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Top Ten Weakest Passwords And How To Improve Them

admin — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Creating a secure password is an essential part of protecting your online identity. If you make your passwords weak or easily guessed, you run the risk of someone gaining unauthorized access to all your online accounts. This includes bank accounts, shopping accounts, email, work accounts, and more. For starters, make sure none of your passwords are the following, which are the ten weakest passwords you could possibly have.

1. Password. Never make your password “password.” It’s the first thing anyone will guess.
2. 123456. If you use only numbers as your password, at least scramble them up.
3. Jesus. Try using the name of a different religious leader to change things up.
4. Qwerty. Choose a more unique keyboard pattern to remember.
5. Monkey. This random animal is not as unusual a choice as you’d think.
6. 111111. Never choose the same character repeated over and over.
7. Baseball. America’s favorite sport indeed. Choose a player or a team instead.
8. Iloveyou. Cute, but easily guessed. Sentences do make for good passwords, but choose something more obscure.
9. Abc123. Do combine numbers and letters. Don’t make them sequential like this.
10. Princess. Generic words are not smart or safe passwords.

Handy Tips For The Independent Online Store Start-Up Company

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

If you are the owner of your own retail business and you are looking to take your company online to start selling your products and services using an eCommerce store, it is important to understand how to work online by reviewing a few tips and tricks before you open and launch your online store.

First, it is vital to ensure that your website has a SSL certificate (secure socket layer) before allowing the site to store users’ personal information including their names, addresses, and credit card or payment details. You can purchase a SSL certificate directly from your web host or by researching SSL certificate services and companies yourself prior to launching your website.

It is also important to review and test your eCommerce store in multiple browsers before you launch live, to ensure that all of the guests and potential customers on your website are able to properly view your services and products that are listed and available to purchase. This will help to keep visitors on your website longer, possibly improving the chance that you will make more sales in the long run as well. You should also take clean, crisp photos of all of the products you have to sell to help with boosting sales, gaining trust, and keeping your company as high-quality as possible.

What To Do When Your Accounts Have Been Compromised

admin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The internet is a wonderful place to shop virtually all over the world. It gives you the most variety, cheapest products, and the chance to do transactions from the comfort of your own home, but with all this freedom there’s a buyer’s worst fear, that their account could become compromised.

Right when you suspect that an account may have been compromised, such as noticing emails of products that you yourself never purchased or charges from your credit cards or accounts the first thing to do is act fast.

Change all of your passwords right away, and that means any account that has ever been used to make a purchase online. It is also always a good plan to change your password every few months just to help minimize the chances of an account becoming compromised.

Then the next step is to go to your credit card companies and banks and close down your accounts and change your credit and debit cards. Companies have policies on dealing with unauthorized payments and will investigate the claims which may take weeks.

Another tip to protecting your computer is to run anti-virus programs, don’t open unknown emails, and never save passwords on internet browsers.

How To Spot Early Warning Signs Of Identity Theft

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

One of the easiest ways to spot early warning signs of identity theft is to check your credit report. If you see there is something on your credit report that you know you did not authorize, then you will know that someone may have stolen your identity. If someone has used your name or social security number when buying something then it may show up on this report. There are website that allow you t check your credit report.This/tag helps explain it more. Some sites offer free reports, while other site offer reports for a fee. The ones with a fee will most likely have other benefits included for the price they charge. There are also companies you can visit in person to find out if someone has stolen your identity. For a fee the staff at these companies will be able to find out if anything is showing up on your credit report that should not be on there. So if you think someone may have stolen your identity. then be sure to get your most recent credit report. Regardless of which method you use to obtain you credit report, you will be able to get the information that you need to have.

What To Watch Out For When Ordering Across Borders

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

One of the advantages of the Internet is that it has made the entire world open to shopping. Unfortunately, not all countries have the same moralities as the Western Hemisphere. This means that when ordering from other countries, even some in the same region of the world as the United States, it is important that shoppers do everything they can to protect themselves. Before shopping from a vendor outside of the United States’ borders, search on the Internet for reviews about that vendor. Beware of that vendor writing or paying for positive reviews about itself. Pay close attention to the negative reviews, and if any response is provided by the vendor.

