Online Security Blunders

Consumer Reports has a checklist of seven things people do that compromise your online security. Are you guilty of any of these?

1. Assuming your security software is protecting you
2. Accessing an account through an e-mail link
3. Using a single password for all online accounts
4. Downloading free software
5. Thinking your Mac shields you from all risks
6. Clicking on a pop-up ad that says your PC is insecure
7. Shopping online the same way you do in stores

They have more details on each, and steps you can take to keep your identity secure. Link -via Consumerist

(image credit: David Flaherty)

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In the fourth point I think you mean freeware, not free software. Free Software [1] is something else, intended to give back users control over their software and their computer.

[1] http://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software

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Playing off what Edward said, isn't it interesting how we get so many media scare reports, yet they rarely play up the likelihood of "trusted" people to commit various misdeeds? Instead we have a culture now where everyone fears strangers and non-friends (eg, neighbors you know but aren't close to) even though they have the least motive and opportunity for harming us. It's always "them" doing bad things, never "us."

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People need to keep in mind that only 10% of fraud (identity theft) happens over the Internet. The largest number of cases are caused by friends and family. The most expensive are caused by employees of yours or the staff where you shop and bank.

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I think a lot of people are paranoid. I hate having to use a different password for everything because everyone has different rules about how long your password has to be and how alphanumeric it must be, as if my Dominos.com account must be protected at all costs. The bank gets a good password from me, that's it.