WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — We put a lot of information about ourselves in the digital world: filling out surveys, applications, registries not to mention what we say about ourselves on social media. We talk about what we like, what we’re doing and when we’re away from home. Sometimes we like post vacations pictures while we’re gone.
Cyber security expert Eugene Spafford says some of that information can put us at risk. He says too many people are not thinking hard enough about what they should and shouldn’t share.
“The best place to prevent that from getting out is simply not to give it out in the first place,” said Spafford, a computers sciences professor at Purdue University and the executive director of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security. “When organizations ask for information, be very stingy with what you give. “Be very careful what you put on social media.”
To protect your identity, the Federal Trade Commission offers the following suggestions:
- Don’t overshare on social media. If you don’t know someone that well, maybe you shouldn’t be friends with them on Facebook. If you post too much about your life, someone can easily use it to answer security questions to get into your personal accounts or break into your home when they know you are away.
- Don’t automatically share your social security number if someone asks for it. Ask them first if you can use a different kind of identification. If it’s required, ask why they need it, how it’ll be used, how they’ll protect it and what happens if you don’t share it.
- Keep your browser secure. Encryption software can scramble what you send over the internet. Then look for the “lock” icon to let you know your information will be safe.
- Use strong passwords – specifically for your laptop, credit, bank and other accounts. The FTC suggests thinking of a phrase and using the first letter of each word or a number as your password. For example, “I long for a European vacation” could become il4aev.
Click here for more from the FTC on how to protect yourself online.