Here are some safety tips. Some are adapted from an article by Ginger Hill of Security Today, while others are just from experience (and good thinking).
Cyber-bullied
If you were ever bullied (physically or in cyberspace), you know it hurts. But you do not have to stay down and be depressed. In fact, take action. Document all related online activities with their relevant time and dates. Screenshots are a great way to document these activities. Have copies made to keep, both electronic and printed.
Do not suffer alone. Get help from a reliable adult, like parents, siblings or teachers. Do not engage in physical violence either to the bullies or yourselves.
Have at least 2 (or 3 ) email addresses
I believe you should have 3 different email addresses: one for your job (lets call it “The Professional“), one for your family and friends (lets call it “The Socialite“), and one for the unwanted emails like when you need to use for forums, or some social media sites or even to take random surveys to ‘win something'(lets call this one “The Junkie“). Do not mix these together, especially the Junkie. It can really be the source of all your computing troubles.
The rules of strangers applies online too
Remember when your parent used to remind you “never to accept candy from a stranger”? The same rules apply in cyberspace. Some very, very bad people can spoof legitimate emails and websites, use free ‘goodies’ to lure you into clicking attachments and opening emails that will download malware (that means MALicious softWARE). Crafty buggers!
Do not overshare
While most people’s view of private may be very different, be careful what you share. You may have unknowingly shared sensitive information that can help cyber crooks to guess your passwords (yes, i said passwords with an ‘s’) or get answers to your security questions.
One password is never enough
With the many daily activities we do online on the many different sites (banking, socializing, learning, working, etc.), it is very UNWISE to have one SAME password on all these systems. It is advisable to have different passwords for the different systems. Yes, it is a lot for some to remember, but you can get creative with it. Perhaps you could use initials of your best buddies at work for your social system, your kids initial for your work system, a mesh of your favorite song for your banking system…. well, you get the picture. Have a basis and build on it.
Password variations
Deleting sensitive documents
When deleting sensitive documents, remember that it can be retrieved again. Deleting does not mean it is gone from your hard disk. Imagine pointing to a house to indicate that that is your house. If you pull your hands away, the indication (i.e. the pointing) is gone, but the house is still there. It is the same with hard disks. The best way is to ERASE it, or easier still use a tool to electronically ‘shred’ the file. There many tools that could be used for this, such as CCleaner and Advanced Systemcare.
Sharers beware
Sometimes we get forwarded an interesting email from a friend, and we want to forward it to another friend or your sister. When you forward an email, make sure to delete the original sender and other friends’ email addresses before you hit the ‘Send’ button. Spammers and viruses can collect these emails and use them to exploit people.
In cyberspace, think before you act.
