Welcome to Data Snooping

Have you ever stopped to think about how much information other people might gain from you on a constant basis by your Internet habits? You may think you’re safe and that data snooping will never happen to you, but this is where reality sets in. How much information can you afford to give out from your business computer or laptop? Some or none? Data snoops don’t have to be technical wizards. All they need is time, a little know-how and there’s plenty of know-how to go around. Chances are good that it will happen to you, and its probably just a matter of time. Arm up and get to know your foe. These little tips will help you in the long run:

1. Information on the Internet is collected by "cookies" so delete your Internet Temp Dir, History and Cookie files .You should do this daily on a business computer. If someone hacked into your machine, these are great places to learn your surfing habits. Let's say you logon to your bank on the Internet, and access your account. When potential snoops see this, they now have a reason to dig for account info. So clean up

2. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use E-WALLETS. These promise to "remember all your account numbers, passwords and logins". Some also admit to collecting data to understand and help the end user. I don’t think you want to let them know what’s on your business machine, not for a second. Also if you think that a password is going to save your E-WALLET from hackers, think again.  There are tons of programs designed to break into wallets and get your information.

3. Clear your "Recently Used Documents" folder ". It’s the easiest way for someone to find out where you have been . For those who don’t know, left click on your taskbar and  go to Properties. Hit the Advance Tab and select Clear All Recently Used Documents.

That’s it for now. May your servers not crash and your data be safe.

Jay Pillay
Computer Technician
530-755-1084
jay_pillay@hotmail.com
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