Archives - Security Best Practice

A guide to defending yourself from advanced phishing attacks

The word “phishing” might conjure up images of relaxing by a lake or stream to catch some fish, but there’s nothing laid-back about it. Phishing campaigns lure you with seemingly must-click offers – anything from get-rich-quick schemes to insistent security updates – and then steal your personal data. While phishing is among the oldest and […]

Recognize common email scams

The “Nigerian prince” scheme is one of the best-known email scams, but it’s hardly the only one. Others to look out for include messages purporting to be from government agencies (which pretty much never communicate with individuals this way) and communications from ISPS and software vendors, if they claim to include software patches/updates that would […]

Use a prepaid card when shopping online

Having your payment card details stolen can be a traumatic experience, especially if the card in question was a debit card tied to a bank account. Prepaid cards offer a safer alternative. You can just load a small amount onto them each time you need to make a purchase. If the card is compromised, there’s […]

Think of nonsensical phrases for passwords

There are multiple proven ways to make your passwords stronger, including the use of password managers to automatically generate and store all of your logins. Alternatively, you can take matters into your own hands by thinking of nonsensical phrases – e.g., “the Walrus and the Carpenter were preparing three pancakes!” and abbreviate it into a […]

Access your accounts via web browser instead of links

Phishing is one of the oldest and most effective cyberattack techniques. To reduce your risk of having sensitive data stolen, never click on any emailed or texted links purporting to take you to your account page for a password reset or other modification. Instead, if you’re unsure whether action is merited, navigate to the account […]

Remove old search results about yourself

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 […]