What the Linked breach teaches us about how to safeguard ourselves online

14.06.2012
The mammoth breach that should be a wakeup call for end-users everywhere. We should all practice due dilligence and ask the companies we deal with questions about how they deal with security.

Here are 10 things you can do to safeguard yourself online:

1. Does the site's logon page have an HTTPS in front of their URL? If it doesn't have "https" preceding the URL when you reach the logon page or pages requesting personal information, it is not a good sign. They do not have even the most basic security measures in place and probably don't care. What do you think they will do to protect your data when they don't even care enough to protect their intellectual property (their website)? Probably nada, zippola, nothing. This is a tell tale sign that you should walk away no matter how alluring the site claims to be. Just walk away.

2. Read the disclaimer and data sharing policy. Many companies sell your data to "partners" which usually means they are partners with anyone that will buy the data. Many C-level executives only care about bottom line revenue. They don't think, "Oh what will happen to my customers data?" Again, walk far, far away. While the company site you sign up for may be somewhat secure, their "partners" may not care so much. Remember offers of "free stuff if you just sign up now" are not really free.