Real World Safety in the Virtual World

It used to be true that what happened online had little impact in the real world. On the last week of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Information Technology Services Security Team reminds you that today's Internet is big business, and what happens online can have a big impact in your real world.

In the real world, you guard your wallet and make sure you put money and credit cards back where they belong. You've developed habits and consistent behaviors that help protect you in the real world, and developing similar habits online will help you stay safe. The Internet is not just for honest folks; crooks are banking on poor online habits that they can exploit.

There are a number of safe online habits that can protect your real world finances. Two of the most important are:

• Always go to your bank's website by typing in the URL for the site or by using your bookmarks. You can protect yourself from phishing scams by always being the one to initiate contact with your bank.
• Before logging into a shopping cart or a financial site, look for the important "S" in the URL bar, https://, instead of http://. Also check for a security lock icon. These two items indicate that the site is secure.

For nine other tips about protecting yourself online, see http://techarticles.uark.edu/security/real_world_safety_in_the_virtual_world/.