10 Ways to Protect Yourself From Rising Cybercrime

With computer hacking incidents increasing, cybersecurity has become a top concern and among the leading growth areas in technology.

Consumers, companies and even governments have been combatting increasingly brazen and sophisticated cyber attacks. Many of the attacks have involved sabotaging systems and stealing data, including personal identity theft. 

The frequency of such events have fueled demand for the services of cybersecurity leaders, including Cisco Systems and Symantec. These companies are among the most promising tech investments you can make today. ThePureFunds ISE Cyber Security ETF (HACK) , which tracks the industry, has gained 2.43% over the past five days, as increased reports and fears of cyber crime have made the front pages.

 

But the trends have underscored the need for individuals to be more vigilant. Below are 10 ways to guard against becoming one of the millions who fall victim to Internet crime every year.

1. Consider your social media behavior carefully. Scam artists are more adept at using personal information on social media to crack your security codes and gain access to other accounts. Breaches from social media have soared over the past few years.

2. To ensure your social media accounts don't become a goldmine for hackers, limit access to an inner circle of family and friends, never share personal information with people you meet online and don't include birth dates, e-mail addresses, pet names that double as passwords or other details hackers might find useful.

3. Don't use debit cards online. Unauthorized debit card charges are taken directly from your bank account, and even if you report the breach immediately, it could take weeks for pilfered money to be restored. With a credit card you won't be out the cash while challenging the suspicious charge. Both types of cards offer alert functions that e-mail or text you when the account posts a transaction, helping you spot unauthorized activity right away. Visa is a leader in developing credit card protection, which is a major reason the stock is among a class of tech innovators poised to outperform the broader market this year.

4. Beware if you see messages such as: "Warning! Your account has been breached. You must call to verify your account. Send us a text when you're able to receive a call from us."

5. Don't become a victim of "click-jacking." This practice conceals hyperlinks beneath what looks like harmless content, but clicking the links opens a conduit to malware that can invade your computer or transmit your personal information.

6. Don't recklessly use any Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Fi hot spots don't encrypt information sent online, so as a rule they aren't secure. What's more, the tools hackers use make it easy for them to look over your virtual shoulder and discover usernames, passwords, or other information to access financial accounts. A cellular network offers more safety.

7. In e-mails and on the Web, look closely at URLs, even if they contain names of reputable financial institutions you do business with. A common trick is combining the name of a legitimate Web site with a fake one (often in a pattern such as legitimate.fakewebsite.com). These URLs lead to a copycat site-often one that looks legit but that identity thieves control. Or, the address is real, but when you click on the link, it brings you to a different site.

8).Never click on e-mail requests to update personal information. Institutions typically initiate such requests after you log into your account, not through e-mail.

9. Beef-up passwords. Don't use the same password for different accounts. Choose passwords with unusual characters, numbers and spaces. As an added precaution, fill in security questions with fictional, easy-to-remember answers, rather than facts that could reveal your digital identity.

10. Use security software. Guard your computer with antivirus and anti-spyware programs that disarm or remove viruses from your computer. Make sure those programs are running and updated automatically.

By Siddhi Bajaj

Source:http://www.thestreet.com/story/13522945/1/10-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-rising-cybercrime.html