Tips for staying secure online - AmericaNowNews.com

5 tips to stay safer online

Our cell phones, tablets and laptops carry all kinds of personal information that you don't want in the wrong hands.  

So be sure to auto lock - and wipe.

"Set a time out feature to lock the device so when you step away for a phone call, if there's a little snoopy people walking around, they can't access the computer. You want to make sure it's password protected, don't use the same password on all your devices, and then lastly there's a lot of really great features where you can auto locate a lost device - and you can auto wipe it," says Cyber Expert Theresa Payton.

Be a skeptic online - trust what you read - but verify before you take any action.

Back up your files - you don't want to lose important information to a virus or technical problem.

And even though it may be a pain - do those regular updates.

Theresa says, "If Saturday is when you pay your bills, that is a great time to plug in all your devices - initiate the updates – you've got your browsers up to date - software - everything. As vulnerabilities come out these companies learn about them and they change the operating system to fight back those vulnerabilities."

Rounding out our top five - you should search, surf and alert. Use search engines to see what's being said about you online - it will help manage your online world.

A couple of other things to think about. Location, location, location.  Keep the computer and other technology in a common area so it's easier to watch the kids when they're online. And keep that ant-virus software up to date.

Copyright 2012 America Now. All rights reserved.

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