{"id":7479,"date":"2016-03-21T03:35:09","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T03:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.accurants.com\/2016\/03\/21\/5-steps-to-protect-yourself-online\/"},"modified":"2024-10-21T14:33:05","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T14:33:05","slug":"5-steps-to-protect-yourself-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/21\/5-steps-to-protect-yourself-online\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Protect Yourself Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At accurants, we are passionate about protecting our customers\u2019 data and helping them maintain the privacy of their small business clients. To that end, we have spent hundreds of hours researching and identifying the latest techniques in data security. Here are 5 steps crucial for protecting yourself and your data online:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a01. <\/strong><\/strong><b>Create a Bulletproof Password <\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s no secret that remembering passwords is a pain. In fact, one could argue that having to keep track of dozens of different passwords for everything from bank accounts to email servers is one of the great downsides of the digital era! But your security system is only as good as its\\&#8217; weakest link, so keep that in mind the next time you use your dog\u2019s name for a password.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although most of us know that passwords are important, few of us can manage to recall a dozen unique passwords and instead find ourselves using the same pet names and birthdays for all our private logins. Even if we do manage to create different passwords for various sites, they might not follow all the rules. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some of the guidelines for effective password creation:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Password Don\u2019ts<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Never use the name of your spouse, child, dog, or anything else that could easily be identified with you.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Never write down your passwords or store them in a phone or app. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid using the same password for every site.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Never share your password.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><b>Password Dos<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use a minimum of 8 characters, including a capital letter, at least two numbers, and a special character. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have a different password for each website.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change passwords at least once yearly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At first glance, these rules might seem intimidating. However, the team at accurants has discovered an easy way to create memorable passwords without sacrificing your business\u2019 security. I personally have used this method with great results for many years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are five steps essential to protecting yourself online:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Choose a Memorable Base Word and Replace Letters<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pick a word that cannot be directly connected to you but that you can remember. This word needs to be at least five characters, two of which have character counts below 10 (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i). We\u2019ll use the example:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Cocoa<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a01. <\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, replace at least two of the low character count letters with their count numbers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>3o3oa<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include a Capital or Two<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capitalize at least one letter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>3o3oA<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add the current year, this will remind you to change at least yearly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add a year indicator to the front or end. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>3o3oA16<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add a Letter Representing the Site<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure you remember which password belongs to which site by including a significant letter. For example, you can add a \u2018g\u2019 for your Gmail account password.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>3o3oA16g<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add a Special Character<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add a special character to the end of your password.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>3o3oA16g<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give our password creation system a try \u2013 just remember not to share the results. The best way to protect your password is to keep it a secret from friends, family, and acquaintances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2. Update Your Anti-Virus Software<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your anti-virus and anti-malware software aren\u2019t up to date, you could be putting your system and your confidential data at risk. While Norton and McAfee are widely regarded as the best options for digital security, various free programs exist online for those who don\u2019t have a lot to spend.\u00a0 Nt only do these systems help protect you from viruses, adware, and phishing schemes, but they also safeguard your online transactions by identifying and blocking unsafe websites.\u00a0\u00a0If you want to protect yourself online, take time to update your OS and software whenever there\u2019s a new rollout. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a03. <\/strong><\/strong><b>Be Safe Socially<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because Facebook and Twitter have become ubiquitous fixtures in our daily lives, many users assume they can post personal information without consequence.\u00a0 However, the truth is that criminals and hackers utilize these platforms to gain sensitive data such as phone numbers, addresses, and even info on when you\u2019ll be out of the house.\u00a0 For this reason, it\u2019s important to lock down privacy settings and avoid sharing too much information.\u00a0 If you\u2019re going on vacation to Hawaii, wait to post those beach shots until you\u2019re back at home, rather than letting would-be thieves know exactly when you\u2019re out of town. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a04. <\/strong><\/strong><b>Guard Your Credit Card<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A recent report reveals that <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mintel.com\/press-centre\/technology-press-centre\/nearly-70-of-americans-shop-online-regularly-with-close-to-50-taking-advantage-of-free-shipping\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">two thirds of Americans<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shop online at least once a month.\u00a0 While there\u2019s no beating the convenience of buying from Amazon and other web retailers, consumers need to take steps to protect their personal data during these transactions. For best results, shop only on sites that display the padlock icon beside the address. Additionally, consumers should look for an HTTPS address before entering credit card info and take time to check all their bills thoroughly. Staying vigilant against fraud is crucial for protecting your credit record and online identity. Never leave accounts numbers on the website for future use. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a05. <\/strong><\/strong><b>Migrate to the Cloud<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud-based storage solutions like the one offered by accurants provide numerous advantages over the competition.\u00a0 With cloud accounting, individuals and businesses can rest assured knowing that important data is protected from both cybercrime and hard drive corruption.\u00a0 Additionally, cloud security solutions can help companies meet compliance requirements for encryption and access control.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Trust accurants with Your Business Accounting <\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your complete solution for small business accounting, accurants provides a variety of cloud-based software solutions to handle everything from tracking expenses to invoicing clients. Additionally, we work with clients to ensure their confidential info\u2014and that of their customers\u2014stays secure every step of the way.\u00a0 For more information about our services, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/registration.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sign up for a free 30-day trial<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We look forward to showing you everything accurants can do for your business.\u00a0 <\/span><strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accurants utilizes the third party digicerts to validate our security.<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At accurants, we are passionate about protecting our customers\u2019 data and helping them maintain the privacy of their small business clients. To that end, we have spent hundreds of hours researching and identifying the latest techniques in data security. Here are 5 steps crucial for protecting yourself and your data online: \u00a01. Create a Bulletproof [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","entry","has-media"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/03\/Accurants-Security.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7479"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7653,"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7479\/revisions\/7653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accurants.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}