This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

Today, many consumers use Paypal for everything from purchasing eBay items to managing small business transactions. However, you may not realize that Paypal was created just ten years ago (in the year 2000), as a result of a merger between X.com and Confinity. In October of 2002, Paypal was purchased by eBay for $1.5 billion dollars. In 2009, Paypal’s total payment volume was around $71 billion dollars, up 19% from 2008. In total, there are around 185 million Paypal accounts currently in existence.

If you use Paypal, it’s important to realize that it should be treated just like any other financial transaction. Due to the large number of people who have had their Paypal information compromised, you need to be extremely careful. Here are a few quick tips to help you use Paypal in a safe and effective manner.

1. Choose a Secure Password

Many online security experts recommend choosing a password for your financial accounts that will be extremely difficult to guess. The best password incorporates a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. For example, your password could be Dk8y12:r8. While a combination password may be difficult for you to remember, it can greatly decrease the chance that your Paypal account will be compromised.

2. Never Click Email Links!

The importance of not clicking email links to login to your Paypal account cannot be over-emphasized! Many scammers will send you an email that appears to be officially from Paypal, which often includes a link to prompt you to login to your paypal account. Even if the link looks legitimate, and takes you to a site that looks exactly like Paypal, NEVER login to an email-linked website. An illegal practice called “Phishing” allows criminals to steal your Paypal login information, possibly locking you out of your Paypal account (and resulting in a loss of all funds). To login to your Paypal account, always manually navigate to http://www.paypal.com in your browser’s web address bar.

3. Don’t Give Out Your Information.

This may seem like common sense, but it’s extremely important that your Paypal login information remains private. Even if you have a small business that is owned by two parties, never share your personal Paypal information. Instead, consider setting up a business account that can be safely accessed by all required parties.

4. Check Your Balance.

Out of the 185 million Paypal accounts, about 75 million of them are considered to be “active”. Periodically checking the balance of your Paypal account can allow you to quickly discover if fraudulent charges have been made on your account. It also allows you to check on any potential disputes, chargebacks and holds placed on your account’s funds.

5. Don’t Login from Public Computers.

Every time you check your Paypal balance from a public computer, you put your account information at risk. This is because public computers may contain malware or viruses that automatically log keystroke information. This may mean that everything you type is recorded in a “transcript”, and sent to the creator of the virus or malware program, allowing them to gain access to your account. Though many public computers may be safe (and free of dangerous programs), there isn’t any way for you to be completely sure that your information will be safe. When in doubt, it always pays to err on the side of caution.

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This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

You may not realize it, but sometimes all that stands between you and an identity thief is a string of 5-8 alphanumeric characters. In today’s digital world, passwords allow us to gain access to a wide variety of information. This may include personal emails, bank account info, daily news preferences and social networks. However, many people don’t realize how vulnerable they are because of the location and type of passwords they use. In fact, many people store their passwords in a text file on their computer, which is a huge security risk. Here are a few tips to help you to keep your passwords safe from identity thieves and hackers.

Choose a Difficult Password

Many people choose passwords that are easy to remember – such as their birth year, child’s birthday or the name of their high school. However, these password types are actually extremely insecure. It’s best to choose a password that is a combination of letters, numbers and alphanumeric characters. For example, you could have a password such as px8:4k9 – which is a combination of these three character types. Though these types of passwords are initially difficult to remember, they are also more difficult for a hacker to crack.

Don’t Share Your Password

Imagine that you’re at work, and you receive a call from someone claiming to be a law enforcement official. They tell you that your child is accused of downloading illegal or banned content onto your home computer, and that it needs to be investigated. They ask you for the password to login to your computer, in order to ensure that there is no illegal content. However, the person on the phone is actually an identity thief, who is attempting to gain access to your personal information. While this may sound a bit far-fetched, scams such as this one happen every day, and thousands of people per year are victims of identity theft. Never, ever give out your passwords to anyone.

