PERSONAL DIGITAL SECURITY LLO CONFERENCE – June 13, 2019 Rick Doelle –
[email protected] INTRODUCTION As more people use the internet to shop online, there is a greater risk that users will lose personal and financial information to cyber-criminals. This report deals with security considerations at different stages of the online shopping experience. SECURITY FOR THE USER PASSWORDS Many web sites have you enter an account name or UserID and a password. The account name identifies you as the user and it stays the same. The password prevents others from accessing your account and you can change it whenever you want to. You should use a strong password for your account. It should be difficult for someone to guess. The strength of a password depends on its length, complexity and unpredictability. Some web sites show the strength of your password when you create it. FEATURES OF A STRONG PASSWORD If allowed by the web site: 1. Use at least 12 -14 characters, preferably more; 2. Use a mixture of capital letters (A – Z) and small letters (a – z); 3. Include numbers (0 – 9) and symbols (@, #, $, etc.). PD Security-LLO-2019-06-13 1 / 15 Avoid using passwords based on: Repetition (e.g., aaaaa, 55555); Dictionary words (English or foreign language); Letter or number sequences (e.g., qwerty, 12345); Usernames; Names of relatives or pets; Romantic links (current or past); Biographical information. Video: “How to Create a Strong Password” (3:30) by Safety in Canada https://youtu.be/aEmF3Iylvr4 PASSWORD MANAGER Use a password management app to keep track of passwords and to generate strong passwords when necessary.