5 “DISPOSABLE” Web Accounts to Keep Your Identity Safe. Identity theft is on the rise. According to StatisticBrain, there are between 12 and 15 million victims every year with an average loss of about $5,000 per victim. What would you do if you were next? There are so many different ways your identity can be stolen these days. Social security numbers and banking PINs are the obvious methods, but here are a few other methods you may not be aware of: You can’t be in 100% control over all of these potential attack vectors, but it’s in your best interest to cover your tracks as much as possible. Risk minimization is the name of the game, and one way to do that is to use disposable information on the web whenever you can.
In 2014, a SWAT team busted into the house of a well-known gaming streamer (named Kootra) when one of his watchers phoned in a prank claiming that he was holding people hostage. These are just two of many ways in which your life can be unexpectedly ruined on the internet. 2. Google Voice is also an option. 3. 4. 5. Advanced sign-in security for your Google account. Has anyone you know ever lost control of an email account and inadvertently sent spam—or worse—to their friends and family? There are plenty of examples (like the classic "Mugged in London" scam) that demonstrate why it's important to take steps to help secure your activities online. Your Gmail account, your photos, your private documents—if you reuse the same password on multiple sites and one of those sites gets hacked, or your password is conned out of you directly through a phishing scam, it can be used to access some of your most closely-held information.
Most of us are used to entrusting our information to a password, but we know that some of you are looking for something stronger. As we announced to our Google Apps customers a few months ago, we've developed an advanced opt-in security feature called 2-step verification that makes your Google Account significantly more secure by helping to verify that you're the real owner of your account. Pack A Pistol When You Pack Your Bags. HOWTO bypass Internet Censorship, a tutorial on getting around filters and blocked ports. FireSheep vs. Facebook. Do A Total Background Check On Yourself. Protect Your Data During U.S. Border Searches.
From Wired How-To Wiki The mandatory stop at the U.S. Customs counter when returning from an international trip usually just involves answering a few questions and getting a stamp on your passport. But recently, we've seen incidents of computer security experts with ties to WikiLeaks and white hat hackers being stopped by government agents and having their laptops and phones thoroughly inspected. Unless you work in computer research, or if you have ties to whistleblowers or cybersecurity journalists, the chance is very, very slim that your electronics will be searched. But even if you don't think you're up to anything that would arouse the suspicion of the Feds, you should still take precautions. Also, the threat of theft or snooping is something you should pay attention to, no matter how far from home you wander. Note that these rights extend only to U.S. citizens. If you're flying internationally, be prepared for a search and protect yourself before you travel.
Know the law.