For Digital Passwords, Use a Password Service

Security expert Bruce Schneier was recently interviewed about how to keep passwords safe from hackers. His advice was interesting, as was this part of his response:

“I write my passwords down. There’s this rampant myth that you shouldn’t write your passwords down. My advice is exactly the opposite. We already know how to secure small bits of paper. Write your passwords down on a small bit of paper, and put it with all of your other valuable small bits of paper: in your wallet.” - Security Expert Bruce Schneier

However, Schneier doesn’t only rely on his back pocket to protect his important passwords. He uses a free Windows password storage tool, which is called “Password Safe”. This desktop application allows computer users to store their passwords on their computer, requiring them to only remember one password in order to access their password list. Password Safe is an open-source project, and is currently released as version 3.22. It uses the Twofish encryption algorithm, which provides a high level of security for stored passwords. Because it’s free, it has been rapidly increasing in popularity among computer users looking for encryption services for their passwords.

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To compete with services such as Foursquare, Twitter has recently released a targeted location sharing feature. This feature is called “Tweet With Your Location”, and is similar to other location sharing services. Here’s a quick guide to this feature, its potential advantages and disadvantages, as well as how you can protect your privacy.

How it Works

When you have the “Tweet With Your Location” feature enabled, every tweet you make will be tagged to your geographical location. This means that any twitter user can mouse over your tweet, and a pop-up map will pinpoint exactly from where you made your tweet. There are two choices: you can either have your general neighborhood be tagged to the tweet, or your geographical location. The neighborhood sharing feature is slightly more broad, since it only allows your general area to be attached to your tweets. Once you attach your location to a tweet, Twitter will store this information. To delete the location information from your past tweets, there is an option under your Settings > Account page.

This is what it looks like when you allow Twitter to attach your exact location to your tweets.

Advantages of Location Sharing

Sharing your physical location has recently become very popular among social network users. For example, if you are a club in Orlando, you have the ability to see who else from your Twitter friends is also at the same club. You can also search for tweets of random people who are currently there, which could range from “That DJ’s hair is awesome!” to “I wouldn’t recommend the sushi here”. This gives you a real-time stream of information about any given location.

Another potentially useful example would be checking tweets of people currently at a popular restaurant. With a few quick searches, you can see if there’s a long wait for a table, or if you can sneak in right before the dinner rush. This is a huge bonus in convenience.

When trying to network with a large group of people (such as if you are attending a live concert or a business conference), this feature could also give you real-time updates on where everyone is. Instead of asking everyone how long before they’ll reach the venue, you can check the location of their tweets.

“A recent burst of interest in location sharing applications, games, and services has many Twitter users excited about appending geographic data to some of their tweets” – Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

Disadvantages of Location Sharing

Any time that you allow people to search for your personal schedule by using the internet, you are putting yourself at risk. For example, if you check in at a location several hours from home, a burglar can use this information to assume that your house will be unoccupied until you return. You may remember that filmmaker Israel Hyman was robbed, which was supposedly connected to a tweet that he made advertising that he was on vacation with his family in Kansas City. The website titled “Please Rob Me!” highlights how easy it really is for a burglar to discover empty homes in their area.

Reactions to Twitter’s location sharing feature have been mostly negative. Here are a few reactions taken from Twitter users about their opinions on location sharing:

“I know I’m paranoid but NO, I don’t want 2 tweet my location. Tweeting a million strangers where I am goes against my survival instinct.”- Twitter User Zazochi

“I turn it (Location Sharing) off, not like I have anything to steal at my current location, but you can never be too careful.”- Twitter User TinPanAlley

“…married with 2 daughters. Worries me, ladies announcing their schedule over and over. Makes it easy 4 predators.” – Twitter User lunarwrase

“Location sharing is fine if you want everyone to know where you are but if you respect any of your common rights, like privacy..it is unwise to share your location at all times.” – Twitter User Mighty_Lark

“I don’t use geo tracking, the less people know about me the better, too much information on the Internet already.”- Twitter User kyonkun

“Twitter Location Sharing is a great feature if used correctly but I still prefer FourSquare for better overall control/Privacy ”- Twitter User SpazWuzHere

Another disadvantage of location sharing (which applies more to women) is that it allows for extensive “stalking”. By constantly updating your location, you give people an idea of your weekly schedule, which means that a potential stalker could know when and where they could find you.

