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Quick Start & Troubleshooting Guide
Note: You may activate your antivirus program through the Setup my PC application.
3. Choose strong passwords and keep them safe.
Passwords are a fact of life on the Internet today; we use them for everything from ordering flowers and
online banking to logging into our favorite airline Web site to see how many miles we have accumulated.
The following tips can help make your online experiences secure:
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Selecting a password that cannot be easily guessed is the first step toward keeping passwords secure and
away from the wrong hands. Strong passwords have eight characters or more and use a combination of
letters, numbers and symbols (e.g., # $ % ! ?). Avoid using any of the following as your password: your
login name, anything based on your personal information such as your last name, and words that can be
found in the dictionary. Try to select especially strong, unique passwords for protecting activities like
online banking.
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Keep your passwords in a safe place and try not to use the same password for every service you use
online.
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Change passwords on a regular basis, at least every 90 days. This can limit the damage caused by some-
one who has already gained access to your account. If you notice something suspicious with one of your
online accounts, one of the first steps you can take is to change your password.
4. Protect your personal information.
Exercise caution when sharing personal information such as your name, home address, phone number, and
email address online. To take advantage of many online services, you will inevitably have to provide personal
information in order to handle billing and shipping of purchased goods. Since not divulging any personal
information is rarely possible, the following list contains some advice for how to share personal information
safely online:
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Keep an eye out for phony email messages. Things that indicate a message may be fraudulent are misspell-
ings, poor grammar, odd phrasings, Web site addresses with strange extensions, Web site addresses that
are entirely numbers where there are normally words, and anything else out of the ordinary. Addition-
ally, phishing messages will often tell you that you have to act quickly to keep your account open, update
your security, or urge you to provide information immediately or else something bad will happen. Don't
take the bait.
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Don't respond to email messages that ask for personal information. Legitimate companies will not use
email messages to ask for your personal information. When in doubt, contact the company by phone or by
typing in the company Web address into your Web browser. Don't click on the links in these messages as
they make take you to fraudulent, malicious Web sites.
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Steer clear of fraudulent Web sites used to steal personal information. When visiting a Web site, type the
address (URL) directly into the Web browser rather than following a link within an email or instant mes-
sage. Fraudsters often forge these links to make them look convincing. A shopping, banking or any other
Web site where sensitive information should have an "S" after the letters "http" (i.e. https://www.your-
bank.com not http://www.yourbank.com). The "s" stands for secure and should appear when you are in
an area requesting you to login or provide other sensitive data. Another sign that you have a secure con-
nection is the small lock icon in the bottom of your web browser (usually the right-hand corner).
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Pay attention to privacy policies on Web sites and in software. It is important to understand how an
organization might collect and use your personal information before you share it with them.
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Guard your email address. Spammers and phishers sometimes send millions of messages to email
addresses that may or may not exist in hopes of finding a potential victim. Responding to these messages
or even downloading images ensures you will be added to their lists for more of the same messages in the
future. Also be careful when posting your email address online in newsgroups, blogs or online communi-
ties.
5. Online offers that look too good to be true usually are.
The old saying "there's no such thing as a free lunch" still rings true today. Supposedly "free" software such as
screen savers or smileys, secret investment tricks sure to make you untold fortunes, and contests that you've
surprisingly won without entering are the enticing hooks used by companies to grab your attention.
