Most organizations – banks, universities, companies, etc. – don’t ask for your personal information over email. Do not reveal personally identifiable information online such as your full name, telephone number, address, social security number, insurance policy number, credit card information, or doctor’s name. Avoid opening attachments, clicking on links, or responding to email messages from […]

Chats and direct messages are essential features of platforms like social networks and online gaming service. Their popularity makes them common conduits for social engineering scams, though. Never click suspicious links or give out sensitive information in these exchanges, especially not to people you’ve just met.

There’s no undoing an email (with limited exceptions if you’re in an Microsoft Exchange environment). Plus, email security is not as strong as you might expect, especially if you aren’t using email encryption. For these reasons, never give out your sensitive data in an email.

If a company wants to have a secure web site that uses encryption, it needs to obtain a site, or host, certificate. There are two elements that indicate that a site uses: 1. a closed padlock, which, depending on your browser, may be located in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window […]

Email is based on an old set of protocols with few privacy protections. Don’t send your most sensitive information (like your Social Security number) over email if possible. Use encrypted chat or a voice call instead.

Someone looking up your name on a search engine like Google might find results related to your previous jobs and addresses, along with information about your relatives. This data could be used against you, for example in determining the answers to security questions. Luckily, Google offers a URL removal tool for requesting takedowns of specific […]