Protecting Your Privacy

By default, this location sharing feature is off in a user’s Twitter settings. To enable it, a user has to manually activate it by choosing the opt-in setting. If you do not want to share your location with your tweets, you can keep this feature off, and activate it later if you change your mind. To check to see if you have this feature enabled, navigate to:

Settings > Account

Then, look at the setting for “Tweet Location“. If the “Add a Location to your Tweets” box is checked, you are sharing this information. If not, your tweets will remain location-free.

As with any location sharing feature, it’s important to be very aware of what type of information that you share with the internet community. If your tweets are not protected, this means that they are visible even to people who aren’t following you. If you have any concerns about sharing your location being a security risk, you may want to double check to make sure that you aren’t sharing your location via Twitter.

YouTube Video about FourSquare, Gowalla and Twitter

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sources:

http://twitter.zendesk.com/attachments/token/v5ca220eeeff13u/?name=John_shadow-1.jpg

http://www.kokeytechnology.com/social-networks/twitter/twitter-debuts-location-sharing-feature-like-using-a-gps-device/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/191457/twitter_adds_locationsharing_im_eating_tacosin_texarkana.html

http://virgintech.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Local-trending-topics.jpg

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On April 22nd, Facebook announced that its business model was undergoing an extreme overhaul.  In the past, Facebook users commonly shared content by linking to it on their Facebook homepage. However, integration with other sites has been ongoing, with popular sites such as YouTube adding a feature that automatically publishes “favorited” videos to a user’s Facebook wall. Now, Facebook has taken this concept one step further.

Starting on April 22nd, buttons such as ”Like” “Thumbs Up” or ”Recommend” will begin popping up all over the web. These buttons will allow Facebook users to recommend articles, videos and other content to their Facebook friends. When navigating to a site while logged in to Facebook, a user will be able to see which stories their friends “liked” or recommended for reading. Some sites, such as CNN, will even provide a live “feed” that allows Facebook users to track which stories their friends are reading. Clicking on one of these buttons causes this activity to be published to a user’s Facebook wall.

Sites that will be integrating Facebook features include:

• CNN
• The Washington Post
• engadget
• The Wall Street Journal
• CBS
• ESPN
• Bild.de
• ABC
• The Globe and Mail
• aminado
• yelp
• MarketWatch
• tripadvisor
• USA Network
• The New York Times
• LIFE
• Flixster
• Mydeco.com
• Sephora
• Chow
• El Mundo
• Pixar
• Fandango
• TIME
• IMDb
• Scribd
• Sky
• OMGPOP
• Kiva
• Slate
• livingsocial
• Levi
• Simply Hired
• CNN Money
• MTV

Security Consequences

There are several concerns presented by this new feature. One of these concerns is that when a user “Likes” something, their facebook profile photo will be used to identify this action on the site. Also, it greatly expands the amount of personal information that will be shared with “third party” websites. It’s possible for this data to be exploited, sold or used for marketing purposes.

Know Your Facebook Privacy Settings

By default, this sharing feature is enabled in your Facebook profile, unless you have manually disabled it. To disable the sharing of your Facebook information on Facebook’s “Partner Sites”, navigate to:

Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites > Instant Personalization > Edit Setting

Once you have reached this page, uncheck the “Allow select partners to instantly personalize their features with my public information” box. This disables the feature. However, even if you uncheck this box, be aware that your friends may still share your Facebook information with other sites if they are using this feature. To disable them being able to share this info, you must manually block the application (this is the fine print on the “Instant Personalization” settings page).