When making a purchase across borders, do not make a purchase with a debit card. Instead, use a credit card. Contact your credit card company before making the purchase and ask about any protections the credit card company offers for International purchases. Take actions to limit your own risks as well. In additional to using a credit card, use one that has a low limit to reduce the amount of fraudulent charges someone across a border can make on your credit card. Avoid purchasing if you have any doubts.

Training your staff on digital security

admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Whether your business runs over mobile internet or a giant, stationary processor, it’s your responsibility to keep your clients’ information safe. When you’re training your staff on digital safety be sure to mention the following:

Never Ask for Passwords: It should be your company policy to never ask for passwords to your website. That way if people are being scammed they’ll know it and you won’t have to encounter any liability issues in the event of unauthorized activity.

Treat Credit Card Numbers Like Socials: If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s how vulnerable credit cards can be online – get a security seal for your site and invest in some great bank processing services to ensure your customers’ information is safe.

Have Regular Checks: There’s nothing that can replace regular security checks for your business website and they should be conducted by an independent contractor or company and be exhaustive – getting an A-okay report isn’t detailed enough for what you need so ask the reviewer to be ruthless and critical as it will help you in the long run.

Independent Online Vendors And You; What You Should Know

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

While the only things needed for online shopping are a computer, a bank account and a debit or credit card, there are a number of important factors to consider carefully before committing to any online purchase whether from a well-known business or an independent vendor.

Basically the advantage to online shopping is the ability to shop 24/7 without the unpleasant experience of sales pressure. This type of shopping also provides an easy avenue for comparison shopping in terms of product description and pricing.

While online shopping affords the opportunity to shop when you want to and without the hassle of transportation to a physical location, there are a number of very important factors you must consider. Make sure the website has a secure encryption indicator. This is especially important when dealing with independent vendors unless using a well-known or trusted website.

Seals denoting product quality and shopping safety should be present. Sites that display certain types of seals must meet strict requirements established by the product company. Also evaluate the website for company information which should either be readily displayed or easily found on the ‘about us’ tab. Only enter personal information on sites displaying HTTPS in the address bar.The information doesn’t stop now. Keep looking: Why Use Paypal?

2011 List: Phone Apps For The Cautious Online Shopper

admin — Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Having a phone with internet is truly a blessing for the frugal shopper. So many web developers have created applications that allow shoppers to compare deals and find coupons in no time.

Shopper is one amazing application that combines a variety of functions. On the Shopper app, one can see daily deals from his or her favorite stores. In addition, one can scan the price of a product to see if there are better deals at surrounding stores.

Red Laser is one of the most famous apps for the cautious online shopper, since it will compare deals at a variety of stores. The information on products that one receives from Red Laser is much more in depth than information from other applications.

Coupon Sherpa is another winning app for the cautious online shopper. This great app sends coupons directly to one’s phone. Using Coupon Sherpa, one can pick from a variety of stores that he or she likes. Then, Coupon Sherpa will send coupons from these specific stores directly to a person. One does not have to worry about receiving junk coupons from Coupon Sherpa.

Any cautious online shopper should revel in the fact that there are apps designed to get them the best deals out there.

Keeping Your Online Vendor Profile Separate From Real Life

admin — Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Filing for a DBA should be your first step. This is a legally recognized trade name, short for “doing business as.” The laws regarding DBA licensing vary from state to state. Once you have your DBA, rent a PO Box under the DBA name. This keeps your physical address out of your online transactions. Next, choose your storefront carefully. Most auction sites will handle financial transactions for you, but you may be on your own if a customer uses fraudulent methods to pay. Read the fine print carefully. If you are handcrafting a product, there are several sites that act as clearing houses for artisans. Do your research and choose one with a good track record of seeing that their craftsmen and customers alike are satisfied. If your product is going to be on a dedicated website, then read about the extra services your domain host provides and take the time to compare the long-term costs of each. A large portion of web hosting services offer “shopping carts” to handle credit card payments. This can be an invaluable tool, but be certain to check the cost of service for each transaction. Small percentages can add up to surprisingly large costs.