Online Security

Online Security- User Name and Password

Make up a user name. Don't use your real name. Most hacked accounts are by known acquaintances- use a made up character name such as MickyBlu2 or something you can remember fairly easily. If your name is Jane you could be Yane2.

Your password is your most basic online security. A strong password includes numbers and letters in lower and upper case. Don't use a real word. Don't use your name, your child's name, or pet's name.Try to use a different password (or variation of it) for each account or internet site. You can have simple passwords (word with numbers)  for accounts that are not linked to finance or commerce, such as those for newspapers and magazines. More complex password contain symbols. Be sure to have completely unique passwords that are for banking and buying. Sometimes sites will indicate how weak or strong your password is. Be sure to get a "strong" password.

A non-real user name and non-word (or spelled incorrectly or spelled correctly with a capital letter in the middle) password help stop online identity theft. Your email and name could become compromised - for instance, Sony and others had their emails accounts hacked- but your user name for that site would still be unknown. Your online identity becomes separate. Your social media accounts remain untied to your user names. My Space, Facebook, and other socially divulging information, won't be used against you.