Future Changes

This move gives Facebook a serious advantage over other social networking tools, such as Twitter. In the future, you may see other social networks mirroring these changes by Facebook, and increasing the ability for you to share your personal information all over the web. The question is, how will this ultimately affect online privacy?

An Example of How the New “Like” Button Works

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Today’s society relies heavily on social networking tools for everything from friendly communication to building business relationships. In a world of instant status updates, 140 character Tweets and “Facebook Friends”, it’s easy to forget about the amount of personal information that we reveal each day. Most people like to post a schedule of their daily activities, ranging from what they ate for breakfast, to when they’re meeting friends for dinner downtown.

An interesting website, titled “Please Rob Me” seeks to expose how vulnerable this information can make us to potential burglars. It tracks “check-ins”, which are updates posted by people when they’re visiting a specific location. Through the site, you can view a near real-time stream of these updates as they’re posted on Twitter. Location sharing has rapidly been increasing in popularity, especially due to services such as Loopt, Foursquare and Google Buzz. There’s something incredibly addictive about sharing your daily activities with social networks, especially when your progress is tracked by an achievement system, such as the “Badges” you can earn from using Foursquare.

Some of the location badges that you can earn in Foursquare, from http://foursquare.com.

With the obvious implications of their website’s name, the creators of “Please Rob Me” are not malicious people who seek to punish these location-sharing individuals. However, their site does expose an important vulnerability in the concept of location sharing. If you are constantly telling the world when you’re not at home, this may seem like an open invitation to potential burglars. Even if you’re tweeting that you’re “Downtown at a local coffee shop for the next 4 hours”, this information can be enough for someone to plan, implement and execute the burglary of your home.  

The site is targeted to sound like it is written for thieves, with new away-from-home updates being called “new opportunities”. While this may be worrying for some people, the site’s owners clearly state on every page:

Our intention is not, and never has been, to have people burglarized.

In retrospect, it’s extremely easy to forget about our home’s security while engaging in behavior that is commonplace on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Even if you don’t directly share your location, it’s very common for friends or family members to share when you’re visiting or spending time out with them. Consider how common it is to tweet or post something like, “Spending time out with @(Insert Twitter Name) at the Hard Rock Cafe!” or “Visiting my family for the weekend”. Though we may not see it this way, these types of updates are blatant advertising that lets everyone know that you’re not currently watching your place of residence.

The site “Please Rob Me” is important for helping us to realize this vulnerability, and letting us know how much information we really share with our online “friends”. Though the site itself is somewhat limited in its actual usefulness, the concept behind it shouldn’t be ignored. The next time you want to tweet about your night out, or check in your location via Foursquare, consider who you’re actually sharing this information with. A bit of caution on your part could prevent your absence from being an excuse for a burglary.

Sources:

http://foursquare.com/
http://pleaserobme.com/
http://www.loopt.com/
http://www.google.com/buzz
http://mashable.com/2010/02/17/pleaserobme/
http://shirtoid.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/im_tweeting_this.jpg

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It’s estimated that around 75% of all Americans use their computer on a regular basis. However, a significantly smaller percentage of computer users are aware of the important steps needed to protect their computer’s security. A computer that is vulnerable can be negatively affected by computer viruses, spyware and hackers. In some cases, an improperly secured computer can also result in the theft of personal information, such as credit card or bank account numbers. Having a secure computer is an important step that you can take towards protecting your personal information. Here are five essential tips to help you understand how to protect your computer’s security.

Exercise Safe Internet Browsing
Due to the large amount of information on the internet, most computer users spend their time online. However, there are many malicious programs that may use your internet browser to infiltrate your computer. Always use a “secure” internet browser, and never download a file from a source that you aren’t familiar with.

