Most websites ask you to pick and answer several security questions when you're signing up with them. These questions will usually be things along the lines of "where were you born" or "what was your first pet's name". These questions are there to help protect you from an unauthorized person getting a hold of your password, or making major changes to your account. You can actually make your account even more secure if you know how to use these questions effectively.
It's common for someone you know to try and break into your account on any number of different websites for any number of different reasons. In fact, it's far more likely that someone you know will try to break into your account than it is that a complete stranger will try to break into one of your accounts. If someone you know tries to break into one of your accounts, it's possible, depending on how well they know you, that they might know the answers to your security questions. With those answers in hand, they can get access to your password, and ultimately, they can get full access to your account. You can prevent this by using security questions a little differently then they're intended to be used.
Instead of using obvious answers to typical questions (truthful answers that, yes, may be more easily remembered, but also more easily guessed), come up with password answers for your security questions. Keep the answers to yourself and remember to write them down and put them in a safe place. For example, when the security question asks you to enter your high school, enter a random word like "Cow." This way, when an intruder attempts to hack in, they will be rejected with the real answer.
Treating your security questions as additional passwords is a great way to add an extra level of protection to your online accounts, but there's one important thing to keep in mind - make sure you pick answers you'll remember later. If you get locked out of your own account, you'll need to be able to answer those questions correctly in order to get back in. If you don't think you can remember your answers, write them down, and keep them somewhere safe.
Your personal information is important and any steps you can take to protect it are worth taking. Treat your security questions like passwords, and your personal information will be even more secure online. There are software packages that create and store all your passwords in the clouds so you can access them any time and any place.
If you'd like more information on protecting yourself while online, read "Protect Your Identity While Surfing the Web" on our blogsite.
It's common for someone you know to try and break into your account on any number of different websites for any number of different reasons. In fact, it's far more likely that someone you know will try to break into your account than it is that a complete stranger will try to break into one of your accounts. If someone you know tries to break into one of your accounts, it's possible, depending on how well they know you, that they might know the answers to your security questions. With those answers in hand, they can get access to your password, and ultimately, they can get full access to your account. You can prevent this by using security questions a little differently then they're intended to be used.
Instead of using obvious answers to typical questions (truthful answers that, yes, may be more easily remembered, but also more easily guessed), come up with password answers for your security questions. Keep the answers to yourself and remember to write them down and put them in a safe place. For example, when the security question asks you to enter your high school, enter a random word like "Cow." This way, when an intruder attempts to hack in, they will be rejected with the real answer.
Treating your security questions as additional passwords is a great way to add an extra level of protection to your online accounts, but there's one important thing to keep in mind - make sure you pick answers you'll remember later. If you get locked out of your own account, you'll need to be able to answer those questions correctly in order to get back in. If you don't think you can remember your answers, write them down, and keep them somewhere safe.
Your personal information is important and any steps you can take to protect it are worth taking. Treat your security questions like passwords, and your personal information will be even more secure online. There are software packages that create and store all your passwords in the clouds so you can access them any time and any place.
If you'd like more information on protecting yourself while online, read "Protect Your Identity While Surfing the Web" on our blogsite.
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Get high security with password protection software. Stop by Fredrik's site http://www.mantecho.com and find out all about refurbished printers and what they can mean for your budget.. This article, Use Security Questions for Extra Password Protection is released under a creative commons attribution license.