Security Reminders for Your Online Accounts
Online quizzes seem to be a fun way to help your online friends get to know you better. However, many of these quizzes are designed to gather information that can be used by fraudsters to answer password and account security questions in order to access your personal information. Before you share, consider what impact your answers will have on your privacy and security. Following are tips to help keep your accounts secure.
USERNAMES
To create a secure username, choose something that you have never used on another site. Your username should include numbers and letters and should be difficult to guess. If you are using your account number to log in to online banking, we strongly recommend changing it as soon as possible.
PASSWORDS
Use a unique password for each site you visit. For example, don’t use the same password for your email and SLFCU accounts. Examples of weak passwords include: a word from the dictionary, a name (including pets), or a date that is easy to guess, such as a birthday. Instead, consider using a phrase, and make sure to include a mix of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and punctuation marks.
SECURITY QUESTIONS
Your mother’s maiden name is not the best choice for your security question and answer. Social networks like Facebook can allow strangers to obtain personal information such as maiden names, pet names, and home towns. When choosing security questions and answers, be aware what information about you might be easily guessed, searched, or common knowledge. Consider making up answers rather than supplying correct information. Just make sure to remember what you entered. You can also include numbers and punctuation in your security answers to make them more difficult to guess.
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