Be Careful When Installing Programs
When installing software on your computer, it’s always best to exercise caution. Some programs may offer “add-on” features that promise to bring you useful information, or provide a service at no extra charge. Be aware that some of these programs are also designed to collect personal information, which may occasionally be used by a company to develop marketing information. Other programs may change the advertisements that you see on specific websites, based on your browsing history.

Install Anti-Virus Software
Having virus protection is a very useful way to ensure that your computer is protected against potential security issues. Many people do not have virus protection because many programs cost from $20 to $50 for basic levels of protection. However, there are also many free antivirus programs which can help to protect your computer. Here is a short list of some of the best (both free and paid) antivirus software programs.

Free Antivirus Software

• A-Squared Free (Site)
• Avira AntiVir Personal (Site)
• Avast! Free AntiVirus (Site)
• Microsoft Security Essentials (Site)

Paid Antivirus Software

• AVG AntiVirus (Site)
• McAfee AntiVirus (Site)
• Norton AntiVirus (Site)
• PC-cillin (Site)

Update Your Operating System
If you are running a Microsoft Windows operating system, it’s essential that you update on a regular basis. Keeping your version of Windows up to date can help protect your computer from potential vulnerabilities, and may also help improve the performance of your computer. If you don’t have automatic updates enabled, it’s highly recommended that you navigate to the Windows Update page on a regular basis. Your computer will be scanned, and you will be notified of any available updates for your specific version of Windows.  

Monitor Your Active Connections
In order to ensure that your computer is secure, it can be useful to monitor all of the active connections currently running on your computer. The process to do this is fairly simple:

1. Click on your Start menu.

2. In the “Run” or “Search All Programs” box, type “cmd” or “command”. You will then see a box similar to this one:

3. Type in “netstat”, and then hit the enter key.

4. You will then receive a list of your active connections, as well as their status.

5. If you are having trouble identifying what programs are using some of the connections (or are concerned that the connections may be from a spyware program), you can install a program that will help you to identify your connections. Some useful programs for this purpose include:

• FPort by McAffee (Site)
• Active Ports (Site)
• TCPView (Site)

All three of these programs are freeware, and should be able to help you identify your connections.

Sources:

http://contech.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/command-prompt1.jpg

http://www.foundstone.com/us/resources/proddesc/fport.htm

http://www.devicelock.com/freeware.html

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897437.aspx

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If you’re a regular internet user, you have most likely already heard of the term “Spyware”. Though many people are aware that spyware can  negatively affect the performance of their computer, a very small percentage of internet users actually understand what it is. In fact, some people even believe that it involves “hackers” infiltrating their computer’s security. In reality, the truth is much different. Here is a general explanation of spyware, how it affects your computer, and what you can do to protect yourself against it.

What is Spyware?

The term “Spyware” is actually a casual term for adware. Adware is software that operates by gathering information (including behavior, viewing trends, personal information, browsing history, etc) about the user(s) of a specific computer. This software is often able to operate completely without the user’s knowledge. In some cases, the software may also change the settings or configurations of the computer it is present on.

Why is Spyware Dangerous?

The answer to this question is a bit complicated, since not all adware programs are dangerous. Some programs are simply designed to gather marketing information in order to be used by a company, or to cause targeted advertisements to show up while a user is browsing. However, there are some types of adware which may collect personal information, making you vulnerable to identity theft and/or credit card fraud. In addition to this, some spyware programs may cause your computer to crash or freeze on a regular basis.

How Does My Computer Get Spyware?

There are many methods that spyware may use to infiltrate your computer. Some of the most common methods include:

Freeware Programs
In some cases, the development of many “free” programs is funded by an agreement to bundle an adware program in the install package. You may see an option during the install of your freeware program, which may be something like,

“YES! Please give me the additional services of [Adware Program Name] at no extra charge!”

This may be in the form of a program designed to give you “Special Discounts”, or “Exclusive Deals”. Be wary of adding any extra programs during the install of a freeware program.

