Keyword Exclusive – Cyber Security

Supplement to FROM THE EDITOR “Taming the Internet”

Keeping Private Data Secure
Passwords, essentially the keys to your virtual safe, must be protected to keep private data secure. Microsoft offers the following tips to protect passwords:

1. Never provide your password over e-mail. Internet “phishing” scams use fraudulent e-mails to trick recipients into revealing usernames and passwords.
2. Avoid typing passwords on computers that you do not control. Cyber criminals can use software to track keystrokes and gather information typed on an unsecure computer.
3. Do not reveal passwords to others. Keep passwords hidden from anyone who could pass them on to less trustworthy individuals.
4. Protect any recorded passwords. Do not store passwords in a file on your computer: criminals will look there first.
5. Use different passwords for different Web sites. Make each one strong and unique, and change them frequently. Check the strength of your password at Microsoft’s online safety Web site.—National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation

To read the Kentucky Living September 2010 column that goes along with this supplement, go to Taming the Internet.