Surfing the WEB Safer

If you are planning to buy online, cosider the following tips from EDS Security & Privacy Services, a Texas-based technology services company:

• Know the reputation of the company.  If it is unfamiliar to you, check the Web site for contact details that shoe a physical address and phone number.   Check with the Better Business Bureau office located in the locality the company address is in.

• Make sure you are shopping at a secure site that uses encryption technology to scramble information.  This will help ensure your credit card number, address and order information is coded before transmission.  Secure Web site address have the letters https:// prefacing the URL, and a closed padlock icon displayed at the bottom of your Web browser.

• Be wary of e-mails received from organizations asking personal information; reputable business should never request personal information.  To ensure that you are not being drawn into a phony site, type the site address into your browser instead if clicking on the embedded e-mail link.  Better yet, call the company directly and speak to a live person cancerning this requested information.

• Review the privacy and security policies of the companies you want to do business with.  All rputable companies' Web sites post their policies or a statement which should tell you what information they collect, how they use it, what is shared, and how long it is kept.

• If you order from a foriegn company, be aware that the same laws that may protect you or give you recourse, may not exist.

• Do not use personal information for passwords, such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, phone numbers, and names for example.  Use strong password rules, such as 'se@TT1e'.  This uses a mix of  lower case, symbols, upper case, and numbers.

• Regulary update your anti-virus and firewall software and apply critical security patches to your operating system.  Run virus scans weekly, and remove all unwanted adware and spyware.  The free utility 'Ad-Aware SE Personal' is available on the Web from http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware.

• Check your credit reports on a regular basis.  If you have accessed your free annual copy of these reports, it might be worth the expense to be assured everything is all right if you suspect something is wrong.

EDS Security & Privacy Services Web site is http://www.eds.com/services/securityandprivacy/.   Their core portfolio comprises information-technology, applications and business process services, as well as information-technology transformation services.

Things change.  Be sure to come back here for updates on the latest on phishing, swamping, and the newest ploys to get access to your computer and identity.

These rules are only a guideline on ways to protect your computer and it's information from unwanted intrusion.  Hackers are constantly developing new ways to wreck havoc so everyone that uses the web must be careful.