Internet Browser Toolbars
Many adware programs are designed to take the form of a toolbar that installs directly into your internet browser. These toolbars may provide customized search options, website suggestions or other services. It should be noted that the toolbar is able to provide these services because they are monitoring your browsing history and other information. Though not all toolbar adware programs are dangerous, you should still avoid them if you do not wish your browsing history to be tracked by the program.

Webpages
It’s possible for adware to be directly embedded into the code of a specific webpage. Some scripting languages may infiltrate vulnerabilities of your computer, installing directly by using your internet browser.

Email Attachments
Some email attachments may contain adware or even computer viruses. Once you open the attachment, the malicious program is installed onto your computer. This may be in the form of a funny movie, a cute picture or other message that will be frequently forwarded through a person’s email contacts.

How Can I Protect My Computer Against Spyware?

There are many methods that you may use to protect your computer from being infiltrated by spyware/adware programs. This includes:

• Using a Secure Internet Browser
• Installing Anti-Spyware Software**
• Only Opening Trusted Email Attachments
• Installing a Virus/Spyware Scanner with Real-Time Monitoring
• Using Common Sense When Browsing

  ** NOTE: Some “Anti-Spyware” programs are actually designed to install adware and other dangerous programs onto your computer! When choosing an Anti-Spyware program, be sure to read reviews of that program, and ensure that it is from a trusted organization. If there is a customer service number, you may want to contact them directly for more information about their software.

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When it comes to computer security, navigating the complicated realm of computer security software can be extremely confusing. There are hundreds of products that are advertised as being able to make your computer “hacker-proof”, or to protect your personal information. However, other security software aside, having a firewall installed on your computer is perhaps one of the most important ways to ensure that your computer is secure.

What is a Firewall?

A Firewall is a program that helps to prevent unwanted intrusions into your PC from the internet. It is designed to greatly lower the chance that your computer will be vulnerable to content which could harm your computer. There are generally three different types of firewalls:

• Software Firewalls
• Hardware Firewalls
• Wireless Routers

Each of these firewalls functions differently, and helps to protect your computer in a slightly different way. For this guide, we will be covering software firewalls.

Why Do I Need a Firewall?

Every time you access the internet, you are opening specific “ports” on your computer in order to view information, email or other content. Through these ports, it is possible that spyware, malware and hackers could gain access to your computer. A firewall functions in a way that allows it to keep a watch on the thousands of ports on your computer, preventing unauthorized activity from infiltrating these ports.

A Note About Windows Firewall

If you are running Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, you already have a built-in software firewall included in your operating system. However, in order for this to function, you have to ensure that it is enabled. Navigate through your Control Panel to the Network > Internet Connections menu, and right-click the connection you want to protect. Go to Properties > Advanced, and ensure that the checkbox that says “Protect this Connection” is selected. Depending on which operating system you have, this process may be slightly different.

However, it should be noted that the Windows Firewall does not provide complete protection for your computer. Due to the configurations of it, it is only able to monitor incoming traffic, such as the information exchanged when you view a webpage. If your computer has been infiltrated by a potentially harmful program, it will not be able to stop that program from sending outgoing information which could compromise your computer’s security.

Tips for Installing a Firewall

As a general rule, you do not need to purchase expensive software in order to provide your computer with a firewall. There are many free ones available for your computer, which will help increase your computer’s security. Some positively reviewed free firewalls include:

• Zone Alarm (Free Version)
• Agnitum Outpost Firewall Free
• Online Armor Free
• PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition

However, if you are looking for one with special features, or a higher security level, you may choose to look for a paid version instead.

No matter what type you choose, your software will have a short instructional period in which you will have to customize how it protects your computer. For someone with little or no computer knowledge, this can be a bit difficult. Basically, the firewall will ask you how much port access you want to grant to each program on your computer. In the first few days with your new firewall, you will have to constantly instruct the program which programs are “safe”, and should be allowed access to the internet. Most firewalls have an option in which your choice for that program can remain permanent, so that you are not constantly required to grant the program internet access.

