, turn on your computer, and get all the information that they want. Then, they will leave, without disturbing anything at all. It is a scary thought, but it does happen.

Don’t use a simple password. Use a password that contains capital letters, lower case letters, and numbers. Make sure that the letters and numbers do not pertain to your life in anyway. If possible, it is best to memorize the password, but since the password should be complicated, this may not be possible. In this case, write it down, but make sure you don’t tape it to the bottom of the keyboard – that will make it useless. Don’t keep it inside anything that may get stolen, such as a purse or a wallet, either. Instead, hide it somewhere in your home.