Most operating systems give you the option of creating a different user account for each user. If you’re worried that your child may accidentally access, modify, and/or delete your files, you can give them a separate account and decrease the amount of access and number of privileges they have. If you don’t have separate accounts, […]

A virtual private network is a great way to protect your online activity by encrypting your connection. However, in many instances you get what you pay for. Free VPNs might still log your actions and keep those records or sell them to third-parties; the Facebook-owned Onavo VPN, recently removed from the iOS App Store, showed […]

Hyperlinks are tricky. When they’re included in text, you can’t immediately see where they lead, meaning a simple click could take you somewhere you don’t want to go, like an adware-infested page. Consider hovering over them with a mouse, or copying them with a press and hold contextual menu on a touchscreen and pasting them […]

As a general practice, before you publish something on the Internet, determine what value it provides and consider the implications of having the information available to the public. Identity theft is an increasing problem, and the more information an attacker can gather about you, the easier it is to pretend to be you. Behave online […]

Many services will allow you to keep the same password for years. That’s dangerous, since data breaches along the way might expose credentials that you use across multiple sites. Create strong passwords using a generator, and update them periodically, every six months or so, to ensure you’re not using anything that’s already been exposed in […]

It’s always advisable to backup your data with a solution like Total Defense Ultimate. An added benefit is that you are at less risk when you update your applications and OSes. If there’s a technical glitch during the upgrade, at least you have a backup to fall back on.