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The internet is an extremely valuable tool, which can be used for social networking, informative research, and keeping up with current world events. However, just like all tools, browsing the internet does require a measure of caution. There are many things that you can do to improve the safety and security of your internet browsing, which can help to protect your computer against malicious software. Viruses, malware and spyware can disable your computer, which may require it to undergo expensive restorations or repairs.

Safe Internet Browsing Tip #1 – Use Common Sense
To browse the internet safely, it’s best if you do so by using common sense. Do not click on advertisements that may harm your computer, and stay away from sites that promise “free” items, cash or other services simply by entering your personal information. Just because a website looks official, this does not mean that it can’t harm your computer.

Safe Internet Browsing Tip #2 – Use a Firewall
To improve the safety of your internet browsing, it’s highly recommended that you install some high-quality firewall software. Having a firewall can help prevent programs from infiltrating your computer, and may also protect against some hackers or internet criminals. Some operating systems (such as Windows 7) include a built-in firewall, which should be enabled at all times in order to protect your computer. Even though using a firewall may cause some programs to have difficulty functioning, it’s best if you gain enough technical knowledge to properly use your firewall software.

Safe Internet Browsing Tip #3 – Use Antivirus Software
Having antivirus software installed on your computer is a good step towards protecting your computer’s security. Use a reputable program that has regular updates, as new viruses are discovered each day. In addition to this, try to ensure that your program has a 24/7 customer service line, which can help you to get instant answers to any questions you may have about the software.

Safe Internet Browsing Tip #4 – Be Aware
When other people are using your computer, it’s best if you supervise their activities. Even if a friend asks to check their email, it’s best if you have them login under a “Guest” or other account that you have created for others to use. Having a Guest account on your computer enables you to allow others to use your computer without having to worry about them installing potentially malicious software. When creating a Guest account, be sure that you limit the permissions of the account, and disable sharing of important files on your computer. In addition to this, you should always make sure that any sensitive files are password-protected, just in case.

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This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

The idea of typing your credit card number onto a webpage can make you nervous. But it shouldn’t. Although very occasionally e-commerce websites get hacked, using a credit card for online shopping actually offers you some protection should you ever get ripped off. Luckily, when online fraud is involved many banks and merchants will credit you back the amount owed provided you catch the mistake in time. However as always, prevention is the best protection so here we provide some general information to keep your credit card details safe when you are shopping online.

Online Shopping Tip 1 – Make sure the site is legitimate

Before you purchase anything you should check over the site’s details to ensure it is legitimate so you may shop with confidence. Check that:

-The store accepts credit card or PayPal payments. Never send cash or a check to a website.

-Site uses SSL encryption to protect customer data en route to the site.

-Site sports logos from trusted authorities such as VeriSign and the Better Business Bureau Online.

-Store lists its real world location, including phone numbers and a street address.

-Site offers a detailed privacy policy describing the information it collects and what it does with the data.

Even after checking over these steps you’ll need to monitor your credit card account carefully to make sure nobody is adding bogus extra charges to your account after you make your purchase. Most banks put a limit on how long after the initial purchase that you can dispute a charge, so examine your monthly statements or check your account more often.

An alternative while shopping online is to get a separate credit card with a lower limit to use exclusively for online purchases. This will lower your risks of being badly ripped off.

Online Shopping Tip 1 – Extra security measures to protect your credit card details

If you’re still unconvinced and want to feel more secure shopping online there are measures you can take.

You can get a disposable credit card number. Citibank (www.citibank.com/us/cards/tour/cb/shp_van.htm) and Discover (www2.discovercard.com/deskshop)are services that work for a single transaction so even if the card it stolen it will be useless to be further ripped off.

Another alternative are merchants such as Amazon.com who will let you place your order online and then provide your credit card details over the phone.

A final option is to sign up for a PayPal account (www.paypal.com). PayPal will act as the middle man between you and the seller so that you credit card details never directly pass hands.

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