The point of this post, PREVENTION is better than cure. You’d be surprised how many people don’t follow this info.
1. Keep an antivirus/antispyware program on at all times. Scan your computer regularly. If you can’t afford a good one, something like AVG and Lavasoft Adaware will do fine.
2. Nothing is foolproof nowadays. Never surf web sites without adequate protection, and don’t download anything from a site without checking it first for bad things.
3. Real web sites will never email you asking for your password. They don’t delete accounts at random. And won’t run out of database space. If you receive an email asking for such things, report it to that site in a ticket under the category Report Abuse/Spam or similar. The only time when the web needs your password is when you’re trying to regain your account, and you should only supply the in a ticket on the site. But mostly password is not necessary.
4. Keep your email account safe. People having Hotmail etc. hacked is the quickest way for a hacker to get all your passwords to every site you’re a member of. Your email account should be as secure, or more secure than your any account account. Never use the same password for more than one site.
5. Use secure passwords. Passwords like ‘name’, ‘Admin’, or your username are easily hacked. Try to go for a password that is a random word/jumble of letters mixed with numbers. That will throw off most automated systems. Admins may use captchas, but your email provider may not.
6. Beware of phishing sites. If you receive an email asking you to log in at your account, do not click the link in the email. This will usually take you to an identical site where your details will be stolen when you enter them. If in doubt, go to the site manually in your browser and login from there.
Hopefully these tips will make us all a little bit safer. Finally, report bad sites and emails to admins.
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