 A Cybersecurity Primer: Links and
Resources for Computer Users Creating a Password: DO NOT use your username as your password. Don't use easily guessed passwords, such as "password." Do not choose passwords based upon details that may not be as confidential as you'd expect, such as your birth date, your social security or phone numbers, or names of family members. Do not use words that can be found in the dictionary. Password-cracking tools freely available online often come with dictionary lists that will try thousands of common names and passwords. If you must use dictionary words, try adding a numeral to the end of them, or punctuation at the beginning or end of the word (or both!) Create unique passwords that that use some combination of words, numbers, symbols, and both upper- and lowercase letters. If you have trouble remembering your passwords, try replacing certain letters in the word with look-alike numbers. For example, the password "alabama" could be made far more secure written "4labAm4." Don't use the same password at multiple Web sites. If you do, and an e-commerce site you registered at gets hacked, there's a good chance someone's reading your e-mail at that free Web mail account you use. Whatever you do, don't store your list of passwords on your computer. For that matter, don't write them down at all. The most secure method for remembering your passwords is to create a list of every Web site for which you have a password and next to each one write your login name and a clue that has meaning only for you. Besides, if you forget it, most Web sites will e-mail you your password (assuming you can remember which e-mail address you signed up with). Other Resources: The following is a list of resources to help educate consumers, teachers, parents and their children about ways to ensure their privacy and security online. www.staysafeonline.info: A comprehensive cybersecurity education site sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance, a group run by some of the nation's largest information technology and Internet companies. www.cybercitizenship.org: a nonprofit group that's developing a national curriculum on "cyberethics" for educators. See also www.netsmartz.org. Safe at Any Speed: The Federal Trade Commission recently launched this broadband safety initiative. Shields Up!: To find out how just how vulnerable your system is, check out this site created by home user security guru Steve Gibson. With your approval, the system will probe your computer for common holes and vulnerabilities. -- Compiled by Brian Krebs, washingtonpost.com (09/18/02) |
