• When you’re on the internet, be aware of the following precautions to protect yourself, you personal data and your equipment.
• Be careful with commercial transactions on the web. If you are buying goods or services, use common sense. Make sure you know with whom you are completing the transaction.
• Guard your password. Don’t share it with anyone. Once you have showed it, you no longer have control over how your account is used.
• Limit the amount of personal information you share. There could be thousands of people reading your postings. Some services archive newsgroup messages indefinitely, providing keyword search capabilities to find anything that anyone ever posted on a public newsgroup site
• Consider how much information you include in your e-mail signature file. Is your phone number or address really necessary?
• Do not download files sent to you by strangers or click on hyperlinks from people you don’t know.
• Try not to store financial information on your laptop unless absolutely necessary.
• Delete personal information before you dispose of a computer.

Computer Security Tips

• You can never be completely safe online but you can be safe by adhering to the following suggested guidelines.
• Update your operating system. Updates are required even on brand new computer you are required to connect to a website to get the updates, they will never be sent to you.
• Do not open unexpected attachments. Viruses spread themselves through multiple methods a very common and successful tactic is o send itself as an e-mail attachment.
• Keep anti-virus signatures up to date.
• Be careful. Do not open web links from unknown or unverified sources.
• Back up your data.
• Use strong passwords.
• Always use a locking screen saver on your computer.