Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/46359
Advertisement Cyber Safety: Protect Your Privacy From Identity Theft By Madison Police Department Technology Committee Defend your computer against Internet threats: Help protect your online trans- actions by using firewall, antivirus and antispyware software. Encrypt your wire- less connection at home. Keep all software (including your web browser) current with automatic updates. Create strong passwords: Strong pass- words are easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess. They are at least 14 characters long and include num- bers, symbols, and upper and lower case letters. Also, keep passwords secret and use unique passwords for each of your bank accounts (or other important finan- cial information) because if someone steals that password, all the information that the password protects is at risk. Find the web address yourself: Links in e-mail messages, text messages, instant messages or pop-up ads can take you to websites that look legitimate but are not. To visit websites, type the address yourself or use your own bookmark. Look for signs that your information is safe: Before you enter sensitive data on a web page, ensure that the site uses encryp- tion—a security measure that helps protect your data. Signs of encryption include a web address with https ("s" stands for se- cure) and a closed padlock icon beside it or in the lower right corner of the page. Save financial transactions for your home computer: Never pay bills, bank, shop, or do other financial business on a public or shared computer or on devices such as a laptop or mobile phones that are on public wireless networks. The security is unreliable. Use common sense: To protect yourself against fraud, watch out for scams. For example, be wary of deals that sound too good to be true, alerts from your "bank" that your account will be closed unless you take some immediate action, notices that you have won a lottery or a refusal to meet in person for a local transaction. GOODBYE, SUMMER. HELLO, CHARTER ON DEMAND. Includes Showtime® and STARZ® CHARTER TV® in HD $ *with 2-year agreement and qualifying bundle purchase. 2999 Summer's gone. But with Charter TV, the fun doesn't have to end. Watch the latest primetime TV, children's shows, and the hottest summer blockbusters with Charter On Demand. per mo for up to 12 mos* Call 1-888-GET-CHARTER or visit charter.com to learn more. October 2011 This cyber safety message is brought to you by Charter bravamagazine.com 31