Online Security -

Safeguarding your information online is of paramount importance. If you don't protect yourself, you could end up in a world of trouble.

The first way to protect your information is to use the latest version of spyware removal programs and antivirus software. AVG is a good antivirus program that is completely free. Spybot, Spywareblaster, and Ad-Aware are some other free alternatives that are also very good.

Secondly, protect your information with a firewall. Windows comes with a free firewall, but I think it's better to use Zonealarm or something similar. Zonealarm is also free, and it is a popular tool to keep your online information safe.

You could also use a router, instead of a firewall program. Routers streamline the data that passes in and out of your computer and ensure that any malicious programs are kept out of your computer. This keeps your computer safe from viruses and trojans. However, you should still use antivirus and spyware programs just in case something slips through.

Finally, how can you safeguard your passwords? There are some tricks to this. One trick is to use the on-screen keyboard that should come with your PC. I am uncertain whether or not the Mac or Linux has the on-screen keyboard, but they probably have something similar.

Keyloggers, a type of trojan, record your key strokes. However, keyloggers do not record mouse clicks. Since you click on the letters that the on-screen keyboard displays on your screen, this makes it virtually impossible for keyloggers to obtain any of your personal information or passwords.

Another trick is to simply type your passwords albeit differently. For example, if your password is Tim, you could type "Tm" and then use your mouse to click in between the "T" and the "m" and type the "i". Again, since a keylogger does not record mouse clicks, it would simply see your password as "Tmi".

By the way, make sure that you choose a better password than Tim. A good password consists of at least ten characters or more, just so you know. And make sure that you use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols(such as an exclamation point).

Protecting your personal information online is a must in this day and age. Failure to do so can lead to serious consequences. I hope this article has given you some ideas on how to protect yourself online. Happy computing.