A digital signature—a type of electronic signature—is a mathematical algorithm routinely used to validate the authenticity and integrity of a message (e.g., an email, a credit card transaction, or a digital document). Digital signatures generate a virtual fingerprint that is unique to a person or entity and are used to identify users and protect information […]

A common tactic for bad actors to scam people into giving up valuable personal information is to pose as a police officer when contacting a potential victim. However, just because someone says they’re a law enforcement officer doesn’t mean they are. This goes for all forms of remote communication, including phone calls: If someone claiming […]

Most people understand by now that there’s no such thing as absolute privacy online, and even private browsers can’t control what your ISP can see. Don’t look for information on how to do anything illegal or dangerous, and don’t search for any sites or content that are against the law.

This goes for pretty much all information online, but bogus statistics are rampant all over the internet. If you’re writing a paper, article or anything else that cites statistics, try to get them directly from a reputable research study — if a site doesn’t say where it got its numbers, they may not be reliable.

When visiting a website for the first time – perhaps via an email link – lookout for the telling signs of phishing. These may involve misspellings and grammatical mistakes on the page, aggressive advertising and particularly unusual and complex URLs. If you see some or all of them, leave the website straightaway.

Because many pop-up windows encountered on the internet are often a product of spyware, clicking on the window could install spyware software on your computer. To close the pop-up window, click on the “X” icon in the title bar instead of a “close” link within the window or restart your computer if necessary.