You may sometimes be asked to provide password hints on some of your accounts. These are small clues meant to jog your memory in case you forget your password. Generally, hints aren’t very safe to begin with and may be easily guessed, especially if you use personal information. Bad actors could connect the dots between […]

There’s always a chance somebody could get a hold of your old hard drives or flash drives. Make sure your data is deleted and unreadable before you throw out or sell it to anyone else. If it’s a work computer it also may be required by your employer’s tech policy, check with the IT department […]

When you sign into a site using your Facebook, Google or Twitter account, then you may have already shared some of your data with a third party. A good idea is to periodically look at which services are joined via your social networks. Recent data leak incidents illustrate the risks of allowing untrusted apps to access […]

Public forums like Reddit offer a place to talk about prescient topics and share stories. If you decide to share a story or leave a comment, be sure not to include any information that could give away your identity.

This may seem simple, but it can be easy to forget: When you’re out in public getting some work done on your laptop, whether it’s in your favorite coffee shop or at the park, close your laptop when you’re not using it. You don’t want to run the risk of someone catching a glimpse of […]

Mobile apps often ask for numerous permissions, including access to your camera, contacts list and geolocation. Think hard before permitting them, since some applications only want these abilities for data harvesting purposes. For example, it’s not usually vital to give Facebook access to your location, or to let Instagram listen in on your microphone.