Taken from PCWorld Magazine, November 2012

If you use email, upload photos, frequent social networks, and shop on the Web, your online profile is likely already out there.  Even if you don’t go online much, bits of your personal data may be available for viewing via digitized public records: Someone could readily find out if you have a mortgage, for example, of if you’ve recently gotten married or divorced.  Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself.

1) Search for yourself and discover what information is out there.  Just type your name into a search engine and see what comes up. Look at the results the way a hacker would… is there enough data to piece together your life?

2) Use passphrases instead of passwords.  The best passwords are randomly generated, but these can be hard to remember.  However, as most passwords are hacked using brute force – in which hackers use a computer to run through all possible combinations, all passwords can be cracked.  The longer the password, the harder it is to crck.

3) Keep your software and antivirus programs up to date.

4) Create unique passwords only for accounts that contain sensitive information – say, email, banking, and social network sites.

5) Be careful about what information you give away to noncritical websites.  If you can’t get past a screen because the website wants you to give up too much information, just make it up!

6) Protect yourself offine by locking your mailbox, shred important documents, and never carry your social insurance card.