Security

B replied to comment from undaunted | October 1, 2010 12:20 PM | Reply
Undaunted,

I was looking for more of a place of info that makes people posting online to be aware and beware some of the dangers. Despite the fact that we have freedom of speech in this country, that still won't protect us against fatwas from Imams or Muslims like IE or DOI who might decide to "take one of us out".

Here's my list so far
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Protecting yourself online and in real life

Easy-Hide-IP – $29.95 - bypass virtually any form of censorship or internet traffic blocking imposed on you by your ISP, by your company, or by some other third parties. All your internet traffic is routed through remote servers. On your ISP’s log file, only the IPs of the remote servers will be shown, not the sites you have visited.

Keyscrambler Personal – Free – Add on for various browsers like Firefox and IE. Scrambles what you type so keyloggers can't capture the data.

Iobit Random Password Generator – Free - create hard to guess passwords for your accounts.

PGP – encrypt your emails and digitally sign emails to known and trusted people. Prevents interception of emails by anyone. Also method to establish that it was really you who sent an email to someone else you know.

SSH – applications like Putty (freeware), WinSCP (freeware), FileZilla (FTP prog that supports SFTP, freeware.

Antivirus Software – AVG Antivirus (Free), Avast! (Free) - Use AV software to protect your computer from malware, spyware and trojans which can compromise your PC security.

No Script – Free addon for Firefox – Prevents potentially malicious javascripts or code from activating on web pages. It's can be a pain since it will disable most of the content on web pages until you allow it. Once you allow the page, it will allow most of the content except third site information.

Firewalls – You can use both a router firewall (preferred method with incoming and outgoing controls on the firewall, or a personal software firewall like Zonealarm (free version). Firewalls protect intrusions from the internet.

Malware Software – very similar to AV software. They scan for virus, trojans and malicious apps that come through web pages and cookies. Malware is also installed via applications you may actually want. You should always monitor the installation process so you can opt out of some extra software installs you don't need like the yahoo toolbar.

Put Passwords on all your accounts – This includes your credit card account, bank account, phone account, power company accounts, etc. Avoid using easily available information – like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, last four digits of your SSN, or your phone number – or obvious choices like a series of consecutive numbers or your hometown football team. You should do this now before any threats arise. By the time you know something is happening, it will be too late. Politicians or anyone seeking political office are encourage to do this. News reporters go snooping for dirt and if you leave this unaddressed it may hurt you politically.

Paper shredder – Use one of these to shred any personal information that an identity thief may be able to find by picking through your trash. When you discard receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements, expired charge cards, credit offers you get in the mail, and mailing labels from magazines, tear or shred them.

Online guides to protecting your personal information

EFF's Top 12 ways to Protect Your Online Privacy - http://www.eff.org/wp/effs-top-12-ways-protect-your-online-privacy