According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, hackers have stolen over 550 million identifying records since 2005 by breaking into databases. With such huge numbers, it’s likely that at least one of those records will belong to you or one of your loved ones. There are some ways to try to prevent that from happening, though.
- Use a secure password
Your password should not be anything that is personally identifying, a simple word (like password) or a simple sequence of digits. Instead, use special characters and perhaps an abbreviation for a phrase that you can easily remember.
- Â Don’t take online quizzes.
While they may seem like mindless fun, they could actually be put together by a hacker who is trying to get personal details about you. Be especially wary of quizzes on social networking sites, which can give the creators access to your friends’ information as well.
- Â Be careful with security questions.
Remember that you don’t have to answer them truthfully. You just have to remember what answer you put in for each. Some suggest using the exact same fake answer for every question.
- Â Avoid clicking links in emails.
Even if the email is legitimately from someone you know, he or she could be sending you a malicious link by accident. It’s always better to navigate to sites directly.
- Â Don’t have public social networking accounts.
Look for an option to have your information viewed by “friends only” and use it. Keep your email address and your birth date private. Never add people who you don’t know personally. That can be a recipe for disaster.
- Â Put a password on both your laptop and your cell phone.
This will prevent passersby from being able to pick them up and glance at your information. It can also help to discourage thieves.
- Â Update security software regularly.
 Even with the utmost care, your information on your computer can be easily stolen if your machine contracts a virus. If it starts producing odd pop-up windows or loading very slowly, it’s likely you need to have the system cleaned. Take it to a professional if you do not know how to run a cleaning program yourself.